in my face, though not unkindly. "I am
not afraid of him."

"But I, sahib," I said. "I fear him greatly!"

"Yet thou and I be two men, and I command," he answered gently. "Let
Gooja Singh alone."

So I went and grew very busy ordering the column. In twenty minutes
we were under way, with a screen of horsemen several hundred yards
ahead and another little mounted rear-guard. But when the order had
been given to resume the march and the carts were squeaking along in
single file, I rode to his side again with a question. I had been
thinking deeply, and it seemed to me I had the only answer to my
thoughts.

"Tell me, sahib," I said, "our nearest friends must be the Russians.
How many hundred miles is it to Russia?"

But he shook his head and laughed again. "Between us and Russia lies
the strongest of all the Turkish armies," he said. "We could never
get through."

"I am a true man!" I said. "Tell me the plan!" But he only nodded,
and rode on.

"God loves all true men," said he.

CHAPTER VI

Where the weakest joint is, smite.--RANJOOR SINGH.

Well, sahib, Abraham caught up with us on the evening of the third
day after leaving with that letter to the Germans in Angora, having
ridden moderately to spare his horse. He said there were only two
German officers there when he reached the place, and they seemed
worried. They gave him the new saddle asked for, and a new horse
under it; also a letter to carry back. Ranjoor Singh gave me the
horse and saddle, letting Abraham take my sorry beast, that was
beginning to recover somewhat under better treatment.

Ranjoor Singh smiled grimly as he read the letter. He translated
parts of it to me--mainly complaints about lack of this and that and
the other thing, and very grave complaints against the Turks, who,
it seemed, would not cooperate. You would say that was good news to
all of us, that should have inspired us with new spirit. But as I
said in the beginning, sahib, there are reasons why the British must
rule India yet a while. We Sikhs, who would rule it otherwise, are
all divided.

We were seven non-commissioned officers. If we seven had stood
united behind Ranjoor Singh there was nothing we could not have
done, for the men would then have had no example of disunity. You
may say that Ranjoor Singh was our rightful officer and we had only
to obey him, but I tell you, sahib, obedience that is worth anything
must come from the heart and understanding. Ranjoo