knew how your hearts burned to go thither. It was a joke
among them! Let it be our business to turn the joke on them! There
will be forced marches now--long hungry ones--Form fours!" he
ordered. "By the right--Quick march!" And we wheeled away into the
rain, he marching on the flank. I ran and overtook him.

"Take a horse, sahib!" I urged. "See them in that shed! Take one and
ride, for it is more fitting!"

"Better plunder and burn!" said he. "If a man stole my dinner I
might let him run; but if he stole my horse, he and I and death
would play hide-and-seek! We need forgetfulness, not angry memories,
behind us! Keep thou a good eye on Tugendheim!"

So I fell to the rear, where I could see all the men, Tugendheim
included! In a very few minutes we had lost the station buildings in
the rain behind us and then Ranjoor Singh began to lead in a wide
semicircle, so that before long I judged we were marching about
southeastward. At the end of an hour or so he changed direction to
due east, and presently we saw another telegraph line. I overtook
him again and suggested that we cut it.

"Nay!" said he. "If that line works and we are not believed drowned,
too many telegrams will have been sent already! To cut it would give
them our exact position! Otherwise--why make trouble and perhaps
cause pursuit?"

So we marched under the telegraph wire and took a course about
parallel to it. At noon it ceased raining and we rested, eating the
bread, of which every man had brought away three loaves. After that,
what with marching and the wind and sun our clothes began to dry and
we became more cheerful--all, that is to say, except the ammunition
bearers, who abused Gooja Singh with growing fervency. Yet he was
compelled to drive them lest he himself be court martialed and
reduced to the ranks.

Cheerfulness and selfishness are often one, sahib, for it was not
what we could see that raised our spirits. We marched by village
after village that had been combed by the foragers for Turkish
armies,--and saw only destitution to right and left, behind and
before. The only animals we saw were dead ones except the dogs
hunting for bones that might have marrow in them still.

We saw no men of military age. Only very old men were left, and but
few of those; they and the women and children ran away at sight of
us, except a very few who seemed careless from too much misery. One
such man had a horse, covered from head to foot with sores, that he