"If there are no more than eleven of us, then yes, eleven! And, sahib,
since you seem to hold at least an island here where a man may lie
down unmolested, I propose to sleep for an hour or two, before proceeding.
I have had no sleep since I left Jailpore."
"Nothing of the sort!" said Brown. "If we're to march on Jailpore,
off we go at once! You can sleep on the road, my son! It's time
we paid a visit to that village, I'm thinking. Those treacherous
brutes need a lesson. I'd have been down there before, only I wanted
to be in full view of the road in case anybody came looking for me
from Bholat. We'll need a wagon for the fakir. You can sleep in
it too."
"Sleep with a fakir? I? Allah! I am a Rajput, sahib! A sergeant
of the Rajput Horse, retired!"
"I wouldn't want to sleep with him myself!" admitted Brown. "Come
and look at him. You can smell him from here, but the sight of him's
the real thing!"
The Rajput swaggered up beside Brown, after loosening his horse's
girths and lifting the saddle for a moment.
"He's not the only one that needs a drink!" said Brown.
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