in the mountains. Alone now all day with
the boy, with nothing to do but to look out on the town below, and
the wide valley beyond, he made rapid progress; and was, by the
time he was strong enough to walk alone across the room, able to
hold some sort of conversation with his friend--for so he had come
to regard his devoted attendant.

One morning the boy came into the room in a state of great
excitement.

"English officers are coming," he said, "with soldiers."

"But I thought it was peace," Will exclaimed, delighted. "You told
me peace had been signed, at Gundamuk, two months ago."

"Yes, it is peace," the boy said. "The officers are coming in
friendship, to be here with the Ameer."

Will was greatly moved at the news. When he had heard, six weeks
before, that peace was signed, he had begun to hope that, some day
or other, he should again be able to return to India; but the news,
that some of his countrymen were close at hand, almost overcame
him.

The next day, which was the 24th of July--although Will had lost
all account of time--he saw vast numbers of people out on the
plain; and presently, far away, he beheld a large body of horsemen.
These, the lad told him, were the Ameer and his bodyguard,
accompanied by the English officers. Cannon were fired in salute,
and the garrison of the Bala-Hissar stood to their arms and,
presently, Will saw a cavalcade riding up from the gate of the
fortress. First came some Afghan cavalry; then rode a tall and
stately man, whom the boy told him was the Ameer. But Will had no
eyes for him. All his thoughts were centered on the white officer
who rode beside him: Major Sir Lewis Cavagnari, the English envoy.
Behind, among the chiefs of the Ameer's suite, rode two or three
other English officers; and then came a detachment of some
twenty-five cavalry, and fifty infantry of the Guides, a frontier
force consisting of picked men.

As they passed near his window, Will stood up with his hand to his
forehead, in salute. Major Cavagnari looked up in surprise, and
spoke to the Ameer. The latter said a few words in reply, and then
the cavalcade rode on to the palace. Ten minutes later two of the
Ameer's attendants entered, and told Will to follow them.

He had that morning, for the first time since his arrival in Cabul,
put on his uniform. He was still very weak but, leaning one hand
upon his attendant's shoulder, he followed the messengers. He was
conducted to a large room in the p