as woven steel, but was not much more than half the thickness of
his own.

The Rajputs as a race are proud of their wrists and hands. Their
swords are made with a hilt so small that none save a Rajput of
the blood could possibly use one; yet there is no race in all
warring India, nor any in the world, that bears a finer record for
hard fighting and sheer derring-do. One of the questions that
occurred to King that minute was why this well-bred youngster whose
age he guessed at twenty-two or so had not turned his attention
to the army.

"My height!"

The man had read his thoughts!

"Not quite tall enough. Besides--you are a soldier, are you not?
And do you fight?"

He nodded toward a dozen water-buffaloes, that slouched along the
street with wet goatskin mussuks slung on their blue flanks.

"They can fight," he said smiling. "So can any other fool!" Then,
after a minute of rather strained silence: "My message is from her."

"From Yasmini?"

"Who else?"

King accepted the rebuke with a little inclination of the head.