Mohammedan sacrifice. Before dawn the
maulavis and mullahs were busy with their preparations for the
ceremonies of their religion. From early morning the streets were
thronged with the faithful; green turbans and green flags were
everywhere seen; long-bearded preachers, in the mosques and the bazars,
and at the corners of the streets, harangued the people, promising the
supreme joys of Paradise for all who should celebrate this great day by
wielding the sword against the infidel; and hundreds of fanatics ranged
the town, shrieking their battle-cry, "Din! Din!" Even the king's edict
that, in deference to the prejudices of the Brahmins and Rajputs who
formed a large proportion of the sepoy army, no bulls should be slain on
this day, but only goats--even this was but a trifling check upon the
enthusiasm; for the Feringhis would be utterly annihilated, and then
good Mohammedans could work their will on the Hindus, whom they hated
little less.

The king held his usual darbar, and then went in solemn procession with
his courtiers to the Idgah, where with his own hands he sacrificed a
goat. And having distributed new suits of clothing and strings of jewels
to the maulavis of the mosque, he returned to the palace, where he
employed himself in composing verses for the encouragement of Bakht
Khan:

"This day may all the foes of the Holy Faith be slain;
Cut the Feringhis down, as the woodman fells the tree:
Smite with the edge of the sword; spare not, nor refrain;
And celebrate this festal day with martial ecstasy."

While the doddering old king was wrestling with his metres, the
commander-in-chief, true to the compact made the previous night, was
having an interview with Rahmut Khan. He had summoned the old chief to
his presence, and found the conversation more amusing than he had
expected. He began by complimenting Rahmut on his well-known prowess,
and went on to say that in some quarters doubt had been thrown both upon
his military skill and his loyalty--doubt which, Bakht Khan was careful
to explain, he did not share. But since it was well to silence these
sceptics, and since, moreover, Rahmut Khan had not yet proved himself in
fight with the English, he was required to take part in the great
assault that was arranged for the coming night, and to lead his men
against the breastworks of the Ridge. The particular duty assigned to
him was to drive the English from a position they had newly taken up
less t