ped me to mine, and I will see that the
Indian Government gives you an official safe conduct to Thibet, where
you can see the real line of the Dalai-lamas, and I'll furnish you a
veritable 'Moonshee' free of charge. You shall be the very 'Moses' of
Yankee investigators! You deserve it!"

"Now you talk horse sense," said the alert Yankee. "I'm going out to
'square things' with old Andrew Fraser's son. Don't ever kick a man when
he's down! The old boy has had a very 'rough deal.' That 'fake' about
Thibet nearly broke him up. And I've a commission from the Buggin's
Literary Syndicate, of Chicago, to 'write up India.' I shall take a hack
at Egypt on my way home, and perhaps ride over to Persia, then get into
Merv and Tashkend, and come back by Astrakhan into 'darkest' Russia, and
return home. I shall also write some spicy letters to the Chicago Howler
and the New York Whorl. I tell you, Cap," said Alaric Hobbes, slapping
Anstruther familiarly on the back, "you three military men have
certainly fitted yourselves out with tiptop wives! I am going to make
a pretty good money haul myself on this trip. I'll look you up later in
Calcutta. Would like to see the Viceroy. He was a 'brick' when he was
Governor-General of Canada. So I'll get young Douglas Fraser fixed
up all in good trim, and when I get home and have published my books,
settle down and marry a little woman I've had my eye on for some time. I
will go in for a family life, you bet!"

"Look out that you don't lose her," laughed Hardwicke.

"I will not get left, you bet!" cried Hobbes. "Now, I'm going to vamoose
the ranch. I think that I may have killed one or two of that gang, and I
don't fancy the 'monotonous regularity' and 'salubrious hygiene' of your
English prisons."

And so, "his feet were beautiful on the mountains," as he went out on
his queer life pathway.

After the week of quiet at Rosebank, Captain Eric Murray was hugely
delighted to receive his orders to take charge of all Anstruther's
confidential work, in England, until the Viceroy should be pleased to
otherwise direct. "I think that a garrison life here, with Miss Mildred
as commander, will just suit you and Madame Flossie?" laughed the kindly
conspiring aide-de-camp, anxious to be away on his road to Jitomir,
"personally conducted" by the brilliant Alixe.

The Horse Guards were "pleased to intimate" that Major Harry Hardwicke,
Royal Engineers, should be allowed "such length of leave" as he chose to