Here he could command all the night-traffic, himself unseen.
Two or three carts passed, jingling out to the suburbs; a coughing policeman and a hurrying foot-passenger or two who sang to keep off evil spirits.

Then rapped the shod feet of a horse.
'Ah! This is more like Mahbub,' thought Kim, as the beast shied at the little head above the culvert.
'Ohe', Mahbub Ali,' he whispered, 'have a care!' The horse was reined back almost on its haunches, and forced towards the culvert.
'Never again,' said Mahbub, 'will I take a shod horse for night-work.
They pick up all the bones and nails in the city.' He stooped to lift its forefoot, and that brought his head within a foot of Kim's.
'Down--keep down,' he muttered.

'The night is full of eyes.' 'Two men wait thy coming behind the horse-trucks.

They will shoot thee at thy lying down, because there is a price on thy head.

I heard, sleeping near the horses.' 'Didst thou see them?
...