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This page intentionally left blank
 CONTENTS
Preface x
Acknowledgments xvii
Prologue: Literacy for the Modern World P-1

PART ONE LOGIC AND PROBLEM SOLVING

1 THINKING CRITICALLY 2
ACTIVITY Bursting Bubble 4
1A Living in the Media Age 5
In Your World: Fact Checking on the Web 11
1B Propositions and Truth Values 14
1C Sets and Venn Diagrams 25
Brief Review: Sets of Numbers 29
1D Analyzing Arguments 40
Mathematical Insight: Deductive Proof of the Pythagorean Theorem 49
1E Critical Thinking in Everyday Life 54
In Your World: Beware of “Up to” Deals 60

2 APPROACHES TO PROBLEM SOLVING 68

ACTIVITY Global Melting 70
2A Understand, Solve, and Explain 71
Brief Review: Common Fractions 74
Brief Review: Decimal Fractions 80
Using Technology: Currency Exchange Rates 82
In Your World: Changing Money in Foreign Countries 84
2B Extending Unit Analysis 88
In Your World: Gems and Gold Jewelry 90
Brief Review: Powers of 10 92
Using Technology: Metric Conversions 95
In Your World: Save Money and Save the Earth 99
2C Problem-Solving Hints 107
Mathematical Insight: Zeno’s Paradox 110

PART TWO QUANTITATIVE INFORMATION IN EVERYDAY LIFE

3 NUMBERS IN THE REAL WORLD 120

ACTIVITY Big Numbers 122
3A Uses and Abuses of Percentages 122
Brief Review: Percentages 123
Brief Review: What Is a Ratio? 129
3B Putting Numbers in Perspective 139
Brief Review: Working with Scientific Notation 140
Using Technology: Scientific Notation 143
3C Dealing with Uncertainty 155
Brief Review: Rounding 157
Using Technology: Rounding in Excel 162

v
vi Contents

3D Index Numbers: The CPI and Beyond 166

Using Technology: The Inflation Calculator 171
In Your World: The Chained CPI and the Federal Budget 173
3E How Numbers Can Deceive: Polygraphs, Mammograms, and
More 178

4 MANAGING MONEY 190

ACTIVITY Student Loans 192
4A Taking Control of Your Finances 192
4B The Power of Compounding 206
Brief Review: Powers and Roots 207
Using Technology: Powers 208
Using Technology: The Compound Interest Formula 211
Using Technology: The Compound Interest Formula for Interest Paid
More Than Once a Year 215
Using Technology: APY in Excel 216
Using Technology: Powers of e 218
Brief Review: Four Basic Rules of Algebra 218
In Your World: Effects of Low Interest Rates 220
4C Savings Plans and Investments 225
Mathematical Insight: Derivation of the Savings Plan Formula 227
Using Technology: The Savings Plan Formula 230
Using Technology: Fractional Powers (Roots) 232
In Your World: Building a Portfolio 237
4D Loan Payments, Credit Cards, and Mortgages 244
Using Technology: The Loan Payment Formula (Installment Loans) 247
Mathematical Insight: Derivation of the Loan Payment Formula 248
Using Technology: Principal and Interest Portions of Loan
Payments 249
In Your World: Avoiding Credit Card Trouble 251
In Your World: Choosing or Refinancing a Loan 255
4E Income Taxes 262
4F Understanding the Federal Budget 275

PART THREE PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS

5 STATISTICAL REASONING 292

ACTIVITY Cell Phones and Driving 294
5A Fundamentals of Statistics 294
Using Technology: Random Numbers 298
5B Should You Believe a Statistical Study? 309
In Your World: The Gun Debate: Defensive Gun Use 314
5C Statistical Tables and Graphs 319
Using Technology: Frequency Tables in Excel 321
Using Technology: Bar Graphs and Pie Charts in Excel 325
Using Technology: Line Charts in Excel 327
5D Graphics in the Media 333
Using Technology: Graphs with Multiple Data Sets 337
5E Correlation and Causality 354
Using Technology: Scatterplots in Excel 359
 Contents vii

6 PUTTING STATISTICS TO WORK 370

ACTIVITY Are We Smarter Than Our Parents? 372
6A Characterizing Data 373
Using Technology: Mean, Median, and Mode in Excel 376
6B Measures of Variation 386
Using Technology: Standard Deviation in Excel 392
6C The Normal Distribution 397
Using Technology: Standard Scores and Percentiles in Excel 405
6D Statistical Inference 408
In Your World: Is Polling Reliable? 414

7 PROBABILITY: LIVING WITH THE ODDS 424

ACTIVITY Lotteries 426
7A Fundamentals of Probability 426
Brief Review: The Multiplication Principle 431
7B Combining Probabilities 441
7C The Law of Large Numbers 453
7D Assessing Risk 464
In Your World: Terrorism, Risk, and Human Psychology 465
7E Counting and Probability 474
Using Technology: Factorials 476
Brief Review: Factorials 476
Using Technology: Permutations 477
Using Technology: Combinations 479

PART FOUR MODELING

8 EXPONENTIAL ASTONISHMENT 488

ACTIVITY Towers of Hanoi 490
8A Growth: Linear vs. Exponential 491
8B Doubling Time and Half-Life 499
Using Technology: Logarithms 505
Brief Review: Logarithms 506
8C Real Population Growth 510
In Your World: Choosing Our Fate 517
8D Logarithmic Scales: Earthquakes, Sounds, and Acids 520
In Your World: Ocean Acidification 526

9 MODELING OUR WORLD 532

ACTIVITY Climate Modeling 534
9A Functions: The Building Blocks of Mathematical Models 536
Brief Review: The Coordinate Plane 539
9B Linear Modeling 546
Using Technology: Graphing Functions 551
In Your World: Algebra’s Baghdad Connection 554
9C Exponential Modeling 560
Brief Review: Algebra with Logarithms 563
Mathematical Insight: Doubling Time and Half-Life Formulas 565
In Your World: Changing Rates of Change 570
viii Contents

10 MODELING WITH GEOMETRY 576

ACTIVITY Eyes in the Sky 578
10A Fundamentals of Geometry 579
Mathematical Insight: Archimedes and Pi 583
In Your World: Plato, Geometry, and Atlantis 587
10B Problem Solving with Geometry 593
10C Fractal Geometry 608

PART FIVE FURTHER APPLICATIONS

11 MATHEMATICS AND THE ARTS 620

ACTIVITY Digital Music Files 622
11A Mathematics and Music 623
In Your World: Music Just for You 627
11B Perspective and Symmetry 630
11C Proportion and the Golden Ratio 643

12 MATHEMATICS AND POLITICS 654

ACTIVITY Partisan Redistricting 656
12A Voting: Does the Majority Always Rule? 657
In Your World: Counting Votes—Not as Easy as It Sounds 663
12B Theory of Voting 675
In Your World: The Electoral College and the Presidency 680
12C Apportionment: The House of Representatives and Beyond 686
12D Dividing the Political Pie 701

Credits C-1
Answers to Quick Quizzes and Odd-Numbered Exercises A-1
Index I-1
 ABOUT THE
AUTHORS

Jeffrey Bennett served as the first director of the William Briggs was on the mathematics faculty at
program “Quantitative Reasoning and Mathemati- Clarkson University for 6 years and at the University
cal Skills” at the University of Colorado at Boulder, of Colorado at Denver for 23 years, where he taught
where he developed the groundbreaking curriculum both undergraduate and graduate courses, with
that became the basis of this textbook. He holds a BA a special interest in applied mathematics. During
in biophysics (University of California, San Diego) much of that time, he designed and taught courses
and an MS and a PhD in astrophysics (University of in quantitative reasoning. In addition to this book,
Colorado), and has focused his career on math and he has co-authored textbooks on statistical reason-
science education. In addition to co-authoring this ing and calculus, as well as monographs in com-
textbook, he is also the lead author of best-selling putational mathematics. He recently completed the
college textbooks on statistical reasoning, astronomy, book How America Got Its Guns (University of New
and astrobiology, and of more than a dozen books for Mexico Press). Dr. Briggs is a University of Colo-
children and adults. All six of his children’s books have rado President’s Teaching Scholar and the recipient
been selected for NASA’s “Story Time From Space” of a Fulbright Fellowship to Ireland; he holds a BA
(storytimefromspace.com), a project in which astro- degree from the University of Colorado and an MS
nauts on the International Space Station read books and a PhD from Harvard University.
aloud and videos are posted that anyone in the world
can watch for free. His most recent books include I,
Humanity for children and Math for Life and A Global
Warming Primer for the general public. Among his
many other endeavors, Dr. Bennett proposed and co-
led the development of the Voyage Scale Model Solar
System, which is located outside the National Air and
Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington,
DC. Learn more about Dr. Bennett and his work at
www.jeffreybennett.com.

ix
 Human history

PREFACE
becomes more and more
a race between education —H. G. Wells
and catastrophe. The Outline of History,
1920

