“Into the court?”
“No; down into the gardens,” he said. “The next side would be best, but there is a guard in the gateway, and sentries walking up and down.”
“Are there sentries in the gardens?” I whispered.
“I think so. We’ll look.”
Crossing softly to the side of the palace furthest from the court, we peered cautiously down into what looked intensely black, but dotted with points of soft light which I knew at once to be lanthorns carried by guards.
“Can we get across?” I whispered.
“We must, sahib. There is no other way. There are plenty of bushes to hide us. What’s that?”
I listened, and from a little distance off I could hear the trampling of horses, which suddenly ceased, apparently somewhere on the other side of the court.
“Cavalry,” I whispered, and then listened as Dost went on.
“I shall lower you down here first,” he whispered, “for I think there is a place to which I can hook on the rope, and draw it down afterward. Yes; here it is. I found it to-night.”