We found a good place to camp, and proceeded to make it defensible and to gather fuel.  Then some of the women belonging to our Kurdish friends overtook us, and with them a few of our Kurdish wounded and some unwounded ones who had returned to glean again on the battle-field.  These brought with them two prisoners whom we set in the midst, and then Abraham was set to work translating until his tongue must have almost fallen out with weariness.  Bit by bit, we pieced a tale together that had reason in it and so brought us understanding.

Our first guess had been right; the Turks had already sent (some said a full division) to wreak vengeance for our plundering of the gold.  The Kurds of those parts, who fight among themselves like wild beasts, nevertheless will always stand together to fight Turks; therefore those who had been attacking us were now behind us with thousands of other Kurds from the tribes all about, waiting to dispute the passes with the common enemy.  They considered us an insignificant handful, to be dealt with later on.  The women said the battle had not begun; and the prisoners bade our Kurds swallow tribal enmity and hurry to do their share!  The chief listened to them, saying nothing.  Has the sahib ever watched a savage thinking while lust drew him one way and pride another?  Truly an interesting sight!

But the rest of the men were too interested to learn the reason of Gooja Singh’s torture and death to care for the workings of a Kurdish chief’s conscience.  They crowded closer and closer, interrupting with shouted questions and bidding each other be still.  So Ranjoor Singh said a word to Abraham and he changed the line of questioning.  The truth was soon out.

Gooja Singh, it seemed, probably not believing we had one chance in a million, decided to contrive safety for himself.  So with one Kurd to help him, he escaped in the night, and went and found Wassmuss in a Kurdish village in the mountains.  He told Wassmuss who we were, and whence we were, and what we intended.  So Wassmuss (who must be a very remarkable man indeed), although a prisoner, exerted so much persuasion forthwith that three hundred Kurds consented to escort the party of Germans there and then to Afghanistan.  He promised them I know not what reward, but the point is they consented, and within eight hours of Gooja Singh’s arrival the German party was on its way.

Then Wassmuss sent the thousand Kurds to deal with us; but, as I have told, we beat them.  And that made the Kurds who held Wassmuss prisoner extremely angry with Gooja Singh; so they made him prisoner, too.  And then, by signal and galloper and shouts from crag to crag came word that the Turks were marching in force to invade the mountains, and instantly they turned on Gooja Singh and would have torn him in pieces for being a spy of the Turks, sent on ahead to prepare the way.  But some cooler head than the rest urged to put him to the torture, and they agreed.