An hour later, they were forming a marching column to go out and give battle to the rajah and his force, which lay, according to spies, ten miles away, holding a patch of forest beyond the swift river which ran from there to this town.
“Which will you do, Gil?” said my father; “come with me, or stay with the major who is in command here?”
“I want to go back to my troop,” I said sharply; and as I spoke, Brace, who had before met me that morning, came in looking very careworn, and with his uniform almost in rags.
“Ah, well,” said my father; “here is your captain.”
I hesitated for a moment, and then walked across to Brace, who moved away to one of the windows.
“You wish to speak to me, sir?” he said coldly.
“Of course I do,” I cried passionately; “why are you so ready to condemn me unheard?”
“Say what you wish to say; we march in five minutes,” he replied.
I could not speak, for the hot sensation of indignation which burned within me.
“You are silent,” he said, with a contemptuous shrug of his shoulders. “Well, I am not surprised. I was making every effort possible, as soon as I heard through spies that you were alive, to rescue you; but when—”