At Lucknow
they have some strong houses in the intrenchments, and no want of
anything, so they can only be captured by fighting. Everyone says they
cannot hold out many days longer, but that I do not know. It does not
seem to me that there is any hope of rescue for them, for even if, as
you think, the white troops should beat Nana Sahib's men, they
never could force their way through the streets of Lucknow to the
intrenchments there."

"We shall see, Rujub. Deennugghur was defended by a mere handful, and
at Lucknow they have half a regiment of white soldiers. They may, for
anything I know, have to yield to starvation, but I doubt whether the
mutineers and Oude men, however numerous they may be, will carry the
place by assault. Is there any news elsewhere?"

"None, sahib, save that the Feringhees are bringing down regiments from
the Punjaub to aid those at Delhi."

"The tide is beginning to turn, Rujub; the mutineers have done their
worst, and have failed to overthrow the English Raj. Now you will see
that every day they will lose ground. Fresh troops will pour up the
country, and step by step the mutiny will be crushed out; it is a
question of time only. If you could call up a picture on smoke of what
will be happening a year hence, you would see the British triumphant
everywhere."

"I cannot do that, sahib; I do not know what would appear on the smoke,
and were I to try, misfortune would surely come upon me. When a picture
of the past is shown on the smoke, it is not a past I know of, but which
one of those present knows. I cannot always say which among them may
know it; it is always a scene that has made a strong impression on the
mind, but more than that I do not know. As to those of the future, I
know even less; it is the work of the power of the air, whose name I
whisper to myself when I pour out the incense, and to whom I pray. It
is seldom that I show these pictures; he gets angry if called upon too
often. I never do it unless I feel that he is propitious."

"It is beyond me altogether, Rujub; I can understand your power of
sending messages, and of your daughter seeing at a distance. I
have heard of such things at home; they are called mesmerism and
clairvoyance. It is an obscure art; but that some men do possess the
power of influencing others at a distance seems to be undoubted, still
it is certainly never carried to such perfection as I see it in your
case."

"It could not be," Rujub said; "white men e