“He says 'All right! sahib!'” translated the Beluchi.
“Good!” said Brown. “Ease away on the rope; men! And now! You all heard what I told him. If he says 'Hookum hai!' you all let go the rope, and fall flat. But keep hold of your rifles!”
The fakir's voice, rose in a high-pitched, nasal wail, and from the darkness all around them there came an answering murmur that was like the whispering of wind through trees. By the sound, there must have been a crowd of more than a hundred there, and either the crowd was sneaking around them to surround them at close quarters, or else the crowd was growing.
“Keep awake, men!” cautioned Brown.
“Aye, aye, sir! All awake, sir!”
“Listen, now! And if he says one word except what I told him he might say, tip me the wink at once.”
Brown swung the Beluchi out in front of him where he could hear the fakir better.
“I'll hang you, remember, after I've hanged him, if anything goes wrong!”
“He is saying, sahib, exactly what you said.”
“He'd better! Listen now! Listen carefully! Look out for tricks!”