letting your dinner get cold," said the Colonel,
in a petulant way.

"Yes," continued Singh, "and it was all just like a story out of a book.
I used to ask father to tell it to me, and when I did he used to smile
and make me kneel down before him with my hands on his knees."

"But, my dear Singh," interposed the Colonel, who looked so annoyed and
worried that Glyn kicked his schoolfellow softly under the table, and
then coloured up.

"Don't!" cried Singh sharply; and then in his old dreamy tone, "When he
told me I used to seem to see it all, with his fierce enemies in their
steel caps with the turbans round them, and the chain rings hanging
about their necks and their swords flashing in the air as they made cuts
at my father's brave friends; and first one fell bleeding, and then
another, till there were only about a dozen left, and my father the
Maharajah was telling his men that the time had come when they must make
one bold dash at their enemies, and die fighting as brave warriors
should."

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!" cried the Colonel querulously. "But that curry is
getting cold, my boy, and it won't be worth eating if it isn't hot."

"Yes, I'll go on directly," continued Singh in the same imperturbable
manner, and he leaned his elbows now upon the table, placed his chin
upon his hands, and fixed his eyes upon the Colonel's scar.

"I can see it all now so plainly," he said; and with a quick gesture his
host dropped his knife sharply in his plate and clapped his hand across
his forehead, while Glyn gave his schoolfellow another thrust--a soft
one this time--with his foot.

But Singh paid not the slightest heed to his companion's hint. He only
leaned a little more forward to look now in the Colonel's eyes; and
laughing softly he continued:

"That doesn't make any difference. I can see it all just the same, and
I seem to hear the roar like thunder father spoke about. He said it was
the trampling of horses and the shouting of men, and it was you tearing
over the plain from out of the valley, with all the men that you had
drilled and made into his brave regiment. They swept over the ground
with a rush, charging into the midst of the enemy and cutting right and
left till they reached my father and his friends, when a terrible
slaughter went on for a few minutes before the enemy turned and fled,
pursued by your brave soldiers, who had left their leader wounded on the
ground. Father said he had just strength enough