He was as dark as she was fair. And when he was standing on the ground she
had seen that he was well above middle height with a lithe and graceful
figure displayed to advantage by his careless costume of loose khaki shirt
and Jodpur breeches. The breadth of his shoulders denoted strength, and his
rolled-up sleeves showed muscular arms burned dark by the sun.

"How did you manage to come up just at the right moment to rescue me?" she
asked. "I have not thanked you yet for saving me, but I do so now most
heartily. I can't tell you how grateful I feel. I am sure, no matter what
you say, that those elephants would have killed me if you hadn't come."

Dermot laughed.

"I'm afraid I cannot pose as a heroic rescuer. I daresay there might have
been some danger to you, had I not been with them. For one can never tell
what elephants will do. Out of sheer nervousness and fright they might have
attacked you."

"You were with them?" she echoed in surprise. "But you said that these were
wild ones."

"So they are. But this animal we are on is a tame one and was captured
years ago in the jungle about here. I think he must have belonged to this
particular herd, for they accept him as one of themselves."

"Yes; but you?"

"Oh, they have made me a sort of honorary member of the herd for his sake,
I think. He and I are great pals," and Dermot laid his hand affectionately
on Badshah's head. "He saved my life not long ago when I was attacked by a
vicious rogue."

Noreen suddenly remembered the conversation at the club lunch.

"Oh, are you the officer from the Fort up at Ranga Duar?" she asked.

"One of them. I am commanding the detachment of Military Police there," he
answered. "My name is Dermot."

"Then I've heard of you. I understand now. They said that you could do
wonderful things with wild elephants, that you went about the forest with a
herd of them."

"_They_ said?" he exclaimed. "Who are 'they'?"

"The men at the club. We have a planters' club for the district, you know.
At our last weekly meeting they spoke of you and said that you had nearly
been killed by a rogue. Mr. Payne told us that he used to know you."

"What? Payne of Salchini? I knew him well. Awfully good chap."

"Yes, isn't he? I like him so much."

"I saw a lot of him when I was stationed at Buxa Duar with my Double
Company. Hullo! here we are at a tea-garden."

They had suddenly come out of the forest on to the open stretch of furrowed
land plante