Part 25 (2/2)

The servant signified the American, and Skag took the straight glisten of the Englishman's glance for the first time.

”May I inquire? From whom?”

Skag coldly told him that the dog had been owned by Police Commissioner Hichens of Bombay. . . . The deputy regretfully ordered Deenah to continue his narrative, and in the silence afterward, presently spoke the name:

”Neela Deo, of course--”

This meant the Blue G.o.d, the leader of the caravan; and signified the lordliest elephant in all India. . . . The Deputy, after a slight pause, answered himself:

”But Neela Deo is away with the chief commissioner. . . . Mitha Baba--”

There was another lilting pause. This referred to a female elephant, the meaning of whose name was ”Sweet Baby.” The Deputy capitulated:

”Mitha Baba, yes; especially since she knows the Hakima--and oh, I say, that's a strange tale, you know--”

He glanced from Deenah to Nels, to Skag; but received no encouragement to narrate same. Not in the least unbalanced, he tipped back his head and took another drink from between his smoky fingers; then his gla.s.sless eye glittered out through the white burning of the noon, as he added:

”But Mitha Baba would not chase a strange elephant, unless she positively knew the creature was running off with her own Gul Moti. . . . She's discriminating, is Mitha Baba. But I say, Gunpat Rao came from the Vindhas, you know.”

It dawned upon Skag that this wasn't monologue, but conversation; also that it had some vague bearing upon his own affairs. The pause was very slight, when the Deputy resumed:

”Yes, Gunpat Rao is from the Vindha Hills, within the life-time of one man. . . . Mitha Baba is as fast, but she won't do it; so there's an end. Gunpat Rao. . . . Gunpat Rao. The mahouts say young male elephants will follow a strange male for the chance of a fight. It's consistent enough. Yes, we'll call in Chakkra. . . . Are you ready to travel, sir?”

This was to Skag.

No array of terms could express how ready to travel was Sanford Hantee.

The Bengali mahout, Chakkra, appeared; a st.u.r.dy little man with blue turban, red k.u.mmerband, and a scarf and tunic of white.

The Deputy flicked away his cigarette and now spoke fast--talk having to do with Nels, with the Hakima, with Gunpat Rao, who was his particular mahout's master, and of the strange elephant who had carried the two Sahibas away.

Chakkra reported at this point that he had seen this elephant in the market place, an old male--with a woman's howdah, covering too few of his wrinkles--and a mahout who would ruin the disposition of anything but a man-killer. Chakkra appeared to have an actual hatred toward this man, for he enquired of the Deputy:

”Have I your permission to deal with the mahout of this thief elephant?”

”Out of your own blood-l.u.s.t--no. Out of necessity--yes.”

A queer moment. It was as if one supposed only to crawl, had suddenly revealed wings. Not until this instant did Skag realise that a Chief Commissioner had the flower of England to pick his deputies from, and had made no mistake in this man. . . . A moment later, Nels had been given preliminary instruction, and Skag was lifted, with a playful flourish of the trunk, by Gunpat Rao himself, into the light hunting howdah. Chakkra was also in place, when the Deputy waved his hand with the remark:

”Oh, I say, I'd be glad of the chase, myself, but an official, you know, . . . and Lord, what a dog!”

The last was as Nels swung around in front of Gunpat Rao's trunk as if formally to remark: ”You see we are to travel together to-day.”

The Deputy detained them a second or two longer, while he brought his gun-case and a pair of pistols, to save the time of Skag procuring his own at the station. They heard him call, after the start:

”It might be a running fight, you know. . . .”

A little out, Nels was given the scent of the strange elephant and Deenah left them, with nothing to mitigate the evil discovery that Carlin and her friend had been carried straight through the open jungle country, toward the Vindhas; not at all in the direction the messenger had stated within hearing of the other servants.

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