To the Student about what mathematical content is necessary for science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students—
There is no escaping the importance of mathematics in for example, these students all need to learn algebra and
the modern world. However, for most people, the impor- calculus—there’s great debate about what we should teach
tance of mathematics lies not in its abstract ideas, but in non-STEM students, especially the large majority who will not
its application to personal and social issues. This textbook make use of formal mathematics in their careers or daily lives.
is designed with such practical considerations in mind. In As a result of this debate, core mathematics courses for
particular, this book has three specific purposes: non-STEM students represent a broad and diverse range.
Some schools require these students to take a traditional,
• to prepare you for the mathematics you will encounter
calculus-track course, such as college algebra. Others have
in other college courses, particularly core courses in
instituted courses focused on some of the hidden ways in
social and natural sciences;
which contemporary mathematics contributes to society, and
• to develop your ability to reason with quantitative in- still others have developed courses devoted almost exclu-
formation in a way that will help you achieve success in sively to financial literacy. Each of the different course types
your career; and has its merits, but we believe there is a better option, largely
• to provide you with the critical thinking and quantitative because of the following fact: The vast majority (typically
reasoning skills you need to understand major issues in 95%) of non-STEM students will never take another college
your life. mathematics course after completing their core requirement.
Given this fact, we believe it is essential to teach these
We hope this book will be useful to everyone, but it is
students the mathematical ideas that they will need for their
designed primarily for those who are not planning to ma-
remaining college course work, their careers, and their
jor in a field that requires advanced mathematical skills. In
daily lives. In other words, we must emphasize those top-
particular, if you’ve ever felt any fear or anxiety about math-
ics that are truly important to the future success of these
ematics, we’ve written this book with you in mind. We hope
students, and we must cover a broad range of such topics.
that, through this book, you will discover that mathematics
The focus of this approach is less on formal calculation—
is much more important and relevant to your life than you
though some is certainly required—and more on teaching
thought and not as difficult as you previously imagined.
students how to think critically with numerical or math-
Whatever your interests—social sciences, environmental
ematical information. In the terminology adopted by MAA,
issues, politics, business and economics, art and music, or
AMATYC, and other mathematical organizations, students
any of many other topics—you will find many relevant and
need to learn quantitative reasoning and to become quanti-
up-to-date examples in this book. But the most important
tatively literate. There’s been a recent rise in the popularity
idea to take away from this book is that mathematics can help
of quantitative reasoning courses for non-STEM students.
you understand a variety of topics and issues, making you a
This book has been integral to the quantitative reasoning
more aware and better educated citizen. Once you have com-
movement for years and continues to be at the forefront as
pleted your study of this book, you should be prepared to un-
an established resource designed to help you succeed in
derstand most quantitative issues that you will encounter.
teaching quantitative reasoning to your students.

To the Instructor The Key to Success: A Context-Driven

Approach
Whether you’ve taught this course many times or are teach-
Broadly speaking, approaches to teaching mathematics can
ing it for the first time, you are undoubtedly aware that math-
be divided into two categories:
ematics courses for non-majors present challenges that differ
from those presented by more traditional courses. First and • A content-driven approach is organized by mathematical
foremost, there isn’t even a clear consensus on what exactly ideas. After each mathematical topic is presented, exam-
should be taught in these courses. While there’s little debate ples of its applications are shown.

x
 Preface xi

• A context-driven approach is organized by practical con- students at different levels. We have therefore organized the
texts. Applications drive the course, and mathematical book with a modular structure that allows instructors to
ideas are presented as needed to support the applications. create a customized course. The 12 chapters are organized
broadly by contextual areas. Each chapter, in turn, is di-
The same content can be covered through either ap-
vided into a set of self-contained units that focus on particu-
proach, but the context-driven approach has an enormous
lar concepts or applications. In most cases, you can cover
advantage: It motivates students by showing them di-
chapters in any order or skip units that are lower priority
rectly how relevant mathematics is to their lives. In con-
for your particular course. The following outline describes
trast, the content-driven approach tends to come across as
the flow of each chapter:
“learn this content because it’s good for you,” causing many
students to tune out before reaching the practical applica- Chapter Overview Each chapter begins with a two-
tions. For more details, see our article “General Education page overview consisting of an introductory paragraph
Mathematics: New Approaches for a New Millennium” and a multiple-choice question designed to illustrate an
(AMATYC Review, Fall 1999) or the discussion in the Epi- important way in which the chapter content connects with
logue of the book Math for Life by Jeffrey Bennett (Big Kid the book themes of college, career, and life. The overview
Science, 2014). also includes a motivational quote and a unit-by-unit list-
ing of key content; the latter is designed to show students
The Challenge: Winning Over how the chapter is organized and to help instructors decide
which units to cover in class.
Your Students
Perhaps the greatest challenge in teaching mathematics lies Chapter Activity Each chapter next offers an activity
in winning students over—that is, convincing them that designed to spur student discussion of some interesting
you have something useful to teach them. This challenge facet of the topics covered in the chapter. The activities
arises because by the time they reach college, many stu- may be done either individually or in small groups. A
dents dislike or fear mathematics. Indeed, the vast majority new Activity Manual containing additional activities is
of students in general education mathematics courses are available with this seventh edition in print form and also
there not by choice, but because such courses are required in MyLab Math.
for graduation. Reaching your students therefore requires
that you teach with enthusiasm and convince them that Numbered Units Each chapter consists of numbered
mathematics is useful and enjoyable. units (e.g., Unit 1A, Unit 1B, …). Each unit begins with a
We’ve built this book around two important strategies short introduction and includes the following key features:
that are designed to help you win students over: • Headings to Identify Key Topics. In keeping with the
• Confront negative attitudes about mathematics head modularity, each subtopic within a unit is clearly identified
on, showing students that their fear or loathing is so that students understand what they will be learning.
ungrounded and that mathematics is relevant to their • Summary Boxes. Key definitions and concepts are
lives. This strategy is embodied in the Prologue of this highlighted in summary boxes for easy reference.
book (pages P1–P13), which we urge you to emphasize • Examples and Case Studies. Numbered examples are
in class. It continues implicitly throughout the rest of designed to build understanding and to offer practice
the text. with the types of questions that appear in the exercises.
• Focus on goals that are meaningful to students—namely, Each example is accompanied by a “Now try …” sug-
on the goals of learning mathematics for college, career, gestion that relates the example to specific similar exer-
and life. Your students will then learn mathematics because cises. Occasional case studies go into more depth than
they will see how it affects their lives. This strategy forms the numbered examples.
the backbone of this book, as we have tried to build every • Exercises. Each unit concludes with a set of exercises,
unit around topics relevant to college, career, and life. subdivided into the following categories:
• Quick Quiz. This ten-question quiz appears at
the end of each unit and allows students to check
Modular Structure of the Book whether they understand key concepts before start-
Although we have written this book so that it can be read as ing the exercise set. Note that students are asked not
a narrative from beginning to end, we recognize that many only to choose the correct multiple-choice answer
instructors might wish to teach material in a different order but also to write a brief explanation of the reason-
than we have chosen or to cover only selected portions of ing behind their choice. Answers are included in the
the text, as time allows, for classes of different length or for back of the text.
xii Preface

• Review Questions. Designed primarily for self- students will have learned these skills previously, but
study, these questions ask students to summarize the many will need review and practice. Practice is avail-
important ideas covered in the unit and generally can able in the exercise sets, with relevant exercises iden-
be answered simply by reviewing the text. tified by a “Now try …” suggestion at the end of the
• Does It Make Sense? These questions ask students Brief Review.
to determine whether a short statement makes sense, • In Your World. These features focus on topics that
and explain why or why not. These exercises are students are likely to encounter in the world around
generally easy once students understand a particular them, whether in the news, in consumer decisions,
concept, but difficult otherwise; they are therefore an or in political discussions. Examples include how to
excellent probe of comprehension. understand jewelry purchases, how to invest money
• Basic Skills & Concepts. These questions of- in a sensible way, and how to evaluate the reliability
fer practice with the concepts covered in the unit. of pre-election polls. (Note: These features are not
They can be used for homework assignments or necessarily connected directly to the In Your World
for self-study (answers to most odd-numbered exercises, but both have direct relevance to students’
exercises appear in the back of the book). These world.)
questions are referenced by the “Now try …” sug- • Using Technology. These features give students clear
gestions in the unit. instructions in the use of various technologies for com-
• Further Applications. Through additional applica- putation, including scientific calculators, Microsoft
tions, these exercises extend the ideas and techniques Excel, and online technologies such as those built into
covered in the unit. Google. Book-specific TI Tech Tips containing instruc-
tions for performing computations with a graphing cal-
• In Your World. These questions are designed to
culator, such as the TI-83 or TI-84, are available in the
spur additional research or discussion that will help
Tools for Success section of MyLab Math.
students relate the unit content to the book themes
of college, career, and life. • Caution! New to the seventh edition, these short
notes, integrated into examples or text, highlight com-
• Technology Exercises. For units that include one
mon errors that students should be careful to avoid.
or more Using Technology features, these exercises
give students an opportunity to practice calculator • Mathematical Insight. This feature, which occurs less
or software skills that have been introduced. Some frequently than the others, builds on mathematical ideas
of these exercises are designed to be completed with in the main narrative but goes somewhat beyond the
StatCrunch ( ), which comes with the MyLab level of other material in the book. Examples of the top-
Math course. Applications using StatCrunch, power- ics covered are proof of the Pythagorean theorem, Zeno’s
ful Web-based statistical software that allows users to paradox, and derivations of the financial formulas used
collect data, perform analyses, and generate compel- for savings plans and mortgage loans.
ling results, are included in this edition for the first • Margin Features. The margins contain several types
time. of short features: By the Way, which offers interesting
notes and asides relevant to the topic at hand; Histori-
Chapter Summary Appearing at the end of each chap- cal Note, which gives historical context to the topic at
ter, the Chapter Summary offers a brief outline of the chap- hand; and Technical Note, which offers details that are
ter’s content, including page numbers, that students can important mathematically, but generally do not affect
use as a study guide. students’ understanding of the material. The margins
also contain occasional quotations.
Additional Pedagogical Features In addition to the
standard features of all chapters listed above, several other
pedagogical features occur throughout the text:
Prerequisite Mathematical Background
• Think About It. These features pose short conceptual Because of its modular structure and the inclusion of the
questions designed to help students reflect on important Brief Review features, this book can be used by students
new ideas. They also serve as excellent starting points with a wide range of mathematical backgrounds. Many
for classroom discussions and, in some cases, can be of the units require nothing more than arithmetic and
used as a basis for clicker questions. a willingness to think about quantitative issues in new
• Brief Review. This feature appears when a key ways. Only a few units use techniques of algebra or ge-
mathematical skill is first needed; topics include frac- ometry, and those skills are reviewed as they arise. This
tions, powers and roots, basic algebraic operations, book should therefore be accessible to any student who
and more. The word “review” indicates that most has completed two or more years of high school math-
 Preface xiii

