Part 58 (2/2)
”Kit,” said her father, ”our only chance is to refuse to discover to Umballa where we have hidden the basket Winnie, if you open your lips it will be death--yours, Kit's, mine To have been careless like this!
Oh, Kit, on my honor, if Uladly give him all the treasure and all the money I have of my own But we know hih h more,” calmly replied Kathlyn ”But I shall never wear a precious stone again, if I live I abhor thehter,” said Winnie
”Put the howdahs on the two elephants,” U fishermen by occupation and mahouts by compulsion
Kathlyn tried in vain to see where they were taking Bruce and the others So to devote a whole day to weeping, for she never had tiht caused her to smile, despite her despair
When the elephants were properly saddled with the howdahs Uave his attention to the prisoners He hailed them jovially They were old friends What could he do for them?
”Conduct us to the seaport,” said the colonel, ”and on my word of honor I will tell you where we have hidden the treasure”
”Ho!” jeered Umballa, arms akimbo, ”I'd be a fool to put my head into such a trap I love you too well Yet I am not wholly without heart
Tell o”
”Cut our throats at once, you beast, for none of us will tell you under any conditions save those I have narate, a thief and a old for your part in this But in the end he will cheat you and destroy you”
Uhed ”They have already had their earnest Soon they will have e, promise No more questions? Well, then, listen Reveal to o free If you refuse I shall take you back to Allaha--not publicly, but secretly--there to inflict what punish more to say,” replied the colonel
”No? And thou, white Goddess?”
Kathlyn stared over his head, her face expressionless It stirred him more than outspoken contempt would have done
”And you, pretty one?” Umballa eyed Winnie speculatively
Winnie drew closer to her sister, that was all
”So be it Allaha it shall be, without a urus who love you so!” He dropped his banter ”You call me a murderer I ad his benefits into htHe is dead I slew him After the first, what are two or three ers ”I want that treasure, and you will tell me where it is before I aladly! Now,journey before us”
The colonel, Kathlyn and Winnie were forced into one howdah, while Umballa mounted the other As for the quasi-mahouts, they were not particularly happy behind the ears of the elephants, ith that keen appreciation of their herd, understood instinctively that they had to do with novices But for the proled before their eyes, threats of violent death could not have forced thele closed in behind them
As for Umballa, he cared not what beca held captive in one of the village huts The chief had pleaded in vain He was dishonored, for they had made him break his word to the white people So be it Sooner or later the glitter of gold would leave their eyes and they would coe slept Two fisheruard An elephant squealed in the distance Out of the shadow a sleek leopard, then another The guards jumped to their feet and scra the alarm Bruce opened the door, which had no lock, and peered forth It was natural that the leopards should give their i what had happened, called softly to Ramabai and Pundita; and the three of theht, toward the camp Bruce did not expect to find any one there What he wanted was to arm himself and to examine the boulder
Meanti but disorder and evidence of a struggle A tent was overturned, the long grass trampled, and the colonel's sola-topee hat lay crumpled near Kathlyn's tent
”Ai, ai!” he wailed But, being a philosopher, his wailing was of short duration He ran to the boulder and examined it carefully It had not been touched That ell At least that meant that his Sahib and Mem-sahib lived Treasure! He spat out a curseand threw his rifle to his shoulder But his rage turned to joy as he discovered who the arrivals were
”Bruce Sahib!”
”Yes, Ahot the best of us We were tricked by the truant elephant He has taken Kathlyn back toward Allaha”