Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-11-17

Indian thieves guilds, and he carries
tulwar. Do you know that you can
trust him?'
''This was news to me about Nagho.
I had hired him two months before in
Calcutta. He had come we'll recon-
mended and had proved capable SER
want. I did not like the idea that he
should have carried tulwar unknown
to me. The tulwar, let me explain, is
the wide bladed knife which the men
of the hill tribes use so effectively in
fighting. welding it at close quarters
or throwing it. With his tulwar, a hill
man can cut off the branch of tree
20 PAGES away or lop mans arm from
his body. I made up my mind that I
would find out more about Nagho be-
fore took him with me on another
trip, but today there was nothing l
could we'll do in the matter.
"'I think the Hindoo is all right
I said to Redvon. I'll have my eye
on him, though. Good bye. Hope
TIL see you at Baghra next week.
eve shook hands, and the four
bearers of the palanquin trotted away
with me at four mile-an- gait,
with Nagho and two relay bearers fol-
lowing. At Charpore, where we
stopped few minutes to rest, the
bearers got hold of report about
tiger, which was said to have killed
man or two lately on the road to
Baghra, and when they started on it
was with little of the willingness that
they had shown in the beginning.
We had got about four miles beyond
Charpore when we met crowd of
grass cutters coming on the run for
the village, and they shouted Tiger!
Tiger! as they came near us. man
aged to find out from them that no
one had been hurt, but that one of
them thought that he had seen tiger.
That was enough for my six palanquin
bearers. They set the palanquin
down and joined the grass cutters in
their run for the village, leaving me
with Nagho in the jungle.
81 reckoned that it was about ten
miles further to Baghra and decided
that 1 would walk there rather than
turn back. spread my umbrella to
protect me from the sun and started
along the path, with Nagho following,
carrying the satchel. 1t was a rough
road, miry in places. had to stop
often to rest, so as not to be overcome
by heat. and darkness fell before we
had made third of the remaining dis
tance to Baghra. But plodded on in
the darkness, feeling rather than see
ing my way, and hoping that nearer
Baghra the road would improve. I
was beginning pretty thoroughly to
distrust Nagho. There had come an
unpleasant change of expression in
his face since the palanquin men had
left us, and I did not like the furtive
look in his eyes which I had caught
several times in turning suddenly
toward him. Now that darkness had
fallen 1 carried my revolver in my
hand, quite as much on his account
as on the chance of falling in with .
tiger or leopard.
81 had ordered him to walk ahead,
which command he obeyed sulkily.
He was walking about 80 feet in ad-
vance of me when he turned suddenly
round just as my foot tripped against
tree root, sending me sprawling to
the ground. As I fell something
whizzed above my head, and I heard
leaves and twigs falling far back of
me down the road. It was Nagho's
tulwar, aud but for my lucky tumble
it would have split my skull as neatly
as you please. The Hindoo ran as
soon as he saw that his knife had
missed, taking the satchel with him.
I sent three shots after him from the
ground, then got up and started on at
an easy pace, for there was no hope
of my overtaking the Hindoo, for.
leaving the darkness out of the ques-
tion. he could have outstripped me on
such a road two to one. My only
hope of recovering the satchel and
money and bringing him to punish
ment was in getting to Baghra and
setting the native police on his trail.
'It soon became clear to me that I
should not get to Baghra that night.
The air was horribly hot and humid,
and the road got worse as I went on.
I could feel the jungle fever clutching
at me in the miasma that rose from
tine moist ground, but it was better
to chance that than risk falling from
heat and fatigue. I had rested myself
under tree by the roadside and had
begun to nod with drowsiness, when
the roar of tiger somewhere off in
the jungle gave q new turn to my
thoughts, and I got up and stumbled
on. Just as the tiger roared again
1 saw a smouldering fire in the clear
ing off to the right. 1t was an even
chance whether it meant camp oI
woodcutters or rendezvous of da.
colts, but turned off the road and
approached it. Only one man was
by the fire-an old white bearded mar
seated cross-legged on mat-and
saw that it was the. .fakir who had beer
at Redvon's bungalow the day befere
Here in the jungle he was sitting, alb
sorbed in contemplation. as calmly al