percy was not kept waiting long, for in twenty minutes mr. fullarton joined him in the verandah.

"now about yourself, groves. i have no doubt that you will be able to make yourself very useful, and i at once accept your services as a volunteer in the civil service. i do not know yet whether i myself shall accompany the troops if they march from here. if i do i will take you with me, if not i will introduce you to general wheeler, and transfer your services to him. there is a great dearth of men who speak punjaubi, and i am quite sure he will be very glad to have someone with him so well acquainted with the language as you are. i expect him here shortly; he is sure to come across to talk matters over with me as soon as he receives my note. i will introduce you to him then. before he comes you had better change and get into english dress. he is a soldier of the old school, and might regard your present attire as a sort of masquerading, and receive an unpleasant impression of you."

half an hour later general wheeler and three or four officers of his staff rode up to the door and had a long interview with the resident. at its conclusion a servant brought a message to percy that mr. fullarton desired to see him. he had by this time changed his clothes.

"this is the young gentleman of whom i have been speaking to you, general," the resident said as percy entered. "he is the nephew of the colonel groves who has been many years in the sikh service. his father was an officer in our own army. he speaks punjaubi like a native. he has volunteered, and will, i am sure, be very useful to us. i came out with him in the same ship from england, and formed a high idea of his intelligence. it is, i believe, his wish to enter the service of the company later on. he is not without some little experience in war, for but a week ago he took part in the defence of his uncle's fortress when attacked by fifteen thousand sikhs, whom they beat off handsomely. i have been telling general wheeler, groves, that you might be very useful in obtaining information or in communications with the natives, and that the fact that there might be some little peril in the work would not be any obstacle to your undertaking it. i said that i was going to keep you by me as a sort of civilian aide-de-camp, but the general has been good enough to say that he will attach you to his staff nominally as interpreter, but in fact as an extra aide-de-camp; and as my assistant and myself both speak the language well, while the general is short of officers who know it, i feel that you will be of more service to him than to me. but i consider you as lent only, and i shall be glad at any time if general wheeler no longer requires your services to take you on in the capacity of an extra assistant."

"can you ride?" general wheeler asked. "but i suppose i need hardly ask that, as you have been living among the sikhs."

"yes, i can ride, sir, in the sikh fashion or the english."

"mr. fullarton tells me that you could pass as a native."

"in anything like an ordinary conversation i could, sir; and as i have worn the native dress for the last ten months i am perfectly at home in it."

"very well, then, you can consider yourself as from the present time attached to my staff. major clissold, will you see after him? i should think that you, as adjutant-general of the division, will find him even more useful than i should do as an aide-de-camp."

"you can leave us now, groves," mr. fullarton said, "but wait outside and major clissold will speak to you presently."

percy bowed and withdrew. the conversation still continued to turn upon him.

"i should think one might put him in general orders, clissold, either as an extra aide-de-camp or as attached to your department. i don't know what the rules of the service are with regard to the uniform of volunteers attached to the army. it is so seldom done now that i really do not know, but in the old days they were dressed, i believe, as officers."

"no, that won't do," mr. fullarton laughed. "i am going to make a civilian of him. if he does well in the campaign he might perhaps get gazetted as an ensign, but it would be very much better for him to have a claim on the civil side. therefore, i shall take upon myself to appoint him as my deputy-assistant. i shall write to sir henry hardinge asking that the temporary appointment may be confirmed, seeing the urgent necessity for more officers up in the language and with a knowledge of the country. so we may consider the appointment made. now i lend him to you, and you can put it in general orders that the temporary services of deputy-assistant groves have been placed by me at your disposal as interpreter, and that he is henceforth attached to the head-quarter staff of the division. that will give him an established position, and he can wear his civilian clothes, a white helmet, and so on.

"i think that will be a very good plan," the general said.

"he has two servants with him. they are pathans, both first-rate fellows, whom he will employ when necessary to obtain information. i would suggest that they be put on rations as a matter of convenience to groves, and they could be entered either as civilian servants or guides. it is no question of money, for although the lad's uncle has a reputation for moderation, very rare among the adventurers who served runjeet singh, he must be a rich man."

