se to exist," said the
general. "He has given me a shield and a sword, and shed the light of
his countenance upon me. He has appointed the Kalla Mahall as the
quarters for my troops from Bareilly, and ordered four thousand rupees
to be distributed among you for a merry-making. And now I give orders
that no soldier shall plunder or harm any man whatsoever in this city.
If any soldier is caught plundering, his arm shall be severed from his
body. Thus the king commands. We can do nothing without order, such
order as the Feringhis have; and there is no order where every man seeks
to enrich himself. I said to the king that were I to catch even a prince
of blood in the act of plunder, I would straightway cut off his nose and
ears. And the king made answer: 'Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee.'
Wherefore I say to the kotwal of this city: if there is any more
plundering he shall be hanged. And let a drummer go forth and proclaim
that all shopkeepers arm themselves, and if any have no arms, they shall
be furnished him. These things I say, and let all men know that I am the
general of Bahadur Shah, and my word is as his word."

There was a soldierly directness and a grim determination about the man
that impressed the people. Ahmed recognized the fruits of English
training in the general, but as he looked round among the sepoys and the
populace, and realized what discordant elements were mingled there, he
knew that one man, even such a one as Bakht Khan, could never discipline
them into the cohesion which alone could command success.

When the assembly dispersed and the troops went to their quarters, Ahmed
still kept track of the movements of the general. He followed him when
he visited Prince Mirza Mogul, the former commander-in-chief, sulking at
his reduction to the post of adjutant-general, and when he inspected the
magazine, and waited for hours at the general's door when he held his
levee of the officers, taking note of those who entered, and those who
remained longest. Minghal Khan was among these last, and since it was
clear that he and the commander-in-chief were on especially good terms,
Ahmed decided that it would certainly be worth while to pay another
visit to the darwan. As yet he had learnt little that all the world did
not know; but it was possible that the men of Minghal Khan's own
household might have information of a more private nature. It was now
drawing towards evening; the business of the day would soon cea