comrades."

"You speak English wonderfully well, considering that you learned
it from the natives," the colonel said. "At first, you spoke as a
native that had learned English; but a casual observer would not,
now, detect any accent that would lead him to suppose that you had
not been brought up in England.

"You will, of course, be at mess this evening?"

"I think it would be better that I should not do so, sir. In the
first place, I should have innumerable questions to answer; and in
the second, which is more important, anything that I said might be
heard by mess waiters. It is quite possible that some of these are
in the pay of Scindia, or Holkar, who keep themselves well informed
of all that goes on here; and were it known that an English officer
had come down in disguise, it would greatly increase the danger
when I return there."

"I have no doubt that you are right, Mr. Lindsay. Is there anything
new at Poona?"

"Yes, Colonel; and as it will be generally known in two or three
days, there can be no harm in my telling you. Scindia has made Nana
Furnuwees a prisoner, by an act of the grossest treachery. He has
killed almost all his principal adherents and, when I got away, his
troops were engaged in looting the town."

"That is grave news," the colonel said. "So long as Nana was in
power, it was certain that Scindia could not venture to take his
army, out of his own country for the purpose of attacking us; but
now that Nana is overthrown, and Scindia will be minister to the
Peishwa, we may expect troubles."

"Not at present. Scindia's army has, for months, been without pay.
He has no means of settling with them and, until he does so, they
certainly will not move."

"I do not think that would detain him long, Mr. Lindsay. He has
only to march them into other territories, with permission to
plunder, and they would be quite satisfied. He certainly can have
no liking for the Rajahs of Berar or Kolapoore, for both of them
assisted Nana to regain his power; and an attack upon them would,
at once, satisfy vengeance and put his troops in a good temper."

"But there is no doubt that the Peishwa will find it much more
irksome to be under Scindia's control than that of Nana. And were
Scindia to march away, he would at once organize an army, and buy
Holkar's aid, to render himself independent of Scindia."

"They are treacherous beggars, these Mahrattas," the colonel said.
"They are absolutely faithless, and would