"i will make a note of it," major clissold said, and the conversation then turned to other matters.

half an hour later the officers came out and rode away. mr. fullarton said as they did so, "i will myself ride over with groves later on," and he then came into the verandah, where percy was waiting. "i think i have done a good stroke of business for you, groves."

"you have indeed, sir. i am awfully obliged to you, although i would rather have stayed with you."

"and i should have been glad to have had you, but it is better as we have arranged it. you will have much greater opportunities for seeing service with the brigadier, and a report in your favour would come much better from him than it would from me, as i appointed you. it is probable that i shall remain at my post, and in that case there would be little for you to do here. while acting as an interpreter on the staff you will have abundant work, making bargains for the quarter-master's department, for waggons and transport, finding out about roads and fords for major clissold, and in general interpreting work. you must change your head-gear. that pith topee you have got is really better, but we generally wear either the helmet or a cap like a forage cap, with a pugaree wrapt round it, and the ends falling down behind to keep the sun off the back of the neck and spine. i should advise you to adopt that, for there is no getting a helmet here. when you ride about always take one or both of your mounted servants behind you. they are soldierly-looking fellows, and it will give you weight with the natives. i need not tell you that now you will hardly be free to go about quite as you like, and that even when there is nothing for you to do you will be expected to be at hand if required. major clissold is a capital fellow to serve under. he may work you hard, for there will be an immense deal of work to be done, but he is always pleasant and agreeable to his subordinates, and is very much liked in the force. i have some writing to finish, but in about an hour i shall be ready to start with you, so you may as well warn your two fellows to be ready. i have a forage cap that i have only worn once or twice, for it is too small for me. i will tell ram singh to put a pugaree on, and if necessary put some folded cotton inside the lining to make it fit you."

an hour later they rode into the head-quarter camp.

"i have brought you your interpreter, clissold," mr. fullarton said as he entered that officer's tent, followed by percy, their horses being held by the latter's men. "where are you going to stow him? as there is no getting tent furniture here, i have told my man to send over what is necessary; but as i did not know whether groves would have a tent to himself or not i told him to wait till i returned before he started."

"no, i have put him in a tent with hunt. we can't afford a tent each for subalterns, so they are doubled up two together. but hunt happens to be an odd man, which is lucky. orderly," he called out, and as the soldier entered, "tell mr. hunt i shall be glad if he will step here."

a minute later a young officer entered. "hunt, here is the young gentleman who, as i told you, will have to share your tent. he is a volunteer in the civil service. mr. fullarton has kindly lent him to us for a time as interpreter, which i am sure we want badly enough on the staff, for none of you young fellows are of the slightest use with the natives. he is the son of an officer late of our service, and has been for the last six months with his uncle, who was one of runjeet singh's colonels, and still holds the fortress he was appointed to some time ago, although ordered by the sikhs to leave. i am sure you will get on well together, and i hope that you will make him as comfortable as you can, and introduce him to the other aides. he will mess with you for the present."

the young officer shook hands with percy. "if you will come with me i will show you our tent."

"if you don't mind, hunt, i will come with you," mr. fullarton said; "then i can see what is wanted in the way of furniture."

the tent was a square one with double canvas, the two walls being four feet apart, thus making a passage round it, one side being utilized as a bath-room and receptacle for luggage, the other being used by the servants as their living and sleeping apartment. there was a carpet spread over the floor, a native camp-bed, two folding chairs, a table, and a portable bath.

"all you want, as far as i can see," mr. fullarton said, "is another charpoy and a couple more chairs."

"that is all," hunt agreed; "this is all the furniture one is allowed, which we think rather hard. do you think the sikhs are going to cross the sutlej, sir?"

"of course, they may do so, but the general impression is that it will not be in force; they may begin by making raids, but probably the real fighting will take place when we get across. well, now, i shall leave you, groves; i think you will get on very well, and i daresay we shall meet pretty nearly every day."

