advantage. His feat
of jumping overboard, to rescue Tim Kelly, had been another step in
advance; and, although Charlie would have denied it himself, there was
no doubt that he generally took the lead, and that his friend was
accustomed to lean upon him, and to look to him always for the
initiative. It was, therefore, a severe blow to Peters, to find that
Charlie was about to be sent on detached service.

As for Tim Kelly, he was uproarious in his grief, when he heard that
he was to be separated from his master.

"Shure, Mr. Charlie, ye'll never have the heart to lave a poor boy,
that sarved ye be night and day for eighteen months. Tim Kelly would
gladly give his life for ye, and ye wouldn't go and lave him behind
ye, and go all alone among these black thaves of the world."

"But it is impossible that I can take you, Tim," Charlie said. "You
know, yourself, that you cannot speak ten words of the language. How
then could you possibly pass undetected, whatever disguise you put
on?"

"But I'd never open my mouth at all, at all, yer honor, barring for
mate and drink."

"It's all very well for you to say so, Tim," Charlie answered; "but I
do not think that anything, short of a miracle, would silence your
tongue. But leave us now, Tim, and I will talk the matter over with
Mr. Peters. I should be glad enough to have you with me, if we could
arrange it."

The moonshee was taken into their counsels, and was asked his opinion
as to the disguise which Charlie could adopt, with least risk of
detection. The moonshee replied that he might pass as a Bheel. These
hill tribes speak a dialect quite distinct from that of the people
around them, and the moonshee said that, if properly attired, Charlie
would be able to pass anywhere for one of these people; provided,
always, that he did not meet with another of the same race.

"You might assert," he said, "that your father had taken service with
some rajah on the plain, and that you had there learned to speak the
language. In this way, you would avoid having to answer any difficult
questions regarding your native place; but as to that, you can get up
something of the geography before you leave."

"There are several Bheels among our Sepoys," Charlie said. "I can pick
out three or four of them, who would be just the men for me to take. I
believe they are generally very faithful, and attached to their
officers."

When Tim again entered the room, he inquired anxiously if his master