Marker speedily left the broader streets of the European quarter, and plunged6 down a steep alley7 which led to the stream. Half way down there was a lane to the left in the line of hovels, and, after stopping a moment to consider, he entered this. It was narrow and dark, but smelt8 cleanly enough of the dry granite9 sand. There were little dark apertures10 in the huts, which might have been either doors or windows, and at one of these he stopped, lit a match, and examined it closely. The result was satisfactory; for the man, who had hitherto been crouching11, straightened himself up and knocked. The door opened instantaneously, and he bowed his tall head to enter a narrow passage. This brought him into a miniature courtyard, about thirty feet across, above which gleamed a patch of violet sky, sown with stars. Below a door on the right a light shone, and this he pushed open, and entered a little room.
The place was richly furnished, with low couches and Persian tables, and on the floor a bright matting. The short, square-set man sitting smoking on the divan12 we have already met at a certain village in the mountains. Fazir Khan, descendant of Abraham, and father and chief of the Bada-Mawidi, has a nervous eye and an uneasy face to-night, for it is a hard thing for a mountaineer, an inhabitant of great spaces, to sit with composure in a trap-like room in the citadel13 of a foe14 who has many acts of rape15 and murder to avenge16 on his body. To do Fazir Khan justice he strove to conceal17 his restlessness under the usual impassive calm of his race. He turned his head slightly as Marker entered, nodded gravely over the bowl of his pipe, and pointed18 to the seat at the far end of the divan.
“It is a dark night,” he said. “I heard you stumbling on the causeway before you entered. And I have many miles to cover before dawn.”
Marker nodded. “Then you must make haste, my friend. You must be in the hills by daybreak, for I have some errands I want you to do for me. I have to-night been dining with two strangers, who have come up from the south.”
The chief’s eyes sparkled. “Do they suspect?”
“Nothing in particular, everything in general. They are English. One was here before and got far up into your mountains. He wrote a clever book when he returned, which made people think. They say their errand is sport, and it may be. On the other hand I have a doubt. One has not the air of the common sportsman. He thinks too much, and his eyes have a haggard look. It is possible that they are in their Government’s services and have come to reconnoitre.”
“Then we are lost,” said Fazir Khan sourly. “It was always a fool’s plan, at the mercy of any wandering Englishman.”
“Not so,” said Marker. “Nothing is lost, and nothing will be lost. But I fear these two men. They do not bluster19 and talk at random20 like the others. They are so very quiet that they may mean danger.”
“They must remain here,” said the chief. “Give me the word, and I will send one of my men to hough their horses and, if need be, cripple themselves.”
Marker laughed. “You are an honest fool, Fazir Khan. That sort of thing is past now. We live in the wrong times and places for it. We cannot keep them here, but we must send them on a goose-chase. Do you understand?”
“I understand nothing. I am a simple man and my ways are simple, and not as yours.”
“Then attend to my words, my friend. Our expedition must be changed and made two days sooner. That will give these two Englishmen three days only to checkmate it. Besides, they are ignorant, and to-morrow is lost to them, for they go to a ball at the Logan woman’s. Still, I fear them with two days to work in. If they go north, they are clever and suspicious, and they may see or fancy enough to wreck21 our plans. They may have the way barred, and we know how little would bar the way.”
“Ten resolute22 men,” said the chief. “Nay, I myself, with my two sons, would hold a force at bay there.”
“If that is true, how much need is there to be wary23 beforehand! Since we cannot prevent these men from meddling24, we can give them rope to meddle25 in small matters. Let us assume that they have been sent out by their Government. They are the common make of Englishmen, worshipping a god which they call their honour. They will do their duty if they can find it out. Now there is but one plan, to create a duty for them which will take them out of the way.”
The chief was listening with half-closed eyes. He saw new trouble for himself and was not cheerful.
“Do you know how many men Holm has with him at the Forza camp?”
“A score and a half. Some of my people passed that way yesterday, when the soldiers were parading.”
“And there are two more camps?
