As the man neared the beach, he waved his arms frantically. A speedboat which had been circling offshore streaked toward the island.
Jahan reached the man and seized him by the shoulder. The thief whirled and aimed a vicious punch at the prince. Jahan blocked the blow and struggled to wrest the pin from the man’s hand. A moment later the speedboat reached shore and three men, armed with daggers, sprang out!
CHAPTER VIII
A ROYAL WELCOME
AS the three thugs from the boat rushed toward him, Jahan turned to meet their attack. The bearded thief seized his chance and felled Jahan with a blow to the head.
Meanwhile, Sandy’s and Phyl’s cries had roused the other sightseers. One man, an American tourist, raced over the hill and down to the beach as Jahan was struggling to his feet.
By this time, the thief and his confederates had started toward the boat.
Jahan lunged after them and grabbed one by the leg. The thug turned, his dagger raised, ready to strike.
Scarcely pausing, the tourist scooped up a rock and hurled it at the knife wielder. It hit him on the temple, knocking him to the ground before the dagger could strike. The bearded thief viciously kicked Jahan out of the way while the other two thugs dragged their stunned companion into the 65
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boat and hopped aboard. Then the pilot gunned it and roared out to sea.
Prince Jahan was in a dazed state when the tourist reached him. The young man shook his head to clear his brain as the man helped him up. “Feel all right?”
“Yes, thank you. Was it you who threw the stone?”
“A lucky hit. I’m glad it dropped him before he could knife you.” The American was tall and sinewy-looking, with a thick brown mustache. He wore a straw hat, dark glasses, and a white suit. A camera was slung around his neck.
“You saved my life, sir,” Jahan said warmly.
“Forget it. My name’s Hugh Mortlake.”
“And I am Prince Jahan of Vishnapur.”
The American looked startled. Sandy and Phyl came hurrying toward them, accompanied by several more sightseers. By this time the speedboat was far out.
Since there was no telephone on the island, there seemed to be no chance of intercepting the criminals.
“They were obviously dacoits,” said one Indian man. He explained to the girls that dacoits were murderous thugs who operated in gangs.
“I’m afraid I failed to get back your Kali pin, Sandy,” Prince Jahan apologized.
“You were brave to go after that thief!”
As the group started back to the ferry landing, Jahan introduced Hugh Mortlake to the girls.
A ROYAL WELCOME 67
The American said he was an archaeologist and had come to India to collect ancient art objects for the Vroom Museum in Philadelphia.
“I wish there were some way to show my gratitude to you, Mr. Mortlake,”
Jahan said.
The man gave him a thoughtful glance. “As a matter of fact, there is.”
“Please name it.”
“Vishnapur has been shut off from the world behind its mountains for hundreds of years. Your country allows few foreigners to enter.”
Jahan nodded regretfully. “I am trying to persuade my father to change all that.”
“I was hoping to go there,” Mortlake went on, “to investigate the ancient ruins at Shankaru. But your authorities refused to grant me a visa to enter.”
“You have certainly earned the right to visit Vishnapur,” said Jahan. “Can you be ready to leave this afternoon?”
“Just give me time to get my luggage.”
After returning to Bombay on the ferry, the four reported the theft to the police. Then Jahan and the girls accompanied Mortlake to his hotel and afterward taxied to the airport.
Tom’s group was already aboard the Sky Queen, ready to take off. After hearing what had happened at Elephanta, the young inventor welcomed Mortlake as a passenger on the Flying Lab.
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As they winged north from Bombay, Bud noticed Tom had become silent and thoughtful. “What’s going on in that high-powered brain of yours?” he asked.
“Bud, I can’t help thinking there’s more to the theft of that Kali pin than meets the eye.”
“How so?” the copilot inquired.
“Well, those three thugs didn’t just happen to be cruising offshore. The whole thing must have been planned beforehand.”
Bud agreed and added, “Sandy says she saw that bearded guy on the ferry going over.”
“Which means he may have been following her.”
“Just to snatch the pin?” Bud frowned. “How can you be sure? That dacoit gang may make a regular habit of robbing tourists.”
“Maybe,” Tom conceded. “But it still strikes me as more than a chance theft-especially with Mortlake showing up so conveniently.”