"are those two fellows yours?" hunt asked, as, going out of the tent with mr. fullarton, he saw the two natives sitting like statues on their horses in front of the tent, while one of them held the bridle of percy's horse.

"yes, they are my two servants; they are two of my uncle's soldiers. both have been officers' servants, they are extremely useful fellows, and i can trust them thoroughly. one is a pathan from the hill frontier of afghanistan, the other is from cashmere, therefore neither of them have any special leanings towards the sikhs."

"that is a capital horse of yours?"

"yes, he is very fast, and has much more endurance than the horses of the plains. my uncle bred him. he has a european sire, and his dam is considered as having some of the best blood in the punjaub. what shall i tell my men to do with the horses?"

"they can picket yours over there; that line of horses all belong to the staff. their own they can put with that line behind, those are the horses of the orderlies. i will go across with you and see about it, or some of the soldiers will be interfering."

the horses were soon picketed, and the men brought percy's saddle and valises to his tent. by night he felt quite at home. the aides-de-camp were pleasant young men, and having already been spoken to by major clissold, received the new-comer cordially. percy had inquired of hunt as to the messing arrangements. "i am well supplied with money," he said, "and wish, of course, to pay my share of all expenses."

"that can easily be managed," hunt replied. "the way it is arranged is this. there were five of us, long and myself, are the general's aides-de-camps; humphreys and lascelles, who are deputy-assistant-quartermaster-generals; and egerton, who is an assistant-adjutant-general. they are all lieutenants. we brought up with us a certain amount of mess stores, principally liquor, which are all common property. i will see to-morrow what stock is left, and you can hand me over a sixth of the value, which will go to the fund for general expenses. however, these are not heavy, for being under canvas we draw rations—meat and bread—and i buy what i can get in the way of vegetables, game, and so on, from the country people. of course, if you leave us before our store of liquor is exhausted, i shall, as it were, buy your share back again."

percy found the society very agreeable. his experience of the junior officers' mess on board a ship had prepared him for the tone of light chaff and fun that prevailed. although by some four years the youngest of the party, the fact that he was acquainted with the country they expected shortly to invade gave him a certain weight with the others, none of whom had been in that part of india before. he was asked innumerable questions as to the sikhs, and what he thought of their fighting powers; and had to recount in full detail the story of the attempt to storm the fortress.

"that uncle of yours must be an uncommonly plucky fellow to hold on there in the face of the whole of the sikhs, and he must be amazingly liked by his troops for them to stick to him against their own countrymen."

"that is not so wonderful," percy said, "for the sikhs are constantly fighting against each other. most of his men have served under him for eight or ten years. the rest were recruited in his district, which was only conquered by the sikhs in runjeet's time, so they are still considered as interlopers by the natives. still, of course, there is always the fear of treachery; and my uncle nearly lost his life while the attack was going on; the man who attempted it was one of those he trusted most thoroughly, being his steward and the head of his household."

"you did not tell us about that," hunt said. "how was it?" and percy had to tell the story.

"and you shot him? well, i have never shot a man yet, and i don't know how i should feel. were you very uncomfortable afterwards?"

"not in the slightest. he was going to kill my uncle, and i fired and he went down, and i thought nothing more about it till i mentioned it to my uncle after it was all over."

"i suppose you are a good shot?"

"i am a fair shot," percy said. "i have practised nearly every day since i left england, except when i was travelling up country. mr. fullarton advised me to do so on board ship, and my uncle kept me regularly at that and riding and sword exercise every day, partly because he said these things would be most useful to me, and partly because the sikhs look up to anyone who can do things better than they can."

"it must be awfully jolly to be able to speak the language, groves?" lieutenant egerton said, "and i hear you speak it like a native. you must have a wonderful knack of picking up languages to have learnt it so completely in six months."

"it was not exactly in six months. i had studied hindustani before i left england; and luckily mr. fullarton had a punjaubi servant with him, and i worked with him regularly five or six hours a day throughout the voyage, so that i was able to get on pretty fairly with the language by the time i got out here."

