Jack swore inwardly. In the hellish turmoil of the battle, Jack had forgotten all about Batoor. He had neglected even to leave a guard, and now Batoor had escaped. Jack swore again. The responsibility and the fault were entirely his. He had treated Batoor as a friend when he should have locked him up.
“Thank you, Sergeant,” Jack said as his mind raced. There were two possibilities: either Batoor was inside the fort, or he had slipped outside when the battle had distracted everybody. “Organise a search of the fort, would you? There are so many nooks and crannies where Bacha Khan could hide.”
He could do no more. Jack continued his round of inspection, ensuring the Afghan attack had not weakened the defences and cursing himself for being too trusting.
* * *
“Well, gentlemen,” Jack addres
