"
The prisoner preserved a stolid silence.
"We had better proceed to torture him, at once," one of the rajah's
officers said.
The man turned a little paler. He knew well the horrible tortures
which would, in such an instance, be inflicted to extort the names of
those who had bribed him.
"I will say nothing," he said, firmly, "though you tear me limb from
limb."
"I have no intention of torturing you," Charlie said. "A confession
extorted by pain is as likely to be false as true, and even did you
tell me one name, there might still be a dozen engaged in it who would
remain unknown. No, Hossein, you have failed in your duty, you have
tried to slay a master who was kind to you, and trusted you."
"No, sahib," the man exclaimed, passionately. "You did not trust me.
The food I sent you was tested and tried. I knew it; but I thought
that the poison would not have acted on the monkeys, until you had
eaten the dish. The fool who sold it me deceived me. Had you trusted
me, I would never have done it. It was only when I saw that I was
suspected and doubted, without cause, that my heart turned against
you, and I took the gold which was offered to me to kill you. I swear
it by the Prophet.
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