The Red Cloud chief., 1884-03-28

himself erect; and looked the Commits
sioner full in the face with the air of
man who knew his own value. and Ina,
something Ia tell which he felt TO b.
worth hearing; but Mr.. Sparks, witt
whom lsmail was an old acquaintance
: appeared Ia understand these signs Der
fecily. and said
What has Ismail to tell? l am list
ening."
Il have been at the village of Ram
GAM, answered the Mahratta, laying
slight stress upon the last word.
"Ramganjee" echoed Mr.. Sparks
"Ah. 20 be sure. the place where tina
crocodile's cen beating up so many pco
PIE"
Are you quite sure. Sahib?" asked
the Hindu. keenly watching the effect o
his words, ''tilat it uas = crocodile tina
did it,"
The Euglishman started. and looked
flAediy nj fsmaiis imnlovable face:
That's how l heard the story told,
rejoined he. .'If it wasn'ta crocodile,
what was it?"
did the Commissioner. Sahib." in.
quired 1smail. sever hear of a crocodile
being so nice in his eating rs to devoul
none but women. and only such women
as had plenty Of siircr bangles on?"
Again Mr.. Sparks gave a slight
start, and the sparkle of his
eye showed that he was beginning
to guess the riddle. but he took care to
make no interruption. seeing that ISmail
wished To have the pleasure of telling
the whole story himself.
ii went to the village continued Is
mail, land talked with the people.
Then l diyed into the river (my lord
knows that | a find my way through
wafer as well rs through thickets), and
at the bottom | came upon a nooscd
rope"
The Commissioner nodded with the
air of a man who understood the whole
affair perfectly, but still he said
nothing.
The Sahib understands how It was
DONE" proceeded the Iiindu. when
any woman worth robbing went into the
water, the moose tangled her feet. and
the robber. hidden among the bushes on
the opposite bank. dragged her down
and drowned her. and then plundered
the corpse 1T his leisure"
ii Sec said Mr.. Sparks. well,
Ismail, you know there's 3 Government
reward of a thousand rupees (S5O0) for
every murderer brought to justice: see
what you can make of the case"
The Mahratta's black eye, flashed
fire. for five hundred dollars is more to
a Hindu than five thousand 10 a white
man. and such a chance did not come
Ia him every day. IIc went ont with
ont a word. but Mr.. Sparks felt satisfied
that there would he news of the Grim
inal before long.
lSmail plunged at once into the sur
rounding Jungle, and traversed it at a
pace which few mcr could have keep: ND
cver such ground and in such n ciimatc,
till he camc in sight Of Hamgani. but
Instead of entering the village be struck
down Il by-path to the river. swami
across, went slowly up the opposite side
till he came TO two bamboo-clumps close
together. and cropping in the water be-
Side them. pulled e rope.
HIS next move WAS 10 hunt ont = bio
stone, upon the sharp edge of which lie
INV t'Ia ~ sllid lIo ttIl IL iltt8i
only by one strand. One slash OF his
long, sharp kaife would have done the
work much quicker, but Ismail doubt
less had his reasons for what he did.
Then placing the stone in the shallow
water with the sharp side uppcrmust,
and the rope lying right across it, he
vanished in the thickct.
An hour had passed since his Gissap-
pearance, and night had already set in.
when Il dark figure came creeping up
10 the same snot. and pulled ut the
half-Severei cord, which instantly
parted in his hand.
The man started. and l.cld up the
broken ends to The light OF the rising
moon, but finding them rough ana
fraycd as ii by constant rubbing. and
feeling the saarp-edged stonc Wing Just
he appeared satisfied that
il must have been an accident, and
knelt down 10 knot the cord together
again.
SO cngrosscd was The villain wit, his
breaches Gus work that he never life!
his head To look around him. but even
had he been less ~preoccupied he would
~S.'iSSiN hdNt ft,iit the liDl>ttfS> It'pt-
fail of one who lad been tracking the
tiger and antelope through their native
inngles cvcr since he was ten wears old.
The rogue was still quite un>u>p:cious
harm, when Il tall. shaIuwy figure
rose behind him as suddenly rs # it had
up through the earth. and
tremendous blow from a heavy bamboo
club, falling upon his bowed head like
a thunderboit, felled him senseless 10
the earth.
That c r night the W'estfal!en robber
was sent off to the nearest British STA
escorted by a strong guard of
policemen, to be tried and
executed. as he deserved. while Is.
mail received from the hands of the
Commissioner himself. together with a
warm commentator of his shrewdncss.
thousand rupees which he had 81
well earned.-DGrld Ecr. IN Tic Csnti-
nent.
A good many young people try to
no ORIGINAL and mako n msnr,bla n,;.