tive Darwanis who applied to
them; and--though these, indeed, were despatched first of
all--directions to the troops Charteris intended to take with him to be
ready to start at any hour. As the news of the preparations leaked
out, deputations began to come in from villages and tribes to assure
Charteris of their loyalty and entreat him to lead them against the
perjured Sher Singh, and these had to be received, entertained by
proxy, and dismissed, at the cost of much impatience and loss of
precious time. But while Charteris was thus engaged, Gerrard and the
Munshis prepared papers for his signature, and the writing work was all
finished before Gerrard and his followers went down to the river on
their return journey. Charteris could not even come down to see him
off, much less accompany him across and ride a little way with him, as
he had intended, but they promised themselves a speedy meeting before
Agpur--perhaps even in the palace itself, if the Rani's prophecy was
about to be fulfilled.

The men who paddled the _mashaks_ were stimulated to unwonted exertion
by the promise of large rewards, and the party, swimming their horses
by the bridles, crossed in less time than Gerrard had dared to hope. A
brief halt to arrange loads, inspect girths and snatch a mouthful of
food, and Gerrard and his men were in the saddle, and riding steadily
into the gathering darkness. The men would have ridden at top speed in
their eagerness to carry the news and hasten the vengeance, but Gerrard
held them back. They had a long way to go, and hard work to do, and
the life of every horse, as well as of every trained man, might be of
inestimable value in the days to come. When they had ridden for nearly
three hours, he called another halt, that the horses might be rubbed
down and have their mouths washed out with water, and the troopers
refresh themselves hastily with fragments of _chapati_. The men were
mounted again, and he was about to give the order to march, when a
distant sound became audible--the sound of horses' hoofs in the
direction from which they had come.

"One man--or at most two. Surely it is a messenger, sahib," said the
Granthi in command of the escort.

"We will wait to hear what news he brings. It may be that the Rajah
has submitted already," said Gerrard, and was answered by a groan of
dismay from his men. "Let two shots be fired at intervals," he went
on, "that the messenger may know where to find us."

The