84 
MUTINY OF ESCORT. 
[chap. III. 
her usual calm, that I was utterly bewildered when 
I heard her question the vakeel, “ Whether the men 
were willing to march ? ” Perfectly ready was the 
reply. “ Then order them to strike the tent, and 
load the animals ; we start this moment.” The man 
appeared confused, but not more so than I. Some¬ 
thing was evidently on foot, but what I could not 
conjecture. The vakeel wavered, and to my astonish¬ 
ment I heard the accusation made against him, that, 
“ during the night, the whole of the escort had muti¬ 
nously conspired to desert me, with my arms and 
ammunition that were in their hands, and to fire 
simultaneously at me should I attempt to disarm 
them.” At first this charge was indignantly denied 
until the boy Saat manfully stepped forward, and 
declared that the conspiracy was entered into by the 
whole of the escort, and that both, he and Richarn, 
knowing that mutiny was intended, had listened pur¬ 
posely to the conversation during the night; at day¬ 
break the boy had reported the fact to his mistress. 
Mutiny, robbery, and murder were thus deliberately 
determined. 
I immediately ordered an angarep (travelling bed¬ 
stead) to be placed outside the tent under a large 
tree; upon this I laid five double-barrelled guns 
loaded with buck shot, a revolver, and naked sabre 
as sharp as a razor. A sixth rifle I kept in my hands 
while I sat upon the angarep, with Richarn and Saat 
both with double-barrelled guns behind me. Formerly 
I had supplied each of my men with a piece of 
mackintosh waterproof to be tied over the locks of 
their guns during the march. I now ordered the 
drum to be beat, and all the men to form in line 
in marching order, with their locks tied up in the 
waterproof I requested Mrs. Baker to stand behind 
me, and to point out any man who should attempt 
to uncover his locks, when I should give the order 
to lay down their arms. The act of uncovering the 
locks would prove his intention, in which event I 
