“She is right,” averred Pundita.  “A woman can do more at this moment than a hundred men.  I will go, Mem-sahib; and, more, I will bring him back.”

“But if he should hold you as a hostage?” suggested the harried Ahmed.  “What then?”

“What will be will be,” answered Pundita with oriental philosophy.

“You shall go, Pundita,” said Ramabai; “and Durga Ram shall choke between these two hands if he harms a hair of your head.”

“And now to bed,” said Ahmed.

Well for Kathlyn that she had not the gift of clairvoyance.  At the precise moment she put her head upon the pillow her father was writhing under the lash; but never a sound came from his lips.  Kit was free.  Kit was free!

“To-morrow and to-morrow’s to-morrow you shall feel the lash,” cried Umballa when he saw that his victim could stand no more.  “Once more, where is the filigree basket?”

Feebly the colonel shook his head.

“To-morrow, then!  Up till now you have known only neglect.  Now you shall feel the active hatred of the man you robbed and cheated.  Ah, rubies and pearls and emeralds; you will never see them.”

“Nor shall you!”

“Wait and see.  There’s another way of twisting the secret from you.  Wait; have patience.”  Umballa laughed.

And this laughter rang in the colonel’s ears long after the door had closed.  What new deviltry had he in mind?

The next morning Kathlyn came into the living-room dressed, for the first time in weeks.  She felt strangely uncomfortable.  For so long a time her body had been free that the old familiar garments of civilization (are they civilized?) almost suffocated her.

“You are not afraid, Pundita?”

“No, Mem-sahib.  Ahmed will have me carried to within a few yards of the gate, and after that it will be easy to find Durga Ram.  Ah, Mem-sahib, if you but knew how I hate him!”

After Pundita had departed Ahmed brought in the leopard.  Kathlyn petted it and crooned, and the magic timbre of her tones won over the spotted cat.  He purred.

And now they must wait.  An hour flew past.  Kathlyn showed signs of restlessness, and this restlessness conveyed itself to the leopard, who began to switch his tail about.

“Mem-sahib, you are losing your influence over the cat,” warned Ahmed.  “Go walk; go talk elephant; and you, Bruce Sahib, go with her.  I’ll take care of the cat.”

So Bruce and Kathlyn went the rounds of the cages.  She was a veritable enigma to Bruce.  Tigers lost their tenseness and looked straight into her eyes.  A cheetah with cubs permitted her to touch the wabbly infants, whereas the keeper of this cage dared not go within a foot of it.  By the time she reached the elephants a dozen keepers were following her, their eyes wide with awe.  They had heard often of the Mem-sahib who calmed the wild ones, but they had not believed.  With the elephants she did about as she pleased.