Dawn was hardly breaking when Major Killpatrick, awakened by his servant, received from his hands a folded paper which by the aid of a candle he began to pore over, laboriously comparing it with a small code similar to that used by the lascar.  One by one he penciled on a scrap of paper certain letters, every now and then whistling between his teeth as he spelt out the words they made.  The result appeared thus: 

Magazines for ammunition and stores of grain being prepared Tribeni and Hugli.  Bazaar rumor Nawab about to march with army to Calcutta.  Orders issued Hugli traffic to be strictly watched.  Dutch phataks {gate or barrier} closed.  Forth unable leave Chinsura.  Tanna Fort 9 guns; opposite Tanna 6 guns; Holwell’s garden 5 guns; 4 each Surman’s and Ganj; 2 each Mr. Watts’ house, Seth’s ghat, Maryas ghat, carpenter’s yard.

“Egad!” he exclaimed, on a second reading of the message, “the boy’s a conjurer.  This is important enough to send to Mr. Clive at once.  But I’ll make a copy of it first in case of accident.”

Having made his copy and sealed the original and his first transcription, he summoned his servant and bade him send for the kasid.  To him he intrusted the papers, directing him to convey them without loss of time to Clive Sahib, whom he might expect to find at Kalpi.

It was December thirteenth.  Two months before, the fleet containing Colonel Clive and the troops destined for the Bengal expedition had sailed from Madras.  The force consisted of two hundred and seventy-six king’s troops, six hundred and seventy-six of the Company’s, about a thousand Sepoys, and two hundred and sixty lascars.  They were embarked on five of the king’s ships, with Admiral Watson in the Kent, and as many Company’s vessels.

Baffling winds, various mishaps, and the calms usual at this time of the year had protracted the voyage, so seriously that the men had to be put on a two-thirds allowance of rations.  Many of the European soldiers were down with scurvy, many of the Sepoys actually died of starvation, having consumed all their rice, and refusing to touch the meat provided for the British soldiers, for fear of losing caste.  When the admiral at length arrived at Fulta, he had only six of the ten ships with which he started, two that had parted company arriving some ten days later, and two being forced to put back to Madras, under stress of weather.

While the Kent lay at Kalpi Clive received the message sent him by Major Killpatrick, and was visited by Mr. Drake and other members of the Council, from whom he heard of the sickness among the troops.  On arriving at Fulta he at once went on shore and visited the major.

“Sorry to hear of your sad case, Mr. Killpatrick,” he said.  “We’re very little better off.  But we must make the best of it.  I got your note.  ’Twas an excellent greeting.  Young Burke is a capital fellow; I have not mistook his capacity.”

“Faith, ’twas what I told him, sir.  I said Colonel Clive never mistook his men.”