ib, for
the first time the British infantry began to understand who it was
who had come to their aid, and they began to sing--one song, all
together. The wounded sang it, too, and the stretcher-bearers. There
came a day when we had our own version of that song, but that night
it was new to us. We only caught a few words--the first words. The
sahib knows the words--the first few words? It was true we had come
a long, long way; but it choked us into silence to hear that
battered infantry acknowledge it.

Color and creed, sahib. What are color and creed? The world has
mistaken us Sikhs too long for a breed it can not understand. We
Sikhs be men, with the hearts of men; and that night we knew that
our hearts and theirs were one. Nor have I met since then the fire
that could destroy the knowledge, although efforts have been made,
and reasons shown me.

But my story is of Ranjoor Singh and of what he did. I but tell my
own part to throw more light on his. What I did is as nothing. Of
what he did, you shall be the judge--remembering this, that he who
does, and he who glories in the deed are one. Be attentive, sahib;
this is a tale of tales!

CHAPTER II

Can the die fall which side up it will? Nay, not if it be
honest.--EASTERN PROVERB.

Many a league our infantry advanced that night, the guns following,
getting the new range by a miracle each time they took new ground.
We went forward, too, at the cost of many casualties--too many in
proportion to the work we did. We were fired on in the darkness more
than once by our own infantry. We, who had lost but seventy-two men
killed and wounded in the charge, were short another hundred when
the day broke and nothing to the good by it.

Getting lost in the dark--falling into shell-holes--swooping down on
rear-guards that generally proved to have machine guns with them--weary
men on hungrier, wearier horses--the wonder is that a man rode
back to tell of it at dawn.

One-hundred-and-two-and-seventy were our casualties, and some two
hundred horses--some of the men so lightly wounded that they were
back in the ranks within the week. At dawn they sent us to the rear
to rest, we being too good a target for the enemy by daylight. Some
of us rode two to a horse. On our way to the camp the French had
pitched for us we passed through reenforcements coming from another
section of the front, who gave us the right of way, and we took the
salute of two divisions of French infant