ed now. Oh, how good you have all been! I was just going to
tell you that I could walk again. I am quite ready to go on now."

"We are going to halt here till tomorrow evening, Miss Hannay; Rujub
thinks we are quite beyond any risk of pursuit now. You must first
eat and drink something, and then sleep as long as you can. Rabda has
brought a native dress for you and dye for staining your skin, but there
is no occasion for doing that till tomorrow; the river is only a short
distance away, and in the morning you will be able to enjoy a wash."

The neck was knocked off a bottle. Rabda had brought in the basket a
small silver cup, and Isobel, after drinking some wine and eating a few
mouthfuls of food, lay down by her and was soon fast asleep. Bathurst
ate a much more hearty meal. Rujub and his daughter said that they did
not want anything before morning.

The sun was high before Bathurst woke. Rujub had lighted a fire, and was
boiling some rice in a lota.

"Where is Miss Hannay?" Bathurst asked, as he sat up.

"She has gone down to the river with Rabda. The trees hang down well
over the water, and they can wash without fear of being seen on the
opposite shore. I was going to wake you when the lady got up, but she
made signs that you were to be allowed to sleep on."

In half an hour the two girls returned. Isobel was attired in a native
dress, and her face, neck, arms, feet, and ankles had been stained to
the same color as Rabda's. She came forward a little timidly, for she
felt strange and uncomfortable in her scanty attire. Bathurst gave an
exclamation of pain as he saw her face.

"How dreadfully, you have burnt yourself, Miss Hannay; surely you cannot
have followed the instructions I gave you."

"No; it is not your fault at all, Mr. Bathurst; I put a great deal more
on than you said, but I was so anxious to disfigure myself that I was
determined to do it thoroughly; but it is nothing to what it was. As you
see, my lips are getting all right again, and the sores are a good deal
better than they were; I suppose they will leave scars, but that won't
trouble me."

"It is the pain you must have suffered that I am thinking of," he
replied. "As to the scars, I hope they will wear out in time; you must
indeed have suffered horribly."

"They burnt dreadfully for a time," the girl answered; "but for the last
two or three days I have hardly felt it, though, of course, it is very
sore still."

"Do you feel ready for brea