now, this may be the pass by which Tippoo is coming down."

Dick got up rather reluctantly, but he was not long in shaking off his
drowsiness, and after dinner was able to go through the story again,
with full details of his adventures.

"I don't know what I should have done without Surajah, Uncle. He is a
capital fellow, and if ever I go up by myself, into Mysore, to look
for my father, I hope that you will let me take him."

"That I will certainly do, Dick. Ever since I first heard of your
plans, I have quite decided that you ought not to go alone. I daresay
I should have chosen an older man to accompany you, but after what you
and the lad have done together, I don't think you could do better than
take him. Of course, such an affair would demand infinitely greater
caution and care, though not greater courage, than you had occasion to
use on this excursion. It is one thing to enter a village, to ask a
few questions, make a purchase or two, and be off again; but it is a
very different thing to be among people for weeks, or perhaps months,
and to live as one of themselves. However, we may hope that this war
will end in our army marching to Seringapatam, when we shall recover
many of the prisoners in Tippoo's hands.

"I do not say all. We know how many hundreds remained in his power
last time, in spite of his promise to deliver them all up; and maybe
something of the same sort will occur next time. Numbers may be sent
away, by him, to the hill fortresses dotted all over the country; and
we should never be able to obtain news of them. However, we must hope
for the best."

The next morning, the troopers arrived with a letter from the English
resident at Arcot. The Rajah glanced through it, and handed it to
Dick, with the remark:

"You will not get the honour you deserve, Dick."

The letter ran:

"Dear Rajah:

"Your news would be extremely valuable, were it correct; but
unfortunately it is not so, and doubtless the reports brought down by
your nephew were spread by Tippoo, for the purpose of deceiving us.
Or, possibly, he may have intended to have come that way, but
afterwards changed his mind. We have news that, just after Colonel
Maxwell effected his junction with General Meadows, near Caveripatam,
and was about to ascend the ghauts by the Tapour pass, Tippoo came
down by that very route, slipped past them, and is marching on to
Trichinopoly. That being the case, I see no further utility in your
remaining with