“Not this time. The whole enemy’s army comes—several thousand—and we go out as advance guard to hold them until the rest can come up. You will have all the fighting you want before the day is out.”
“They choose well,” said he coolly, “to send you and me and this regiment, which carries your mark. I shall have something to tell Firoz to-night.”
I wondered for a moment if he would tell Firoz anything at all that night or any other night. Unless we got to the defile in time, the enemy’s mounted men would be round us long before our main body could ever hope to get up, and then sheer weight of numbers would do the rest. Anyway, Paulos’s banner would get all the honour he desired for it and I should not have to worry any more about Aryenis and fairy princes or dragons. But I hoped that she and I would meet again some day, whatever happened—somewhere where people’s thoughts didn’t get tangled up and things ran smoothly. And then, as ever, she walked in, and took possession of the mind that used to be mine, and it was a moment or two before I could dislodge her and return to military commonplaces with Philos.
CHAPTER XXII
THE ASTARA DEFILE
The dusty white road slipped away behind us, four steady miles to the hour. Somewhere about the third mile I heard shouting behind me, and my men swung to one side as Stephnos came up and passed us with some one hundred and fifty mounted men. He checked to speak to me a moment, and I saw Forsyth riding with him.
“Well, Harry, we’ve struck it this time. You’ve got a nice-looking crowd there, and Stephnos tells me you’ll want them all soon.”
“What are you doing along with Stephnos? You ought to be waiting to patch up the wounded behind.”
“Think I’m going to sit behind while you and John have all the fun, and be the only one of us three that hasn’t seen a battle-fight in Sakaeland? Not much. You two have had all the luck so far, but it’s my shift to-day. I’m going to forget I’m a doctor, and go and see the beano close in for once instead of sitting down to be shelled without being able to hit back. However, this is a gentlemanly country, and they have no guns.”
“Where’s John?” I asked, as Stephnos’s troops shook out into reconnoitring formation.
“Way behind with Kyrlos. Wanted to come up and join you, but Kyrlos said he wasn’t going to have all his three guests out of his sight at once, so John is more or less tied to the old man’s saddle, cursing like a trooper because they’re so slow getting under way. Well, there goes Stephnos; I’m off. See you later, Harry.”