revolver on the
ground--upon him.

"Sahib, it is I--Rukn-ud-din," yelled a lamentable voice from the door.
"Speak, that I may know where you are."

Gerrard had just breath enough left to shout "Here!" and sufficient
presence of mind to wriggle as far as he could when he had done it.
The instant swish of a sword, delivered with such good will that it
smashed on the stone floor where he had lain but a moment before,
showed his wisdom, and he tried to roll out of the fray, but Charteris,
who must have struck his head in falling, lay a dead weight across his
legs. While he tried first to lift his friend, and then to drag
himself from under him, a fierce battle was raging above and across
their prostrate forms, and feet, bare or booted, trod upon or tripped
over them. At length Charteris stirred and groaned, and Gerrard shook
him desperately.

"Bob, get up! Get off me, anyhow!"

A hand seized his shoulder as he shouted, and he imagined a sword
descending on his head, and thought his last hour had come. But the
hand came down to meet his, and a voice cried, "Well done, sahib. Up!"
and helped by Rukn-ud-din, he was on his feet again, and set with his
back to the wall. Stooping, he found Charteris struggling into a
sitting position, and dragged him back also, then realised that the
fight had suddenly slackened, and that the sound of panting breaths had
replaced the clash of swords. Before he could ask himself what this
meant, Rukn-ud-din's voice broke the stillness.

"Brother, is it done?"

"It is done, brother," replied the voice of Amrodh Chand from the other
side of the place. "Partab Singh Rajah and his son and the mother of
his son are avenged."

A wild howl rent the air, as the servants of Sher Singh flung
themselves furiously in the direction of the voice, but the Rajput had
slipped round close to the wall, and Gerrard found him at his side,
half-delirious with joy.

"Slay! slay! slay!" he chanted. "Wipe out the whole brood from the
earth. Let all those who served the brother-slayer bear him company in
death."

"Stay! Let them surrender if they will," cried Gerrard. "Let the
servants of Sher Singh lay down their arms, and taste the mercy of the
Government."

"That for the mercy of the Sarkar!" was the answer, as a vicious cut
was made in Gerrard's direction from the floor, but Rukn-ud-din warded
it off, and seizing the tulwar as it fell from the severed hand of the
man who had wielded it, gave