stand
the heat as well as those born to it. Moreover, you must remember
that, at present, England is at war, not only with France and half
Europe, but also with America. She is also obliged to keep an army in
Ireland, which is greatly disaffected. With all this on her hands, she
cannot send a large army so far across the seas, especially when her
force here is sufficient for all that can be required of it."

"That is true," he said. "It is wonderful what they have done out
here, with such small forces. But they will have harder work, before
they conquer all India--as I believe they will do--than they have yet
encountered. In spite of Tippoo's vauntings, they will have Mysore
before many years are over. The Sultan seems to have forgotten the
lesson they taught him, six or seven years back. But the next time
will be the last, and Tippoo, tiger as he is, will meet the fate he
seems bent on provoking.

"But beyond Mysore lies the Mahratta country, and the Mahrattis alone
can put thirty thousand horsemen into the field. They are not like the
people of Bengal, who have ever fallen, with scarce an attempt at
resistance, under the yoke of one tyrant after another. The Mahrattis
are a nation of warriors. They are plunderers, if you will, but they
are brave and fearless soldiers, and might, had they been united, have
had all India under their feet before the coming of the English. That
chance has slipped from them. But when we--I say 'we' you see,
Margaret--meet them, it will be a desperate struggle, indeed."

"We shall thrash them, Uncle," Dick broke in. "You will see that we
shall beat them thoroughly."

The Rajah smiled at Dick's impetuosity.

"So you think English soldiers cannot be beaten, eh?"

"Well, Uncle, somehow they never do get beaten. I don't know how it
is. I suppose that it is just obstinacy. Look how we thrashed the
French here, and they were just as well drilled as our soldiers, and
there were twice as many of them."

The Rajah nodded.

"One secret of our success, Dick, is that the English get on better
with the natives here than the French do--I don't know why, except
what I have heard from people who went through the war. They say that
the French always seemed to look down on the natives, and treated even
powerful allies with a sort of haughtiness that irritated them, and
made them ready to change sides at the first opportunity; while the
British treated them pleasantly, so that there was a real frie