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"My first thought was that these felloere in league with the rebels, and that this was the beginning of an assault If our door were in the hands of the Sepoys the place must fall, and the women and children be treated as they were in Cawnpore Maybe you gentleive you h I felt the point of the knife ata screauard The hts; for, even as I braced myself to it, he whispered, 'Don't s on this side of the river' There was the ring of truth in what he said, and I knew that if I raised my voice I was a dead man I could read it in the fellow's brown eyes I waited, therefore, in silence, to see what it was that they wanted from me

"'Listen to me, Sahib,' said the taller and fiercer of the pair, the one whom they called Abdullah Khan 'You must either be with us now or you reat a one for us to hesitate Either you are heart and soul with us on your oath on the cross of the Christians, or your body this night shall be thrown into the ditch and we shall pass over to our brothers in the rebel army There is no ive you three , and all ain'

"'How can I decide?' said I 'You have not told me what you want of ainst the safety of the fort I will have no truck with it, so you can drive hoainst the fort,' said he 'We only ask you to do that which your countrymen come to this land for We ask you to be rich If you will be one of us this night, ill swear to you upon the naked knife, and by the threefold oath which no Sikh was ever known to break, that you shall have your fair share of the loot A quarter of the treasure shall be yours We can say no fairer'