A little farther off Rajah browsed in a clump of weeds, the howdah at a rakish angle, like the cocked hat of a bully.

Kathlyn stared at her hands.

There were no burns there; she passed a hand over her face; there was no smart or sting.

A dream; she had dreamed it; a fantasy due to her light-headed state of mind.

A dream! She cried and laughed, and the ape jibbered at her uneasily.
In reality, Rajah, freed of his unwelcome mahout, had legged it down the road without so much as trumpeting his farewell, and the soldiers had not been able to stop him.
How she had managed to get down would always remain a mystery to her.
Food and water, food and water; in her present state she must have both or die.