holding the gold
of the sun till they looked like a continuous chain of gilded temples
and tapering pagodas. For hours the road lay over hard basaltic rocks
and white limestone; then again it was a sea of white sand they
traversed with its blinding eye-stinging glare.

At night, when they camped, Barlow had a fresh insight into the fine
courtesy, the rough nobility that breeds into the bone of men who live
by the sword and ride where they will. The Pindaris built their
camp-fires to one side, and two of them came to where the Sahib bad
spread his blankets near the _tonga_ and built a circle of smudge-fires
from chips of camel-dung to keep away the flies. Then they went back
to their fellows, and when Barlow had pulled the blanket over himself
to sleep the clamour of voices where the horsemen sat was hushed.

And Bootea had been treated like a princess. At each village that they
passed some would ride in and rejoin the cavalcade with fowl, and eggs,
and fruit, and sugar cane, and fresh vegetables; and a mention of
payment would only draw a frown, an exclamation of, "_Shookur_! these
are but gifts from Allah. There has been more than payment that we
have not cut off the _kotwal's_ head, not even demanded a peep at the
money chest. We are looked upon as men who confer favours."

It was the second day one of the horses in the _tonga_ showing
lameness, or perhaps even weariness, for the yoke of the _tonga_ across
their backs did not ride with the ease of a man, the jamadar went into
a village and came forth with his men leading two well-fed horses.
Again when Barlow spoke of pay for them the jamadar answered, "We will
leave these two with the unbelievers, and a message, in the name of
Allah, that when we return if the horses we leave are not treated like
those of the Sultan there will be throats slit. _Bismillah_! but it is
a fair way of treating these unbelievers; they should be grateful."

The road ran through the large towns of Bhopal and Sehore, and at each
place Jamadar Jemla explained to all and sundry of the officials that
the Patan, meaning Barlow, was a trusted officer with Sindhia and they
were escorting a favourite for Sindhia's harem. It was a plausible
story, and avoided interference, for while the Pindaris might be turned
back if there was a force handy, to interfere with a lady of the King's
harem might bring a horde of cut-throat Mahrattas down on them with a
snipping off of official heads.

On