Page:In Black and White - Kipling (1890).djvu/96

 The Garrison Artillery, who to the last cherished a wild hope that they might be allowed to bombard the City at a hundred yards' range, lined the parapet above the East gateway and cheered themselves hoarse as the British Infantry doubled along the road to the Main Gate of the City. The Cavalry cantered on to the Padshahi Gate, and the Native Infantry marched slowly to the Gate of the Butchers. The surprise was intended to be of a distinctly unpleasant nature, and to come on top of the defeat of the Police who had been Just able to keep the Mahommadans from firing the houses of a few leading Hindus. The bulk of the riot lay in the north and north-west wards. The east and south-east were by this time dark and silent, and I rode hastily to Lalun's house, for I wished to tell her to send some one in search of Wali Dad. The house was unlighted but the door was open, and I climbed upstairs in the darkness. One small lamp in the white room showed Lalun and her maid leaning half out of the window, breathing heavily and evidently pulling at something that refused to come.

"Thou art late—very late," gasped Lalun without turning her head. "Help us now, O Fool, if thou hast not spent thy strength howling among the tazais. Pull! Nasiban and I can do no more! O, Sahib, is it you? The Hindus have been hunting an old Mahommadan round the Ditch with club. If they find him again they will kill him. Help us to pull him up.

I laid my hands to the long red silk waist-cloth that was hanging out of the window, and we three pulled and pulled with all the strength at our command. There was something very heavy at the end, and it was swearing in an unknown tongue as it kicked against the City wall.

"Pull, O pull!" said Lalun at the last. A pair of brown hands grasped the window-sill and a venerable Mahommadan tumbled upon the floor, very much out of breath, His jaws were tied up and his turban had fallen over one eye. He was dusty and angry.

Lalun hid her face in her hands for an instant and said something about Wali Dad that I could not catch.