you Brahmins say, protect him. I think evil
will come to us if we harm him. And can we? Did he not lie down with the
hooded death itself, a cobra, young, active, full of venom, and rise
unhurt?"

"True. But perhaps the snake had escaped from the bed before the
_Feringhi_ entered it," said the _Dewan_ meditatively.

"To guard against that, did they not fasten the _karait_ in his shoe?"

"He may have discovered it in time," said the engineer. "Englishmen fear
snakes greatly and always look out for them."

"Ha! and did he not eat and drink the poisoned meal prepared for him by our
skilfullest physician?"

There was no answer to this. The mystery of Dermot's escape from death was
beyond their understanding.

"There is certainly something strange about him," said Chunerbutty. "At
least, so it is reported in our district, though to me he seems a fool. But
there all races and castes fear him. Curious tales are told of him. Some
say that _Gunesh_, the Elephant-headed One, protects him. Others hold that
he is _Gunesh_ himself. Can it be so?"

The _Dewan_ smiled.

"Since when hast thou believed in the gods again?" he asked.

"Well, it is hard to know what is true or false. If there be no gods,
perhaps there are devils. My Christian friends are more impressed by the
latter."

The Rajah shook his head doubtfully.

"Perhaps he is a devil. Who knows? They told me that he summoned a host of
devils in the form of elephants to slay my soldiers. Pah! it is all
nonsense. There are no such things."

With startling distinctness the shrill trumpeting of an elephant rang
through the room.

"Mother Kali preserve me!" shrieked the superstitious Rajah, flinging
himself in terror on his face. "That was no mortal elephant. Was it
_Gunesh_ that spoke?" He lifted his head timidly. "It is a warning. Spare
the _Feringhi_. Let him go."

"Spare him? Knowest thou, O Maharaj, that the girl thou dost desire loves
him? But an hour ago I heard her tell him that she wished to speak with him
alone," said Chunerbutty.

"Alone with him? The shameless one! Curses on him! Let him die," cried the
jealous Rajah, his fright forgotten.

The _Dewan_ smiled.

"There was no need to fear the cry of that elephant," he said. "It was your
favourite, Shiva-_ji_. He is seized with the male-madness. They have penned
him in the stone-walled enclosure yonder. He killed his _mahout_ this
morning."

"Killed Ebrahim? Curse him! If he had not cost me twenty th