Turning he shot his sword home into its scabbard with a click.
"Thank God," he said, "you're safe!"
Agar awaited for further observations. This was not the man whom he
had expected, but another, far greater, far higher up in the military
scale--a man whom he had only met once before, and that at an official
reception.
Seeing that his guest was unbuckling his sword, he presumed that the task
of continuing this conversation lay with himself.
"M' yes!" he replied, rubbing his pannikin out clean with the corner of a
towel, and proceeding to mix some brandy and water; "why?"
"Why!" answered the little man scornfully, "WHY! damn it, sir, Stevenor's
command has been cut off by the enemy in force--massacred to a man. That
is why I say 'Thank God, you're safe!' It is more than I expected."
CHAPTER IX
RE-CAST
Our deeds still travel with us from afar,
And what, we have been makes us what we are,
There was a momentary pause; then Major Agar spoke.
"In that case," he observed, "the British force occupying this country
for the last week has consisted of myself and thirty Goorkhas.
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