chief could not resist looking down at the ground, startled.

"Nay," smiled Umballa, "not there. Think; did not something unusual
happen here five years ago?"

The chief smoothed the tip of his nose. "My father died and I became
head man of the village."

"Would you call that unusual?" ironically.

"No. Ha!" suddenly. "Five years ago; yes, yes, I remember now.
Soldiers, who made us lock ourselves in our huts, not to stir forth on
the pain of death till ordered. My father alone was permitted outside.
He was compelled to row out to the island. There he was blindfolded.
Only two men accompanied him. They carried something that was very
heavy. My father never knew what the strange shining basket held.
Then the soldiers went away and we came out. No one was allowed on the
island till my father died."

"Did he tell you what it was he helped bury yonder?"

"No, holy one. He was an honorable man. Whatever the secret was, it
passed with him. We were not curious."

"It was the private treasure of the king of Allaha, and the man was the
king himself."

The fisherman salaamed.

"And I am sent, because I am holy, to recover this treasure, which was
willed to the temple of Juggernaut."

"And, holy one, I know not where it is hidden!"

"I do. What I want is the use of your sloop and men I can trust. To
you, as much gold as your hands can hold."

"I will furnish you with men as honest as myself."

"That will be sufficient; and you shall have your gold."

The word of a holy man is never subjected to scrutiny in India.

Umballa was in good humor. Here he was, several hours ahead of his
enemies. He would have the filigree basket dug up and transferred to
the sloop before the Colonel Sahib could reach the village. And
Umballa would have succeeded but for the fact that the wind fell
unaccountably and they lost more than an hour in handling the sloop
with oars.

When the sloop left the primitive landing the chief returned to his hut
and told his wife what had taken place, like the good husband he was.
They would be rich.

Suddenly the child set up a wailing. Through the window she had seen a
bold leopard trot over to the bullock cart and carry away the kid. The
chief at once summoned his remaining men, and they proceeded to set a
trap for the prowler. The cat had already killed one bullock and
injured another. They knew that the beast would not return for some
hours, having gorged itself upon the ki