"I think, Azim," Angus said, when they met that night "you must buy some clothes for yourself. You may be pretty sure that no one is watching you. You must not get them at any shop in the main street, because there are always passers-by who stop and listen to the bargains made; but there are some by-streets where there are a few shops. Of course you will go into a Persian's. If you give a fair price—not too high, you know, so as to seem too anxious to buy—I don't suppose he will trouble much what you may want them for. You must make out some likely story—say, for example, that your master keeps a sharp look-out over you, and that you want to be able to go out sometimes in such a dress that he would not know you if he met you. I don't know that that is a good excuse, but I am unable to think of a better one. All you will want will be a long white robe coming over the head and down to the eyebrows, and falling to the feet; and a white cloth coming across the face below the eyes, and falling down over the throat. There is no occasion to buy other garments. A rug torn asunder and wrapped round the waist, falling to the feet, so as to fill up the outside robe, is all that will be required. But the more I think of it, Azim, the greater appears the difficulty about the camel; indeed, now that we have ascertained about this spy, it seems to me hardly possible to make a start without being pursued at once."
Azim nodded approvingly. "That is just what I think, master. But I could put a knife into him, and then all trouble would be over."
"I don't like the idea of killing the man, Azim."
"You killed many men at Herat."
"That was in battle, which is a very different thing from stabbing a man to enable us to get away."
Azim shook his head. This was quite beyond him. "He is fighting against you now, master. If the princes find out that you are English they will put you in a dungeon and most likely kill you, and kill me too, so as to shut my mouth. This man is paid to act as a spy on you. Why not kill him? Thousands of people were killed or died at Herat. I cannot understand why one man should not be killed, when we can perhaps get free away if he is dead."
"If he found us escaping and attacked us, we could kill him, Azim, but it is not an Englishman's way to kill men, except in fight."
Azim shook his head. To his mind this was very foolish. "Perhaps we might make him prisoner, Azim."
"Where could we put him in prison?" Azim enquired, with his eyes wide open in surprise.
"I don't mean in a prison, Azim, I mean in some empty house or some out-of-the-way place; we might tie his arms and legs and gag him."