Telinga sepoy had disappeared. In the star-light, he could see his dead body floating away on the river. At first, he thought that it was the Nawab's sepoys who had killed him. But immediately after, he noticed a thin line of smoke, in the direction of the bush. Moreover, he saw that the men who were in the other boat were running up towards the Budgrow, to enquire what had happened. The stars were sparkling in the sky—lights were burning in the town—at the bank of the Ganges there were rows of boats, lying motionless in the darkness, like so many monsters, inert and lifeless in sleep—the ever-flowing Bhagirathi was running in murmurs—and in her current the corpse of the sentinel was floating away. Foster saw all these, in the twinkling of an eye.
Seeing the thin line of smoke above the bush, Foster raised his gun to fire in that direction. He could fully understand that the enemy was lying concealed in that bush. He could also feel that the hidden enemy who had killed the sentinel, might at any moment kill him as well. But he had come out to India after the battle of Plassey, and he could not believe that a native of Bengal would level his gun against an Englisnman.
