In return the Tatar nodded gravely and issued an order to his men.
By this time the warriors were busily pitching tents before the walls
of Yarkand and making preparations for a formal siege. In obedience
to the chieftain's orders, Rob was given a place within one of the
tents nearest the wall and supplied with a brace of brass-mounted
pistols and a dagger with a sharp, zigzag edge. These were evidently
to assist the boy in fighting the Turks, and he was well pleased to
have them. His spirits rose considerably when he found he had fallen
among friends, although most of his new comrades had such evil faces
that it was unnecessary to put on the Character Markers to judge their
natures with a fair degree of accuracy.
"I can't be very particular about the company I keep," he thought,
"and this gang hasn't tried to murder me, as the rascally Turks did.
So for the present I'll stand in with the scowling chief and try to
get a shot at the thieves who robbed me. If our side wins I may get a
chance to recover some of my property. It's a slim chance, of course,
but it's the only hope I have left.
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