Part 58 (1/2)
It was Ahree basket He reasoned that if they attempted to proceed with it they would be followed and sooner or later set upon by Ue chief The poor fisherold mad and at present not accountable for what they did or planned to do
He advanced that U them to the pitch of murder Umballa would have at his beck and call no less than twenty men, armed and ruthless Some seventy miles beyond was British territory and wherever there was British territory there were British soldiers With the the women in safety behind
”The commissioner there will object,” said the colonel
”No, Sahib,” replied Ahht in the world to this treasure You possess the docu more would be necessary to the commissioner”
”But, Ahmed,” interposed Bruce, ”we are none of us British subjects”
”What difference will that land is not in the habit of protecting anybody but her own subjects We should probably be held up till everything was verified at Allaha; and the priests there would not hesitate to charge us with forgery and heaven knohat else Let us bury the basket, by all means, return for it and carry it away piece suicide”
Ahic
”And, besides,” went on Bruce, ”the neould go all over the Orient and the thugs would co honey No; this et aith it It can not be worth less than a million And I've knohite men ould cut our throats for a handful of rupees”
For the first time since the expedition started out the colonel becahted
”Ahmed, spread out the men around the camp,” he ordered briskly
”Instruct them to shoot over the head of any one who approaches; this the first tiht idea; so let us get busy Over there, where that boulder is The ground will be damp and soft under it, and e roll it back there will be no sign of its having been disturbed I used to cache aood to Kathlyn's ears to hear her father talk like this
At a depth of three feet the basket was lowered, covered and the boulder rolled into place After that the colonel stooped and combed the turf where the boulder had temporarily rested He showed his woodcraft there It would take a keener eye than Umballa possessed to note any disturbance The safety of the treasure ultimately, however, depended upon the loyalty of the keepers under Ahmed They had been with the colonel for years; yetThe colonel shrugged He had to trust them; that was all there was to theup--one of the keepers
”So the elephants!” he cried
Ahmed and thewhat lay before them, elephants were more important than colored stones and yellow metal Without the elephants they would indeed find themselves in sore straits
”Let usup the i them He walked several yards away, tossed shovel and pick into the bushes, tore at the turf and sta been disturbed The colonel nodded approvingly It was a good point and he had overlooked it
They returned hastily to camp, which was about two hundred yards beyond the boulder Kathlyn entered her tent to change her clothes, ragged, soiled and burned The odor of wet burned cloth is never agreeable
And she needed dry shoes, even if there was but an hour or two before bedti In so; but what had started him on the run they never learned
The other elephants were swaying uneasily; but their pegs were deep and their chains stout Ahmed and the keepers went after the truant on foot
The noise of the chase died away Bruce was lighting his pipe The colonel was exaht a few emeralds which he had taken fro at his wife
Kathlyn and Winnie were ereeted their astonished ears The camp was surrounded From one side came Umballa, from the other came the mutineers Kathlyn and Winnie flew to their father's side In between came Umballa, with Bruce and Ramabai and Pundita effectually separated Uhters Treasure and revenge!
Bruce ainst him were too many It was all done so suddenly and effectually, and all due to their own carelessness