Within half an hour, Lynes, himself wounded, had brought back his force, and left the mine destroyed.

But during that half-hour disaster had fallen upon the garrison.

Luffe had dropped as he was walking back across the courtyard to his office.

For a few minutes he lay unnoticed in the empty square, his face upturned to the sky, and then a clamorous sound of lamentation was heard and an orderly came running through the alleys of the Fort, crying out that the Colonel Sahib was dead.
He was not dead, however.

He recovered conciousness that night, and early in the morning Dewes was roused from his sleep.