e open, and to take my chance
of being killed there, but I protest against being shut up like a rat in
a hole."

To the rest, however, the proposal appeared desperate. There would be no
withstanding a single charge of the well trained troopers, especially as
it would be necessary to guard the vehicles. Had it not been for that,
the small body of men might possibly have cut their way through the
cavalry; but even then they would be so hotly pursued that the most of
them would assuredly be hunted down. But encumbered by the women such
an enterprise seemed utterly hopeless, and the whole of the others were
unanimously against it.

The party broke up very early. The strain of maintaining their ordinary
demeanor was too great to be long endured, and the ladies with children
were anxious to return as soon as possible to them, lest at the last
moment the Sepoys should have made some change in their arrangements. By
ten o'clock the whole party had left.

The two subalterns had no preparations to make; they had already sent
most of their things into the hospital; and, lighting their pipes, they
sat down and talked quietly till midnight; then, placing their pistols
in their belts and wrapping themselves in their cloaks, they went into
the Doctor's tent, which was next to theirs.

The Doctor at once roused his servant, who was sleeping in a shelter
tent pitched by the side of his. The man came in looking surprised at
being called. "Roshun," the Doctor said, "you have been with me ten
years, and I believe you to be faithful."

"I would lay down my life for the sahib," the man said quietly.

"You have heard nothing of any trouble with the Sepoys?"

"No, sahib; they know that Roshun is faithful to his master."

"We have news that they are going to rise in the morning and kill all
Europeans, so we are going to move at once into the hospital."

"Good, sahib; what will you take with you?"

"My books and papers have all gone in," the Doctor said; "that
portmanteau may as well go. I will carry these two rifles myself; the
ammunition is all there except that bag in the corner, which I will
sling round my shoulder."

"What are in those two cases, Doctor?" Wilson asked.

"Brandy, lad."

"We may as well each carry one of those, Doctor, if your boy takes the
portmanteau. It would be a pity to leave good liquor to be wasted by
those brutes."

"I agree with you, Wilson; besides, the less liquor they get hold of
the better for u