ss, sir,
and never did I see a man so down in the mouth when he knowed what was
under it. 'T'ent nothing at all, sir; just three letters; and what for he
went and burnt them three letters into the back of his hand 'twould beat
a Daniel to explain.

"'F u r,' sir, that's what they spells; but whether 'tis rabbit skin or
fox I can't say, though 'tis most likely fox, knowing the man."

Desmond stooped and looked at the unclad right hand. The letters F U R
were branded livid below the knuckles.

"He was always quoting Latin, Bulger," he said. "'Fur' is a Latin word:
it means 'thief.'"

"Which I might have knowed it, sir, only I think as how the man that did
the stampin' might have done it in plain English. I don't hold with these
foreign lingos, sir; there allers seems something sly and deceivin' about
em. No right man 'ud ever think 'fur' meant 'thief'! Thief an' all, sir,
he's dead. Mr. Toley and me'll put him away decent like: and it won't do
him no harm if we just says 'Our Father' over the grave."

Desmond was turning away when three of his men came into the compound,
two grasping a Frenchman by the arms, the third a black boy. The former
Desmond recognized as the man whom he had seen expostulating with Diggle;
the latter was Scipio Africanus, looking scared and miserable.

The men explained that, pursuing the fugitives, they had captured their
prisoners in the grove. The Frenchman at once addressed Desmond in broken
English. He said that he had tried in vain to dissuade Diggle from his
attempt to capture the ladies. The party had been sent in advance by
Monsieur Law to announce his coming. He was at Patna with a considerable
body of French corps designed for the support of the Nawab. As he was
speaking the Frenchman caught sight of Diggle's exposed hand. He started,
with an exclamation of surprise. Then in answer to Desmond's question he
revealed the secret that had so long perplexed him.

Seven years before, he said, in December, 1750, there was a brilliant
foreigner named Peloti among the officers of Major de la Touche, a young
soldier who had been singled out by Dupleix, the French Governor of
Pondicherry, as a military genius of the first order. Peloti was with the
French army when, less than four thousand in number, it fell upon the
vast hordes of Nadir Jang near Gingi and won the battle that set Muzaffar
Jang on the throne of the Deccan and marked the zenith of Dupleix's
success. The new Nawab, in gratitu