“Oh!” cried Stranleigh, one night after an exceptionally good fish and game dinner. “Piccadilly is a fool of a place to this. If the postal arrangements were only a little better, we would be all right. I must send a letter to the _Times_ about the negligence of our Government, and score the postmaster-general, as all right-minded correspondents do. I have almost forgotten what a postman looks like, but I expect when we get our wireless at work we’ll be able to give Signor Marconi some hints when we return.” The _Rajah_ was three days late, according to Mackeller’s calculations, but one morning Mac-keller recognized her slowly stemming the current of the Paramakaboo River, and at once the information was telegraphed to Stranleigh, who did not receive the message, as he was out shooting. The young man had taken his lunch with him, so the operator on the steamer informed those up aloft, and no one knew when he would be back. Mackeller, his eye glued to the telescope, watched the landing of the army that the Rajah carried, and saw the two steam cranes, one fore and one aft, begin at once to swing ashore the cargo from the hold. He momentarily expected the arrival of his chief, but the dinner hour came, bringing no visitor to the hilltop. Mackeller and the operator descended, and there, to his amazement, on the after-deck he saw Stranleigh seated, calmly reading a novel, and awaiting the sound of the gong. “Didn’t you get our message?” demanded Mackeller. “Oh, yes, a couple of hours ago. The _Rajah_ has come in, you say? That’s very interesting. You’ll be glad to know, Mackeller, that I have had a most successful day’s shooting.” “Yes, that, as you remark, is very interesting,” replied Mackeller dryly. “I thought, if you got my message in time, you would have come up to the outlook.” “I am sorry to have disappointed you, Peter, but when I place an excellent man on the spot I never interfere with him. I should be quite superfluous on the hilltop, and it’s so much more comfortable down here.” “You might have been surprised to know how many men they landed from the _Rajah_. Enough, I estimate, to clean us up in short order if they find us.” “Well, let us hope they won’t find us, Peter.” “They’ve got a number of tents erected already, and they began blasting operations at one o’clock.” “They are not losing any time, are they?” “No, they are not. I see they have arranged electric searchlights on the two masts, apparently to cover the field of operations, so I suppose they will be working day and night shifts.” “I do love an energetic body of men,” said his lordship with admiration. “If there was a funicular to the top of your hill, I’d take up an armchair merely for the pleasure of sitting and watching them. Ah, there’s the dinner gong, thank goodness. Peter, I shot some birds to-day that I think you’ll enjoy.”