'  May  Alia  and  the  Prophet  ease  the  pain  thou  art  suffering,
O  Sultaun  ! '  he  said ;  '  can  your  slave  do  aught  to  relieve  it  ? '

'  Oh,  rare  bravery  to  speak  ! '  cried  the  Sultaun  with  bitterness ;
'  thou  wert  not  with  me,  Nedeem  Khan,  to  partake  of  the  abom-
ination we  have  eaten  this  day  at  the  hands  of  our  own  friends
and  those  infidel  Hindoos — ^may  their  ends  be  damnation !  No,
thou  didst  volunteer  to  be  with  the  division  without  the  gate,  that
thy  fine  clothes  and  fine  horse  might  be  seen  by  the  defenders  of
the  wall.  Verily  thy  destiny  is  great,  that  thou  wert  not  among
that  crowd,  nor  struggling  with  that  heap  of —  Pah !  where  is
Kasim  Ali  Pat^? '  he  continued  after  a  pause ;  '  why  is  he  not
present  ?  and  Lall  Khan  also  ?'

'Kasim  Ali  Jemadar  Huzrut!'  cried  Lall  Khan  advancing,
'  has  not  been  seen  since — '

'  Not  been  seen ! '  thundered  the  Sultaun,  attempting  to  rise,
and  sinking  back  in  pain, — '  not  been  seen  !  and  thou  to  tell  me
this  !  Oh  kurabukht !  By  Alia,  Lall  Khan,  hadst  thou  not  too
aided  me,  thou  shouldest  have  been  scourged  till  the  skin  was  cut
from  thy  back.  Begone  !  thou  and  thy  companions — seek  him,
dead  or  alive,  and  bring  him  hither  to  me.'

'  Asylum  of  the  world !  he  lies,  if  he  be  killed,  among  the  dead
upon  the  edge  of  the  ditch,  and  the  enemy  is  in  possession  of  the
walls,  and — '

'  Begone ! '  roared  the  Sultaun ;  '  if  he  was  in  hell  thou
shouldest  bring  him.  Begone !  thou  art  a  coward,  Lall
Khan.'

'  Huzrut ! '  said  the  old  Khan,  rising  and  joining  his  hands,
hardly  able  to  speak,  for  his  grief  was  choking  him ;  '  if  your
slave  has  his  dismissal,  he  will  accompany  Lall  Khan  in  search
of — '  He  could  not  finish  the  speech,  and  the  big  tears  rolled
down  his  rough  visage  upon  his  beard.
