hts.

"What are we to do in the next place?" I asked of the eunuch.

He gave me an expressive look out of his black eyes, and silently
delivered to me a scymetar which he carried.

"Let the Sahib knock, and when they who keep the door put forth their
heads, let the Sahib strike them off," he said, seeing me hesitate.

It had been well for us, as it turned out, if I had done as he bid me,
for the squeamishness which we feel about shedding blood is not
understood amongst Indians, and they despise us for it. However,
before I could say anything further, my cousin stepped up to the door
and knocked boldly.

There was a commotion inside. I drew my scymetar, and Rupert did the
same. As soon as the door was unfastened from within, without waiting
to parley, we flung ourselves through the opening, striking out
blindly in the dark.

Instantly there went up a howl for mercy, and the eunuchs inside--for
there were two of them, both well-armed--cast themselves down writhing
on the floor, evidently in the expectation that they were immediately
to be put to death. Rupert aimed a deadly blow at one of them, but I,
like a fool, struck up his weapon.

"Stay," I said, using the Gentoo language purposely that they might
understand, "it may save us trouble to spare their lives, on condition
that they strictly obey our instructions."

The wretches hearing this, instantly broke into all sorts of
grovelling entreaties and oaths of fidelity. Quite disgusted by their
slavish cowardice, I said to them--

"Hold your tongues! You have in this house a prisoner, an
Englishwoman, whom we have come to carry away. Let one of you go at
once and bring her here."

The eunuch furthest in from the door immediately leaped to his feet
and made off down the passage. But Rupert, who knew more about these
sort of creatures than I did at this time, strode after him, calling
out--

"Stay! I will go with you!"

But the fellow, without turning his head, sprang up a narrow staircase
at the end, and darting into the first room he came to above, slammed
the door to, and had it fastened before Rupert could catch him up. In
another moment we heard him yelling and squalling out of the window
for assistance to come and take the murderers and ravishers that were
broken into the garden.

My cousin came jumping down the stairs three steps at a time.

"This comes of your cursed softness!" he growled out savagely. "As
though it were not a Christian act to cut