The National tribune., 1902-07-03
your burden" roared AfrulIah Khan from


The old villain is taking no chances"
he whispered tU the ressaldar.
| The man nodded.
NO. sahib. The notion of blowing up
the walls under cover of laying down the
cases has occurred to him as we'll as to
is beyond his evil mind. Have no fear"
The clang of the opening gate was
heard. Four dark figures came padding
through the moonlight on bare feet. Two
fierce eyes scanned Fenton's face, and a
snarling Pathan voice said:
| Return to your masters, sons Of pigs,
and say that there is need OF haste. There
are 40 eases to bring and it want but six
| hours of dawn. Away with YOU
! He and his fellows bent TO lift the bur
den the other two had laid down. Fenton
| hesitated. uncertain for the moment how
to act. Why did the explosion lag?
! Thy servants have need of rest he
whimpered, in true coolie fashion. Let it
be granted us that we sit moment to re-
cover BREATH
The Pa.han stoppetl-suspicious 1t
was not like an ordinary Bengali camp
| follower. Such 4 one should he scamper-
ing back TO his fellows. thankful TO find
| himself alive. He pcered mp into Fen
toms face. As ill-luck would have it. the
! Englishman's Disguise slipped. A streak
OF white skin showed above the level of his
| tunic.
| The Pathan's voice rang out in the shrill
cry of ''Treacheryr'
| There was instant hustle in, the fort.
| Torches tamed-ScoreS of eager faces lined
| the parapet. The sound of the gates being
opened anew changed into the night; the
rear of voices and the clash of weapons
stormcd the echoes.
And then. as if the lightning had rent
| the darkness, 4 crimson streak flared into
| the sky and the thunderous boom of the
Los r,In al loyya.I oil IaSg.ar int N
| nothiDgness. The river wall. the towers.
| the grating, the bastion with its swarm of
| armed men, burst upwards into spinning
| fragments. Where Il moment before had
! been dim shadows above the wash of in
Vulnerable eddies was Il great rent into
| the heart of the citadel-a breach that
laid the courtyard open to the very level
of the plain.
| Hir; III Singhs tulwar had 1eaped from
| its con realment in his sash TO find a new
sheath in the Pathan's throat. Bullets
| from Fentons revolver had accounted for
| two more. The fourth raced for the shat
tered fort, screaming shrilly, while the
| EnSl!shinen and the Sikh painted at his
| heels.
| CarrIthcrs halted bare second TO bring
| his rifle to his shoulder. AT the sound of
| the report the runner pitched forward
! upon the very brink of the opening, his
nuttiung arms outlined against the glare
NllHlu- al tHe SslIlP U1OIIieHt the three
heard the thunder of the charge sweeping
| up from behind.
An instant later the troopers halted
heir horses upon their very launches
Hung the reins upon their necks tetherless,
| and stormed at their leaders, back into the
SHAMELESS of the inner court.
For a moment it seemed as if resist
ance was to lack to the attack. Then
with yeils of rage half Il hundred Pathans
came with Il rush from Il dozen doors and
windows. Afrullah Khan ut their head,
every cnrse-and they are nlany-that Il
lillman knows snarling between his yellow
teeth. Fenton ieaped forward to meet
him, Hiram Singh ut his elbow.
The Pathan leader rushed on. but not at
the Engiishman. He swerved. With a
quick turn of the heel he made for an
| open doorway at the courtyard end, his
men, following blindly, with him.
Instinct made Fenton understand the
hideOus grin upon the Pathan's face. He
knew himself undone-he was going to
take vengeance. Somewhere up that dark
entry the prisoners were Gagged, their fate
still trembling in the balance.
He shouted to his troopers to cut the
others off. and led them with Il rush that
damned the doorway with furious mob
of siashing men, who cut, and cut blindly,
ut friend or foe-a jostle of living and
dying that heaycd like Il troubled whirI-
pool as some suffocated wretch fell to
snothercd agonies, or when some painting
hiilman's muscles were galvanized into
superhuman strength by Il bullet in heart
or brain. Out of the turmoil only two
men won an entrance through the door
way across the heaped corpses-the
Pathan leader and Fenton; Afrullah Khan
had lead of a dozen steps. He bounded
up the stairs.
Fenton, following, heard the clash of a
lock and the jar of an opening door. He
lcaped the last flight six stairs at Il time
to overtake his adversary. Afrullah Khan
turned, with the door half open behind
him, and raised his blade. The English
man covered him with his revolver. There
was no report, only Il tiny click. He had
emptIed it in the courtyard fray!
The Pathan gave Il triumphant cry. He
raised his sword to the full height of his
arm. FentOn flung up his wrist weakly to
break the coming blow and slipped upon
seemed to hang aloft untold ages before it
fell-he gasped-do what he would he
WINGED before the coming shock
And then the sword fell, indeed, but
alone. 1t claJtered from Afrullah Khan's
grasp to the floor as a sharp report filled
the echoes of the stairway. The Pathan
staggered, rocked against the opposite
wall, and slid to the pavement. 4 reek-
ing wound stared in his back. while the
faint blue mist of powder-smoke came
drifting through the still half-opened door,
And Fenton, too, reeled down uneon-
scious. The strain upon his overwrought
nerves had been too great.
When his senses futtered slowly back
to him 10 minutes later the fight was over.
Red flashes still ilared upon the plain and
the rifles still spoke. but they only told of
hunted hillmen flying to the upland gorges
+ before the Gurkha pursuit Within the
courtyard Col. MacwOrth was already in
command of his rescuins men.
Fenton stared drowsily at Afrullah
khan's body. still lying where it fell. Still
half daZed, he turned to see Violet Nane
watching him with anxious, questioning
eyes. They were alone.
"He-he was shot down from behind"
he muttered, weakly.
She was pale. but she did not falter
Her eyes avoided the Pathan's corpse and
fixed themselves steadily on Fenton's face
Il shot him. she answered, control
lingsa shudder.
He looked up at her wonieringly.
"4ou-you saved my hfe?" he cried
Or you miney' she said, trying to
smile
He staggered to his feet. His eyes We're
shining. His lips moved with words that
he hesitated to say. He had no need.
And So" she said, eagerly, impulsively,
If your life belongs to me, mine is yours
yours."-The Strand.