th, the sound
gradually growing fainter, till it was like a distant murmur, one which
had the effect of sending me, tired as I was, off into a heavy sleep.

CHAPTER THIRTY.

It was night when I awoke, refreshed and ready to ask myself whether it
was a dream, one of the many vivid sleep scenes which I had conjured up
since I had been there, wounded and a prisoner.

But I knew directly that it was no dream, and I began thinking of how
sadly some of the natives must have been treated for the simple
civilities which I had bestowed upon Ny Deen to be appreciated as they
were.

From that I began thinking of Brace and Haynes, about the colonel of the
foot regiment, and of Ny Deen's words that they were beaten and had
fled.

"I don't believe it," I said, half aloud. There may have been thousands
against our hundreds; but our fellows would not study that. It would
only make them fight the more fiercely. I suppose that was his idea of
it; but I felt sure that it would not be Brace's, or that of his brother
in arms. I thought then of our tremendous charge with the guns, and I
could not keep from smiling.

"That does not seem to be the work of a man who wants to retreat," I
said to myself. "If Brace has retired, it is only to act like a wave of
the sea, so that he can come back with greater force, and sweep
everything before him."

Yes; I was sure of that, as I lay there gazing at the lamp, whose soft
light seemed to look dreamy and pleasant. I was in better spirits, and
the old depression and feeling of misery had gone.

Then I began to plan what I should do as I grew stronger. I would make
use of the palanquin and the elephant's howdah; but at the first
opportunity I decided that I would escape. I did not want to be
ungrateful to Ny Deen, and it was very pleasant to feel that he liked
me; but I must get back to my own people, I felt, and he would know that
it was quite reasonable.

A faint rustling sound drew my attention just then, somewhere near the
head of my bed; but it ceased directly, and I attributed it to the
servants.

To prove this, I made up my mind to clap my hands, but at the first
movement such a keen pain shot through my shoulder that I contented
myself by calling, "Who waits?"

There was a quick rustling sound at once, and the purdah was drawn aside
by a shadowy figure, and held while three men in white entered with
trays so quickly and silently that I felt as if I were going through
so