by John Buchan
CHAPTER XXVI
FRIEND TO FRIEND
He found George sitting down in the verandah after waltzing. Hispartner was a sister of Logan's, a dark girl whose husband was Residentsomewhere in Lower Kashmir. The lady gave her hand to Lewis and he tookthe vacant seat on the other side.
He apologized for carrying off her companion, escorted her back to theballroom, and then returned to satisfy the amazed George.
"I want to talk to you. Excuse my rudeness, but I have explained toMrs. Tracy. I have a good many things I want to say to you."
"Where on earth have you been all night, Lewis? I call it confoundedlymean to go off and leave me to do all the heavy work. I've never beenso busy in my life. Lots of girls and far too few men. This is thefirst breathing space I've had. What is it that you want?"
"I am going off this very moment up into the hills. That letter Markersent me this morning has been confirmed. Holm, who commands up at theForza fort, has just come down very sick, and he says that theBada-Mawidi are looking ugly, and that we should take Marker's word. Hewanted to go back himself but he is too ill, and Thwaite can't leavehere, so I am going. I don't expect there will be much risk, but incase the rising should be serious I want you to do me a favour."
"I suppose I can't come with you," said George ruefully. "I know Ipromised to let you go your own way before we came out, but I wish youwould let me stick by you. What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing desperate," said Lewis, laughing. "You can stay on here anddance till sunrise if you like. But to-morrow I want you to come up toa certain place at the foot of the hills which I will tell you about,and wait there. It's about half distance between Forza and the twoKhautmi forts. If the rising turns out to be a simple affair I'll joinyou there to-morrow night and we can start our shooting. But if Idon't, I want you to go up to the Khautmi forts and rouse St. John andMitchinson and get them to send to Forza. Do you see?"
Lewis had taken out a pencil and began to sketch a rough plan onGeorge's shirt cuff. "This will give you an idea of the place. You canlook up a bigger map in the hotel, and Thwaite or any one will give youdirections about the road. There's Forza, and there are the Khautmisabout twenty miles west. Half-way between the two is that long Nazrivalley, and at the top is a tableland strewn with boulders where youshoot mountain sheep. I've been there, and the road between Khautmi andForza passes over it. I expect it is a very bad road, but apparentlyyou can get a little Kashmir pony to travel it. To the north of thatplateau there is said to be nothing but rock and snow for twenty milesto the frontier. That may be so, but if this thing turns out all rightwe'll look into the matter. Anyway, you have got to pitch your tentto-morrow on that tableland just above the head of the Nazri gully.With luck I should be able to get to you some time in the afternoon. IfI don't turn up, you go off to Khautmi next morning at daybreak and givethem my message. If I can't come myself I'll find a way to send word;but if you don't hear from me it will be fairly serious, for it willmean that the rising is a formidable thing after all. And that, ofcourse, will mean trouble for everybody all round. In that case you'dbetter do what St. John and Mitchinson tell you. You're sure to bewanted."
George's face cleared. "That sounds rather sport. I'd better bring upthe servants. They might turn out useful. And I suppose I'll bring acouple of rifles for you, in case it's all a fraud and we want to goshooting. I thought the place was going to be stale, but it promisespretty well now." And he studied the plan on his shirt cuff. Then anidea came to him.
"Suppose you find no rising. That will mean that Marker's letter was ablind of some sort. He wanted to get you out of the way or something.What will you do then? Come back here?"
"N--o," said Lewis hesitatingly. "I think Thwaite is good enough, and Ishould be no manner of use. You and I will wait up there in the hillson the off-chance of picking up some news. I swear I won't come backhere to hang about and try and discover things. It's enough to drive aman crazy."
"It is rather a ghastly place. Wonder how the Logans thrive here. Oddmixture this. Strauss and hill tribes not twenty miles apart."
Lewis laughed. "I think I prefer the hill tribes. I am not in thehumour for Strauss just now. I shall have to be off in an hour, so I amgoing to change. See you to-morrow, old man."
George retired to the ballroom, where he had to endure the reproaches ofMrs. Logan. He was an abstracted and silent partner, and in theintervals of dancing he studied his cuff. Miss A talked to him of polo,and Miss B of home; Miss C discovered that they had common friends, andMiss D that she had known his sister. Miss E, who was more observant,saw the cause of his distraction and asked, "What queer hieroglyphicshave you got on your cuff, Mr. Winterham?"
George looked down in a bewildered way at his sleeve. "Where on earthhave I been?" he asked in wonder. "That's the worst of being anabsent-minded fellow. I've been scribbling on my cuff with my programmepencil."
Soon he escaped, and made his way down to the garden gate, where Thwaitewas standing smoking. A _sais_ held a saddled pony by the road-side.Lewis, in rough shooting clothes, was preparing to mount. From indoorscame the jigging of a waltz tune and the sound of laughter, while far inthe north the cliffs of the pass framed a dark blue cleft where thestars shone. George drew in great draughts of the cool, fresh air. "Iwish I was coming with you," he said wistfully.
"You'll be in time enough to-morrow," said Lewis. "I wish you'd givehim all the information you can about the place, Thwaite. He's anignorant beggar. See that he remembers to bring food and matches. Theguns are the only things I can promise he won't forget."
Then he rode off, the little beast bucking excitedly at the patches ofmoonlight, and the two men walked back to the house.
"Hope he comes back all right," said Thwaite. "He's too good a man tothrow away."