Evening star., 1904-02-01

A couple of hours later. Meredith slipped
under the awning of the little birri-wallah
and up to his room. where Ben Alif, who
had already preceded him, was engaged
with various little pots of colored paste and
grease. He effected a change of clothing
rapidly and with considerable deftness and
then Ben Alif called up little Sotoo, who
was greatly delighted at the improved ap-
pesrapce of the Sahib. and set to work with
Skillful fingers to still further enhance the
beauties of her new friend. A touch of ver-
million and sandalwood ointment here and
just suggestion of henna there. with
little more upward twist to the mustache
and eyebrows, and a decidedly downward
rake to the gaudy turban, and behold,
rather truculent and certainly devil-may-
care gentleman, who. by the set of his
pugearee and the shape of certain curious
ly embossed dagger handles lying among
the folds of his cummerbund. was possibly
from up country-probably from the Nj
Zam's State-and surely not the kind of a
person one would choose to pick a quarrel
with
1t was a quarter after midnight when the
two men made their way back of an old
deserted cow-byre into an alley so mar
row that they could barely walk two
. abreast. Had 1t not been for the moon, the
place would have been quite impossible in
its blackness. but it was. a faint re-
f1ected light broke up the blackness into
patches. In one of these they came sud-
denly on two men standing we'll back in a
doorway. Their clothes were of some dark
color that blended well with the shadows,
and but for the moon they would certainly
have escaped notice. Meredith turning his
eyes in that direction. started nervously
and Ben Alf cursed them uncomproms-
ingly. and seemed inclined to give them a
taste of his staff, but they slipped by, NUT
terfng surlily at his threats, and vanished
behind the cow-byre
The dwarf stood looking after them in a
perplexed manner. and then. turning to
Meredith. inquired:
Now who were those sons of pigs,
Thakur?"
And how should 1 know man? Probably
some night-birds like ourselves"
"Night-birds, yes; but not like to us, Ha-
zoor; Didst not notice the heavy footfalls?"
Heavy footfalls! What the devil man?'
ale. Hazoor; there's only one native in
| the city whose foot falls So
You mean-?"
"Sepoys. Thakur." he answered laconi-
Tick! TEX, What about a Baboo oh.
wise man? Does he not also wear boots?'
Aye. Hazoor; but mostly patent leather
| or French kid which he buys at Crawford
Market. and no such ox-carts as the Brit
ish Raj supplies to the police department" /"
But Meredith grew impatient and shut
him up testify:
ARE. Ben Alif thy wits are over sub
| tie tonight, and thou dost indeed cackle
| like an ancient hen who has retrieved her
reputation with an egg"
Uccha. Hazoor" the man growled re-
sumlnS the way again: but he cast a go 0i
many suspicious glances over his shoulders
toward the cow-byre ere they arrived at
the door they were seeking.
The dwarf proceeded to scrape with the
iron shoe of his staff raspingly on the
metal workings that studded the heavy
door, and very soon latticed window
above was opened few inches and a
woman whispered down to them. The
dwarfs answer was evidently satisfactory,
| for the window was closed and few min
utes later they heard the bolts and bars
inside being removed and the door was
| cautiously opened wide enough to admit