Talbot Mundy

“ It’s you. If you’ve misjudged the situation, ——! we’ll all be in the soup! I admit, I’ve never had cause to regret trusting you. But that’s the way it goes; you trust a man, and trust him, until he lets you down finally; it’s human nature.”
“Up to you, sir.”
“What do you want of me?” demanded Molyneux.
“Tobacco and cigars. The more the merrier. I’ll take them to the Panch Mahal to keep Strange and Ramsden from going mad, while I get some sleep.”
“They’re in that hand-bag. What next?”
“Take my sister to the palace and introduce her to Madame Poulakis. Talk it all over with her.” ”

“ There is a tube concealed in the walls that will magnify a scream; and there are two tunnels through which they have access to the interior of the building by secret doors.”
“If they’re not careful Strange will discover those tunnels—or Ramsden will. Then the game will be all up.”
“They will be very careful, sahib. They are most resourceful. Trust them.”
“I don’t, and I won’t. But will they trust me? If I tell them they may have the Panch Mahal, will they believe it?”
“Why not? A promise made to the priests and broken subsequently is——”
“I get you.” ”

“ Pretty soon Molyneux gets your sister back into the car, and demands a messenger to go and find you. No messenger. Nobody knows where you are. Nobody cares a ——, either. The babu tells Molyneux in English that the train’s got to move out of the way, or go back to Sissoo Junction or something, and Molyneux swears it shall stay right where it is for a week unless he gets a messenger to go on horseback and find Ommony sahib. ”

“ It is possible to oppose the priests, and even to defeat them without unpremeditated consequences. But to break a promise made to them is suicide. Speaking of which, I see Charley sahib riding this way on native pony!”
Ommony, who had turned his back to the moonlight in order to see the babu’s face, did not look round.
“How d’you know it’s Charley?”
“Blind idiot with head in bag could recognize in darkness U. S. effort to ride bare-back in fashion of Chota Pegu. Back-bone of lean old pony proves uncomfortable—very!” ”

“ They have gas composed of petrifying corpses, mixed with dust of red pepper and sal volatile! They have a corpse so realistic that there is serious anxiety lest the God of the Dead should demand its immediate decomposition! ”