Show EAST diio WEST 0 TALBOT MUNDY SERVICE BY TALBOT MUNDY 0 SYNOPSIS captain carl norwood has been sent dent from his native england to the kadur river district la in india aloof along with alt hla his indispensable manservant moses oleary soldier at 0 fortune No lob job Is to survey the district to determine whether a valuable secret diamond mine belongs to the temple priests prie s is or to the ruler the maharajah Mah arajah ot of kad kadur ur CHAPTER I 1 continued 2 noor dahlam chuckled it was like the gurgle of dirty water and it swallowed the silk of his voice even his gesture changed he became as hoarse as an auctioneer encouraging a doubtful bidder sahib there is newness at the palace such as never before was there is a godsend in the guesthouse she has money and a niece worth more than money oh such loveli and oh such ill tempero the aunt is never satisfied unless she is humiliating someone she humiliates even his highness and the niece is never happy unless she can be as kind as her aunt is cruel why are they there asked oleary it is a mystery nobody knows who wants to know ali ah sahib you must not ask what I 1 may not tell you ill bet a months pay sald said oleary that the temple brahmins Brah mins have sent out a call for information would it make any difference to you mr oleary where the two hundred rupees came from supposing you had it two fifty might tempt me id think it over even that price might not be too high for exact information as to why captain norwood is in kadur and also why mrs harding and miss lynn harding are here at the same time there is some connection what is it ill find out said oleary and you will sell me the information ill think it over if I 1 cant find a higher bidder maybe you and I 1 can do business better watch out for me ill take a stroll through the bazaar later on very well mr oleary my office is what do I 1 care where your office is ayou think id let myself be seen calling on you you keep a dekko lifting youve plenty 0 spies find out where I 1 ko go and follow and bring your money with you three hundred but sahib we agreed to 1 I said three hundred better go before im seen talking to you captain norwood might be back any minute if he should ask me who you are id have to tell him and it sound nice him and me never lie to each other CHAPTER 11 II captain carl norwood was in nothing yet that he or anyone could recognize as trouble on horseback followed by a mounted native orderly he was entering the ancient gate of kadur city A good looking fellow young to be a captain of royal engineers he looked more like a cavalryman inside the city gates there was a stinking herd of loaded camels they blocked the street No horse that used to camels went into a panic when he had calmed the horse he dismounted gave the reins to the orderly and told him to let the horse get used to the smell of camels and follow as soon as the camels were out of the way he wanted to stretch his legs anyhow it was only a mile walk to the residency on the far side of the city the swarming streets were interesting just before sunset with the night life just beginning the residency stood in a vast compound amid trees guardhouse flagpole union jack the residency guard of native indian infantry was turning out to pay the customary honors to the flag at sunset the resident was on the front steps middle aged and military looking norwood had to wait until the brief ceremony was over his reception was not cordial the invitation vi to dinner was perfunctory so phrased that it was easy to refuse im tired sir long march I 1 would like to turn in early very well captain Nor norwood dont let me inconvenience you woodi I 1 was informed of course that you were coming cant say that I 1 al approve of this survey of the kadur river the priests will resent it bitterly there may be trouble enough as it is over the temple boundary bisp dispute ute the maharajah Mah arajah claims ownership of certain buildings beneath which it has been an open secret for centuries that the priests have a diamond mine why im here sir I 1 was told that prince started the argument 1 yes hes heir to the throne lie he had to start it in the maharajahs Mahara jahs name but it was Rund hias idea the maharajah Mah arajah is a quiet old gentleman thank heaven no initiative satisfied to let things take their course I 1 believe the quarrel would settle itself if we would let ie it alone the diamond mine is one of those open secrets that do no harm until aired by busy bodies the arrangement has worked perfectly well all these years the priests dont win many diamonds from the mine sometimes years go by without their finding any stones worth putting on the market but they make an occasional onal find they turn over a certain percentage to the maharajah Mah arajah and sell the remainder for temple revenue e yes theres a rumor the mine is dangerous good god mani man they dont let anyone near the mine not even the maharajah Mah arajah provision has been made for that sir the resident squirmed well take care that your he sel eted a word he used it tartly spies dont make trouble norwood returned to the city the new street lights had been turned on there was a swarm of homing traffic bullock carts camels droves of pedestrians scandalously noisy and decrepit autos norwood stood on a sort of traffic island in mid street an oasis of palms with an ancient fountain and one big glaring at arc light he could see the orderly bringing the horses he might just as well wait for them threading its way through the traffic in the direction of the palace there came one of those old fash 4 X I 1 ja IF 0 I 1 1 1 P A 1 I 1 f t she saw a cobra boned carriages in which zenana ladies take the air it was magnificently horsed two mounted men rode ahead to clear the way and they were followed by two runners armed with sticks two men in splendid livery on the box T two wo footmen on a platform behind the carriage two more horsemen bringing up the rear As the carriage drew near norwood a terrifically noisy truck frightened the horses almost at the same moment two elephants loomed into view from a side street the horses plunged the driver had hard work to control them the carriage swayed violently the right front wheel struck the curb close to norwood the shock jerked open the door the electric arc light shone in revealing the occupants the coachman reined the horses to a standstill shouting to the footmen to seize their heads diamonds pearls silken saris of the hue of himalayan aimala yan dawn two women the older stout one raised a tan fan to hide her face it was the other who held norwood spellbound she was young she was full of laughter she had mocking excitable generous eyes that looked wild to lose their innocence and revel in what be but is and is amusing she saw no evil only humor in being stared at by a man who see her and expected to indian zenana ladies are supposed to shrink from mens eyes hers met No full and full of laughter norwood of course recovered self possession he