But send hither Mohammed Jan with some food, for I am
not minded to eat what is prepared in this camp."

"Your honour is wise," said Badan Hazari, and before long the servant
arrived, carrying a tray, and escorted by two stalwart troopers.
Gerrard ate and drank eagerly, for he had taken nothing since rising,
and it would be necessary to scrutinise all food and drink very
carefully for poison during the next two or three days. Having
dismissed Mohammed Jan, he summoned to a conference Rukn-ud-din, the
officer second in command of the Rajah's bodyguard, since old Sarfaraz
Khan was evidently not to be trusted. With this man he arranged that
the litters containing the Rani and her son and the other inmates of
the zenana should follow immediately after the elephant carrying the
corpse, surrounded by the guards, so that Gerrard and his men, in their
station on the right of the animal, would be continuously in touch with
them, and either party would be ready to help the other in case of
emergency. Then, having taken all the precautions he could think of,
he could only wait patiently until the worst heat of the day was over,
and the time came for the start. His reflections were not particularly
pleasant as he mounted his horse at last. Sher Singh had no doubt
spent the intervening hours in strengthening his hold on the court and
the troops by means of lavish promises, which the Englishman durst not
emulate as yet, since his power to fulfil them would depend upon his
gaining a peaceful and undisturbed entrance to the palace. Badan
Hazari and the officer of the bodyguard had carried out their
instructions most dexterously, and Sher Singh appeared resigned to his
inferior position, but there was obvious resentment among the rest of
the troops at the impudence of the Feringhee in putting himself
forward. When their numbers were reinforced by the notoriously violent
mob of Agpur, they would easily overwhelm the little force of
Ranjitgarh troopers and the guards loyal to the Rani. The situation
was practically hopeless, since safety hung upon the very slender
thread of Sher Singh's judgment. Would his self-interest prompt him to
avoid at all costs bringing down upon himself British vengeance, or to
snatch the immediate advantage of wiping out all his opponents at one
blow, and taking the consequences? Since this was the course likely to
commend itself to the people of Agpur, there could be little doubt how
he would decide.