The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-08


thou seen ?' 80 =,
The answer came back: res, uoo oe
liver US from all evil spiritsl ..us.
There was pause, and then; "n'
lillian. am alonel Come to me
"Shahbaz Khan, am alone aiso' Du'
dare not leave my postf' -,
THAT is a lie; thou art AFRAID.
afraid. Be SILENT They are oeiow u
still. Pray TO God and sleep!
The troopers listened and wondered, Ior
ttey could not understand what save
earth and stone could lie below the "a'on'
towers. IL
Shahbaz Khan began to call again
They are below us. l can see the". TOT
the pity of God come over 70 me- Ian Ian
Ullah! My father slew ten OF 'ne"' 0oins
overr ,o,d
Haiiz Ullah answered in very Iouo
voice: mime was guiltless. +. Hsar, ye
Men of the Night, neither my 1atner nol
my blood had any part in that sln; pear
thou thy own punishment ohanpaA
..Oh. someone ought to stop, those two e,
chaps Growing away like COCKS tne,
said Lieutenant HALEY, shlverins uhuei
his rock.
He had hardly turned around to expose
new side of him to the rain before q
bearded, long-locked, evil-smeiilng AIgnan
rushed up the hill and tumbled into MS
arms HALEY sat upon him ana thrust as
much of a sword-hiit as couid De SPARE
down the mans gullet. "!f you cry OUT
kill you" he said cheerfully.
The man was beyond any expression OF
terror. He lay and quaked gasping When
HALEY took the sword-hilt from between
his teeth he was still inarticulate, but
chung to Halley's arm, feeling 1t from Ell
bow to wrist. -,
1.-The RissaIa! the dead Rissala!' ne
gasped at last. at is down there'
mo; the Rissala, the very much ailVe
Rissaa, it Is up here" SAID HALEY, un-
the mans hands. "Why were you in the
towers so foolish as to let Us pass Z"
1.-The valley is full of the dead, SAID the
Afghan. 1T is better to fall into the
hands of the English than the hands OF
the dead. They march TO and fro below
there. saw them in the lightning.
He recovered his composure after little
and whispering, because Halley's pistoI
was at his stomach, said: ''What is this Z
There is no war between rs now, and the
Mullah will kill me for not seeing you
passp
REST easy," said HALEY; 1--WE are COM
ing to kill the Mullah, if God please. HIS
teeth have grown too long. No harm Will
come to thee unless the daylight shows
thee as face which is desired by the gal
lows for crime done. But what OF the
dead regiment?"
Il only kill within my own border,
said ahe man, immensely relieved. The
Dead Regiment is below. The-men must
have passed through it on their journey
400 dead on horses, stumbling among
their own graves, among the little heap-
dead men all, whom we slew"
"Whew!" said HALEY. That accounts
for my cursing Carter and the major ours
ing me. Four hundred sabres, Ell? No
wonder We thought there were few extra
men in the, troop. Kurruk Shah, he
whispered to grizzled native officer that
lay within a few feet of him, "hast thou
heard anything of a dead Rissala in these
hills?"
"Assuredly," said Kurruk Shah, with 9
grim chuckle. ''Otherwise, why did l.
who have served the queen for seven and
twenty years and killed many hill-dogs
shout aloud for quarter when the light.
ming revealed to us the watch-towers
When 1 was young man l saw the kill.
ing in the valley of Sheer Kot there at Oul
feet, and know the tale that grew ur
therefrom. But how can the ghosts Of
unbelievers prevail against us who are Of
the faith? Strap that dogs hands little
tighter, sahib. An Afghan is like an eel: >
But dead Rissala." said HALEY, jerk
3
talk, Kurruk Shah. The dead are dead
hold still, Sag" the Afghan singled.
The dead are dead, and for that reason
they walk at night. What need to talk
We be men, We have our eyes and ears
Thou canst both see and hear them down
the hillside" said kurruk Shah, compos
eddy.
HALEY stared and listened long and in
tently The valley was full of stlflec
OF ho or nioh
but whether he saw or heard more thar
was natural HALEY alone knows, and hi
does not choose to speak on the subject.
At last and just before the dawn, greer
rocket shot up from the far side of thu
valley of Bersund, at the head of the gorge
to show that the Goorkhas were in posi-
ton red light from the infantry at left
and right, answered it and the cavalry
burnt white flare. Afghans In winter are
late sleepers and it was not until full day
that the Gulla kutta Mullah's men begar
to struggle from their huts, rubbing theil
eyes. They saw men in green, and red
and brown uniforms, leaning on thei
arms, neatly arranged all around the crate
of the village of Bersund in a Gordon
that not not even r wolf c tSn;
young man. who was not even in thu
army, but represented the political depart
ment, tripped down the hill side with two
orderlies, raped at the door of the Gull.
Kutta Mullah's house and told him quietly
to step out and be tied up for safe trans
port. That same young man passed or
through the huts, tapping here one caterar
and there another lightly with his cane
and as each was pointed out SO was h,
tied up, staring hopelessly at the crowned
heights around where the English soldier!
looked down with injurious eyes. Only
the Mullah tried to carry it off with curse.
and high words, till a soldier who wa
tying his hands said:
"None o. your lipl Why didn't yor
come out when you was ordered. instead
of keepln' US awake ali night? You're M
better than my own barrack-sweeper, yor
white 'eaded old polyanthus! Kim up!'
!. Half an hour later the troops had gon,
away with the Mullah and his thirteer
friends The dazed villagers were lookinf
ruefully at pile of broken muskets anC
snapped swords and wondering how il
the world they had come so to miscacu
late the forbearance of the Indian govern
ment
1t was a very neat little affair, neatl,
carried out, and the men concerned wer,
unofficially thanked for their services.
Yet it seems TO me that much credit i
also due to another regiment whose nam,
did not appear in the brigade orders, anS
whose very existence is in danger of bein.
forgotten. RUDYARD kIPIING.
TA0EE TA1MHS