the eighty mounted men he degraded eighteen to
march on foot again, replacing them with more obedient ones. Then at
last I understood why he had chosen some grumblers to ride in the
first instance--simply in order that he might make room for
promotion of others at the proper time, offsetting discontent with
emulation.

Then of the eighty mounted men he picked the forty best. He gave
Abraham's saddle to Gooja Singh, set one of the new naiks over the
left wing, and Gooja Singh over the right wing of the forty, under
himself, and ordered rations for three days to be cooked and served
out to the forty, including corn for their horses. They had to carry
it all in the knap-sacks on their own backs, since no one of them
yet had saddles.

Gooja Singh eyed me by firelight while this was going on, with his
tongue in his cheek, as much as to say I had been superseded and
would know it soon. When I affected not to notice he said aloud in
my hearing that men who sat on both sides of a fence were never on
the right side when the doings happen. And when I took no notice of
that he asked me in a very loud voice whether my heart quailed at
the prospect of being left a mile or two behind. But I let him have
his say. Neither he, nor any of the men, had the slightest idea yet
of Ranjoor Singh's real plan.

After another talk with me Ranjoor Singh was to horse and away with
his forty an hour before daybreak, the Turkish officer riding
bareback in Syrian clothes between the four who had been set to
guard him. And the sound of the departing hooves had scarcely ceased
drumming down the valley when the men left behind with me began to
put me to a test. Abraham was near me, and I saw him tremble and
change color. Sikh troopers are not little baa-lambs, sahib, to be
driven this and that way with a twig! Tugendheim, too, ready to
preach mutiny and plunder, was afraid to begin lest they turn and
tear him first. He listened with both ears, and watched with both
eyes, but kept among his Syrians.

"Whither has he gone?" the men demanded, gathering round me where I
stooped to feel my horse's forelegs. And I satisfied myself the
puffiness was due to neither splint nor ring-bone before I answered.
There was just a little glimmer of the false dawn, and what with
that and the dying fires we could all see well enough. I could see
trouble--out of both eyes.

"Whither rides Ranjoor Singh?" they demanded.

"Whither we follow!" said I, binding a strip