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Updated: September 26, 2025
There were a lot of camp followers who were only too glad to have the amusement of capturing him, so, after a very short space poor "Tumbu," for Baby Akbar insisted on calling him so, was being dragged off at the end of a long rope to his masters the shepherds, looking very sad, with his tail between his legs. But it was quite different with "Down," the cat.
Whereat he went to the door; but Tumbu on the doorstep refused to come in; he barked, bounced off, and returned the next minute to whine and bark again. "He only wants something; go and see what it is," came Mirak's deep-toned voice. "I know he wants something." "Lo! man alive!" grumbled Head-nurse; "shut the door whichever way it is. I perish with cold!"
Then they had the marmot, roasted in its skin, for supper, and all the three were too hungry to ask themselves if marmot flesh was as toothsome as rabbit or as bitter as squirrel! And Tumbu ate the bones with an air as if he would say, "It is not bad, but to-morrow I must catch two marmots."
And Tumbu, hearing his name, roused his furry head from his furry paws and looked at his young master with his sharp, beady, black eyes, as who should say: "Of course I did, because I knew you wanted him."
Tumbu, the most playful of animals, soon entered into the fun, and set to work shovelling out the snow till he found the food. Then another bit was thrust in, always in an upward direction. "'Tis slow," said Old Faithful, "but not so slow as trampling down a road!"
So he must have been sent by some one; and therefore some one must be alive and desire him to know the fact. In truth, both his wife, Foster-mother, and Head-nurse had been racking their brains how to find out where either the Heir-to-Empire or Foster-father were imprisoned until little Bija had said, "Tell Tumbu to seek for them. If you show him Mirak's cap and say, 'Go seek, he will go."
Now she can't be prisoned, 'cos cats won't be caught unless they want to be caught, and she doesn't want to be, of course. So she must be going about, so why don't you tell Tumbu to seek for Down; then we should find where Mirak was." "But we haven't got anything of Down's to show him," argued Foster-mother. And that was a puzzler.
The sentry made a faint effort to stir, that was answered by an ominous growl from Tumbu. Only one more bolt now! Roy's long fingers were at it his whole strength went to it it creaked groaned slid, and with a sob of exultation Roy felt the fresh air of dawn in his face as he stood outside the Bala Hissar. But he had still much to do.
Finally an idea seemed to come into her head; she made a bound toward Tumbu, and the next moment was on his back, clawing onto his fluffy black fur; whereat everybody laughed. So, with many a prayer for guidance, the little party set off, Old Faithful leading the way. At first they managed pretty well, though the men and women, being heavy, sank over the ankles at each step.
They slept as soundly as if they had been in their beds, and so did Tumbu and Down, who had both insisted on being of the party; the latter having quite calmly taken her place on Horse-chestnut's broad wavy back on the wide cushion of felt which Foster-father used as a saddle-cloth. She had left her kitten behind her as it was now quite a big tom-cat, and able to take care of itself.
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