sky red the landscape to their
right, when Gerrard uttered an exclamation, and pointed out a small
body of mounted men surrounding an elephant, who were approaching their
camp from the opposite side.

"From Agpur!" he said. "Who can be coming? A woman's howdah, too!
Why, it looks to me like Bijli, the best hotty in the stables. I would
have brought her with me if I hadn't known that the others couldn't
keep pace with her. Bob, I'm afraid there's something up."

"You underrate your own importance, old boy. They can't do without you
in the city, and the Rani has come in person to fetch you back."

"Oh, stop your chaff! No, but I daresay Kharrak Singh has insisted on
coming, and she has sent him in a closed howdah, so as to be safer. He
was uncommon set on coming with me. I wouldn't hear of it, but he may
have teased her into giving her consent."

They entered the camp, and descended from their elephant in the space
before their tents, just as the other elephant and its escort were
challenged at the outskirts. Charteris and Gerrard both saw the
curtains of the howdah put aside, and a head, apparently that of a
woman, thrust forth. They could not hear what was said, but the
newcomers were instantly allowed to pass, and staring soldiers began to
gather and follow behind them. All eyes were turned on the two
Englishmen as they went forward, but no one said anything, though it
seemed to Gerrard that there was a feeling of awe in the air.

"It must be either the Rani or Kharrak Singh, for there are Amrodh
Chand and the Rajputs," he murmured to Charteris. "And Rukn-ud-din in
command of a scratch lot of guardsmen from all four troops! What is
this, Komadan-ji?" he inquired of the officer.

"It is an order, sahib, but the mouth of this slave is shut," replied
Rukn-ud-din, wheeling his men apart to allow the elephant to advance.
It knelt down, and two or three zenana attendants, who had been riding
behind, came forward and helped a veiled female figure to descend.

"Is it the Rani?" whispered Charteris eagerly.

"How should I know? I have never seen her," said Gerrard impatiently.
"I shall know when she speaks, I suppose. But look at her cloth, half
brown and half white! Has she gone mad, to show herself to the troops
in this way? No _pardah_, no sheets!"

"Perhaps she will go into one of the tents," suggested Charteris, as
much puzzled as his friend, and Gerrard advanced hesitatingly, unable
to conceive