Through Three Campaigns | Page 9

be cold work, for it is very late in the season and, you
know, goggles have been served out to all the men to save them from
snow blindness, from which they would otherwise suffer severely. I
have been on expeditions in which a third of the men were quite blind,
when they returned to camp."
"It must look very rum to see a whole regiment marching in goggles,"
Lisle laughed; "still, anything is better than being blinded."
"I shall see you sometimes, sahib; for the major engaged me, this
morning, to go with him as his personal servant, as his own man is in
feeble health and, though I am now getting on in years, I am still strong
enough to travel with the regiment."
"I am delighted, indeed, to hear that, Robah. I shall be very glad to steal
away sometimes, and have a chat with you. It will be a great pleasure to
have someone I can talk to, who knows me. Of course, the native
officer in command of my company will not be able to show me any
favour, nor should I wish him to do so. It seems like keeping one friend,
while I am cut off from all others; though I dare say I shall make some
new ones among the sepoys. I have no doubt you will be very
comfortable with the major."

"Yes, sahib, I am sure that he is a kind master. I shall be able, I hope,
sometimes to give you a small quantity of whisky, to mix with the
water in your bottle."
"No, no, Robah, when the baggage is cut down there will be very little
of that taken and, however much there might be, I could not accept any
that you had taken from the major's store. I must fare just the same as
the others."
"Well, sahib, I hope that, at any rate, you will carry a small flask of it
under your uniform. You may not want it but, if you were wounded and
lying in the snow, it would be very valuable to you for, mixed with the
water in your bottle, and taken from time to time, it would sustain you
until you could be carried down to camp."
"That is a very good idea, Robah, and I will certainly adopt it. I will
carry half a pint about with me, for emergencies such as you describe.
If I do not want it, myself, it may turn out useful to keep up some
wounded comrade. It will not add much to the load that I shall have to
carry, and which I expect I shall feel, when we first march. As I am
now, I think I could keep up with the best marcher in the regiment but,
with the weight of the clothes and pouches, a hundred and twenty
rounds of ammunition, and my rifle, it will be a very different thing;
and I shall be desperately tired, by the time we get to the end of the
day's march.
"Now it is twelve o'clock, and time to turn in, for we march at five."
The next morning, when the sick convoy started, the white officers
came up to say goodbye to Lisle; and all expressed their regret that he
could not accompany the regiment. The butler had gone on ahead and,
as soon as Lisle slipped away, he came up to him and assisted him to
make his toilet. He stained him from head to foot, dyed his hair, and
fastened in it some long bunches of black horse hair, which he would
wear in the Punjabi fashion on the top of his head. With the same dye
he darkened his eyelashes and, when he had put on his uniform, he
said:

"As far as looks go, sahib, it is certain that no one would suspect that
you were not a native. There is a large bottle of stain. You will only
have to do yourself over, afresh, about once in ten days. A little of this
mixed with three times the amount of water will be sufficient for, if you
were to put it on by itself, it would make you a great deal too dark."
They spent the day in a grove and, when evening approached, returned
to camp.
"And now, goodbye, sahib! The regiment will march tomorrow
morning, at daybreak. I may not have an opportunity of seeing you
again, before we start. I hope I have done right, in aiding you in your
desire to accompany the expedition; but I have done it for the best, and
you must not blame me if harm comes of it."
"That you may be sure I will not, and I am greatly obliged to you. Now,
for the present, goodbye!"
Chapter