wn," Surajah said. "I will call you in three
hours."

In half an hour Annie returned. She looked pitifully at Dick, and then
seated herself by Surajah.

"He must be tired," she said. "It was too bad of me, letting him carry
me like that all night. I thought so, over and over again, when he
believed I was fast asleep, but I knew that it was of no use asking
him to let me ride for a bit.

"You don't mind my sitting here for a little, do you? I am going away
again, presently. I only came back, so soon, because I thought he
might wonder what had become of me, if I did not. I could have gone on
walking for a long time. It was very hard work at first, for my back
ached dreadfully, and every step hurt me so, it was as much as I could
do to keep on walking; but gradually it got better, and at last I had
a long run, and after that I scarcely felt it.

"How long have you known him, Surajah?" and she nodded towards Dick.

"It is about two years and a half since he came to Tripataly, and I
have seen a great deal of him, ever since. I love him very much. He is
always the same. He never seems to get angry, and is kind to
everyone."

"Did he fight when he was with the army?"

"Not much. He was one of the general's own officers, and used to ride
with the others behind him. He fought in the battle before
Seringapatam, for the general and every one else had to fight, then."

"How is it you come to be always with him?" she asked.

"It first began when we went out on a scouting expedition together,
before the English army went up the ghauts. We volunteered to find
out, if we could, which way the sultan's army was going. We went
through a good deal of danger together, and some hard fighting, and
the Sahib was pleased with me; and since then we have always been
together."

"Tell me about that, Surajah?"

Surajah related the story of their capture and escape, of their making
their way through the fort, and the subsequent pursuit, and their
defence of the ruined hut. Annie listened almost breathlessly.

"How I should like to have been with you," she said, when he finished.
"At least, I think I should have liked it. I should have been
dreadfully in the way, but I could have sat down in the hut and loaded
the guns, while you were both fighting. You could have shown me how to
do it. How brave of you both to have fought fifty or sixty men!"

"It was not so very brave," Surajah said. "We knew we should be
killed, if they took us. T