a very prominent part in clearing your enemies
off."

"Oh, Badshah is a fighter. I daresay if there was a scrap anywhere near him
he'd like to be in it," replied Dermot lightly, and tried to change the
conversation.

But the others insisted on keeping to the subject. They had all been
curious as to the truth of the stories about Dermot's supposed miraculous
power over wild elephants, but no one had ever ventured to question him on
the subject before.

"I suppose you know, Major, that the natives have some wonderful tales
about Badshah?" said a planter.

"Yes; and of you, too, sir," said the young assistant manager. "They think
you both some special brand of gods."

"I'm not surprised," said the Major with assumed carelessness. "They're
ready to deify anything. They will see a god in a stone or a tree. You know
they looked on the famous John Nicholson during the Mutiny as a god, and
made a cult of him. There are still men who worship him."

"They're prepared to do that to you, Major," said Granger frankly. "Barrett
is quite right. They call you the Elephant God."

Dermot laughed and stood up.

"Oh, natives will believe anything," he said. "If you'll excuse me now,
Daleham, I'll turn in--or rather, turn out. I'd like to get some sleep, for
we've an early start before us."

"Yes, we'd better all do the same," said Granger, rising too. "How are you
going to bed us all down, Daleham? Bit of a job, isn't it?"

"We'll manage all right," replied the young host. "I told the servants to
spread all the mattresses and charpoys that they could raise anywhere out
on the verandah and in the spare rooms. I'm short of mosquito curtains,
though. Some of you will get badly bitten tonight."

"I'll go to old Parr's bungalow and steal his," said Granger. "He's too
drunk to feel any 'skeeter biting him."

"I pity the mosquito that does," joined in a young planter laughing. "The
poor insect would die of alcoholic poisoning."

"I've given you my room, Major," said Daleham. "I know the other fellows
won't mind."

No persuasion, however, could make Dermot accept the offer. While
the others slept in the bungalow, he lay under the stars beside his
elephant. The house was wrapped in darkness. In the huts in the compound
the servants still gossiped about the extraordinary events of the day,
but gradually they too lay down and pulled their blankets over their
heads, and all was silence. But a few hundred yards away a lamp still
burne