our, and I warrant thou findest his
service more to thy taste than that of him thou wast wont to serve--the
accursed Feringhi."

The khansaman looked at him sharply.

"What knowest thou--a banijara from the hills, if my eyes see aright--of
whom I served?" he said.

"Thy excellent darwan is a friend of mine," replied Ahmed, "and he has
told me one or two things. How thy heart must have rejoiced when thy old
master and all his family met their fate! Didst thou have a hand in it?"

"Would that I had!" said the khansaman, with fervour. "Would that all
the dogs of Feringhis were even as that dog of a sahib under whose yoke
I groaned!"

"'Tis beyond doubt that all his family were slain? Had he many sons?"

"None, save the child that now learns the vile learning of the Feringhis
far over sea."

"That is pity. Maybe he had daughters?"

"One pale-faced thing, of no account."

"Without doubt she is dead also. Though indeed it is said that some of
the Feringhis' women escaped, being preserved by some unworthy children
of the Prophet. Even as I came hither I beheld such a pale-faced thing
in the palki of a zamindar; not that I saw her, the palki being closed;
but it was told me by the palki-wallahs. She had been seized out of the
hands of her ayah and khitmutgar as she sought safety."

Ahmed watched the khansaman narrowly as he said this; but there was no
change in the man's expression. It was that of complete indifference.

"I perceive we are drawing near to the great one's house," he continued.
"Salaam aleikam!"

In a small lean-to off the stable of the serai, Ahmed fastened the hook
he had bought to a short length of rope, and wound this about his body
beneath his outer garment. Just after sunset he issued forth, carrying a
lathi, and made his way across the Chandni Chauk to the narrow lane
which ran past the back of Minghal's house. When he reached the spot at
which he had descended from the colonnade, he unwound the rope, and
raised it by means of the lathi until it rested on the top of the wall.
Then he climbed up the rope, and having disengaged the hook, let himself
down on the other side by means of the lathi; he laid his simple
apparatus in a corner under the colonnade. While doing this he kept a
wary eye on the servants' quarters that looked on to the garden, taking
care to dodge the beam of light that issued from the kitchen, where, no
doubt, preparations were being made for Minghal Khan's evening meal.
Th