right--that
no Sikh living could stalk worth a damn; and that Koran Sahib had better
take out the Pathans, who understood that kind of mountain work. Rutton
Singh said that Koran Sahib jolly well knew every Pathan was a born
deserter, and every Sikh was a gentleman, even if he couldn't crawl on
his belly. Stalky struck in with some woman's proverb or other, that had
the effect of doublin' both men up with a grin. He said the Sikhs and
the Pathans could settle their claims on the Khye-Kheens and
Malo'ts later on, but he was going to take his Sikhs along for this
mountain-climbing job, because Sikhs could shoot. They can, too. Give
'em a mule-load of ammunition apiece, and they're perfectly happy."

"And out he gat," said Dick Four. "As soon as it was dark, and he'd had
a bit of a snooze, him and thirty Sikhs went down through the staircase
in the tower, every mother's son of 'em salutin' little Everett where
It stood propped up against the wall. The last I heard him say was,
'Kubbadar! tumbleinga! [Look out; you'll fall!] and they tumbleingaed
over the black edge of nothing. Close upon 9 p.m. the combined attack
developed; Khye-Kheens across the valley, and Malo'ts in front of us,
pluggin' at long range and yellin' to each other to come along and cut
our infidel throats. Then they skirmished up to the gate, and began the
old game of calling our Pathans renegades, and invitin' 'em to join the
holy war. One of our men, a young fellow from Dera Ismail, jumped on
the wall to slang 'em back, and jumped down, blubbing like a child. He'd
been hit smack in the middle of the hand. 'Never saw a man yet who could
stand a hit in the hand without weepin' bitterly. It tickles up all the
nerves. So Tertius took his rifle and smote the others on the head to
keep them quiet at the loopholes. The dear children wanted to open the
gate and go in at 'em generally, but that didn't suit our book.

"At last, near midnight, I heard the wop, wop, wop, of Stalky's Martinis
across the valley, and some general cursing among the Malo'ts, whose
main body was hid from us by a fold in the hillside. Stalky was brownin'
'em at a great rate, and very naturally they turned half right and began
to blaze at their faithless allies, the Khye-Kheens--regular volley
firin'. In less than ten minutes after Stalky opened the diversion they
were going it hammer and tongs, both sides the valley. When we could
see, the valley was rather a mixed-up affair. The Khye-Khe