For a moment he stood tempted, as he had never been tempted in his life before.
And then the door burst open, and the baboo, stuttering, blubbering in his haste, almost fell at his feet.
'Oh, sir, come! You are nearest in authority. Come and issue order sharp. You are master, sir! Stop them, or this poor devil of baboo is lost. Issue order, sir, and stop them from the bridge!'
'The bridge!' echoed Chris, completely at fault, 'what bridge?'
'Drawbridge, sir,' almost shrieked the baboo, 'and express train coming instanter. Oh! what can do? Oh! this poor devil, this poor innocent devil!'
He was grovelling now, and Chris bade him stand up and speak Urdu, almost as Jack Raymond had bidden Govind. But as he listened to the baboo's words, each one, each phrase did not translate itself into a definite aspect of the one central fact that had to be reckoned with; and so, when the tale ended in fresh blubbers, he was not ready to act--he had to think! The very keenness of his intellectual apprehension--claimed clear perception of all points, and he hesitated as he recapitulated them.
Trouble expected in the city--ah! about the amulets, no doubt--why had he not spoken? Troops sent for to Fareedabad, and coming sooner than the authorities expected. How could that be? Coming in a few moments, and the fact of their having been sent for leaking out through the second telegram, the Commissioner's telegram! Why had there been two telegrams?
'Ob, Lord God!' moaned the baboo, reverting to English at this question, 'because this poor devil of a baboo one fool! Yet doing duty, sir--getting line clear, go ahead, all serene till Kuzai fellows come bribing signalman for midnight train, so discovering special, beat this poor body to bruises--Oh, sir! issue orders! issue orders!'
Chris, in a whirl, stood aghast. Issue orders? What orders?
'Yes, sir! Ah! come and see, sir, and issue orders!' moaned the baboo again.