Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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BARNWELL SENTINEL, BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA door slammed King cotitlnued down the HjT«» with hix left wrist/held high so that the (occupant of each cell in . turn could'sec the bracelet. j'? “May God ho with thee!” came the instant greeting from each coll until down toward the farther end./ Thf oocopuhts of the lust six colls were ■’silent, lie had scarcely finished doing rthat when Ismail strode in. slamming the great frmt door behind hiip. jan- K gling a hnneh o^ hevs and looking more th.an ever JljT^Jtoniebody out,of the Old must have known our fix. ’ Sb*y shouldn't hare asked.” Kinj^ smiled, “Perfectly good ,op- poriuiiity for me, sir!’* he. .sold chejer- fully. \ "So you seem to think! But look pin iof that woman, king—she's danger; ois, She’S 1 pot the brains of Asia coupled with Western energy 1. I think she’s on our sidtj, and'I know he be lieves it; but watch her 1”_ '^Ham dektii hai!” King grinned. Bur the older man continued to look as if he pitied hint. ‘If you pet through alive, come amt tell mo"about it afterward. Now. mind yotrdo! I’m awfully Interested, bu' as for envying you—’’ ' •- “Envy!” King almost sqheiRjd. He made the bedspffngs rattle as jumped. ”1 wouldn’t swap jobs with General I'tym-h, sir!” - . V “Nor with mO. !• suppose F r “Nor with you. sir!” “Goodby, then. Goodby, King, my boy. Goodby, AthHstnu. Your broth er’s up the Khyber. isn’t he? Give hinj- ho? regards, Goodby!” "Oped'every door except those whose 1 numbers I have rubbed out!’’ King or dered Kim. . r r , j Ismail proceeded to obey as'if that < were the least iiHprohnble order In all the world. It to<dt\him two minutes to select the pass-ke^and determine how it worked, then the doprs flew open one after another inxqutck sue- cession: * NT . • “Go>ne r out!” be growled, ^^orne put!—Come out!” although King had pot ordered that. ‘ ' j \ King went rind stood under the cen ter light with ld{? left arm bared. - The , prisoners ^emerging, like dead-men out [Of tombs, blinked at the bright light— spw him—tt^en the bracelet—and sa- Copyrifht by Tb* Bobb*-McrrtT) Company Arodnd them the clatter of the station crowd began to die, and Parsimony in a shabby uniform went round to lower lights. “Are you sure— ” King’sJM-XW, eyeslopked into Saun ders 4 is-If there Were no' worlds war really atjd they two were puppets in a Saunders bn] the way through a mod ern iron door, into what bad once liegn a royal prince’s stables. In glriom that-was only thrown into contrast by 9 widespread row of dec- trie lights, a long line, of barred and locked converted horse stalls ran down one-side of a,lean-to building. Ail-that King could see of t tip men within was the Whites of their eves. And they did not look friendly. , - * He had to pass between them and* the ligfit. and they could sis- more of him than be could of them. At the fipst cell h<* raised his left hand and made the gold' bracelet'on bis wrist clink against the steel bars. A moment later he cursed himself, and felt the hracehit with bis linger KING NAS A FINAL CONFERENCE WITH HIS FRIENDS AT THE MOUTH OF KHYBER PASS AND PREPARES FOR ' THE,JOURNEY INTO STRANGE CpUNTRY. Synbpsia.