ematics. However, this book is not remedial: Although presented in previous editions to create a simpler three-
much of the book relies on mathematical techniques step strategy called “Understand-Solve-Explain.” We have
from secondary school, the techniques arise in appli- found that this strategy is easier for students to remember
cations that students generally are not taught in high and therefore easier for them to put into practice.
school and that require students to demonstrate their
critical thinking skills. Chapters 3 and 4 These two chapters contain
For courses in which students do require more extensive several units that revolve around economic data such as
prerequisite review, we have created a version of the Using & demographic data, the Consumer Price Index, interest
Understanding Mathematics MyLab Math course called Using rates, taxes, and the federal budget. These data obvi-
& Understanding Mathematics with Integrated Review that in- ously required major updates given the changes that have
cludes just-in-time review of selected prerequisite topics. occurred in the U.S. economy in the four years since the
last edition. In addition, we’ve added basic ideas about
Note on “Developmental Math” We are often asked health insurance to our discussion of personal finances
whether this text can be used by students for whom place- in Unit 4A.
ment tests suggest that they belong in developmental
mathematics courses. In most cases, we believe the answer Chapters 5 and 6 These chapters focus on statistical
to be a resounding “yes.” Our experience suggests that data, which means we updated or replaced large sections of
many students who do poorly on mathematics placement the chapter content to include more current data.
tests are not really as weak as these tests may suggest.
Most students did learn basic mathematical skills at one Chapter 7 We significantly revised Section 7D on risk,
time, and if the skills arise with context (as they do in this both for greater clarity and to update data.
book), we’ve found that students can quickly relearn them.
This is especially true if you provide the students with a Chapters 8 and 9 Units 8B, 8C, and 9C all rely heavily
little bit of extra practice as offered in our Brief Review on population data, which means we revised significant
features or by the resources in MyLab Math or MyLab portions of these units to reflect the latest global demo-
Math with Integrated Review. Indeed, we believe that most graphic data.
students in this situation will learn basic mathematical
skills better by taking a quantitative reasoning course based Chapter 12 The 2016 election provided numerous new
on this textbook than they will by taking a developmental examples for our discussion of the electoral college in Unit
course. 12A. Other recent examples of the intersection of math-
ematics and politics also provide interesting new examples
and exercises throughout this chapter.
Changes in the Seventh Edition
We’ve been pleased by the positive responses from so many In Your World We’ve added seven new In Your World
users of previous editions of this text. Nevertheless, a book features, so every chapter now has at least one, further
that relies heavily on facts and data always requires a major showcasing math for college, career, and life.
updating effort to keep it current, and we are always look-
ing for ways to improve clarity and pedagogy. As a result, Caution! These short notes highlighting common errors
users of prior editions will find many sections of this book are new to this edition.
to have been substantially revised or rewritten. The changes
are too many to list here, but some of the more significant Exercise Sets We’ve thoroughly revised the exercise
changes are the following. sets: Over 30% of the exercises are changed or new.

Chapter 1 We significantly revised Units 1A and 1E StatCrunch StatCrunch has been newly integrated into
with the particular goal of helping students evaluate media the MyLab Math course and relevant Technology Exercises.
information and recognize “fake news.”
Video Program The seventh edition is accompanied
Chapter 2 We reorganized and significantly rewrote this by an all-new video program consisting of both familiar
entire chapter to introduce a basic problem-solving strategy lecture-style videos for every example and innovative
in Unit 2A. Moreover, we modified the four-step strategy concept videos.
 Resources for Success
MyLab Math Online Course for Using &
Understanding Mathematics: A Quantitative
Reasoning Approach, 7th edition
by Jeffrey Bennett and William Briggs
MyLab™ Math is available to accompany Pearson’s market-leading text offerings.
To give students a consistent tone, voice, and teaching method, each text’s flavor
and approach are tightly integrated throughout the accompanying MyLab Math
course, making learning the material as seamless as possible.

NEW! Lecture Videos

Brand-new lecture videos for every
example are fresh and modern and
are accompanied by assessment
questions that give the instructor the
ability to not just assign the videos but
gauge student understanding.

NEW! Concept Videos

Dynamic lightboard videos focus on some
of the most interesting and challenging
concepts so students can better grasp
them. Exciting visuals are used to
explain concepts such as comparisons of
quantities, student loans, and percentages
in the world around us.

NEW! StatCrunch Integration

StatCrunch is powerful web-based statistical
software that allows users to collect data,
perform analyses, and generate compelling
results. For this seventh edition, StatCrunch
questions have been added to relevant
Technology Exercises and access to the software
has been integrated into the MyLab Math
course.

pearson.com/mylab/math
Resources for Success
Instructor Resources The following resources are ONLINE ONLY and are
available for download from the Pearson Higher
Education catalog at www.pearson.com/us/sign-in
MyLab Math with Integrated Review .html or within your MyLab Math course.
This MyLab Math course option can be used in
co-requisite courses, or simply to help students
who enter the quantitative reasoning course Instructor’s Solution Manual
lacking prerequisite skills or a full understanding James Lapp
of ­prerequisite­concepts. This manual includes answers to all of the text’s
Think About It features, Quick Quizzes, Review
• For relevant chapters, students begin with a Questions, and Does It Make Sense? questions
Skills Check assignment to pinpoint which and detailed, worked-out solutions to all of the
prerequisite developmental topics, if any, they Basic Skills & Concepts, Further Applications, and
need to review. Technology Exercises (including StatCrunch
• Those who require additional review proceed exercises).
to a personalized homework assignment that
focuses on the specific prerequisite topics on
which they need remediation.
Instructor’s Testing Manual
Dawn Dabney
• Students can also review the relevant prereq-
The Testing Manual provides four alternative tests
uisite concepts using videos and Integrated
per chapter, including answer keys.
Review Worksheets in MyLab Math. The Inte-
grated Review Worksheets are also available
in printed form as part of the Activity Manual TestGen
with Integrated Review Worksheets. TestGen® (www.pearsoned.com/testgen) enables
instructors to build, edit, print, and administer tests
Specific to the Using & Understanding Mathematics
using a computerized bank of questions developed
MyLab Math course:
to cover all the objectives of the text. TestGen is
• NEW! Completely new lecture video program algorithmically based, allowing instructors to cre-
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navigation of the MyLab Math course makes it
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the Technology Exercises that use StatCrunch.
definitions from the text. Instructors can add art
• Bonus unit on mathematics and business, from the text located in the Image Resource Library
including assessment in MyLab Math or add slides they have created.
PowerPoint slides are fully accessible.
Instructor’s Edition
(ISBNs: 0-13-470522-X /978-0-13-470522-4) Image Resource Library
The Instructor’s Edition of the text includes answers This resource in the MyLab Math course contains
to all of the exercises and Quick Quizzes in the back all the art from the text for instructors to use in
of the book. their own presentations and handouts.

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Student Resources NEW! Activity Manual with
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More than 30 activities correlated to the textbook
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 Acknowledgments xvii

Acknowledgments Jill DeWitt, Baker College of Muskegon

Greg Dietrich, Florida Community College at Jacksonville
A textbook may carry its authors’ names, but it is the result
Marsha J. Driskill, Aims Community College
of hard work by hundreds of committed individuals. This
book has been under development for more than 30 years, John Emert, Ball State University
and even its beginnings were a group effort, as one of the Kathy Eppler, Salt Lake Community College
authors was a member of a committee at the University of Kellie Evans, York College of Pennsylvania
Colorado that worked to establish one of the nation’s first
Fred Feldon, Coastline Community College
courses in quantitative reasoning. Since that beginning, the
book has benefited from input and feedback from many Anne Fine, East Central University
faculty members and students. David E. Flesner, Gettysburg College
First and foremost, we extend our thanks to Bill Poole Pat Foard, South Plains College
and Elka Block, whose faith in this project from the be-
Brian Gaines, University of Illinois
ginning allowed it to grow from class notes into a true
textbook. We’d also like to thank other past and present *Jose Gimenez, Temple University
members of our outstanding publishing team at Pear- Shane Goodwin, Brigham Young University–Idaho
son Education, including Greg Tobin, Anne Kelly, Marnie Barbara Grover, Salt Lake Community College
Greenhut, Patty Bergin, Barbara Atkinson, Kyle DiGiannan-
Louise Hainline, Brooklyn College
tonio, Stacey Miller, Hannah Lafferty, and Nick Sweeny. We
thank Rhea Meyerholtz and Paul Lorczak for an excellent Ward Heilman, Bridgewater State University
job on accuracy checking, and Shane Goodwin of BYU– Peg Hovde, Grossmont College
Idaho for his help in preparing the Using Technology boxes Andrew Hugine, South Carolina State University
(and for many other suggestions he has made as well).
Lynn R. Hun, Dixie College
We’d like to thank the following people for their help
with one or more editions of this book. Those who as- Hal Huntsman, University of Colorado, Boulder
sisted with this seventh edition have an asterisk before their Joel Irish, University of Southern Maine
names. David Jabon, DePaul University
*Merri Jill Ayers, Georgia Gwinnett College Melvin F. Janowitz, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Lou Barnes, Premier Mortgage Group Craig Johnson, Brigham Young University–Idaho
Carol Bellisio, Monmouth University Vijay S. Joshi, Virginia Intermont College
Bob Bernhardt, East Carolina University Anton Kaul, University of South Florida
Terence R. Blows, Northern Arizona University Bonnie Kelly, University of South Carolina
*Loi Booher, University of Central Arkansas William Kiley, George Mason University
W. Wayne Bosché, Jr., Dalton College *Donna Kirk, The College of Saint Scholastica
Kristina Bowers, University of South Florida Jim Koehler, University of Colorado, Denver
Michael Bradshaw, Caldwell Community College and *Charlotte Koleti, Georgia Gwinnett College
Technical Institute
Robert Kuenzi, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
Shane Brewer, Utah State University–Blanding Campus
Erin Lee, Central Washington University
W. E. Briggs, University of Colorado, Boulder
R. Warren Lemerich, Laramie County Community College
Annette Burden, Youngstown State University
Deann Leoni, Edmonds Community College
Ovidiu Calin, Eastern Michigan University
Linda Lester, Wright State University
Susan Carr, Oral Roberts University
Paul Lorczak, MathSoft, Inc.
*Henry Chango, Community College of Rhode Island
Jay Malmstrom, Oklahoma City Community College
Margaret Cibes, Trinity College
*Howard Mandelbaum, John Jay College
Walter Czarnec, Framingham State College
Erich McAlister, University of Colorado, Boulder
Adrian Daigle, University of Colorado, Boulder
*Meghan McIntyre, Wake Technical Community College
Andrew J. Dane, Angelo State University
Judith McKnew, Clemson University
*Dr. Amit Dave, Georgia Gwinnett College
Lisa McMillen, Baker College
xviii Acknowledgments

