apoor."

"Your advice sounds full of wisdom," answered the rajah. "To horse, my
friends! And we will not pull rein till the walls of my rebellious city
appear in sight."

The whole camp was immediately astir. The horses, unfortunately, in
consequence of the rapid march of the two previous days, were ill able
to gallop on for thirty miles without stopping, with the prospect of
some hot fighting at the end of it. Still, march they must at all
hazards.

Each horseman, before mounting, tightened up the girths of his saddle;
and all having fallen into their ranks, the order to move forward was
given. A strong advance-guard led the way, with their arms ready for
instant use, as they knew that at any moment they might be attacked by
the rebels,--who, should they by any means get tidings of their
approach, would assuredly send out a numerous force against them. The
rajah, attended by Reginald and Burnett, rode with the main body. There
was no time for conversation, and Reginald had still to wait for the
important information he was so anxious to obtain. A few words only
could be occasionally exchanged. On they rode, keeping a tight rein, to
prevent their horses from stumbling. Now and then a poor beast came
down; and the rider, if he escaped a broken limb, had to make his way on
foot, with the risk of either being set upon by a tiger, or murdered by
the villagers whose property he and his comrades had plundered. The
rajah hoped that he should either be able to force the gates, or that
the guards would open them at his summons, and that he might thus be
able to catch Mukund Bhim and the rest of the rebel chiefs while they
were still locked in slumber.

They were now rapidly approaching the city. Already, in the far
distance, the outlines of the domes and minarets of the temples and
mosques could be seen defined against the clear sky. No rebels had
appeared to dispute their progress, and the rajah began to hope that the
rebellion had not yet fully broken out, and that he might still have
time to crush it. He and the main body moving on, came up with the
advance-guard, which had halted. The rajah inquired the cause. The
officer in command answered that they had met a person who had brought
tidings from the city. "Let me hear his report," said the rajah; and a
man, looking more like a wild beast than a human being, advanced from
among the horsemen. He was a byraghee, or religious mendicant. His
body was nake