Ch. 17: On Greenhow Hill

To Love's low voice she lent a careless ear;
Her hand within his rosy fingers lay,
A chilling weight. She would not turn or hear;
But with averted face went on her way.
But when pale Death, all featureless and grim,
Lifted his bony hand, and beckoning
Held out his cypress-wreath, she followed him,
And Love was left forlorn and wondering,
That she who for his bidding would not stay,
At Death's first whisper rose and went away.
RIVALS.

'Ohe, Ahmed Din! Shafiz Ullah ahoo! Bahadur Khan, where are you? Come
out of the tents, as I have done, and fight against the English. Don't
kill your own kin! Come out to me!'

The deserter from a native corps was crawling round the outskirts of the
camp, firing at intervals, and shouting invitations to his old comrades.
Misled by the rain and the darkness, he came to the English wing of the
camp, and with his yelping and rifle-practice disturbed the men. They
had been making roads all day, and were tired.

Ortheris was sleeping at Learoyd's feet. 'Wot's all that?' he said
thickly. Learoyd snored, and a Snider bullet ripped its way through the
tent wall. The men swore. 'It's that bloomin' deserter from the
Aurangabadis,' said Ortheris. 'Git up, some one, an' tell 'im 'e's come
to the wrong shop.'

'Go to sleep, little man,' said Mulvaney, who was steaming nearest the
door. 'I can't arise an' expaytiate with him. 'Tis rainin' entrenchin'
tools outside.'

"Tain't because you bloomin' can't. It's 'cause you bloomin' won't, ye
long, limp, lousy, lazy beggar, you. 'Ark to'im 'owlin'!'

'Wot's the good of argifying? Put a bullet into the swine! 'E's keepin'
us awake!' said another voice.

A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the
darkness--

"Tain't no good, sir. I can't see 'im. 'E's 'idin' somewhere down
'ill.'

Ortheris tumbled out of his blanket. 'Shall I try to get 'im, sir?' said
he.

'No,' was the answer. 'Lie down. I won't have the whole camp shooting
all round the clock. Tell him to go and pot his friends.'

Ortheris considered for a moment. Then, putting his head under the tent
wall, he called, as a 'bus conductor calls in a block, "Igher up,
there! 'Igher up!'

The men laughed, and the laughter was carried down wind to the deserter,
who, hearing that he had made a mistake, went off to worry his own
regiment half a mile away. He was received with shots; the Aurangabadis
were very angry with him for disgracing their colours.

'An' that's all right,' said Ortheris, withdrawing his head as he heard
the hiccough of the Sniders in the distance. 'S'elp me Gawd, tho', that
man's not fit to live--messin' with my beauty-sleep this way.'

'Go out and