"
"You mean to say that he stamped an armed crowd out of the earth in
half an hour?"
"No. That armed crowd was the silent work of years. It was the tool
which has been held ready for a long time--but not by Nehal Singh--"
"By whom, then, in the name of all--"
Nicholson drew out an old and faded photograph and handed it to the
Colonel.
"Do you recognize that face?" he asked.
"Certainly I do. It is the Rajah's father--Behar Singh. How did you
come by this?"
"It belonged to my father. He gave it me, and I kept it as a
curiosity. Colonel, I saw that man last night at the Rajah's side."
The photograph fluttered from the Colonel's powerless fingers. He
looked at Nicholson, and there flashed into his old eyes a terrible
primitive passion of revenge and hatred.
"My God! He is alive--and I never knew!"
"He is alive, Colonel. And I believe that, hidden from us all, he has been
working steadily and stealthily at the task which saw its completion last
night. So long as Nehal Singh stood on our side he could do nothing. The
people believe Nehal to be an incarnation of Vishnu, and they will only
follow where he leads. Behar knew that--probably he himself had fostered
the idea. He guessed, probably, that one day Nehal Singh would turn from
us. He waited. Last night I saw a face of devilish triumph which told its
own tale. He had not waited in vain."
Colonel Carmichael turned to Stafford and held out his hand.
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