human
These Hindoos are crafty fellows, Joe, he remarked, after a while.
gpt
They're clever at a great many things we Americans don't understand anything about. I knew one of them once. He was the servant of a man who happened to be the uncle of one of the finest young fellows that ever stepped--brave Dick Ferral. This particular Hindoo I was able to study at close range.
human
What are you leading up to by this sort of talk?
gpt
I'm leading up to the element of mystery that hangs over the events of to-day. India is a land of mystery. The people are a dreamy set, and now and then one of them will go off into the woods, or the desert, and spend several years as a devotee. When he comes back to civilization again he's able to do wonderful things. I've heard that these fakirs can throw a rope into the air and that it will hang there; and that they can make a boy climb the rope, up, and up, until he disappears. Then rope, boy, and all but the fakir will vanish.
human
Fakes, grunted Joe.
gpt
Such things ain't in reason, pard. You know what a fakir is in this country, and I reckon he's not much better in India.
human
Of course it's a fake, said Matt,
gpt
I'm blamed if I can see yet where all this talk of yours leads to.
human
I'm only, what you might call, thinking out loud, laughed Matt.
gpt
Haidee's actions puzzle me. Her uncle is a Hindoo, and he may be an adept in magic. If he is, just how much has the girl's queer actions to do with Ben Ali? It's something to think about. I'm glad Burton isn't going to cut loose from the Hindoo and the girl. The more I see of them, the more curious I'm becoming.
human
Ben Ali, pard, grinned McGlory,
gpt
I can't account for it, Joe, but perhaps we'll be able to do so later. He got up.
human
How about something to eat? he asked.
gpt
We'll have to have dinner, then take something to the boys, and get busy patching up the aëroplane.
human
Did you ever know me to shy at a meal? asked McGlory, promptly getting up.
gpt
We'll hit the chuck layout, and then----
human
there was a bustle of preparation. The
gpt
in the ticket stands at the side-show were yelling, people were crowding about the ticket wagon, where they were to buy pasteboards admitting them to the