Part 15 (1/2)

A servant entered with a broiled fish, and Swinton switched Lord Victor to a trivial discussion of food. When the servant reappeared later with curry, the captain said: ”Leave it on the table, Abdul, and sit without.” Then, rising, he added: ”I'll be back in a minute.

”My stuff has been censored, too,” he said, on his return.

”What's the devilish idea--loot?”

”No; nothing missing.”

”Who's doing it--servants?”

”This is India, youth; here we don't bother chasing 'who;' we lock up everything, or destroy it.”

”I'm going to dash the bearer with an exam,” Lord Victor said decidedly.

”You'd get nothing but lies; you'd draw blank.”

The captain lapsed into a moody silence, completing a diagnosis of this disturbing matter mentally. The attar suggested that somebody on intimate terms with Prince Ananda had investigated. Doctor Boelke would do it; he could read papers written in English and a.s.similate their contents. If Swinton were under suspicion, Prince Ananda would look for proofs as to whether he was a secret-service man or just the companion of Lord Victor.

Later, when, with Finnerty, they arrived at the hunt-ground, the Banjara, who was waiting, said: ”My brothers have taken the buffalo to the west of the big growth of tall gra.s.s wherein is the slayer of my cow, because from that side blows the wind and it will carry the scent of the buffalo, and the tiger will move forward, not catching in his nostrils word of the guns which the sahib knows well how to place. When the sahib is ready, I will give the call of a buffalo, and my brothers will make the drive. Where will be the place of the young sahib, that I may remain near in the way of advice lest he shoot one of my people, or even a buffalo?”

”Where will the tiger break to, Lumbani?” Finnerty asked.

The Banjara stretched his long arm toward the north. ”At that side of the cane fields lies a nala that carries a path up into the sal forest, and the tiger knows it well. If he is not annoyed with hurry, he will come that way out of the cane; and if the young sahib's elephant is stationed in the nala, the tiger will come so close that even he can make the kill.”

”That's the idea,” Finnerty declared. ”Swinton, you and Lord Victor take your elephant to the nala--the Banjara will show you the very spot to stand; I'll post the prince on our left when he arrives; I'll keep the centre, and if the tiger is coming my way I can turn him off with old Moti--I'll shoo him over to you. Here comes the prince now. Heavens, you'd think he was going to a marriage procession! Look at the gorgeous howdah! And he has got old Boelke and the girl, too.”

The howdah was a regal affair, such as native princes affect on state occasions. The girl was almost hidden by the gilded sides of its canopied top; indeed, her features were completely masked by a veil draped from the rim of her helmet. The heavy figure of Doctor Boelke bulged from the front of the howdah.

”Where are we stationed, major?” Ananda called, the mahout checking their elephant some distance away.

”To the left, beyond the pipal tree.”

Swinton chuckled, observing Gilfain stretching his long neck as the prince's elephant plodded on; evidently there was to be no introduction.

”We'd better get placed at once,” Finnerty declared; ”the buffalo may get out of hand--anything may happen. The elephants that will act as stops are already in place on the two sides; I sent them on ahead. The natives on their backs will keep tapping on gongs to prevent the tiger from breaking through the sides; if he does break through, they'll blow shrill blasts on their conch sh.e.l.ls. Away you go, Swinton!”

And at an order from the mahout, their elephant trudged over to the point of honour, accompanied by the Banjara. In a few minutes his voice rose in the plaintive squeak of a buffalo, and in answer down the wind that rustled the feathered tops of the cane came a mild clamour of buffaloes, being driven, and men's voices crying:

”_Dut, dut! Gar! Aoi-aoi!_”

The buffalo were in a huge fan, advancing in a crescent troupe slowly, so that the tiger, not suddenly overrun, would keep slipping along in front.

Finnerty sat with his .450 Express across his knee, his eyes fixed on Gilfain, whose head he could just see above the bank of the nala, which was shallow where it struck the plain.

The turmoil of buffalo noises and their drivers' cries, drawing near, had increased in the cane. To the left, on one of the stop elephants, a native beat vigorously on his bra.s.s gong, followed by voices crying from a stop elephant: ”The tiger pa.s.ses!” Then a conch sh.e.l.l sent out its warning screech.

”Gad! He's broken through!” Finnerty growled.

Prince Ananda, thinking the tiger was escaping, had the elephant driven forward to give Boelke a shot at the fleeing beast; but just as they reached the gra.s.s there was a coughing roar, a flas.h.i.+ng turmoil of brown and gold in the sun, and the elephant, terrified by the ferocious onslaught, whirled just as Boelke's rifle barked. Straight back for the fringe of trees where Finnerty waited the elephant raced, the tiger clinging to his rump and striving to reach the howdah.