ve carried me, had it been necessary; but I managed
to hold on pretty well.

"Now, my men, get him upon the stretcher, and let us be off. Pour
the contents of that bottle down his throat; that will keep him up,
till we get back."

For another four or five miles, Lisle kept along but, to his
mortification, he was obliged at last to take to the stretcher. The
four Sikhs who carried it made light of his weight. Once or twice,
on the way, some dropping shots were fired at the party; but these
were speedily silenced by a volley or two from the rifles.

It was four o'clock in the morning when they re-entered camp. The
fires were already lighted and, as the party entered, the troops
received them with loud cheering; which called all the white
officers out from their shelters.

"You have done well, my fine fellows," the colonel said to the
Sikhs. "Now, get some food at once, and then lie down for three or
four hours' sleep. I shall leave two companies with you; I don't
think that, after the thrashing we gave them yesterday, the enemy
are likely to trouble us--at any rate, not before the afternoon,
and by that time you will have rejoined us."

"We can march on now, sahib."

"No, no," the colonel said; "a thirty-six-mile march, through this
bush, is a great deal more than a fair day's march for anyone; and
I am not going to see such good men knocked up, by asking too much
of them. So just go, and do as I order you. You may be sure that I
shall put the deed you have accomplished in my orders of today.

"Well, Mr. Bullen," he said, as he came to the spot where Lisle was
sitting, with his shoes and stockings off, rubbing his aching feet,
"so you could not outmarch the Sikhs?"

"No, sir, and I did not expect to do so. I went at their head all
the way there, and four or five miles back; but should have had to
give up, even if I had been told that a big fortune awaited me, if
I got in on foot. I should have had to say:

"'Well, then, somebody else may have it; I can go no farther.'"

"Well, you have done uncommonly well, anyhow; uncommonly well. I
don't suppose there are five white men in camp who could have done
so much. After this you may be sure that, if you have need of an
expedition, the Sikhs would follow you through fire and water, if
they were allowed to volunteer for the service.

"I should have been glad to recommend you for the Victoria Cross,
for your conduct right through the affair; but you have got it. But