"
"You may see too much! I'd say beware of tigers, but Surendra Nath is so
desperately timid that you can depend on him not to lead you into
danger."
"The Hormuzzeer will not sail until I return?"
"Not till the goods arrive. Why do you ask?"
"I should like to take Bulger with me. He's a good companion, with a
shrewd head."
"And a useful hook. I have no objection. You will be ready to start
tomorrow, then. You must be up early: traveling will be impossible in the
heat of the day."
"At dawn, sir."
Chapter 20: In which there are recognitions and explanations; and our hero
meets one Coja Solomon, of Cossimbazar.
At sunrise next morning Desmond found his party awaiting him at the
Causeway beyond the Maratha ditch. The natives salaamed when he came up
in company with Mr. Merriman, and Bulger pulled his forelock.
"Mornin', sir; mornin'; I may be wrong, but 'tis my belief we're goin' to
have a bilin' hot day, and I've come accordin'."
He was clad in nothing but shirt and breeches, with his coat strapped to
his back, and a hat apparently improvised out of cabbage leaves. The
natives were all in white, with their employer's pink ribbons. Some were
armed with matchlocks and pikes; others carried light cooking utensils;
others, groceries for the Englishmen's use; for their own food they
depended on the villages through which they would pass.
"Well, I wish you a good journey," said Mr. Merriman, who appeared to be
in better spirits than for many a day.
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