“Perhaps his strength is exaggerated, sir?” pleaded Colin, seeing Ferrers’ chance of distinction fading away; but Major Keeling shook his head. “The information comes from one of my most trusted spies. No; I should certainly have dealt with Shir Hussein myself if I had not been starting on this business. How he can have managed to support such a following in that district is most mysterious, and argues a good deal of slackness on Ferrers’ part.” “I--I think perhaps he was outwitted, sir. I mean that he seems to have looked for the man everywhere except comparatively near at hand.” “Possibly; but he ought not to have been outwitted. Well, Ross, you see that it’s out of the question for you to go. Shir Hussein and his fort won’t fly away, and I’ll take them in hand when this raiding-party is disposed of, Ferrers co-operating from Shah Nawaz. No; it’s his discovery, after all, and he shall have the credit of it and be in command. If I go, it will be as a spectator.” “But they might escape first, sir--when they know they are discovered, and that messengers are going backwards and forwards between here and Shah Nawaz, I mean--and Ferrers will lose his chance.” “I can’t sacrifice my coolies that Ferrers may distinguish himself. But look here. I will call out the doctor and his Hospital Fencibles to guard the town again, and you shall take the detachment I was intending to leave here, and join Ferrers. Then he will be strong enough to keep the fellows from breaking away as you suggest. It’s really important that they should not vanish and give us all the trouble of looking for them over again. But mind, there is to be no fighting. The troops--your detachment and Ferrers’ own--are to be used purely for keeping guard over the approaches to Shir Hussein’s fort and preventing his escape. My orders are stringent--I will send them in writing as well as by word of mouth--that no attack is to be made on the fort until I come up with the reinforcements. I know Ferrers would be perfectly ready to run his head against a stone wall, expecting to batter it down. Perhaps he might, but I distrust his prudence, and I won’t have the town left open to an attack from Shir Hussein. You understand?” “Yes, sir,” said Colin dolefully. He knew by intuition that not even Major Keeling’s chivalrous offer of self-suppression would make his orders palatable to Ferrers, and his foresight was justified when he arrived at Shah Nawaz with his small detachment, and found the whole place in a turmoil of preparation. Ferrers was first incredulous, then wrathful. “Didn’t I tell you how it would be?” he cried furiously. “Keeling is determined that I shan’t leave the frontier with flying colours. It’s nothing but mean, miserable jealousy on his part--and you side with him. I expected it of the others, but you----!” “But your force is not large enough. Major Keeling believes that Shir Hussein has over two hundred men with him.”