ny of the poor fellows should go down with
sunstroke.

But we were spared that, though every night, when we halted, the doctor
confided to me his opinion that it was miraculous.

Craig was very weak and ill, and more than once he asked Brace to have
him laid down under a shady tree to die, so that better use might be
made of the bearers.

"Impossible, my good fellow," Brace used to say. "I can't spare you--
the smartest sergeant in the troop."

"Smartest, sir?" repeated Craig, with a piteous smile. "A helpless
invalid, too weak to lift a sword, let alone use it, or sit a horse."

"Wait, Craig, and you will sit a horse yet, and help me to redeem this
terrible reverse."

The days wore slowly on, and we seemed no nearer; and, but for the
energy and knowledge of Dost, we should have starved; but his knowledge
of the natives of the country people enabled him somehow or another to
provide for our commissariat, and we marched on with the sepoys always
bearing poor Craig's dhooly, and making no attempt to escape.

I said something about it one night to Brace.

"Wait," he said, "and then we shall have to be doubly watchful. They
will try to escape when we have overtaken the enemy; and our great peril
will be their betraying our presence; for we cannot play the lion now,
Gil; we must play the fox."

It was a wonder to me that we did not come upon any stragglers from the
force we were pursuing; but we did not overtake any; neither did we come
upon a broken-down horse.

"Plain proof," said Brace, "that they are taking care of them. Gil, my
lad, if we do not recapture those guns, they will prove to be deadly in
their injury to our side; for, depend upon it, those daring fellows will
train themselves to use them, and they will be terrible weapons in an
enemy's hands."

"More need for us to get them back," I said. "You don't despair of
overtaking them?"

"I will not," he said firmly; and then, to change the subject, "How did
you think our horses looked?"

"Very well. Why don't you ride?"

"Why don't you?" he retorted.

"Because all our poor fellows have to walk."

"Exactly, Gil; my reason. Wait a bit, and we'll mount them all. Ah, if
that time would only come!"

It did not then, nor yet for many days, during which we had steadily
followed the track, never once losing it; but I could note how weary
both Haynes and Brace grew.

"You see," said the former, "they must be making for some
trysting-place--one