Percy did as his follower suggested.
"How slowly they come!" he said impatiently.
"There is time, sahib; it would not do to shout to them to hurry. We will dismount and lead our horses down to the water's edge; if you keep close to their heels you will not be noticed."
Some twenty country people got out of the boat when it touched the shore. Percy's men at once led their horses on board and he followed. The four boatmen looked surprised at seeing an Englishman, but made no remark.
"Push off at once," Bhop Lal said.
"We are going ashore to get our meal," one of the men replied; "we shall not start till we have got a boat-load."
"You will go at once," Bhop Lal said, drawing a pistol. "I will pay you as much as a whole boat-load would do, but I have no time to spare."
As the others also drew their pistols the men sullenly thrust their poles into the water and pushed off. They had gone less than a hundred yards when a body of horsemen rode furiously down to the water's edge and shouted to them to return.
"Go on," Percy said authoritatively; "if one of you hesitates for a moment, he is a dead man."
Seeing that the boat continued its way the sowars opened fire with their pistols, but though the balls fell round the boat the distance was too great for accurate shooting, and in two or three minutes they were altogether beyond range, the men poling lustily now so as to place themselves out of danger. The Indus is of great width at this point, but the waters are comparatively shallow and the stream gentle, and in an hour they gained the opposite shore. Percy had directed them to make for a point half a mile below the town of Kote, instead of the ordinary landing-place, where they might have encountered a number of people waiting for the boat to return, as the traffic was considerable and they had on their way across met two laden boats. As the water was shallow they had to get the horses over the side fifty yards from shore, and then, having well paid the boatmen, they rode to the bank. Cutting across the fields they avoided the town altogether, and struck the road a mile beyond it. Before leaving the river bank they saw that there were seven or eight loaded boats half-way over, the troopers having doubtless seized some of the country craft to convey them across.