Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-08-28

copy the scene wOuld MAKE.
Around them, i'll a wide semicircle,
squatted the Kirghiz. the men listening
to the talk of the returned raiders, the
women gazing at the high bred Russian
girl as at a vision from another world,
and holding their children between their
knees to remind them or this-the fiat
faces, the glistcning eyes. springing into
sight or falling into shadow as the fire.
light leaped or sank.
4 hush fell upon all as one Of the
Kirglliz, having Frustrated himself be-
fore the khan, told the story of the
baranta 1t was drowsy business, but
the end made up for all.
Behold now, y khan, give order
that we may obey; give order, Q son Of
Ghenghiz, whose wisdom is boundless
| as the steppe, whose anger terrible as
the bouran.
And the khan blinked i'll the freight
"Who had poisoned his naliphka so
! that Ike could not tlnk:'
Macintyre saw how it was, and hope
revived. While the kirghiz was dron-
| ing out his Grafton, the Englishman
muttered to the girl at his side, Have
y
| She sidled q little closer to him. The
next moment his aims We're free and he
! felt her bare hand brush over his. Every
| nerve in his body tingled. OF course
! they We're only comrades i'll danger, but
| well, he was man and she was woman.
The kirghiz droncd OH, trying to pierce
| the muddic,l wits Of the khan, who sat
blinking III the f,rc flicker.
Presently the brute's head nodded and
his sheoI;skiE cap was tilted over his
| eyes. \ child laughed.
Then the rage of the savage and the
| fire of the naliphka blazed out together.
| The khan leapeu 10 his feet and glared
around him, his eyes rolling in the fire
play. He flung his arms toward the
| prisoners ard shouted a cultural order.
! Three women started forward, but
! Macintyre was nearest and free. He
leaped upon the khan, gripped him by
the throat OF his kalal and clapped re-
| viewer to his car. Then he aired his
| Turk:
| ''H,a., mel, Of the Issyl.. The daugh-
| ter of the Great White Presence will go
! into the yourt Of the khan. He and l
have much to say. Let 10 man presume
to draw near, or 1 will slay this one
where We stands.
| Fer Il heart tirob the lives of the
prisoners hung upon a thread. Then
| Macintyrc nodded to the girl, who slip
ped into the yourt and dropped the flaps
behind her.
The khan stood passive. To feel that
rim OF cold iron was wonderfully sober
ing. But when the girl had disappeared,
| he shook himself together and laughed
a thick laugh.
Hal he cried. surely this also is a
mighty khan. Let us treat him as
brother Set the caldron and bring
| forth the sheep. Hasten, men of the
isSvk. lest repro.eh 1;.ll upon our hospi-
ta!ity'
Macintyre never loosencd his hold.
He watched with his seal i'll his eyes.
Eoar men set up Il s,Ieat caldron and
filed it from their water skins. Two
others heaped brushwood, dried fern
and camel argols around it, and fired
the heap. Another man dashed away
toward the herd. Silence reiSned in the
great circle Of watchers They might
have been statues hut Tor their eyeballs
rolling in the freight.
The scene fascinated MaciEtyre, and
for moment he relaxed. lis vigilance
In u heart beat the pistol was dashed
from his hand, he was hurled to the
ground, thrust head to knees and hands
to feet, and so bound. Then two men
carried him like L sheep toward the
caldron ard dropped him down by the
fro '',at at,r
to hiss us the great pot heated.
The crowd pressed IN. They had often
heard Of ~ khan, when he came to pow
CT, thrustiIg 4 brother or an uncle into
the boiling caldTon. Now they were
going TO sec 1t done. and they fought
for good place. The khan urged the
men TO pile on more fuel ana cursed
the slowness Of the fire.
Maclntyfc lay i'll torment. The cords
cut into him and the heat made them
bite the deeper. The fire was eating in
TO his flesh where the clothes were
drawn tight by his doubled BODY. In the
throb Of his agony he caught himself
wishing that burning wool did not stink
so. The steam began to curl above the
caldron. and he almost welcomed the
idea that Ii suggested. Anything must
be better than this dry torture.
suddenly Il woman screamed. He
could rot tuln his head, bat he knew
the voice. 1t was Marie Borisoyitch,
who, drawn by the rumor of the crowd,
had slipped from the yourt She saw
! and understood.
With 4 supreme effort Macintvre
dominated his body, and, though his
voice was hoarse with agony, shouted
out:
Marie, the revolver dropped inside
the yourt. The horses are TO the left.
fly
The khan did not understand English.
but the tone was unmistakable. He roar
ed an order. Two men stopped 10 raise
Macin'vre and thrust him into the boil
inS caldron. There was a sbarn cracs
and he on the right threw up his arms
and fell forward, tearing at the fire
with his hands.
Then ii seemed to Macintvre that the
J shot was echoed with . thousand rever.
teratlons, the roai oe tbnpder wac in