For an hour after that, while the artillery fire increased but our rifle-fire seemed to dwindle under Fred’s persuasive tongue, I watched Monty mustering reenforcements in the gorge below the town.  He overcame some of the women’s prejudice, for it was a force made up of men and women that he presently led away.  I was rather surprised to see Rustum Khan, after a talk with Monty, return to his squadron and remain inactive under cover of the hill; that fire-eater was the last man one would expect to remain willingly out of action.  However, twenty minutes later, Rustum Khan appeared beside me, breathing rather hard.  He begged the glasses of me, and spent five minutes studying the firing-line minutely before returning them.

“The lord sahib has more faith in these undrilled folk than I have!” he grumbled at last.  “Observe:  he goes with that bullet-food of men and women mixed, to hide them in reserve behind the narrow gut at the head of the ramp.  The Turks are fools, as Kagig said, and their general is also a fool, in spite of Kagig.  They propose to force that ramp.  You see that by Frredd sahib’s orders the firing on our side has grown greatly less.  That is to draw the Turks on.  See!  It has drawn them!  They are coming!  The lord sahib will send for Frredd sahib to take command of that reserve, to man the top of the ramp in case the Turks succeed in climbing too far up it.  Then he himself will gallop back to take charge of my squadron below there; and I take charge of his squadron up here.  He and I are interchangeable, I having drilled all the men in any case—­such drilling as they have had—­such little, little drilling!”

The Turks began their advance into the jaws of that defile with a confidence that made my heart turn cold.  What did they know?  What were they depending on in addition to their weight of numbers?  Mahmoud Bey had evidently hurried up almost his whole division, and was driving them forward into our trap as if he knew he could swallow trap and all.  Not even foolish generals act that way.  It needs a madman.  Kagig had said nothing about Mahmoud being mad.

“Listen, Rustum Khan!” I said.  “Go with a message to Lord Montdidier.  Tell him the whole Turkish force is in motion and coming on as if their general knows something for certain that we don’t know at all.  Tell him that I suspect treachery at our rear, and have good reason for it!”

Rustum Khan eyed me for a minute as if he would read the very middle of my heart.

“Can you ride?” he asked.

“Of course,” I answered.  “It’s only walking that I can’t do.”

“Then leave those glasses with me, and go yourself!”

“Why won’t you go?” I asked.

“Because here are fifty men who would lack a leader in that case.”

The answer was honest enough, yet I had my qualms about leaving the post Monty had assigned to me.  The thought that finally decided me was that I would have opportunity to gallop past the hospital, two hundred yards over the bridge on the Zeitoon side, and make sure that Gloria was safe.