onstrances
would have tried to fight his way through the border guards, although in
his saner moments he knew that it would be sheer madness.

Besides danger from human enemies the two men were menaced by peril from
wild beasts as well. Panthers prowled among the hills, great Himalayan
bears, a blow from the paw of one of which would crack a man's skull,
wandered on the jungle-clad slopes and, though not carnivorous, were
always ready to attack human beings. Herds of wild elephants, which had
scaled the mountains into Bhutan at the beginning of the Monsoon to
reach the northern face of the Himalayas and escape the heavy rains that
deluge the southern slopes and also to avoid the insects that plague
them in the jungle at that season, were commencing to return to the
Terai. Often Wargrave and Tashi had to climb trees to let a herd go by;
and each time as he watched them the subaltern thought longingly of
Colonel Dermot and Badshah. If he had them to help him how easily he
could burst the barrier between him and the land that held the girl whom
he loved and who needed him so!

Late one afternoon, as the two men were making their way through bamboo
jungle at the foot of high cliffs close to a pass into Ghutan which they
had not yet attempted, they blundered into the middle of a herd of
elephants feeding. There was no tree in which they could take refuge,
and before they were able to make their escape they found themselves
surrounded on every side. A number of cow-elephants, which, having young
calves with them, were very savage, pressed threateningly towards the
men, who tried to force their way into the dense growths of the bamboos
and so put a frail barrier between themselves and the menacing beasts.
They knew that their pistols would be useless, and they had already
given themselves up for lost when the huge animals which were apparently
about to charge them, suddenly stopped and drew aside to allow a
monstrous bull-elephant to pass through. It was a single-tusker, and it
advanced steadily towards the men. Frank stared at it incredulously.
Could it be----? Yes, it was. He was sure of it. It was Badshah.

And the elephant knew him and came towards him. In the sudden revulsion
of feeling and his relief at knowing that they were safe Frank almost
lost his head. A mad hope surged through him. He stretched out his arms
imploringly to the great beast and cried impulsively:

"Oh, Badshah! _Hum-ko madad do_! (Help us!)"

To