," he answered to Cunningham's
unspoken question.

Cunningham held out his right hand, and the missionary shook it.

"Hold the lamp, please," said Cunningham, and Mahommed Gunga seized it.
Then Cunningham took paper and a pencil and read aloud the answer that
he wrote to Byng-bahadur. He wrote it in Greek characters for fear lest
it might fall into the enemy's hands and be too well understood.

"I can be with you in one week, sir, and perhaps sooner. Unless we are
all killed in the meantime we should number more than fifteen hundred
when we come. Expect either all or none of us. The situation here is
critical, but our course seems clear, and we ought to pull through.
Mahommed Gunga sends salaams. Your obedient servant,

"RALPH CUNNINGHAM."

"Would God I could see the clear course!" laughed Alwa.

"Call the Sikh, please."

The Sikh came running, and Cunningham gave him the folded note.

"Have you a horse for him, Alwa-sahib?"

"That has been attended to, sahib," the Sikh answered. "The Alwa-sahib
has given me a wonder of a horse."

"Very well, then, Jaidev Singh. Watch your chance. Go to the parapet,
and when you see by their lanterns that the cavalry below have ridden
off, then race for all you're worth with that news for Byng-bahadur!"

"Salaam, sahib!" said the Sikh.

"Salaam, Jaidev Singh. And now hide, every-body! Don't let Jaimihr get
the impression that we're playing with him."

A little later Miss McClean led Jaimihr through a passage in the rock,
off which axe-hewn cells led on either side, to the far side of the
summit, where the parapet was higher but the wall was very much less
sheer. The Prince's arms were still too sore from the wrenching he
received when they took him prisoner for him to dare trust himself hand
over hand on a rope; she had to make the rope fast beneath his armpits,
and then lower him slowly, taking two turns with the rope round the
waist of a brass cannon. The Prince fended himself off the ragged wall
with hands and feet, and called up instructions to her as loudly as he
dared.

It was a tremendous drop. For the last fifty or more feet the wall rose
straight, overhung by a ridge that rasped the rope. And the rope proved
fifteen feet or more too short. Rosemary paid out as much of it as she
dared, and then made the end fast round the cannon, leaning over to see
whether Jaimihr would have sense enough or skill enough to cut himself
f