a stone. I
think that he was shot through the head, sir."

They went across to the spot. The ensign lay there shot through the
brain. Four or five soldiers lay round him; one of them was dead,
the others more or less seriously wounded.

"Sound the assembly," Captain Mallett said, as he turned away
sadly, to a bugler. "Let us see what our losses are."

Chapter 4.

The bugle sounded, and in a short time the infantry fell in. They
had been engaged in searching the houses for mutineers. The
Punjaubies had lost but five killed and thirteen wounded, while of
the whites an officer and eighteen men were killed and sixteen
wounded; nine of the former having fallen in the bayonet struggle
with the Sepoys. Nine guns were captured, none of which had been
fired, the attack having been so sudden that the Sepoys had only
had time to fall in before their assailants were upon them.

"It is a creditable victory," Mallett said, "considering that we
had to face more than double the number that we expected. Our
casualties are heavy, but they are nothing to those of the
mutineers.

"Sergeant, take a file of men and go round and count the number of
the enemy who have fallen.

"Ah, here comes a Sowar, and we shall hear what the cavalry have
been doing outside."

The trooper handed him a paper: "Fifty-three of the enemy killed,
the rest escaped into the jungle. On our side two wounded; one
seriously, one slightly."

"That is as well as we could expect, Marshall. Of course, most of
them got over the wall at the back. You see, all our plans were
disarranged by finding them in such unexpected strength. Had we
been able to thrash them by ourselves, the Punjaubies would have
cut off the retreat in that direction. As it was, that part of the
business is a failure."

The Sergeant presently returned.

"There are 340 in the streets, sir," he reported; "and I reckon
there are another 20 or 30 killed in the houses, but I have not
searched them yet."

"That is sufficiently close; upwards of 400 is good enough.

"Now, Mr. Marshall, set the men to work making stretchers to carry
the wounded.

"Mr. Herbert, will you tell off a party of your men to dig a large
grave outside the village for the killed, and a small one apart for
Mr. Anstruther? Poor fellow, I am sorry indeed at his loss; he
would have made a fine officer.

"Sergeant Hugging, take a party and search the village for
provisions. We have got bread, but lay hands on any fo