"Ay, Bill," chaffed another. "Go an' take 'em rattin' along the banks of the Jumner; they're beggars for rats are uttees." Bill was equal to the occasion, however, and readily replied: "Nothin' of the sort! General told me has the helephints was comin' to-day, an' 'e says to me, 'Bill,' sez 'e, 'wot are we to do with them uttees when they come?' 'General,' sez hi, 'why not mount the Gurkeys on 'em an' make 'em into light horsemen?--there's nobody else's legs 'ud go round a huttee.' 'Bill,' sez 'e, 'you're a genius!'" The laugh that followed showed that Bill had scored, and a group of officers standing by, who had up to this point tried to preserve a sedate demeanour, joined in the merriment at the thought of a little Gurkha perched astride one of the monsters. Regardless of the jests at their expense, the huge pachyderms came steadily on through the clustered ranks of interested and gaping spectators. "By gum, boys, them are guns! We'll soon be in Delhi now!" "Three cheers for the Bengal Artillery! and three more for John Lawrence who sent them!" The cheers were lustily given, for hopes ran high. "They ought to make short work of the walls," said Claude. "I think we're going to have a look in at last." "Yes; we're all getting a bit sick of waiting. Hope we can get a good place in the stalls when the theatre doors open," Ted replied. "And I hope Nicholson leads us. By the way, I suppose you've heard nothing fresh from Aurungpore?" "Nothing." "That's rough on you. It must be horribly upsetting to have the matter hanging over so long." "It is. I'm glad we're kept so busy, though, as I haven't much time to think of it." "Never say die! Truth will out, you know, and you'll be all right. Alec Paterson told me the whole story. That chap Tynan must be a pretty average cad. More guns coming!" "'Ullo!" exclaimed our friend Bill as the end of the procession came into sight, "where's the rest of the show? There's nothing but huttees!" "No more there isn't. This is a bloomin' fine circus, this is!" "Here, you!" shouted a dragoon to a dignified mahout, "where's yer giraffes, an' 'ippopotamusses, an' ricoconoseroses, an' kangeroos? Why, there ain't no clowns nor hacrobats!--this is a fraud! Gimme me money back, I can see a better menagerie than this in Hengland!" "Ay, give us our money back!" chimed in the others in tones of simulated indignation; and roars of laughter went up, to the astonishment of the staid Sikhs and Punjabis, and to the delight of the jolly little Gurkhas. But though the whole camp was in such high spirits, the more knowing ones understood that Delhi had not fallen yet, and that these cannon were no bigger, and were greatly inferior in number to those mounted on the city walls. Also that the mutineers' guns, being sheltered by the solid masonry, were twice as effective as their own unprotected armament.