[25] Native cot or bed.

“On his return to the room, Mir Jan flung himself, weary, upon his charpai and Moussa Isa lay across the doorway.

“In the morning my brother awoke and sitting on the charpai, took up the blue bottle, drew the cork, and raised the bottle towards his eyes.  As he did this, Moussa Isa entered, and knowing not why he did so, sprang at his master and dashed the bottle from his hand.  It fell to the ground but broke not, the floor being dhurrie[26]-covered.

  [26] Carpet.

“In greatest amazement Mir Jan glanced from Moussa Isa to the bottle, clenching his hand to strike the boy—­when behold! the very floor bubbled and smoked beneath the touch of the liquid as it ran from the bottle.  By the Beard of the Prophet, that stone floor bubbled and smoked like water and the dhurrie was burnt!  Snatching up the bottle my brother dropped drops from it upon the blade of his knife, upon the leather of his boots, upon paint and brass and clothing—­and behold it was liquid fire, burning and corroding all that it touched!  To me he called, and, being shown these things, I could scarce believe—­and then I cried aloud ’Ibrahim Mahmud!  Thine enemy!...  Oh, my brother,—­thine eyes!’ and I remembered the words of Ibrahim, ’a vengeance that shall turn men pale as they whisper it—­a thing of which children yet unborn shall speak with awe’ and we rushed to his room,—­to find it empty.  He and his best camel and its driver were gone, but all his people and servants and oont-wallahs[27] were in the serai,[28] and said they knew not where he was, but had received a hookum[29] over-night to set out that day for Mekran Kot.  And, catching up a pariah puppy, I re-entered the house and dropped one drop from the blue bottle into its eye.  Sahib, even I pitied the creature and slew it quickly with my knife.  And it was this that Ibrahim Mahmud had intended for the blue eyes of my beautiful brother.  This was the vengeance of which men should speak in whispers.  Those who saw and heard that puppy would speak of it in whispers indeed—­or not at all.  I felt sick and my fingers itched to madness for the throat of Ibrahim Mahmud.  Had I seen him then, I would have put out his eyes with my thumbs.  Nay—­I would have used the burning liquid upon him as he had designed it should be used by my brother.

  [27] Camel-men.
  [28] Halting-enclosure, rest-house.
  [29] Order.

“Hearing Mir Jan’s voice, I hurried forth, and found that his white pacing-camel was already saddled and that he sat in the front seat, prepared to drive.  ‘Up, Daoud Khan’ he cried to me ’we go a-hunting’—­and I sprang to the rear saddle even as the camel rose.  ’Lead on, Moussa Isa, and track as thou hast never tracked before, if thou wouldst live,’ said he to the Somali, a noted paggi,[30] even among the Baluch and Sindhi paggis of the police