Gray nodded. Slowly the history of the Wusun was piecing itself out. A race descended from invaders from Europe before the dawn of history, they had allied themselves with the might of Genghis Khan and earned the enmity of the Chinese. Since then, with the slow persistence of the Chinese, they had been confined and diminished in number. "You remember the legend of Prester John--in the middle ages," continued the girl eagerly. "Marco Polo tells about a powerful prince in mid-Asia who was a Christian. I have been thinking about it. Isn't the word Kerait the Mongol for Christian? Do you suppose the first Wusun were Christians?" "They don't seem to have any especial religion, Miss Hastings--except a kind of morning and evening prayer." "I've heard them chant the hymn. Timur says it was their ancestors'." The girl sighed. "To think that we should have found the Wusun, after all. If only my uncle----" She broke off sadly. A step sounded outside the room and Garluk thrust his shaggy head through the curtain. "I come from the Gur-Khan," he announced. "The Man-Who-Kills-Swiftly must come before Bassalor Khan." "They are paging me," said Gray lightly, in answer to her questioning look. "I've got to play lawyer. But I have an experiment to try. Don't worry." He rose, and she looked up at him pleadingly. "Come back, as soon as you can," she whispered. "I--it's so lonely here. I was miserable until Timur told me they had heard shooting during yesterday's sunset chant. I guessed it was you----" "My automatic," explained Gray with a grin. "I missed Wu Fang Chien, which is too bad." He was talking cheerily, at random, anxious to hearten the girl. She winced at mention of the fighting. "I'll be back to report what is going on." "If anything should happen to you----" "I seem to be accident-proof, so far." He smiled lightly, masking his real feelings. "And there's a plan----" "Come," said Garluk. "Bassalor Khan waits at his shrine." "I'll have a better dinner to offer you," Mary smiled back. "Don't forget!" "I'll make a note of it--Mary." Gray stepped outside the curtain. In spite of his promise, he could not return to the girl's room. He found Bassalor Danek waiting in a chamber under the temple, to which he was conducted by the impatient Garluk. The Gur-Khan was seated on a silk carpet beside an old man with a face like a satyr, whom Gray guessed to be Timur. They looked up silently at his approach. The turnout withdrew. At a sign from Bassalor Danek, Gray seated himself before the two. They regarded him gravely. He waited for them to speak. "Wu Fang Chien," began the Gur-Khan at length, "will come to the hall to hear my word at sunset. His ill-will might bring the dark cloud of trouble upon my people. If I give you up, he will thank me and bring us good grain and tea from China in the next caravan." He paused as if for an answer. But Gray was silent, wishing to hear what more the two had to say.