Old men, young men, and men of middle age brought their horses and weapons before these great Englishmen, and begged to be allowed to enlist. So week by week some Punjabi,[15] Sikh, or Pathan regiments of foot or horse would march proudly to the Delhi camp, sent down by command of John Lawrence, who himself could ill afford to spare them. The first reinforcements to arrive were the 1st and 2nd Punjab Infantry and the 4th Sikhs. The 1st P.N.I, were commanded by Major Coke, and were known as "Coke's Rifles" or as "Cokeys", and a gallant lot they proved, as did indeed their comrade corps. [15] The Punjabi corps would consist chiefly of Mohammedan inhabitants of the Punjab, Sikhs, and Pathans, with some Jats and Dogras. CHAPTER XVIII Ted's Hopes are raised and dashed to the Ground "Have you seen the new arrivals, Ted?" asked Jim, as he came back from a visit to cantonments one day. "No, who are they?" "Hodson's Horse, the 'Flamingoes' as they've been nicknamed, from the colour of their sashes. Go down and look at them; they're worth seeing, and so is Hodson, their commandant." "Is he the Lieutenant Hodson who once commanded our regiment?" asked Ted, who had heard of the famous freelance. "That's the man. He got into trouble with the Guides, and now he's been allowed to raise this regiment of horse." So the two chums waited until both were free from duty, and went down to look at the stalwart Sikh and Pathan horsemen, who afterwards became known to fame as the 9th and 10th Bengal Lancers throughout Hindustan and its frontiers, and in China, Egypt, the Soudan, and Abyssinia. A crowd had gathered round the gaudily-attired "Flamingoes", who sat their horses proudly, much gratified by the reception. They were about to exercise the horses. "Not so bad," said Ted approvingly; "but not quite up to our Guides--eh, Alec?" "They look good soldiers," Paterson replied. "Why,--well, I'm blowed! What's Boldre doing there?" "Who?" "Claude Boldre! See, that kid on the rat-tailed dun, with a Flamingo sash. I left him at school, and didn't even know he'd got a commission. His father's the colonel of a regiment that mutinied recently, I heard. He's a decent sort." Paterson walked behind his friend, who had not yet perceived them, and dealt him a sounding smack on the thigh. "Come down off that horse, Boldre!" was his salutation. "Do you imagine yourself a Flamingo?" "Who are--why, if it ain't Alec Paterson, by all that's wonderful! How did you come here?" Alec explained briefly, and introduced Ted. "Oh, I've heard of you, Mr. Russell," said the horseman, "and I'm proud to meet you." "Well, explain what you are doing here in that uniform. Didn't know they had ensigns in Hodson's." "I'm a loot'nant," laughed Boldre; "that is, temporary rank conferred by John Nicholson. I've no commission at all really, but I helped to raise a troop or two of these fellows by sheer good luck." "You helped to raise them?"