three o'clock before
There was no vanity , no self-importance in this conception of his duty . It was a stern , unbending acceptance of his responsibility ; and as in the lonely fort upon the frontier where he had dominated , unaided , month after month , over wild , antagonistic races , so now , unarmed and unprotected , he dominated over the fanatic rabble by the pure force of a complete personality . He was to all intents and purposes their prisoner , but he rode there as their conqueror ; and that most splendid triumph of all triumphs -- the unseen victory of will over will -- filled him with a new confidence and hope . Yet it was three o'clock before he reached the palace gates . It seemed to him that they had deterred his progress for some unknown purpose , and the thought of those he had left behind caused him profound uneasiness . Native treachery was proverbial , and no doubt Nehal Singh felt himself justified in any conduct that seemed wise to him . In any case , there was no return .