"I thought so," cried the doctor, helping to lower him down. "He was fainting. The poor fellow has been wounded--badly, too!" "What is this? How did he get hurt?" cried Brace to the mahout in Hindustani. "My lord, I don't know. He came on a poor horse, and ordered me to come to you. My lord, he is very bad." Just then the rajah came up, and I fancied there was a peculiar look in his face. He had changed colour, and seemed wild and strange, and when Brace fixed his eyes upon him he averted his gaze. CHAPTER TWELVE. I noticed all this, but our attention was taken up by the wounded man, to whose side we had rapidly descended, all thought of tigers being now at an end. "The poor fellow has been set upon by budmashes as he was on his way here with a despatch," said Brace. "Let me come a minute, doctor, and search his pockets." "Hang the despatch, man!" said the doctor sternly. "I want to save the lad's life." He was down on his knees by Denny's side, and had taken out his pocket-book and thrown it open, displaying surgical instruments, needles, silk, and bandages. "Here, Vincent, come and help me," he said. "Some of you cut a branch or two and shade us from this awful sun. Now, Vincent, slit open that sleeve; never mind damages. Hah! I thought so. That's one exhauster." As the man's arm was bared, the doctor caught my hand, and made me seize and press upon an artery high up in the limb; for from a terrible gash the blood was pumping out in regular pulsations, and as this act checked the bleeding a little, the doctor rapidly found and tied the divided artery, and then bandaged the wound. "That was the most dangerous," he said. "Now, then, what next? Cut on shoulder, not serious--ugly gash on head, bad--stab in thigh--must have been mounted--bullet in muscles of shoulder, fired evidently as the man was escaping. Hah! enough for one poor fellow. Now, Vincent, we'll stop the bleeding, and then we must have him carried on a litter under shelter." "Couldn't he bear the motion of the elephant?" said Brace. "No! Yes," said the doctor; "perhaps it would be best. While we are waiting for a litter we could get him to the rajah's. There, I think he will not hurt. You may try for your despatch now." Brace and I tried the man's pockets, and the doctor thrust his hand into the breast, but the result was _nil_. "No despatch," said Brace, uneasily; and I saw his face wrinkle up, as if he were puzzled and anxious. "Let's get him on the little pad elephant; it will be easier." "Now," said the doctor, who had been bathing the poor fellow's forehead and trickling water between his parched lips, "he's coming to. Don't question him; leave it to me." For at that moment the man's face twitched a little, and he began to mutter excitedly; his words being plain enough to those near. "Cowards!" he said. "Treachery--you dog--it's murder! Look out, boys! Ah--sentry--the gate!" He uttered a low groan and was silent.