part in an attack on his
own home. Sometimes, however, this is impossible, as in the story here
related.

The Guides were daily expecting orders to advance into the Khyber Pass
at the head of an army, and would thus at the very outset be fighting
against some of the men's own relations and friends. Amongst these men
was a young Afridi soldier, who was sore puzzled what to do. His own
village lay right in the path of the army, and only a few miles distant;
his relations and friends came daily to visit him, urging him to take
his discharge and return to his own people before the war began. Was
anyone ever in a more awkward position?

On the very eve of the advance he made his decision to stand by the
colours, and gave a final refusal to his relations. Yet even then
opportunity, combined with the ties of kinship, was too much for him. It
was his turn for sentry-go that night, all double sentries, and, as is
the custom, no two men of the same class together. With our young Afridi
on his beat there happened to be a Gurkha, and that Gurkha did a thing
which not only hurled his comrade to perdition, but brought himself to a
court-martial. His tent was close by and he said to the young Afridi:
"Hold my rifle a minute, while I fetch something from my tent." In one
second the whole of that young Afridi's good resolutions failed him; the
struggle of weeks had been in vain. Two rifles in his hand, not a soul
near, the black night in front, and beyond--his own village, and
friends, and a warm welcome! He stalked off into the darkness and was
lost for ever. Then came the sequel.

The British officers were at dinner in their mess tent, when the
havildar of the guard came running up to make his report, and brought as
witness the erring Gurkha. The Colonel of the Corps at this time was
Colonel F.H. Jenkins, a man who had learnt much from Lumsden, and had
caught in many ways the genius for dealing with wild warriors. "How many
men of that man's tribe are there in the regiment?" sternly demanded
Jenkins. After reference to the company, it was found that there were
seventeen of them all told. "Parade them all here," said the Colonel;
and they were duly summoned, and paraded in line. "Now take off every
scrap of uniform or equipment that belongs to the Sirkar." Each man did
as he was bid, and placed the little pile in front of him, on the
ground. "You can now go, and don't let me see your faces again till you
bring back those two rifles