tune of war was on this occasion
entirely kind to the British cause, and the bold game played by subadar
Rasul Khan and his men reaped a splendid reward; the capture of a
formidable fortress, seventy guns, and a regiment of infantry, with
little or no loss.

When, as dawn grew stronger, the British commander strained his anxious
eyes towards the fort, to his immense relief friendly signals welcomed
him, and as the sun rose the gentle breeze flung to the dusty haze the
Union Jack, which ever since that day has floated from the ramparts of
the fort of Gorindghar at Amritsar.

It may not be without interest, as illustrating the liberality with
which soldiers in those days were treated, to mention that, besides the
official thanks of the British Government, Rasul Khan received a robe of
honour, a gun, a brace of pistols, and five hundred rupees, each
havildar and naik fifty rupees, and each sepoy, including the
"prisoners," eleven rupees. Nor may it be inappropriate to mention that
Rasul Khan was a brother of that same ressaldar Fatteh Khan, who only
the month before with a handful of the Guides' cavalry had scattered as
chaff before the wind the flower of Diwan Mulraj's horsemen, and chased
them into the gates of Mooltan.

CHAPTER IV

ON THE FRONTIER IN THE 'FIFTIES.

The Guides were now two years old, and, as an outward and visible sign
that they had won their spurs, they were by the orders of the Government
considerably augmented. Hitherto with one troop and two companies they
had established an honoured record; they were now raised to three troops
of cavalry and six companies of infantry.

To the general historian, who can of necessity deal only with great
events, peace reigned in India from the conclusion of the Sikh Wars to
the outbreak of the Mutiny; but there was no peace for the Guides during
those eight years. Their history is full of hardy adventure, of forced
marches, and night attacks; of the wiles of the border free-lance, met
and overcome with equal strategy and greater skill; of brave deeds and
splendid devotion. The conscientious scribe is tempted to enlarge on
each and all of these; but perhaps our purpose in giving the story of
the Guides will be well enough served if we content ourselves with
taking only two or three of these exploits, thus hoping to throw some
light on the life led by a regiment on the Indian frontier in those
rough days.

Dipping haphazard into the ancient records, we