Patricia McNicholas, Robert Morris College Dee Dee Shaulis, University of Colorado, Boulder
Phyllis Mellinger, Hollins University Judith Silver, Marshall University
Elaine Spendlove Merrill, Brigham Young University– Laura Smallwood, Chandler-Gilbert Community College
Hawaii Sybil Smith-Darlington, Middlesex County College
*Dillon Miller, San Jacinto College Alu Srinivasan, Temple University
*Mehdi Mirfattah, Long Beach City College John Supra, University of Colorado, Boulder
Carrie Muir, University of Colorado, Boulder Scott Surgent, Arizona State University
Colm Mulcahy, Spelman College Timothy C. Swyter, Frederick Community College
*Bette Nelson, Alvin Community College Louis A. Talman, Metropolitan State College of Denver
Stephen Nicoloff, Paradise Valley Community College David Theobald, University of Colorado, Boulder
Paul O’Heron, Broome Community College Robert Thompson, Hunter College (CUNY)
L. Taylor Ollmann, Austin Community College Terry Tolle, Southwestern Community College
*Diane Overturf, M.S., Viterbo University Kathy Turrisi, Centenary College
A. Dean Palmer, Pima Community College *Claudio Valenzuela, Southwest Texas Junior College
Mary K. Patton, University of Illinois at Springfield Christina Vertullo, Marist College
Frank Pecchioni, Jefferson Community College Pam Wahl, Middlesex Community College
*Michael Polley, Southeastern Community College Ian C. Walters, Jr., D’Youville College
Jonathan Prewett, University of Wyoming Thomas Wangler, Benedictine University
Evelyn Pupplo-Cody, Marshall University Richard Watkins, Tidewater Community College
Scott Reed, College of Lake County Charles D. Watson, University of Central Kansas
Frederick A. Reese, Borough of Manhattan Community *Dr. Gale Watson, East Georgia State College
College
*Dr. Beverly Watts, McDowell Technical Community College
Nancy Rivers, Wake Technical Community College
Emily Whaley, DeKalb College
Anne Roberts, University of Utah
*John Williamson, Sandhills Community College
*Michelle Robinson, Fayetteville Technical Community
David Wilson, University of Colorado, Boulder
College
Robert Woods, Broome Community College
Sylvester Roebuck, Jr., Olive Harvey College
Fred Worth, Henderson State University
*Sheri Rogers, Linn-Benton Community College
Margaret Yoder, Eastern Kentucky University
Lori Rosenthal, Austin Community College
Marwan Zabdawi, Gordon College
Hugo Rossi, University of Utah
Fredric Zerla, University of South Florida
*Robin Rufatto, Ball State University
Donald J. Zielke, Concordia Lutheran College
*Ioana Sancira, Olive Harvey College
Doris Schraeder, McLennan Community College
 LITERACY FOR THE
Prologue
MODERN WORLD
Equations are just the boring part of mathematics.
—Stephen Hawking, physicist

If you’re like most students enrolled in a

course using this text, you may think that your interests
have relatively little to do with mathematics. But as you
will see, nearly every career today requires the use and
understanding of some mathematics. Furthermore, the
ability to reason quantitatively is crucial for the decisions
that we face daily as citizens in a modern technological
society. In this Prologue, we’ll discuss why mathematics is so
important, why you may be better at it than you think, and
how this course can provide you with the quantitative skills
needed for your college courses, your career, and your life.

Imagine that you’re at a party and you’ve just struck up a conversation with a

Q
dynamic, successful lawyer. Which of the following are you most likely to hear
her say during your conversation?
A “I really don’t know how to read very well.”

B “I can’t write a grammatically correct sentence.”

C “I’m awful at dealing with people.”

D “I’ve never been able to think logically.”

E “I’m bad at math.”

We all know that the answer is E, because we’ve heard it so many times. Not just from lawyers, but

A
from businesspeople, actors and athletes, construction workers and sales clerks, and sometimes even
teachers and CEOs. It would be difficult to imagine these same people admitting to any of choices
A through D, but many people consider it socially acceptable to say that they are “bad at math.”
Unfortunately, this social acceptability comes with some very negative social consequences. (See the
discussion about Misconception Seven on page P-7.)

P-1
 V IT Y
TI
AC

Job Satisfaction
Each chapter in this textbook begins with an activity, which you may do individually or in groups.
For this Prologue, the opening activity will help you examine the role of mathematics in careers.
Additional activities are available online in MyLab Math.

Top 20 Jobs for Job Everyone wants to find a career path that will bring lifelong job satisfaction, but what careers
Satisfaction are most likely to do that? A recent survey evaluated 200 different jobs according to five criteria:
1. Mathematician salary, long-term employment outlook, work environment, physical demands, and stress. The
2. Actuary (works with table to the left shows the top 20 jobs according to this survey. Notice that most of the top
insurance statistics) 20 jobs require mathematical skills, and all of them require an ability to reason with quantitative
3. Statistician information.
4. Biologist You and your classmates can conduct your own smaller study of job satisfaction. There are
5. Software engineer many ways to do this, but here is one procedure you might try:
6. Computer systems analyst
1 Each of you should identify at least three people with full-time jobs to interview briefly. You
7. Historian
may choose parents, friends, acquaintances, or just someone whose job interests you.
8. Sociologist
9. Industrial designer 2 Identify an appropriate job category for each interviewee (similar to the categories in the table
10. Accountant to the left). Ask each interviewee to rate his or her job on a scale of 1 (worst) to 5 (best) on
11. Economist each of the five criteria: salary, long-term employment outlook, work environment, physical
12. Philosopher demands, and stress. You can then add the ratings for the five criteria to come up with a total
13. Physicist job satisfaction rating for each job.
14. Parole officer 3 Working together as a class, compile the data to rank all the jobs. Show the final results in a
15. Meteorologist table that ranks the jobs in order of job satisfaction.
16. Medical laboratory
4 Discuss the results. Are they consistent with the survey results shown in the table? Do they sur-
technician
prise you in any way? Will they have any effect on your own career plans?
17. Paralegal assistant
18. Computer programmer
19. Motion picture editor
20. Astronomer
Source: JobsRated.com.

What Is Quantitative Reasoning?

Literacy is the ability to read and write, and it comes in varying degrees. Some people
can recognize only a few words and write only their names; others read and write in
many languages. A primary goal of our educational system is to provide citizens with
a level of literacy sufficient to read, write, and reason about the important issues of our
time.
Today, the abilities to interpret and reason with quantitative information—information
that involves mathematical ideas or numbers—are crucial aspects of literacy. These abilities,
often called quantitative reasoning or quantitative literacy, are essential to understanding
issues that appear in the news every day. The purpose of this textbook is to help you gain
skills in quantitative reasoning as it applies to issues you will encounter in
• your subsequent coursework,
• your career, and
• your daily life.

P-2
 Quantitative Reasoning in the Work Force P-3

Quantitative Reasoning and Culture

Quantitative reasoning enriches the appreciation of both ancient and modern culture.
The historical record shows that nearly all cultures devoted substantial energy to math-
ematics and to science (or to observational studies that predated modern science).
Without a sense of how quantitative concepts are used in art, architecture, and sci-
ence, you cannot fully appreciate the incredible achievements of the Mayans in Central
America, the builders of the great city of Zimbabwe in Africa, the ancient Egyptians and
Greeks, the early Polynesian sailors, and many others.
Similarly, quantitative concepts can help you understand and appreciate the works of
the great artists. Mathematical concepts play a major role in everything from the work Mathematics knows no races
of Renaissance artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo to the pop culture of or geographic boundaries; for
television shows like The Big Bang Theory. Other ties between mathematics and the arts mathematics, the cultural world is
can be found in both modern and classical music, as well as in the digital production of one country.
music. Indeed, it is hard to find popular works of art, film, or literature that do not rely —David Hilbert (1862–1943),
on mathematics in some way. German mathematician

Quantitative Reasoning
in the Work Force
Quantitative reasoning is important in the work force. A lack of quantitative skills puts
many of the most challenging and highest-paying jobs out of reach. Table P.1 defines
skill levels in language and mathematics on a scale of 1 to 6, and Table P.2 (on the next
page) shows the typical levels needed in many jobs.
Note that the occupations requiring high skill levels are generally the most presti-
gious and highest paying. Note also that most of those occupations call for high skill
levels in both language and math, refuting the myth that if you’re good at language, you
don’t have to be good at mathematics, and vice versa.

