Barnwell sentinel. (Barnwell C.H., S.C.) 185?-1925, December 06, 1917, Image 2
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PAGE TWO
BARNWELL SENTINEL, BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA
.■M-
A Romance of Adventure
By TALBOT MUNDY
Copyrieht by the Bobbe-Verrlll Company
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THE MYSTERIOUS RANGAR DESERTS CAPT.' KING AND HIS
CUTTHROAT ESCORTTN A DANGEROUS PART OF
BER PASS AND ADVENTURES COME RAPIDLY.
Got any more
lonely In the ‘Hills.*
quail?*’ j
And that was all ho ever djd say
on taut subject, theiy or-at any other
tlpie. ',y *. ‘
""“What shall you do flrist after you
pet up the pass? Call .on your brother
at Ali Jvfttsjirl? He’s likely to knViw
u lot by the s tiine you pet tfioro.”
“Not sure,” said .King. "May and
rnqy xiot. I’d like to see him. Haven’t
seen the old chap In a donkey's age.
How is he?’,*' y/
“Well two days nfi'X said Courte
nay.
“Here’s ^Avishi
rig you
King, “It’s time to >pa, sir."
Luck JV said
X
Synopsis.—At the beginning of the world war (’apt. Athelstuh V
King of the British Indian-army and of its secret service, is orHered >
to Delhi to meet Ynsminl. a dancer, and po with her to Khinjhn to '
quiet the outlaws tie who are said by spies to he preparing for a .
jihad or holy war. <>*; his way to Delhi King quietly foils a plan to *
assassinate>''<tMi fPs evidence that Yasmihl is after him. He meets
Rewa Gunga, Yaawdni’s man, who says she has. already pone north,
aiuKitf her town Imuse "witnesses queer dances. Ismail, an Afridl. be-
cnmeKhls body servant and protector}. H^ rescues some of Yasmlni’s
hillmenwul takes them north with Mm, tricking the Hangar into going
ahead. \ X-X ‘ *
JjL ' - • ^
CHAPTER VI-
It was not a long journey/por a very
tjor
noli
cheroots, and with hands^clasped be
hind him strolled over to-the fort to
Interview Courtenw^ the officer com
manding. •
It so hnpnefied that Courtenay had
slow one, for there was noting to
block the way except occaSlonaKYnen
with flaps, who guarded culverts rind pone up-tlje^pass that morning with his
little bridges. It wus low tide undeK shotgui>ufL.r quail. He came back
the Himalayas. The flood that was Hito/tflew, followed by his little ten-
draining India of her firmed men hud mfrn escort just as King neared -the
left Jarnrud high"and dry with a lfttle, fort - X ml . Kln * his approach so
nondescript force stranded there, as ns to nieot him. The men of the
It were, under a British major and escort wefeYipuvIJy burdened; he could
some native officers. Frowning over s<>0 that froha^a ‘distance.
Jarnrud were the lean "Hills..” peopled “Hello V' he yiaid by the fort gate,
by the fiercest fighting men on earth, cheerily, after he had saluted and the
and the clouds that hung over the Khy- salute had been returned,
her’s course were an accent to the sav- “Oh, hello. KlngT Glad to see ynn.
Bgery. ' ' • . 1 Heard you were coming, of course.
But King smiled merrily as he Anything I can do?”
Jumped out of the train, and Rewa "Tell rue anything you know," said
Gunpn, who was there to meet film, King, offering him a cheroot, which the
advanced with outstretched hand and °ther accepted. As he bit off the end
a smllb that, would have melted snow they stood facing each other, so that
on the distant peaks If he had only K,n & «ould the onpomlng escort
looked the_©ther way. UQ d what it carried. Courtenay reud
“Welcome, King sohib!”,he laughed, b * s e y es -
with the air of a skilled fencer* who - “Two of my men!” ho said. “Found
admires another, better one. “I shall < 'ri 1 tip the pass. Gaziwork, I think,
know better another time nnd let you They were cut all to pieces. There’s
keep in front of me! I trust you had n big lashknr gathering somewhere In
a comfortable Journey?’’ j the ‘Hills,’ and it might.have been done
“Thanks,” said King, shnking hands b Y their, skirmishers, but I don’t think
with him, npd then turning away to un-
so.’
lock, the carriage doors that held his
prisoners in. They were haying now
like wolves to he free, and they surged
out, like wolves from a.cage, to clamor
round the Rangar, pawing him and
struggling to be the first to ask him
questions.
