d amused. Two of them
then helped him to his feet; and the group, among whom there were
some officers, then took him some distance to the rear, where he
was ordered to sit down with three wounded sepoys who had been
brought in.

Chapter 3: A Prisoner.

The little group of prisoners received several additions, until the
number mounted up to twenty. The spot where they were placed was
close to the bank of the river and, as all were suffering severely
from thirst, Stanley asked and obtained permission from the guard
to fetch some water. He first knelt down and took a long drink;
then he bathed his head and, soaking his handkerchief with water,
made it into a pad, placed it on the wound, and put his cap on over
it. Then he filled a flask that he carried, and joined his
companions. These were permitted to go down, one by one, to the
river to drink and bathe their wounds.

Stanley had already learned, from them, all they knew of what had
happened after he had been stunned by the bullet. Two of them had
crossed the rivulet, before being wounded; and these said that they
believed all the white officers had been killed, but that they
thought most of the troops had got away.

"It is more than they deserved," Stanley said indignantly. "I don't
say much about the Mugs. They had very little drill or discipline
and, naturally, were afraid of the Burmese, who had long been their
masters; but if the sepoys had kept together under their officers,
they might all have escaped, for the Burmese would never have been
able to break their ranks."

"Some of the officers had been killed, and most of them wounded,
before the retreat began, sahib," one of the sepoys said
apologetically, "and they were ten to one against us."

"Yes, I know that; but you who had fought before should have known
well enough that, as long as you kept together, you could have
beaten them off; and they would have been glad enough to have given
up the pursuit, at last. No doubt they all wanted to have a share
in the plunder of Ramoo."

"What do you think that they are going to do with us, sahib?"

"From what they said as they brought me here, I think that we shall
be sent to Ava, or Amarapura. They lie close together, and the
court is sometimes at one place and sometimes at the other. What
they will do with us when we get there, I don't know. They may cut
off our heads, they may put us in prison; anyhow, you may be sure
that we shall not have a pleasant