Into the Unknown
After the second attempt she lay quiet, panting and furious. At intervals the cart stopped briefly while voices sounded obscurely by the horses; chains jangled and horses neighed near by. Then they went forward at a faster pace. Edith guessed that fresh horses had been harnessed to the ekka—the native cart
Plainly, they were traveling swiftly. But in what direction she could not know. Had there been a mistake? She felt not. The men in the cart must have seen her face by lantern light before they seized her.
Was Monsey responsible for the whole thing? She thought he was capable of it. Who else would dare to lay hand on her? For a fleeting moment she considered the native visitors at the palace, even the raja. But it did not seem reasonable that they would try to abduct her—especially at the palace.
Where was Rawul Singh? Why had he not answered her? She dismissed the suspicion that the message delivered by the Garhwali had been a pretext to make her leave the ball. Rawul Singh was faithful, and he must have been near her when she had been carried off. Why had he made no effort to help her?
It was impossible for her to understand yet that she was leaving her father. Major Fraser-Carnie, and Aunt Kate.
Every sense, however, told the girl that the hooded cart was pelting through the rain-driven night at a reckless pace. Its sway and lurch shook her roughly, dulling her perceptions. She found it almost impossible to think. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. Until then she had not noticed that she was shivering. "I'm so thirsty," she murmured petulantly.
A figure on the driver's seat stirred. There was a
57
