King struck a match and held it out, so the sentence was unfinished; the first few puffs of the astonishing cigar wiped out all memory of the missing word. And then King changed the subject.

"Those men I asked you to arrest—?"

"Nabbed"—puff—"every one of 'em!"—puff—puff—"all under"—puff—puff—"lock and key,—best smoke I ever tasted—where d'you get 'em?"

"Had they been in communication with her?"

Puff—puff—"You bet they had! Where d'you get these things?"

"Not her special men by any chance?"

Puff—"Gad, what smoke!—couldn't say, of course, but"—puff—puff—"shouldn't think so."

"Well—I'll go along with you if you like, and look them over."

Both tone and manner gave Saunders credit for the suggestion, and Saunders seemed to like it. There is nothing like following up, in football, war or courtship.

"I see you're a judge of a cigar," said King, and Saunders purred, all men being fools to some extent, and the only trouble being to demonstrate the fact.

They had started for the station entrance when a nasal voice began intoning, "Cap-teen King sahib—Cap-teen King sahib!" and a telegraph messenger passed them with his book under his arm. King whistled him. A moment later he was tearing open an official urgent telegram and writing a string of figures in pencil across the top. Then he decoded swiftly,

"Advices are Yasmini was in Delhi as recently as six 

this evening. Fail to understand your inability to 

get in touch. Have you tried at her house? Matters 

in Khyber district much less satisfactory. Word from 

O-C Khyber Rifles to effect that lashkar is collecting. 

Better sweep up in Delhi and proceed northward as quickly 

as compatible with caution. L. M. L." 

The three letters at the end were the general's coded signature. The wording of the telegram was such that as he read King saw a mental picture of the general's bald red skull and could almost hear him say the "fail to understand." The three words "much less satisfactory" were a bookful of information. So, as he folded up the telegram, tore the penciled strip of figures from the top and burned it with a match, he was at pains to look pleased.