"Will they not miss you?"
"They will miss the mussak,[10] sahib. It was the last full one."
"Mir Jan, do as I bid, and you shall see Delhi again, Have you ever used a Lee-Metford?"
"I have seen them, sahib; but I better understand the Mahtini."
"I will give you a rifle, with plenty of ammunition, Do you go inside the cave, there, and—"
Mir Jan was startled.
"Where the ghost is, sahib?" he said.
"Ghost! That is a tale for children. There is no ghost, only a few bones of a man murdered by these scoundrels long ago. Have you any food?"
"Some rice, sahib; sufficient for a day, or two at a pinch."
"Good! We will get water from the well. When the fighting begins at dawn, fire at every man you see from the back of the cave. On no account come out. Then they can never reach you if you keep a full magazine. Wait here!"