Oh, my forest that I thought a fairyland! That such terrible
things can happen in it!"
"I can assure you that they are very unusual," he replied with a cheery
laugh. "You have been very fortunate; for you have crammed more excitement
and adventure into one day than I have seen previously in all my time in
the jungle."
"It all seems so incredible," she said. "Did you really mean that Badshah
brought his herd to our rescue? But I know he did. I heard him call them.
When he ran off I thought that he was frightened and had abandoned us. But
I did him a great injustice."
Her companion was silent for a moment. Then he said:
"Look here, Miss Daleham, we had better not tell that tale of Badshah quite
in that way. It would seem impossible, and no European would credit it.
Natives would, of course, for as it is they seem to look upon him as a god
already."
"Yes; but you think as I do, don't you?" she exclaimed in surprise. "Surely
you believe that he did bring the other elephants to save us."
"Yes, I do. I know that he did, for I--well, between ourselves I have seen
him do even more wonderful things. But others wouldn't believe us, and I
don't want to emphasise the marvellous part of the story. I'd rather people
thought that the _dacoits_, or whoever those men were who attacked us,
accidentally fell foul of a herd of wild elephants.
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