h is not, for it never dies in the heart of a woman, it
is but a smouldering fire--take care that it springs not into flame at
the words of some other man, the touch of his hands, or the light of
his eyes, because then, by Bhowanee, I will kill thee."

The Gulab stamped a foot upon the earth floor of the tent: "Coward! now
I hate thee! Only the weak, the cowards, threaten women. When thou
art brave and strong I do not hate if I do not love. 'Tis thou, Ajeet,
who art to take care."

Outside Guru Lal was casting holy oil upon the troubled waters of a
disputed ordeal. The wily old priest knew well how omens and ordeals
could be manipulated. Besides, unity among the Bagree leaders, leading
to much loot, would bring him tribute for the gods.

"It may be," he was saying to Sookdee, "that the blacksmith, who is not
of our tribe, nor of our nine castes, but is of the Sumar caste, has
sought to put shame upon our gods by a trick. At best he was a surly
rascal of little thought. It may be that the iron shot was made too
hot for the hand of the Chief. An ordeal is a fair test when its
observance is equal between men; it is then that the goddess judges and
gives the verdict--her way is always just. Have not we many times read
wrongly her omens, and have misjudged the signs, and have suffered.
And Ajeet acted like one who is not guilty."

"And think you, Guru, that Ajeet will give you a present of rupees for
this talk that is like the braying of an ass?" Hunsa growled.

But Sookdee objected, saying: "Guru Lal is a holy man of age, and his
blood runs without heat, therefore if he speaks, the words are not a
matter for passion, but to be considered. We will go upon a decoity,
which is our duty, and leave the ordeal and all else in the hands of
Bhowanee."

CHAPTER VII

Perhaps it was the customs official that told Dewan Sewlal about the
_Akbar Ka Diwa_, the Lamp of Akbar, the ruby that was so called because
of its gorgeous blood-red fire, as being in the iron box of the
merchant.

This ruby had been an eye in one of the two gorgeous jewelled peacocks
that surmounted the "Peacock Throne" at Delhi in the time of Akbar to
the time when the Persian conqueror, Nadir Shah, sacked Delhi and took
the Peacock Throne and the Kohinoor, and everything else of value back
to Persia. But he didn't get the ruby for the Vizier of the King of
Delhi stole it. Then Alam, the eunuch, stole it from the Vizier. Its
possession was