se he had
shot and wounded a great monkey, the king of his people.

In the next few minutes Skag missed nothing, though his surface
faculties were merely winding spools, compared to the activity of a
great machine within. He grasped that A. V. stood for Alfred Vernon,
the girl's cousin, a young man recently from England. . . . Yes, A. V.
had occasionally gone into the jungle with a light rifle. Sometimes he
had brought in a wild duck, or a grey _marhatta_ hare; once a
black-horned gazelle, but usually a parrot, a peacock or a jay. . . .
Yes, sometimes he had been gone for hours. . . . Yes, she had told him
about the evil and also the danger of shooting monkeys.

Skag now recalled the young man with the rifle--a well-fed,
well-groomed, well-educated young Englishman, thoroughly qualified
sometime, to make a successful civil engineer and a career and fortune
for himself in India.

The girl apparently had not seen Skag so far. The pandit had called
her Gul Moti-ji. So this was the Rose Pearl--the unattainable! . . .
And now the pandit informed her that though the cousin might be
scornful, it would only be because he was foolish with the foolishness
of the ignorant.

"But I am not scornful. I understand--" the girl said. "I am only
considering swiftly what can be done."

"They are waiting the death of the great monkey--"

The girl's eyes were filled with shadows and great energies also.

"If his life could be saved?"

"Then his life could be saved, Gul Moti-ji," the pandit replied
briefly, but Skag knew he meant the life of the cousin.

"Is it far?"

"Yes, two hours' walk."

Someone within the door of the bungalow now spoke, saying: "Carlin,
dear, I may be a bit late--you must not be troubled about me."

The girl answered the voice within. . . . So her name was also Carlin.
She had many names surely, but Skag liked this last one best. She
turned to the pandit now, speaking slowly:

"Did one of the priests of Hanuman come to you with this story--just
now?"

"Yes, Gul Moti-ji."

"Is he waiting?"

"Yes."

"Will he take me--to the place of the wounded one?"

The pandit considered. Skag felt very sure that the priest would do
this.

"I will ask him. I can do no more. If the monkey still lives--your
cousin's only hope will be in your healing power, Hakima."

"Wait--I will go with you, now."

Skag released his breath deeply when she had re-entered. Apparently
she had not seen him so far.