or you will have to go over the story twice."

"No, Uncle; and I can assure you I don't want to tell the story until
I have had my supper, for our meals have not been very comfortable on
the road, and I have not eaten anything since early this morning."

"What is Tippoo doing, Dick?"

"Well, as far as I can see, Uncle, he is preparing for war again. He
is strengthening all his forts, building fresh defences to
Seringapatam, and drilling numbers of fresh troops."

"The English general made a great mistake, in not finishing with him
when he was there. We ought to have taken the city, sent Tippoo down a
prisoner to Madras, and there tried him for the murder of scores of
Englishmen, and hung him over the ramparts. We shall have all our work
to do over again, in another four or five years. However, it will not
be such a difficult business as it was last time, now that we have the
passes in our hands."

"There is no doubt, Uncle, that a considerable part of the population
will be heartily glad when Tippoo's power is at an end. You see, he
and Hyder were both usurpers, and had no more right to the throne than
you had."

"Quite so, Dick, and that makes our letting him off, when we could
have taken the capital easily, all the more foolish. If he had been
the lawful ruler of Mysore, it might not have been good policy to push
him too hard, for he would have had sympathy from all the native
princes of India. But, as being only the son of an adventurer, who had
deposed and ill-treated the lawful ruler of Mysore, it would seem to
them but a mere act of justice, if the English had dethroned him and
punished him--provided, of course, they put a native prince on the
throne, and did not annex all his dominions.

"It has all got to come some day. I can see that, in time, the English
will be the rulers of all India, but at present they are not strong
enough to face a general coalition of the native states against them;
and any very high-handed action, in Mysore, might well alarm the
native princes, throughout India, into laying aside their quarrels
with each other, and combining in an attempt to drive them out."

Just as they had finished their meal, Mrs. Holland entered.

"The poor child is asleep," she said. "She wanted to talk at first,
and to tell me how grateful she was to you, Dick; but of course I
insisted on her being quiet, and said that she should tell me all
about it, in the morning. She ate a few mouthfuls of the ric