"I'm ghastly tired,
Beth. I'll come back to you."

"Yes, India is enervating," she commented in a flat tone.

Barlow had a curious impression that the girl's grey eyes had turned
yellow as she made this observation.

"Ah, Captain, glad you've come," Hodson said, rising and extending a
hand across a flat-topped desk. "I'm--I'm--well--pull a chair. This
is one Ajeet Singh," and he drooped slightly his thin, lean, bald head
toward the Bagree Chief, who stood stiff and erect, one arm in a sling.

At this, Ajeet, knowing it for an informal introduction, put his hand
to his forehead, and said, "Salaam, Sahib."

"_Tulwar_ play, sir, and an appeal for protection to the British, eh?"
and Barlow indicated the arm in the sling.

Still speaking in English Hodson said: "As to that,--" he pursed his
thin lips,--"something dreadful has happened; this man has been mixed
up in a decoity and has come for protection; he wants to turn Approver."

"The usual thing; when these cut-throats are likely to be caught they
turn Judas; to save their own necks they offer a sacrifice of their
comrades."

"Yes," the Resident affirmed, "but I'm glad he came. Perhaps we had
better just sit tight and let him go on--he's only nicely started.
I've practically promised him that if what he confesses is of service
to His Excellency's government I will give him our conditional pardon,
and use what influence I have with the Peshwa. But I fancy that old
Baji Rao is mixed up in it himself."

He turned to the decoit: "Commence again, and tell the truth; and if I
believe, you may be given protection from the British; but as to
Sindhia I have no power to protect his criminals."

The decoit cleared his throat and began: "I, Ajeet Singh, hold
allegiance to the Raja of Karowlee, and am Chief of the Bagrees, who
are decoits."

The Resident held up his hand: "Have patience." He rose, and took from
a little cabinet a small alabaster figure of _Kali_ which he placed
upon the table, saying in English to Barlow, "When these decoits
confess to be made Approvers, half of the confession is lies, for to
swear them on our Bible is as little use as playing a tin whistle. If
he's a Bagree this is his goddess."

In Hindi he said: "Ajeet Singh, if you are a Bagree decoit you are in
the protection of Bhowanee, and you make oath to her."

"Yes, Sahib."

"This is Bhowanee,--that is your name for Kali,--and with obeisance to
her make oath that you will tell the