As you know, I
am very well off, and the loss would not affect me in any way. Very
likely you will light upon some rich booty in one of these affairs
with a rebel Rajah, and will be able to pay it all off at once."
"I will if I can, Mallett, though I think that it will be much more
satisfactory to do it out of my savings, except that I shall have
the pleasure of knowing that if I were wiped out afterwards you
would not be a loser."
A few days later Frank Mallett was sent with his company to rout
out a party of rebels reported to be in possession of a large
village twenty miles away. Armstrong was laid up by a slight attack
of fever, and he asked that Marshall should be appointed in his
place on this occasion.
"One wants two subalterns, Colonel," he said, "for a business like
this. I may have to detach a party to the back of the village to
cut off the rebels' retreat, and it may be necessary to assault in
two places."
"Certainly. Take Marshall if you wish it, Captain Mallett. The
young fellow has been behaving excellently, and has gone far to
retrieve his character. Captain Johnson has reported to me that he
is exemplary in his duties, and has shown much gallantry under
fire, especially in that affair near Neemuch, in which he rushed
forward and carried off a wounded man who would otherwise have
certainly been killed.
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