Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-07-20

tired Colonel, putting spurs to his
horse, mingled up with the dust and
was lost to view.
The Maharai stormed in his native
tongue, and then burst into English
oaths. He turned in his fury towards
the Vizier; but was only in time to
see the snowy robes of that high func-
tionary disappearing into culvert,
and the confused mob of his court
running helter-skelter across the
sward. Butyet another object caught
the princes eye, and chilled him with
horror; it was the vast bulk of Shere
Bahadur moving rapidly and nois-
lessly towards him.
Sri Ranabir was Rajpoot of the
bluest blood, and his heart was big
but this awful sight, this swift, silent
advance of hideous death, paralyzed
him with fear. Already the long
shadow of the elephant had moved
near his feet, already he seemed i'm
paled on those cruel white tusks, when
there was swapping bark, and the
fox terrier flew at Shere Bahadur and
danced around him in tempest of
rage. The elephant turned and made
savage dash at the dog, who skipped
nimbly between his legs, and renewed
the assault in the rear. But this mo.
ment of reprieve reused His Highness.
The prince became man, and the
Maharai turned and fed, darting like
"A star across the soft green.
Shere Bahadur saw the flash of the
jeweled aigrette, the sheen of the or
der; and, giving up the dog, curled
his trunk and started in pursuit. 1t
was a desperate race. The Maharai
was out of training but the time he
made was wonderful, and the diamond
buckles on his shoes formed shreak
of light as he fled. But, fast us he
ran, the race would have ended in q
few seconds if il had not been for Bull
ly, the little white fox terrier. Bully
thoroughly grasped the situation, and
acted accordingly. He ran around
the elephant, now skipped between
his legs, and the next moment snapped
at him behind; and Bully had re-
markably fine set of teeth.
The Maharai sighted n small hut,
the door of which stood invitingly
open; it was poor hut, made of
grass and sticks but it seemed royal
palace to him. With desperate squirt,
he reached the door and dashed in.
But Shere Bahadur was not to be
denied. He stood for moment, and
then, putting forward his forefoot,
STAYED in the side of the frail shelter
and brought down the house. Sri
Ranabir hoped out like n rat, and it
was we'll for him that, in tho cloud of
dust and thatch flying about, he was
unobserved, for Shere Bahadur, now
careless of Bully's assault and certain
of his imam, was diligently searching
the debris. But he found nothing
but brass vessel, which he savagely
flung at the dog; then he carefully
stamped on the hut and reduced every.
thing to chaos. In the meantime Sri
Ranabir, unconscious that the pursuit
had ceased, ran on as if he was wound
up like q clock-ran until his foot
slipped, and the Maharai Adhirai
rolled into soft bed of mullah, and
lay there with his eyes clos ed, utterly
beaten, and careless whether the death
he had striyen SO hard to avoid came
or not.
Then there was buzzing in his
ears, and everything became u blank.
'Blessed be Vishnu! He liveth'-
and the Vizier helped his fallen master
to rise, aided by the heir apparent, in
whose heart, however, there were
thoughts far different from those which
found expression on the lips of the
Nawah Juggan Jung, Prime Minister
of Kalesar. The sympathetic, if some
what excited, court crowded round
their king; and little in the distance
was the whole population of Kalesar,
armed with every conceivable weapon,
and keeping up their courage by beat.
ing on tom-toms, blowing horns and
shouting until the confusion of sound
was indescrlbable.
"Come back to the palace, my lord.
They will drive the evil one out of
him and the Vizier waved his hand
in the direction of the crowd, and
pointed to where, in the distance,
ohere Bahadur was making slowly and
steadily for the hills. But the Ma
haraj Admiral would do no such thing.
"Ryful lao," he roared in his vernac.
ular; "Gimme my gun," he shriekod
in English. There was no refusing.
A double barreled gun was thrust into
his hands; he scrambled on to the
back of the first horse he saw, and,
followed by his cheering subjects and
the whole court, dashed after the ele-
phant.
"Mirror OF the Universe, destroy
him not" advised the Vizier, who
rode at the princes bride hand
"Ihe beast is worth 5000 rupees, and
cannot be replaced; tho treasury is
almost empty, and we shall want him
when the Lat Shaib comes"
The Maharaj was prudent if he was
brave, and the empty treasury was a
strong argument; besides, they were
getting rather close to Shere Bahadur,
and outpacing the faithful people.
But he gave i'll slowly.
! "What is to be done?" he asked.