!"

The bugler ran to him, and he began to puff into his instrument.

"Blow the 'attention' first!"

Out rang the clear, strident notes, and the non-commissioned officers
and men took notice that a movement of some kind would shortly be
required of them, but the din of firing never ceased for a single
instant. Then, suddenly, an answering bugle sang out from the other
flank.

"Advance in echelon!" commanded Colonel Carter, and the bugler did his
best to split his cheeks in a battle-rending blast.

"You remain where you are, sir!" he ordered young Bellairs. "Keep your
guns served to the utmost!"

Six-and-twenty horsemen, riding full-tilt at a thousand men, may look
like a trifle, but they are disconcerting. What they hit, they kill; and
if they succeed in striking home, they play old Harry with formations.
And Risaldar Mahommed Khan did strike home. He changed direction
suddenly and, instead of using up his horses' strength in outflanking
the enemy, who had marched to intercept him, and making a running target
of his small command, he did the unexpected--which is the one best thing
to do in war. He led his six-and-twenty at a headlong gallop straight
for the middle of the crowd--it could not be called by any military
name. They fired one ragged volley at him and then had no time to
load before he was in the middle of them, clashing right and left and
pressing forward. They gave way, right and left, before him, and a good
number of them ran. Half a hundred of them were cut down as they fled
toward their firing-line. At that second, just as the Risaldar and his
handful burst through the mob and the mob began rushing wildly out
of his way, the British bugles blared out the command to advance in
echelon.

The Indians were caught between a fire and a charge that they had good
reason to fear in front of them, and a disturbance on their left flank
that might mean anything. As one-half of them turned wildly to face what
might be coming from this unexpected quarter, the British troops came
on with a roar, and at the same moment Mahommed Khan reached the rear of
their firing-line and crashed headlong into it.

In a second the whole Indian line was in confusion and in another minute
it was in full retreat not knowing nor even guessing what had routed it.
Retreat grew into panic and panic to stampede and, five minutes after
the Risaldar's appearance on the scene, half of the Indian line was
rushing wildly for Hanadra and t