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and judge the people； and if anything goes wrong he is to be shot。
〃Next week they was all turning up the land in the valley as quiet as
bees and much prettier； and the priests heard all the complaints and told
Dravot in dumb…show what it was about。 'That's just the beginning；' says
Dravot。 'They think we're Gods。' He and Carnehan picks out twenty good
men and shows them how to click off a rifle and form fours and advance
in line； and they was very pleased to do so； and clever to see the hang of it。
Then he takes out his pipe and his baccy…pouch； and leaves one at one
village and one at the other； and off we two goes to see what was to be
done in the next valley。 That was all rock； and there was a little village
there； and Carnehan says； 'Send 'em to the old valley to plant；' and takes
'em there and gives 'em some land that wasn't took before。 They were a
poor lot； and we blooded 'em with a kid before letting 'em into the new
Kingdom。 That was to impress the people； and then they settled down
quiet； and Carnehan went back to Dravot； who had got into another valley；
all snow and ice and most mountaineous。 There was no people there； and
the Army got afraid； so Dravot shoots one of them； and goes on till he
finds some people in a village； and the Army explains that unless the
people wants to be killed they had better not shoot their little matchlocks；
for they had matchlocks。 We makes friends with the priest； and I stays
there alone with two of the Army； teaching the men how to drill； and a
thundering big Chief comes across the snow with kettledrums and horns
twanging； because he heard there was a new God kicking about。 Carnehan
sights for the brown of the men half a mile across the snow and wings one
of them。 Then he sends a message to the Chief that； unless he wished to be
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killed； he must come and shake hands with me and leave his arms behind。
The Chief comes alone first； and Carnehan shakes hands with him and
whirls his arms about； same as Dravot used； and very much surprised that
Chief was； and strokes my eyebrows。 Then Carnehan goes alone to the
Chief； and asks him in dumb… show if he had an enemy he hated。 'I have；'
says the chief。 So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men； and sets the
two of the Army to show them drill； and at the end of two weeks the men
can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers。 So he marches with the Chief
to a great big plain on the top of a mountain； and the Chief's men rushes
into a village and takes it； we three Martinis firing into the brown of the
enemy。 So we took that village too； and I gives the Chief a rag from my
coat； and says； 'Occupy till I come；' which was scriptural。 By way of a
reminder； when me and the Army was eighteen hundred yards away； I
drops a bullet near him standing on the snow； and all the people falls flat
on their faces。 Then I sends a letter to Dravot wherever he be by land or by
sea。〃
At the risk of throwing the creature out of train I interrupted： 〃How
could you write a letter up yonder？〃
〃The letter？oh！the letter！ Keep looking at me between the eyes；
please。 It was a string…talk letter； that we'd learned the way of it from a
blind beggar in the Punjab。〃
I remember that there had once come to the office a blind man with a
knotted twig； and a piece of string which he wound round the twig
according to some cipher of his own。 He could； after the lapse of days or
hours； repeat the sentence which he had reeled up。 He had reduced the
alphabet to eleven primitive sounds； and tried to teach me his method； but
I could not understand。
〃I sent that letter to Dravot；〃 said Carnehan； 〃and told him to come
back because this Kingdom was growing too big for me to handle； and
then I struck for the first valley； to see how the priests were working。 They
called the village we took along with the Chief； Bashkai； and the first
village we took； Er…Heb。 The priests at Er…Heb was doing all right； but
they had a lot of pending cases about land to show me； and some men
from another village had been firing arrows at night。 I went out and looked
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for that village； and fired four rounds at it from a thousand yards。 That
used all the cartridges I cared to spend； and I waited for Dravot； who had
been away two or three months； and I kept my people quiet。
〃One morning I heard the devil's own noise of drums and horns； and
Dan Dravot marches down the hill with his Army and a tail of hundreds of
men； and； which was the most amazing； a great gold crown on his head。
'My Gord； Carnehan；' says Daniel； 'this is a tremenjus business； and we've
got the whole country as far as it's worth having。 I am the son of
Alexander by Queen Semiramis； and you're my younger brother and a
God too！ It's the biggest thing we've ever seen。 I've been marching and
fighting for six weeks with the Army； and every footy little village for fifty
miles has come in rejoiceful； and more than that； I've got the key of the
whole show； as you'll see； and I've got a crown for you！ I told 'em to make
two of 'em at a place called Shu； where the gold lies in the rock like suet in
mutton。 Gold I've seen； and turquoise I've kicked out of the cliffs； and
there's garnets in the sands of the river； and here's a chunk of amber that a
man brought me。 Call up all the priests and； here； take your crown。'
〃One of the men opens a black hair bag； and I slips the crown on。 It
was too small and too heavy； but I wore it for the glory。 Hammered gold it
wasfive pounds weight； like a hoop of a barrel。
〃 'Peachey；' says Dravot； 'we don't want to fight no more。 The Craft's
the trick； so help me！' and he brings forward that same Chief that I left at
BashkaiBilly Fish we called him afterward； because he was so like Billy
Fish that drove the big tank…engine at Mach on the Bolan in the old days。
'Shake hands with him；' says Dravot； and I shook hands and nearly
dropped； for Billy Fish gave me the Grip。 I said nothing； but tried him
with the Fellow…craft Grip。 He answers all right；