Towards sunset we made preparations to guard against a surprise by night. We fastened a rope to the ground, very securely, between the two tents, to which we could picket the mules. In one tent was Malcolm and myself, and in the other Shahzad Mir, with Esau and Lassoo. At dusk we fastened all the mules to this rope, and arranged for each of us to take turns in watching throughout the night. Another advantage gained by this plan was that the animals were ready for us to load the first thing in the morning. Had we allowed them to stray during the night our work would have been doubled; as it was, it took us an hour and a half to load up. We also decided to make one long march instead of two, for being so short handed, all our time would have been spent in catching the mules and loading them. Besides, as we could not let them graze by night, we should have to give them more time by day.
Soon after dark, when everything was in readiness for the night, rain began to fall; it rained, as the saying goes, cats and dogs, such as we had never seen it rain before. All five of us were snug, dry, and warm in our little tents, from which we could watch the mules, whilst the deserters must have spent a most miserable night without any shelter and food, and the hot tea which they all loved so much. We felt that they were being deservedly punished for their sins. Esau and Lassoo soon realized how much they had already gained by following us, and they swore to stick to us through thick and thin, and this for evermore they undoubtedly did.
It rained during the greater part of the night, so that the sodden condition of the ground put all idea of early marching out of our head.
In order to lessen our work, and to make the marching easier for the mules, we decided to load only ten of them, and let two always go spare. We made a pile of the things we should not require, such as the muleteers' big cooking pot, and their tent, etc., and left them at the camp. By thus lightening our loads we reckoned we should be able to march sixteen or eighteen miles a day, an astounding fact for the muleteers, who had imagined we could not move without their aid. We drew comparisons between the welfare of the men with us and that of the deserters. The latter were possessors of all the flour and most of the cooked meat and the tobacco, but no cooking pots, while the former had three days' rice and plenty of tea, cooking utensils, and shelter at night, an advantage they were already fully aware of.
The one behind the table also Known as Mina Fu ie also Known as Kao ie
CHAPTER XIII.
RETURN OF THE DESERTERS—SHUKR ALI—LONG MARCHES—DEATH OF EIGHT MULES AND A PONY—A CHEERING REPAST.