“There are two beyond the Nazri Pass, on the fringe of the Doorab hills. We call the places Khautmi-sa and Khautmi-bana, but the English have their own names for them.”
Marker nodded.
“I know the places. They are Gurkha camps. The officers are called Mitchinson and St. John. They will give us little trouble. But the Forza garrison26 is too near the pass for safety, and yet far enough away for my plans.” And for a moment the man’s eyes were abstracted, as if in deep thought.
“I have another thing to tell of the Forza camp,” the chief interrupted. “The captain, the man whom they call Holm, is sick, so sick that he cannot remain there. He went out shooting and came too near to dangerous places, so a bullet of one of my people’s guns found his leg. He will be coming to Bardur to-morrow. Is it your wish that he be prevented?
“Let him come,” said Marker. “He will suit my purpose. Now I will tell you your task, Fazir Khan, for it is time that you took the road. You will take a hundred of the Bada-Mawidi and put them in the rocks round the Forza camp. Let them fire a few shots but do no great damage, lest this man Holm dare not leave. If I know the man at all, he will only hurry the quicker when he hears word of trouble, for he has no stomach for danger, if he can get out of it creditably. So he will come down here to-morrow with a tale of the Bada-Mawidi in arms, and find no men in the place to speak of, except these two strangers. I will have already warned them of this intended rising, and if, as I believe, they serve the Government, they will let no grass grow below their feet till they get to Forza. Then on the day after let your tribesmen attack the place, not so as to take it, but so as to make a good show of fight and keep the garrison employed. This will keep these young men quiet; they will think that all rumours27 they may have heard culminate28 in this rising of yours, and they will be content, and satisfied that they have done their duty. Then, the day after, while they are idling at Forza, we will slip through the passes, and after that there will be no need for ruses29.”
The chief rose and pulled himself up to his full height. “After that,” he said, “there will be work for men. God! We shall harry30 the valleys as our forefathers31 harried32 them, and we shall suck the juicy plains dry. You will give us a free hand, my lord?”
“Your hand shall be free enough,” said Marker. “But see that every word of my bidding is done. We fail utterly33 unless all is secret and swift. It is the lion attacking the village. If he crosses the trap gate safely he may ravage34 at his pleasure, but there is first the trap to cross. And now it is your time to leave.”
The mountaineer tightened35 his girdle, and exchanged his slippers36 for deer-hide boots. He bowed gravely to the other and slipped out into the darkness of the court. Marker drew forth37 some plans and writing materials from his great-coat pocket and spread them before him on the table. It was a thing he had done a hundred times within the last week, and as he made his calculations again and traced his route anew, his action showed the tinge38 of nervousness to which the strongest natures at times must yield. Then he wrote a letter, and, yawning deeply, he shut up the place and returned to Galetti’s.
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1
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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2
contraband
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| n.违禁品，走私品 | |
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wares
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| n. 货物, 商品 | |
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penetrates
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| v.穿过( penetrate的第三人称单数 )；刺入；了解；渗透 | |
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5
outlaws
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| 歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯 | |
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6
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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7
alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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10
apertures
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| n.孔( aperture的名词复数 )；隙缝；（照相机的）光圈；孔径 | |
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11
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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12
divan
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| n.长沙发；（波斯或其他东方诗人的）诗集 | |
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13
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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14
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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15
rape
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| n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸 | |
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16
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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17
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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18
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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19
bluster
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| v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声 | |
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20
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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21
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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22
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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24
meddling
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| v.干涉，干预（他人事务）( meddle的现在分词 ) | |
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25
meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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26
garrison
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| n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防 | |
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27
rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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28
culminate
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| v.到绝顶，达于极点，达到高潮 | |
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29
ruses
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| n.诡计，计策( ruse的名词复数 ) | |
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30
harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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31
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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32
harried
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| v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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33
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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34
ravage
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| vt.使...荒废，破坏...；n.破坏，掠夺，荒废 | |
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35
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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36
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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37
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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38
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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