Chapter 10: Ali Khan.

But Dr. Avery underestimated the cunning of Ali Khan.

While the fugitives stood motionless beneath the spreading mango, the fearful cry fell upon their ears. Then it was that neither was able to move or speak and life stood still.

But the cry was uttered to save them. It was shouted by Ali, who heard the voices and descried the approaching forms. He saw the new peril as quickly as did the fugitives themselves, and, like a flash, he seized the single desperate means of saving them.

The cry of Ali, who was near the house, immediately brought the others, including the porter, around him, the two who had approached close to the fugitives instantly turning and running at full speed.

“I saw them! I saw them!” explained Ali, walking rapidly and in great excitement toward the entrance, and looking back over his shoulder, as if inviting the others to do the same; “the porter left his place to help in the search: while he was gone I saw the Inglese loge dart out of the entrance; they cannot be far away; let us hasten and we shall have them yet!”

The impetuosity of a man at such a time carries everything before it. A number of the mob were still lingering in the road outside, and, though none of them had seen the Inglese they all joined in the mad pursuit of a couple of imaginary fugitives.

Indeed the rush from the nawab’s premises was so headlong that that worthy was exasperated. Two of the natives, as they converged toward the entrance, crashed through his choicest pineapples, plantains, pomegranates, guavas, oranges, lemons, limes, figs, dates, citrons, brinjalls, nollcolls, jasmines and roses with an enthusiasm that played sad havoc with them.