“Nay, ye mountain people; nay!” he
laughed. "I. too, am from the plains!
What do I know of'your families or
of your friends? Am I to be torn to
pieces to make a meal?”
At that Ismail Interfered, with the
aid of an ash pick handle, chnnce-
found beside the track. Laughing as
If the whole thing was the greatest
Joke imaginable. Rewa Gungn fell into
stride beside King and led him away in
the direction of some tents.
“She is up the pass ahead of us,” he
announced. “She was in the deuce
of a hurry, I can assure you. She want
ed to wait nnd meet you, hut matters
were too Jolly well urgent, and we
shall have our bally work cut out to
catch her, you can bet! But I*have
everything ready—tents and beds and
stores—everything!”
King looked over his shoulder to
make sure that Ismail was bringing
the little leather bag along.
“So-ha*e I." he sap] quietly.
“I have horses.k^aid Rewa Gunga,
“nnd mules and—/
“How did she travel up the Khy-
ber?" King asked him, and the Rangar
spared him a curious sidewise glunce.
“The ‘Hills’ are her escort, King sa
hib. She Is mistress in, the ‘Hills.’
There-Isn’t a nnir(lermg__ruflian wlio__
woukl not lie down and let her walk,
on him! She rode away alone on a
thoroughbred nla re and” she joljy well
left me the ms re’s double on which to
follow her. Come and, look.”
Not far from where the tents had
been pitched in a clyster a string of
horses whinnied at a picket rope. King
saw the two good horses Tendy for
-himself, and. ten mules- beside them
that would have done credit to any
outfit. But at the end of tliejine, pnw-t
Ing at the trampled grass, was n black*
mare that made his e.yeS. ; open wide.
Once in n hundred years or so a vice
roy's cup or a Derby is won by an ani
mal that can stand and look and move^
as that mare did.
“Never saw anything better,” King
admitted ungrudgingly.
“There is only one mnfe HVe this
one,” laughed the Rangar. “She has
her.”
“What’ll you take for this one?”
King asked him “Name your price!.”-
“The mare Is hers. You must ask
her. Who knows? She lS generous.
There is nobody on earth more gen
erous than she when she cares, do be.
See what you wear on your- wrist !”X
• “That is a loan,” said King, uncover
ing the bracelet. “I shall give It back
■to her when we meet”
“See what she says when you meet!”
laughed the Rangar, taking a cigarette
from his Jeweled case with an air and
smiling as he lighted ltd jThere Is
your tent, .sahib.”
tVMjr a nod of dismissal. King
cikcd over to Insjteet the buudobast.
r7(d finding It much more extravagant
t»>« - »u» would have dreamed of provld:
In , hiusc’f, he lit one of his black
“Who’s supposed to he leading It?”
‘'Can't find out.” said Courtenay.
Then he stepped aside to give orders
to the escort. They carried the dead
bodies into the fort.
“Know' anything of Ynsminl?” King
asked, when the', major stood In front
of him again.
~“By 'reputation, of course, yes. Fa
mous person—sings like a bulbul—
dances like the devil—lives in Delhi—
mean her?”
King nodded. “When did she start
up tho^pnss?” he asked.
“She didn’t start! I know who goes
up and who monies down."
“Know anything.of Rewa Gunga?"
King asked him.
“Not, much. Tried to buyTOs mare.
Seen the nnftnnl? Gad! I’d give a
year's pay fur that beast I He wouldh’t
sell and I don’t bluin'* him.”
