or not; but Sunni knew
that the river was low. As a matter of fact he had only about five
feet to drop, and he went very comfortably into a thick bed of wet
sand. Nor was anything known of his going in Lalpore until
daybreak, when one of the palace sweepers found the end of a blue
and gold turban flapping about the south balcony; and Moti, who
often went early to tell his dreams to Sunni, brought the Maharajah
a parcel.

CHAPTER X

'What's this?' said Colonel Starr, looking up from his camp table,
where he was writing a final message for translation to the
Maharajah. The sun was on the point of rising, the air was crisp,
and the sky was splendid. Lalpore, on her buttressed slope, sat as
proud and as silent as ever; but something like a blue ribbon
floated from the south wall over the river.

'What's this?' said Colonel Starr, with the deepest possible
astonishment.

'Pris'ner, sir,' answered Thomas Jones, saluting.

'WHAT?' said the Colonel. 'Nonsense! Where did you get him?'

'Beg pardon, sir. Peters were on duty, sir, at the second outpost,
sir. It were about two hours ago as far as I could judge, sir, not
'avin' the time by me. Peters seed pris'ner a-comin' strite fer
the camp across the sands from the river, sir. Peters sings out
"Oo goes?" H'AND there been no notiss took, pints, sir.'

'Yes,' interposed Sunni, composedly, in his best English, 'he did.
But he did not fire. And that was well, for he might have hit me.
I am not broken.'

'Go on, Jones,' said the Colonel. 'This is very queer.'

'Pris'ner were about ten yards off, sir, 'an, as 'e says, Peters
MIGHT 'a hit 'im,' said Sergeant Jones, with solemn humour, 'but
afore he'd made up 'is mind to fire, 'e'd come so close Peters saw
'ow small he was, an' therefore didn't, sir.'

'Quite right,' remarked Sunni. 'Peters might have killed me.'

The Colonel nodded. He was looking with absorbed interest into
Sunni's eyes. He came out of his instant of abstraction with a
start, while Jones went on with respectful volubility.

'Beggin' pardon, sir, Peters says as 'ow 'e were all struck of a
heap, sir, at 'earin' the young 'un call out in English, sir, an'
bein' so light complected fer a native, sir, an' even lighter in
that light, Peters didn't rightly know wot 'e might be firin' at,
sir. Peters do be a bit superstitious.'

'Peters took him then, I suppose?' The Colonel smiled ironically.

'Beggin' YOUR pardon, sir, it was rathe