my wiv'
iggernerminny," groaned Trooper Hawker. "Lucky fer 'im floggin's
erbolished in the British Army."

* * * * *

When the mortuary door was unlocked next morning a little force was
required to open it, some obstacle apparently retarding its inward
movement. The obstacle proved to be the body, now certainly the dead
body, of Trooper Priddell who had died with his fingers thrust under
the said door.[26]

PART III.

THE SAVING OF A SOUL

CHAPTER XII.

VULTURES AND LUCK--GOOD AND BAD.

To the strongest and sanest mind there is something a small trifle
disturbing, perhaps, in riding silently hour after hour on a
soft-footed camel over soft sand in a silent empty land through the
moonlit silent night, beside an overland-telegraph wire on every
individual post of which sits a huge vulture!... Just as the sun set,
a fiery red ball, behind the distant mountains, Damocles de Warrenne,
gentleman-at-large, had caught sight of what he had sought in the
desert for some days, the said overland telegraph, and thereby saved
himself from the highly unpleasant death that follows prolonged
deprivation of water. He had also saved his camel from a little
earlier death, inasmuch as he had decided to probe for the faithful
creature's jugular vein and carotid artery during the torturing heats
of the morrow and prolong his life at its expense. (Had he not
promised Lucille to do his best for himself?)

The overland telegraph pointed absolutely straight to the border city
of Kot Ghazi and, better still, to a river-bed which would contain
pools of water, thirty miles this side of it, at a spot a few miles
from which stood a lost lone dak-bungalow on Indian soil--a
dak-bungalow whereat would be waiting a _shikarri_ retainer, and such
things as tea, fuel, potted foods, possibly fresh meat, and luxury of
luxuries, a hot bath....

And, with a sigh of relief, he had wheeled his camel under the
telegraph wires after a glance at the stars and brief calculation as
to whether he should turn to left or right. (He did not want to
proceed until he collapsed under the realization that he was making
for the troubled land of Persia.)

Anyhow, without knowing where he was, he knew he was on the road to
water, food, human companionship (imagine Abdul Ghani a human
companion!--but he had not seen a human face for three weeks, nor
heard nor uttered a word), and safety, after suffering the unpleasant