The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-14
DURYIA KHAN.

like point had pierced the white skin on
the farther side.
Just as Bowen Sahib was passing
through the doorway of the teshil Court
house, had the tall, gaunt Afghan, with
an evil look in his fierce hawklike eyes,
stepped quickly forward, and drawing the
Jade handled blade from the folds of his
white garment, driven it with vengeful
sweep of his powerful arm hilt deep in
poor Bowen's body.
Scarcely had the words of the teshil-dar,
giving Judgment in favor of Bowen as
against Duryia Khan, died out before that
horrible cry of mortal dread rang out in
the stiffness of the courtroom.
With bound Duryia Khan was in the
saddle, and before the Mortified spectators
could collect their senses his bIoodlike Bel
chui mare was carrying him across the
plains to the foothills in a swinging gal
lop.
He got clean away from them, too,
killed his man right in the open court,
and sent back word to Grant, the young
inspector in charge of the police at Sibi,
to come and take him if he wanted him.
was at Sucker when this occurred. II
was in 1885, the year of the cholera, and
the Russian scare and divers other things
calculated to make her majesty's officers
think that Sheitan himself was in league
with her enemies.
Sucker is on tho Indus just where the
sahibs have thrown across the big iron
cantilever bridge.
Quietly enough the mighty river was
gliding down between its gray mud banks
and under the derricklike cantilevers and
sweeping caressingly along at the very feet
of the white baked town the morning
received orders to go and bring Sheik All
med in. Times there were when the river
gods ragged and tugged at the iron feet OF
the bridge, planted so firmly there; when
the waters swirled and rushed and seethed
through the cramped gorge like the rush
of Niagara through the DEVILS caldron.
But that was when the SHOWS melted on
the everlasting Himalayas away on the
farther side of the Pamirs
The windows of blue grass closed tight,
and the bottles of soda, and the bunrei
(ice) that are of the sahibs-au else is OF
the country, the Beluchis and the devil.
The swelled veins in the neck, and the
throbbing temples, and the drOwsy heavi-
ness of brain-these are of the land also
and of apoplexy.
And thus il was as we ground through
the sand and the darkness to JacObabad
and Sibi.
Duryia Khan was supposed to have come
to JacObabad. There was a time when
all Things came TO JdcODaDdQ, DuG Gnat
was before tho rail gharry.''
1t was the Samaracand of the more
eastern Asia Caravans of camels brought
furs and dates and pOmegranates and 9th
er things for barter and took back the prod
ucts of the cast to central Asia. A beau
tiful oasis OF tree arched drives and flower
lit gardens of green is Jacobabad. Soft
and springy, like greensward, the roads,
matched with elephant grass to keep the
dust down.
Even this of the sahibs-of one sahib,
old Jacob-he of Jacobs horse. Long had
Jacob and his merry men rode and fought,
| but now the troop and their gallant cap
tain are not-only the trees and the shad-
ed town and the white tombstone meath
which old Jacob rests are left.
| But Duryia Khan had not come to Ja-
cobabad, and so I pushed on to Sibi, gen
orally known throughout the breadth OF
! the land as 1.-The white man S grave. -
A boyish face peered at me as 1 alighted
from the hot, sitting carriage at Sibi, and
! slim hand was thrust into mine with
! "Glad to see you, old man" 1t was Grant.
''Hell has broken locse here he added
as we walked along the platform. up
! in the pass they are dying off like sheep.
/ The government has 60, 600 of them hem
med in there, the coolies working on the
railway, and daren't let them out. If they
were to escape and carry the black death
down into India, such a horror the
world has never seen would take place.
GA Gordon of soldiers line either side OIL
the Bolan river and allow no one to ap-
proach the water. All water needed is
handed out by the soldiers. The baboo
clerks ran away in a body after sending the
most ludicrous letter you ever read in all
your life to the governor, Sir Robert, ex-
planning that their families needed them
badly. Sir Robert swore like trooper
and had them all brought back again. and
now they are dying. Harvey is gone and
Campbell-snuffed out in day, and sew
eral other of the fellows whom I didn't
know, for they have all the army surgeons
in this part of the world up there now"
Then his voice grew hushed, and he al
most whispered, And we've got it here
too
We had to pick our way carefully going
from the station. A small army of natives
lay sleeping ON the bare ground waiting
for the down train, - explained Grant, ''an
hour late. Some of them will miss it,
though, even then, he added in dreamy
sort of way
A terrible sandstone was springing up,
and we had to fight our way through it to
his bungalow.
At daybrei4k we went down to the sta
ton to see about my traps. "There is no
sign of the sheik, - explained Grant as we
walked along. Il am having all the trains
watched for him.
Eighteen little rounded mounds about
six feet long marked the place where the
army of sleepers had lain the night before.
Eighteen have missed the train, 1" said
Grant as he counted the sand covered
forms.
'They must sleep soundly," 1 remark
ed, for was astonished.
Eyes, they sleep soundly. They are
dead-cholera.
Then he called sergeant and gave or
ders for their removal
As the forms were being uncovered
Grant suddenly gave an exclamation and
darted forward. Then he pointed to the
stalwart figure of a giant Afghan lying
hfeless on the sand.