The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1903-05-07

f1lutOO, Nuc ihed)ls tIlul IL tuty hhoN
what it good for themselves and fami-
lies, they will keep shy Of the spot and
leave the worthy Thugs to carry out
| their own sweet viii. Hence you see.
| Sandy" removing his cigar for mo-
ment in nonchalant way, 1--WE need
expect no assistance from this crowd
Luckily, 1 hadn't counted on it,
Joe remarks the other, in something
of the same humor.
"It will be 4 sight worth looking ut
when the signal is given. Keep your
eyes open, friend. You will receive 4
that Of being perhaps the
first man for whose benefit the signal
has been given and who lives to tel!
the tale"
This is enough in itself to arouse
Sandy's hopes. Widc-awake he gen.
orally is, but just now his eyes seem
popping out of his head with eager
ness.
They saurter slowly on, while their
body-guard-for such the ugly-lookins
squad Of Thugs appears to be-keeps
| them company. At the same time,
their number increases. Sandy can,
with only casual glance, count
dozen men wearing the same peculiar
style OF turban. There is something
odd and even grotesque about 1t to
him, now that lie notes the fact that
every one Of the Thugs wears one.
Other turbans he has noticed, but
there seems to be peculiar signifl-
canoe about this one, which can only
| be explained by the fact that he knows
the nature of the society that appears
to have adopted it.
Why does not the critical moment
come? Are the Thugs waiting for
certain spot to be reached where tie
blood Of the foreigners shall drench
the soil?
1t Is 4 sensation to remember this
walk along the bustling 3hendy Baz-
ar Road, with its peculiar sights and
sounds and odors, all the while at
tended by a select body-guard from
| the picked members of a secret society
Of assassinS, the ramifications Of
which extend even beyond the limits
Of India's wide borders.
The most interesting part Of the
business comes in just here; this body
guard has not their good at heart and
docs not thus convoy them in order to
! ward off danger. On the contrary,
each and every individual member Of
it has been bound by his oath to eff
feet the death Of the two Americans.
Their orders come from headquarters.
and they obey with the blindness that
generally marks the actions Of these
children Of destiny. How arc they to
know that it is the Russians gold
that bought their leaders? Little tkey
care. since their oath binds them to
bl:ndly obey.
1t is coming soon. Sandy notes that
numbers of the people have already
edged away. When their eyes note
the strange turbans worn by these
men and count the number, the fata!
thirteen, they exhibit all the signs of
sudden fear, and, turning, hasten from
the spot in undisgulsed alarm.
Still Mynheer Joe shows no ALARM
himself, strange man that he is. What
can he be made of to thus calmly face
death that most men shudder to con-
template? Really the fellow must have
been born without nerves, he has such
remarkable control over himself.
They have by slow stages reached a
point on the road where the bazars are
thickest, and ordinarily here can be
seen the most interesting Of all the
fsights Bombay offers to the curiosity
seeker.
Listen" says Joe, suddenly, ut is
coming"
He tosses the remnant of his cigar
away, as If tired Of smoking. Sandy
bastens to follow suit, for he wants
his vision to be as clear as his other
faculties are at this moment.
AIynheer Joe has not made a blum
der in the matter Of time. At the very
moment Sandy relieves himself Of his
cigar there rises above the babel of
voices, a startling sound. Sandy has
never heard anything like it before
and, please Heaven, he does not want
to again, since he knows what 1t sig
nifes.
The effect is astounding. A dead
silence reigns where before all was
bustling confusion. People appear to
shrink away. so quickly do they get
their bodies out Of sight. This Is
part of the business that amazes San
dy. He sees the eager tradesman stop
in the midst Of sentence and no
longer attempt to sell his wares. 1t
would be useless anyway. since his
late customer has apparently merged
into space, the spot that once knew
him knowing him no longer. Thus
1t Is with all-they melt away as does
tynf