The old man turned and pointed backwards.
“Over there,” said he, “half an hour’s walk away, our road from Paniwar joins the Agra-Delhi road, and we turned to the right instead of to the left in order to escape our pursuers. For my son, Ramzan Khan, had lingered near the village to see if we should be followed. We had a few hours’ start before we were missed, and, guessing whither we were journeying, a number of the rascals followed, some on horseback, others on foot. With bullocks we cannot travel at more than a snail’s pace, and we were unable to procure horses for the carts, so capture was certain. But Ramzan Khan, having a very swift horse, overtook us just after we had turned into the Agra road. Hearing the news that he brought, we tried to throw them off the scent by facing about towards Delhi instead of going on to Agra.”
“I came much quicker than the budmashes,” put in Ramzan Khan. “Some of them were on foot, and the horsemen were trotting slowly to allow the runners to keep up with them, thinking that they could not fail to overtake the bullocks.”
“What, then, do ye intend to do?” asked Govind Singh. A trooper to whom he had been whispering dismounted, and, leaving the dusty road, stole forward under cover of the trees and undergrowth.
“Allah knows,” replied Yusuf Khan. “Perchance, having picked up our trail, they will ride on in their haste towards Agra without taking further notice of the tracks we leave in the dust. If so, we may hide until the danger is past. If, however, they notice that we have doubled back, all will soon be over unless ye choose to help us. When we fired we thought ye were the very sons of Shitan themselves, who had worked round and cut us off.”
“Ah!” said Hira Singh reprovingly, “that was not a soldierly thing to do, to fire before making sure.”
“But,” said the stranger, “did we not see you charging upon us with spears and swords?”
“He is right,” said Ted, with a laugh at Hira Singh’s expense. “Why, ressaidar, didst thou not wish to slay them all without stopping to make sure?”
Rishan Chand, a Dogra, stepped forward with a suggestion.
“Let the women descend from the carts,” said he, “and place some of us inside, and let the bullocks retrace their steps. The troopers and you, sahib, keep out of sight, but near enough to aid. Then when the budmashes come, the zamindar (farmer or yeoman) and his sons, and the drivers, can pretend to run away and leave the women at the mercy of the rebels. Then shall we surprise them when they peer in through the curtains, and before they can escape ye should be upon them.”