e servants
of the hospital go across to the tent of the officer who had killed my
comrade. He came over and went into the hospital tent. I felt sure that
it was the wounded man who had sent for him. He was in there some time.
Presently a soldier came out and went to the tent of the wounded man,
and returned bringing a musket. Then I said to myself, 'The god has
blinded us. He wills that we shall go through many more toils before we
regain the bracelet.' Doubtless the man had carried the bracelet in his
musket all the time, and we, blind that we were, had never thought of
it.

"Presently the officer came out again. I noticed that as he did so he
looked round on all sides as if to see if he were watched. Then I knew
that it was as I had thought: the soldier had given the bracelet to him.
At this I was pleased; it would be far more easy to search the tent of
an officer than of a soldier, who sleeps surrounded by his comrades. I
thought that there was no hurry now; it would need but patience, and
I should be sure to find them. I had not calculated that he would
have better opportunities than the soldier for going about, and that,
doubtless, the soldier had warned him of his danger. Two hours later the
officer mounted his horse and rode towards the camp of another regiment,
a mile and a quarter away. There was nothing in that; but I watched for
his return all that day and all that night, and when he did not come
back, I felt that he was doing something to get rid of the diamonds.

"He was away three days, and when he returned I was almost sure that he
had not the diamonds about him. As he had ridden off he had looked about
just as he had when he left the hospital: he was uneasy, just as if he
was watched; now he was uneasy no longer. Then I knew that my search
would be a long one, and might fail altogether. I went away, and for
three months I prayed and fasted; then I returned. I bought different
clothes, I painted my forehead with another caste mark, then I bought
from the servant of an officer in another regiment his papers of
service: recommendations from former masters. Then I went to the
officer--you will guess, sahib, that it was the Major, your uncle--and I
paid his servant to leave his service, and to present me as a brother
of his who had been accustomed to serve white sahibs, and was, like
himself, a good servant; so I took his place.

"He was a good master, and I came to love him, though I knew that I
might yet