The Elephant God

erify his suspicions as to the Bengalis, he made a point of cultivating the acquaintance of the planters, paid sever

l fever, and Dermot was glad of an opportunity of requiting their hospitality by invi

ephants; Badshah, carrying a charjama, conveying them, while the other animal bore th

e cool refreshing breezes that swept down from the lofty peaks above. The forest fell away behind them. The great teak and sal trees gave place to the lighter growths of bamboo, plantain, and sago-palm. A troop of small brown monkeys, feasting on ripe bananas, sprang away startled on all fours and vanished in a

estling in the bosom of the hills. They gazed with interest at the stalwart sepoys of the detachment in kh

e for a while in the very room of the man who was fast becoming her hero. For indeed her feeling for Dermot so far savoured more of hero-worship than of love. She looked with interest at his scanty possessions, his sword, the line of riding-boots against the wall, the belts and spurs hung on nails, the brass-buttoned greatcoat hanging beh

y, the splendour of the hills, and the glorious panorama of forest and plains spread before her eyes. To Parker, who had awaited their arrival at Dermot's gate and hurried forward to help down from Badshah'

r officer's lot, while the junior tactfully paired off with her brother and took him to shoot on the rifle rang

Kevin Dermot and Noreen Daleham drew nearer to each other in their few days together there than they ever would have done in as many months of London life. As they climbed the hills or s

her side Noreen at first hardly recognised the quiet-mannered, courteous man that she had first known in the smart, keen, and intelligent soldier such as she found Dermot to be in his

loved or was he now in love with someone? It seemed to her that any woman should be proud to win the love of such a man. Was there one? What sort of girl would he admire, she wondered. She had noticed that in their talks he had ne

tent to be near him. She had not reached the stage of being miserable out of his presence. The dawn of a woman's love is the happiest time in its story. There is no certain realisation of the truth to startle, perhaps affri

he truth that the idol has feet of clay is enough to burst the iridescent glowing bubble. Too seldom the love deepens, develops into the true and lasting devotion of the woman, clear-sighted enough t

bably be unhappy. For it will surely bring to her more grief than joy. Life and Nature are harder to the woman than to the man. But in those golden days in the mountains, Noreen Daleham was happy, happier far t

houghts-to bring her on his wonderful elephant through the leagues of enchanted forest to her home? And had he not pr

ingly brief. Before they reached the bungalow the short-lived Indian twilight was dying, and the tiny oil-lamps began to twinkle in the palm-thatched huts of the toilers' village on the estate. And forth from it swarmed the coolies, men, women, children, not to welcome them, but to stare at the sacred

the side of the road as he passed. But he paid as little attention to them as Badshah did, and turned just before the Dalehams' bungalow was l

or the man and the woman do not play with equal stakes. The latter risks everything, her soul, her mind, her whole being. The former wagers only a fragment of his heart, a part of h

sent with him, to oust Noreen from his mind. He was on his way to Payne's bungalow to meet the managers of several g

nd insubordination among the coolies ordinarily so docile and respectful. But this was only in the gardens that numbered Brahmins in their population. The in

rters of the promoters of disaffection. But few of the planters were inclined to agree with Dermot in suspecting Chunerbutty as likely to prove the

nced that the heart and the brain of the disaffection was to be found in Malpura. So Dermot determined to return there and

d to see at the far end of the estate a column of smoke which told of a forest fire. The wide, open stretch of the plantation was deserted, probably, so Dermot concluded, because all the coolies had been collected to beat out the flames. But, as he neared the Dale

Dermot saw that the object on the ground was a native l

orward. He was evide

excitedly. "A terrible thing has happened. Miss Daleh

uttias?" exclaimed

t kneel and slipped

y to draw everyone away from the bungalows and factory. The manager, Daleham, and I went there to superintend the men fighting the flam

own and be

!" exclaimed Dermot in disg

"These cowards"-with a wave of his hand he indicated the servants-"did noth

to the pr

fright and bolted. Then they tied poles to a chair

nts give the alar

saw the raiders from a distance, ran to us and told us. Fred went mad, of cou

less?

us, and they were a large

les and should have b

shrugged h

ay they had gone," he said.

ose not

ens to summon help. We sent two coolies with a telegram to you or any officer at Ran

o the Major turned to the servants and, taking them apart one by one, questioned them closely. Chunerbutty had given their story correctly. But Dermot elicited two new facts which they had not mentioned to the engineer. One raider at least was armed with a revolver, which was unusual for a Bhuttia, the difficulty of pro

Bhutanese?"

spoke Bengali," r

e it

but sufficiently for

another of the raiders in Bengali. This struck Dermot as being improbable, but others of the servants confirm

o have split the skull. But, on placing his ear to the poor wretch's chest, Dermot thought that he could detect a faint flu

g," exclaimed the soldi

had the syce carried to his hut, and then, taking out his surgical case, he cleansed and sewed up the gash. But his thoughts were busy with Noreen's peril. The occurrence astonished him. Bhuttias from the hills beyond the border occ

did not consider the odds against him. Had Englishmen stopped to do so in India, the Empire would never have been founded. With his rifle and the prestige of the white race behind him he would not have hesitated to face a hundred such opponents. His blood boiled at the thought of the indignity offered to the girl; though he was not seriously con

l of Bhutan, he swung his leg across Badshah's neck and set out, having bade

ad passed. In the dust he found the blurred prints of a number of barefooted men and in one place four sharply-defined marks which showed where they had set down the chair in which Noreen was being carried, probably to change the b

ks. The Bhuttias had followed an animal path through the jungle, and Dermot seated on his elephant's neck with loaded rifle across his knees, scanned it carefully and watched the undergrowth on either side, noting here and there broken twigs or freshly-fallen leaves which marked the passage of the c

understood the quest and was following the trail. He headed Badshah again towards the north, but with difficulty, for the animal obstinately persisted in trying to go his own way. When Dermot conquered finally they continued towards the mountains. Bu

er than he. Now, with an apologetic pat on the head, Dermot let him follow the new path, wondering at the change of route, for it was only natural to expect that the Bhuttias would have made for the hills by the short

in the animal's extraordinary intelligence Dermot cocked his rifle. The elephant suddenly turned off the path and mo

t shaped like a Japanese kimono and kilted up to expose thick-calved, muscular bare legs by a girdle from which hung a dah-a short, straight sword. A little apart from t

of immense tenderness and an instinctive desire to protect her filled Dermot as he watched her. Then passionate anger welled up

y-two. The soldier's quick eye instantly detected that one of them, although garbed similarly to the rest, was in features unlike a Bhutt

hat harm might come to the girl in the fight if any of the Bhuttias carried fire-arms, for they would probably fire wildly, and a stray bullet might hit the girl. So he resolved on a bolder policy. While the raiders, who