"Then it cannot fail," said Brace, with a smile. "What do you say, sir?" he continued, appealing to the lancer captain. "I say it is the wisest thing to do, always supposing the enemy is not outside. Then we ought to try to harass him only, and keep him engaged." "But the rajah is clever enough to find out our weakness, and we shall be driven back further and further, till we can do comparatively little, I am afraid, but encourage our friends by the sound of our guns. The surprise is the plan--if it can be carried out. We will try." Very little more was said as we advanced, keeping a bright look-out forward for cavalry, who would gallop back and announce our approach. Of people on foot we had no fear, for we could reach Nussoor long before them; and at last the broad track in the dusty plain left by the rajah's force was quitted, Mr Brooke leading us off at an angle, and making for higher ground with patches of forest trees. Among these he made his way till, at the densest part, he pointed south, and announced that we were passing the city, which lay in a hollow about a mile away. But as he spoke, there was a sudden burst of firing, and, thrilled by this, we increased our pace as fast as the bad ground would allow, till we reached the edge of the open, park-like ground, where a halt was called, and the officers advanced cautiously to an eminence, where we dismounted and peered down to where, in a bowl-like depression a mile away, lay, with its beautiful white marble mosque and dome-shaped tombs of former kings, the city of Nussoor. Wall, gates, minarets, gardens with their trees both inside and outside the walls, all were before us as on a map; while, half a mile before us, a white, dusty-looking road wound across the plain toward a great gate. We were now on the opposite side to that by which Ny Deen would have entered with his troops; and as the smoke hung more heavily over the side of the town nearest to us, and the firing grew louder, we did not need Mr Brooke's words to tell us that a fierce attack was going on against the brave handful of Europeans who were making a desperate endeavour to hold their own, in the hope that help might come; if not, to die fighting, and not trust to the cruel mercies of the mutineers. "We are still in time," said Mr Brooke, hoarsely. "See, I can lead you round there by those trees, so that you can reach the road half a mile from the gate. Then a score of your swiftest men could dash up to the gate and hold it till the rest come up, but the place looks so utterly unoccupied that I feel sure the attention of all is upon the fight going on in the European quarter, and a bold dash will take you in." "Yes," said Brace, decisively; "we'll try it."