He looked down at her smiling.
"Four for the doolie and a mule for your baggage," he said; "about what's allowed for half a company. And there's a tent for you on the mule already."
"I can have some one else's tent," she exclaimed crossly.
"No one else has a tent," he said with the same dry smile.
She turned from him petulantly.
"You can leave them all behind if you like; I don't care!"
Yet she repacked submissively—with the help of the khansamah, whom Terrington sent to the assistance of her pride—what she most needed in the space allowed her; with a new dull kindling of anger against the man who could compel her so easily to obey. But the eager preparations in the darkness subdued her with the sense of an impending fate, the silent streaming forth of the little force into the night towards the day of battle and the awful snows, and she was gratefully reassured when Terrington suddenly appeared beside her as the doolie drew up, and helped her in with a comforting pressure of the hand.
"Sleep if you can," he said; "we're perfectly safe for the next twelve hours."
His own beloved Guides brought up the rear, and he rode last with them out of the Fort.
For the next day and night danger only could threaten from direct pursuit, and so his place was for the present with the rear-guard.