Two months had elapsed since the mysterious traveller from China had left the lonely frontier station at Nampoung.

In outward appearance it was very much the same as it had been then.

The only difference consisted in the fact that Captain Gregory and his subaltern Dempsey, having finished their period of enforced exile, had returned to Bhamo to join the main body of their regiment.

A Captain Handiman and a subaltern named Grantham had taken their places, and were imitating them inasmuch as they spent the greater portion of their time fishing and complaining of the hardness of their lot.

It was the more unfortunate in their case that they did not get on very well together.