ntered a deserted house, with
gables and a tiled roof, which by chance had not been burned. The house
had been looted, and such of its contents as were too large to carry
away were lying broken to bits about the floor. A nasty smell came from
an inner room, and they looked in and saw the whole family--father,
mother, and three daughters--lying dead in a row on the floor. A
bloody knife was in the hand of the man.

"They probably committed suicide when they saw the soldiers coming,"
said the Anglian, whose name was Major Brown. "They often do that, and
they do quite right. When they don't, the soldiers, and even the
officers sometimes, do what they will with the women and then bayonet
them afterward. Our people draw the line at that, and so do yours."

"We certainly conduct war most humanely," said Sam.

They heard a groan from another room, and opening the door saw an old
woman lying in a pool of blood, quite unconscious.

"I'll put her out of her misery," said the major, and he drew his
revolver and shot her through the head.

The journey was a very slow one and occupied three days, altho the
natives were kept at work as long as they could stand it, on one day
actually tugging at the ropes for twenty-one hours. At last, however,
the Imperial City was reached, and our two travelers disembarked and,
taking a donkey-cart, gave directions to carry them to the quarter
assigned to their own army. Here as everywhere desolation reigned. A
string of laden camels showed, however, that trade was beginning to
reassert itself. They drove past miles of burned houses, through the
massive city walls and beyond, until they saw the welcome signs of a
camp over which Old Gory waved supreme. Sam was received with much
cordiality by the commandant, General Taffy, and assigned to the
command of the 27th Volunteer Infantry. The general was a man well
known throughout the army for his courage and ability, but
notwithstanding this Sam took a strong prejudice against him, for he
seemed to be half-hearted in his work and to disapprove of the
prevailing policy of pacification by fire and sword. Sam ascribed this
feebleness to the fact that he had been originally appointed to the
army from civil life, and that he had not enjoyed the benefits of an
East Point education.

As soon as Sam was installed in his new quarters, in the colonel's
tent of his regiment, he started out with Cleary to see the great city