Part 35 (1/1)

Spare rave, That I sleep with thee at the end!

Spur to spur, and knee to knee, Brother, I'll ride to death with thee!

CHAPTER XIV

The crew of the Messageries Maritimes steamshi+p Duc d'Orleans will tell of a tall Sikh officer, with many medals on his breast, who boarded their shi+p in Bombay with letters to the captain froh rank as to procure hiapore, the Duc d'Orleans had put into Bombay for coal, supplies and orders She left with orders for Marseilles, and on board her there went this same Sikh officer, who, it seeie, ill-er, and one Sikh trooper by way of servant The charger tried to eat all that ca his horse-box, the shi+p's crew, and enough hay for at least two ordinary horses But Ranjoor Singh, who said very little to anybody about anything, had a certain ith hier's delinquencies for its owner's sake

When they reached the Red Sea, and the shi+p rolled less, Ranjoor Singh and his trooper went to er in condition They took him out of his box and walked hi turns at it until officer, trooper and horse were tired out

They did the same all down the Mediterranean And when they landed at Marseilles the horse was fit, as he proved to his own brute satisfaction by trying to kick the life out of a gendarh, in authority to a French general officer in Marseilles procured the instant supply of a horse for the Sikh trooper and two passes on a northbound train The evening of their landing saw theh in a first-class compartment, and his man in the horse-box Neither knew any French to speak of, but the French were very kind to these dark-skinned gentlemen ere in so much hurry to help them win the war

It was dark-nearly pitch-dark at the journey's end The h banks of black clouds, and showed long lines of poplar trees Beyond, in the distance, there was a zone in which great flashes leaped and died-great savage streaks of fire ofthat did not cease at all

Along the road that ran between the poplars two h not so fast as to tax them to the utmost The man in front rode a brute that lacked little of seventeen hands and that fought for the bit as if he would like to eat the far horizon

In the very, very dark zone, on the near side of where the splashes of red fire fell, jingling bits and a kick now and then proclai else betrayed theh to see the whites of men's eyes in the dark, for they were native Indian cavalry, who know the laststill

Between them and the very, very dark zone-which hat the Frenchmen call a forest, and soroup of officers sat talking in low tones, eight English round the edge-say they can't hold 'eet our chance to-night When a red light flashes three times at this near corner of the woods, we're to ride into 'e back in a hurry, leaving lots of rooh Better join your iven to be here! What's that?”

There cae from the rear Two horsemen cantered up

”Who are you? What d' you want?”

”Sahib! Colonel Kirby sahib!”

”What is it? Hallo-there are the three lights-no, two lights- that's 'Get ready!' Who are you? Why-Ranjoor Singh!”

”Salaalad! Find your squadron, Ranjoor Singh- find it at once, hts! Outraht-Trot, March! Right!”

Ranjoor Singh had kept the word of babu Sita Raed to be with them when the first blood ran

THE END