"i wish i had spent my voyage as well," egerton laughed, "instead of spending it spooning with a young woman who was on her way out to be married, and who did marry the man a week after she landed."

"these things are very sad, egerton," lieutenant lascelles laughed. "i suppose you were heart-broken for a time."

"not quite. i will do her justice to say that she made no secret of her engagement, and never flattered me with the hope that she intended to break it. at the same time she had no objection to flirt with me, it being an understood thing on both sides that it was to end with the voyage. it was very pleasant while it lasted; but it would have been very much wiser to have done as groves did, and spent the hot hours of the day in getting up a language. i should be a hundred a year better off if i had passed in one of the dialects, and besides, i should have had much better chance of getting a good appointment."

"ah, well, you can console yourself, egerton, by thinking that if you had you would be now in some small cantonment down in bengal, instead of having a chance of seeing whatever fun may be going on here."

"that is a consolation certainly, hunt; but i don't care how soon the fun begins, for i own that i am getting sick of bargaining for bullocks and working like a horse eight or ten hours a day. it is all very well for you aides-de-camp, whose work consists in writing a few letters for the chief and cantering across with some message; but for us hard-worked quarter-masters it is no holiday here. i do hope most heartily that the sikhs will not be long before they begin their raids, and give us a decent excuse for fighting them."

"how strong do you think they are likely to turn out, groves? they tell us a hundred thousand."

"i should say a good deal more than that," percy replied. "there will be over a hundred thousand troops, for all who have passed through the ranks will be certain to rejoin them. then the great sirdars can put almost as many fighting men into the field."

"that sounds serious, and i suppose there is no doubt they will fight bravely."

"that they are sure to do," percy said. "what force do you think we shall be able to put in the field?"

"there are over ten thousand men at ferozepore, with twenty-four guns. here we have, by the field state to-day, seven thousand two hundred and thirty-five, and twelve guns. at umballa there are about thirteen thousand men, with thirty-two guns. you see, ever since hardinge came out he has seen this thing brewing, and has been quietly preparing for it. when he landed in india last year there were at these three stations only between thirteen and fourteen thousand men and forty-eight guns, and in the last eighteen months he has increased the force by seventeen thousand men and twenty guns.

"at meerut there are about ten thousand men and twenty-six guns, but as that place is two hundred and fifty miles away, we can't count upon any assistance from there at first, if the sikhs should take it into their head to cross the sutlej. of course if we invade we shall wait until the meerut force is brought up before we advance. sir henry arrived at umballa on the second, and was to leave yesterday. ostensibly he is not here for any warlike purpose whatever, but is occupied in making an inspection of the protected district, interviewing the chiefs, and ascertaining what their feeling is towards us. these states voluntarily put themselves under our protection some five-and-thirty years ago, having no desire to fall under the sway of lahore; and they have greatly benefited, for runjeet singh would assuredly have annexed the whole territory between the sutlej and the jumna, if he had not been warned that if he attacked these petty princes he would bring us into the field against him. it has always been a sore point with the sikhs beyond the sutlej that we prevented them from obtaining what they considered their natural boundaries. the protected states are indeed to a great extent sikh, and even now, although they owe the continuance of their existence as separate states to our protection, and the chiefs are all with us, the sympathies of the great body of the people are entirely with the sikhs across the sutlej.

"runjeet singh was wise enough to know that he would have risked losing all he had were he to try to wrest them from us. had he thought himself strong enough he would have risked a war for it, for the country south of the sutlej is far more fertile than it is to the north, and it would largely increase the revenues of the punjaub did it form part of it. this is the real cause of their hostility to us, and of their present threatening attitude. sir henry is going, as i said, among the chiefs here. some of these are really friendly, others only pretend to be so. but there is one thing certain, if any misfortune happened to our arms the whole country would be up against us; and in any case we shall have to take every possible precaution to guard our depots and communications, for directly fighting begins it would be unsafe for small parties to travel about the country."

percy's stay in camp was of very short duration, for on the following evening major clissold sent for him.