“lie told me Just now," Aaid King,
that Yasminl went up the pass unes-
Jle drew out his wonderful cigurette
case and offered It open to Courtenay,
who hesitated,' and" then helped hlm-
selfr^KUTg refused.
“Major Courtenay, has jufct told mp<*
said King, “that nobody resembling
Yasniinl has gone up the pass recently.
Crtn you explain?” X „ ;
“Do you-mean, can I explain why,
the major failed to see her? Ton my
soul. King sahib, d\vou Avant me to
insult the man? Yasminl Is too jolly
clever for me^tr for any other man I
ever met; and the major’s a man, Isn’t
lie? He-May pack the Khyher so full
of .men that there’s only standing room
rind still she’ll go up w ithout, his leave
At she chooses-! There Is nobody like
Yasmihl fp all the world!”
The Rangar was looking past him,
facing the great gorge that lets the
north of Asia trickle down Into India
and hack again when weather and the
tribes permit. His eyes had become
interested in the distance. King won*
dered why—and looked—and saw.
Court'eYiay saw, too.
„ “Hail that man and bring him herei”-
he orderpd.
Tsrhhnj keeping his distance "with
ears and eyes peeled, heard instantly
nnd hurried off. Fifteen minutes later
an Afridi stood scowling In fronts of
them with n little letter In a cleft stick
In his hand. He held It out and Cour-
tejiny took It and sniffed.
“Web—TR be Mossed! A note”—‘
sniff-snifT—“on scented’ paper !” , SnifT-
sniff! “CfiTHed down the Khyher In a
split stick ! - Take It, King—It’s ad
dressed to yon.”
King obeyed qnd sniffed too. It
smelt of something far more subtle
than musk. He recognized the same
strange scent tjint had i been wafted
from behind Yasmini’s jsilken hangings
In her room In Delhi. As he unfolded
ttie note—It w’as not sealed—he found i
time for a swift glance at Rewa Gun
gn’s face. The Rah gar seemed inter
ested and amused. The note. In Eng
lish ran: \
.\ 'X sX
“Pear - Captain Kin?: Klnfllw be
quick to follow me, because there Is
mqch talk of a lashkar getttn? ready for
a raid. I- shall wait for you in Khlnjan,
whither my messenger shall show the
way. Please let him keep his rifle. Trust
him. and Rewa Gunga and my Jthlrty
whom you. broupht with you. The mes
senger’s name Is Darya Kahn. Your serv
ant. Yasminl."
He passed the note to Courtenay,
who rend it and passed It hack.
“I’ll find out,’*, the major muttered,
“how* she got up the pass without my
knowing It. Somebody’s tail shall be
twisted for this!!
But he did not find out until King
tobUJiim. and that was many days
later, when a terrible cloud no longer
threatened India from the north.l
a\ and (‘ourtemVyi walked with
ftiiirT td where his party waited in the
cf.Hkl, jchilled by the cold wind whis-
tlipg down the Khyher. Rewa Gungfo
■ sat, pjolinted, at their head. amLclose
to film his personal servant rode am
other horse/ >Behind them were the
mules, and then, in a Cluster, each
with a load of some sort on bis head,
were the thirty prisoners, and Ismail
took charge of them ""orfuTdilsly.
Darya Khan, the man who had
brought the letter down the pass, kept
close to Ismail.
King mounted 1 , nnd Courtenay shook
hands; then he Went t6 Rewa Gunga’s
side and shook hands with him, too.
“Forward! March!” King ordered,
and the little procession started.
“Oh, Men of the Tlilis, ye look like
ghosts — like' graveyard ghosts!”
jeered Courtenays as they all filed
past him. “Ye look like- dead men,
going to be judged !” * X' X
Nobody answered. They strode
behind the horSesT with the swift, si
lent strides
home toj the
of men
‘‘Hills:"
who are going
but even they,
■ T
the flame burned brighter and stead
ier and began to move tu.d to grow.
