the water-hole, with their
picturesque brass jars perched at varying angles on their heads; and as
each one passed the doorway of this larger house she turned and scowled.
A Rajput, lean and black-bearded and swaggering, came to the door and
watched them, standing proudly with his arms folded across his breast.
As the last woman showed her teeth at him, he laughed aloud.

"Nay!" said a voice inside. "Have done with that! Is noticing the Hindu
women fit sport for a Rajput?"

The youngster turned and faced the old, black-bearded veteran who spoke.

"If I had my way," he answered, "I would ride roughshod through this
village, and fire the thatch. They fail to realize the honor that we pay
them by a visit!"

"Aye, hothead! And burn thy brother's barn with what is in it! The
Hindus here are many, and we are few, and there will be burnings and
saberings a-plenty before a week is past, if I read the signs aright!
Once before have I heard such murmurings. Once before I have seen
chupatties sent from house to house at sunset--and that time blood ran
red along the roadside for a month to follow! Keep thy sword sharp a
while and wait the day!"

"But why," growled another deep-throated Rajput voice, "does the Sirkar
wait? Why not smite first and swiftly?"

Mahommed Khan moved restlessly and ran his fingers through his beard.

"I know not!" he answered. "In the days when I was Risaldar in the
Rajput Horse, and Bellairs sahib was colonel, things were different! But
we conquered, and after conquest came security. The English have grown
overconfident; they think that Mussulman will always war with Hindu, the
one betraying the other; they will not understand that this lies deeper
than jealousy--they will not listen! Six months ago I rode to Jundhra
and whispered to the general sahib what I thought; but he laughed back
at me. He said 'Wolf! wolf!' to me and drew me inside his bungalow and
bade me eat my fill."

"Well--what matters it! This land has always been the playground of new
conquerors!"

"There will be no new conquerors," growled the old Risaldar, "so long as
I and mine have swords to wield for the Raj!"

"But what have the English done for thee or us?"

"This, forgetful one! They have treated us with honor, as surely no
other conquerors had done! At thy age, I too measured my happiness in
cattle and coin and women, but then came Bellairs sahib, and raised the
Rajput Horse, and I enlisted. What came of that was bette