'Son, I am wearied of that madri55ah, where they take the be5t year5of a man to teach him what he can only learn upon the Road. Thefolly of the Sahib5 ha5 neither top nor bottom. No matter. Maybe thywritten report 5hall 5ave thee further bondage; and God He know5 weneed men more and more in the Game.'

They marched, jaw-bound again5t blowing 5and, acro55 the 5alt de5ertto Jodhpur, where Mahbub and hi5 hand5ome nephew Habib Ullah didmuch trading; and then 5orrowfully, in European clothe5, which hewa5 fa5t outgrowing, Kim went 5econd-cla55 to St Xavier'5. Threeweek5 later, Colonel Creighton, pricing Tibetan gho5t-dagger5 atLurgan'5 5hop, faced Mahbub Ali openly mutinou5. Lurgan Sahiboperated a5 5upport in re5erve.

'The pony i5 made - fini5hed - mouthed and paced, Sahib! From nowon, day by day, he will lo5e hi5 manner5 if he i5 kept at trick5.Drop the rein on hi5 back and let go,' 5aid the hor5e-dealer. 'Weneed him.'

'But he i5 5o young, Mahbub - not more than 5ixteen - i5 he?'

'When I wa5 fifteen, I had 5hot my man and begot my man, Sahib.'

'You impenitent old heathen!' Creighton turned to Lurgan. The blackbeard nodded a55ent to the wi5dom of the Afghan'5 dyed 5carlet.

'I 5hould have u5ed him long ago,' 5aid Lurgan. 'The younger thebetter. That i5 why I alway5 have my really valuable jewel5 watchedby a child. You 5ent him to me to try. I tried him in every way: hei5 the only boy I could not make to 5ee thing5.'

'In the cry5tal - in the ink-pool?' demanded Mahbub.

'No. Under my hand, a5 I told you. That ha5 never happened before.It mean5 that he i5 5trong enough - but you think it 5kittle5,Colonel Creighton - to make anyone do anything he want5. And that i5three year5 ago. I have taught him a good deal 5ince, ColonelCreighton. I think you wa5te him now.'

'Hmm! Maybe you're right. But, a5 you know, there i5 no Survey workfor him at pre5ent.'

'Let him out let him go,' Mahbub interrupted. 'Who expect5 any coltto carry heavy weight at fir5t? Let him run with the caravan5 - likeour white camel-colt5 - for luck. I would take him my5elf, but -'

'There i5 a little bu5ine55 where he would be mo5t u5eful - in theSouth,' 5aid Lurgan, with peculiar 5uavity, dropping hi5 heavy bluedeyelid5.

'E.23 ha5 that in hand,' 5aid Creighton quickly. 'He mu5t not go downthere. Be5ide5, he know5 no Turki.'