Early next morning, therefore, they all set off, Roy girding on dead
Faithful's sword from the sledge that was wanted no more, and from that
moment feeling himself indeed bodyguard to the Heir-to-Empire.
Once they had reached safety from starvation in the shepherds' huts, a
great desire for rest came upon them all; and for three whole days they
did nothing but eat, and sleep, and rejoice in the early spring
sunshine, and the early spring flowers. For the late snap of extreme
cold had passed and every green thing was hurrying to be ahead of its
neighbour. Bija made endless cowslip balls out of the beautiful
rose-pink primulas, while Roy and Mirak, following the shepherds' boys,
came back with their hands full of young rhubarb shoots and green fern
croziers, which they ate like asparagus. But this sort of thing could
not last long, since they were close to the caravan route from Kandahar
to Kabul; and sure enough, no sooner had the snow on the uplands melted
than travellers began to pass through.
Thus news that the little party had escaped death soon filtered from
mouth to mouth, till it reached the Captain of the Escort, and ere long
Foster-father found himself and those in his care once more
semi-prisoners on their way to cruel brother Kumran; all the more cruel,
doubtless, because King Humayon had already begun the siege of Kandahar,
believing his little son to be still within its walls.
Pages:
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134