riefly related to him his conversation with the
minister.

"I think he is right," he said. "Purseram Bhow is a stout fighter,
and is as brave as a lion; but Scindia's force would be double that
which he could gather, at such a short notice, and Nana does right
not to risk everything on the chance of a single fight. He is a
wily old fox, and has got safely through dangers which would have
crushed an ordinary man. You will see that, before long, he will be
back again, and reinstated in power.

"At any rate, I will accompany him. After that thrashing we gave
Balloba's horsemen, my head would not be safe here an hour, after
his arrival."

On the road, Harry had informed him of the decision at which he had
arrived, upon Soyera's advice; and Sufder agreed that it would
certainly be a wise step. Accordingly, when the latter entered the
palace, Harry went straight to the British Residency. He sent in
his native name to Mr. Malet, and asked for an interview, and was
at once shown in.

"You wish to speak to me, sir?" the Resident said, in the Mahratta
language. "I think I have seen you at Mahdoo Rao's court."

"I have seen your excellency there," Harry replied, in the same
language.

Then, seeing that the Resident spoke the language with difficulty,
he went on, in English:

"It is a matter chiefly personal to myself."

The Resident looked at him in surprise, for it was the first time
he had heard a Mahratta speaking English.

"I am the son of Major Lindsay who, with his wife and escort, was
murdered by a party of Mahrattas, seventeen years ago, at the time
when the English army was advancing against Poona. I was saved by
the fidelity of an ayah, who had been in the family for ten years.
A cousin of hers was, fortunately, one of the leaders of the party
who attacked the camp and, with his connivance, she carried me off
and made her way back to her family, near Jooneer. She stained my
skin, as you see, and allowed it to be supposed that she had
married in Bombay, and that I was her own child.

"She has brought me up with the intention of my rejoining my
countrymen, as soon as I became a man; for she did not see how,
until then, I could earn my living among strangers. She taught me
as much as she knew of the language and religion of the English
and, when I was twelve, took me down to Bombay and left me, for
some two years and a half, in the house of Mrs. Sankey, a lady who
taught some of the children of officers there