Here Ortheris interrupted. "'Ave you read the papers?" said he. "Sometimes," I said, "We 'ad read the papers, an' we put hup a faked decoity, a--a sedukshun." "_Ab_dukshin, ye cockney," said Mulvaney. "_Ab_dukshin or _se_dukshun--no great odds. Any'ow, we arranged to taik an' put Mister Benhira out o' the way till Thursday was hover, or 'e too busy to rux 'isself about p'raids. _Hi_ was the man wot said, 'We'll make a few rupees off o' the business.'" "We hild a Council av War," continued Mulvaney, "walkin' roun' by the Artill'ry Lines. I was Prisidint, Learoyd was Minister av Finance, an' little Orth'ris here was"-- "A bloomin' Bismarck! _Hi_ made the 'ole show pay." "This interferin' bit av a Benira man," said Mulvaney, "did the thrick for us himself; for, on me sowl, we hadn't a notion av what was to come afther the next minut. He was shoppin' in the bazar on fut. Twas dhrawin' dusk thin, an' we stud watchin' the little man hoppin' in an' out av the shops, thryin' to injuce the naygurs to _mallum_ his _bat_. Prisintly, he sthrols up, his arrums full av thruck, an' he sez in a consiquinshal way, shticking out his little belly, 'Me good men,' sez he, 'have ye seen the Kernel's b'roosh?'--'B'roosh?' says Learoyd. 'There's no b'roosh here--nobbut a _hekka_.'--'Fwhat's that?' sez Thrigg. Learoyd shows him wan down the sthreet, an' he sez, 'How thruly Orientil! I will ride on a _hekka_.' I saw thin that our Rigimintal Saint was for givin' Thrigg over to us neck an' brisket. I purshued a _hekka_, an' I sez to the dhriver-divil, I sez, 'Ye black limb, there's a _Sahib_ comin' for this _hekka_. He wants to go _jildi_ to the Padsahi Jhil'--'twas about tu moiles away--'to shoot snipe--_chirria_. You dhrive _Jehannum ke marfik, mallum_--like Hell? 'Tis no manner av use _bukkin'_ to the _Sahib_, bekaze he doesn't _samjao_ your talk. Av he _bolos_ anything, just you _choop_ and _chel_. _Dekker?_ Go _arsty_ for the first _arder_-mile from cantonmints. Thin _chel, Shaitan ke marfik_, an' the _chooper_ you _choops_ an' the _jildier_ you _chels_ the better _kooshy_ will that _Sahib_ be; an' here's a rupee for ye?' "The _hekka_-man knew there was somethin' out av the common in the air. He grinned an' sez, '_Bote achee!_ I goin' damn fast.' I prayed that the Kernel's b'roosh wudn't arrive till me darlin' Benira by the grace av God was undher weigh. The little man puts his thruck into the _hekka_ an' scuttles in like a fat guinea-pig; niver offerin' us the price av a dhrink for our services in helpin' him home, 'He's off to the Padsahi _jhil_,' sez I to the others." Ortheris took up the tale-- "Jist then, little Buldoo kim up, 'oo was the son of one of the Artillery grooms--'e would 'av made a 'evinly newspaper-boy in London, bein' sharp an' fly to all manner o' games, 'E 'ad bin watchin' us puttin' Mister Benhira into 'is temporary baroush, an' 'e sez, 'What _'ave_ you been a doin' of, _Sahibs?_' sez 'e. Learoyd 'e caught 'im by the ear an 'e sez"--