ain four of the men hurried up, to lace their hands
into a bearing, and, keeping step, they bore the insensible man to the
Residency.

It was late in the burning afternoon, after the overturned and
much-damaged boat had been lying to dry in the hot sun for hours, and
the terrible mishap had been canvassed in every detail, when a sentry
passed the word that an elephant was approaching with strangers.

The strangers proved to be the Doctor, one of Suleiman's officials, and
the mahout; while as soon as the news reached headquarters, Major Knowle
hurried out, bareheaded, to meet his friend, and stood in the shade of
one of the great palm-trees, signalling to the mahout to stop.

"Morning!" shouted the Doctor cheerily as he drew near. "Patient's all
right, Knowle, and the Frenchman only frightened into a fit. Phew! It
is hot, eh? What are you holding up your hand for? Nothing wrong?"

The Major was holding on by the ordinary trappings of the howdah, and
reaching up as he raised himself on tiptoe, he almost whispered his
terrible news, while the florid, erst happy-looking Doctor looked
blankly down.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

PETER'S SENTRY-GO.

Tramp, tramp, tramp, tramp, up and down on the regular beat, sometimes
in the full silvery moonlight, sometimes in the shade cast by the hut;
one minute only the footsteps to break the silence, or the wallowing
plash of one of the great reptiles that haunted the river-deeps.

"That's cheerful!" muttered the sentry. "Ain't so bad, though, as old
Joe made it out when he was doing his sentry-go below there, close to
the water. My word, how clear it is to-night! I should just like to
have a regular old-fashioned sentry-box down there, close to the
landing-place, with a good, strong door to it as one could fasten tight,
and loopholes in the sides, and plenty of cartridges ready for a night's
shooting. I'd let some of 'em have it! Wouldn't it make 'em savage,
though! They'd come out and turn the box over if it was not well pegged
down. Wouldn't do much good, though, if I hit every time, for lots more
of the ugly beggars would come. Mister Archie says they lay eggs.
Pretty chickens they must be when they are hatched. Hullo! what boat's
that?"

For the plashing of poles reached his ears, and the dark form of a
good-sized sampan came round a curve, with its attap awning glistening
softly like dead silver in the moonlight.

The sentry waited in the shade of the hut till th