“That description of the Gulab as a nautch girl tickles my fancy, Dewani,” he said.  “Between ourselves I think the Resident’s jackal, the impressionable young Captain, was rather taken with her.  I’m giving a nautch this week, and the presence of Miss Gulab is desired—­commanded.”

“But Ajeet—­”

Nana Sahib smiled sardonically.  “You and Hunsa are planning to send her on a more difficult mission, so I have no doubt that this can be accomplished.  The Ajeet should esteem it an honour.”

The Dewan, also speaking in English, said, “I doubt if Ajeet would consent to the girl’s going to the Pindari camp.”

Nana Sahib swung on his heel to face Baptiste.  “Sirdar, when you give an order to a soldier and he refuses to obey, what do you do?”

“Pouf, mon Prince,” and Jean Baptiste snapped a thumb and finger expressively.

“See, Dewani?” Nana Sahib queried; “I like Hunsa’s idea; and you’ve heard what the Commandant says.”

The Dewan turned to the Bagree, “Will Ajeet consent to the Gulab acting thus?”

Hunsa’s answer was illuminating:  “The Chief will agree to it if he can’t help himself.”

There was a lull, each one turning this momentous thing over in his mind.

It was the jamadar who broke the silence; somewhat at a tangent he said:  “As to a decoity, Your Honour said that we being of that profession should undertake one.”

The Dewan roared; the burden of his expostulation was the word liar.

But Nana Sahib laughed tolerantly.  “Don’t mind me, Dewani; fancy all the petty rajas and officials stand in with these decoits for a share of the loot—­I don’t blame you, old chap.”

Hunsa, taking the accusation of being a liar as a pure matter of course, ignored it, and now was drooling along, wedded to the one big idea that was in his mind: 

“If a decoity were made perhaps it might even happen that one was killed—­”

“Lovely! the ‘One’ will be, and his name is Ajeet,” Nana Sahib cried gleefully.

But Hunsa plodded steadily on.  “In that case Ajeet as Chief would be in the hands of the Dewan; then it could be mentioned to him that the Gulab was desired for this mission.”

“That might be,” the Dewan said quietly.  “I will demand that Ajeet takes the Gulab to help secure Amir Khan and if he refuses I will give them no rations so that he will go on the decoity.”

“No, Dewan Sahib,” Hunsa objected; “say nothing of the Gulab, because Ajeet will refuse, and then he will not go on a decoity, fearing a trap.  If you will refuse the rations now, I will say that you have promised that we will not be taken up if we make a decoity; then Ajeet will agree, because it is our profession.”

“I must go,” Nana Sahib declared; “this Hunsa seems to have brains as well as ferocity.”  He continued in English:  “If you do go through with this, Dewan, tell Hunsa if anything happens when they make the decoity—­and if I’m any reader of what is in a man’s heart, I think something will happen the Ajeet—­tell Hunsa to bring the Gulab to me.  I like his idea, and we can’t afford to let the girl get away.  Don’t forget to arrange for the Gulab at my nautch.”