"the general has just received a despatch from head-quarters, groves; the news from the north is to the effect that the sikhs are making great preparations there, and major broadfoot, the chief political agent at head-quarters, requests that you will at once proceed there to join him, as he wishes to question you as to your own personal observations of the state of feeling as you came down. i think it probable he will keep you with him for the present; and as you may have more important work to do there than buying bullocks and so on, i hope for your sake he will do so, though i shall be sorry to lose you, for i have already found by your work to-day that you would be a very valuable assistant. still there is nothing like being at head-quarters and having the eye of the chief of your department upon you. you had better start this evening late."

"very well, sir, i will be off in half an hour. i suppose i can ride round and say good-bye to mr. fullarton."

"certainly. there is no absolute occasion to start until morning, but it is always well to show zeal, and it will no doubt please broadfoot if you arrive there by daybreak. you needn't start till two o'clock; it is only a three hours' ride. the head-quarter camp is close to basseean."

"i am sorry you are going," hunt said when percy returned to his tent and told him the news, "and i hope you will be back again in a day or two. if not, it will save me the trouble of taking stock of our liquors, which i was going to do to-morrow morning. we shall be glad at any rate to have had you as our guest for a day, and shall all be sorry at your leaving."

percy at once rode over to the residency.

"you are in luck, groves," mr. fullarton said when he told him of the order he had received. "there is nothing like getting to head-quarters; it is there that honours and rewards fall thickest; and if broadfoot keeps you with him you may be sure that any recommendation he makes in your favour will be attended to. i have heard this afternoon that the sikhs are certainly marching down towards ferozepore, and are within a few miles of the river. of course they may not cross. once or twice before they have come down, but without crossing. still, if they are in earnest there is no doubt it means serious fighting, for the force at ferozepore is quite isolated and will at once be cut off if the sikhs cross near the town, and there will be no chance of relieving it until we get together a force sufficient to give battle. sit down a moment and i will write a letter of introduction for you to broadfoot; it will put you on a pleasanter footing with him."

the next morning before sunrise percy with his two followers rode into the head-quarters camp. he had at mr. fullarton's recommendation bought a pony, or "tat" as it is called, to carry his valises and his dress as a young sikh sirdar.

"i should stick to that, groves; it may be of use to you. there is no saying what work broadfoot may give you."

percy was, on his arrival, directed to the tent of the political agent. when the orderly took in his name he was at once called in. "i did not expect you so soon, mr. groves," major broadfoot said looking up; "nor did i expect," he added smiling, "to see quite so young a man."

"i daresay not, sir," percy replied. "this is a letter mr. fullarton has given me for you."

"sit down while i read it," the major said as he opened it. he read it through. "mr. fullarton speaks of you in extremely high terms, groves, and as i know him well i am sure he would not praise unduly. now tell me what is the opinion of your uncle and the people about him as to the state of affairs. does he think that the sikhs will be mad enough to cross the sutlej?"

"he has no doubt whatever about it, sir; he is convinced that the troops have for a long time made up their minds to conquer the protected states, and as they are completely masters of the situation in lahore there is nothing to prevent them doing so. such was also the opinion of all his native officers, and although we did not have much communication with the people on the way down, all whom we did speak to seemed to think that war was certain."

"the news we received from lahore has always been the other way," major broadfoot said. "i have received a message this morning to the same effect, but captain nicholson reported yesterday from ferozepore that a considerable sikh force had arrived within three miles of the river. orders have been sent for a general forward movement of the troops. sir henry is going to ride over to loodiana this morning to inspect the force there."

"i have two followers, sir, who can be trusted to obtain any news you may desire to get. if you like, one of them will cross the river and make his way to the sikh force opposite ferozepore and find out its strength and whether there is any intention of crossing; or if you prefer it, i will go myself. i have always been accustomed to wear the sikh dress since i came out, and could, i think, pass without suspicion."

"it is most important that we should obtain some definite news," major broadfoot said, "and i am much obliged to you for your offer, but i do not think i can entertain it. it is too great a risk for you to run to go yourself, and the importance of the question is so great i should not dare to forward information, which would perhaps involve the movements of the whole army, merely upon the report of a native, however trustworthy he may be."

