n--the wounded?"

"No, sir," replied the sergeant, as I shuddered at the horrors these
words suggested; "I don't think there were any wounded left; they did
their work too well. I was thinking of the poor chargers."

"Oh!" I ejaculated, as I thought of my noble-looking Arab and its
companion, and I involuntarily quickened my pace.

"Steady, Vincent," whispered the captain; and I checked myself. "Let's
hope it is not so." Then, turning to the sergeant--"You feel sure that
the officers' horses are not gone?"

"I can't say that, sir. Only that the mutineers did not take them.
They wanted to get the gun-horses and the others; that was all they
seemed to be thinking about."

"Yes, that would be all," assented Brace.

"The mob may have carried off the poor creatures since, sir; I don't
know."

As we approached the outskirts, all was as anticipated, quite still, and
after another whisper to the men to keep as silent as possible, we
marched boldly in through the narrow lanes, threading our way for some
time without hardly seeing a soul, and those whom we encountered only
looked at us with curiosity or else fled at once.

Twice over we became confused, losing our way, but our good luck aided
us, for we recognised places which we had passed through before, and
resumed our march, getting nearer and nearer to our barracks, and now
hearing shouting, drumming, with the clash of music, but right away from
us; and at last it was left well behind to our right.

From time to time the captain halted and let the men pass by him, so as
to keep a sharp look-out, and see whether we were followed.

But that did not seem to enter into the thoughts of any of the natives
we had passed. They were apparently thinking solely of their own
safety, and at last, trembling with eagerness, we approached the gateway
that we had left so short a time before; and a painful sensation of
sorrow smote me as I recalled the genial face of the major and his words
wishing us success as he saw us off on our pleasant expedition.

"And now dead!--cruelly murdered by treachery," I said to myself; while
the painful feeling was succeeded by one of rage, accompanied by a
desire to take vengeance on the men who had cut him down.

But I had something else to think of now, for Brace halted the men and
took me to examine the gateway, where all was silent and black. There
was no armed sentry on duty, no lights in the guard-room, and a chill
struck through m