“I am always more afraid of a shot from behind than I am of one in front when I am leading the company, doctor.  The men get so excited that they blaze away anyhow, and in the smoke are just as likely to hit an officer two or three paces ahead of them as an enemy.  How long have I been insensible?”

“You were brought in here half an hour ago, and I don’t suppose that you had lain many minutes on the ground before you were picked up.”

“Have we taken the Imambarra?”

“Yes, and what is better still, our fellows rushed into the Kaiser Bagh at the heels of the enemy.  We got the news ten minutes ago.”

“That is good indeed.  We anticipated desperate fighting before we took that.”

“Yes, it was an unlucky shot, Mallett, that knocked you out of your share in the loot.  We have always heard that the place was full of treasure and jewels.”

“If there is no one else who wants your attention, doctor, I advise you to join the regiment there for an hour or two.  As for me, I care nothing about the loot.  There are plenty of fellows who will benefit by it more than I should, and I give up my share willingly.”

The doctor shook his head.

“I am afraid I cannot do that; but, between ourselves, I have let Ferguson slip away, and he is to divide what he gets with me.”

“Have we any wounded?”

“I don’t know yet.  The whole thing was done so suddenly that the loss cannot have been heavy.  I was in the rear of the brigade when you were brought in, and as the case at first looked bad, I got some of the stretcher men with me to burst open the door of this house and established a dozen temporary beds here.  As you see, there are only four others tenanted, and they are all hopeless cases.  No doubt the rest have all been carried off to the rear, as only the men who helped me would have known of this place.

“Now that you have come round, I will send a couple of hospital orderlies in here and be off myself to the hospital in the rear.  I will look in again this evening.”

In a short time the doctor returned with an orderly.

“I cannot find another now,” he said, “but one will be enough.  Here is a flask of brandy, and he will find you water somewhere.  There is nothing to be done for any of you at present, except to give you drink when you want it.”

Two hours later Marshall came in.

“Thank God you are not dangerously hurt, Mallett,” he said.  “I only heard that you were down three-quarters of an hour ago, when I ran against Armstrong in the Kaiser Bagh.  He told me that he had seen you fall at the beginning of the fight, and I got leave from the Colonel to look for you.  At the hospital, no one seemed to know anything about you, but I luckily came across Jefferies, who told me where to find you, and that your wound was not serious, so I hurried back here.  He said that you would be taken to the hospital this evening.”