There was no weeping or wailing or struggling.  The dark proud face of the young girl gave forth no sign of the terror and utter loneliness of her position.  And Umballa realized that it was in the blood of these children to be brave and quiet.  There was no mercy in his heart.  He was power mad and gold mad, and his enemies lived because he could reach neither of his desires over their dead bodies.

The rigmarole and mummery Winnie went through affected her exactly as it had affected her sister.  It was all a hideous nightmare, and at any moment she expected to wake up in her cozy corner at Edendale.

In the bazaars they began to laugh at Umballa and his coronations, or durbars.  They began to jest at his futile efforts to crown some one through whom he could put his greedy hand into the treasury.  Still, they found plenty of amusement and excitement.  And so they filled the square in front of the platform when Umballa put the crown on Winnie’s head.  How long would this queen last?

And Kathlyn, her father and Bruce were forced to witness the event from behind the cordon of guards, dressed in native costume, their faces stained and their hearts swelling with impotent anger and despair.  For it was in such guise they had returned to Allaha.

During a lull in the ceremonies a resonant voice from out the dense throne cried, “Give us a queen of our blood and race, thou black, gutter born dog!”

Ramabai started at the sound of that voice, but caught himself before he looked in the direction from whence it rose.  It belonged to one Lal Singh.

Umballa scowled, but gave no other sign that he heard.  But a guard dove into the crowd; uselessly, however.

Kathlyn touched Ramabai’s arm.

“Oh, I must speak to her!”

“Be careful, Mem-sahib!” he warned.

But even as she spoke she stepped past him, toward her beloved sister, and offered the flowers she held.

Winnie, not dreaming that this dark veiled creature was her sister, smelled the flowers and beheld a card which had writing on it—­English!

“Courage!  Father and I have a plan for your escape.  Kathlyn.”

CHAPTER XVII

LORD OF THE WORLD

Umballa began to go about cheerfully.  He no longer doubted his star.  Gutter born, was he?  A rat from the streets?  Very well; there were rats and rats, and some bit so deep that people died of it.  He sometimes doubted the advisability of permitting Colonel Hare’s head man Ahmed to roam about; the rascal might in the end prove too sharp.  Still it was not a bad idea to let Ahmed believe that he walked in security.  All Umballa wanted was the colonel, Kathlyn and the young hunter, Bruce.  It would be Ahmed, grown careless, who would eventually lead him or his spies to the hiding-place.

That the trio were in the city Umballa did not doubt in the least, nor that they were already scheming to liberate the younger sister.  All his enemies where he could put his hand on them!