uld be best to keep his
good friend Mahommed Gunga out of it, he decided.

"Risaldar!" The veteran was always most amenable to reason when
addressed by his military title. "Who of us two is senior--thou or I?"

"By Allah, not I, sahib! I am thy servant!"

"I accept your service, and I order you to stay with your men up here
with me!"

Mahommed Gunga saluted and dismounted, and his six followed suit,
looking as disappointed as children just deprived of a vacation. Alwa
wheeled his horse in front of Cunningham and saluted too.

"For that service, sahib, I am thy friend!" he muttered. "That was right
and reasonable, and a judgement quickly given! Thy friend, bahadur!" He
spoke low on purpose, but Mahommed Gunga heard him, caught Cunningham's
eye, and grinned. He saw a way to save his face, at all events.

"That was a trick well turned, sahib!" he whispered, as Alwa moved away.
"Alwa will listen in future when Cunnigan-bahadur speaks!"

"Go down and tell Jaimihr that I come in person!" ordered Alwa, and the
man dropped down the cliff side for the third time; they could hear his
voice, high-pitched, resounding off the rock, and they caught a faint
murmur of the answer. Below, Jaimihr could be seen waiting patiently,
checking his restive war-horse with a long-cheeked bit, and waiting,
ready to ride under the gate the moment it was opened. Rosemary McClean
came over; she and Cunningham and the missionary leaned together over
the battlement and watched.

"We might do some execution with rifles from here," Cunningham
suggested; "I believe I'll send for mine." But Mahommed Gunga overheard
him.

"Nay, sahib! No shooting will be necessary. Watch!"

There was a clatter of hoofs, and they all looked up in time to see the
tails of the last four chargers disappearing round the corner, downward.
They had gone--full pelt--down a path that a man might hesitate to take!
From where they stood, there was an archer's view of every inch of the
only rock-hewn road that led from the gate to the summit of the cliff;
an enemy who had burst the gate in would have had to climb in the teeth
of a searching hail of missiles, with little chance of shooting back.

They could see the gate itself, and Jaimihr on the other side.
And, swooping--shooting--sliding down the trail like a storm-loosed
avalanche, they could see the nine go, led by Alwa. No living creature
could have looked away!

Below, entirely unconscious of the coming shock, the m