He had gathered his strength for the spring when he heard voices. Something on the outside struck the door. He heard the hinges give. He saw Maraj spring, swinging for a moment like a monkey on the beam--spring like a monkey again and break an opening, feet first, through the thatched roof. Blake burst in then--Blake and half a dozen servants. It was like a dream. "Here you are, eh? Hurt much? Had a hard time finding you. Hello--who's dead? Well, I'll be damned--another murder, eh? Oh, look out there--catch Quorn, or he'll tumble. Lay him on that sacking." CHAPTER IV. THE BABU AND THE BRAHMIN. Rats are credited with instinct that enables them to leave a ship some time before it sinks. Bamjee had perhaps evolved beyond that animal characteristic without losing the desire to practice it. He was as fearful and as fearless as a rat--as full of cunning and as energetic--as suspicious and as keen on testing information for himself. What he lacked in actual intuition was compensated by peculiar alertness. He was not at all afraid of venturing so near to a trap, or even into one, that a sneeze or a sigh would have snapped the spring. But he was difficult to catch. And being an incredulous, irreverent, observant rat he understood the ways of temple Brahmins--which is more than quite a number of the Brahmins do, since, like the rest of us, they are, generally speaking, lazy and accept as truth much untruth as their seniors believe it wise to tell them. "My God!" said Bamjee to himself, when he had shed the palace finery and once more held his silken pants-leg as he flitted through the palace shrubbery in quest of secret foothold on the palace wall. "My God! If she should order that cursed auditor to tell the truth about me--Krishna! Women in authority are worse than men. They are more cunning. They are willing to let themselves be cheated, so as to have you by the short hair. And they hang on--dammit! Dammit! Dammit! On the other hand, should she lose her throne, this _babu's_ job is gone. The auditor would see to that; I should have paid that scoundrel a better percentage--maybe--maybe--but beggars on horseback ride you down. To hell with them. And if she wins this battle with the Brahmins she will probably dismiss me anyhow and try to find an honest man for my job. There aren't any. She will ruin herself learning that the honest men are too big fools to be trusted. But that won't help poor Bamjee. This _babu_ must climb on fence, part hair in middle for balancing purposes and be ready to jump kerplunk into the arms of either side with nuisance value well established." For a beginning he climbed the palace wall in total darkness, leaving his pants inside the palace grounds. He did not propose to go home yet, partly from fear that his movements might be traced. It might not matter if they were traced, but--