body's attention became concentrated on this fugitive: would he
reach cover in safety? The answer came almost before one had thought
the question, for with sudden disgust the machine-gun stopped dead;
the man ran a few seconds longer, and then with a last bound he had
disappeared--a tiny dot of blue and red flicking vaguely away behind
some wall. Instinctively, then, some one began laughing; the next man
took it up, and soon a roar of hoarse-throated laughter came from the
hundreds of Indian soldiery who had witnessed the scene. It was like
a scene in a theatre from that height, and I remember that this
laughter of free men resounded in my ears for a long time--the
laughter of free men who have never been enslaved in bricks. It came
from straight off the chest, without any nervous nasal twanging or
sudden stopping....

Soon after this the firing dropped and dwindled away to nothing, as if
by common consent. Everybody was dog-tired, and as night fell both
sides felt that nothing could be gained or materially changed until
another day had dawned. I wandered round for the last time. Our lines,
so carefully and painfully built up during those long never-ending
weeks, had crumbled to pieces in half as many hours. The barricades
and trenches obstructing the streets had been thrown all in a lump and
sent to join the huge litter which surrounded them. There was hardly a
sentry or a picquet to be seen, only a hundred of little camp-fires
twinkling and twinkling everywhere. Such battalions and units as had
pushed in had bivouacked exactly where they had halted. Far away under
the Tartar Wall, on the long, sandy stretches, there were little wood
fires blazing at regular intervals, with countless dots moving around.
From a hundred other places there came that confused murmur which,
speaks of masses of men and animals. There were faint cries, hoarse
calls, and orders, with always a vague undercurrent trembling in the
air. For the time being, they were only British and American
troops--not a soldier of a single other nationality had been seen. As
the hours went, other people, whose troops had not come in, began
making excuses, and pretending that their generals were very wise in
acting as they had done. There were all sorts of theories. Some said
that they were securing all the gates of the city, and capturing the
Court, and seeing to very important things. It was the political
situation of three months ago being suddenly reborn, rei