“I am not surprised at his welcoming European fellow-travellers, but I doubt your finding him the safest of company. He’s afraid of the Codgers, of course.”
These were the Kajias, the wildest of the wild tribes of Lower Khemistan, who in the mouth of the British troops naturally became the Codgers, and their Khan the King of the Codgers. The Kajias it was who had been so bold as to raid the outlying houses of Bab-us-Sahel, and Sir Henry had sent the Khan a stern reproof and orders to come in and surrender. Eveleen laughed as she thought of it.
“And the Codgers will be afraid of us. Sure the General has put terror upon them—so that’s all right. After these two victories no one would dare touch a European.”
“I trust you may be correct. But——”
“Ah, then, don’t but at me! Be good and kind like yourself, and help me to make my bandobast in time.”
“Why, when do you want to go?”
“I haven’t seen Firozji yet, but the way the bearer spoke I’d say he would start to-night if he could—and what could be better? I mean”—she explained kindly—“that Ambrose won’t have the worry of looking forward. He’ll wake up out of this drowsy state and find himself on the beautiful cool water, and he will be pleased!”
“There’s something in that,” said the surgeon meditatively, and went and looked at Richard, in whose eyes he caught a fleeting gleam of recognition, which passed as quickly as it came. “But I fear you won’t find it particularly cool on the river. The glare from the sand and the water will be precious trying, after the shade here. You don’t know what it means to be cooped up in a small boat in the hot weather, with nothing but a mat roof between you and the sun, and no possibility of finding even a rock or a tree to shelter you.”
“But it won’t be for very long,” cheerfully. “And nothing could be hotter than ’tis here.”
The surgeon was well aware of the contrary, but Eveleen looked so tired and washed-out that he could not bring himself to dash her hopes. He remembered another objection, however. “But what about getting leave? You can’t spirit away the General’s political assistant without asking him.”