He had spoken Shere Ali's wild and secret thought.

But whereas Shere Ali had only whispered it to himself, Ahmed Ismail spoke it aloud, boldly and with a challenge in his voice, like one ready to make good his words.

An interval of silence followed, a fateful interval as both men knew.

Not a sound from without penetrated into that little shuttered room, but to Shere Ali it seemed that the air throbbed and was heavy with unknown things to come.

Memories and fancies whirled in his disordered brain without relation to each other or consequence in his thoughts.