or ten days, at
the end of which time he would ride, by easy stages, to Prome.

Three days later, the trooper returned with a note from the
general.

"I congratulate you most heartily on having rescued your cousin,"
he wrote. "By all means, stay where you are until he is quite
strong again. This place is not at all healthy, at present. We
shall not be moving forward for another three weeks."

Stanley remained at the village for another fortnight and, at the
end of that time, Harry had so far recovered that he was quite
capable of making a short day's journey on horseback. Two of the
men who had aided in the rescue had gone to Prome, with an order
from Stanley on the staff paymaster, for the rewards that had been
promised to the villagers and the two Burmese soldiers. They
returned with the money, and the men were all highly delighted at
the result of the expedition.

Stanley retained the services of the two soldiers, as long as he
remained in the village. He had no fear, whatever, of the same band
returning that had, before, visited the village; and he learned
that no others had been heard of in the neighbourhood but, at the
same time, he thought it as well that a man should be on guard,
night and day, at each end of the village. The peasants agreed to
watch at one end, while the two Burmese soldiers and the troopers
took charge of the other end. The bulk of the villagers were
engaged in forming a strong stockade round, it to defend themselves
in case of further attack; and Stanley promised to send them down
twenty muskets, and a supply of ammunition, as soon as he got to
Prome.

There was real regret, on the part of the Burmese, when the time
came for the party to start. It had been something altogether new
to them to have officials among them who paid for everything. These
Englishmen had treated them kindly, and were pleased and contented
with everything. The money that the five men and two boys had
earned had enriched the village, and had enabled them to more than
replace their losses by the recent raid and, if Stanley had
accepted all the presents of fruit, fowls, and eggs they would have
given him, he would have needed a couple of extra horses to convey
them. A strong pony had been purchased for Meinik and, after taking
a hearty leave of the villagers, the party rode off.

"I wish we had such a good cook as your man is, Stanley," Harry
said, as they journeyed along at a walk. "I never tasted better
soup