at would the missy sahib wish me to do?"

"Oh, I do not know. I cannot tell what would be best. My father and
mother were killed in Delhi" (her speech was broken by sobs), "and many
of my friends, and I do not know whether even one of them escaped. If
you take me to the sahibs you shall have much bakshish."

"I am of the Guides of Lumsden Sahib," said Ahmed simply. And then he
bade the men lift the palki with its fair burden and follow him. They
left the zamindar where he lay.

He reached the nullah about half-an-hour after he had left it. To his
surprise, Sherdil and his comrades had disappeared. Examining their
tracks he saw that they must have gone back the way they had come. Why
had they deserted him? He felt uneasy. It was already late in the
afternoon; Karnal, so far as he could judge after his riding across
country, was at least three koss distant; and no doubt between that town
and the place where he now was there were scores of villagers whose
homes had been burnt, but who had themselves been more lucky than the
zamindar, and escaped.

He made for the shelter of an adjacent copse, so that the party might at
least be safe from observation while he decided what to do. When they
were among the trees, Ahmed ordered the men to squat down beside the
palki and beware of his sword if they attempted to move. A sudden rush
of four men upon one would have been dangerous; but these palki-wallahs
were not enterprising, and Ahmed's bold and contemptuous attitude did
not encourage them to run any risks. Keeping a wary eye on them,
however, he went a little apart to consider.

It was drawing towards night, and he was, as he guessed, several koss
from Karnal, the nearest place where he knew there were white men. He
could not ride thither and bring help for fear of what might happen
during his absence. If the party set off to walk, they might easily lose
the way, and possibly encounter bands of hostile villagers or even
roving mutineers. In a few hours the Guides would no doubt leave Karnal
for their usual night march, and his duty was to rejoin them as soon as
possible. It seemed on the whole best to remain in hiding until darkness
fell, and then attempt to reach the Delhi road, so as either to
intercept the Guides, or, if they had already passed, to follow in their
tracks. Whether he could gain the road in the darkness would depend
mainly on the knowledge of the palki-wallahs, for though his own sense
of locality and dire