The Story of the Guides

lustrates the extremely delicate problem accompanying the employment of Indian troops in certain situations. In the ranks of the Guides are men bel

res very careful handling. It is of course absolutely necessary to maintain the great principle, that a soldier is bound hand and foot and in all honour to the service of his Sovereign, and that no family or private ties must stand between him and any duty that service may call on him to perform. On the

ons and friends. Amongst these men was a young Afridi soldier, who was sore puzzled what to do. His own village lay right in the path of the army, and only a few miles distant;

ss together. With our young Afridi on his beat there happened to be a Gurkha, and that Gurkha did a thing which not only hurled his comrade to perdition, but brought himself to a court-martial. His tent was close by and he said to the young Afridi: "Hold my rifle a minute, while I fetch something from my tent." In

ny ways the genius for dealing with wild warriors. "How many men of that man's tribe are there in the regiment?" sternly demanded Jenkins. After reference to the company, it was found that there were seventeen of them all told. "Parade them all here," said the Colonel; and they were duly

day, and week succeeded week, no news came of pursued or pursuers. The matter had been forgotten; the vacancies had long since been filled; indeed, two whole years

er nights of silent anxious watch, they spoke but little. But their faces beamed with honest pride as their spokesmen simply said: "The Sahib told us

d territory threatened the left flank of the lines of communication not far short of Jellalabad. For this difficult and dangerous duty Duffadar Faiz Ta

or two stuck in his cummerband, he sallied forth one dark night, and laid up not far from camp. This precau

or serai, for strangers, and thither as a rule towards evening the village gossips also find their way; the hospitable hookah is passed from mouth to mouth, and in grave

inghis (may God burn them in hell!), where I took service for a sh

med the company; "and what

, fight the accursed infidels,

attacking us. We shall now be able to make you the general of our forces, and since you have been so wise as t

re and the Oriental art of fluently telling the thing that is not true, "but unfortunately I have

d be done!" was the pious rejoinder of the most v

limited to a wood fire, travellers and villagers began one by one to roll themselv

the English are upon us, and we look to you to help us to defeat them. Here, take this rifle and

n the exceedingly uncomfortable position of him who finds himself between the devil and the deep sea. As the chosen leader, thus miraculously fallen from heaven on the eve of battle, he had become so important a figure that it was impossible for him to take up a modest position in the rear; indeed, a bul

t the bullets and cannon-balls of the English cannot hit us; and then, when they ha

cry, and the order pass

fail to appropriate the thickest and stron

suiting action to words Faiz Talab fired off his twenty rounds with great rapidity in the safest possible direction, and prayed God that he had not hit one of his own comra

n was running out all along the line. On the other hand, as an inquisitive neighbour, with two bullets in his puggery, pointed o

necessary that we should depart, so that, by the grace of God

lab, and added with considerable pathos, "but

one or two with polite, but

iterated the duffadar, devoutly praying that no o

ave escaped so far, to end his days with eighteen inches of a British bayonet through his best embroidered waistcoat. If it had been any Indian regiment, or, better still, his own regiment, the Guides, he could at once have secured safety by declaring who he was. But with British soldie

im, Bill!" was the brisk rejoinder, in the famil

in the very nick of time. "He says he is a friend of the British," the officer

mporarily postponing the pleasure of sending him t

er: "May I see you alone? I have

fficer; "but mind, one of my

f paper, which he handed to the officer, and on it was written in English: The bearer of this