Right then, Biff was hoping to jab his attacker's neck nerves, judo style, which would have turned the tables completely. But his squirmy foe didn't wait. He managed to yank the ruby bag clear from its chain. Gripping his prize, he twisted away, turned, and bounded for the window.
Biff beat him there, by rolling over on his hands and knees, then blocking the fugitive with a headlong dive. The squirmy man turned and darted toward the door, just as it burst open and Barma Shah came driving in. He met the attacker and snatched for the bag, which came open, spilling out the ruby. By then, Biff was piling into the fray. He and Barma Shah both grabbed for the gleaming gem, while the squirmy man took off empty-handed.
It was Barma Shah who saved the ruby with one hand, while he held Biff back with the other. Chandra and Kamuka were already taking up the chase from their rooms, as were other guests. Coolly, Barma Shah told Biff:
"Leave it to them. We don't want people to know what the fellow was after. Here is the ruby, so put it away again."
The advice was good, so Biff accepted it. For the moment, he wondered if they'd really regained the ruby, for it looked as dull as a lump of coal, there in Barma Shah's hand. But as Biff took it, all the gem's luster returned and it scintillated in the moonlight with a vivid fire that seemed to throw off living sparks. Satisfied, Biff put the ruby back in its bag.
The excitement roused hundreds of monkeys from their tree bunks, and with all their jumping and chatter, no one was able to catch up with Biff's attacker. The khansama who kept the dak bungalow was all apologies when an examination showed that Biff's window screen had been loosened—by whom, no one knew. Barma Shah, as spokesman for the boys, dismissed it as a trifling matter.
But in the morning, Barma Shah went into Agra to talk to the police. He returned in time for an early lunch which the khansama, who was cook as well as innkeeper, had specially prepared. It consisted of dalmoth, or fried lentils with thin shavings of lentil paste; and it was followed by a dish of petha, a crystallized melon served in slices.
When Barma Shah and the boys pulled away in the jeep, he had made no further mention of the near-robbery of the night before. But as they rode along the highway toward Delhi, Barma Shah discussed the matter with the boys.
"The police weren't impressed," Barma Shah declared. "They say there is nothing to this talk of thugee coming back in the form of a Kali cult. People are simply confusing them with roving bands of thieves, like the old pindaris. Other countries have gangsters, why not India?"
"But we saw the Kali statue—" Biff began.