l, if that's true, what you said won't make him vain. This
information is valuable: you see that. Have you heard anything more from
the lad?"

"Nothing, sir."

"And you can't communicate with him?"

"No, 'twas a part of his scheme never to let me know his whereabouts, in
case the messages miscarried."

"So; 'twas his scheme, not yours?"

"Egad, sir, I've no head for that sort of thing," said Killpatrick with a
laugh. "Give me a company, and a wall to scale or a regiment to charge,
and--"

"My dear fellow," interrupted Clive, "we all know the king has no better
officer. Credit where credit is due, major, and you're not the man to
grudge this youngster his full credit for an uncommonly daring and clever
scheme. Did you see him in his disguise?"

"I did, sir, and at a distance he took in both Mr. Merriman and myself."

"Well, he's a boy to keep an eye on, and I only hope that tigers or
dacoits or the Nawab's Moors won't get hold of him; he's the kind of lad
we can't spare. Now, let me know the state of your troops."

When he had sent off his note to Major Killpatrick, Desmond enjoyed a
short spell on deck preparatory to turning in. Hossain was placidly
smoking his hubblebubble; from the far bank of the Hugli came the mingled
sounds of tom toms and other instruments; near the boat all was quiet,
the wavelets of the stream lapping idly against the sides, the stillness
broken only by the occasional howl of a jackal prowling near the bank in
quest of the corpses of pious Hindus consigned to the sacred waters of
the Ganges.

Desmond was half dozing when he was startled into wakefulness by a sudden
clamor from the native town. He heard shots, loud cries, the hideous
blare of the Bengal trumpets. For half an hour the shouts continued
intermittently; then they gradually died away.

Wondering whether the tamasha had ended in a tumult, Desmond was about to
seek his couch, when, just beneath him, as it seemed, he heard a voice--a
feeble cry for help. He sprang up and looked over the side. Soon a dark
head appeared on the water. With a cry to the serang to cast loose and
row after him, Desmond took a header into the stream, and with a few
strokes gained the drowning man's side.

He was clearly exhausted. Supporting him with one arm, Desmond struck out
with the other, and being a strong swimmer he reached the stern of the
boat even before the serang had slipped his moorings. With Hossain's aid
he lifted the man into