I hope; for
without them we should be at the mercy of the other tribes. These
may give up many rifles, but they are sure to retain some and,
though there are other villages of our clan, we should be an easy
prey, if it were known that we were unarmed."

"I think I can promise that, after your friendly conduct to me, you
will not be required to make any payment, whatever; and indeed, for
so small a matter as twenty rifles, your assurances, that these
would never again be used against us, would be taken into
consideration."

When Lisle had been in the village about three months, one of the
men came up to him and spoke in Punjabi.

"Why, how did you learn Punjabi?" he said, in surprise; "and why
did you not speak to me in it, before? It would have saved me an
immense deal of trouble, when I first came."

"I am sorry," the man said, "but the thought that you could speak
Punjabi did not enter my mind. I thought that you were a young
white officer who had just come out from England. I learnt it
because I served, for fifteen years, in the 32nd Punjabis."

"You did?" Lisle said; "why, the 32nd Punjabis was my father's
regiment! How long have you left it?"

"Six years ago, sahib."

"Then you must remember my father, Captain Bullen."

"Truly I remember him," the man said. "He was one of our best and
kindest officers. And he was your father?"

"Yes. You might remember me too, I must have been eleven or twelve
years old."

The man looked hard at him.

"I think, sir, that I remember your face; but of course you have
changed a good deal, since then. I remember you well, for you often
came down our lines; and you could speak the language fluently, and
were fond of talking to us.

"And your father, is he well?"

"He was killed, three years ago," Lisle said, "in an attack on a
hill fort."

"I am sorry, very sorry. He was a good man. And so you are an
officer in his regiment?"

"No," Lisle said, "I left the regiment in the march to the relief
of Chitral. They wanted to send me home, so I darkened my skin and
enlisted in the regiment, by the aid of Gholam Singh; and went
through the campaign without even being suspected, till just at the
end."

"You went as a soldier?" the man said, in surprise; "never before
have I heard of a white sahib passing as a native, and enlisting in
the ranks. You lived and fought with the men, without being
discovered! Truly, it is wonderful."

"I did not manage quite so well as I ough