Thus every one will be satisfied except the Lion, who will be too poor for a long time afterward to have much authority in these parts.

Moreover, it will be told for a joke against him, and he will lose in prestige.

I am an old man, who knows all about these matters." "What do you think, Narayan Singh ?" Grim asked.
"Sahib, what are we but a flying column?
Swiftness and surprise are our two advantages.

We should be like a javelin thrown from ambush that seeks out the enemy's heart.

If we fail we are but a lost javelin--an officer, a sepoy, a civilian and a handful of thieves--there are plenty more! If we succeed there is a deed done well and cheaply! I never hunted lions, but I have seen a tiger trapped and beaten.