“Halt!” King -thundered ; and^his
yo^cel was'sharp and /iriexpected as a
ptfctol crack.' This was something 'tan
gible. that a mhn could tackle—a per
fect antjdote for noryes.
-blue light continued jpn /BljT\ft-
course, as if a man Were Tunning
among bowlders with'an. unnstml sort
of torch ; and as there w’as no answer
King drew his pistol, took about thirty eying out of Egypt,, as (b 1
'What now?” asked Ismail, picking
up the leather bag that he regarded
us lus own .particular charge.
.‘•Forward!" said ^ King. “Come
111 He to set a fairly last pace.
Ismail leading the spare horse and
the otheFij tovvlug the mUles along.
Except for Kiugr ‘Vho was modern
and out of the picture, r they looked
,*)ke Old Testanient patrhrrchs,, bur-
ed in th*
seconds’ aim, and fired. He' fired
straight at tfie blue light.
It vanished instantly. Into measure
less black silence. ,• >
“Now you’ve jolly . well ’done' It*
haven't you !” the Rangar latighjod. lit
his ear. “That was her.blue’
Yasmirii’s!” - ’ ’
It was a minute before King an
swered, for both animals were all but
frantic, with their sense’ of their fid 7
ers’ state of mind; It' needed horse-
CHAPTER VII.
‘T think I envy you 1” said Coprte-
na.v.
They were seated In Courtenay’s
tent, face to face across the low table,
with guttering lights between and Is
mail outside the tent handing plates
and things to Courtenay’s servant In
side. , :
"You’re about the first who has ad
mitted it,” said King.
• Not far from then! a herd of pack-
camels grunted and bubbled qfter the
evening 'meal. The evening breeze
brought .thfr-wftoke of dung fires down
to them, aud an Afghan—one of the
little crowd of traders who had come
down with .the.camels three hours ago
—sang a wailing song about his lady
love. overhead the sky was like black
manship to get them back under con
trol. • , . - .
. „_‘TIow do you know *vhose light it
'was?” King demanded, when the
horse and mare were head to head
again.
"It was prearranged. She promised
me a signal at the. point where I kip
to .leave the track!” . ’
King drove both spurs home, and
set his unwilling horse to scrambling
downward at an angle he could pot
guess, _ lnT7 blackness' he could feel,
trusting the animal to find a footing
where his own eyes could niuke out
nothing. • X
To his disgust he heard Jbe- Ran
gar ImnieUintely. To his even greater
disgust the black mare overtook him.
And even 'then, v.ith/hfs own mount
stumbling nnd nearly pitching him
headforemost pt each lurch, he was
forced ta.admir.fc the. nmre.’B -goulUk-c
agility, for she descended - into the
gorge jfi running leaps, never setting
., a jATong -toofC- When he and his-tc-*rse-
rf'uched the bottom at hist he found
the Rangar waiting for him.
“This way, sahib!”
The nrrer -he knew sparks
black mil re’s heels were kicking up
In front of him, and a wild ride had
begun such as he had never yet
dreamed pf. There was no catching
up* for the black mare could gallop
two to his horse’s one; but he set
his teeth and followed^ ;
night, trusting ear, eye, guesswork
and the god of ther secret service
men, who loves the reckless.
Once in every two minutes he
caught sight for a. second of “the same
blue siren light that had started the
race. He suspected that there wefe
.many torches placed at intervals.
His own horse developed, a speed
and stamina he had hot suspected, and
P*fcbably the Rangar. did not dare- ex
tend the mare to her limit in the
dark ; at all events, for ten, perhaps
fifteen, mifiutes of breathless gallop
ing he; almost maije a race of v it, keep
ing the Rangar either within sight or
sound.
