FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  
d. "Thy service is dishonor and my ears are deaf to it! Now, speak! Hast thou a message? Who is it sends a rat to bring me news?" "Ali Partab." "Soho! And who is Ali Partab? He needs to learn manners. He has come to a stern school for them!" "Sahib--great one--Prince of swordsmen!--Ali Partab is Mahommed Gunga-sahib's man. He bid me say that he is held a prisoner in a bear-cage in Jaimihr's palace and needs aid." Alwa's black beard dropped onto his chest as he frowned in thought. He had nine men with him. Jaimihr had by this time, perhaps, as many as nine thousand, for no one knew but Jaimihr and the priests how many in the district waited to espouse his cause. The odds seemed about as stupendous as any that a man of his word had ever been called upon to take. A moment more, and without consulting any one, he bade one of his men dismount. "Put that hag on thy horse!" he commanded. "Mount thou behind another!" The order was obeyed. Another Rangar took the led horse, and Joanna found herself, perched like a monkey on a horse that objected to the change of riders, between two troopers whose iron-thewed legs squeezed hers into the saddle. "To Howrah City!" ordered Alwa, starting off at an easy, desert-eating amble; and without a word of comment, but with downward glances at their swords and a little back-stiffening which was all of excitement that they deigned to show, his men wheeled three and three behind him. It was no affair of Alwa's that a full moon shone that night--none of his arranging that on that one night of the month Jaimihr and his most trusted body-guard should go with the priests and the Maharajah to inspect the treasure. Alwa was a soldier, born to take instant advantage of chance--sent opportunity; Jaimihr was a schemer, born to indecision and the cunning that seeks underhanded means but overlooks the obvious. Because the streets were full of men whose allegiance was doubtful yet, because he himself would be too occupied to sit like a spider in a web and watch the intentions of the crowd unfold, Jaimihr had turned out every retainer to his name, and had scattered them about the city, with orders, if they were needed, to rally on a certain point. He did think that at any minute a disturbance might break out which would lead to civil war, and he saw the necessity for watchfulness at every point; but he did not see the rather obvious necessity for leaving more than twenty men on guard i
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126  
127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Jaimihr
 

Partab

 

obvious

 

necessity

 

priests

 
arranging
 
needed
 

twenty

 
trusted
 

Maharajah


disturbance

 

orders

 
stiffening
 

comment

 
glances
 

swords

 
excitement
 
inspect
 

affair

 

wheeled


eating

 

deigned

 

desert

 

downward

 

soldier

 

doubtful

 

watchfulness

 

allegiance

 

unfold

 

spider


occupied

 
intentions
 

streets

 

Because

 

chance

 
retainer
 

opportunity

 
scattered
 

instant

 
advantage

schemer
 

overlooks

 
turned
 
leaving
 

minute

 

indecision

 
cunning
 

underhanded

 
treasure
 

Joanna