Free Danger at Dahlkari by Jennifer Wilde Page A

move right along and don’t poke, we should reach Dahlkari late this afternoon. I can hardly wait. If you want to know the truth, I’ve had about enough of this. I’m ready for a change of scene!”

Four
    The native stopped and motioned for us to dismount. I was vastly relieved, for we hadn’t stopped to rest all afternoon, had, in fact, stopped only one time all day long, to eat some stringy dried beef he had pulled out of the saddlebags. Although the sun hadn’t begun to go down yet, it must have been very late in the afternoon, I reasoned, stretching my limbs, glad to be off the horse at last. We had left the desert behind some time ago, burning sand giving way to rocky soil sparsely covered with grass, rocky soil eventually turning into a greener, richer area with trees and small hills scattered with wildflowers.
    â€œMy bottom will never be the same,” Sally complained. “I don’t care if I never see a horse again as long as I live.”
    â€œI wonder where we are?” I said.
    â€œI don’t know, but at least we’re out of that dreadful area of desert and jungle. Dahlkari can’t be far.”
    â€œDahlkari,” the native said, pointing toward a wide pathway directly in front of us. It wound over a gradually sloping hill wooded with frangipani trees abloom with waxy rose-pink flowers. “You go,” he added in that deep, gutteral voice.
    â€œDahlkari must be somewhere on the other side of the hill,” I remarked to Sally. “He seems to want us to go on ahead.”
    â€œDahlkari,” he repeated. “You go.”
    Then, abruptly, he swung himself up into the saddle, his loose robe billowing.
    â€œBut,” I protested, “your reward—English soldier McAllister, many rupees. You must come with us. You can’t just—”
    The native shook his head, his harsh face expressionless. Brushing a spray of raven locks from his forehead, he clicked the reins and rode away toward the north, leaving Sally and I both dumbfounded. We watched the sleek, powerful black horse galloping away, and then horse and rider disappeared in the distance, and we looked at each other in dismay.
    â€œI—I don’t understand it,” I said. “Reggie would have given him a very generous reward. He must have known that. Why would he just—ride away like that?”
    â€œI have a good idea,” Sally replied.
    â€œThere’s no logical explanation. He brought us this far, then just—”
    â€œHe probably wouldn’t dare show his face at the English garrison, Miss Lauren. The man’s undoubtedly a rogue, if not an out and out criminal. He’s probably wanted . The way he killed that man last night—he did it so coldly, so professionally, as though he’d had plenty of practice. The English would probably clap him in irons the minute they saw him.”
    â€œThen why did he rescue us? Why did he protect us? He didn’t have to bring us here. He could have just—”
    â€œWho knows?” Sally said philosophically. “Let’s just thank our lucky stars he did . We’ll never see the man again, and it’s just as well. He was spoo ky, downright spooky.”
    I shook my head, bewildered. Sally patted her hair.
    â€œWe’d best start walking, Miss Lauren. Dahlkari might be further off than we think. There’s not too much daylight left.”
    We followed the pathway over the hill, trees close on either side, and an hour later we were still walking. Flat expanses covered with light jade grass alternated with lightly wooded areas, the sky a pale blue-gray overhead. There was no sign of the village. I was thirsty again and incredibly weary, my whole body sore and aching, but still I walked, wondering if this ordeal was ever going to end. Sally was just as exhausted as I, her vivacity sadly dampened. Another half hour or so passed, the light beginning to fade, and then Sally