He found some twenty horses ranged in the courtyard, while
their riders were sitting in the shade, several of them being engaged
in cooking. These were the escort who had ridden with the Rajah from
Tripataly--for no Indian prince would think of making a journey,
unless accompanied by a numerous retinue.
Scarcely had he entered the yard than Rajbullub came up, with the
officer in command of the escort, a fine-looking specimen of a Hindoo
soldier. He salaamed, as Rajbullub presented him to Dick. The lad
addressed him at once in his own tongue, and they were soon talking
freely together. The officer was surprised at finding that his lord's
nephew, from beyond the sea, was able to speak the language like a
native.
First, Dick asked the nature of the country, and the places at which
they would halt on their way. Then he inquired what force the Rajah
could put into the field, and was somewhat disappointed to hear that
he kept up but a hundred horsemen, including those who served as an
escort.
"You see, Sahib, there is no occasion for soldiers. Now that the
whites are the masters, they do the fighting for us. When the Rajah's
father was a young man, he could put two thousand men under arms, and
he joined at the siege of Trichinopoly with twelve hundred.
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