No one would have supposed from the simple words and the natural hand-shake that the meeting marked the end of a tense and perilous situation. Five sowars grouped at the door saluted and gave a shout of welcome.
"I'm jolly glad I'm in time," said Lawrence.
"Jolly good of you to come at all--wholly unexpected. I had quite forgotten that you had brought an aeroplane out."
"I say, are you hungry?"
"We are on our second horse. We had to use our own food for the animals. We are desperately thirsty, though. The well water is putrid."
"I've got plenty of food and water in the aeroplane."
"That's more than I hoped. I'll send the men for it. Horse-flesh isn't bad, but it lacks variety; and thirst is torture."
Having dispatched three of the sowars to fetch the provisions, he said--
"I sent the dafadar on the chance of his finding you. Is all well at the mine?"
"We're in the deuce of a fix, Major. There's a regular army of Kalmucks forty miles north of us."