But then the mare swerved sud
denly behind a bowlder rind was~gono,
die spurred round the same great rock!,
horn in the “Hills” and knowing them j a minute lriter. and was faced by a
as a wylf-pa'ck knows its hunting I lank wall of shale" that brought his
ground, were awed by the gloom of horse up aljl standing. It led steep up
illustrated Bibles of a generation ago
all leanibg forward—each man carry
ing a staff—and hone looking to the
right or left. , • - . --
* “Forward?” growjed Ismail. “With
this man it Is ever, ‘forward 1’ I*
there neither rest r.or fear? Has she
bewitched him? Hal! Ye lazy ones!
He.! Sons of sloth! tlrge the mules
faster! Beat the’ led hofse!”
f. So in weird! wan moonlight. King
led them forward, straight ...up the
narrowing gorge, between cliffs that—[
wemed to fray the very bosom of the
sky. He smoked a cigar and stared
at the view, as if he-were off to the ~~
mountains for n mouth’s sport with
dependable shikarris whom be kneW. '
•Nobody could have looked at him and
guessed he-was not (Tijoying htmstdf. '
“That man,” mumbled Isinnil be
hind him, “is not as other sahibs I'
have known/ He is a man, tins one!
He wilh do unexpected things !” .
“Forward!” King called to-! them, •
thinking they were grumbling. “For
ward, men of the ‘Hills ’”
1'
7>a/>itoaJ
He Fired Straight at the Blue Light.
1
mils
velvet, pierced with silver holes,
"You see., you jeon’t .call our.end of wlww home is in Allah’s. refuse..hea.p* j-i-was told to lead the- way to KMn-
whlstled as it searched busily ainong
T)(AiTc,
He Recognized the Same Strange
Scent That Had Been W&fted From
Behind Yasmini's Silken Hangings
in Her Room in Delhi.
eorted, tnounted on a mare tfie verv
dead spit of the black one you suy
you wanted to buy.”
Courtenay whistled.
“I'm sorry, Klntf. I’m Sorrjxto say
he lied.”
this liusiness war—it’s sport,” said
Courtenay, “Two battalions, of Khy-
ber rifles, hired to hold the pass
against' their ow n relations. Against
them-a cojiple 4 of- hundred thousand
tribesmen.- very hungry for loot, armed
wjth up-to-date rifles, thanks to Russia
yesterday and Germany today, and all
perfectly well aware that a worldWar
/s in progress. That’s sport, you know
—not the ‘irnagemnd likeness, of war’
that Jorrocks called it,- but .the real
red root. And you’ve got a mystery
thrown in to give it piquancy. 1
haven't found out yet how Yasminf
got" up the pass without-my knowl
edge. I thought it. was a trick.
Didn't believe she’d gone. Yet all my
men swear they know she has gone,
and not one of them will own to haw
ing seen her go-! What d’you think of '
that?”
For a while, as ho ate Courtenay’s
"broiled quait, King , did riot answer.
But the merry smile had left his eyes
Khyher mouth nhefid. King's voice
\Cas the first to break the silence, and
he did not speak until Courtenay wus
out of earshot. Then:.;
“Men of the ‘Hills!’-” he called.
■“Kuch Alar nahin hai!” ~ '
"Nnhin hal! Hah!” shouted Ismail
“So speaks a man! Hear-that, ye
moufttain folk! He says, ‘There Is
no such thing as fear!’” —
In his place In the lend, King whls-
1 ed softly to himself; but~he drew an
automatic pistol from its place be-
uenth his armpit and transferred it to
a readier position.
Fea r oV no fear, Khyher mouth is
haunted-after dark by the men whose , have envied him.
blood feuds are too reeking raw to
let them dare go home and for whom
the British hangman very likely waits
a mile or two farther south. It is*one
of the few places in the world where
a pistol is better than a thick, stick.
Boulder, or rig and. loose rock
faded Into gloom behind; in front on
both hands ragged hillsides were be
ginning to close in; and the wind.
. \ r CHAPTER VIII.
