en of
peace. Well, without doubt, this is not a quarrel that suddenly arises
from a chance hot word. Not so--it was purposed from the beginning. Some
of these new men are out in the streets, beholding the many fine sights
of this city, and that seemed a good occasion to the men of Minghal
Khan; for in truth these new men are said to have good store of plunder
they have taken from the English as they came hither; and, as all men
know, the soldiers of Minghal Khan, and of many another officer, are
yearning for their pay. And so they came and fell upon the men of
Asadullah at their quarters yonder, and brought no firearms, since they
make a great noise; and the new men being taken wholly by surprise, had
not time so much as to fetch their muskets. As thou seest, there is
great fighting at the gate, and some are even now scaling the wall. Wah!
Unless the Kotwal or Bakht Khan come with a great force, methinks in a
little those men of Asadullah will be in a sad case, for the others are
much greater in number. It is a good fight; as thou sayest, it will give
me work to-morrow, my shop is hard by; and therefore I say, let them
fight on."

The two stood side by side watching the fray. There was a great noise of
clashing arms, and fierce yells, but such uproar was too common to have
brought as yet any of the authorities to the spot. The defenders of the
serai were hard pressed. Some had already been driven within the gate;
more and more of the attackers had mounted the wall and leapt into the
enclosure; and it seemed that the swordsmith's forecast of the end would
be justified. But suddenly a group of eight or ten men rounded the
corner of the street, remote from where the two watchers stood. They
halted for a moment, as though they did not at once comprehend the
meaning of the scene before them. The night was dark, but the light of
the stars revealed those new arrivals as stalwart, turbaned men. Their
pause was very brief. Then, drawing their talwars, they swept upon the
rear of the hundred or more sepoys thronging in front of them. "Wah,
wah!" they shouted, and their fierce war-cry fell upon the ears of the
sepoys at the same time as their terrible weapons smote their limbs. The
Pandies were taken utterly by surprise, and began to scatter in a panic.
The diversion came in the nick of time. The defenders took heart from
the arrival of their comrades; the attackers were divided in mind
whether to stay or to flee; and in a very fe