d. "Thy service is dishonor and my ears are deaf to
it! Now, speak! Hast thou a message? Who is it sends a rat to bring me
news?"

"Ali Partab."

"Soho! And who is Ali Partab? He needs to learn manners. He has come to
a stern school for them!"

"Sahib--great one--Prince of swordsmen!--Ali Partab is Mahommed
Gunga-sahib's man. He bid me say that he is held a prisoner in a
bear-cage in Jaimihr's palace and needs aid."

Alwa's black beard dropped onto his chest as he frowned in thought. He
had nine men with him. Jaimihr had by this time, perhaps, as many as
nine thousand, for no one knew but Jaimihr and the priests how many
in the district waited to espouse his cause. The odds seemed about as
stupendous as any that a man of his word had ever been called upon to
take.

A moment more, and without consulting any one, he bade one of his men
dismount.

"Put that hag on thy horse!" he commanded. "Mount thou behind another!"

The order was obeyed. Another Rangar took the led horse, and Joanna
found herself, perched like a monkey on a horse that objected to the
change of riders, between two troopers whose iron-thewed legs squeezed
hers into the saddle.

"To Howrah City!" ordered Alwa, starting off at an easy, desert-eating
amble; and without a word of comment, but with downward glances at their
swords and a little back-stiffening which was all of excitement that
they deigned to show, his men wheeled three and three behind him.

It was no affair of Alwa's that a full moon shone that night--none of
his arranging that on that one night of the month Jaimihr and his most
trusted body-guard should go with the priests and the Maharajah to
inspect the treasure. Alwa was a soldier, born to take instant advantage
of chance--sent opportunity; Jaimihr was a schemer, born to indecision
and the cunning that seeks underhanded means but overlooks the obvious.
Because the streets were full of men whose allegiance was doubtful yet,
because he himself would be too occupied to sit like a spider in a web
and watch the intentions of the crowd unfold, Jaimihr had turned out
every retainer to his name, and had scattered them about the city, with
orders, if they were needed, to rally on a certain point.

He did think that at any minute a disturbance might break out which
would lead to civil war, and he saw the necessity for watchfulness at
every point; but he did not see the rather obvious necessity for
leaving more than twenty men on guard i