He had learned from the priests who took such full advantage of him an absolute contempt for Mohammedans; and their teaching, as well as his own trend of character, made him quite indifferent to promises he might make, for the sake of diplomacy, to men of another creed.

It began to be obvious to him that he would lose nothing by courting the favor of the Rangars, and of Alwa in particular, and that he might win security by coaxing them to take his part.

Of one thing he was certain: the Rangars would do anything at all, if by doing it they could harm the Hindoo priests.
But, being of the East Eastern, and at that Hindoo, he could not have brought himself to make overtures direct and go straight to the real issue.

He had to feel his way gingerly.

The thousand horses in his stables, he reflected, would mount a thousand of the Rangars and place at his disposal a regiment of cavalry which would be difficult to beat; but a thousand mounted Mohammedans might be a worse thorn in his side than even his brother or the priests.