or, if we had rested merely because we were weary; or, if we
had once done what might have been expected of us, I should not now
sit beneath this tree talking to you, sahib, because my bones would
be lying in Asiatic Turkey. But we rode zigzag-wise, very often
doubling on our tracks, Ranjoor Singh often keeping half a day's
march ahead of us gathering information.

When we raided a town or village we used to tie our Turkish officers
hand and foot and cover them up in a cart, for we wished them to be
mistaken for Kurds, not Turks. And in almost the first bazaar we
plundered were strange hats such as Kurds wear, that gave us when we
wore them in the dark the appearance, perhaps, of Kurds who had
stolen strange garments (for the Kurds wear quite distinctive
clothes, of which we did not succeed in plundering sufficient to
disguise us all).

In more than one town we had to fight for what we took, for there
were Turkish soldiers that we did not know about, for all Ranjoor
Singh's good scouting. Sometimes we beat them off with very little
trouble; sometimes we had about enough fighting to warm our hearts
and terrify the inhabitants. But in one town we were caught
plundering the bazaar by several hundred Turkish infantry who
entered from the far side unexpectedly; and if we had not burned the
bazaar I doubt that we should have won clear of that trap. But the
smoke and flame served us for a screen, and we got to the rear of
the Turks and killed a number of them before galloping off into the
dark.

But who shall tell in a day what took weeks in the doing? I do not
remember the tenth part of it! We rode, and we skirmished, and we
plundered, growing daily more proud of Ranjoor Singh, and most of us
forgetting we had ever doubted him. Once we rode for ten miles side
by side in the darkness with a Turkish column that had been sent to
hunt for us! Perhaps they mistook our squeaky old carts for their
cannon; that had camped for the night unknown to them! Next day we
told some Kurds where to find the cannon, and doubtless the Kurds
made trouble. We let the column alone, for it was too big for us--about
two regiments, I think. They camped at midnight, and we rode
on.

We gave our horses all the care we could, but that was none too
much, and we had to procure new mounts very frequently. Often we
picked up a dozen at a time in the towns and villages, slaying those
we left behind lest they be of use to the enemy. Once we wrought a
mi