“Treachery?”
“Yes; he says he has so many people about him that he dare not trust. Finally, he says he looks to us to keep him safe upon the throne.”
“To us! The English—the Company?”
“No, to us—you and me.”
Dick laughed.
“Ah, you may grin, my lad; but he means it. He told me he had taken a fancy to you.”
“Means nothing,” said Dick. “These Indians are all smiles and flattery.”
“Some of them, but I don’t think this Rajah is a humbug. He has seen a good deal of our people, and he is very downright. He told me he was sorry to hear that so brave an officer as Hulton was wounded, but that he did not take to him much, for he was too haughty and supercilious to him.”
“Yes,” said Dick thoughtfully, “Hulton was a bit stand-offish to him.”
“Yes; that’s his way, poor fellow. The Rajah said that though he was in trouble, and we belonged to the conquering race, he still felt that he was a king, and Hulton seemed to look down upon him.”