midday
Hovering on the outskirts of one of these he heard the name of Bakht Khan frequently mentioned , and by and by made out that this rebel artillery officer was expected to arrive shortly with a vast host which would sweep all the Feringhis before it . He went on until he reached the palace , and stood for some time watching the streams of people coming and going -- officers , court officials , scribes , bankers -- all showing signs of the same excitement . Then he passed on by the palace wall until he reached the Calcutta gate , and saw the fort of Selimgarh stretching out into the river , and learnt from a bystander whom he ventured to address that it was by this very route that the first mutineers had ridden in from Meerut ; and there , a little to the left , was the Magazine , the scene of Lieutenant Willoughby 's great exploit , when , after defending his post with nine companions against a horde of assailants , he at last blew it up rather than let it fall into the hands of the rebels . When midday came he was tired and hungry , and returned to the serai for a meal . Later in the day , when the heat was past , he unloaded his bales , hired a coolie , and set forth to offer his wares to the Prince Mirza Mogul , subahdar of the volunteer regiment of native infantry , who seemed to be one of the most important persons in the city . But on arriving at the head-quarters of the regiment he found that the prince had gone to attend a darbar at the palace . Some of the subordinate officers , however , were curious to see the contents of the bale he had brought , and he displayed before them the fabrics he had purchased in Karnal with money given him by Hodson Sahib .