—At the beginning <»f the w'Wrld war ('apt. Atbelslan Ki'ig of* the British Indiun army arid of its s«rcet service, re ordered to Delhi to meet Yasinini, a ilaheer. ari<i g+t -wifh her to Khinjuh t«» qiuet the outlaws there Who are said by spies to be preparing for a jilJid or holy war./-On bis way to Delhi King quietly foils a plan to assassinate him ami gets evidence that Yasinini is after him. He meets Itewa Gunga, Yasmlni’s man, who sajs she has already gone north, and at her town house w iinesses queer dances. CHAPTER VI Long befo<e d:i\vti the thirty prison ers and IsmaiKsqiia.tted in n little heru on the up-platfiirtu of a railway sta tlon, shephjprded b^ King, who smoked a cheroot somV twenty . paces away sitting on an uni nark oddest of me<h ciins. He seem c l absorbed in a book- on surgery. Ismail nursetK the new handbag on bis knees, piebihg ever lastingly at. the lock and wondering audibly what tin* bag contained to\ai accompaniment of low-growled sytcpE thy. “I am. his servant—for she said so- and he said s<>. Then why—why in Allah’s 1 name—am I not to have the key of this little hag that holds s< -“May God be with thee eTeh of them. , : They stood still then, ajvni’ing fresh developments? It did not seem to be-', cqr to any one of them as strange that a British. officer in khaki uniform should he sorting Yasmlnl’s tnlfsinnn; j the thing was apparently sufficient' ex- I planation in itself. “Ye all know this?" he asked, hold- j ing up his wrist. “Whose Is this?” j “Hers!” The answer was mouosyl-; iahic and instant from all thlrtv I growled CHAPTER IV—Continued The Hangar's eyes blazed for a sec- tionr _ J ohd and then grew cold again, as King “Explaln-i^^bud tin* 1 did not fail to observe. AM this while j can explain foolishne? the women dancHl on. in time to wail- that another fat genera fng flute music, until, it seemed from other fat mistake!” nowhere, a lovelier woman than any' “Ah!"Aild King. “Y of them appeared in their midst, sit- she has started for the ting cross-legged with a Mat basket at “Sahib, when she spe: her knee.s, _4hu_jiat^xvUl> arms raised—helnvc! Shn—told' ITT* and swaye<l from tin* waist as if in a delirium. Her arms moved in narrow ing circles, higher and higher above the basket lid. and the* lid begun to rise. It was minutes before the bodies cf two great king cobras could be made out. moving against the woman V spangled dress with hoods raised, hiss ing the cobra’s hate-song that is de lude to the poison-death. They struck nt the woman, one after the other, und she leaped out of their range, swift and as supple as they. Instantly then she' joined in the, da nee, with the snakes striking right und left at her. I^*ft and light she swayed to avoid them, lar more gracefully than a matador avoids the hull and eontting a deadlier peril than he—|>ol- sonous. two to his one. As she danced qhe whirled both arms above her head and cried us the werewdlv*# arc said to do on stormy nights. “Do you do this often? “Nabbed”—puff—“every one of ’em !” —puff-puff—"all under”—puff-puff— "lock and key,.—cinoLxt—T ever tasted.” Therefore i am ready to lend King “\V,*1F—Hi «. 0 along with you if 1 sahib lip the Khybcr to her!” _ “There’s a train leave* for the North* tonight," said King. The Hangar nodded. J *. "You’ll want a ,pass up the line. I low* ilianv serfsftl*.? Three—four— Koto many?’ 1 ’ ? “One.” satil the Hangar, nrnl King was iustantly suspicious of the mod- e.sjv of that* n Mown nee.; however" hf wrote out a pass for Hewn Gunga and one servant and gave it to him. “Be there 011 time and see about •your'0#h reservation," he said, “I’ll attend to Ismail's puss niywlf.’’ , — He* folded the list-of mimes that the Hungur had marked and-wrote sonu*- thiug on the hack. • Then he begged an eiivelript*, and He\fn Gunga had one lirolight to him. He sealed the list in the <>nvelo|H>, addret?S4'p it and las'k* oiesi Ismail again. I "Take Ibis to Saunders sahib!” lie ordered. “Go first to the telegraph .of fice, where you were before..the babu there' wiH tell * you where Saunders sahib may he found. Deliver the letter to him. Then nunc and find me at the Star of India hotel and help me to bathe and change my clothes." “To hear is to obey!” boorned.lsmihl. bowing; but his last glance was for Hcwa Gungn, and lie did not turn to go until he had met the Hangar’s eyes. When Ismail had gone striding down the room King looked into the Hangar’s eyes with that engaging frankness of his that disarms so many people-. “Then you’ll he on the train to night?” he asked. “To hear Is to ohevf With plens- ThTOflTs .King lit a cheroot and nmde mental 1 note of the wisdom of referring to her i by pronoun * not by name. • • ‘“And I? Who am I?” he asked. “Her messenger! Who .else? Thou J art he who shall, take us to the ‘Hills!’ i Sip* promised!” “1 shall start for the ‘Hills’ at dawn," j King said slowly, and he watched their [ eyes gleam at the news. No caged t tiger is as wretched as a prikoned hill-{ man!" No freed bird wings more wildly for the open.. No moth comes more “A razor woidd slit the leather eax Hy,” suggested one of the hefd. “'J'hfo later, the hag plight he pushed vie leotly against some jfharp thing, to f < plain the cut.” Ismail shook fils head. . . “Why? What could he do to thee- v „ ~*Tt is hccause I know not what 1 •* vt*ould do to me that I will do_ noth rng!” jln-'wered LuualL “He is nor ui all like other sahibs I have bn dealings with. This ’than does nncx pecTmT finings. This man iR not mr-t he har a devil. I have it In my he&; ' to love this auun. But kwh talk Ifoolishness. We are nil her men!” “Aye! We are h**r men!” «*aine th* chorus. s«i (hat King looked up a:p‘ watched them over the open hook. At dawn, wlieh tin* train pulled oat the thirty prisoners sat safety locked in third-class compartments. Klc.r lay lazily bn the cushion* of a firs'- class carrhigo in the. r»*: r, ytid Isroa' attended to the ipreful packing of so*‘-v water bottles in the icebox on t’*» tonlhg, “( ap-teen King sajiib—Cap Teen King sahib!” and a telegraph mes ■senger passcNl them with his txw>k un dor. his arm. King whistled him. d moment later lie was tearing open ar offielal-nrgent.telegram anti writing : string of figures in pencil across tla top. Then he de-coJed swiftly: May God Be With Thee!" Boomed • the Prisoner’s Voice. Advices are Tasmini was in Delhi as re i-enil) as six this evening, fail to under- !-i;md ,\our inabilitv to get in touch Have you tried at her house? Matters in FCfiy- bet district much satiffuctory. Word Khytxr rifles to effect that lashkar is. collecting. Hotter mfep up in Delhi and proceed northward as quick ly as compatible with caution. I* M. L. ’"Good news?” asked Saunders, blow ing smoke through his nose. “Excellent. Where’s my man? Here. —you—Ismail!” The "giant came and towered above woffilerqth' King, to a calm aside to^Rewa Gunga. turning half toward him and taking his eyes off the dance without any very great effort. Hews Gunga clapped his hands and the dance ceased. The woman spirited her, snakes away. The blind was; drawn upward and in a moment all ! was normal again with the puukuh swinging slowly overhead, except that • the seductive smell remained, that was like the early-morning breath of ail the different flowers of India. “If she were here." said the Hangar. 1 a little grimly—with a trace of disap pointment In his tone—“you would not snatch your eyes away like that! Per haps you shall see her dance some day ! ! Ah—hen* is Ismail.” he added in an j altered tone of voice. He seemed re lieved nt sight of the Afridi. - Bursting through the gluss-head cur tains at the door, tin* great savage ! strode down the room, holding out a telegram. With a murmur of. conven tion! apology King tore the enreloi** we fail, Allah do more to nail. He had made a deep nick in the sty ft gold. A second later yet he Smiled. ‘ *** “ ' “•May God he with iite**!’' bosnxd a prisoner’s voice in 1’uHbtu. “Didn’t know that fellow was hand cuffed,” said-Saunders. “Did you hear