This statement accounted for the smaller man’s curious behaviour and the other’s closed eyes.

“You have suffered indeed,” said Grantham pityingly.  “But how did it all come about?”

“We were traders, and we fell into the hands of the Chinese,” the taller man answered.  “With their usual amiability they set to work to torture us.  My companion’s tongue they cut out at the roots, while, as I have said, they deprived me of my sight.  After that they turned us loose to go where we would.  We have wandered here, there, and everywhere, living on what we could pick up, and dying a thousand deaths every day.  It would have been better if we had died outright—­but somehow we’ve come through.  Can you take us to a place where we can procure food?  We’ve been living on jungle fruit for an eternity.  My foot wants looking to pretty badly, too.”

“We’ll do all we can for you,” said Grantham.  “That’s if we can get you down to the Ford, which is about five miles away.”

“You’ll have to carry me then, for I’m too far gone to walk.”

“I think it can be managed,” said Grantham.  “At any rate we’ll try.”

Turning to the little Shan he despatched him with a message to Handiman, and when the other had disappeared, knelt down beside the tall man and set to work to examine his injured foot.  There could be no doubt that it was in a very serious condition.  Tramping through the jungle he had managed to poison it, and had been unable to apply the necessary remedies.  Obtaining some water from the stream Grantham bathed it tenderly, and then bound it up as well as he could with his handkerchief.

“That’s the best I can do for you for the present,” he said.  “We must leave it as it is, and, when we get you to the station, we will see what else can be managed.”

He looked up and saw the little man’s eyes watched him intently.  There was a look of almost dog-like affection in them for his companion, that went to the young soldier’s heart.

“By Jove,” he said, “I’m sorry for you fellows.  You must have suffered agonies.  The Chinese are devils.  But yours is not the first case we have heard of.  We only come up here for a month at a time, but the man we relieved told us a strange tale about another poor beggar who came into the station some two months ago.  He had been wandering in the jungle, and was nearly at death’s-door.”

The blind man gave a start, while the little man seized his hand and made a number of rapid movements upon it with his fingers.

“My friend wants to know if you are aware of that man’s name?” he said.  “We lost a companion, and he thinks that he may be the man.  For Heaven’s sake tell us what you know.  You have no idea what it means to us.”

“Since you are so interested in him I am sorry to have to say that I do not know very much.  You see he had very little to do with us.  As I have said, he turned up while our predecessors were here.  From what I heard about him from Gregory, he gathered that he was a tall, thin man, who had come through from Pekin by way of Yunnan.”