Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-07-25

I
which must have been instantaneous.
The secret of the poor wrstch's death
was plain to me in fash. Some one o.
the crater, presumably Gunga. Dass, must
have shot him with his own gun--the gun
that fitted the brown cartridges. He had
never attempted to escape in the face oi
the rifle fire from the boat.
THE MYSTERIOUS PAPER.
Ipushed the corpse out hastily and saw
it sink from sight literally in few seconds.
/ shuddered as / watched. In a dazed,
half conscious way turned to peruse the
notebook. A stained and discolored ship
Of paper had been inserted between the
binding and the back, and dropped out as
opened the pages. This is what it con-
tanned
-Four out fiom crow clump; three left;
nine out; two right; three back; two left;
fourteen out; two left; seven out; one left;
nine back; two right; six back; four~ right;
seven back" ------
The paper had been burned and charyed
at the edges. What it meant could not
! understand. sat down on the dried bents
turning it over and oyer between my
fingers, until l was aware Of Gunga Dass
standing immediately behind me with
glowing eyes and outstrctched hands.
-4'Have you got iti7 he painted. Twill
you not let me look at it alsoa swear that
will return itf'
'Got what9 Return whatl' l asked
THAT which you have in your hands.
1t will help us both" He stretched ont his
long, bird-like talons, trembling with
eagerness.
II could never find it," he continued
''He had secreted it about his person
Therefore | shot him, but nevertheless ]
was unable to obtain IT,
Gunga Dass had quite forgotten his little
fiction about the rifle bullet. 1 received
the information perfectly calmly. Morali
| ty is blunted by consorting with the dead
who are alive.
"What on earth are yo1 raving about
What is it you want mo to give your
''rhe piece Of paper in the notebook. II
will help us both Oh, You fool you fool
Can you not see what it will do for uss W.
shall escapew
His voice rose almost to a scream and he
danced with excitement before me.
own was moved at the chance of getting
away.
Don't skip! Explain yourself Do
you mean to say that this slip of paper will
help usa What does it meant
"Read it aloudl Read it aloud. l bee
and pray you to read it aloud"
did so. Gunga Dass listened delight
edly and drew an irregular line in the
sand with his fingers.
''See nowl 1t was the length of his gun
barrels without the stock. l have those
barrels. -Four gun barrels out from the
place where caught crows. Straight out
do you follow me? Then left-Ahl how
well | remember when that man worked
it out night after night. Then nine out,
and so on. Out is always straight before
you across the quicksand. He told me Sc
before / killed him.
"But ifyou knew all this why didn't you
| get out before"
~ did not know it. He told me that he
was working it out year and a half ago
and how he was working it out night after
night when the boat had gone away and
he could get out near the quicksand safely,
Then he said that we would get away to-
gether. But was afraid that he would
| leave me behind one night when he had
worked it all out, and so shot him. Be
| sides, it is not advisable that the men who
once get in here should escape. Only I
| and am a Brahmin."
The prospect of escape had brought
Gunga Dass' caste back to him. He stood
up, walked about and gesticulated violent
ly.
Eventually managed TO make him tall
soberly, and he told me how this English
man had spent six months night after
| night in exploring, inch by inch, the
passage across the quicksand; how he had
declared it to. be simplicity itself up tc
within about twenty yards of the river
bank after turning the flank of the lef
horn Of the horseshoe. This much he had
| evidently not completed when Gunga Das'
shot him with his own gun.
In my frenzy of delight at the possibili-
ties of escape recollect shaking hands ef
fusively with Gunga Dass after we had de
cded that we were to make an attempt tt
get away that very night. 1t was weary
work waiting throughout the afternoon.
THE ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE.
About ten o'clock, as far as / could
judge, when the moon had just risen above
the lip of the crater. Gunga Dass made 0
move for his burrow to bring out the gur
barrels whereby to measure our path. All
the other wretched inhabitants had retired
to their lairs long ago. The guardian boat
had drifted down stream some hours before
and we were utterly alone by the crow
clump. Gunga Dass, while carrying the
gun barrels, let slip the piece of paper
which was to be our guide.
stopped down hastily to recover il, and
as did so / was aware that the diabolical
Brahmin was aiming violent blow at the
back of my head with the gun barrels. II
was to late to turn round. l must have
received the blow somewhere on the nape
of my neck. A hundred thousand fiery
stars danced before my eyes and | fell
forward senseless at the edge of the quick.
sand.
When recovered consciousness the
moon was going down, and | was sensible
or intorerable pain in the back Of my head.
Gunga Dass had disappeared and my
mouth was full of blood. | lay down
again and prayed that might die without
more ado. Then the unreasoning fury
which have before mentioned laid hold
upon me, and | staggered inland toward
the walls of the crater
1t seemed that some one was calling me
in whisper. "Sahib! Sahibi Sahib"
exactly as my bearer used to call me in
the mornings. / fancied that was delir-
ious until handful of sand fell at my
feet Then looked up and saw head
peering down into the amphitheatre-the
head of Dunnoo, my dog boy, who attend
ed to my collies. AS soon as he had at
tracted my attention he held up his hand
and showed rope. / motioned, staggcr-
ing to and fro the while, that he should
throw it down.
SAFETY AT LAST.