Chapter 3 Summary

When Flashy lands in India he sees that civilization has advanced in 16 years. White civilians outnumber military and are prospering. He can gather no scuttlebutt on Jhansi, but resolves to go there quickly, write a report, and get out. The countryside en route seems quiet, but Flashy meets a friend of 15 years, John Nicholson, who foresees sparks fanning into flames, because missionaries are angering the natives and the new Governor-General is too soft with princes and sepoys alike. Flashy continues, thoroughly worried.

Jhansi is a massive fort built on steep rock above a large walled city. The nearby British camp looks feeble by comparison. Flashy finds the political agent, Skene, neither stupid nor scared. He had known nothing about the Russians but has seen a man with a blue/brown eye. The queen is bitter about political arrangements and lacks an army, but...