s at some stations unaffected before, and that I think it
best to return at once."

The men were standing in a group, wondering what the news could be which
was deemed of such importance that Bathurst should carry it out in the
middle of the night.

"The Major will be glad if you will all go in, gentlemen," Bathurst
said, as he joined them.

"Are we to go in, Mr. Bathurst?" Miss Hunter asked.

"No, I think not, Miss Hunter; the fact is there have been some troubles
at two or three other places, and the Major is going to hold a sort
of council of war as to whether the hunt had not better be given up. I
rather fancy that they will decide to go back at once. News flies very
fast in India. I think the Major would like that he and his officers
should be back before it is whispered among the Sepoys that the
discontent has not, as we hoped, everywhere ceased."

"It must be very serious," Isobel said, "or uncle would never decide to
go back, when all the preparations are made."

"It would never do, you see, Miss Hannay, for the Commandant and four of
the officers to be away, if the Sepoys should take it into their heads
to refuse to receive cartridges or anything of that sort."

"You can't give us any particulars, then, Mr. Bathurst?"

"The note was a very short one, and was partly made up of unconfirmed
rumors. As I only saw it in my capacity of a messenger, I don't think I
am at liberty to say more than that."

"What a trouble the Sepoys are," Mary Hunter said pettishly; "it is too
bad our losing a tiger hunt when we may never have another chance to see
one!"

"That is a very minor trouble, Mary."

"I don't think so," the girl said; "just at present it seems to me to be
very serious."

At this moment the Doctor put his head out of the tent.

"Will you come in, Bathurst?"

"We have settled, Bathurst," the Major said, when he entered, "that we
must, of course, go back at once. The Doctor, however, is of opinion
that if, after all the preparations were made, we were to put the tiger
hunt off altogether, it would set the natives talking, and the report
would go through the country like wildfire that some great disaster had
happened. We must go back at once, and Mr. Hunter, having a wife and
daughter there, is anxious to get back, too; but the Doctor urges that
he should go out and kill this tiger. As it is known that you have just
arrived, he says that if you are willing to go with him, it will be
thought that y