ut the fortress. His remarks about the
execution of the prisoners, and the worthlessness of the Chelah
battalions, and so on, was a private conversation, and was only a
matter of opinion. But, supposing he had had some prisoners, and had
said so, we might, for anything he knew, have had orders to inspect
them, and to report about them, as well as about the garrisons and
defences."

"Yes, he might have thought that," Surajah agreed; "but after all, why
should he mind that?"

Dick did not answer for some time. He was trying to think it out.
Presently, he reined in his horse suddenly.

"This might be the reason," he said, excitedly. This governor may be
the very one who we heard had taken my father with him, when he was
moved from that fort up in the north. He was in command at
Kistnagherry before he came here, after the war, and he may have gone
to Kistnagherry from that fort in the north. You see there have been
executions, but they have been those of fresh batches sent up, and the
governor would not include the captive he had brought with him. In
time, his very existence may have been forgotten, and he may still be
living there. That would account for the governor's objection to
answering the question, as he would be sure that, did Tippoo hear
there was a prisoner there, he would send orders for him to be
executed at once.

"This may be all fancy, Surajah, but I cannot think of any other
reason why he should have shirked my question."

He took up the reins again, and the horse at once started forward.
They rode for some little time in silence, Dick thinking the matter
over, again and again, and becoming more and more convinced he was
right; except that, as he admitted to himself, the prisoner whom the
governor wished to shield might not be his father.

He was roused, at last, by Surajah asking the question, "Is there
anything that you would like us to do?"

"Not now," Dick replied. "We could not go back again. We must visit
the other forts on our list, and see what we can find out there. When
we have quite assured ourselves that my father is not in any of them,
we can think this over again; but at present we must put it aside.
However, I sha'n't rest until I get to the bottom of it."

During the next ten days, they inspected the forts of Navandroog,
Sundradroog, Outradroog, and Chitteldroog. Few of these were as
extensive, and none so strong, as Savandroog. They did the official
part of their business, and as