was in uniform so he saluted he was about to speak he had thought t of a properly gallant remark that would sound almost like a quotation from the arabian nights when the palace servants took the situation in hand the driver recovered command of his horses the carriage moved on the footmen jumped up be hini norwood was left wondering he had had a vision he had never seen such a beautiful girl the older stouter woman who mho had used the fan to hide her face ace should be the of 0 kadur but norwood knew she was childless otherwise prince Rund hia the maharajahs Mahara jahs nephew would not be heir to the crone the ladies of kadur have black not gulden golden hair so the younger girl could hardly be a relative she might t be a princess on a visit from some northern indian state the orderly selected because he was a native of kadur rode up with the led horse has prince taken a wife norwood asked him no sahib one does not discuss zenana ladies not with men of an alien race the orderly grinned himself into the kind of silence that suggests the subject is forbidden norwood rode back to his camp where moses lafayette oleary lied I 1 like three men of three different fere nt races about who had drunk the whiskey it was an emergency said oleary yes sir I 1 took the liberty but how can I 1 get information if I 1 count on your knowledge 0 my honesty and take a chance now and then on your overlooking what would be impudence if someone else should do it I 1 have jo to treat my informants decent have you heard chos staying at the palace theres a guesthouse in the garden full 0 women americans two A young one and an aunt fill a hotel truck loads 01 0 luggage ive heard say the aunt could make a brace of tigers wish looked the other way they say ashes a holy terror but they tell me the young one ud melt your heart to look at her they call the young one miss lynn harding what else have you found out not much youre about due for an irish promotion youre getting too fat ive my eye on a man who knows what work is all ali right sir if you want me to talk before I 1 know what im talking about ill do it here goes the whole bazaars as full 0 dirty rumors as darts dog is 0 fleas theres a game on and its all set la laying ying for us and the way they figure it were in the bag already ive been offered a bribe to tell why youre in kadur cash no promises man name 0 noor dahlam beyond that you were offered a bribe did you get any other line on their intentions no I 1 know were being spied on theres a saying in kadur that diamonds see in the dark were being watched now we cant afford a mistake but try some more bribery first before they act ugly dont take their money dont take a gift of any kind from anyone me yes you im incorruptible CHAPTER III mrs deborah harding in leggings a short skirt and a wide pith helmet wearing goggles and with a camera suspended somehow from her portly figure prodded ruins with the ferrule of a green silk sunshade two palace servants danced attendance on her doing their obsequious utmost to prevent calamity mahiba Sa hiba not good much too many cobra kerain scorpions too bad ca d come look this way plenty ruins this way a but mrs deborah harding in the habit of taking the advice of anyone less than a supreme court justice nor would she hesitate to question that if it agree with her own convictions she was dynamic opulent willful dignity personified soni fied As honorary special correspondent spon spond dent ent to the woman citizen of Aar onville clarendon county ohio she was being an authority on ruins she looked like authority she had authoritative gestures and a notebook it was close on sunset mrs deborah hardings goggles were dusty the blood red sunrays confused her vision she was one of those people who always believe what they see but nothing that they dont see she saw a cobra she did not see that the stone on which she set her foot was loose curved on its under side and resting insecurely on a flat rock so she twisted her ankle and sat down hard it jolted every bone in her corpulent body two hundred and eight pounds of widow with bankers ref references erencen eren ces and one hundred per cent opinions can sit down harder than a crate of groceries 1 I never saw such people such a country I 1 have travelled all around the world from america I 1 have visited numbers of countries I 1 have not seen your equals anywhere for inefficiency and lack of human intelligence what shall I 1 do now I 1 am in pain have you no ideas cant you suggest something one of them mounted the pony and cantered away for assistance mrs deborah harding sat fanning herself and making impotently harsh remarks about the swarms of flies that were looking for a last lazy meal before going to sleep the cantering bantering cant ering servant drew rein at an outlying police kana and after a heatedly uncomplimentary debate with the policeman in charge phoned the palace the was out it entered no ones head to consult the maharajah Mah arajah it was his hour of the day to study postage stamps so he was incommunicado except to the physician who should bring him his evening tonic however prince had returned that afternoon from a visit to delhi someone phoned him things happened there are two palaces Rund hias is separated from the maharajahs Mahara jahs only by a high wall and two widths of glorious garden Rund hias imported patent automatic garage door swung open his imported ex czar chauffeur whirled a rolls royce to the front door took the wheel they opened the front gate just in time another split second and he would have crashed it sacked the lot of them and bummed bummed a new car from his aunt there was a whirl of dust a din of tooting headlights flooded the narrow roads with blinding glare three dogs and some belated chickens died the death three villages gasped and called on thirty gods to witness their piety rammed on the brakes and got out of the car to bow komrs to mrs harding just as calmly as blandly as amusedly courteous as if he were entering her drawing room well I 1 am glad to see you said mrs deborah harding 1 I dont know who you are but prince Rund hia your hosts nephew how ayou do you took y your ou r own time you I 1 had begun to think no one was coming the garden guesthouse was a copy of a cottage at juan les pins it had been Rund hias idea the prince had persuaded his aunt the to go thoroughly modern tor for once the almost worshiped Rund hia but she had compelled him to return from europe by cutting off the supplies of cash she wanted him to learn to be fit for the throne but was always threatening to go to euro europe e again unless dunles she made things tolerable so she ha had d to make good his gambling losses and to humor his whims no one had stayed at the guesthouse until mrs deborah haning harding heard about it during her tour of india she knew exactly how to contrive invitations she considered she conferred a favor on the rul rules es of kadur by accepting their hospitality for herself and her niece TO BE CONTINUED |