to accept dishonour, bared their bosoms to the spears of those they
loved, husbands, brothers, and fathers, and so they died."

With hands outstretched and eyes upraised in rapt pride and reverence
for the deeds of his ancestors, again the Rajput fell into momentary
silence.

"The story of the little maid." It was the voice of the physician
recalling the narrator to his task.

"Yes, the story of the little maid," resumed the Rajput. "As I have
said, we had gone to the hunt one morning--a party of twelve, riding on
three elephants. For we were in pursuit of a tiger, a destroyer of men,
which the villagers had marked down in a patch of jungle by the river
side. Of the hunt I need say nothing; we killed the tiger, and, with the
huge, striped body slung across the neck of my elephant, we were
returning home. It was toward evening, for we had rested in the forest
during the heat of the day.

"We were just entering the narrow gorge that leads to the fort on the
hill, when, right on the pathway before me, I saw the prone figure of a
child. Almost my elephant's feet were upon it before the sage brute
himself stopped and trumpeted a warning to us in the howdah, for, the
tiger's body occupying the place where the mahout was wont to ride, the
latter was walking, and he, too, had not noticed the tiny bundle of
bright yellow clothing lying on the road.

"Glancing down, I beheld a little girl with her forehead touching the
dust. At my calling she arose, and spread her hands across her breast.

"'Listen, O chief, to my warning, listen, O my lord,' she called out in
a shrill tone of supplication. Already had I observed that her face was
one of great beauty, although that of just a little child, but six or
seven years old.

"The other two elephants had halted behind mine, and some of the party
had descended. But at the approach of these men the maid shrank away,
and, keeping her eyes fixed in my direction, she continued to address
me:

"'Listen to my words, O chief, and be saved from death.'

"In another moment I had sprung to the ground. As I advanced the child
ran toward me, absolutely fearless. Taking her in my arms, I sat me down
by the roadside. Close to my breast she nestled, and, with sobs and
tears now, told me her story.

"A robber band was in the nullah--less than a mile further along--full a
hundred strong, fierce men and murderers. For they had already slain the
father and the mother of the little maid, humble wo