d from their chests, ran and took
cover again; and the musketry began to roll in sputtering repetitions,
till the retiring force seemed to take courage, gathered together,
repelled their adversaries with half-a-dozen vigorous volleys, and
advanced in turn, gradually driving their supposed enemies back, till,
when the smoke was rising in a faint, misty cloud to float softly away
over the river, the final stages of the sham-fight were nearly at an
end, and for a concluding curtain to the mimic warfare the two little
forces advanced as if to meet in contention in the middle of the field.
But at a certain stage a bugle rang out, and with wonderful precision
the men fell into column and marched away to the far end of the
drill-ground, where they halted, turned, and then, in obedience to the
Major's command, began to advance in line towards where, on their left,
were the two bodies of armed men comprising the followers of the two
Rajahs, above whom towered the two knots of elephants, while on their
right were the gathered crowds from the nearest campongs, excitedly
watching for what was to come next.

What was to come next and was now in progress was Britain's thin red
line, and that line was on that occasion very thin, very, very red, and
extremely long, purposely extended so as to make the most of the tiny
force.

The crowds cheered in their fashion as the train moved on, and, excited
by the yelling, the elephants began to trumpet as the troops were now
nearly half across the parade-ground. Then the bugle rang out "Halt!"
and the orders followed quickly: "Fire!" and with wonderful precision
there was the long line of puffs of smoke as the volley roared and half
obscured the advancing force in the thin veil of smoke.

There was a fresh burst of cheers from the crowds, who now saw that the
little line of scarlet-coated men was marching out of the filmy, grey
cloud and lessening the distance between them.

The next bugle-call was rather unsettling, and the next still more so,
for it meant "Double;" while the last of all was more disturbing than
anything that had taken place that day, for it was followed by a
peculiar flickering of light as the brilliant sun played upon the
glistening bayonets brought down sparkling in front of the line of men.
The bugles now rang out "Charge!" followed by the good old British cheer
given by wildly excited men with all the power left in them, and they
bore the bristling bayonets on, racing