After a .time King urged his horse to
a jog-trot, and they, trotted forwaro
until the bed of the Khyber begun to-
grow very narrow, arid Ali Masjid fort
^emtid" rrnt be "njurh, more Than a mtle
aw'ny, at the widest guess. Then King
drew rein and dismounted. . for he
would have'been challenged had he
ridden much farther. A Challenge in
the Khyher after-dark consists inva-
rlnbly of. a volley at short .range.' with—
the mere words afterward, and the
wise man takes precautions. -
“Off with the mules’ packs!" he or
dered. nnd tiie men stood round nnd
stared. Darya Khan, leaning on the
only rifle in -the party, grinned like a
post-office letter box. “
“Truly,” growled Ismail, forgetting
past expressions of ri different - opinion,
“this man Is as mad as all the other
Englishmen.”
“Were you ever' bitten by one?” won
dered King aloud. —
’ "God forbid !*“ ' v
“Then off with the packs—nnd
hurry !” — , ’ j
Ismail began to obey,.
“Thou!.; Lord of the Rivers! 1 (For
that is what Darya Khan means.)
What Is thy calling?’
“Radragga” (gqidt), he answered.
"Did she wot send m“ back down thTr
pass to be a guide? If she‘ suys 1 am
Radragga, shall any say'she lies?"
“1 say thou art un marker of mules'
burdens !” answered King. “Begin!”
For answer tlie ftd'ow grinned from
'•ear to ear and thru. 1 1 the. rifle barrel
forward insolently. King, with the
movement of deltTmb.nti+m that a man
makes' when about to force. comcIu-
.slons, dr«‘w up his sleeves above tho
not so much' rib a goat-X^W^ At that instant the moon, shone
through the mist and the gold buacelet
-glittered rn the jnoohlight.
“May God he with thee!” said “Lord
to the skyline.
for a thousand TeCt
There was
track to show in which direction tin*
mare had,gone, nor a sound of any
kind to guide him..
lie dismounted and stumbled about Kivers at once. And without
King threw away fils less than half 1 " u>( * b *“ >»eeined, for once to be letting
consumed cheroot and they started ^o bis blind dwell on conditions as they
walk together Jownrd King’s .damp.
After, a few minutes they arrived at a
I>oint from which they could see the'
prisoners lined up In a row facing
Rewa Gunga. A less experienced eye
than King’s or Courtenay’s' could have
recognized their attitude of reverent
obedience. Within two minutes the
Rangar stood facing them, looking
more at ense than they. ^ , T ^ -
“I wjia. cautioning those savages!”
he explained. “They'pe an escort, but
fhey need a reminder of the fact, else
they might Jolly well Imagine them
selves mountain »"d scatter
among the ‘HTItBlX ■ ’’
concerned himself.
/ “flow mivny men'Kiave you at the
fort ?" he asked Tlf lastX -
>‘Ttto hundred—alb natives.”
“Like Vm/xr ' .
“What’s the . use of talking?" an
swered Courtenay. "You know what
It means when men of an alien ruce
stand up to you and grin whejri they
salute. They’re ray own.”
King "nodded.. “Die with you, eh?”
“To* the last mnn, J ‘ said Courtenay
quietly with thut conviction that can
only be arrived at In on.e yvay, anil
that not the easiest. •
the black ravines. Then presently
tin* shadow of tho thousand-foot-high
Khyfior walls began to cover them.
After a while King’s cheroot went
out, and lie threw it away. A little
later Rewa- Gunga threw away his
cigarette. After that, the veriest five-
year-old among the. Zakka Kinds,
watching sleepless over the riin of
some, stone watch tower, could hufve
taken oath that the' Khy her’s iminir-
ied dead were prowling in search of
empty grriv.es. Probably their un
canny alienee was their best protec
tion ; nut Re.wn (iunga chose to breul:
it after a time. ■’
4 r
“King sahib!” he called softly, re
peating it louder and more loudly uri-,
til King heard him. “Slowly! Not so
fast! There ate men among those
boulders, and to go too fastis to make
them think you are afraid! Toj&etn.
afraiil is to invite attack!* Can we
defend ourselves, with three firearms
between us? Look XWhat 4s- that ?"
