ters were the older men, who had had experience
of England's craft in war. They knew of the ability of some at least of
England's generals to match guile against guile, and back up guile with
swift, unexpected hammer-strokes.

There were men who claimed that what had happened in Jailpore would be
repeated in Bholat and elsewhere. There was no need, these maintained,
to march and join hands with other rebels. Each unit was sufficient to
itself. Each city would be a British funeral pyre. Why march?

Some said, "The general at Bholat will learn of the massacre, and will
learn too, that not quite all were killed. He will come hotfoot to find
the four we could not find. For these British are as cobras; slay the
he cobra and the she one comes to seek revenge. Slay the she one and
beware! Her husband will track thee down, and strike thee. They are not
ordinary folk!"

There were other factions that maintained that General Baines was strong
enough, with his three thousand, to hold Bholat, unless the men of
Jailpore marched, to join hands with the Bholatis--who were surely in
revolt by this time. There were others who declared that he would leave
Bholat and Jailpore to their fates without any doubt at all, and would
march to join hands with the nearest contingent, at Harumpore.

The bolder spirits of this latter faction were for setting off at once
to prevent this combination. For a little while their arguments almost
prevailed.

But another faction yet, and an even more numerous one, insisted it were
best to wait for news from other centers.

Why march, they argued, why strike, why run unnecessary risks, before
they knew what was happening elsewhere?

"Surely," these argued, "the English will hear that four here are still
unaccounted for. Some attempt will be made to find and rescue them. But
if we find and slay them, and send their heads to Bholat, then will the
English know that they are indeed dead. Then there will be no attempt at
rescue, and we shall hold Jailpore unmolested as headquarters."

That piece of logic won the day for a while, and parties were made up
to explore the place, and search in every nook and cranny for the three
women. and a child who surely had not passed out through any of the
gates, and who were therefore just as surely in the city. A reward was
offered by the committee of rebel-leaders and, although nobody believed
that the reward would actually be paid, the opportunities for looting
priva