There he learned that
Parker had never received the telegram asking for help. Subsequent
enquiries from the telegraph authorities only elicited the statement that
the line had been broken between Barwahi and Ranga Duar. As where it passed
through the forest accidents to it from trees knocked down by elephants or
brought down by natural causes were frequent, it was impossible to discover
the truth, but the fact that nearly all the telegraph officials were
Bengali Brahmins made Dermot doubtful. But he was able to report the
happenings to Simla by cipher messages over the line.
Parker was furious because the information had failed to reach him. He had
missed the opportunity of marching a party of his men down to the rescue of
Miss Daleham and his commanding officer, and he was not consoled by the
latter pointing out to him that it would have been impossible for him to
have arrived in time for the fight.
Two days after Dermot's return to the Fort he was informed that three
Bhuttias wanted to see him. On going out on to the verandah of his bungalow
he found an old man whom he recognised as the headman of a mountain village
just inside the British border, ten miles from Ranga Duar. Beside him stood
two sturdy young Bhuttias with a hang-dog expression on their Mongol-like
faces.
The headman, who was one of those in Dermot's pay, saluted and, dragging
forward his two companions, bade them say what they had come there to say.
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