TABLE P.1 Skill Levels

Level Language Skills Math Skills
1 Reads signs and basic news reports; writes and speaks Addition and subtraction; simple calculations with money,
simple sentences volume, length, and weight
2 Can read short stories and instruction manuals; writes Arithmetic; can compute ratios, rates, and percentages; can
compound sentences with proper grammar and draw and interpret bar graphs
punctuation
3 Reads novels and magazines; writes reports with proper Basic geometry and algebra; can calculate discounts, interest,
format; speaks well before an audience profit and loss
4 Reads novels, poems, and newspapers; prepares business Has true quantitative reasoning abilities: understands logic,
letters, summaries, and reports; participates in panel problem solving, ideas of statistics and probability, and
discussions and debates modeling
5 Reads literature, scientific and technical journals, Calculus and statistics
financial reports, and legal documents; can write
editorials, speeches, and critiques
6 Same types of skills as level 5, but more advanced Advanced calculus, modern algebra, and advanced statistics
Source: Adapted from levels described in the Wall Street Journal.
 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
towards their homes. At that moment he almost made up his mind
that his only course was to follow them as quickly as he could: the
defence of the mine seemed utterly impossible.
Then another element of the situation forced itself upon his
tired brain. The Kalmucks, when they had driven the Pathans away,
would doubtless return. If they were allowed to get past the mine,
Lawrence and his party would be completely cut off. They could
scarcely arrive before nightfall; there was ample time for the
Kalmucks to hurry back, and force their way past, even though the
rifles of the Sikhs might account for some of them. The interception
of Lawrence must be prevented at all costs, and in the necessity of
devising some means to this end Bob had no leisure to acquaint Gur
Buksh with his morning's discovery.
"We must keep the Kalmucks off till Lawrence Sahib is back," he
said. "How can we do it?"
"Bring the machine gun to the south wall, sahib," replied the old
Sikh.
"Yes; you'll have to make an embrasure. The gun will command
the track for half a mile along the straight, and they won't face it.
There's another thing, havildar. Send some men over to the other
side to bring in all the food they can collect, and any arms they may
find. The horses too: there are only three or four left, and we must
make shift to keep them on this side. Just set about it at once."
The havildar saluted and withdrew.
Bob lighted a cigarette, and paced up and down, thinking hard.
If only Major Endicott or some other experienced soldier were at
hand to advise! He felt weighed down by his responsibilities; yet
beneath all his anxieties, there was a large reserve of courage and
resolution. He watched the Sikhs dragging the machine gun across
the compound. Undoubtedly it would check the Kalmucks as they
marched back towards the mine. But he wondered whether it would
be wise to use it. It would cost many lives; the slaughter of the
miners would infuriate their fellow-countrymen, and destroy any
chance there might be of making terms with them. Yet there seemed
no other means of assuring his brother's safe return.
Following in imagination the pursuit along the river bank, he
thought of the Pathans and their fate. He listened for rifle-shots; but
the sounds had ceased. By this time, no doubt, the chase had gone
beyond hearing. Perhaps it had ceased; perhaps the Pathans were
all slaughtered by their more numerous foes; perhaps the Kalmucks
were content to have driven them away, and the survivors were
trudging a weary march to the borders of their own land. What
would their fate be? They had no food: the country was barren: they
must surely fall a prey to fatigue, exposure and famine, or to hostile
tribes en route, long before they could hope for hospitality. This
dismal prospect made Bob very uncomfortable. After all, these men
were the most loyal and law-abiding of his uncle's workers; it
seemed cruel to let them go without lifting a hand to help them. Yet
what could he do? No doubt if he were to lead the Sikhs to pursue
the Kalmucks in their turn, with their military training, few as they
were, they might crush the undisciplined rabble. But he dared not
thus leave the mine ungarrisoned. It would be long, indeed, before
the Kalmucks could arrive from the north unless the unexpected
happened; but so many unexpected and inexplicable things had
happened during the last twenty-four hours that he could not take
any action that would involve risk either to Lawrence or to the non-
combatants at the mine.
As he paced to and fro, watching the Sikhs going quickly about
their work, and the servants returning over the drawbridge, laden
with what they had gathered from the miners' quarters, it occurred
to him suddenly that if only the aeroplane were equipped for war
some of his difficulties would be solved. He had intended to qualify
for the aerial corps in the British army, but that dream was over:
flying had been to him merely a sport. Could he have foreseen the
strange circumstances of the last few days, he would have adapted
his machine, not merely for pleasure trips and observation, but for
actual offence.
One idea leads to another, and next minute Bob was asking
himself whether even now he could not make an attempt to turn the
aeroplane to military uses. A few bombs dropped among or near the
Kalmucks would put an effective check upon their pursuit of the
Pathans. He had no bombs; could he improvise some? There was
plenty of dynamite in the little recess behind the house. And in
another moment a plan flashed upon his mind. Flinging away the
end of his cigarette he hurried to Ditta Lal's store shed.
"Babu, have you got any small empty tins?" he asked, bursting
into the room.
Ditta Lal jumped.
"My nerves are in terrible state, sir," he said. "Tins! Yes, to be
sure: coffee, preserved pears, condensed milk, sardines--or more
correctly, bristlings: tins of all sorts, quite an embarrassment."
"Get me a dozen or two tins with lids: there are several tobacco
tins in the house. Fill them nearly to the top with small stones, with
a few percussion caps among them: you'll get them from the
havildar. Be as quick as you can."
"Pardon me, sir, are you intending to lay a mine, floating or
otherwise?"
Bob had not waited for the conclusion of the question, but
hurried to the little private store behind the house, from which he
returned presently with a quantity of dynamite. The Babu was too
slow for him. He sent Chunda Beg and Shan Tai hunting for tins, and
as they were prepared according to his directions, he carefully filled
them up with dynamite and securely fastened the lids. When he had
fifteen ready, he put them into a basket, and carried them himself
along the pathway to the aeroplane. Fazl had meanwhile got
everything ready for another flight.
"You know what a bomb is, Fazl?" said Bob.
The Gurkha grinned.
"Well, these tins are bombs. Put them just below your seat: take
care not to drop one. We are going up the river: give me the tins
one by one as I ask for them."
They started. For the first mile or two Bob kept very low over
the river, seeing here and there, at long intervals, traces of the fight
waged between the Pathans and the Kalmucks--figures lying prone
and motionless, others sitting with their backs against the rocks, one
or two limping painfully along. Presently he heard the dull cracks of
rifles, though as yet he could not see the combatants. As the sounds
grew louder, he rose higher: with his explosive cargo on board it was
more than ever necessary that he should keep out of range.
Experience had already shown him that the aeroplane in full flight
was a very difficult object to hit with ordinary weapons; but nothing
must be left to chance now.

CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH

RALLYING THE PATHANS

Six or seven miles above the mine the gorge contracted, leaving a
space that barely exceeded twice the breadth of the aeroplane. In
his first flights along the river Bob had felt rather nervous in
threading this narrow passage. It was here that he found the two
parties of miners. He reduced the speed of the aeroplane as much
as he could, and at the altitude to which he had now ascended he
was able to get a pretty good general view of the position of affairs
as he flew over. It was impossible to distinguish details. The figures
of the men were like dots on a map. The track and the adjacent
ground seemed absolutely flat and level, though Bob knew that it
was really much broken, and of constantly varying height. But he
made rapid inferences from what he saw, and by the time he had
passed over both the parties of combatants he was in no doubt as to
his course of action.
What he saw was, up-stream, a small group, stationary, in the
narrowest part of the valley: some little distance from them, down-
stream, a larger group, also stationary, and a number of scattered
individuals, moving southward, looking like flies crawling slowly over
a dish, but all in the same direction. The inference he drew from
these observations was that the Pathans, having been kept on the
run to this point, had taken advantage of the nature of the ground
to turn at bay, either in desperation, or to snatch a rest before
continuing their retreat: and that the Kalmucks had separated, one
party holding the track, the other scaling the hill-side above in order
to turn the Pathans' flank. At the moment of his passing over he
heard a faint crackle like the rustling of paper, and saw puffs of
smoke among each band of combatants. The men were firing
briskly, no doubt from behind the shelter of rocks.
It was obvious that there could be but one end to this fight. The
Kalmucks were much the more numerous. While the Pathans might
very probably repulse a direct attack if their ammunition lasted, they
could have no defence against the men creeping round upon their
flank. Within a short time they would be surrounded, unless, indeed,
they perceived the flanking movement and beat a hasty retreat.
Even then they would be in danger of annihilation, for the Kalmucks
could rush the position they had evacuated, and from behind the
rocks sweep the southward track with their fire. Unless a diversion
were almost instantly made, the Pathans were doomed.
By the time that Bob had realized this necessity for intervention
he was half a mile south of the position, in a wider stretch of the
gorge. He wheeled round, flew back at full speed through the bottle-
neck, then wheeled again at the northward end. It seemed to him
that the crackling of rifle fire was now more continuous: the Pathans
had in fact taken heart on seeing the machine soaring high above
them, and were defending themselves with renewed vigour. The
chota sahib was with them! They knew not what he could do for
them, but his mere presence gave them hope and courage.
 Bob saw that in order to carry out his plan successfully he must
descend. He had had no practice in bomb dropping. No amount of
theoretical knowledge of the velocity of falling bodies under the
action of gravity, or of the curve made by a body moving under both
horizontal and vertical forces, could avail him now. There was great
risk of the aeroplane or its occupants being hit if the Kalmucks fired
at them, but he felt that he must take his chance. Swooping down,
and reducing speed at the same time, he steered so as to pass, at
the height of a few hundred feet, as exactly as possible over the
heads of the party skirmishing up the hill-side.
They were in loose order. At closer quarters Bob was now able
to see that they were taking advantage of all the cover furnished by
the crags and protuberances of the rocky slope. Steering with one
hand, he called to Fazl to give him one of the tins, which he poised
in his other hand. He still felt a shrinking from bloodshed, and
instead of dropping the bomb in the midst of the Kalmucks, he
waited until he had just passed the man nearest to the Pathans,
then let it fall. In a few seconds it struck the ground. There was a
sharp report, and Fazl, looking back, cried out that the Kalmucks
were almost hidden by an immense cloud of dust. The sound of rifle
fire ceased, and a strange quiet fell upon the gorge.
"Have they stopped?" asked Bob.
"Yes, sahib. One has gone back: they are talking among the
rocks."
"They've got something to talk about," thought Bob.
He felt that this bolt from the blue, falling upon them at such a
dramatic moment, must have startled the Kalmucks, and would
almost certainly cause them to modify their plans. As miners they
would realize the nature of the bomb dropped within a few yards of
them, and the danger to which they were exposed when dynamite
was rained upon them from the sky. The first bomb might be
followed by others, and though it had done them no hurt, its
successors might not so fortunately spare them. Bob had no doubt
that he could count upon an interval of inaction while they were
reckoning up the new situation, and determined to seize the
opportunity of communicating with the Pathans. Accordingly he flew
southward along the gorge until he reached a spot where the track
widened sufficiently to afford a landing-place, and then sank to
earth. It was out of sight from both Pathans and Kalmucks.
"Come along with me," he said to Fazl.
He took his revolver and rifle, and hastened back along the
track, followed by Fazl with his kukuri. There was still no resumption
of the firing. As he walked, he scanned the hill-side anxiously, but
saw no sign of the Kalmucks. Slipping along close to the base of the
rocky cliff he presently caught sight of the turbans of two or three of
the Pathans, who were peering over the top of a rock two hundred
yards away, evidently looking for the return of the aeroplane.
"Can you call to them without letting the Kalmucks hear?" he
asked of Fazl.
"I can, sahib."
"Then ask one of them to slip down and meet me."
The Gurkha made a slight clucking in his throat, at which the
Pathans lifted their heads and looked eagerly along the path. Then
Fazl held up one finger, and beckoned. The heads disappeared, and
in a moment two of the Pathans came round the corner of the rock.
"Only one," said Bob.
 Fazl made them understand by gestures. One of the men
returned, the other came on.
"Allah is great, sahib!" he said in his own tongue as he met Bob.
"But why is the sahib on foot? A few more such thunderbolts would
send the dogs to Jehannum: have you no more in the wonderful
machine?"
Bob wished that he had Lawrence's facility in picking up strange
languages. Fortunately Fazl could act as interpreter. He first asked
the man if he could explain the sudden outbreak of the Kalmucks.
The Pathan thought that no explanation was necessary: it was due
to their own vile passions and the presence of Nurla Bai.
"Nurla Bai!" exclaimed Bob. "Is he among them?"
"Of a truth he is, sahib, and his black monkey too."
To Bob this was incomprehensible. Nurla Bai and his man, when
last he heard of them, were forty miles and more down-stream. But
he had no leisure for guessing: the situation demanded all his
thoughts.
"What are you going to do?" he asked.
"We are going to our homes, sahib," replied the man. "The dogs
are too many for us. We did but stop to take a little rest, and kill a
few. We cannot go back to the mine: the talk is that the huzur is
gone; who will pay us now? We go to our own country, and some
day will come back and deal with these children of Shaitan. Not a
man of them shall be left alive. But now we can do nothing; it is vain
to kick against the goad. If the sahib had more little boxes we might
kill them all; but he has none, or he would not be here."
Bob felt himself in a difficulty. He wanted to retain the Pathans;
but in their present temper they would not be likely to remain with
him if they knew that a huge army was advancing up-stream. On the
other hand it would not be fair to withhold that information from
them, and bring them back to the mine under false pretences.
Reflecting rapidly for a few moments he determined to make a clean
breast of it, but to lead up to the important point as diplomatically as
he could.
"Have you any food?" he asked.
"Bismillah, sahib, we are empty as bladders. The dogs fell upon
us even as we were filling our pots for the morning meal. We have
eaten nothing."
"And what will you do for food on the way home? Is it a smiling
country? Does millet grow on the rocks? Will you find grapes on
thorn bushes?"
"True, sahib," said the man uneasily: "but there are ibex and
other clean animals for our guns."
"You have plenty of ammunition then?"
"Enough to shoot beasts for our food."
"And to shoot the Kalmucks too? If I cannot stop them, and
they pursue you, you will have no time to shoot ibex, and no bullets
to waste. And you may meet enemies in the hills. You may be
caught between two fires, and, outnumbered as you are already, you
will be slaughtered like sheep."
The Pathan looked more and more troubled.
"I will go and talk to my brothers," he said. "With many
counsellors there is wisdom."
"No, that won't do. You would waste a lot of time, and perhaps
wrangle. You must act as head man, and what you and I decide the
others will do."
 "What does the sahib order?"
"I order nothing. I want you to make up your own mind. Now
listen. I see a way to bring you out of your present awkward
position, and take you safely back to the mine. You do not know that
Lawrence Sahib with Fyz Ali and the rest is in danger."
"Mashallah, sahib, what is this you tell?"
"We were attacked yesterday at the bridge down-stream, and
beat off the enemy. Lawrence Sahib had to keep guard all night: he
may have been attacked again, but he is now marching back."
"And who was the enemy, sahib? Only Nurla Bai and his monkey
left the mine, and they are now among the dogs that have been
barking at us beyond."
"The enemy are a large force of Kalmucks, a great army, who
are coming up the valley, for what purpose I know not."
"Hai, sahib, but then there is the more need for us to go!"
"Yes, if you are willing to be cowards and faithless. Must I
believe that you will sneak off and leave your comrades to face
danger alone?"
The man was silent, plucking his beard. Bob offered him a
cigarette, which the man accepted mechanically, lighting it at the
match with which Bob lit his own.
"Is it a great army, sahib?" he said at length.
"A very great one. Very likely we shall find it impossible to save
the mine. It is true that the huzur is gone: Nurla Bai shot him; he fell
from the machine into the river, and I have no hope that he is yet
alive. But his loss only leaves the more for us to do. We must first
save Lawrence Sahib and your friends. When we are all met again,
we can decide what is best. Perhaps we shall have to abandon the
mine; but then, you see, we shall form one large party, with plenty
of provisions and cartridges; and you will have a much better chance
of reaching your homes than if you go as you are, hungry, with no
food, and little hope of defending yourselves if attacked by enemies
in the hills."
The Pathan puffed away gravely.
"There is truth in what the sahib says. He has a very big mind,
and sees very far. We Pathans are not cowards, as the sahib knows;
Fyz Ali is a good man, and the chota sahib will be a great man when
his beard is grown. But how can we go back? As the sahib says, we
are but a handful against the pack of dogs yonder, and the sahib has
no more little boxes."
"I didn't say so. As a matter of fact, I have several."
"Inshallah!" cried the man joyfully. "Why did not the sahib say
so before? If the sahib will go up in his machine, and drop the little
boxes upon the heads of the Kalmucks, we will charge home upon
them with great fury, and there shall not be left one man alive to tell
the tale."
Bob knew that it would be useless to attempt to make the man
understand why he could not consent to this wholesale butchery. He
merely pointed out that, flying swiftly overhead, he could only drop
one or perhaps two bombs that would certainly hit the enemy. The
survivors would be goaded to desperation, and before the aeroplane
could return and the manoeuvre be repeated, there would be a
terrible fight, in which the Pathans, even if successful, would lose
heavily.
"What I want to do is to gather all the loyal men safely at the
mine," he said. "I do not want to lose one of you. I can do this, I
believe, if you obey my orders: otherwise who knows how many of
you will be left alive?"
"As the sahib commands," said the Pathan.
"This is what I command. You will remain here with your men
while I drive the Kalmucks away. You will not fire upon them unless
you are yourselves attacked. Impress that upon the men. When the
Kalmucks are out of sight, you may march up towards the mine, but
halt if you come in sight of them again."
"I will give the sahib's orders to the men," said the Pathan. "I
hope the sahib will drive the dogs away quickly, for we are very
hungry."
He salaamed and returned to his companions, who had been
keeping one eye on the enemy, the other on the curious scene two
hundred yards up-stream. It was indeed a strange position: the two
men calmly smoking and discussing their plans, while at no great
distance lurked a ferocious band ready to leap to the attack at any
moment. They too had been consulting together, but their
imagination was not active enough to lead them to any satisfactory
conclusion. The dynamite bomb had been intended to check them:
that was evident; and they decided that it would be wise to wait
patiently for developments. Nurla Bai was very much annoyed. He
had undergone great exertions and endured much fatigue to achieve
his object--the slaughter or dispersal of the Pathans; and it was
exasperating to find himself at a check just when he had them at his
mercy, through the ingenuity of an Englishman and the astounding
swiftness of his flying machine. He began to wish that, instead of
picking up bits of rock in the gallery on that dark night, he had made
his way to the platform and done some vital damage to the
aeroplane. Perhaps a lucky shot would bring it down when it again
passed over the position. But he hoped there would be no more
dynamite bombs.
 CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH
NURLA BAI SLIPS THE NOOSE

