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Dhoop Ki Dhil tenderly sprinkled flower-petals and incense-oils over all, and lighted the four corners for the motherless one, herself. Cadman and Skag watched the clean flames, till only silver ashes were on the ground. And all the while the people sang their great soft lullaby, without tears or any sign of mourning. Hours later, the voice of Dhoop Ki Dhil rose on the night far away.
He had listened longer than Cadman at night, to those voices of the wild by which the ears of the gods are offended. Surely his secret consciousness during those night-watches had grappled with the unknown ahead, reaching impatient fingers to find and save Dhoop Ki Dhil in time. But he let no flicker of that thought colour his answer.
It looked like massed plumes of feathers all golden-green. That day they walked down toward it with few words. To Skag it was perfectly natural enchantment veiling the mystery of Dhoop Ki Dhil. He never thought of it as a death-trap for himself.
"After a while Dhoop Ki Dhil came forward, moving like one in a trance, and said to the jungle man, 'Are you a god? and the jungle man answered her with shame, 'No, I am a common man. "Now that silk-merchant will tell no more. One doesn't blame him. The natives are not patient with such a tale of her. To hear that any man had taken her eye, maddened them.
As Skag fled on past Dhanah, the whole story of Dhoop Ki Dhil was eating in his brain like fire. She was somewhere in there ahead of him somewhere near that monster snake. The weaving of the serpent's head, looping in long reaches above the bamboo tops looking over them, looking down into them, looking for its prey had frozen him to the marrow of his bones.
"The Noor Mahal was always in seclusion." "Her name?" Skag questioned. "She had no name," the Doctor answered, "but she was called 'Dhoop Ki Dhil' Heart-of-the-Sun; possibly on account of her voice. There has been none like it. The master-mahouts of High Himalaya, their voices pass those of all other men for splendour; but I tell you there was none other in the world, beside hers.
"She says I am your guardian, sent by the gods, to destroy the serpent for your sake so saving the people." Cadman finished huskily. "But I didn't reach him, Cadman," Skag protested. "I didn't touch him inside!" As they all came into the village enclosure, Dhoop Ki Dhil slipped into a house near by, saying that Dhanah thought the child slept too deeply she would care for her.
As they walked slowly into the open, listening to the voices of the child-people, the name "Rana Jai" recurred often. "I haven't heard what that word means yet," Skag said. "Rana Jai?" Cadman repeated. "The exact translation is Prince of Victory; but Dhoop Ki Dhil made her meaning clear Son of Power; a great deal more." After that, they had little to say.
After that they both dreamed vague man-dreams of Dhoop Ki Dhil. "There stands Dickson Sahib himself!" Cadman exclaimed, at Hurda station; and Skag saw the two meet, perceiving at once that it was a friendship between men of very different type. Then Dickson Sahib promptly gathered them both into that Anglo-Indian hospitality which is never forgotten by those who have found it.
When they came to Sehora, the station-man held out a letter in quaintly written English; it read: From the wayside Dhoop Ki Dhil sends greetings to Son of Power, most exalted; and to his guardian, most devoted. She pays votive offerings from this day, at sunrise and at sunset, for those men incense and oils and seed to safety from all evil, and fulfillment of their so-great destiny.
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