“Have you seen Maga Jhaere anywhere?” I asked.

“No,” said the Rajput, swearing under his breath at the mere mention of her name.

“Then help me down from here.  I’ll go.”

He muttered to himself, and I think he thought I was off to make love to the woman; but I was past caring about any one’s opinion on that score.  Five minutes later I was trotting a good horse slowly down the upper, steeper portion of the track toward Zeitoon, swearing to myself, and dreading the smoother going where I should feel compelled to gallop whether my ankle hurt or not.  As a matter of fact I began to suspect a broken bone or ligament, for the agonizing pain increased and made me sit awkwardly on the horse, thus causing him to change his pace at odd intervals and give me more pain yet.  However, gallop I had to, and I reached the bridge going at top speed, only to be forced to rein in, chattering with agony, by a man on foot who raced to reach the bridge ahead of me, and made unmistakable signals of having an important message to deliver.

He proved to be from Kagig, with orders to say that every man at his disposal was engaged by a very strong body of Turks who had spent the night creeping up close to their first objective, and had rushed it with the bayonet shortly after dawn.

“Order the women to stand ready by the bridge!” were the last words (the man had the whole by heart), and then there was a scribbled note from Will by way of make-weight.

“This end of the action looks pretty serious to me.  We’re badly outnumbered.  The men are fighting gamely, but—­tell Gloria for God’s sake to look out after herself !”

I could hear no firing from that direction, for the great bulk of Beirut Dagh shut it off.

“How far away is the fighting?” I demanded.

“Oh, a long way yet.”

I motioned to him to return to Kagig, and sent my horse across the bridge, catching sight of Gloria outside the hospital directly after I had crossed it.  She waved her hand to me; so, seeing she was safe for the present, I let the message to her wait and started down the valley toward Monty as fast as the horse could go.  I had my work cut out to drive him into the din of firing, for it was evidently his first experience of bursting shells, and even at half-a-mile distance he reared and plunged, driving me nearly crazy with pain.  I found Monty shepherding the reserves he had brought down, watching through glasses from over the top of the spur that formed the left-hand wall of the gut of the pass.

“I left Rustum Khan in my place,” I began, expecting to be damned at once for absenting without leave.

“Glad you came,” he said, without turning his head.

I gave him my message, he listening while he watched the pass and the oncoming enemy.