"Who knows?" he answered with another of those short gruff laughs.
"But I know this," said he, "that from afar hills look like a blank
wall, yet come closer and the ends of valleys open. Moreover, where
the weakest joint is, smite! So I shall ride ahead and hunt for that
weakest joint, and you shall shepherd the men along behind me. Go
and bring Abraham and the Turk!"

I went and found them. Abraham was already asleep, no longer wearing
the Turkish private soldier's uniform but his own old clothes again
(because, the Turkish soldier having done nothing meriting
punishment, Ranjoor Singh had ordered him his uniform returned). I
awoke him and together we went and found the Turk sitting between a
Syrian and Gooja Singh; and although I did not overhear one word of
what they were saying, I saw that Gooja Singh believed I had been
listening. It seemed good to me to let him deceive himself, so I
smiled as I touched the Turk's shoulder.

"Lo! Here is our second-in-command!" sneered Gooja Singh, but I
affected not to notice.

"Come!" said I, showing the Turk slight courtesy, and, getting up
clumsily like a buffalo out of the mud, he followed Abraham and me.
Some of the men made as if to come, too, out of curiosity, but Gooja
Singh recalled them and they clustered round him.

When I had brought the Turk uphill to the fire-side, Ranjoor Singh
had only one word to say to him.

"Strip!" he ordered.

Aye, sahib! There and then, without excuse or explanation, he made
the Turkish officer remove his clothes and change with Abraham; and
I never saw a man more unwilling or resentful! Abraham had told me
all about Turkish treatment of Syrians, and it is the way of the
world that men most despise those whom they most ill-treat. So that
although Turks have no caste distinctions that I know of, that one
felt like a high-caste Brahman ordered to change garments with a
sweeper. He looked as if he would infinitely rather die.

"Hurry!" Ranjoor Singh ordered him in English.

"HURRIET?" said the Turk. HURRIET is their Turkish for LIBERTY. All
the troops in Stamboul used it constantly, and Ranjoor Singh told me
it means much the same as the French cry of "Liberty, Equality,
Fraternity!" The Turk seemed bewildered, and opened his eyes wider
than ever; but whatever his thoughts were about "HURRIET" he rightly
interpreted the look in Ranjoor Singh's eye and obeyed, grimacing
like a monkey as he drew on Abraham's dirty garments.

"You s