an a child; but the fever has gone out of
him, by the grace of God. There remains only my nose and the eye of
the constabeel. Sahib, shall I ask for my dismissal because my Sahib
has beaten me?' And Faiz Ullah laid his long thin hand carefully on
Scott's chest to be sure that the fever was all gone, ere he went out
to open tinned soups and discourage such as laughed at his swelled
nose.

'The district's all right,' Scott whispered. 'It doesn't make any
difference. You got my wire? I shall be fit in a week. 'Can't
understand how it happened. I shall be fit in a few days.'

'You're coming into camp with us,' said Hawkins.

'But look here--but--'

'It's all over except the shouting. We sha'n't need you Punjabis any
more. On my honour, we sha'n't. Martyn goes back in a few weeks;
Arbuthnot's returned already; Ellis and Clay are putting the last
touches to a new feeder-line the Government's built as relief-work.
Morten's dead--he was a Bengal man, though; you wouldn't know him.
'Pon my word, you and Will--Miss Martyn--seem to have come through it
as well as anybody.'

'Oh, how is she?' The voice went up and down as he spoke.

'She was in great form when I left her. The Roman Catholic Missions
are adopting the unclaimed babies to turn them into little priests;
the Basil Mission is taking some, and the mothers are taking the
rest. You should hear the little beggars howl when they're sent away
from William. She's pulled down a bit, but so are we all. Now, when
do you suppose you'll be able to move?'

'I can't come into camp in this state. I won't,' he replied
pettishly.

'Well, you _are_ rather a sight, but from what I gathered there it
seemed to me they'd be glad to see you under any conditions. I'll
look over your work here, if you like, for a couple of days, and you
can pull yourself together while Faiz Ullah feeds you up.'

Scott could walk dizzily by the time Hawkins's inspection vas ended,
and he flushed all over when Jim said of his work in the district
that it was 'not half bad,' and volunteered, further, that he had
considered Scott his right-hand man through the famine, and would
feel it his duty to say as much officially.

So they came back by rail to the old camp; but there were no crowds
near it, the long fires in the trenches were dead and black, and the
famine-sheds stood almost empty.

'You see!' said Jim. 'There isn't much more for us to do. Better ride
up and see the wife. They've pitched a tent