"i do not believe there is any danger whatever in my going, sir. i might take my two men with me, and should disguise myself in a dress similar to theirs. my own, which is that of a young sirdar, might so far attract attention that i might be questioned, while three of us in ordinary soldiers' dress could move about without being noticed in any way. that is just the sort of work that i came here to do, and my uncle thought that as a boy i could pass unquestioned where a man could not do so. one of my men is five- or six-and-thirty, so i could pass well enough as his son if any questions were asked, which i don't think would be the case."

"well, groves, if you are ready to go i do not think myself justified in refusing your offer, as it is of such extreme importance to find out the intentions of the sikhs. when will you start?"

"i would give the horses an hour's rest, sir, and then i will be off, if i can get a disguise by that time."

"that i can manage for you. i have numbers of natives in my pay, and can get what you require, a native dress with shield, tulwar, and matchlock, in a quarter of an hour. ferozepore is twenty miles from here, and the sikh force some four miles farther; but, of course, you won't be able to cross the river there, and must do it ten or twelve miles higher up and then ride round. are you well mounted?"

"very well mounted, sir."

"then i will get you a strong native 'tat.' your being mounted on a good horse would attract attention. here," he went on, pointing to a map, "is a point where the river is almost if not quite fordable for cavalry; at any rate you will not have to swim your horses far. i should advise you to make for that. it is as you see about ten miles above ferozepore. it is not at all likely to be guarded; and should it be so, you could of course give out that you are natives of one of the protected states, say of putiala, making your way to join the sikh army that you hear is going to free you from the dominion of the english. as you have at present no tent of your own, you had better come across here in half an hour to make your change of clothes. i am myself going over to sir henry's, and may be detained there some time, but i will tell my servants to get breakfast ready for you. we must not send you off fasting."

three hours later percy and his two followers arrived at the bank of the sutlej. they had been directed to the ford by a peasant in a village near, and crossed without difficulty, being only obliged to swim their horses for twenty or thirty yards in the middle of the stream. when they reached the opposite bank they rode up to a small party of armed sikhs who were watching them. percy had asked bhop lal to act as spokesman.

"we hear that the army is going to cross the river and to sweep the english away," he said, "and we have come over to join them. our rajah is all in favour of the feringhees, but most of us are the other way, and we were not going to stop quietly at home without taking a share in the good work, so my brother and son have come off with me without waiting to ask for leave. there are thousands of others who will do the same as soon as they are sure that the army is really in the field; but there has been so much talk about it for the last two years without anything coming of it, that they are waiting to see if it is true this time."

"it is quite true," one of the men replied. "there are ten thousand men now opposite ferozepore, and the rest are on their way down from lahore. there will be fifty thousand of them at least, with, they say, over a hundred and fifty guns. what can the english do against them? they have not ten thousand men they can put in the field, and these are scattered over the country, and will be crushed before they can assemble."

"that they assuredly will," bhop lal agreed confidently. "fifty thousand men could sweep away every white soldier this side of the jumna, and there will be nothing to prevent them marching on to delhi if they choose."

"we shall see about that," the man replied. "fifty thousand is only a beginning, and there will be another fifty after them in a very short time; and i for one don't see why we should not drive the feringhees altogether out of india."

"that is the way to talk," shop lal said cordially. "we shall always have trouble till the last of them have gone, and who so fit as the sikhs to be masters in their place! how far is it to this camp you speak of?"

"about twelve miles. ride two miles farther and you will come upon a broad road. turn to the left, and it will bring you there."

"what are you doing here?"

"we have been sent here to see that none of the english horsemen cross the river to gather news. there are two hundred of our cavalry a quarter of a mile behind, and if we saw any of the feringhee cavalry coming they would be here to defend the ford before they could cross."

with a nod of farewell bhop lal and his two companions rode on. they passed within a couple of hundred yards of the body of sikh horsemen, encamped in a grove. but there was no sign of movement among them, a few figures sat talking together here and there, the rest had evidently lain down to sleep the hours away in the shade.