He guesses what she does for living. ‘Are you a prostitute? What were you doing in this house?’

‘I am a jihadin,’ she explains. ‘I was helping my brothers to fight the badzat nasara.’

Hodson Sahib knows Hindustani well enough to know what badzat nasara means. To please the Sahib I stick my bayonet behind the woman’s back and warn her. ‘If you don’t keep a rein on your tongue, you’ll see the other end of this bayonet come out of your navel.’

The shameless wretch doesn’t even shudder.

‘Nihal Singh, take her to the camp for questioning. Then you can send her to the paradise she is so anxious to go to.’

We march the woman in front of us. If she slows down, I give her a smack on her buttocks; once I slip my finger in her tail. We have a lot of fun on the way.

‘Bhai, tonight we’ll polish our weapons,’ says Natha.

‘Good woman! You cool our hot carbines and well cool a bullet in your body,’ says Lehna.

The woman doesn’t say a word. She doesn’t even bother to look at us.

I take her to the Sahib’s tent. He has just put off his helmet and unbuckled his sword. Without saying a word, Hodson Sahib turns round and slaps her hard across her face. He is not very big but he is very strong. The woman reels and falls on the floor. She begins to cry. ‘If you want to kill me, kill me. Why do you torture me?’ she whines.

Hodson Sahib sits down in his chair. He takes out his notebook and pencil from his desk. ‘Name?’

‘Anwar Bai.’

‘Where do you live?’

‘Chawri Bazaar.’

‘Who is commanding your troops?’

‘Bakht Khan, the Bareilly General who took over two days ago.’

‘Who made a namak haram subedar into a General?’ demands the Sahib angrily. ‘How many soldiers are there in Sabzi Mandi?’

‘I do not know. I was sent there today to keep guard. Normally I stay in the women’s barracks.’

‘Women’s barracks?’

‘Ji huzoor! There are some women jihadins. Some like me are with the soldiers; others work in the hospital, or cook food for the troops.’

‘What were you doing in that house?’

‘I have already told the Sahib, I was with the guard. I gave up the profession two months ago when I joined the jihad. I hope Allah will forgive my sins.’

Hodson Sahib becomes very gussa. ‘You call murder of innocent women and children a holy war?’

The women does not reply. Hodson Sahib roars. ‘Speak! Is this how you bloody Mussalmans fight a bloody jihad?’

This woman is not only without shame, she is also without fear. You know what she says in reply? ‘Sahib, I have seen your people thrust their swords into women’s bellies. With my own eyes I have seen children tossed in the air and spiked on bayonets.’