No More Learning

Do thou also go and
bring us good luck. "

"I will go even now! " shouted the priest. "I will depart upon my winged
camels, and be at Peshawar in a day! Ho! Hazar Mir Khan," he yelled to
his servant, "drive out the camels, but let me first mount my own. "

He leaped on the back of his beast as it knelt, and, turning round to
me, cried, "Come thou also, Sahib, a little along the road, and I will
sell thee a charm--an amulet that shall make thee King of Kafiristan. "

Then the light broke upon me, and I followed the two camels out of the
Serai till we reached open road and the priest halted.

"What d' you think o' that? " said he in English. "Carnehan can't talk
their patter, so I've made him my servant. He makes a handsome servant.
'T isn't for nothing that I've been knocking about the country for
fourteen years. Didn't I do that talk neat? We'll hitch on to a caravan
at Peshawar till we get to Jagdallak, and then we'll see if we can get
donkeys for our camels, and strike into Kafiristan.
Whirligigs for the
Amir, O Lor'! Put your hand under the camelbags and tell me what you
feel. "

I felt the butt of a Martini, and another and another.

"Twenty of 'em," said Dravot, placidly. "Twenty of 'em and ammunition to
correspond, under the whirligigs and the mud dolls. "

"Heaven help you if you are caught with those things! " I said. "A
Martini is worth her weight in silver among the Pathans. "

"Fifteen hundred rupees of capital--every rupee we could beg, borrow, or
steal--are invested on these two camels," said Dravot.

"We won't get caught. We're going through the Khaiber with a regular
caravan. Who'd touch a poor mad priest? "

"Have you got everything you want? " I asked, overcome with astonishment.

"Not yet, but we shall soon. Give us a memento of your kindness,
Brother.