Yar Mahomed opened and read the letter.
"You are aware of its contents?" he asked.
"Yes, I learned them by heart before I left Teheran, in case I should be robbed of the letter on the way."
The wuzeer sat in thought for a minute.
"But how," he said doubtfully, "can your country, which is, as I hear, very far distant, exercise any influence with the Shah? Surely you could not send an army all that distance?"
"Not from England, your highness; but we could send a fleet that could shut up all the ports in the Persian Gulf, and we could send troops from India to occupy those places, and so destroy all their trade. Moreover, we could put a stop to all trade passing by land through this town to Scinde, and send a great army by sea and invade Persia, and, as our soldiers are much better than the Persians, might even take Tabriz and Teheran. The Shah knows that they have done great things in India, and will see how they might bring ruin on Persia."
"Yes, what your minister says is true; but will he do this at once?"
"That I cannot say," Angus replied. "At first, no doubt, the government of England would say, 'Herat is very far off; it will fall before we can do anything.' But if they find that it holds out bravely, they will say, 'We must help these people who are fighting so well.' There is another thing. It is said that there are already some Russian officers with the Shah's army. The English are very jealous of the Russians, and when they come to understand that it is Russia who has sent the Shah to capture Herat their anger will speedily be roused, and they will bid their minister say to the Shah, 'If you continue to fight against Herat, we shall send our ships and our army against you.' The Shah knows that we have conquered in India people far more warlike than the Persians, and he will say to himself, 'Why should I run the risk of losing my kingdom merely to please the Russians, who are really much more dangerous neighbours than the English?'"
"The words of your excellency are wise," the wuzeer said. "You will see that we shall hold out for months, or even for years if necessary. I can understand now why the British minister has confidence in you though you look so young. How many years has your excellency?"
"I am not yet thirty," Angus said calmly.