"No," he said quietly, as he went on smoking and gazing straight away at the densely foliaged trees. "I cannot feel that. For I know that it would be folly for you to return to meet your death. It would be impossible for you to get across the plains to the nearest place where your people are trying to hold out. Even if you could get there, the army besieging them would take you, and no one there could save your life." "Let me try," I said. He shook his head. "It would be madness. If I let you have your horse now, you would try some such folly." "You call it a folly," I replied. "I call it my duty." "To rush on your death? Look here, my friend; why do you want to get back? To take up your old position as a junior officer?" "Yes, of course!" "I thought so," he said, with animation, and his eyes flashed as he went on. "You are young and ardent. You wish to rise and become the chief of a troop of artillery?" "Of course," I said. "And some day a general, to command others?" "I hope so--a long way ahead," I replied, smiling. "Of course. I knew it," he said, as he let fall the tube of his pipe, and grasped my arm. "It would be long years before you could command a troop?" "Oh yes--long, long years." "And you would be quite an old man before you became a general?" "Perhaps never," I said, wondering at his eagerness, and yet feeling something akin to a suspicion of his aim. "Then why wish to go?" he said, with a smile. "Why wish to go?" I replied. "I do not understand you." "I say, why wish to go and compete with hundreds of others who would not understand you, and any one of whom might carry off the prize--when you can stay with me?" "Stay with you! What for?" I faltered. "I will make you a general, now--at once," he said excitedly, "and ten thousand men shall bend down before their Moslem rajah's friend, who, from this time forward, will lead and direct my artillery." "Rajah!" I exclaimed, surprised but not surprised, for I had half expected some such proposal, but of course only in a very minor form. "Look here, Vincent," he continued, bending forward, and speaking excitedly. "When I came to your barracks as a humble syce, it was to learn everything about your guns, and the way in which the horse artillery was trained. In those days, beaten, kicked, trampled upon, I always had you in my mind, and I watched you, how quick, how clever, and how brave you were. My heart warmed to you even then; but as I have grown to know you better and seen what you are in the field in action with your men, I have said again and again that there could be no one better for my trusted friend and general." I laughed, though a curious feeling came over me that the man who would make me such a proposal must be mad. "Why do you laugh?" he said. "Are you pleased at what I propose?" "Pleased? No," I said frankly. "You are laughing at me--making fun of me." He frowned. "Is it so trifling a thing, that I should laugh over it?"