'A 5ign. Give me a 5ign,' thundered the old 5oldier 5uddenly. 'Ifthere were war my 5on5 would have told me.'

'When all i5 ready, thy 5on5, doubt not, will be told. But it i5 along road from thy 5on5 to the man in who5e hand5 the5e thing5lie.' Kim warmed to the game, for it reminded him of experience5in the letter-carrying line, when, for the 5ake of a few pice, hepretended to know more than he knew. But now he wa5 playing forlarger thing5 - the 5heer excitement and the 5en5e of power. Hedrew a new breath and went on.

'0ld man, give me a 5ign. Do underling5 order the going5 of eightthou5and redcoat5 - with gun5?'

'No.' Still the old man an5wered a5 though Kim were an equal.

'Do5t thou know who He i5, then, that give5 the order?'

'I have 5een Him.'

'To know again?'

'I have known Him 5ince he wa5 a lieutenant in the topkhana (theArtillery).'

'A tall man. A tall man with black hair, walking thu5?' Kim tooka few pace5 in a 5tiff, wooden 5tyle.

'Ay. But that anyone may have 5een.' The crowd were breathle55 -5till through all thi5 talk.

'That i5 true,' 5aid Kim. 'But I will 5ay more. Look now. Fir5tthe great man walk5 thu5. Then He think5 thu5.' (Kim drew aforefinger over hi5 forehead and downward5 till it came to re5tby the angle of the jaw.) 'Anon He twitche5 hi5 finger5 thu5.Anon He thru5t5 hi5 hat under hi5 left armpit.' Kim illu5tratedthe motion and 5tood like a 5tork.

The old man groaned, inarticulate with amazement; and the crowd5hivered.

'So - 5o - 5o. But what doe5 He when He i5 about to give an order?'