The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1884-03-29

he was suddenly disturbed by u knock
at the door.
Come in p cried he snappishly, ex-
pectlng the entrance of some Hindu
farmer or peasant with a complaint as
long and unintelligible SIS an Assy1ian
inscription. But at the first glimpse of
the person who entered his face cleared
at once.
The visitor was q tall native. with the
handsome features and stately bearing
of a Mahratta. His figure, nearly SIX
feet IN height, was SO gaunt and sinewy
that it seemed to be made of pin-wjre,
and his piercing black eyes looked out
from beneath the folds of his white tur.
ban with the quick, keen, watchful
glance of practical hunter.
In truth, Ismail, the Mahratta, was
well used to tracking other game beside
deer or tigers. Over and above his oc.
equations as scout, hunter and govern
ment courier, he was il constant re-
guest as detective, and, for tracking
down either a wild beast or a criminal.
he had no equal in Bengal.
Gliding into the room as nois elessly as
shadow, he made a low salaam, and
said in his own language:
''May the humblest of his servants
speak to the Sahib ?" (master.)
There was nothing particularly hum
BILE, 1t must be admitted, in the speakers
bearing; on the contrary, he held him
self erect, and looked the Commissioner
full IN the face with the air of man
who knew his own value. and had some
thing to tell which he felt to be worth
hearing; but Mr.. Sparks, with whom
lsmail was an old acquaintance. ap-
peared to understand these signs per-
fectly. and said:
what has Ismail to tell l am
listening"
81 have been at the village of Ram
ganJ, answered the Mahratta, laying
asllght stress npon the last word.
"Ramganj echoed Mr.. Sparks.
"Ah, to be sure; the place where that
| PROCEDURES been eating up so many
people,"
care you quite sure, Sahib?" asked
the Hindu, keenly watching the effect
of his words, ''that it was a crocodile
that did it?'
The Englishman started, and looked
tixedly at lsmail's immovable face.
'Inats how heard the story told"
relolned he. eff it wasn't a crocodile
what was it?''
odd the Com missioner Sihib," in
CURED Ismaii, sever hear of a crocodile
being so nice in his eating as to devour
none but women, and only suca women
us bad plenty of silver bangles on?''
Again Mr. Sparks gave slight start,
and the sparkle OF his eye showed that
he was beginl log to guess the riddle.
but he took care to make no .ir,terrun.
ton, seeing that Ismsil wlshed TO have
the pleasure of telling~the whole story
himself.
Il went to tne village" continued
ismall, Han9 talked with the people.
linen l Owed into the river (my lord
knows that l can find my way through
water as well as through thickets), and
! at the bottom l came upon a noosed
rope"
The Commissioner nodded with the
| air of mau who understood the whole
| affair perfectly, but still he said moth
| ing.
"The Sahib understands how it was
done" proceeded the Hindu. "When
F., 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 dro Rned her, aud then
plundered the corpse at his leisure"
| 81 see," said Mr.. Sparks. "Well,
| Ismail, you know there's a government
reward of thousand rupees $500, for
every murderer brought to justice; see
| what you can make of this case"
''The Mahratta's black eyes flashed
| fire, for $500 is more 30 a Hindu than
25, 900 to white man, and such a
chance as this did not come to him every
| day. He went oat without word, but
| Mr.. Sparks felt satisfied that there
| would be news Of the criminal before
| long.
| Ismail plunged at opce into the sur
rounding jungle, and traversed at a
pace which few men could ha, kept up
over such ground and in such climate,
till he came in sight of Ramganl, but
instead of entering the village he struck
| down by-path to the river, swan across
went slowly down tie opposite side till
| he came to two bamboo clumps close
together, and cropping in the water
beside them, pulled up rope.
His next move was to hunt out a big
| stone, upon the sharp edge of which he
sawed the cord to and fro till it held
only by one strand. One slash Of his
long, sharp knife would have d3ne 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 sioe uppermost,
and the rope lying right across it, be
vanished in the tnicket.
An hour had passed since his disap
pearance, and night had already set III,
when dark figure came creeping up to
the same spot, and pulled at the half
severed cord, which instantly parted il
his band
The man started, and held up the
broken ends to the light of the rising
moon, but finding them rough and
frayed, as if by constant rubbing, ano
feeling the sharp edged stone lying just
underneath, be appeared satisfied thai
it must have been an accident, anC
knelt down to knot the cord together
J again.
SO engrossed was the villain with hi,
treacherou5 work that he never lifted
his head 10 look around him, but even
had he been Jess preoccupied he would
[ scarcely have heard the noiseless footfal
of one who had been tracking the tiger
: and the antelope through their naive
lungles ever since he was ten years old
/ The rogue was still quite unsuspicious
2 of harm, when a tall. shadowy figure
r rose behind him as suddenly as if it ha6
/ started up through the earth, and tie
| mendous blow from 2 bamboo club, tall
2 ing upon his bowed head like thunder
| bolt. felled him senseless to the earth
/ That very night the crestfallen robbe
s was sent off to the nearest British sta
ton, escorted by q strong guard of na
tive policemen, to be tried and exc
9 cuted, as he deserved, while Ismail re
g ceived from the hands of the Commits
t sioner himself, together with warn
= commentator of his shrewdness, tn
: thousand rupees which he had so vel
! earned.
Mrs. Jesse James.