information as to
the approaches that would assist an assailing force.

"I do not say that all are killed, though undoubtedly most of them are
put to death soon after they arrive; but it may be that some are
retained in confinement, either from no orders being sent for their
execution, or from their very existence being, in time, forgotten by
the tyrant here. Some of these may languish in dungeons, others may
have gained the goodwill of the commanders of the fort--for even among
the Mohammedans there are doubtless many good and merciful men.

"Now for the present. This house has but one storey in front, but
there is a room over this, and that is at your service. Furniture it
has none, but I will, this evening, get a couple of trusses of straw.
It is but a loft, but you will not want to use it, save to sleep in.
You need not fear interruption in this house. There is scarce a man
here that is not, like myself, a Hindoo, for when we were brought here
from Mysore, the piece of ground on which the street stands was
assigned to us, and we were directed to build houses here. Few besides
ourselves ever enter it, for those who still carry on trade have
booths in the marketplace.

"There is one thing I will tell you at once. We, the persecuted, have
means of recognising each other. Outward signs there are none, neither
caste mark nor peculiarity of dress; but we know each other by signs.
When we salute, we turn in the thumbs as we raise our hands to our
turbans--so. If we have no occasion to salute, as we move our hands,
either to stroke our faces, or to touch the handles of our daggers, or
in other way, we keep the thumb turned in. If the man be one of
ourselves, he replies in the same way. Then, to prevent the
possibility of error, the one asks the other a question--on what
subject it matters not, providing that before he speaks, he coughs
slightly.

"You must remember that such communication is not made lightly. Were
it to be so, it would soon attract notice. It is used when you want to
know whether you can trust a man. It is as much as to say, 'Are you a
friend? Can I have confidence in you? Will you help me?'--and you can
see that there are many occasions on which such knowledge may be most
useful, even to the saving of life."

"I do indeed see it," Dick said, "and greatly are we indebted to you
for telling us of it."

They remained talking with their host, whose name was, he told them,
Pertaub, until darkness came o