his companion take
a packet of bread and meat from his haversack and begin to munch, when
the sight of the food so woke him up to the state of his own appetite
that he opened his wallet, drew out some hastily-cut mutton and
bread-cake sandwiches, and went on eating till there was the sound of
voices close at hand, followed by the rustling of leaf and twig, with
the dull tramp of soft feet telling that a large body of men were
passing in Indian file, talking loudly; but the hidden pair were well
concealed and satisfied that they were perfectly safe, till all at once
a voice was raised, and they heard the word "Water" uttered in the Dwat
dialect.

There was an eager buzz of voices at this, and instead of continuing
their course the party clustered together, and, to Bracy's horror, began
to descend the sharp slope as if coming right upon their hiding-place,
but turning off by one of the bigger rocks, and rapidly crushing through
the thin shrubs and ferns so close that Bracy, as he lay there, could
have touched one man by stretching out the barrel of his rifle.

For the next ten minutes the position was agonising, the men coming and
going, and even the noise they made in drinking just below was plainly
heard; while Bracy, as he cowered down among the ferns, felt that it was
impossible for them to escape the observation of the keen-eyed
mountaineers.

But still the discovery was deferred; and, as the drinking went on, a
gleam or two of hope illumined the position, but only to be damped
again, and Bracy held his revolver ready, for there was a sudden
movement on the part of one of the men, whose sword and shield seemed to
be of a superior type, like his cotton clothes and the turban he wore.

It was as if this man had just caught sight of them, and, his curiosity
being excited, he came straight on, drawing his keen tulwar and striking
with if to right and left so as to clear the way towards the rocks, his
eyes seeming to be fixed upon those of Bracy, who slightly raised the
muzzle of his revolver, his finger resting upon the trigger.

Probably never was man nearer to his death, for the slightest additional
pressure of the young officer's finger would have sent a bullet crashing
through the man's breast, as he came on till almost within touch, when
he suddenly turned round, and seated himself upon a mossy rock just in
front, his broad back, in its loose while cotton garb, effectually
hiding the fugitives from the men goin