"Where did the sahib loge go?" asked one.
"They went along this road," replied another.
"They did not do so," said a third; "we ran faster than they, and we should have seen them."
"Where then can they be?"
"They have fled into one of the bungalows; likely they are among the trees of a garden; they may be close at hand."
"We will search this garden, but we may not do so without permission of the nawab."
The last remark convinced the fugitives that they were standing in the grounds of some native of note, else the mob would not have felt any hesitation about searching them without asking permission.
A minute later two of the leaders approached the entrance of the garden, and were met by the porter, who had noticed the turmoil outside. When the wish of the intruders was made known, the porter, sensible of his duty to his master, refused point blank to allow any of the party to enter the grounds.
He asserted that no one had taken refuge there, and intimated that the request of the men before him was only a thin subterfuge by which they hoped to gain plunder.
The leaders became angry, and replied that it would be impossible to keep out the mob; it was best to give permission when a refusal would only exasperate the impatient men to violence.