tin* ring? They should have been taken off. Leaving bis irons on has made him polite, though.” “Where did you arrest them?” King asked when Saunders came, to a stand under a light. . . “All in one place. At Ali's.” ">Vho and what is All?” “Thief—crimp—procurer — Prussian spy and any other evil thing that takes ills fancy! Runs a combination gamb ling hell and boarding house. Let’s ’em run into, debt and blackmails 'em. All’s in the kaiser’s pay—that’s known! Weil g<*t hint when toe want him. hut at present, he’s useful ‘as is’ for a de- King InucfK^l. “Ye shall leave this place a* my premiers. Here ve have no friends. Here ye^must obey. But what when ye come to^Ktur 'Hills’ at last? (’an one ,?nnn hold Thirty men prisoner’s then? In the ‘flllis* will ye still Obey ne*T’ * ^ The answer to that was unexpected. Ismail knelt ; —seized _ his hand—and pressed the gtSld bracelet to his lips! In turn, every on'e of them filed by. knelt reverently ond kissed Ihe brace let ! * . ^ I “Saw ye ev* r ti hillman do that be,- fnre?” asked Ismail. “They will obey thee! Have no fear!” “Then come !” ordered King, turning his back oonfidentlj on tliirty savages whom Saunders, for instance, wouhl have preferred to drive in front qf him. after first seeing them handcuff»*<l. “Each l<K*k has a L<y. but some kt^s fit all lock*.” - th»- Eastern proverb. King has beep ch-.seu for many tick lish errands Ip liis.tljne. tmd^Saundcrs is still in Delhi. Th** prisoie-r* ware left squatting tinder the e\x> and bayouets ofp very susf4ch»ns l pr1s'.*n guard, -who made no secret of being ri'-hdv f»*r hi! enneeiv- “>’ha!I I open the little bag/sahil T lie ask«;d. “lhit it over there!" King 'wder*/ “S<-t it doto n!” Ismail obey**! and King laid his bo* i down to lirhT nnother of his hlac> cheroots. Tin* theme of jnitiw'ptic' censed to exercise its charm over him lie peeled off his tunic,, changed h * shirt und friv back In sweet contcn* “Then giMxl-by until this evening." King bowt*d very civilly and walked out, nit her unsteadily because his head ached. Prtjljv My nobody else, ex- eept the Hani;ar. could' have guessed what tin ordeal he had passed through or how m^ar lie had been to losing self- command. |r In the street ho found a gharry after a while and drove to ills hotehv Artd before Isnmtl came he took a sfr*)!! through a bazaar, HVhere he made a - few strange purehascs, lu the hotel lobby he invested in a leather bag w ith a good lock". In which to put them. Later on Ismail came.and proved liim- seif an efficient body-servunt. 'That evening lstiiail carri**l the leather Iwig and found bis place on tin* train, and that was riot s<> difficult, be cause the trains running North Were moriiiit platforms « rm ‘~ J>*ai rt/A i/fif/rfrv/ were all crow tied. As he carriage door with Ismail man named Saunders siif the euuwd and sought hflll crowds, lie sat starliig 'ahohd Iji •-Tfe'ntv. although Sa.ur«jU*js itiade tuore than one effort to engage liito.iu j.xni- versution..- “No!” he said at last suddenly—so that ’ Saunders .jumped. • '•No what?” ^ “N-o ne**l to stay here. I’ve got what I came for!" __*_ ^ . “What was. that??’ asked Saunders. \art Kitig was silent again. Omscjutts ol’ tlie umtcytislouipfj weight on his left wrist, he ffi(>vV*d-diis arm so that tlte sleeve drew and he rdtihLset* the edge of til** great gold bracelet ItetoTtdLtUtiga had given him in Yasmini’s umue.-~*^“- "rrn-tn-rn rV King rubbed his chih. “Know anything of my than Ismail?" "Sure! lie’s oneAvf Yasmini’s pets. She bailed him out of AH’^ threo years :tg<vnnd he worships her it tons he who broke the .leg and ribs ofNpjutp- rnjah a month or two ago? for putting on top much dog in h**r reception room! He’s.. I’rsus out of ‘Quo Vadls!’ lie’s dog. desperado, stalking horse and.keeper of the queen's secrets!” • “Then why d’you suppose she passed, him along to me?" aske^l King. . “Dunno! ■- This~ r ls your little mys- iery. not mine!" '■ Look Out for the Woman, King— She’s Dangerous. She’s Got the Brains of Asia Coupled With West ern Energy."' ? King ditl not answer. He was watch ing Hewa Gungn, followed by a serv ant. hurrying to n reserved compart ment nt the fr<»pf end of tiio tniiri. T!u* Uanguf wavefLto him and he wn.vefi imek. 'I be.engine gave a preliniinarv shriek and the. gin til IsmaH nudged KingTe elbow in impatient warning. Then* was no more sign of Hewa Gunga, win* hud evidently settled down in bis com- prirtrnent >for the night. “Get my bag out Hgiiin.!" der»*h stared. "Gilt PUt-iny bag, I said”! ’To hear is to «^*<*y!’’ Isr. bled, reaching with his thnmgh rim window. ' ‘ . The engine sh body whistletl, - u to niove. "Yott’vV tnissetl amusT?! at Ismail ment. Tleailou for thu ."Hills," vvh«' would not I)e contented, w ho had been born in their very shadow ?—in thejr shadowt'f a line of Britoh*- who havo- ail he® hurled there! “TY^f day after tomorrow xTll see- snow!" he promised hifns<*Tf. And Is-/ mail, grinning with yellow, teetj/ ,j through-» gai» in his-wayward beard) understood and sympathized. ^ Fortocrd in the thirtl-clnss carriage* j the prisoners hugged thentftylves areV crdonetl -as they met old landmark*, and recognized the changing scenery. There was a new, cleaner tang in the- hot wind that spoke of the “Hills" and ‘ iT.icp“ -'htv doesn't < irtmected'w i t h me. Know anyttiing o sti.e uni noDitienii to leave thosp men. Third pboe, if those thirty men had bepn mtyihirrg bur ber-'ptirticular pet tfa-ng they’d either, have, been over the- border or else in jaiDhefore now—just okrwUithe others. For some reoTfitn that I dpiTr^eteml be understand, she promised !cni tporr^then she has been able to perform. So p^proylde per formances. Sin gets the. crediTrniUt. I get a pretty good personal following at least as far as up the khyhprl Q., asked suddenly a Not much. I’ve :n, soim*- in begun As She Danced She Whirled Both Arms Above Her Head and Cried aa the Werewolvea Arjt Said t* Do on Sttn my Nightt. %.. * ; . l: ied sweat home! from his glistening ^fa-fe, for hi >pito of w indows wlde^Yficp to the courtyard if was hotter 1mm a furnace room, - "Mnvtt’f I have you thrown into a dejy C»f-figers?" he Si’sk* d. “Dr a nest f cobras? O'* pi tie* fiery furnace ready? 'Fhat?^(Jisl be with thee’ stuff i* habit--they sir it with ttBCilOB he- t At reshawur the train was short ened to three coaches anil started up the spur-track, that leads to Jamrud. ^vberea fort cowers injthe very throat jof the dreadfulext gorge in Asia—the Khybcf pass. a tnu 11 lent »»»id in a second hla eyes were.ablaze with something more than wonder. A mystery, added to a mystery, stirred all the 2e«l in hlru. But in a second he had swr>ttt»Hj his excitement down. “Read that, will you?” he said, pass ing It to Hewa Gunga. It wus hot in cypher, hut 4-fl plain every-day^ Eng- A ‘V 8he Las not gone North. She is still J|», Delhi. Suit your own movements to your plana. j "Can jroo explain?” asked King In pidously. accepted one with an air of a level voice. ■ lie was watching the ' curiosity, and pa*.«u*l the CHAPTER V The nmn irrl ed riodd**d. “Not had.” he. said. - • *; _ "Didn't she make some effort to get tht*S'‘. mni away from Ali’s?” King asked him. * "I mean, didn’t she try to get theny dry-nursed hy -the sirknr in some way?” \ “Y’es. >*he did. But she wanted them arrested and locked up at-a >moment when the jails were all crowded. Sh* The Rangar deserts King and hi* native escort in a dangerous part 'of Khyber paaji, and the apecial agent taataa more weird adventure. | i ‘ ?T> ' JT* {TO BB CONTINI BDJ