The Adventures of Kathlyn

Kathlyn understood. She shook her head. Umballa should end his days

in the treadmill; he should grind the people's corn. Nothing should

stir her from this determination.

"Majesty, and what of me?" cried the unhappy woman, now filled with

another kind of remorse.

"You shall return to the zenana for the present."

"Then I am not to die, Majesty?"

"No."

"And Bala Khan?" inquired the priest.

"He shall stand prepared; that is all."

The people, crowding in the temple and in the square before it,

salaamed deeply as Kathlyn left and returned to the palace. She was

rather dizzy over the success of her inspiration. A few days might

pass without harm; but sooner or later they would discover that she had

tricked them; and then, the end. But before that hour arrived they

would doubtless find some way of leaving the city secretly.

That it would be many days ere Pundita wore the crown--trust the

priests to spread the meshes of red tape!--Kathlyn was reasonably

certain.

"My girl," said the colonel, "you are a queen, if ever there was one.

And that you should think of such a simple thing when we had all given

up! They would not have touched Umballa. Kit, Kit, whatever will you

do when you return to the humdrum life at home?"

"Thank God on my knees, dad!" she said fervently. "But we are not safe

yet, by any means. We must form our plans quickly. We have perhaps

three days' grace. After that, woe to all of us who are found here.

Ah, I am tired, tired!"

"Kit," whispered Bruce, "I intend this night to seek Bala Khan!"

"John!"

"Yes. What the deuce is Allaha to me? Ramabai must fight it out

alone. But don't worry about me; I can take care of myself."

"But I don't want you to go. I need you."

"It is your life, Kit, I am certain. Everything depends upon their

finding out that Bala Khan will strike if you call upon him. At most,

all he'll do will be to levy a tribute which Ramabai, once Pundita is

on the throne, can very well pay. Those priests are devils incarnate.

They will leave no stone unturned to do you injury, after to-day's

work. You have humiliated and outplayed them."

"It is best he should go, Kit," her father declared. "We'll not tell

Ramabai. He has been a man all the way through; but we mustn't

sacrifice our chances for the sake of a bit of sentiment. John must

seek Bala Khan's aid."

Kathlyn became resigned to the inevitable.

Umballa. He tried to bribe the soldiers. They laughed and taunted

him. He took his rings from his fingers and offered them. The

soldiers snatched them out of his palm and thrust him along the path

which led to the mill. In Allaha political malefactors and murderers

were made to serve the state; not a bad law if it had always been a

just one. But many a poor devil had died at the wrist bar for no other

reason than that he had offended some high official, disturbed the

serenity of some priest.