The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-11-26

them, too. Also Bob Pyu was their
friend and my brother. He did not
steal from the poor; but II any man
We're hungry, Bob Pyu would give him
rice. That was Bob Pyus way,
L went down by the mango tope,
where il is so dark, near the paddy
fields, and called for Bob Pyu, but no
one answered. The sound Of my voice
raised only the crows. who sleep i'm the
big tamarinds there in thousands as
you know. sir. They screeched back
at me like a thousand evil spirits,
till my voice was drowned. Then all
the pariah dogs in the village took
up the cry and hOwled as they do when
a great phoOngye dies and goes To Mir
Vana. l called many times, and looked,
but ! found no one. The dGcoits are
like the cobra: they hide and you can
not see them until they sting. Then
went to the church bungalow, for |
knew the dacoits WOULD go there, too.
I will talk 20 Bob Pyu, who is my
brother, l thought as l walked along,
and keep him from doing this evil
thing. ! was thinking, too, of the
Padre Thakine's wife and little girl
who was almost of the age of Mindah.
The dacoits would also kill these two
even the little girl with the hair like
gold from Shwebo.
When told the padre of the dacoits,
he was angry. That was his way. He
said it was my treachery. that / had
brought them there TO drive him from
Yenan. so that my pagan g0ds-even
Buddha Gaudama-might destroy the
souls Of the people. I was not angry
for / could see that he thought this was
so. IL viii be four or five hours be-
fore the police can come, / told him.
We must shut the doors and drive the
dacOits back until we hear the beat of
their ponies h0ofs.
We hung a light out on the veranda,
just at the top Of the steps. Inside
the bungalow was dark. By and by,
while l was watching I saw dark
nsures moving ia and out among the
cfOtOns in the compound.
They were coming closer TO the bun
galow. One man crept up the steps TO
the veranda. II was Bob Pyu.
II called 10 him, 'HO. brother, 1t is
J. Pathanine. Go away if you have
come for evil"
But he only laughed, and spoke as
the Burmans do, using bad words.
Il said ! would shoot him. and then
he crept down the steps again, and il
was still for a time They were talk
ing.
1T was So odd, sahib; my brother
Bob Pyu, who had come TO kill the
padre because of me. was there in the
dark, and soon we would be lighting
like enemies. trying to kill each other.
And in the bungalow beside me, was
Padre HOsIlins, watching lest I do him
treachery-. Only the little girl that was
like Mndah came and said that Path
anime would drive the dacoits away.
My heart grew much stronger because
OF that,
'Aliudah had started at 10 O'clock.
and while Bob Pyu was talking in the
compound with the other dacoits, the
PADRES clock, which was on table,
struck l.. M,ndah is at Minbu now,
told the padre. In two hours. or per-
haps three. the police will come.
If the dacOits break IN before that
asked the padre, what VIII they do?'
They viii cruelty you with your
head down, / said
And the women?' he asked.
~ don't know I answered. That
was sin. sabib, 10 tell that lie, for j
did know, but 1 thought it would be
much wrong 10 tell them what ]
knew-the mother and the girl that
was like Mindah
And your he again questioned.
4 shall be dead
Just then / saw the figures creepins
close 10 the steps again-three Of them.
When / called 10 them they shouted
Strike. strike" IN our tongue, aud
rushed up on the veranda, firing the
old muskets they had I fired. too.
and one OF them dropped Just across
the top OF the steps. The others went
back into the darkness again. When
they tired ] felt my arm as though
some one had drawn a sharp nail down
along the skiu-a hot nail. When the
dacoits went back | looked. and there
was much blood. Something from one
of the muskets had torn my arm. The
girl who was like Mindah cried when
she saw IL, and helped her mother bind
it up while 7 watched at the door-the
wooden door with lattice in K.
Three times the dacoits came back
just the same way. sir; only fiercer
and more wicked each time. The last
time another piece of lead from a mus
ket went through my body, and my
heart grew heavy. for I was getting
weak, and ] could not yet hear the gall
Top OF Sabah, though il was close 10
the time for the police. And the padre,
he, too, fought the dacolts even as he
fought against Buddha. with wicked
He had no gun. but
once. when two dacolts had forced the
door open little he rushed at them
with a dan / had given him and smote