The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-27

shape of a charpoy, which they got from
the woon OF d neighbOring village, by
/ the gentle art of compulsion.
When Hpo Thit was brought back by
| the police he was met by a reception
committee composed of orthodox Budd-
hists who were gathered together with
! the avowed object of hOnoring him with
the crucifixion.
To guard against his attaining Mir
vana by a fuke. as it were, he was to
be crucifed head downward.
/ VALENTINE, who was very weak by
I this time, had great difficulty in ex-
planning TO them that the government
could not allow such thing to take
place.
Have patience, good friends" he
said I'VE must be merciful," and he
talked cheerfuliy of the lifelong years
of living hell Hpo Thit would surely get
on the Andaman Islands for his part
in the little circus.
In d general sort of way the sergeant
explained to them that they, who knew
little about such things, could only
make Hpo Thit wish he had not done
this thing for a very few minutes at
the outside. But the Thakine, who was
the government, could cause Hpo Thlt
to revile the day he was projected into
the world by a thief of a jackal, for
years and years.
dlcnLNlle WAS TAKEN W the nus
pital, and Hpo Thit was put in a cage
behind iron bars, just like the NANCY
tiger they had seen down at Rangoon.
I'll have the bullet out of you in a
jiffy," said the civil surgeon to Valen-
tyne as he rolled up his sleeves and
opened his case of shining instruments.
Damned if 1 can understand it,
though" he said, as he probed away;
for the jiffy time had gone by, and he
hadn't even touched the bullet yet. 1T
must be one of those internal 5kewgee
slugs of theirs that he has pumped into
you. 1t seems to have struck you under
the arm as you were fiourishing that
sword of yours, and then Travelled on
down along your ribs. God kno US where
it is now, for I can't find it. You've lost
enough blood over it for just now, any
way; but if there seems to be any COM
plication setting in, I'll have another
try for it..
The surgeon saw it was about time
to desist, for VALENTINE was looking
pretty well used up.
Then Hpo Thit was brought up before
the deputy commissioner for commit
tai hearing, as it were, charged with
stealing the sacred ruby, and with at
tempting murder of the suDerintend-
ent.
But the priests were clamorous for the
ruby eye of their Buddha; for the mat
ter of VALENTINE dying or not they did
not bother their heads-even they would
let Hpo Thit go free. so be it they could
come by the sacred gem again. The
Burmese archbishop, the Thathana-
baing, had come down from Ava to see
about the recovery of the stone.
They begged the deputy commissioner
to give Hpo Thit promise of pardon if
he would only disclose where he had
hidden the "Beda.'
Il can't do that he said. ''for the
wounded sahib may die; the doctor has
ished for the bullet and can't get it,
and it looks bad for the superintend-
ent's life. If he dies, Hpo Thit will have
TO swing"
But if the Beda might be recovered
they would pay to Valentyne's family
his full value in good English sover-
eigns.
The deputy commissioner was as anx-
ious to recover the jewel as they were;
So he promised HDo Thit that if he
would tell where it was, it would help
him much when the time of his SEN
tence came.
Il will tell.' said Hpo Thit. because
it viii be easy for the Thakine to get it;
and then the Thakine will remember at
the time of the sentence"
The priests craned their thin shaver
buzzard-like heads eagerly forward;
even the deputy commissioner was in
tensely excited, for if he should recover
this sacred Beda it would be well; if
not. the papers all through India would
have their fling at it, and his life would
be made miserable answering inquiries
from the government.
The court was as silent as the craven
image of Buddha itself, as they waited
for Hpo Thit to speak.
Putting the palms of his hands to-
gether in front of his face in the form
of suDplication, Hpo Thit said: THE
red stone which l took from the Kyoung
even from the forehead of Buddha, is
in the police Thakine's body. 1 fired it
from my gun the last time, because L
had no bullets, and because if it could
work a miracle it would stop the police
that I might get away"