They Xere at the point Ahere the
road begins ta lead uphill, westward,
leaving the bed of a ravine and' as
cending to join the highway built by
British engineers. Below, to left and
ri-ght, was pit-mouth gloom, shadow’s
amid shadows,, full of eerie whisper
ings, and King felt the short hair on
his neck, begin to rise; - He urged his
horse forward.’ The Rangar followed
him, cIo(?e up, and both horse uud
mare sensed *ts< lteraent.
“Look, sahib !”
After a second or two be caught
a glimpse of bluish flame that flashed
suddenly and died again, somewhere
rd die alone, ” said King. ‘1YU be • below to the right • Then all at once
on foot for about ten minutes with
his eyes two feet from the earthTtry-
ing to find,some trace of hoof. Then
Tie listened, with hTs ear To ! The
ground. There was no result.
He knew better than, to shout.
After some thought he mounted and
began to hunt the way back, remem
bering turns and twists with tr* gift
for direction that natives might well
He found his way
hack to the foot of the road .at a
trot, \yhere ninety-nine men out-of al
most any hundred would have been
lost .hopelessly; and close to the road
he overtook, Darya Khan, h-ugglng his
rifle andistaringjabout like a scorpion
at bay. • . ’
“Did you expect that blue light, and
this galloping away?” he asked.
Nay. saWI)'; -I knew nothing of. it!
x_
jan.”
“Cojue oriTThen!”
On the level road above Kii^i stared
about him rind feltJn his pockets f<tr
a fresh, cheroot. He struck a intitcli
and watched It to be sure his hahd
did not shake before he spdUe. - A
man must command himself before
trying it on others.
“Where are the others?” he aske v d.
when he was certain of himself.
• “Gonf!” boomed Ismail.
^ King took a dozen pulls at the
cheroot-UDd stared about again. Iii
the iyiddle of the road stood his sec-%
orid horse, and three mules with his 4
baggage, including the~. unmarked
medicine c’lieAt/ Close to them w^re
three men, making the party now only
six/all told, including Darya Khan,’
himself. and Ismail.
“Gone whither?” Ismail’s voice was
eloquent of shocked surprise. “They
followed! Was it then thy baggage
on the other mules? WeruThey thy
meo| TheyTed the mules aa^went !"
‘Wh(Tordered them?"
“Allah! Need the night be erdefed
to follpw’ the day?’’
.• “And thou?”
"I am thy man! She .bade .m6-be
thy man!”
“‘And these?"
“Try them!”
King bethought him of his wrist,
that was heaVy with the weight of
gold on U. He drew back his sleeve
and held it lip. I - •
"May God be with thee!” bocmed
all five men at once, and the Kfiyb^r
night gave back their voices, like The
echoing of a well..
King took his reins and Counted.
another word- lie laid down his rifle
and Went to help eft-load the mules.
King stepped aside and cursed soft
ly, Buf for vein of wisdonrthfit un
derlay his pride he would have pock*
At That Instant the Moon Shone
Through the Mist and the Gold
Bracelet Glittered in the Moonlight
,eted the bracelet there and then arid
have refused to wearslt again. But as
he sweated his prid^‘ he overheard Is-
mjall growl: -* v "■’ s
"Good for thee!. He had taught thee^
obedience in another hat of'the eye!”
“I obey her.!’;muttered Darya Khan.
“I, too,” sald-Isinail. “So shall he
before tfie-week dies! But now it Is
good to ojtey him. He Is an ugly man
to disobey!”"^
“I obey him until she sets me free,
then,” grumbled Darya Khan.
“Better for* thee!’’ said Ismail.
••••ri 4
King meets his brother at All
Masjid for^t and they hold a me
morable conference. The British
captain disappears i” the dark
ness and a strange native medi
cine man takes his 1 place. ' J .
CIO bU CONiiXUKD.j