happened last night, Rujub?" Bathurst said,
summoning up courage to ask the question that had been on his lips from
the first.

"I only know, my lord, that the party was destroyed, save three white
women, who were brought in just as the sun rose this morning. One
was the lady behind whose chair you stood the night I performed at
Deennugghur, the lady about whom you are thinking. I do not know the
other two; one was getting on in life, the other was a young one."

The relief was so great that Bathurst turned away, unable for a while to
continue the conversation. When he resumed the talk, he asked, "Did you
see them yourself, Rujub?"

"I saw them, sahib; they were brought in on a gun carriage."

"How did they look, Rujub?"

"The old one looked calm and sad. She did not seem to hear the shouts of
the budmashes as they passed along. She held the young one close to
her. That one seemed worn out with grief and terror. Your memsahib sat
upright; she was very pale and changed from the time I saw her that
evening, but she held her head high, and looked almost scornfully at the
men who shook their fists and cried at her."

"And they put them with the other women that they have taken prisoners?"

Rujub hesitated.

"They have put the other two there, sahib, but her they took to
Bithoor."

Bathurst started, and an exclamation of horror and rage burst from him.

"To the Rajah's!" he exclaimed. "To that scoundrel! Come, let us go. Why
are we staying here?"

"We can do nothing for the moment. Before I started I sent off my
daughter to Bithoor; she knows many there, and will find out what is
being done and bring us word, for I dare not show myself there. The
Rajah is furious with me because I did not support the Sepoys, and
suffered conditions to be made with your people, but now that all has
turned out as he wished, I will in a short time present myself before
him again, but for the moment it was better that my daughter should go,
as I had to come to you. But first you had better put on the disguise I
have brought you. You are too big and strong to pass without notice in
that peasant's dress. The one I have brought you is such as is worn
by the rough people; the budmashes of Cawnpore. I can procure others
afterwards when we see what had best be done. It will be easy enough to
enter Bithoor, for all is confusion there, and men come and go as they
choose, but it will be well nigh impossible for you to penetrate where
the me