delight. So I emphasized the point of your having discovered 'em
and saved 'em every wit whole and all that kind of thing. I asked
her to come and see me, but she wouldn't,--said she was 'disguised
and particularly did not want to be recognized, which was reasonable
enough. She sent Rewa Gunga instead. Now, this seems important:

"Before I sent you down to Delhi--before I sent for you at all--I
told her what I meant to do, and I never in my life knew a woman
raise such terrific objections to working with a man. As it happened
her objections only confirmed my determination to send for you,
and before she went down to Delhi to clean up I told her flatly
she would either have to work with you or else stay in India for
the duration of the war."

The general did not notice that King was licking his lips. Nor,
if he had noticed King's hand that now was in front of him pressing
on something under his shirt, could he have guessed that the something
was a gold-hilted knife with a bronze blade. King grunted in token
of attention, and the general continued.

"She gave in finally, but I felt nervous about it. Now, without
your getting sight of her--you say you haven't seen her?--her whole
attitude has changed! What have you done? Bringing up her thirty
men seems a little enough thing. Yet, she swears by you! Used
to swear at you, and now says you're the only officer in the British
army with enough brains to fill a helmet! Says she wouldn't go
up the Khyber without you! Says you're indispensable! Sent Rewa
Gunga round to me with orders to make sure I don't change my mind
about you! What have you done to her--bewitched her?"