ently capable shoulders, he turned with an easier
conscience to take advantage of the help offered him in his task. On
the very day after the review, Sadiq Ali's regiments, some swollen to
unwieldy size, others depleted to mere skeletons, were thoroughly
overhauled, and the ten smartest men picked out of each hundred. These
were turned over to Rukn-ud-din's Mohammedans to be drilled, and after
a preliminary course set to drill their fellows. The higher education
of the picked men proceeded side by side with the elementary training
of the rank and file, while Gerrard's Granthis and the Rani's Rajputs,
debarred from serving as instructors, proved most useful in
representing alternately hostile armies and better disciplined allies,
when something resembling manoeuvres was attempted. The work was hard
and incessant, especially as the hot weather was now running its
course, but Gerrard welcomed it as tending to divert his mind from the
unsatisfactory state of his personal affairs. The Nawab was overjoyed
to see his army really being licked into shape, and took to attending
the training in disguise--invariably discovering himself by frantic
abuse and promises of horrible punishment when anything went wrong.
Even General Desdichado, still officially confined to his bed and
unable to receive even a visit of condolence, mounted a telescope on
his roof, so it was whispered to Gerrard, and watched the proceedings
with breathless interest. This war-fever could hardly last, and
Gerrard wondered when it would begin to die down. The expected
outbreak at Agpur had not occurred, and in a short time Cowper's leave
would be up and another man would take his place as commander of the
escort. Both James Antony's political forebodings and the Rani's
prophecies were proving unfounded.

Now came a messenger with a letter from Charteris, written in that
extreme south-western corner of his dominions where Darwan and
Habshiabad faced one another across the Tindar.

"Here I am, old boy, gazing hungrily across to you, while Tindar rolls
between. Come and pay me a flying visit, I adjure you. You shall
sleep each night on your own bank of the river if your scrupulous
conscience won't let you quit your own state without leave, but take
pity on an unfortunate chum doomed to go crusading--castle-destroying,
that is--in the hot weather. I promised you one of Vixen's pups--as
nice little beggars all of them as you could wish to behold--and w