All listened in bewilderment. What could it mean? Had the sepoys suddenly repented and become loyal again? As the band ceased, the big guns of the city thundered forth a royal salute, and then were silent as the band again played "God Save the Queen!". "What cheek! What awful cheek!" Alec indignantly exclaimed. "Well, that beats everything!" "What is it?" asked Ted again. "What are they playing that tune for?" "They are mocking us," Claud Boldre angrily replied. "They have heard what we heard this morning. The curs have captured Agra town, and now I suppose they're gloating over their victory and making fun of us." His guess was true; the sepoys had taken this strange method of celebrating their triumph. It shows they were not without some sense of humour. Among the crowd attracted to the "Flagstaff" meeting-place by the unusual strains were many of our hero's new chums. Both he and Alec had formed close friendships with a number of the junior officers from the camp below the Ridge, and Ted particularly had become very popular. He had both proved himself courageous and shown good commonsense, and he never once attempted to put on "side". The terrible danger he had gone through at Aurungpore had steadied down his love of fun and joking, and made him realize his responsibilities. Had he come straight to Delhi without having undergone that trying experience in the arsenal, he would soon have found some mischief in which to entangle his Guides and Gurkhas. They would have been only too delighted to have joined in any fun, however rash and hazardous. "I say, Russell," observed Ensign Collins of the 8th Foot, "you're a lucky beggar, you know. You've had your fair share of the fun." "Fair share!" growled Claud Boldre. "Why, in his twelve months' service he's had more than most colonels can boast of in as many years. First he goes exploding magazines up and down the country, and instead of being blown up he gets the V.C. Then he's boxed up and besieged, and thrillingly rescued like a scene out of a melodrama; after that he's lucky enough to take part in the grandest march on record; and now he's on duty at Hindu Rao's picket, where all the fighting is. Fair share, indeed! It ought to have been divided amongst half a dozen of us." "And it ain't that he's particularly handsome," laughed Alec. Ted grinned. He was too decent a fellow to become conceited, and he admitted that he had had more than his share of the luck. They were still joking when something happened that tended to confirm their belief in our ensign's luck. One of the general's aides came up and told Ted that Sir Archdale wished to speak to him at once. "You'll come back a lieutenant at least, Ted," was Alec's unasked-for opinion. "Lieutenant indeed!" laughed Collins. "I expect he's going to order Russell to blow up Delhi _à la_ Aurungpore." "Or else resign the command in Russell's favour," was Boldre's suggestion.