l
go down before we do."

Richards cordially agreed with his companion.

"Well, now, what are the orders, Bathurst?" said the Doctor.

"There are no orders as yet, Doctor. The Major says you will go round
to the others, Doolan, Rintoul, and Forster, and tell them. I am to go
round to Hunter and the other civilians. Then, this evening we are to
meet at nine o'clock, as usual, at the Major's. If the others decide
that the only plan is for all to stop here and fight it out, there will
be no occasion for anything like a council; it will only have to be
arranged at what time we all move into the fort, and the best means for
keeping the news from spreading to the Sepoys. Not that it will make
much difference after they have once fairly turned in. If there is one
thing a Hindoo hates more than another, it is getting from under his
blankets when he has once got himself warm at night. Even if they heard
at one or two o'clock in the morning that we were moving into the fort I
don't think they would turn out till morning."

"No, I am sure they would not," the Doctor agreed.

"If there were a few more of us," Richards said, "I should vote for our
beginning it. If we were to fall suddenly upon them we might kill a lot
and scare the rest off."

"We are too few for that," the Doctor said. "Besides, although Bathurst
answers for the good faith of the sender of the warning, there has as
yet been no act of mutiny that would justify our taking such a step as
that. It would come to the same thing. We might kill a good many, but in
the long run three hundred men would be more than a match for a dozen,
and then the women would be at their mercy. Well, we had better be
moving, or we shall not have time to go round to the bungalows before
the people set out for the Major's."

It was a painful mission that Bathurst had to perform, for he had to
tell those he called upon that almost certain death was at hand, but
the news was everywhere received calmly. The strain had of late been so
great, that the news that the crisis was at hand was almost welcome. He
did not stay long anywhere, but, after setting the alternative before
them, left husband and wife to discuss whether to try to make down to
Allahabad or to take refuge in the fort.

Soon after nine o'clock all were at Major Hannay's. There were pale
faces among them, but no stranger would have supposed that the whole
party had just received news which was virtually a death warrant. The