of England," he continued after a short hesitation, "and am on the best
of terms with the Viceroy; but things are now happening which I cannot
possibly understand. This very morning I received a message from
Calcutta, which absolutely astonished me. The Indian Government intends
to mass an army corps at Quetta, and calls upon me to despatch thither a
contingent of a thousand infantry, five hundred cavalry, a battery, and
two thousand camels. Can you tell me, sir, what makes England mass such
a large force at Quetta?"

"It will only be a precautionary measure, Highness! perhaps disturbances
have broken out again in Afghanistan."

"Disturbances in Afghanistan, do you say? Then Russia must have a hand
in it. Can you perhaps give me more definite information?"

Heideck had to express his inability to do so, and the Maharajah, who
did not conceal his vexation, began to open his heart to the stranger in
a rather imprudent way.

"I am a faithful friend of the English, but the burden they lay upon us
is becoming every day more intolerable. If England is bent upon war, why
should we sacrifice our blood and treasure upon it? Do we not know full
well what powerful foes England has? You do not belong to this nation,
as my Minister informed me; you are in a position, therefore, to
instruct me about these matters. It is true I have been in Europe, but
I was not permitted to go beyond London, whither I had proceeded to
congratulate the late Queen on her birthday. I have seen nothing but
many, many ships and a gigantic dirty town. Are there not in Europe
strong and powerful states hostile to England?"