Understanding was reborn in my heart on account of that German's words.

Thought I, if Ranjoor Singh were in truth a traitor then he would have leaped at a chance to justify himself to us.

He would have repeated what that German had urged him to tell us.

Yet I saw him refuse.
As they hurried him away alone, pity for him came over me like warm rain on the parched earth, and when a man can pity he can reason, I spoke in Punjabi to the others and the German officer thought I was translating what he told me to say, yet in truth I reminded them that man can find no place where God is not, and where God is is courage.

I was senior now, and my business was to encourage them.
They took new heart from my words, all except Gooja Singh, who wept noisily, and the German officer was pleased with what he mistook for the effect of his speech.
"Tell them they shall be excellently treated," said he, seizing my elbow.