keep quiet now, and are as much better to-morrow as I found you to-day,
and you will promise to be very careful, I'll let you get up. Now I
must go and see to that other ruffian."

"Peter Pegg? But you are not keeping him in bed?"

"Oh no. He didn't get it so badly as you."

"I say, Doctor, he's been hospital orderly before: send him to attend on
me."

The Doctor frowned, and hesitated.

"Oh, very well. He might do that. He was as mad as you are two days
ago, and wanted to go off with his company."

"Send him in at once, Doctor."

"For you two to talk too much? There, I'll see."

A couple of hours later Peter Pegg entered Archie's quarters, looking
very hollow-cheeked and sallow, and displaying a head that had been
operated upon by the regimental barber till there was nothing more left
to cut off, and stood holding the door a little way open, and showing
his teeth in a happy grin.

"Ah, Pete! I wanted you," cried Archie.

"Did you, sir? Here I am, then. Doctor says I am to do anything you
want, only you are not to talk."

"All right, Pete. Then tell me, what's being done?"

"Three detachments is out, sir--one under Captain Down, one under Mr
Durham, another under old Tipsy."

"Yes? Go on."

"They're a-scouring the country, sir; and I hope they'll make a clean
job of it."

"Yes, yes; but tell me everything."

"Ain't much to tell, sir; only one party's gone up the river in Sir
Charles's boat, and he's with them."

"Yes?"

"And another party's gone down the river to search Mr Rajah Hamet's
place."

"But I heard that he came up here and brought in my boat, and spread the
news of our being killed."

"Yes, sir; and the Major, when we came back, said he'd been gammoning
him, and that he must have been in the business."

"No, no," said Archie thoughtfully; "I'm sure the Major's wrong. Well,
go on. Which way has Captain Down gone?"

"He has gone along the road to the Rajah's palace, to take him prisoner
and make him give an account of himself."

"Right away in the jungle, along that elephant-track? They have taken
tents, of course."

"I d'know, sir; but they've took possession of Mr Suleiman's two
helephants."

"Ah, capital!" said Archie. "This is fresh news."

"Yes, sir; and I suppose Mr Suleiman will never get them again. They
ought to be prize money. We took them, sir. My word, I should just
like to have the old Rajah!"

"Of course," said Archie contemptuously. "Nice