Then in a clearing at a little distance we saw women taking down a long low black tent, and between us and them a considerable herd of horses, mostly without halters but headed into a bunch by gipsy children.  Somebody on a gray stallion came loping down toward us, leaping low bushes, riding erect with pluperfect hands and seat.

“I’ve seen that stallion before!” said I.

“And the girl on his back is looking for somebody who owns her heart!” smiled Monty.  “Hullo!  Are you the lucky man?"’

She reined the stallion in, and took a good, long look at us, shading her eyes with her hand but showing dazzling white teeth between coral lips.  Suddenly the smile departed, and a look of sullen disappointment settled on her face, as she wheeled the stallion with a swing of her lithe body from the hips, and loped away.  Never, apparently, did two men make less impression on a maiden’s heart.  The six gipsies stood staring at us foolishly, until one of them at last held his hand up palm outward.  We accepted that as a peace signal.

“Are you waiting here for us?” Monty asked in English, and the oldest of the six—­a swarthy little man with rather bow legs—­thought he had been asked his name.

“Gregor Jhaere,” be answered.

For some vague reason Monty tried him next in Arabic and then in Hindustanee, but without result.  At last he tried halting Turkish, and the gipsy replied at once in German.  As Monty used to get two-pence or three-pence a day extra when he was in the British army, for knowing something of that tongue, we stood at once on common ground.

“Kagig told us to wait here and bring you to him,” said Gregor Jhaere.

“Where is Kagig?” Monty asked, and the man smiled blankly—­much more effectively than if he had shrugged his shoulders.

“We obey Kagig at times,” he said, as if that admission settled the matter.  Then there was interruption.  Rustum Khan came spurring down the road with his pistol holsters unbuttoned and his saber clattering like a sutler’s pots and pans, to see whether we needed help.  He had no sooner reined in beside us than I caught sight of Will, drawn between curiosity and fear lest the muleteers might bolt, standing in his stirrups to peer at us from the top of the track between the hillocks.  Somebody else caught sight of him too.

There came a shrill about from over where the women were packing up, and everybody turned to look, Gregor Jhaere included.  As hard as the gray stallion could take her in a bee line toward Will the daughter of the dawn with flashing teeth and blazing eyes was riding ventre a terre.

“Maga!” Gregor shouted at her, and then some unintelligible gibberish.  But she took no more notice of him than if he had been a crow on a branch.  In a minute she was beside Will, talking to him, and from over the top of the rise we could hear Fred shouting sarcastic remonstrance.