it but to carry him, so I swung him on my shoulders, and with a
bursting heart did that last lap. It was hottish work, and the bullets
were pretty thick about us, but we all got safely to the _kranz_, and a
short scramble took us over the edge. I laid Blenkiron inside the
_castrol_ and started to prepare our defence.

We had little time to do it. Out of the thin fog figures were coming,
crouching in cover. The place we were in was a natural redoubt, except
that there were no loopholes or sandbags. We had to show our heads
over the rim to shoot, but the danger was lessened by the superb field
of fire given by those last dozen yards of glacis. I posted the men
and waited, and Blenkiron, with a white face, insisted on taking his
share, announcing that he used to be handy with a gun.

I gave the order that no man was to shoot till the enemy had come out
of the rocks on to the glacis. The thing ran right round the top, and
we had to watch all sides to prevent them getting us in flank or rear.
Hussin's rifle cracked out presently from the back, so my precautions
had not been needless.

We were all three fair shots, though none of us up to Peter's
miraculous standard, and the Companions, too, made good practice. The
Mauser was the weapon I knew best, and I didn't miss much. The
attackers never had a chance, for their only hope was to rush us by
numbers, and, the whole party being not above two dozen, they were far
too few. I think we killed three, for their bodies were left lying,
and wounded at least six, while the rest fell back towards the road.
In a quarter of an hour it was all over.

'They are dogs of Kurds,' I heard Hussin say fiercely. 'Only a Kurdish
_giaour_ would fire on the livery of the Kaaba.'

Then I had a good look at Sandy. He had discarded shawls and
wrappings, and stood up in the strangest costume man ever wore in
battle. Somehow he had procured field-boots and an old pair of
riding-breeches. Above these, reaching well below his middle, he had a
wonderful silken jibbah or ephod of a bright emerald. I cal it silk,
but it was like no silk I have ever known, so exquisite in the mesh,
with such a sheen and depth in it. Some strange pattern was woven on
the breast, which in the dim light I could not trace. I'll warrant no
rarer or costlier garment was ever exposed to lead on a bleak winter
hill.

Sandy seemed unconscious of his garb. His eye, listless no more,
scanned the hollow. 'That's