too."

"My lord has saved my daughter's life, and mine is at his service
henceforth," the man said. "The mouse is a small beast, but he may
warn the lion. The white sahibs are brave and strong. Would one of my
countrymen have ventured his life to attack a tiger, armed only with a
whip, for the sake of the life of a poor wayfarer?"

"Yes, I think there are many who would have done so," Bathurst replied.
"You do your countrymen injustice. There are plenty of brave men among
them, and I have heard before now of villagers, armed only with sticks,
attacking a tiger who has carried off a victim from among them. You
yourself were standing boldly before it when I came up."

"My child was under its feet--besides, I never thought of myself. If
I had had a weapon I should not have drawn it. I had no thought of the
tiger; I only thought that my child was dead. She works with me, sahib;
since her mother died, five years ago, we have traveled together over
the country; she plays while I conjure. She takes round the saucer for
the money, and she acts with me in the tricks that require two persons;
it is she who disappears from the basket. We are everything to each
other, sahib. But what is my lord's name? Will he tell his servant, that
he and Rabda may think of him and talk of him as they tramp the roads
together?"

"My name is Ralph Bathurst. I am District Officer at Deennugghur. How
far are you going this evening?"

"We shall sleep at the first village we come to, sahib; we have walked
many hours today, and this box, though its contents are not weighty,
is heavy to bear. We thought of going down tomorrow to Deennugghur, and
showing our performances to the sahib logue there."

"Very well; but there is one thing--what is your name?"

"Rujub."

"Well, Rujub, if you go on to Deennugghur tomorrow say nothing to anyone
there about this affair with the tiger; it is nothing to talk about. I
am not a shikari, but a hard working official, and I don't want to be
talked about."

"The sahib's wish shall be obeyed," the man said.

"You can come round to my bungalow and ask for me; I shall be glad to
hear whether your daughter is any the worse for her scare. How do you
feel, Rabda?"

"I feel as one in a dream, sahib. I saw a great yellow beast springing
through the air, and I cried out, and knew nothing more till I saw the
sahib's face; and now I have heard him and my father talking, but their
voices sound to me as if far away, thoug