Almost at the foot of the inhospitable hills, Wee Willie Winkie saw the Waler blunder and come down heavily. Miss Allardyce struggled clear, but her ankle had been severely twisted, and she could not stand. Having fully shown her spirit, she wept, and was surprised by the apparition of a white, wide-eyed child in khaki, on a nearly spent pony. 'Are you badly, badly hurted?' shouted Wee Willie Winkie, as soon as he was within range. 'You didn't ought to be here.' 'I don't know,' said Miss Allardyce ruefully, ignoring the reproof. 'Good gracious, child, what are _you_ doing here?' 'You said you was going acwoss ve wiver,' panted Wee Willie Winkie, throwing himself off his pony. 'And nobody--not even Coppy--must go acwoss ve wiver, and I came after you ever so hard, but you wouldn't stop, and now you've hurted yourself, and Coppy will be angwy wiv me, and--I've bwoken my awwest! I've bwoken my awwest!' The future Colonel of the 195th sat down and sobbed. In spite of the pain in her ankle the girl was moved. 'Have you ridden all the way from cantonments, little man? What for?' 'You belonged to Coppy. Coppy told me so!' wailed Wee Willie Winkie disconsolately. 'I saw him kissing you, and he said he was fonder of you van Bell or ve Butcha or me. And so I came. You must get up and come back. You didn't ought to be here. Vis is a bad place, and I've bwoken my awwest.' 'I can't move, Winkie,' said Miss Allardyce, with a groan. 'I've hurt my foot. What shall I do?' She showed a readiness to weep anew, which steadied Wee Willie Winkie, who had been brought up to believe that tears were the depth of unmanliness. Still, when one is as great a sinner as Wee Willie Winkie, even a man may be permitted to break down. 'Winkie,' said Miss Allardyce, 'when you've rested a little, ride back and tell them to send out something to carry me back in. It hurts fearfully.' The child sat still for a little time and Miss Allardyce closed her eyes; the pain was nearly making her faint. She was roused by Wee Willie Winkie tying up the reins on his pony's neck and setting it free with a vicious cut of his whip that made it whicker. The little animal headed towards the cantonments. 'Oh, Winkie, what are you doing?' 'Hush!' said Wee Willie Winkie. 'Vere's a man coming--one of've Bad Men. I must stay wiv you. My faver says a man must _always_ look after a girl. Jack will go home, and ven vey'll come and look for us. Vat's why I let him go.'