On a box beside the bed Ranjoor Singh found writing-paper, envelopes, and requisition forms not yet filled out, but already signed with a seal and a Turkish signature.  There was a map, and a list of routes and villages.  But best of all was a letter of instructions signed by a German officer.  There were also other priceless things, of some of which I may chance to speak later.

I was told by Abraham that during the conversation following Ranjoor Singh’s seizure of the papers the word Wassmuss was bandied back and forth a thousand times, the Turk growing rather more amenable each time the word was used.  Finally the Turk resigned himself with a shrug of the shoulders, and was left in his tent with a guard of our men at each corner.

Then, for all that the night was black dark and there were very few lanterns, the camp began to be turned upside down, Ranjoor Singh ordering everything thrown aside that could not be immediately useful to us.  There were forty carts, burdened to the breaking point, and twenty of them Ranjoor Singh abandoned as too heavy for our purpose.  Most of the carts had been drawn by teams of six mules each, but ten of them had been drawn by horses, and besides the Turkish captain’s horse there were four other spare ones.  There were also about a hundred sheep and some goats.

Ranjoor Singh ordered all the corn repacked into fourteen of the carts, sheep and goats into four carts, and ammunition into the remaining two, leaving room in each cart for two men so that the guard who had stood awake all night might ride and sleep.  That left him with sixty-four spare horses.  Leaving the Turkish officer his own horse, but taking the saddle for himself, he gave Tugendheim one, me another, the third to Gooja Singh—­he being next non-commissioned officer to me in order of seniority, and having had punishment enough—­and the fourth horse, that was much the best one, he himself took.  Then he chose sixty men to cease from being infantry and become a sort of cavalry again—­cavalry without saddles as yet, or stirrups—­cavalry with rifles—­cavalry with aching feet—­ but cavalry none the less.  He picked the sixty with great wisdom, choosing for the most part men who had given no trouble, but he included ten or twelve grumblers, although for a day or two I did not understand why.  There was forethought in everything he did.

The sheep that could not be crowded into the carts he ordered butchered there and then, and the meat distributed among the men; and all the plunder that he decided not to take he ordered heaped in one place where it would not be visible unless deliberately looked for.  The plundered money that he found in the Turk’s tent he hid under the corn in the foremost cart, and we found it very useful later on.  The few of our men who had not fallen asleep were for burning the piled-up plunder, but he threatened to shoot whoever dared set match to it.

“Shall we light a beacon to warn the countryside?” said he.