‘Christ, that was close,’ he muttered, wiping the perspiration from his brow. He eased the pistol back into his belt and waved his men forward again. Kirkpatrick had left a man at the junction to indicate the route to those who followed and Arthur and his column turned towards the camp. One of the advance guard whistled softly and the column halted at once, the men freezing as they hugged the shaded side of the alley.A short way off Arthur could see the ramparts looming above the crazy angles of the rooflines each side of the alley. The faint outline of a sentry crossed Arthur’s field of vision and he let out a sigh of relief as the man passed from sight.

The column eased forward again. Just ahead the alley widened out to accommodate a long trench, that had been covered over with slabs of stone where it passed under the alley which led up to a small, grated arch at the foot of the wall. A foul stench filled the air and Arthur wrinkled his nose as he glanced down at the stinking trickle of filth that ran along the bottom of the trench: the outflow from the main latrine block of the camp. Kirkpatrick and his men stole forward on either side of the trench until they reached the wall, and then carefully clambered down into the channel. A moment later the soft sounds of gentle scraping carried back up the alley.

Arthur and the sepoys remained silent and motionless as Kirkpatrick’s men worked away at the bars of the grille, loosening one after the other and placing them carefully at the base of the rampart. Work had to stop each time the sentry returned to this stretch of the wall. He crossed above the sewage outflow with a maddening measured tread, and as soon as the sounds of his boots faded away the work began again. It took far longer than Arthur had anticipated and he found himself glancing repeatedly at the skyline above the roofs of the city for the first sign of the coming dawn.

Eventually a dim shape climbed up over the side of the trench and trotted back towards Arthur.

‘Colonel sahib?’

‘Here,’ Arthur responded softly. ‘Keep your voice down.’

‘A thousand pardons. Kirkpatrick sahib says the grate is cleared. He’s sending a small party of men to deal with the sentry.’

‘Very good. Tell him to let me know the instant the way is open.’

The sepoy nodded and hurried back towards the rampart. A short while later Kirkpatrick’s voice called out, as loudly as he dared, ‘All clear, sir.’