"Shaking with fear, the Begum stood upright. I led them to the opening. When they saw Survur Khan they turned ashen grey.
"'See,' I cried in English, 'you three, I am an English officer. All this time I have followed you, helped you, fed you, shielded you in danger, that I might avenge on you the murder of the woman I loved, and of my countrywomen, with my own hand. Look,' I cried, tearing off Survur Khan's head covering, 'ask him where he got that scar. He does not know, but I can tell you. I found him drunk and could have killed him, but I put my mark on him instead. Directly, you shall see what I have saved him for. I was one of those whom you shot down after you took us from the boats, but I feigned death and escaped.'
"'LOOK,' I CRIED, TEARING OFF HIS HEAD COVERING, 'ASK HIM WHERE HE GOT THAT SCAR.'"
"The fear of death was on them all. The Begum and Nana grovelled at my feet; they offered me countless gems, they would tell me where they were hidden, if I would but let them live—only spare their lives. I could not mean to kill them in cold blood—I was an Englishman.
"I let them go on until they had exhausted themselves with cries and tears and entreaties, and then I said, 'I do not mean to kill you yet, but that you may feel certain of your end, see this man die. He dashed out the brains of my lover while she lay in my arms. The death he gave her is now meted out to himself.'
"Survur Khan was now a shaking jelly of fear. I went to him, and, with a mace I had always carried, struck him full and fair on the scar. So perished the butcher of our sisters.
"Then commenced the penance of the other two. To walk a hundred yards was pain and misery to them, but for two hours I made them walk; when they would have stayed, a prick from the point of my knife urged them on, and groaning and stumbling they went forward.
"That evening when I drove them back to the little clearing they knew what hunger, thirst, and fatigue were. Their clothes were already in rags, their feet bleeding and sore.