“No, he isn’t dead,” remarked Dermot.  “I saw him, and I think that he’ll live.”

“Oh, I’m so glad to hear it,” exclaimed the girl.  “Ever since I saw it I’ve had before my eyes the dreadful sight of the poor lad lying on the ground covered with blood and apparently lifeless.  Well, to go on.  I called the other servants, but no one came.  The Bhuttias tied my hands and tried to lift me on to my pony’s back, but Kitty got frightened and bolted.  Then they didn’t seem to know what to do, and one went to a man who had remained at a distance from us and spoke to him.  He apparently told them to fetch a chair from the bungalow and put me into it.  I tried to struggle, but I was powerless in their grasp.  I was fastened to the chair, poles were tied to it, and at a sign from the man who stood alone—­he seemed to be the leader—­I was lifted up and carried off.”

“Did you notice anything about this man—­the leader?” asked Dermot.

“Yes, he was not like the others in face.  He didn’t seem to me to be a Bhuttia at all.  He was one of the two that you shot—­the man with shoes.  It seems absurd, but do you know, his face appeared rather familiar to me somehow.  But of course I could never have seen him before.”

“Are you sure that you hadn’t?  Think hard,” said Dermot eagerly.

The girl shook her head.

“It’s no use.  I puzzled over the likeness most of the time that I was in their hands, but I couldn’t place him.”

Dermot looked disappointed.

The girl continued: 

“We went through the forest for hours without stopping, except to change the bearers of my chair.  I noticed that the leader spoke to one man only, the man with the scars on his face whom you shot, too, and he passed on the orders.”

“Could you tell in what language these two spoke to each other?”

“No; they never talked in my hearing.  In fact I noticed that the man with shoes always avoided coming near me.  Well, we went on and on and never halted until we reached the place where you found us.  It seemed to be a spot that they had aimed for.  I saw the scarred man examining some marks on the trees in it and pointing them out to the leader, who then gave the order to stop.”

“How did they behave to you?”

“No one took any notice of me.  They simply carried me, lifted me up, and dumped me down as if I were a tea-chest,” replied the girl.  “Well, that is all my adventure.  But now please tell me how you came so opportunely to my rescue.  Was it by chance or did you follow us?  Oh, I forgot.  You said you saw Lalla, so you must have been at Malpura.  Did Fred send you?”

Dermot briefly related all that had happened.  When he told her of his dispute with Badshah about the route to be followed and how the elephant proved to be in the right she cried enthusiastically: 

“Oh, the dear thing!  He’s just the most wonderful animal in the world.  Forgive me for interrupting.  Please go on.”