they cried.  Whereupon Dilawur, not to be outdone, in his turn commenced yelling and shouting vociferously:  “Lumsden Sahib!  Oh Lumsden Sahib, save me!” “What are you doing, you accursed infidel?” exclaimed the scandalised passengers, furiously.  “Why do you supplicate Lumsden Sahib?  It is enough to sink the boat straight away.”  “That is easily explained,” calmly replied Dilawur.  “You are calling on saints who have been dead for ages, while Lumsden Sahib is alive and lives close by.  Personally I consider it more sensible to call on a living man than on a dead saint.”

On another occasion his enthusiasm in the cause of religious enlightenment nearly cost him his life.  When the Amir Dost Mahomed Khan came to Peshawur in 1856, he was accompanied by Hafiz Ji, a leading mullah of Afghanistan and a great doctrinarian; to whom came the learned amongst the Faithful, to discuss the tenets of their religion and to listen to the wisdom of the wise.  With them came also Dilawur, full of zeal and thirsting for knowledge, who artlessly introduced so debatable a subject, that the assembly was thrown into an uproar; and lest worse things might happen unto him, the worthy, but too enquiring, subadar was hustled hastily forth, and requested in future to stick to soldiering, and to avoid bringing his infernal questions to cause discord amongst the chosen of the Prophet.  As Dilawur afterwards pathetically remarked, he “didn’t think much of a religion which instead of meeting argument with argument only threw stones at the head of the seeker after knowledge.”  Indeed the occasion seems to have thoroughly unsettled him in the convictions of his youth, for shortly afterwards he finally shook off all connection with the Mahomedan religion, and turning Christian was baptised at Peshawur in 1858.

During the Mutiny he did excellent service, making the famous march to Delhi with the Guides, and serving with them throughout the siege and storming of that place.  He served also in the many skirmishes which occurred on the frontier during the next twelve years, getting what he had bargained for on joining, plenty of fighting.  And then came that call of duty which asked of the staunch old warrior to lay down his life for the foreign Queen whose good servant he was.

In 1869 the British Government wanted a man to go on a special and important mission, a man of infinite resource, well educated, hardy and brave, for he would need to carry his life in his hands for many a long day and many a weary mile.  The man selected was Dilawur Khan, and joyfully he undertook the risks and excitement of the service.  With him went a comrade, Ahmed Jan, also of the Guides.  The two set forth together, and after many hardships and adventures had reached the territory of the Mehtar of Chitral, and were nearing the completion of their task.  Seated one day under a tree, making their midday halt and chatting with some fellow travellers, they were suddenly surrounded by the soldiers of the Mehtar and hurried back under close guard to Chitral.  Seeing danger ahead, Dilawur, before he was searched, managed to drop into the river certain documents and reports of a secret nature, which it was important should not fall into strange hands.