must have been too
strong."

"It was strong, no doubt," Bathurst said; "but if she had put it on as I
instructed her it could only have burnt the surface of the skin."

"It has burnt her dreadfully, sahib; even I should hardly have known
her. She must be brave indeed to have done it. She must have suffered
dreadfully; but I obtained some ointment for her, and she was better
when I left her. She is with the wife of the Sahib Hunter."

"Now, Rabda, see if the meal is prepared," Rujub said. "We are both
hungry, and you can have eaten nothing this morning."

He then left the room, leaving Bathurst to read the letters which he
still held in his hand, feeling that they were too precious to be looked
at until he was alone.

It was some time before Rabda brought in his breakfast, and, glancing at
him, she saw how deeply he had been moved by the letters. She went up to
him and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"We will get her for you, sahib. We have been successful so far, be
assured that we shall succeed again. What we have done is more difficult
than what we have to do. It is easier to get twenty prisoners from a
jail than one from a rajah's zenana."

"That is true enough, Rabda. At the moment I was not thinking of that,
but of other things."

He longed for sympathy, but the girl would not have understood him had
he told her his feelings. To her he was a hero, and it would have seemed
to her folly had he said that he felt himself altogether unworthy of
Isobel Hannay. After he had finished his breakfast Rujub again came in.

"What does the sahib intend to do now?" he asked.

"As far as I can see there is nothing to do at present, Rujub," he said.
"When the white troops come up she will be delivered."

"Then will my lord go down to Allahabad?"

"Certainly not. There is no saying what may happen."

"That is so," Rujub agreed. "The white women are safe at present, but
if, as the Sahib thinks, the white soldiers should beat the troops of
the Nana, who can say what will happen? The people will be wild with
rage, the Nana will be furious--he is a tiger who, having once laid his
paw on a victim, will not allow it to be torn from him."

"He can never allow them to be injured," Bathurst said. "It is possible
that as our troops advance he may carry them all off as hostages, and by
the threat of killing them may make terms for his own life, but he would
never venture to carry out his threats. You think he would?" he aske