ll perhaps have a chance before long of earning your bit of
promotion without going out," I says.

"Ike Smith's turned prophet and croaker in ornary," says Harry,
laughing. "I believe he expects we're going to have a new siege of
Seringapatam here, only back'ards way on."

"Only wish some of 'em would come this way," says Measles grimly; and he
made a sort of offer, and a hit out at some imaginary enemy.

"Here they are," says Joe Bantem, as we walked in. "Curry for dinner,
lads--look alive."

"What, my little hero!" says Mrs Bantem, fetching Harry one of her
slaps on the back. "My word, you're in fine plume with the colonel's
lady."

Slap came her hand down again on Harry's back; and as soon as he could
get wind: "Oh, I say, don't," says Harry. "Thank goodness, I ain't a
married man.--Is she often as affectionate as this with you, Joe?"

Joe Bantem laughed; and soon after we were all making, in spite of
threatened trouble and disappointment, an uncommonly hearty dinner, for,
if there ever was a woman who could make a good curry, it was Mrs
Bantem; and many's the cold winter's day I've stood in Facet's door
there in Bond Street, and longed for a plateful. Pearls stewed in
sunshine, Harry Lant used to call it; and really to see the beautiful,
glistening, white rice, every grain tender as tender, and yet dry and
ready to roll away from the others--none of your mesh-posh rice, if Mrs
Bantem boiled it--and then the rich golden curry itself: there, I've
known that woman turn one of the toughest old native cocks into what
you'd have sworn was a delicate young Dorking chick--that is, so long as
you didn't get hold of a drumstick, which perhaps would be a bit ropey.
That woman was a regular blessing to our mess, and we fellows said so,
many a time.

One, two, three days passed without any news, and we in our quarters
were quiet as if thousands of miles from the rest of the world. The
town kept as deserted as ever, and it seemed almost startling to me when
I was posted sentry on the roof, after looking out over the wide, sandy,
dusty plain, over which the sunshine was quivering and dancing, to peer
down amongst the little ramshackle native huts without a sign of life
amongst them, and it took but little thought for me to come to the
conclusion that the natives knew of something terrible about to happen,
and had made that their reason for going away. Though, all the same, it
might have been from dread lest we shoul