"There will be two regiments of Tommees--drunken Tommees,
presentlee. They will take your men to jail. The Tommees are already
on the way. Should they get there first your men will be
everlastinglee disgraced as well as muleted. You should hurry."
Ranjoor Singh ceased from frowning and looked satisfied. If there
were trouble enough in the bazaar to call for the despatch of British
soldiers to the scene, then nothing in the world was more certain
than that any men of his who happened to be in danger would be
rescued with neatness and speed. If there was no trouble yet, there
would very likely be some swearing when the soldiers got there. In
the meantime he was wet through, both with rain and perspiration. The
thought of a bath and dry clothes urged him like the voice of a siren
calling; and he had shown the babu all the courtesy his Sikh creed
and profession demanded.
So he clucked to Bagh, and the big brute plunged into a canter, just
as eager for his sais and gram as his master was for clean dry
clothes. For two strides the babu clung to the stirrup, wrenching it
free from the risaldar-major's foot; then the horse grew savage at
the unaccustomed extra weight, and lashed out hard behind him,
missing the babu twice in quick succession, but filling him full to
the stuttering teeth with fear.
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