“You think he may have been part of the plot?”
Tom looked worried. “Ever since Mortlake came aboard, I’ve had a feeling I’d seen him before. It just came to me where-sitting near us at lunch in the hotel.”
Bud whistled. “Then he may have heard the girls talking about the trip to Elephanta. That would have given him time to cook up the theft!”
“Exactly. And Jahan, being Sandy’s escort, was almost certain to go after the thief-giving Mort-A ROYAL WELCOME 69
lake a chance to save his life and wangle an invitation to fly to Vishnapur with us.”
“Wowl” Bud was impressed by Tom’s reasoning. “Maybe we’d better keep an eye on Mr. Mortlake.”
Flying over the hazy blue mountains beyond Bombay, they streaked across the great Indian subcontinent and finally passed over the Ganges River. Soon the green foothills and snowy peaks of the Himalayas loomed in the distance.
A land of steep gorges, emerald valleys, and rocky uplands came into view as the Flying Lab zoomed out of the clouds toward the capital city of Chullagar.
Tom had radioed ahead that they would land shortly before five o’clock.
The raw dirt airfield lay just outside the city. As the Sky Queen touched down, Tom glimpsed two outmoded twin-engine planes in a wooden hangar.
Jahan said these were the Rajah’s aircraft. A helicopter also stood on the field.
“That belongs to my uncle, Prince Gopal, who is a skilled pilot,” Jahan added.
As the passengers disembarked, a smiling, turbaned man with a twirled mustache came out to greet them. He was followed by several aides. Jahan introduced the man as Prince Gopal, the Rajah’s dewan, or chief minister.
“Welcome to Vishnapur!” Gopal exclaimed. He shook hands Western style with the boys and Mortlake, and bowed gracefully to kiss Sandy’s 70 POLAR-RAY DYNASPHERE
and Phyl’s hands. “The Rajah has sent his own royal beasts to bear you to the palace,” he said.
A dozen elephants with canopied howdahs on their backs were standing in line nearby.
Prince Jahan and Sandy rode in the two-seat howdah atop the first elephant, followed by Gopal and Phyl on the next, then Tom and Bud. After them came Mortlake, Tom’s crew, and Jahan’s fellow trainees.
Chow Winkler seemed somewhat leery getting into his howdah. Tom grinned as the cook waddled up the elephant’s trunk and over its head, assisted by the mahout, or driver. But Tom noticed that once aboard he seemed to enjoy himself hugely.
The route to the palace led over mud and cobbled streets, past buildings topped by layer upon layer of pagoda-style roofs. Smiling people lined the streets, cheering Prince Jahan and his guests. The Americans smiled, but the pitching, heaving backs of the elephants shook them up considerably.
“This is worse than a bucking bronco!” Bud groaned. “A guy could get seasick on these!”
The palace, topped by domes, rose many stories high, its rose-colored facade pierced by rows of carved lattice windows.
Servants led the party into a tapestried drawing room strewn with exquisite Oriental rugs. Here they were presented to His Highness Rajah A ROYAL WELCOME 71
Krishna Baragyal II, his Rani, or Queen-Jahan’s stepmother-and their court.
The Rajah, a gray-bearded, dignified man, received his guests graciously, but his stern manner somewhat overawed them.
“Don’t let him scare you,” Jahan whispered, grinning. “He’s a kindhearted old tyrant.”
The Rani and her court ladies wore silken saris, gold bangles, and embroidered lace shawls. Tom saw them darting jealous glances at the two attractive American girls.
Once in their rooms, Phyl murmured in dismay, “Those court ladies resent us!”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Sandy agreed, laughing. Suddenly her blue eyes twinkled. Sending for her brother, Sandy handed him the girls’ only can of hair spray. “Please, Mr. Genius, can you whip us up a couple of gallons of this?”
“Sure, I guess so,” Tom said, puzzled. “Why?”
“There’s no time to explain. Oh, and could you make something to spray it on with?”
“Would a paint spray gun do?”
“Wonderful! But please hurry!”
Tom and Bud sped back to the Sky Queen in a royal jeep. Bud was convulsed with laughter as Tom analyzed the hair spray and began to concoct a batch. “Quiet, or I’ll beautify you with this stuff!” Tom retorted.