The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-04

make no interruption, seeing that Ismail
wished to have the pleasure of telling
the whole story himself.
Il went to the village continued Is
mail, ''and talked with the people.
Then | dived into the river (mv lord
knows that can find my way through
water as well as through thickets), and
at the bottom | came upon aaoosed
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 Hindu. 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 at his leisure
Il see,' said Mr. Sparks. sWen,
Ismail, you know there 5 a Government
reward of thousand rupees $500 for
every murderer brought to justice; see
what you can make Of the case. -
The Mahratta's black eyes flashed
fire, for five hundred dollars is more to
Hindu than five thousand to white
man, and such chance did not come
to him every day He went out with
out word, but Mr.. Sparks felt satisfied
that there would be news of the GRIM
inal before long.
Ismail plunged at once into the sur
rounding jungle, and traversed it at a
pace which few men could have kept up
over such ground and in such climate,
till he came in sight of Ramgani, but
instead of entering the village he struck
down by-path to the river, swan
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 rope.
His next move was to hunt out a big
stone, upon the sharp edge of which he
J sawed the cord to and fro till it held
only by one strand One slash of his
long, sharp knife 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 uppermost
and the rope lying right across it, he
vanished in the thicket.
An hour had passed since his dissap
pearance, and night had already set in
when dark figure came creeping W
to the same spot, and pulled at the
half-severed cord, which INSTANTLY
parted in his hand.
The man started, and held up thu
broken ends to the light of the rising
moon, but. finding them rough ant
frayed as if by constant rubbing, anC
feeling the sharp-edged stone lying jus
underneath, he appeared satisfied tina
it must have been an accident, AM
knelt down to knot the cord togethe
again.
| So engrossed was the villain with hi
treacherous work that he never LITE,
his head to look around him, but evcl
had he been less -preoccupied he woul,
scarcely have heard the noiseless foot
fall of one who had been tracking tn
tiger and antelope through their nativ
jungles ever since he was ten years old
The rogue was still quite unsuspiciou
of harm, when tall, shadowy figur
rose behind him as suddenly as if it ha
started up through the earth, and
tremendous blow from heavy bambo
club, falling upon his bowed head Xix
a thunderbolt, felled him senseless t
the earth
That very night the crestfallen robbie
was sent off to the nearest British sts
ton, escorted by q strong guard {
native policemen, to be tried an
executed, as he deserved, while L
mail received from the hands of tn
Commissioner himself, together with
warm commentator of his shrewdnes
the thousand rupees which he had s
well earned. Darid Ker, in The Cont
1ent