ou silly boy! Don't you see that I know all about it, and that it
is ridiculous for you to pretend to misunderstand me?"

"I do not pretend, Mrs. Merritt. I only know that I have given my
promise that I will keep absolute silence on the matter, and that
no exception was made as to the ladies of the regiment. That, of
course, lies between them and their husbands."

"Well, whether that is so or not, Mr. Bullen, I can tell you that
the affair has very greatly raised you in our esteem. We all liked
you before; but we really did regard you only as a young officer
who had proved that he possessed an uncommon amount of pluck and
determination. In future, we shall regard you as a gentleman who
was ready to take no inconsiderable risk on behalf of a fellow
officer."

"Thank you, Mrs. Merritt! I can assure you that I do not feel a bit
more of a man than I did before; but I feel happy in having gained
the good opinion of the ladies of the regiment."

After this, Lisle came to be regarded as the special pet of the
ladies of the regiment. Among the officers he became a very general
favourite, and his popularity was increased by the fact that he was
not only one of the best shots, but one of their best cricketers;
and several times did efficient service, by his bowling, in the
matches between the regiment and the others cantoned with them.

Then came the news that the tribes had risen, that the Malakand had
been attacked, that Chakdara, the fortified post on the Swat river,
was invested, and that the tribes on this side of the Panjkora were
in revolt. This, however, was soon followed by a report that the
post had been relieved, that heavy losses had been inflicted upon
the tribesmen, and that the trouble was over.

For some time the frontier had been in a state of tension. The
Mullahs, or priests, had been inciting the tribesmen to
insurrection; and one especially, who was called the Mad Mullah,
had gone about from tribe to tribe, stirring the people up. He
professed to be a successor of the great Akhund of Swat, and to
have inherited his powers. He claimed to be able to work miracles.
The Heavenly host were, he said, on his side.

His excited appeals, to the fanaticism which exists in every
Pathan, were responded to in a marvellous manner. The villagers
flew to arms. Still, it was thought and hoped that, when the first
excitement caused by his appeals had died away, matters would calm
down again. The hope, however, was shor