“Sahib—art thou a priest?”
“I am.”
“One, then, who prays?”
“Yes.”
“For dead men, ever? For the dying?”
“Certainly.”
“Aloud?”
“On occasion, yes.”
“Then pray now! There will be many dead and dying on the plain below in less than fifteen minutes! Hindoos, for all I know, would benefit by prayer. They have too many gods, and their gods are too busy fighting for ascendancy to listen. Pray thou, a little!”
There came a long shout from the plain, and Alwa sent a man again to listen. He came back with a message that Jaimihr granted amnesty to all who would surrender, and that he would be pleased to accept Alwa's allegiance if offered to him.