"I will take you to them," a native sub-officer said; and Stanley,
in a minute or two, entered a cottage in which four English
officers were just taking their early breakfast, preparatory to
turning out on duty.

"Whom have you got here, jemadar?" one of them asked, in Bengalee.

Stanley answered for himself.

"I am an Englishman, sir, and have just escaped from Ava."

The officer uttered an exclamation of surprise.

"Well, sir," the senior of them said, as he held out his hand to
Stanley, "I congratulate you on having got away, whoever you are;
but I am bound to say that, if it were not for your speech, I
should not have believed you; for I have never seen anyone look
less like an Englishman than you do."

"My name is Stanley Brooke, sir. I am the son of the late Captain
Brooke, of the 15th Native Regiment."

"Then I should know you," one of the other officers said, "for I
knew your father; and I remember seeing your name in the list of
officers killed, at Ramoo, and wondered if it could be the lad I
knew five or six years ago."

"I recollect you, Captain Cooke," Stanley said. "Your regiment was
at Agra, when we were there."

"Right you are; and I am heartily glad that the news of your death
was false," and he shook hands cordially with Stanley.

"And who is your companion?" the major asked. "Is he an Englishman,
also?"

"No, sir; he is a native. He is a most faithful fellow. He has
acted as my guide, all the way down from the point we started from,
twenty miles from Ava. I could never have accomplished it without
his aid for, although I speak Burmese well enough to pass anywhere,
my face is so different in shape from theirs that, if I were looked
at closely in the daylight, I should be suspected at once. I could
never have got here without his aid."

"How was it that he came to help you, sir?" Major Pemberton asked.
"As far as we can see, the Burmese hate us like poison. Even when
they are wounded to death, they will take a last shot at any
soldiers marching past them."

"I happened to save his life from a leopard," Stanley said, "and,
truly, he has shown his gratitude."

"Jemadar," the major said, "take that man away with you. See that
he is well treated. Give him some food, of course. He will
presently go with this officer to the general."

Stanley said a few works in Burmese to Meinik, telling him that he
was to have food, and would afterwards go with him to the general;
and he then, at the i