The amazing was discovered then.  The treasure—­the fabled, fabulous, enormous Howrah treasure was no fable.  It was there, behind that wall!  The jewels and the bullion in marketable bars that could have bought an army or a kingdom—­the sacred, secret treasure of twenty troubled generations, that was guarded in the front by fifty doors and fifty corridors and three times fifty locks—­the door of whose secret vault was guarded by a cannon, set to explode at the slightest touch—­was hidden from the public road at its other side, its rear, by nothing better than a five-foot wall of ill-cemented stone!  Cunningham stepped inside over the dismantled masonry and sat down on a chest that held more money’s worth than all the Cunninghams in all the world had ever owned, or spent, or owed, or used, or dreamed of!

“Ask Alwa and Mahommed Gunga to come to me here!” he called; and a minute later they stood at attention in front of him.

“Send a hundred men, each with a flag of truce on his lance, to gallop through the city and call on Jaimihr’s men to rally to me, if they wish protection against Howrah!”

“Good, sahib!  Good!” swore Alwa.  “Howrah is the next danger!  Make ready to fight Howrah!”

“Attend to my orders, please!” smiled Cunningham, and Alwa did as he was told.  Within an hour Jaimihr’s men were streaming from the four quarters of the compass, hurrying to be on the winning side, and forming into companies as they were ordered.

Then Cunningham gave another order.

“Alwa-sahib, will you take another flag of truce, please, and ride with not more than two men to Maharajah Howrah.  Tell him that I want him here at once to settle about this treasure.”

Alwa stared.  His mouth opened a little, and he stood like a man bereft of reason by the unexpected.

“Are you not still pledged to support Howrah on his throne?”

“I am, bahadur.”

“Would plundering his treasure be in keeping with your promise to him?”

“Nay, sahib.  But—­”

“Be good enough to take my message to him.  Assure him that he may come with ten men without fear of molestation, but guarantee to him that if he comes with more than ten—­and with however many more—­I will fight, and keep his treasure, both!”

CHAPTER XXXIII

Friends I have sought me of varying nations,
Men of all ranks and of different stations;
Some are in jail now, and some are deceased. 
Two, though, I found to be experts at sundering
Me from my revenue, leaving me wondering
Which was the costlier—­soldier or priest.

A little more than one hour later, Howrah—­sulky and disgruntled, but doing his level best to appear at Ease—­faced young Cunningham across a table in the treasure-vault.  Outside was a row of wagons, drawn by horses and closely guarded by a squadron of the Rangars.  Behind Cunningham stood Alwa and Mahommed Gunga; behind the Maharajah were two of his court officials.  There were pen and ink and the royal seal between them on the table.