“Sit down, lad, and let’s watch them,” he cried mockingly. “We shall have some lessons on the management of a troop. By George, look at the dear old horses! They know the work so well that they are taking the men with them. Look, Gil, there’s poor Craig’s grey Arab. There they go. He wants to gallop, and that fellow has hard work to hold him in.”
The troop was kept at a steady trot, and as it reached the part of the plain facing us, we saw Ny Deen dash in front, wave his sword—a flashing curved tulwar—and the horses were reined in, halted, and then, after a minute’s interval, during which we could hear the voice of the leader giving orders, they advanced again, but this time at a walk, while Ny Deen galloped on in advance, as if to map out the course he meant the troop to take.
“The scoundrel rides well,” muttered Brace, as we saw Ny Deen rein up and throw his horse back almost on its haunches. “Pretty good that, for a syce.”
“It is the Maharajah of Ahdenpore, sahib,” said Dost, who had crouched behind us unnoticed, looking on and hearing every word we said.
“What!” cried Brace, harshly. “I can see. I know the man; Lieutenant Barton’s syce.”
“Yes, sahib; but it is the great Maharajah. He came and worked as a syce all that time, so that he might learn all about the drilling and training of the guns. It was a plot—a cunning plot, sahib, and he was waiting his time.”
“Hah!” ejaculated Brace. “Yes. Too clever for us; but we may have our day yet. Yes; they are drilling,” he continued, as the troop wheeled again, and began advancing toward the forest at whose edge we crouched in hiding; but when they were about half-way toward us from the spot where they had turned, there was another order, the troop wheeled into line, and the men sprang down, unlimbered, the guns were trained, and we saw slowly, but with fair regularity, the pieces brought into action, the white-robed gunners going through the loading and firing drill, ramming, sponging, firing, till about ten rounds had been discharged in blank, when the order rang out again, and the guns were limbered up, and retired three or four hundred yards before halt was again called, the same performance gone through and repeated then in the advance, as if they were sheltering the village, each halt being at the end of some three hundred yards.
In this way they passed us, not two hundred yards distant, and we had to lie close for fear of being seen.
Then a fresh movement was gone through, the troop was formed into column again, and as we watched, the men were halted just in front of the village, where they were dismissed, and the horses were trotted off to various parts where there were sheds beneath the trees, the guns being left in line, in front of the principal house of the place.
“They stay here for the night, Gil,” said Brace excitedly.