he was to accompany the young Sahib on such an expedition, and at
once set about the necessary preparations. There was no difficulty in
obtaining, in the village, the clothes required for their disguises;
and one of the sheep intended for the following day's rations was
killed, and a leg boiled.

"If we take, in addition to this, ten pounds of flour, a gourd of
ghee, and a little pan for frying the cakes in, we shall be able to
get on, without having to buy food, for four or five days; and of
course, when we are once among the villages, we shall have no
difficulty in getting more. You had better cut the meat off the bone,
and divide it in two portions; and divide the flour, too; then we can
each carry our share."

"I will willingly carry it all, Sahib."

"Not at all, Surajah. We will each take our fair share. You see, we
shall have a gun, pistols, ammunition, and a tulwar; and that, with
seven or eight pounds of food each, and our water bottles, will be
quite enough to carry up the ghauts. The only thing we want now is
some stain."

"I will get something that will do, and bring it with me in the
morning, Sahib. It won't take you a minute to put on. I will come for
you at the first gleam of daylight."

Dick returned to the cottage he occupied with his uncle, and told him
what preparations they had made for their journey; and they sat
talking over the details for another hour. The Rajah's last words, as
they lay down for the night, were:

"Don't forget to take a blanket, each. You will want it for sleeping
in the open, which you will probably have to do several times,
although you may occasionally be able to find shelter in a village."

By the time the sun rose, the next morning, they were well upon their
way. They had a good deal of toilsome climbing, but by nightfall had
surmounted the most difficult portions of the ascent, and encamped,
when it became dark, in a small wood. Here they lighted a fire, cooked
some cakes of flour, and, with these and the cold meat, made a hearty
meal. They had, during the day, halted twice; and had breakfasted and
lunched off some bread, of which they had brought sufficient for the
day's journey.

"I suppose there is no occasion to watch, Surajah?"

"I don't know, Sahib. I do not think it will be safe for us both to
sleep. There are, as you know, many tigers among these hills; and
though they would not approach us, as long as the fire is burning
brightly, they might steal up a