The Red Cloud chief., 1905-09-01

forgot that the Dyaks were foxes, and
foxes can lie close when hounds are a
trifle stale.
Mir Jan returned the revolver.
"Sahib," he said. with another sa-
laam, ~ am n disgraced man, but II
you will take me up there with you I
will fight by your side until both my
arms are hacked Off. I am weary Of
these thieves. III chance threw me in
to their company. I will have no more
Of them. II you will not have me on
the rock, give me a gun. ! will hide
among the trees, and I promise that
some Of them shall die tonight before
they find me. For the honor Of the
regiment, sahib, do not refuse this
thing. All I ask Is II your honor es.
capes that you will write to Kurnal
I-shpence-sahib and tell him the last
act Of Mir Jan, corporal In Il troop"
jerks was profoundly moved. He
reflected how best to utilize the serv-
Ices Of this willing volunteer without
exposing him to certain death in the
manner suggested. The native mlsin-
tcrpreted his silence.
81 am not n rascal. sahib,' he ex-
claimed proudly. II only killed a man
BECAUSE
Listen, Mir Jan. You cannot we'll
mend what you have said. The Dyaks,
you are sure, will not come before
morning."
'They have carried the wounded to
the boats and are making the lad
ders. Such was their talk when I left
them"
"Will they not miss youY"
"They will miss the goatskin, sahib.
1t was the last full one"
Mir Jan, do as | bid and you shall
see Delhi again. Have you ever used
a Lce-Mctford?"
II have seen them. sahib. but l bet.
ter understand the Mahtini."
~ viii giro you Il rilc. with plenty
of ammunition. Do you go inside the
cave. there, and
Mir Jan was startled.
"Where the ghost is, sahib?" he said.
"Ghost. That Is n tale for children.
There Is no ghost, only a few bones
Of a man murdered by these coun-
drels long ago Have you any food?'
"Some rice, sahib: sufficient for n day
or two at a pinch"
Good! We will get water from the
well. When the fighting begins ut
dawn fire at every man you see from
the back Of the cave. On no account
come out. Then they can never reach
you II you keep a full magazine. Wait
here"
II thought you We're never coming"
protested Iris when jerks reached the
ledge. II have beer quite CREEPY. I
am sure there Is some one down there.
And, please, may I have another
drink ~
meath. He secured IA rife. a spare clip
and n dozen packets OF cartridges,
meanwhile briefly explaining to Iris
the turn taken by events so far as Mir
Jan was concerned. h was natural
ly delighted and forgot her fears in
the excitement caused by the appear
ance of so useful IN ally. She drank
his health In a trimming beaker Of
water.
She heard her lover rejoin Mir Jan
and saw the two step out into the
moonlight, while jerks explained the
action Of the rife. Fortunately Iris
was now much recovered from the
fatigue and privation Of the earlier
hours. Her senses were sharpened to
a pitch little dreamed of by stay-at-
home young ladies' Of her age, and she
deemed 1t her province to act as sentry
while the two men conferred. Hence
she was the first to detect, or. rather, to
become conscious of, the stealthy crawl
Of several Dyaks along the bottom Of
the cliff from Turtle beach.
Robert she screamed. The Dy-
| AXIS! On your left"
i But Iris was rapidly gaining some
l knowledge Of strategy. Before she
l shrieked her warning she grasped q
rife. Holding It at the ''ready'-about
the level Of her waist-and depressing
the muzzle sufficiently, she began firing
down the side of the rock as fast as
I h could handle lever and trigger
Two OF the nickel bullets struck a pro
lection and splashed the leading saw
ages with molten metal.
3 Unfortunately jerks rifle beneath
e was u%Dloaded, being In Mir JAMS pos
: session for purposes of instruction
jerks whipped out his revolver.
e 'To the cave!!' he roared, and Mil
JAMS unwillingness to face a goblin
nA..ll n-s .l L.