g
in clear, full tones; the mahouts, calling the name of the King--beside
themselves with delight.

But Neela Deo was at the pale one's heels--his tusks not dangerous,
having been shortened and banded. Yet they were sharp enough to make the
pale one turn and defend himself. And desperately he fought, using every
faculty of his nature--every value of his wild fitness. Still the crook
in him showed. It was all faster now than in the beginning, but he was
not exhausted, he was not broken; only a bit less certain, a breath less
quick, when he tried the same old trick--to get in back of Neela Deo's
ear. And it was on that false turn that Neela Deo caught him fairly in
the throat--caught him and finished him in one thrust--with the blunt
point of a banded tusk. (That was the miracle of it all--the banded
tusk!)

Then Neela Deo stood back, put up his trunk and uttered a long, strong
blast. They were ringing tones--mounting clarion tones, with tremendous
volume at the top. They were the King's proclamation of victory.

The mahouts answered him in High Himalayan voices--full of unleashed
devotion. The caravan made announcement of that allegiance the heart of
an elephant gives--sometimes. But the wild herd broke away and ran
shrieking up into the Vindha Hills.

Coming down from Mitha Baba's neck between Skag's hands, the Gul Moti
smiled into his anguished eyes.

"Carlin! Are you--safe?" he asked.

"Safe--now!" she answered.

The tone of that low "now" startled him.

"Where have you been?" he breathed.

"Far--" she said, "very far!"

"But where?" he questioned.

"It was not in _our_ world, Skag," she said. "It was--dark!"

The Chief Commissioner had come close, to hear; was stroking her
shoulder, in fact--in an absent-minded way--shaking his head.

"You can't mean--_the dark_?" he broke in.

"I mean it was utterly dark, sir," she said. "It was absolutely dark!"

"But--I'm not able to understand!" her old friend protested.

"It was there Mitha Baba found them," the Gul Moti explained. "It was
there she did the '_toiling in_.' Then, she was leading them home to
Hurda, when we met the caravan--at dawn."

Some of the mahouts had gathered about. The Chief Commissioner spoke to
them in their speech and they answered him--calling others. Soon the men
of High Himalaya drew near with grave deference, slowly stooping to touch
the ground at her feet.

"No human has ever been in _that_ before," said Kud