"If we were only outside, Bill might find some of his herbs and plaster us. However, we’re lucky to have got off so well, and I hope we shan’t have anything worse to go through before we get back." Said Mohammed was unwontedly silent when he brought their supper. He handed them their bovril and cassava cakes without a word. John suddenly remembered that he had brushed hastily past the Bengali just as the fight was over. "By the way, khansaman," he said, "you began to tell me something. Sorry I was too busy to attend to you. What was it?" "Trifling matter, sir, not worthy of august attention," murmured the man. "You made some remark about your billy, didn’t you?" said Ferrier. "I didn’t quite catch it." "Foreign lingo, sir: in short, Latin, reformed pronunciation." "Ah! that accounts for it. I was taught by an old Westminster man. You should take pity on my ignorance, khansaman." "Accepting your invite, sir, I take you back to critical moment when all seemed U P. The hour brings forth the man. There came into my mind the lovely words of Alfred Lord Tennyson, poet laureate-- Fill the can, and fill the cup: All the windy ways of men Are but dust that rises up, And is lightly laid again. There was the enemy, rising up like dust; here was the can, ready to be filled. Whereupon I filled it in a jiffy, boiled it in the time ordained by nature, and with this right hand hurled it in teeth of the foe. The dust was laid, sir. Q.E.F." "By Jove!" cried John, "I wondered why they slackened off all of a sudden. You did jolly well, khansaman." "Shows the usefulness of English literature," said Ferrier gravely. "You never know what inspiration it may give at times of difficulty and danger." "Verree true, sir; and it makes me feel jolly bucked to know I have such spanking good memory." CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH--Trapped The failure of their determined assault had evidently discouraged the enemy, for during the following day they scarcely showed themselves. John was disappointed, however, to find that it had not caused them to break up their camp. The stock of food in the fort was seriously deplenished; but after the spirit the enemy had displayed he felt that the chances of surviving a running fight with them would be small. The notion of slipping away in the darkness again occurred to him, and as he talked it over with Ferrier it suddenly came into his head to make a preliminary night sortie himself, to see how the land lay on the side of the fort remote from the enemy. "We can carry one of the canoes to that end, lift it over the wall, and launch it without being seen." "If there are none of the enemy about," said Ferrier. "You remember we saw a party of them cross the river to-day and march in that direction, foraging, I suppose." "Yes, but we’ve never seen or heard a sign of them at night." "That’s true."