And now began the strangest game of chevy chase that was ever
played. In a few minutes Bob and the Gurkha were flying northward.
As they approached the area upon which the Kalmucks were
assembled, Bob steered to the right, so as to cross the position
obliquely. Some of the men were in the act of covering the
aeroplane with their rifles, when the sight of a bright red object
descending from the sky struck them with a sort of paralysis. The
coffee tin fell almost midway between them and the Pathans. Dust
and splinters of rock flew in all directions, and the Kalmucks, with
one consent, scampered along the track towards the mine. Bob
listened for rifle-shots; he knew that the Pathans' obedience would
be put to a severe test when they saw their enemies in flight. Not a
shot was fired.
The Kalmucks did not yet perceive the real object which Bob
had in view. After running a short distance, they halted again,
unable to decide whether it was safer to advance or retreat. When
they saw the aeroplane soaring towards them from the northward,
they broke apart, each man striving to find some crevice or nook
among the rocks where he might shelter himself. All believed that
the Englishman's purpose was slaughter. But when another bomb
was dropped on their southward side, not near enough to do them
harm, some of them, as they ran, began to suspect the meaning of
the device. For three or four miles they were thus driven down the
track. Wherever the gorge was wide enough, Bob wheeled
backwards and forwards across it in their rear, swooping down
whenever he saw them lagging, with the result that they did not
wait for another bomb, but hurried along like a flock of frightened
sheep. Once or twice they took shots at the aeroplane, but gave it
up when it was patent that their marksmanship was unequal to the
feat of hitting the flying target. And all the time the Pathans
marched steadily behind them, much amused at the sahib's method
of shepherding, but a little chagrined because they were not allowed
to assist.
Meanwhile Bob had been thinking out his further proceedings.
He must not let the Kalmucks draw too close to the mine. Lawrence
could not arrive yet for several hours; it was important that he
should come safely home without a collision with the enemy. When,
therefore, they had arrived within about two miles of the mine, he
decided that it was time to arrest their course. They could no longer
be in doubt about the meaning of his signals hitherto--he would give
them another. Flying ahead, then wheeling round, he dropped a tin,
this time in front of them. At the explosion they halted, and after a
brief consultation began to move on. Another bomb, falling in front
again, but now a little closer, conveyed its warning; like fog signals
on a railway-line, these explosions plainly indicated that the track
was not clear. They halted again, and posted themselves behind
rocks, facing up-stream, to guard against attack by the Pathans.
How long they would remain stationary Bob could not tell; but
he thought he had them sufficiently well in hand to give him time to
fly to the mine and act on another idea that had occurred to him. On
reaching the house, he ordered Shan Tai to put up in two or three
baskets a quantity of food, then scribbled a note bidding Lawrence
push forward at his utmost speed. This he placed under the lid of a
tin weighted with stones, but free from caps or dynamite. Then
telling Gur Buksh to keep a careful watch on the track southward,
and fire if the Kalmucks showed themselves at the turn half a mile
away, he went back to the aeroplane, carrying the tin, and set off
down the river. He was anxious that Lawrence should arrive before
dark. In the daylight the dynamite bombs might be relied on to bar
the road to the Kalmucks; but they might easily take advantage of
the darkness to slip past the mine, if not by the track, at any rate by
the hill-path above, and the bombs would lose half their terrors. The
possibility of a collision between the Kalmucks and his brother's
party filled him with anxiety; for the former, infuriated by their
chevying, would wreak their vengeance upon the smaller band
coming up-stream.
Bob discovered Lawrence and his men taking a rest about half-
way between the mine and the broken bridge. They greeted him
with a cheer. He flew for some minutes up- and down-stream in the
search for a landing-place, but the track being too narrow here, and
the neighbourhood too rugged, he swooped down, and as he passed
over the group, he got Fazl to drop his tin within a few feet of them.
The Gurkha uttered a cry of incredulous amazement when he heard
the order, but Bob hastily explained that the tin contained only a
chit. Too busy himself with steering to watch the result, Bob asked
Fazl what had happened, and he reported that the tin, rolling down
the bank towards the river, had been retrieved by Lawrence Sahib
himself.
 Bob flew straight back to the mine, thence over the Kalmucks,
who were still halted where he had left them, and beyond them to
the Pathans. The country was here much less rugged, but it was
some little time before he found a spot where he could alight
without risk, nearly half a mile south of the party. On landing, he
and Fazl between them carried the baskets of food to the Pathans.
"The sahib is a light to our eyes," said the head man. "The men
were becoming restless."
"I dare say. Well, here is some food for them. This will keep up
their courage. I am glad to see that they have obeyed my orders,
and before long I hope we shall all be safe at the mine."
"Allah be praised!" cried the man. "Food is what we need, and
my brothers will delight in the sahib's care."
Indeed, Bob could have hit upon no more effective means of
attaching the Pathans to his cause. This evidence of the sahib's
thoughtfulness profoundly impressed the men, and as they made
ravenous onslaught on their rations they were loud in praise of their
young master, whom it was good to serve.
By this time Bob was very tired of his continual journeys up and
down the river; his petrol, too, was running low, and it was with a
feeling of great relief that he set off on what was to be his last flight
for many a day. When Lawrence had returned, Bob meant to hold a
serious consultation with him as to the possibility of holding the
mine. If it were decided that this was hopeless, he would have to
make immediate arrangements for evacuation. The thought of
leaving the aeroplane gave him a pang. That he must leave it
seemed inevitable, for he felt that his presence would be necessary
as leader of the march. He might, indeed, fly miles ahead, alight,
and wait for his little force to reach him; but it seemed more
important to share his brother's difficulties than to secure the safety
of the aeroplane.
After replacing the machine in its shed, he returned to the
house and called for dinner. For several hours there was nothing to
be done. When he had finished his meal, he lit his pipe and settled
himself in an easy chair to think over the position. It was the first
opportunity of rest and quiet meditation since Nurla Bai's defection
had so fatally disturbed the peaceful life of the settlement. Of his
uncle he could now think only as of one irrevocably lost. It was the
end of mining in the Hindu Kush. Whatever the immediate future
might bring forth, it was clear that Lawrence and he must seek some
other career. And when he reckoned up the chances, he felt more
and more doubtful whether either of them would escape from this
valley of tragedy with their lives.
Yet Fate had been kind to them, even through the
instrumentality of Nurla Bai. But for that man's villainy, there would
have been no pursuit down the river, no discovery of the army
encamped forty miles away. They would have had no warning of the
approach of this great host, and defence and flight would have been
equally impossible. Such chances as they had of weathering the
storm were due to Nurla Bai.
Bob's thoughts centred on that wily Kalmuck. His presence
among the men halted half a mile off was puzzling. Bob did not
guess that Nurla Bai and his henchman had been among a band
who had crossed the river in the night, and attacked Lawrence and
his Pathans. These two men alone of the party had not recrossed
when the rest were beaten back. They had slipped up the bank
under cover of the darkness, and marched all night along the track.
Warned by the sound of horses' hoofs they had hidden until the
Pathan reinforcements had passed, then hurried on to the mine.
Arriving there at dawn, they had instigated the attack on the
Pathans, of whom Nurla Bai had led the pursuit.
The knowledge that the Kalmuck was within half a mile of him
suggested to Bob the possibility of capturing him and bringing him
to justice. The punishment of the offender would do more than
anything else to tighten the bonds between himself and the Pathans.
Remembering the Kalmuck prisoners whom Gur Buksh had taken,
Bob hit on a plan for getting Nurla Bai into his power. He would send
one of them as a herald to the miners, promising to allow them to
depart northwards if they would deliver up their arms and hand over
Nurla Bai and Black Jack. With the Sikhs on one side of them, and
on the other the Pathans, eager for an opportunity to wipe off old
scores, they must recognize their helplessness, and probably would
be willing to purchase the safety of the whole band at so cheap a
price.
About two o'clock in the afternoon, therefore, Bob sent for one
of the prisoners, and with Fazl as interpreter, gave him his
instructions. If the terms offered were accepted, Nurla Bai and his
man were to come to the mine under escort of not more than four
of the party, unarmed. The drawbridge was lowered, and raised
again after the man had departed on his errand.
Bob waited patiently for the result of this mission. Lawrence
ought to arrive about four o'clock, by hard marching. By that time
the Kalmucks should have made up their minds. Of course, under
Nurla Bai's influence, they might reject his terms, preferring to wait
for darkness to give them an opportunity of creeping past without
surrendering either their leader or their arms. In either case
Lawrence would then be safe, and the doings of the Kalmucks need
give him no further concern. Nurla Bai would escape his deserts, but
that could not be helped.
Less than an hour after the envoy's departure, a group of six
men were seen approaching the mine from the Kalmucks'
encampment. In a few minutes Bob was able to recognize among
them Nurla Bai and Black Jack. Somewhat surprised, after all, at
their compliance, he congratulated himself on the satisfactory
working of his plan. It was not long, however, before he saw that his
jubilation was premature. The men were apparently unarmed, but
calling Gur Buksh to his side, Bob ordered him as a precautionary
measure to place the Sikhs at the inner end of the bridge, and cover
the Kalmucks with their rifles, so as to guard against treachery. The
whole staff of domestic servants and the few Pathans left at the
mine assembled in the compound to watch the proceedings. Bob
ordered the Pathans to lay aside their rifles, for their rage against
Nurla Bai was such that he could not trust them to refrain from firing
on their foe, even though he was unarmed.
The Kalmucks came opposite the bridge. At Bob's command Fazl
shouted his instructions across the river. When the drawbridge was
lowered, Nurla Bai and his man were to cross. The escort were to
return to their companions, and explain that later on, at a signal
given by rifle-shots, they were to come forward ten at a time, hand
their weapons to the Sikhs stationed at the bridge end to receive
them, and pass down the track. The miners made no response, but
stood motionless on the farther bank.
 At a word from Bob, the bridge-man turned his windlass, and
the bridge, with much creaking, began slowly to descend. The end
had almost reached the platform on which it rested when, with a
suddenness that took everybody by surprise, Nurla Bai and Black
Jack dived off the bank into the river, sheltered by the descending
bridge. Next moment several rifle-shots rang out; the Sikhs had
fired, rather because they felt that they must do something than
because there was any real chance of hitting the fugitives. Then they
ran along by the wall, to watch for the two men to reappear.
Bob followed them; the crowd of servants and Pathans,
shouting with excitement, rushed in the same direction. Ditta Lal
waddled breathless in the rear.
At this, the narrowest part of the valley for many miles, the
current rushed through the gorge like a mill-race. Nurla Bai had
chosen his moment well, reckoning on the rapidity of the stream to
bear him out of harm's way. Some seconds passed before a black
head was seen bobbing on the surface of the swirling flood a
hundred and fifty yards away.
"Don't fire!" shouted Bob.
He was only in the nick of time, for the Sikhs already had their
rifles at the shoulder, pointed at the black object in the water. With
soldierly obedience they kept their fingers from the trigger, though
they were amazed at the order. Bob was astonished at himself. His
command had been almost involuntary; only after he had spoken
was he conscious of the motive impelling him. It was a sportsman's
admiration for pluck and resourcefulness. Of course the Kalmucks
had tricked him, but he was young enough to admire their courage
more than he resented their trickery.
 In another moment the head had disappeared. It was now too
late to change his mind, even if he had wished it.
"They are gone!" screamed the Babu. "Sir, you have allowed
them to bunk. Why this fatal hesitation? Why this neglect of precious
opportunity? You cast pearls before swine, sir--and by pearls I mean
mercy and ruth and all that. They will turn again and rend you. Sir, I
repeat----"
Here Bob cut in. As a rule he was disposed to humour the Babu,
whom he found amusing at times, and whom he believed to be well-
intentioned. Now, however, he had neither time nor patience to
argue, even if any amount of argument could have made the Bengali
understand his point of view.
"Get back to your stores," he said sternly, and Ditta Lal, who
was always abashed and rendered speechless by a rebuff, shuffled
off disconsolately.
Bob was not disposed to let the two Kalmucks escape
altogether. No amount of pluck or cleverness could wipe out his
recollection of their crimes. To bring them to justice was a duty he
owed himself and the Pathans. Less than a minute after they had
disappeared he ordered two of the Sikhs to cross the bridge and
pursue them along the track.
"Don't shoot them: march them back to the mine," he said.
"There I will deal with them."
The men set off to do his bidding. Meanwhile the four miners of
Nurla Bai's escort had remained where they stood when their leader
took his plunge. They fell back when they saw the Sikhs approaching
them, crying out that they had been ignorant of Nurla's intention.
Bob saw no reason to doubt them, but as he sent them back to
rejoin their fellows up the river he reflected that he had done wisely
in arranging to let only a few men pass at a time.
He had little doubt that the two fugitives would be caught. For a
distance the stream ran too swiftly for runners on the bank to keep
up with it, but farther north, with the widening of the channel, the
rate of the current diminished. Then, whether the men continued
swimming or climbed up to the track, they would be equally at the
mercy of their pursuers. The threat to shoot them could hardly fail to
bring about their surrender; while if they trusted to their speed
along the track, they would fall into the hands of Lawrence and his
party, who must now be very near. He therefore dismissed the
crowd, ordered Gur Buksh to keep good watch both up- and down-
stream, and returned to the house to snatch a brief nap until his
brother arrived.
It was a few minutes before five when Chunda Beg woke him,
and told him that the chota sahib was at hand. He ran down to the
bridge, and saw with great thankfulness that Lawrence and all his
party were safe. But he was disappointed to notice that, though the
two Sikhs were among them, they were without Nurla Bai.
There was great shouting and handshaking among the crowd
when the weary men rode over into the compound.
"Jolly glad to see you, old chap," said Bob to his brother. "You
look awfully biffed. Chunda Beg has got a good meal ready for you;
just cut into the house and have a rest while I dispose of a little
matter in hand--then I'll come and tell you what has been going on."
Lawrence was only too glad to rest. He had never in his life felt
so utterly tired. The Pathans, too, hardy and capable of long
endurance as they were, showed signs of the fatigue of their double
march and the fight en route. They took their horses into their own
section of the mine, and, throwing themselves on the ground, were
soon asleep.
Meanwhile Bob was arranging for the passage of the Kalmucks
down-stream. He posted half of the Sikhs at the wall, ordering them,
without reserve, to fire on the miners if there was any sign of mutiny
among them. Then he sent Gur Buksh with the rest to the farther
end of the bridge to receive the men's arms as they came up. Just
before half-past five the rifle-shot was fired as a signal to the first
batch of ten men to approach. Very soon they were seen marching
sullenly towards the mine. They had been without food during the
day, and hunger is a famous reducing agent. At the bridge they
handed over their weapons without demur to the havildar and his
Sikhs, and passed on.
Within an hour the whole party had been thus disarmed and
sent on their way. When the last of them had disappeared, Bob sent
a Sikh to bring in the Pathans who had been waiting with such
patience up-stream. Dusk had already fallen over the depths of the
valley, and it was dark before the men marched over the bridge amid
uproarious greetings from their friends.
Bob felt that he had reason to be satisfied with his day's work.
His brother was back; he was surrounded by Pathans of whose
loyalty and devotion he was now assured, and he had got rid
peacefully of the malcontents whose presence would have been a
continual menace. Only one thing disappointed him: the failure of his
men to capture Nurla Bai and Black Jack. The Sikhs had pressed
rapidly along the track until they met Lawrence and his party; but
neither on land nor water had they caught a glimpse of the fugitives.
The Kalmucks had already shown surprising resourcefulness; there
could be no doubt that they had discovered some hiding-place in the
bank or on the hill-side above the track. As a sportsman, Bob gave
them ungrudging admiration: as a soldier he was chagrined, for
Nurla Bai not only ought to have received his punishment, but he
might have proved a useful hostage in the future.

CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH

NO THOROUGHFARE

"We seem to have lived an age during the last two days," said Bob
on greeting Lawrence again in the dining-room. "'One crowded hour
of glorious life,' begad! But why aren't you asleep, young man?"
"I can hardly keep my eyes open, but I shan't sleep till I know
where we are. What did your flag mean?"
"Of course, you don't know. It seems stale news to me. There's
a whole army corps encamped ten miles beyond the bridge--twenty
thousand men at a guess, with field-guns, all complete. I saw
hundreds of transport-wagons rolling up, camel caravans too. It's a
big thing."
"But what's the game? They don't need an army corps to bag
this mine."
"Hanged if I know. It seems clear they intend to march up the
valley; it was probably an advanced outpost that we came into
conflict with. So far as I know the valley leads only to Afghanistan
and--India."
 "Those Mongols we have heard about, then, are going to have a
slap at Afghanistan?"
"Or India!"
"That's tosh. Twenty thousand men are no good for invading
India, and they wouldn't come this way in any case."
"That's just what I said to myself. Of course Afghanistan is
much nearer, and they might catch the Amir napping by choosing
this unusual road. But after all, what concerns us is our position
here."
"Yes. What have you been doing all day?"
"Flying up and down like a swallow--or wasn't it an eagle that
dropped something on a Johnny's bald skull--in the classics. I
haven't done that exactly, but I've had a little practice in bomb
dropping."
He related the manoeuvres by which he had checked the pursuit
of the Pathans and driven the Kalmucks down-stream, and the
subsequent adventurous flight of Nurla Bai.
"Would you have let them shoot at him?" he asked. "The Babu
was mad with me."
"I don't think I would. It wouldn't be cricket, do you think? The
Babu wouldn't learn that sort of thing at Calcutta University!"
"Have you had any trouble?"
"Quite enough, I can assure you. In the small hours they tried
to cross at the bridge, some of them floating themselves on water-
skins. We beat them off at the cost of a few knocks. But some must
have got past us over the hills--a mighty big round. We met a crowd
of them on foot. Luckily it was all very sudden, and a charge
scattered them. We lost one man, but we polished off a lot of them;
the Pathans are perfect demons at fighting."
"Well done, old chap! Charging was the very thing. These
beggars can't face it. I remember that in the Mutiny our men never
charged without success. But what about the future? We've two
courses open: to pack up and cut our sticks before the Mongols
arrive, or to hang on and make the best defence we can. Candidly, I
don't see how we can hold the place with our little lot against such a
host."
"What about Thermopylae and Leonidas?"
"Yes, but Xerxes hadn't any artillery. Besides, if I'm not
mistaken, Leonidas and his three hundred were cut up, to a man."
"Only because a traitor showed the Persians a way round to
their rear. Still, you know best."
"I'll send for old Gur Buksh. He's seen a lot of service, and has a
cool head. We're better placed than Leonidas in one respect: traitor
or no traitor, we can't be got at from the rear."
When the havildar arrived, Bob put the position to him exactly,
omitting no detail, and glossing over none of the difficulties.
"Now, havildar," he said in conclusion, "shall we run, or shall we
fight? We ought to have plenty of time to get away. The enemy can't
advance in force until they have repaired the bridge, and they'll have
to do that thoroughly if they wish to bring their artillery across. It
will take them at least a day, probably longer. We can reckon on
twenty-four hours' start."
The havildar, a fine soldierly figure, stood in silence before the
two lads, pondering deeply.
 "The men are very weary, sahib," he said at length. "They could
not start before morning. There are not horses for all: the march
would be slow, and the journey would be long. We should not be
safe for a hundred miles, and if the enemy is so numerous, they
would pursue us not only along the track, but over the hills, and
outstrip us, and we should not escape."
"And what if we remain here?"
"Who can tell? If we die, we die. But we are safer here, sahib.
The enemy cannot haul their guns up the heights opposite. The
gorge is narrow; with our gun and our rifles we could prevent them
from passing the bend northward--so long as our ammunition lasts."
"And how long will that be? And what provisions have we?"
"There are plenty of cartridges, sahib, and we have those the
Kalmucks left behind in their huts. Our provisions would have lasted
three weeks for us all; now that the Kalmucks are gone, they will
last longer."
"I say, Bob," said Lawrence, "why not block up the track? With a
good charge of dynamite we could bring down tons of rock on it,
and though that wouldn't block the way for ever against twenty
thousand men, it would give them a few days' work to clear it."
"The chota sahib speaks words of wisdom," said Gur Buksh.
"The track is narrow where it bends a little to the north--that is the
place to do what the sahib says."
"A jolly good notion," said Bob. "We'll set about it to-morrow.
Also, havildar, we will strengthen the wall. You have already, I see,
lined it with bags of earth, as I ordered. You must throw up behind
them a mound of the tailings from the mine. Cover that with earth,
and beat it down hard, and we shall have a triple fortification. It
won't be very scientific, Lawrie, but it ought to be of some use. Can
you think of anything else, havildar?"
"That is all, sahib. Has the sahib told the Pathans what he has
told me?"
"Oh yes. The men who were chased by the Kalmucks intended
to go home, but I told them everything, and I'm sure they will stick
to us. You have arranged the sentries for the night?"
"That is done, sahib."
"Then we'll get to bed, Lawrie. We both want a good sound
sleep. Wake us if anything happens, havildar."
But Gur Buksh had not been gone five minutes, and Bob had
not yet taken off his boots, when he was struck with a sudden
uneasiness.
"I say, Lawrie," he exclaimed, "what if the beggars came up
during the night? We couldn't use either the machine-gun or our
rifles with any effect in the darkness, and they might easily slip past;
not without some loss, of course, but not enough to stagger them."
"But you said yourself just now that it would take them a whole
day to repair the bridge. They couldn't get here before morning."
"It would certainly take them a day or longer to make the
bridge strong enough to bear their artillery. But we've only the
advanced guard to deal with, not the main army, and in two or three
hours they could rig up a bridge good enough for themselves and
their ponies. They may be only a few hours' march away. I wish we
had a searchlight. We could then light up the track at the bend
yonder, and give them such a dose that they wouldn't try it again."
"Why not try a bonfire? Light a big one just on this side of the
bend. That would give us enough light."
 "A good idea! We'll do it, and to make perfectly sure, we'd
better blast the rock at once, and not leave it till the morning. I'll see
to it, however; you have a good sleep."
"Not a bit of it. I should fall asleep in two ticks if I had nothing
to do, but I'm not going to leave you to bear the brunt of
everything. We share and share alike."
"Thanks, old chap. You see to the dynamite and get a wire
spliced for the current while I get the bonfire started."
GUR BUKSH DEFENDS THE MINE
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