aving been summarily dispatched by order of the
dead maharajah, in the latter's first paroxysm of anger over the
abduction of his favourite wife when visiting the bazaars. In this
opportune removal of a greedy hireling and possible traitor I once more
recognized the hand of Providence working for the noble woman whose
quick wit had aided mother love to save her son.

"A noble woman I have called her, and such indeed she was. For me the
maharanee had discarded the purdah, and in the sanctity of my harem,
with my wife as her devoted attendant, I was privileged to converse with
her hour after hour, gazing freely upon the most beautiful countenance
I had ever beheld--beautiful not only by reason of soft and rounded
features and the peach bloom of the skin, but also because of the
soul-lit eyes that illumined it with joyous radiance. For this queen
lived in her son, forgot every other sorrow in his safety, and now
experienced all the glowing pride of a leader on the field of battle in
planning the campaign for the vindication of his rightful claims to the
royal inheritance.

"Her first step had been to send secret word to her father--she was the
daughter of a mountain chieftain--bidding him to dispatch one of her
brothers to me as a trusted messenger. The distance was far, and three
months elapsed before the hillman arrived, a sturdy young fellow, serene
of eye, slow of speech, and muscled like a panther. He departed back
home again, carrying our tale by simple word of mouth for greater
security, and having concealed on his person some of the gems which the
maharanee had saved and which would be readily convertible into money.
Then, after a second interval of time, other tribesmen came sifting into
the city by twos and threes, until we had full fifty of the finest
material for a bodyguard a young prince could desire. These men were
quartered at different places in the vicinity of my home, armed and
ready for a general muster when the moment should be ripe for action.

"Meanwhile a widespread spirit of dissatisfaction with the new raj was
daily growing, and on every hand in the bazaars mutterings of trouble
began to be heard. The young ruler had proved to be a mere puppet in
the hands of his mother and uncle, who had not hesitated to advance
their base-born relatives and associates to places of highest honour and
emolument, thereby giving grievous offence among the families of proud
and ancient lineage, both Hindu and Mosle