oss of his left arm, and two
or three serious wounds. He had been cut off, and surrounded, and was
falling from his horse when Bathurst cut his way to his rescue, and,
lifting him into his saddle before him, succeeded after desperate
fighting in carrying him off, himself receiving several wounds, none of
which, however, were severe. The action had been noticed, and Bathurst's
name was sent in for the Victoria Cross. As the troop had dwindled to a
dozen sabers, he applied to Sir Colin Campbell, whose column had arrived
in time to save the force at Cawnpore and to defeat the enemy, to be
attached to a regiment as a volunteer. The General, however, at once
offered him a post as an extra aide de camp to himself, as his perfect
knowledge of the language would render him of great use; and he gladly
accepted the offer.

With the column returning from Lucknow was the Doctor.

"By the way, Bathurst," he said on the evening of his return, "I met an
old acquaintance in Lucknow; you would never guess who it was--Forster."

"You don't say so; Doctor."

"Yes; it seems he was hotly pursued, but managed to shake the sowars
off. At that time the garrison was not so closely besieged as it
afterwards was. He knew the country well, and made his way across
it until within sight of Lucknow. At night he rode right through the
rebels, swam the river, and gained the Residency. He distinguished
himself greatly through the siege, but had been desperately wounded the
day before we marched in. He was in a ward that was handed over to me
directly I got there, and I at once saw that his case was a hopeless
one. The poor fellow was heartily glad to see me. Of course he knew
nothing of what had taken place at Deennugghur after he had left, and
was very much cut up when he heard the fate of almost all the garrison.
He listened quietly when I told how you had rescued Isobel and of your
marriage. He was silent, and then said, 'I am glad to hear it, Doctor.
I can't say how pleased I am she escaped. Bathurst has fairly won her.
I never dreamt that she cared for him. Well, it seems he wasn't a
coward after all. And you say he has resigned and come up as a volunteer
instead of going home with her? That is plucky, anyhow. Well, I am
pleased. I should not have been so if I hadn't been like this, Doctor,
but now I am out of the running for good, it makes no odds to me either
way. If ever you see him again, you tell him I said I was glad. I expect
he will mak