between was cut up into a labyrinth of passages and
corridors, I had great doubts as to whether they could arrive in time
to be of any use in case of an actual attack.

"Well, I was pretty proud at having this small command given me, since
I was a raw recruit, and a game-legged one at that. For two nights I
kept the watch with my Punjaubees. They were tall, fierce-looking
chaps, Mahomet Singh and Abdullah Khan by name, both old fighting-men
who had borne arms against us at Chilian-wallah. They could talk
English pretty well, but I could get little out of them. They
preferred to stand together and jabber all night in their queer Sikh
lingo. For myself, I used to stand outside the gate-way, looking down
on the broad, winding river and on the twinkling lights of the great
city. The beating of drums, the rattle of tomtoms, and the yells and
howls of the rebels, drunk with opium and with bang, were enough to
remind us all night of our dangerous neighbors across the stream.
Every two hours the officer of the night used to come round to all the
posts, to make sure that all was well.

"The third night of my watch was dark and dirty, with a small, driving
rain. It was dreary work standing in the gate-way hour after hour in
such weather. I tried again and again to make my Sikhs talk, but
without much success. At two in the morning the rounds passed, and
broke for a moment the weariness of the night. Finding that my
companions would not be led into conversation, I took out my pipe, and
laid down my musket to strike the match. In an instant the two Sikhs
were upon me. One of them snatched my firelock up and levelled it at
my head, while the other held a great knife to my throat and swore
between his teeth that he would plunge it into me if I moved a step.

"My first thought was that these fellows were in league with the
rebels, and that this was the beginning of an assault. If our door
were in the hands of the Sepoys the place must fall, and the women and
children be treated as they were in Cawnpore. Maybe you gentlemen
think that I am just making out a case for myself, but I give you my
word that when I thought of that, though I felt the point of the knife
at my throat, I opened my mouth with the intention of giving a scream,
if it was my last one, which might alarm the main guard. The man who
held me seemed to know my thoughts; for, even as I braced myself to it,
he whispered, 'Don't make a noise. The fort is saf