seize us one after the other by
the throat with his long, thin, bony fingers, and hold us till we had
ceased to breathe. And as this idea strengthened, I told myself that it
would be madness to close my eyes. I would lie there and watch him, I
thought; and in this intent I lay thinking how wet my feet were, how
coated my legs were with mud, and how, in spite of the drenching I had
had with perspiration, I was now growing rapidly dry.

But oh, how weary I felt, and how my back and legs ached! It would be
_so_ restful, I thought, to go soundly off to sleep, if for only five
minutes, and then resume my watch.

I could not go off, though. It would have been like inviting the old
Hindu to rid himself of two enemies of his people and of his religion;
and as I watched him I saw, or thought I did, an ugly evil look in his
eyes: the shadows played about his face, and his lips seemed to be
pressed together in a thin, malignant-looking smile, as if he were quite
satisfied that in a few more minutes we should be both at his mercy.

For Brace had no sooner thrown himself back on the charpoy, with his
arms crossed upon his breast, than his head sank on one side so that his
face was toward me, while one arm slowly began to give way, and glided
from his chest down by the side of the charpoy, and hung at last at full
length, with the back of his hand resting upon the earthen floor.

With Brace fast asleep, I felt that it was my duty to watch, and after
carefully scrutinising the Hindu's face, which now looked malignant to a
degree, I determined to hold myself in readiness to cut the old wretch
down the moment he approached and tried to attack Brace.

My sword was so near that I could let my hand rest upon it, and planning
carefully how I could in one movement spring up, and with one swing
round of my arm drag out my blade and cut him down, I waited.

The candle burned more dimly, but the Hindu's eye grew more bright,
while his face and that of my brother-officer darkened in the shade.
Now and then the wretched light flickered and danced, and as the little
flame played about, the smile upon the old man's lips grew more ghastly,
till it broadened into a laugh that sent a shiver through me.

The light grew more dim and the shadows deeper, then darker still, and
rapidly darker, till the room was quite black, and the old Hindu's face
was completely blotted out, but I knew he was creeping nearer and
nearer, and felt that he had by