The general has vacated Jundhra.
Lie down and get all the rest you can!"
The murmur from the ranks was as difficult to read as Colonel Carter's
voice had been. It might have meant pleasure at the thought of rest,
or anger, or contempt, or almost anything. It was undefined and
indefinable.
But there was no doubt at all as to how young Bellairs felt. He was
sitting on a trunnion, sobbing, with his head bent low between his hands.
IX.
"Come, then!" said the High Priest.
Mahommed Khan threw open the outer door and bowed sardonically.
"Precedence for priests!" he sneered, tapping at his sword-hilt.
"Thou goest first! Next come I, and last Suliman with the memsahib!
Thus can I reach thee with my sword, O priest, and also protect her
if need be!"
"Thou art trusting as a little child!" exclaimed the priest, passing
out ahead of him.
"A priest and a liar and a thief--all three are one!" hummed the
Risaldar. "Bear her gently, Suliman! Have a care, now, as you turn
on the winding stairs!"
"Ha, sahib!" said the half-brother, carrying Ruth as easily as though
she had been a little child.
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