Mayne and I rode on ahead with a couple of _sowars_, and reached the site we had chosen for the camp without meeting a single suspicious-looking individual.
We then sent back the escort to bring up the camp colour-men, and while waiting for them, we entered into conversation with some passing pilgrims, who told us they were on their way to Benares to procure holy water from the Ganges.

Suddenly a bullet whizzed over our heads, fired from the direction from which we had just come.

Looking back, to our amazement we saw a crowd of armed men at a distance of between three and four hundred yards, completely cutting us off from the column.

The whole plain was alive with them.

When they saw they were observed, they advanced towards us, shouting and firing.