s in it, as surely as if she were
present. Roderick Deal had proved to be a man to respect; and to love,
secretly . . . "the guardianship of an elder brother."

Looking back, he saw that Poona City was beautiful, lying close against
the eastern side of the Ghats, just as they begin to fold away toward
the plains. No breath of plague or pestilence from Bombay could reach
across the ramparts of that mountain range.

The air was getting hotter every minute; but it was good. The vistas
stretched far--all satisfying. Bhanah said the monsoon was close.
"Beneficence"; the Indian idea of a deluge. He liked it all.

They came up into the hills through some stretches of stiff climbing;
and on the margin of a broad shelf Skag stopped for breath. The
panorama behind had widened and extended immensely. The face of a
planet seemed to reach from his feet across to the eastern horizon,
descending. He sat down on a flat rock and Nels comfortably extended
himself near by.

It was all good. The great golden jewel back in his heart, full of
afterglows--Carlin. The finding of a real man. The ways, the
reservations, the revelations, of Bhanah. The beauty and character of
the dog at his foot . . .

Nels had lifted his head. His eyes were fixed intently on the empty
white distances of the sky. His pointed ears were set at a queer
angle. There was nothing unusual to be seen, nothing Skag himself
could hear. He paid closer attention; and presently, began to get a
perfume. It was the great, good earth-smell; richer and fuller every
minute.

Then Nels stood up and faced the southeast. Skag looked where the dog
seemed to be looking. Along the horizon line he saw an edge of dark
grey. No, the horizon line was cut; this thing lay against the earth
as straight as the blade of a knife.

Now Skag began to feel something in the air. He couldn't recognise it,
nor define it, but it was imperative--some kind of urge. There was the
sense of emergency, perfectly clear; so much that he turned and looked
about, listening for a call. He thought of Carlin; could she be in any
need? He was glad she wasn't here; this was a good place to get away
from . . . Ah, that was it! _The urge to run_.

"How is it, Nels, old man, does the great monsoon make us feel like
moving?"

Nels stood like a thing carved out of solid pewter. He did not hear.
He faced the southeast. But Skag understood why the animals were due
to make a procession;