She gave him the bag she had received from the slave.
'Go, now, and when the sun is come up to the palace, I will have Jungir Khan make you captain of his guard. But you will take your orders from me, secretly. Your first duty will be to march a squad to the shrine of Hanuman, ostensibly to search for clues of the priest's slayer; in reality to search for the Star of Khorala. It must be hidden there somewhere. When you find it, bring it to me. You have my leave to go now.'
He nodded, still silent, and strode away. The girl, watching the swing of his broad shoulders, was piqued to note that there was nothing in his bearing to show that he was in any way chagrined or abashed.
When he had rounded a corner, he glanced back, and then changed his direction and quickened his pace. A few moments later he was in the quarter of the city containing the Horse Market. There he smote on a door until from the window above a bearded head was thrust to demand the reason for the disturbance.
'A horse,' demanded Conan. 'The swiftest steed you have.'
'I open no gates at this time of night,' grumbled the horse-trader.
Conan rattled his coins.
'Dog's son knave! Don't you see I'm white, and alone? Come down, before I smash your door!'
Presently, on a bay stallion, Conan was riding toward the house of Aram Baksh.