"
"I felt very uneasy and restless," Bathurst said, "but I had not
the same feeling that you were speaking to me I had that night at
Deennugghur; but even had I known of the danger, there would have
been no avoiding it. Had we landed, we must have been overtaken, and
it would have come to the same thing. Tell me, Rujub, had you any
idea when I saw you at Deennugghur that if we were taken prisoners
Miss Hannay was to be brought here instead of being placed with
the other ladies?"
"Yes, I knew it, sahib; the orders he gave to the Sepoys were that
every man was to be killed, and that the women and children were
to be taken to Cawnpore, except Miss Hannay, who was to be carried
here at once. The Rajah had noticed her more than once when she
was at Cawnpore, and had made up his mind that she should go to
his zenana."
"Why did you not tell me when you were at Deennugghur?"
"What would have been the use, sahib? I hoped to save you all;
besides, it was not until we saw her taken past this morning that
we knew that the Miss Hannay who was to be taken to Bithoor was the
lady whom my daughter, when she saw her with you that night, said
at once that you loved. But had we known it, what good would it
have done to have told you of the Rajah's orders? You could not have
done more than you have done. But now we know, we will aid you to
save her."
"How long will your daughter be before she comes? It is horrible
waiting here."
"You must have patience, sahib.
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