They suspected , among many others , the bullying , red-bearded horsedealer whose caravans ploughed through their fastnesses belly-deep in snow . At least , his caravan that season had been ambushed and shot at twice on the way down , when Mahbub 's men accounted for three strange ruffians who might , or might not , have been hired for the job . Therefore Mahbub had avoided halting at the insalubrious city of Peshawur , and had come through without stop to Lahore , where , knowing his country-people , he anticipated curious developments . And there was that on Mahbub Ali which he did not wish to keep an hour longer than was necessary -- a wad of closely folded tissue-paper , wrapped in oilskin -- an impersonal , unaddressed statement , with five microscopic pin-holes in one corner , that most scandalously betrayed the five confederated Kings , the sympathetic Northern Power , a Hindu banker in Peshawur , a firm of gun-makers in Belgium , and an important , semi-independent Mohammedan ruler to the south . This last was R17 's work , which Mahbub had picked up beyond the Dora Pass and was carrying in for R17 , who , owing to circumstances over which he had no control , could not leave his post of observation . Dynamite was milky and innocuous beside that report of C25 ; and even an Oriental , with an Oriental 's views of the value of time , could see that the sooner it was in the proper hands the better . Mahbub had no particular desire to die by violence , because two or three family blood-feuds across the Border hung unfinished on his hands , and when these scores were cleared he intended to settle down as a more or less virtuous citizen . He had never passed the serai gate since his arrival two days ago , but had been ostentatious in sending telegrams to Bombay , where he banked some of his money ; to Delhi , where a sub-partner of his own clan was selling horses to the agent of a Rajputana state ; and to Umballa , where an Englishman was excitedly demanding the pedigree of a white stallion . The public letter-writer , who knew English , composed excellent telegrams , such as : ` Creighton , Laurel Bank , Umballa . Horse is Arabian as already advised . Sorrowful delayed pedigree which am translating . ' And later to the same address : ` Much sorrowful delay . Will forward pedigree . ' To his sub-partner at Delhi he wired : ` Lutuf Ullah . Have wired two thousand rupees your credit Luchman Narain 's bank -- ' This was entirely in the way of trade , but every one of those telegrams was discussed and rediscussed , by parties who conceived themselves to be interested , before they went over to the railway station in charge of a foolish Balti , who allowed all sorts of people to read them on the road . When , in Mahbub 's own picturesque language , he had muddied the wells of inquiry with the stick of precaution , Kim had dropped on him , sent from Heaven ; and , being as prompt as he was unscrupulous , Mahbub Ali used to taking all sorts of gusty chances , pressed him into service on the spot . A wandering lama with a low-caste boy-servant might attract a moment 's interest as they wandered about India , the land of pilgrims ; but no one would suspect them or , what was more to the point , rob . He called for a new light-ball to his hookah , and considered the case . If the worst came to the worst , and the boy came to harm , the paper would incriminate nobody . And he would go up to Umballa leisurely and -- at a certain risk of exciting fresh suspicion -- repeat his tale by word of mouth to the people concerned .
But XXXXX 's report was the kernel of the whole affair , and it would be distinctly inconvenient if that failed to come to hand .
Balti Belgium English Lahore Mahbub R17 Ullah belly-deep tissue-paper violence