"I wish I could have gone with you. Two together does
not seem so bad, but I should not like to start out by myself as
you did."
There was a hearty cordiality in the young fellow's voice that was
very pleasant to Bathurst.
"We have all our gifts, as Hawkeye used to say, as I have no doubt
you remember, Wilson. Such gifts as I have lay in the way of solitary
work, I fancy."
"Now, light a cheroot, Bathurst," the Major said, "and drink off
this tumbler of brandy and soda, and then let us hear your story."
"The story is simple enough, Major. I got through without difficulty.
The sentries are some distance apart round the garden wall. As soon
as I discovered by the sound of their footsteps where they were, it
was easy enough to get through them. Then I made a longish detour,
and came down on the lines from the other side. There was no occasion
for concealment then. Numbers of the country people had come in,
and were gathered round the Sepoys' fires, and I was able to move
about amongst them, and listen to the conversation without the
smallest hindrance.
"The Sepoys were loudly expressing their dissatisfaction at their
officers leading them against the house today, when they had
no means of either battering down the walls or scaling them. Then
there was a general opinion that treachery was at work; for how
else should the Europeans have known they were going to rise that
morning, and so moved during the night into the house? There was
much angry recrimination and quarreling, and many expressed their
regret they had not marched straight to Cawnpore after burning the
bungalows.
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