join the rajah, Ny Deen, the next
morning, when their arrangements were suddenly upset by the return of
the foot regiment which, on finding out that it had been deluded, came
back by a forced march, but too late to save those at the station.

"Then the relics of the regiment will still seek to join this revolted
rajah," said the colonel of the foot regiment. "But his power has been
broken up," said Brace. "We put him to flight."

"They'll try to join him, all the same," cried the colonel.

"The only hope of these men," he continued, "is in co-operation. Depend
upon it, the scoundrels will move west, and I say we ought to follow.
Our march must be on Badhpore, and from thence in the direction of
Nussoor. What do you say?"

"I say," cried Brace, "that we are weak without infantry, and you are
feeble without guns. It is a question of expediency, sir, and our force
may prove to be the nucleus of a little army strong enough to sweep the
mutineers from the land."

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

A thrill ran through me at the colonel's mention of Nussoor, and I
listened eagerly to Brace's reply, for I had felt in a dread lest he
should oppose the plan of marching on that city, though I was obliged to
own that it was quite possible that my father's regiment might have left
there in these disturbed times, and of course he would have placed my
mother and sister where they would be safe.

After a little discussion, it was decided that we should stay
twenty-four hours where we were, to recruit the men and horses, for,
though the men all declared their readiness to go on at once, the
infantry had had a very severe forced march or two, and required rest.

It was a terrible experience--a walk or two I had about the town with
Brace during that halt, one which was utilised for collecting an ample
supply of provisions and recruiting followers for our little camp, and I
remember asking Brace whether he thought it wise to trust the natives.

"Yes and no, Gil," he said. "I am not blind; I can see that every one
here in this place humbles himself to the dust before us as the
conquerors, and is ready to obey our slightest command; but, if we met
with a reverse, they would rise and trample on us to a man, and glory in
murdering such a set of unclean, infidel dogs as we are. But it is a
necessity, my lad. We want our lads to fight, and they must be always
ready for action. We cannot have them exhausted in this terrible
climate, c