." Then aloud to
our troop, "Thank you, my lads, thank you."

"Oh, it's all right, colonel dear," I heard Brian say in a loud voice;
"we shall be wanting ye to hilp us before long."

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

The colonel was delighted with the position, knowing that, if the
ammunition held out, he could, with Brace's help, make it a centre from
which he could thrash twice as many of the enemy.

But it seemed to me, as I noted how many poor fellows were wounded, that
we did not want any more fighting that day; and for a time it did not
look as if we were to be troubled.

I was wrong, though, for in about half an hour the enemy's leaders were
showing front again, and it was evident that Ny Deen did not mean us to
escape, for strong bodies of cavalry filed off to right and left,
exactly as I had planned in my own mind, while his foot were mustered in
great strength, their numbers being rapidly added to by men from out of
the town. To add to the peril of our position, we made out a whole line
coming along from the west which soon showed itself to be a fresh
regiment of native cavalry coming to join Ny Deen's standard and help
drive the infidel out of the land.

In the consultation which took place, with the men all at ease, and
bread and water being partaken of eagerly, the colonel said calmly--

"I'm not a bit alarmed for myself. My lads will fight to the last.
We've plenty of ammunition, and I know we can make our square smaller
and smaller, till they are sick of it, as they soon will be, for they
cannot rush us. They will not face the bayonet. What about you?
There's my fear."

"I'll help you all I can," said Brace, "and I don't think you need fear
for us. We can manoeuvre and keep them at a distance. We fight best at
a pretty good range," he said laughingly.

Our men had escaped without a scratch, so that our doctor was able to
devote himself to the help of his brother in the profession at the
temporary hospital made under a huge tree, well out of range of any
firing that might arise. The foot regiment had suffered very heavily,
for the fighting had been most severe through the narrow street, enemies
springing up constantly in the most unexpected places; and, as I heard
from the officers, to have halted for a minute to repel the attacks
would have been fatal. In fact, from the time we left them, the poor
fellows had literally to run the gauntlet of a fierce fire, and all
confessed that it was wonder