"
"Oh!"
"Yes," said Kirby.
They sat in silence in the swaying shay until the smell of musk and
the sense of being mystified became too much for Warrington, and he
began to hum to himself. Humming brought about a return to his usual
wide-awakefulness, and he began to notice things.
"Shay rides like a gun," he said suddenly.
Kirby grunted.
"All the weight's behind and--" He put his head out of the window to
investigate, but Kirby ordered him to sit still.
"Want to be recognized?" he demanded. "Keep your head inside, you
young ass!"
So Warrington sat back against the cushions until the guard at the
barrack gate turned out to present arms to the risaldar's raised
whip. As if he understood the requirements of the occasion without
being told, the risaldar sent the horses up the drive at a hard
gallop. It was rather more than half-way up the drive that Warrington
spoke again.
"Feel that, sir?" he asked.
"I ordered that place to be seen to yesterday!" growled Kirby. "Why
wasn't it done?"
"It was, sir."
"Why did we bump there, then?"
"Why aren't we running like a gun any longer?" wondered Warrington.
"Felt to me as if we'd dropped a load."
"Well, here we are, thank God! What do you mean to do?"
"Rounds," said Warrington.
"Very well."
Kirby dived through his door, while Warrington went behind the shay
to have a good look for causes.
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