Long before dawn Noreen, refreshed by sleep and quite recovered from the
fatigues and alarms of the previous day, was up to superintend the early
meal that her servants prepared for the departing company. No one but her
brother was returning to Malpura, the others were to scatter to their own
gardens when Dermot had finished with them.
As the girl said good-bye to the planters she warmly thanked each one for
his chivalrous readiness to come to her aid. But to the soldier she found
it hard, impossible, to say all that was in her heart, and to an onlooker
her farewell to him would have seemed abrupt, almost cold. But he
understood her, and long after he had vanished from sight she seemed to
feel the friendly pressure of his hand on hers. When she went to her rooms
the tears filled her eyes, as she kissed the fingers that his had held.
Out in the forest the Major led the way on Badshah, the ponies of his
followers keeping at a respectful distance from the elephant. When nearing
the scene of the fight the tracks of the avenging herd were plain to see,
and soon the party came upon ghastly evidences of the tragedy. The buzzing
of innumerable flies guided the searchers to spots in the undergrowth where
the scattered corpses lay. As each was reached a black cloud of blood-drunk
winged insects rose in the air from the loathsome mass of red, crushed
pulp, but trains of big ants came and went undisturbed.
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