Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-09
CHAPTER XXIV.

SI1AE Ell |AAlN.
Abdula slept that night on the floor Of
his masters room; the impersonation OF
Juggi BIN had proved too much for his
nerves, and nothing but the close presence
of the Sahib would restore his confidence.
He got another fright later in the night;
for. waking suddenly. he saw a white figure
moving about the darkened room. and
Meredith only just warned him In time to
prevent his crying out and rousing the
whole bungalow.
"Sh-s-sh, boy; it's 1. am going out for
a little; do thou lie still till I return" and
he passed out into the moonlight. There
were several servants sleeping on the We
randa. one Of whom he touched. and the
man thus walked rose up and followed him
The two had barely passed, when the
cheeks OF the window to Nicholas room
drew cautiously aside, and that gentleman's
tousled head appeared in the opening look
ing out blankly after them.
Two minutes later he, too, stepped
across the veranda, and hurrying to
the compound gate, he stood look
ing down the moonlit misty way which
ment he saw two figures move across the
space of moonlight and draw into the
shadow OF the line of little shops, and after
little indecision he started off In pursuit.
It was not difficult matter to follow the
pair without detection through the profu-
sion of shadows, past the indigo watts and
factory walls, and then along the edge OF a
great patch Of feathery bamboos which
whispered eerily in the cool night air, and
so on and on till it seemed as If the lead
erS must be going clean out to Bettfah.
But there came a sudden halt at last on the
edge Of grove of sal trees, and Nicholas
dropped in his tracks and lay fiat on the
yellow baked ground for he had been full
in the moonlight at the moment AS he lay
in the yellow dust his khaki clothes were
barely discernible twenty yards away, but
he watched the two anxiously till they
finally turned about and disappeared In the
shades of the wood. Then. still insure as
to whether he had been discovered, he
crawled cautiously out OF the patch of
light and made his way OBVIOUSLY and with
much care to the place where they had dis
appeared
He stood in the shade of the trees, lis
tening and watching, but he saw no sign Of
their presence, and after awhile, fearing
to lose them. he moved ahead again. But
as he pressed on the trees began to close
in darkly and the underbrush grew so
dense that he might not walk silently. He
paused shortly and turned about listen
ing, but the way behind seemed also to have
closed in, while there was no sign nor
sound to show the way the men had gone.
He made up his mind that he had lost them
and was slowly retracing his steps, when
quick rustling to the right brought him
crouching down to the earth once more.
And as he waited motionless, not knowing
whether it was man or some prowlfng
beast. but with his revolver ready for
either, a voice whispered, rs that thou, o
Mauro Singh?"
And Nicholas whispered quickly, AYE"
ARE, haste thee, man! Hast lost thy
road? 1 would guide thee, but-there. to
the right. See, they've lit the lamps.
Hurry. brother!'
to be gone He plunged into the shadows
farthest away from the whispering voice.
but few yards ahead he halted. There
was a light shining through the trees
a little off the course he was following. and.
without more ado, he made for 1t as directly
he might.
Soon he deserted the low. heavy roof-line
of a Hindu temple, and, drawing close.
found a half-ruined and entirely unpreten-
tious pile, banked and massed about with
great tangle of vegetation. He saw
that the light shone through one of
the numerous crevices in the stone
wall, there being no attempt at any
outer court. Keeping well in the
rear of the ruin. he crept slowly up, and
then with infinite care forced passage
through the dense barrier of vines till he
stood against the very wall. which time and
many storms had rven crumblingly
through its whole massive breadth.
He drew the green tangle about him,
closing the way by which he had come;
then set to work to clear better view
through the great crack. 1t was half filled
ly and in a few minutes was rewarded by
a clear view Of the interior.
At first the light daZzled him, though
twas but from two Oil lamps hanging high
on the doorposts of the shrine itself. but his
eyes soon grew clear Of the darkness and
he gaZed his FILL.
The doors of the shrine were gone, and
the image which had once filled 1t was
crumbled to dust long ago; but the moss
grown doorposts still remained. and the
lamps Pickering from them cast a feeble
CLEAN into the various inches where the
lesser gods had once stood and touched on
the great, girthy pillars Of the inner court
Round about sat some dozen mOtionlesS
figures, with gaze fixed and tense upon the
entrance to the gloomy shrine. across whose
darkness a white incense-cloud was drifting
raggedly.
Nicholas looked on these men with amaze
ment; rubbed his eyes and looked again
before he would accept what he saw. for
here was the strangest assemblage surely
that ever sat in harmony. Near to him was
priest of the Lord Bhudda: there Brah-
MIN next to a lama from Tibet; yonder
was an Irani moolah whispering to an old
white-bearded Jain; while several lesser
lights-fakirs and chelas doubtless, Of these
great ones-sat still farther back.
AS the doctor stood bordering this strange
gathering the mouth of the shrine sudden
ly belched out smoke thick and pungent,
with now and anon slow flares of green
flame: and the smoke rolled forth the
w
where in the shadows, a vina and a dar-
boukha played softly.
AS the smoke cleared away from the
broken doorway the lamplight fell full on
two men standing there. One. little in adj
vance, an old white-bearded priest In SAT-
fron-colored robes whose fine strong face
shone with exalted emotion. and behind
him the other, a slender figure, erect and
graceful. a Hindu. robed royalty and gem
med.
Nicholas stared at this second figure stu
pidly, helplessly; for it was the man he had
been following-his friend, Allan Meredith.
While he still stared in hopeless bewilder-
ment the yellow-robed one advanced and
with outstretched arms blessed the waiting
ones and bade them draw near.
This, o brothers, is truly he who was to
come Behold the very man."
Slowly the princely one came forward and
knelt on the stone slabs at the entrance,
letting loose the jeweled breast coat which
he wore and Nicholas saw the priests ad-
vance one by one and stoop and gaze. then
thrust each a hand into the kneeling mans
breast When they were satisfied, the yell
low-robed one stood before the prince and
questioned thus:
WHO art thou, stranger, and what thy
business here?'
And Nicholas head swan as he heard
the low, dignified answer, II am Rama
Lalkura of Bhaitypore, and come to seek
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