e,
sir?"

"Rain!" said Bracy, laughing; "there is no rain there, my lad; when the
clouds discharge their burden it is in the form of snow. But now,
silence once more. The less we talk the better till we are among the
snow, for at any moment we may be walking into a trap."

"Like we did, sir, when you three gentlemen come and whistled us from
the side o' them falls?"

"Yes."

"Well, we don't want none o' that sort o' thing, sir, or we shall never
be bringing that ridgement back."

"Right. Now you see the necessity for taking to the snow where the
hill-men rarely climb."

"Yus, sir, going; but what about coming back?"

"The same, or a nearer way."

"But with a ridgement, sir?"

"Oh yes; the Ghoorkhas will go anywhere if they are told."

"So'll us," said Gedge to himself; and then, with a word or two at times
from behind, he trudged on and on towards the mighty snowfields, but
ever with his eyes on the lookout for the danger--keen knife, tulwar,
matchlock, ball, or spear--invisible so far, but which at any moment
might be so near.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE.

FIRST CHECKS.

The last echoes of the distant firing had quite died out; the windings
of the river valley had long enough hidden away the mountainous hills
which surrounded the fort; and far below where they slowly toiled along
the faintly-marked track, worn where there was pasture by the feet of
the mountain sheep, the river rushed, torrent-like, along in a greatly
narrowed bed, whose perpendicular shrub and fern decked sides hid its
leaping and tearing waters from the travellers' gaze. At rare intervals
the river made a plunge over some mighty rock and flashed into sight,
though its position was often revealed by a cloud of spray, which rose
like steam into the sunshine, to become brilliant with an iris which,
rainbow-like, spanned the falls.

The ascent had been gradual but marked, for, though trees were in
abundance, rising in clumps of spires, their tops were well below the
adventurers, while, where they trod, the forest was dwarfed and
scrub-like, but thick enough to greatly hinder their advance.

Hardly a word had been spoken for hours, during which the watchfulness
observed had been painful, especially when they had crept along under
cover by three lateral valleys, familiar to both as the roads by which
the enemy had approached for their attacks, one to the east being that
made unenviable by the terrible adventure when they had received