The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-02-28


tomorrow" began Rajab. You will
provide yourself with two rounds Of ball
cartridge from the company chest. In
the course OF the drill you viii aim at
Macleod sahib's heart, taking care that
YOU are unObserved. If the first bullet
fails its mark YOU will use the second.
And YOU will dismiss from your mind all
knowledge of what you are doing and
whence YOU received these instructions.
Except that YOU will carry out these
beheSts. You viii he in all respects as an
innocent man. You are to believe that
the ball cartridges which you fire at the
colonel sahib are blank. both before ana
after the deed. VIII you do my Did
ding?"
Dalzell. listening horror-struck, heard
FergusonS voice make an answer III laI-
off sounding tones: Il will do your bid
ding"
Now look into your hand, = said RAJ
jab.
The color-sergeant obeyed.
What do YOU behold -
= behold my own face
THAT will serve as we'll as another,
proceeded the jugglcr. removing his gaze
for the first time. You can return TO
| the lower world"
Slowly and heavily. Ferguson blinked
| his way back 10 sense and self-control
again. When the juggler had given his
| victim time for recovery, he asked in his
| original scrvile tones: And was
vision vouchsafeo TO the sergeant sa-
| hib?''
No" was the reply. at least not the
one I sought. / beheld but my own face
| reflected i'm my hand. You have failed
! tonight. Rajab."
Something YOU heard while YOU were
! looking at the 1uid may have distracted
| YOU suggested the native.
1t couldn't have been that" replied
| the sergeant. why. 7 only gazed for
moment, and you did not speak the
| while"
."Tis we'll" said Raiab. The failure
/ is not Of man, but OF the stars. and
| their poor servant is not responsible.
| PerchanCe on the next occasion they
/ will nc more proptious And now. fare
| you wei FOR it is getting late, and [
I have other work to do And with a
! deferential salaam to the sergeant. he
/ turned and glided toward the native
| city.
Ferguson waited till he had gone
! some way. and then Joined Dalzell at the
door Of the cook-house. The two walked
| toward tn barracks together. The
! lieutenant did not speak; he was think
| ing with All his might
a failure tonight. sir remarked the
! sergeant after waiting vainly for his
| sUperior'S comment. MY ain face too,
! Had h just heen polin' fun at me, he
! could ma weel hae jok it mair reason
1 ably"
| They had reached the point where
! Dalzell's way would lead to the mess.
! Get back To your quarters" he said
! rapidly. You must not be missed.
am sOr1y our errand has been fruitless
| but / did not expect much from il.
| GoOd-niGht;" and i'm his hurry TO rid
! himself Of the man he wished TO spare,
| he almost pushed the other away. Fer
! Guson disappeared into the barrack.
| wondering at his officers haste TO return
| to mess.
/ The moment he was out of sight Dali
/ Zell changed his course, and running
] back behind the barracks. started in
! pursuit of the vile wretch whose scheme
4 he meant To Illustrate. His mind was
/ made up. lie must oVertake Rajah at
| all hazards and compel him to come
! before the colonel whose first feeling,
/ he felt sure. would be sympathy for the
! innocent instrument How TO punish
/ the criminal without letting Ferguson
! know how nearly he had slain his be-
| loved chief was a nut for Macleod TO
| crack; but Dalzell knew he would move
! heaven and earth to manage it. for 10
/ n man of the coior-sergeant'S tempera-
/ ment Il revelation of his unconscious
| act would mean madness or suicide.
/ The young officer came up with the
! fitting white figure just beyond the
| Jail. where the road begins and the
! desert gives way gradually TO the habi-
| tationS of half-caste camp-followers. The
! man saw that he was pursued. and
! quickened his pace: but DalzeITs long
| legs gave the quarry no chance. Two
| minutes after RaiSb knew that he was
/ followed the lieutenant'S grip was on
| his shoulder. Come back with me.
! Rajab." said Dalzell quietly: you are
wanted at the cOlonels bungalow"
/ The Surati was painting violently; but
! lie apparel in no way disconnected. and
| tried hard TO fix his captor with those
| fatal eyes. Dalzell. knowing his danger.
| kept his own averted; he thought il ad-
| visable. too to show the revolver he had
! brought with him. Rajab bowed meel1ly
| and obeved: but for half second. I'M
| seen OF the other. mis- hand was plunged
! into the bosom Of mis- white robe.
J For some distance they walked i'm ST.
| lence, and it was not until they We're
| nearing the environments that DalZell de-
| cided 10 put two questions TO his pris-
oner. Your only chance of life is TO
| speak the truth" he said. for your
! wickedness is known. What have YOU
against our colonel that you have done
! this thing?"
/ Rajab caught his foot in a stone and
/ sta ggered as lie made reply, and his
! voice sounded weak and thin. The
| colonel sa-hib was president of the court
| martial which sentenced my brother
! Gholam BuX. of the Third Bombay cav
! airy. TO penal servitude." he said. Il
have sworn to avenge him, and 1 use my
] gift-that is ALL
And what" pursued Dal2ell, will be
the effect on the sergeant of your treat
! ment of him? Now that he Will be pre-
| vented from doing your scOundrelly work
| tomorrow, will he always remain under
| the spell, and make further attempts on
other occasions?'
Rajab made no answer: and Dalzell
] looking down at him. saw that ne was
| shiVerng as if ague-struck. Nearly
/ dead with funk" thought the young OF
| ficer. and repeated the question.
| The spell only refers TO tomorrow s.
/ replied Rajab very slowly. You need
have no fear Allah has willed it that
| the colonel sahib should live. and that I,
| Rajab the son Of HSder, the juggler
| should die And even as he spoke, he
! fell-a heap of crumpled white linen-on
! the sandy road. DaAzeu. STOPPING over
! him. caught n Whit of the deadly chur-
| ruS-the concentrated and strongly
| poisonous form of Indian hemp or
| hashish-and knew that his prisoner had
| solved the difficulty he had fOreseen.
| The question of punihment would not
| arise. for Rajab Ali, self-slain, had gone
| to his own place.
Half an hour later DalZell related his
| evenings experience To Frazer. and to-
| gether they sought the colonel. who at
once decided that Ferguson must never
| know his shsre in the dead mans mis-
! deeds Col Macleod went on the sick
list. and was absent from parade next
| day: while the finding Of the dead body
Of a native in the cantonment road was
4 s.F 70