It was he who thought of dressing turbans on the end of poles and thrusting them forward at the hour before dawn when fear and chill and darkness have done their worst work.

That started a panic that cost the Germans eighty men.
I think his leadership would have won the squadron back to love him.
I know it saved his life.

We had all heard tales of how the British soldiers in South Africa made short work of the officers they did not love, and it would have been easy to make an end of Ranjoor Singh on any dark night.

But he led too well; men were afraid to take the responsibility lest the others turn on them.

One night I overheard two troopers considering the thought, and they suspected I had overheard.