"No, you don't, Paterson," broke in Ted. "That's my business. You cad, to lie like that about a girl you're not fit to speak to! Take that!" Our ensign struck his comrade across the face--a resounding smack with the open palm. The fight was very short. Though tall enough, Tynan was weedy and unfit. For several years he had considered himself a man of the world, and one of the chief aims--if not _the_ chief--of his life had been to convince his associates that he was well qualified for that dignified position, and the attainment of this object had, of course, necessitated abundant smoking and drinking. Wonderful to relate, no one had so far seemed greatly impressed! Five minutes after the first blow, with bleeding nose and damaged eye, the contemptible fellow was sullenly admitting that he had had enough. "Think it over the nicht," Paterson suggested. "If ye hev not I'll just gie ye seemilar satisfaction. And I'd hev ye obsairve it wad be safer to cam' oot wi' no mair lees o' that sort. Cam' awa', Russell!" "Wait a moment, I've not done yet," said Ted. "Let me inform you now, you cad, what I would not waste my breath in telling you before--that Miss Woodburn had refused Sir Arthur Fletcher before she became engaged to my brother, and that he has congratulated my brother, and is a loyal, honourable gentleman, of whose friendship Miss Woodburn is proud; and don't let me hear you speaking of her again as you did just now." The chums left the miserable being--neither man nor boy--to follow as he chose. "What garred ye say that last, Russell?" asked the Scottish lad, who was still labouring under strong excitement, as soon as they had passed out of hearing. "What? About Fletcher?" "Yea You'd no right to drag his refusal into the affair!" Paterson dropped the tell-tale accent as he spoke more slowly. "That's between him and Miss Woodburn, and he wouldn't thank you if he knew, nor would she. It was perhaps very satisfying to you, but they don't need to be defended from a fellow like our friend yonder." "I'm very sorry--I'm a fool! I was so angry I didn't stop to think. Bah! he leaves a bad taste in the mouth, that fellow!" "We should have passed him without taking any notice," Paterson went on. "But it served him right!" For the future Tynan gave his conqueror a wide berth, and Ted ignored his existence as far as their respective duties, would permit. Returning from the officers' mess that evening, Ted was accosted by Pir Baksh, the Mohammedan captain. "I saw you fight with Ensign Tynan," said he. "He is the kind of officer to ruin a regiment. Once he dared to call me a _soor_ (pig) before my men, and I thank you, sahib, for teaching him a lesson." CHAPTER VI The Outbreak of the Mutiny