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AMANULLAH

" He must stay in Afghanistan," said Baeha. " I
will not have him in India, where Allah knows what
mischief he would brew against the new order in
Kabul."

British pilots, consulted in Peshawar, did not relish
the cross-country journey from Kabul direct to
Kandahar. It was winter, and the wild country between
the two cities offered no chance of a safe landing in the
event of accident. The distance was only four hundred
miles, but there could be no risks taken with a burden
that was diplomatically precious.

Thus it was that the frightened little party, still
suffering from the five-day tension during which they
had nominally been the ruling family in a shattered
Palace, were flown the two hundred miles to British
India, disembarked at Peshawar, and hurried into a
special train which was to make the long two thousand
miles' circuit before the Afghan Frontier was reached
once more from the Baluchistan side.

There had been no preparations for the flight. The
arrangement to give them safe exit came as a complete
surprise to Inayatullah. He was not consulted. He
was not asked if he wished to leave. In all his life,
nobody had ever consulted Inayatullah, the fat Prince,
as to his intentions. Now he had been puppet-King,
and not even then had anybody consulted him. But
he went.

He was going to join his brother, to lean on the
stronger will, and play second fiddle to more schemes
intended to displace the usurper. He would make no
decisions. He would be received with disappointment
in Kandahar, where presumably Amanullah had been
hoping that the throne would be at least nominally
held while he judged the temper and strength of his
supporters in another and usually loyal region.

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