He glanced at the shattered fragments on the floor with raised eyebrows, then looked up and drew a deep breath to begin his address before the officers recovered from their shock and began to protest again.

‘Gentlemen! My apologies to you for this rude awakening. The Nizam requires that you are held here for a short time while a small piece of business is attended to. You are quite safe, provided that you sit still and make no attempt to escape or resist my men.’

‘What is going on here?’ a voice demanded. ‘What’s happening?’

‘Your questions will be answered in good time. But for now, I would be obliged if you would keep your mouths shut, or my men will be obliged to do it for you.’

The threat was understood well enough and the sepoys lining the rooms held their weapons ready to reinforce their commander’s words.When he was satisfied that the officers were subdued Arthur beckoned to one of the subadars.

‘I’m taking four of your men. Keep this lot under control. No one is to leave the rooms under any pretext.’

‘Yes, sahib.’

There was a thin grey light in the sky as Arthur trotted away from the headquarters building and made for the arsenal on the far side of the camp. A few early risers were sitting outside their barracks and laying the morning cooking fires. They stood up with vaguely confused expressions as the officer and sepoys passed by, and then returned to their fireplaces.The only shot that had been fired was from Arthur’s pistol and there was no reason for the Nizam’s men to suspect that anything was amiss. As far as they were concerned he was just another European officer up early on some official business, as Arthur had hoped they would think.They reached the squat mass of the camp’s arsenal without being challenged and Arthur was relieved to see that Kirkpatrick had stationed his men inside the building, out of sight, so that only a few figures were visible on the ramparts above the arsenal, and on guard at its entrance. As Arthur and his men approached Kirkpatrick appeared in the doorway to meet them.

‘Any problems?’

‘No, sir.The guards didn’t put up a fight.Went down into one of the storerooms as meek as lambs.’

‘Good work.’ Arthur looked up at the sky and saw that there was now enough light to see clearly across the camp. More men and women were emerging from their barracks, ready to prepare their morning meal. Outside the city the four Company battalions would be beginning their march, as Dalrymple and Malcolm led their men from their barracks towards the camp of the Nizam’s army. ‘Now we just have to wait for the others, and pray that the Nizam’s men don’t guess what is happening right under their noses.’