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Updated: May 24, 2025
The Eurasian apothecary, the only man in the camp who could speak English, had entered deprecatingly, with a visage of alarm. Gerrard spoke sharply. "Don't look so frightened, Mr Moraes. What is it?" "Zere are soldiers approaching, sar a whole armee. What is to be done?" "Bid Sirdar Badan Hazari send the men to their posts, and challenge the strangers before they get within musket-shot."
Badan Hazari, coming to report the troop ready for the march, lingered to ask the question. "It is true. See to it that we take our place in the procession on the right of the elephant bearing the Rajah's body. Prince Sher Singh will ride on the left, but on no account are his followers to be permitted to surround the corpse." "It is an order, sahib.
"All right; have it your own way. We'll start to-night." "Give your secret orders to that effect to Badan Hazari, then. You'll find that my Darwanis have been already tipped the wink, and the women too, and the fires are being kept low so as not to shed too much light upon our movements."
"Bid Badan Hazari parade the troop in mourning order, ready to ride to Agpur at the appointed time," he said. "In an evil day for yourself were you born, O youth of little wisdom!" said Sher Singh, and withdrew.
"Sahib," he said, leaning forward confidentially, "in the treasury at Agpur there is wealth for many men. What if it were divided between Antni Sahib, you, and me and Antni Sahib need not know what was the sum you and I found there?" Gerrard started up. "Badan Hazari!" he shouted, and the soldier came running. "Turn this man out. He has dared to offer me a bribe.
"I will be there immediately. The start is postponed for the present, Badan Hazari, but strike the tents ready for marching, and get ready a messenger at once to go to Darwan."
He was turning to give the order which would have sent Badan Hazari and half his men to drive Sher Singh from the other side of the elephant, and turned the stately procession into a wild rush for the tomb, when it struck him that one of the men under the trees wore the curtained forage-cap of a European. Hardly able to believe his eyes, he rode forward a little, and as he did so.
Gerrard felt that he really did not much mind how soon it came, but he roused himself angrily from the lethargy which was creeping over him, and called up Badan Hazari and Rukn-ud-din to acquaint them with his intention of seizing the tomb if there was any sign of hostilities, and getting the corpse and the women into the courtyard, where the guard might close the gates and defend them for a time.
The evening meal had been hurriedly despatched during the course of this conversation, and Gerrard now went out to summon Badan Hazari and give him his orders, while Charteris saw to the packing of such of their joint possessions as were not too heavy to impede a hasty flight.
Badan Hazari was highly contemptuous of this new departure on Charteris's part, and ostentatiously pitched his men's tents in similar fashion near Gerrard's, to protect him, as he said, in case those rascally thieves should try to murder him in the night.
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