turned his back with a shake of his head and a thin-lipped
smile--then disappeared through a green door in the side of what seemed
like solid rock. A moment later Mahommed Gunga stood near Cunningham,
saluting.

"We ask the favor of a consultation, sahib."

Cunningham rose, a shade regretfully, and followed into the rock-walled
cavern into which Alwa had preceded them. It was nearly square--a hollow
bubble in the age-old lava--axe-trimmed many hundred years ago. What
light there was came in through three long slits that gave an archer's
view of the plain and of the zigzag roadway from the iron gate below.
It was cool, for the rock roof was fifty or more feet thick, and the
silence of it seemed like the nestling-place of peace.

They sat down on wooden benches round the walls, with their soldier legs
stretched out in front of them. Alwa broke silence first, and it was of
anything but peace he spoke.

"Now--now, let us see whose throats we are to slit!" he started
cheerfully.

CHAPTER XXIV

Achilles had a tender spot
That even guarding gods forgot,
When clothing him in armor;
And I have proved this charge o' mine
For fear, and sloth, and vice, and wine,
But clear forgot the charmer!

THE Alwa-sahib knew more English than he was willing to admit. In the
first place, he had the perfectly natural dislike of committing his
thoughts to any language other than his own when anything serious
was the subject of discussion; in the second place, he had little of
Mahommed Gunga's last-ditch loyalty. Not that Alwa could be disloyal;
he had not got it in him; but as yet he had seen no good reason for
pledging himself and his to the British cause.

So for more than ten minutes he chose to sit in apparent dudgeon,
his hands folded in front of him on the hilt of his tremendous sabre,
growling out a monologue in his own language for Mahommed Gunga's
benefit. Then Mahommed Gunga silenced him with an uplifted hand, and
turned to translate to Cunningham.

"It would seem, sahib, that even while we rode to Abu the rebellion was
already raging! It burst suddenly. They have mutinied at Berhampur,
and slain their officers. Likewise at Meerut, and at all the places in
between. At Kohat, in this province they have slain every white man,
woman, and child, and also at Arjpur and Sohlat. The rebels are hurrying
to Delhi, where they have proclaimed new rule, under the descendants
of the