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Updated: May 22, 2025
Fred Daleham and another took their places and began a single. Mrs. Rice, with Dermot and several other men, came up the steps of the verandah, and, sitting down, ordered tea for the party. Noreen looked at her with angry eyes, and, rising, walked along the verandah to where she was sitting surrounded by the group of men. Her enemy looked up as she approached.
For in this land that is essentially a soldier's country, won by the sword, held by the sword, in spite of all that ignorant demagogues in England may say, Fred Daleham felt all the more keenly the disappointment of his inability to follow the career that he would have chosen. However, he was a healthy-minded young man, not given to brooding and vain regrets.
"Darling, life without you wouldn't be possible for me either." He could not take his eyes from her; and the minutes were flying all too swiftly. At last he looked at his watch and held out his hand to the boy. "Good-bye, Daleham, you've got your wish. You're dying like a soldier for England," he said. "We've done our share for her. Now, we've three minutes more.
However, Daleham knew nothing of that, and, being empowered to do so when Parry was incapacitated, gladly gave him permission to go and gratefully accepted his offer to look after the girl on the journey. Noreen would much have preferred going alone, but her brother refused to entertain the idea.
The brother and sister quickened their pace and, racing along the soft earthern road, soon reached the patch of forest that intervened between the garden and the nursery. "I say, Noreen, I think we'd better go the long way round," said Daleham apprehensively, as he pulled up his waler. "Oh, no, Fred. Don't funk it. Do come on," urged the girl.
Noreen was inside, feeding the hungry children and consoling the mothers. "Now, Daleham, don't fire until they are close, and then aim at the horses," said the Major, repeating the instruction to the servants in Urdu. The Punjaubis grinned and patted their rifles. The cavalry advanced. The sowars ambled forward, brandishing their curved sabres and uttering fierce yells.
Much as he had seen of Noreen Daleham he yet knew her so little as to believe that the prospect of such an income, joined to the favour in which he believed she held him, would make it an easy matter to win her consent. He imagined himself to be in love with the girl, but it was in the Oriental's way that is, it was merely a matter of sensual desire.
It was followed by a group of men; and Dermot through the glasses recognised the Rajah and Chunerbutty accompanied by several Brahmins. They advanced timidly towards the bungalow and stopped a hundred yards away. After some urging Chunerbutty stepped to the front and called for Daleham to appear. Fred came through the house from the back verandah, where his place was taken by Sher Afzul.
Noreen watched him with curiosity and marvelled at his courage in handling the dead bodies. He returned to the kneeling elephant and took his place on the neck. "Hold on now, Miss Daleham," he said. "Badshah's going to rise. Uth" Noreen gripped the surcingle rope tightly as the elephant heaved up his big body and set off along a track through the jungle at a rapid pace.
He was always suspicious of the Hindu; but, unless the engineer was a good actor, there was no doubt that he was greatly affected by the outrage. His distress seemed absolutely genuine. And certainly there seemed no reason for suspecting his complicity in the carrying off of Miss Daleham. So the Major turned to the servants and, taking them apart one by one, questioned them closely.
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