The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-11-10
assuredly be awkward

But they had not, and they were both
70 intent on the conversation that they
were %momentarily of their guard. Iris
was more watchful. She fancied there
was a light rustling amid the under
growth beneath the trees on the right.
And she could hiss, too, If that were
the correct thing to do.
So she Kissed.
1enks swarmed halfway up the lad
der.
"1es. Iris" he said.
Il am not sure, but l imagine ONE
thing moved among the bushes behind
the house."
"All right, dear. l will keep a sharp
lookout. Can you hear us talking?"
Hardly. Will you be long?"
Another minute"
he descended and told Mir Jan what
the miss sahib said. The native was
ABOUT to make a search when Jerks
stopped him.
"Here"-he handed the man his re-
volver-"l suppose you can use this"
Mir Jan took it without a word, and
jerks felt that the incident atoned for
previous unworthy doubts of his dark
rrlenis honesty. The Mohammedan
cautiously examined the back of the
house, the n%eighboring shrubs and the
open beach. After a brief absence he
reported all safe, yet no man has ever
peeh nearer death and escaped it than
ne during that reconnaissance. He, too,
forgot that the Dyaks were foxes, and
foxes can lie close when hounds are a
tritie stale.
Mir Jan returned the revolver.
Sahlb," he said, with another sa-
lam, 81 am a disgraced. man, but if
you will take me up there with you I
Will fight by your side until both my
arms are hacked off. l am weary Of
these thieves. III chance threw me in
TO their company. I will have no more
OF them. IL you will not have me on
the rock, give me a gun. 1 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 ask is If your honor es-
capes that you will write to Kurnal
I-shpence-sahib and tell him the last
act of Mir Jan, corporal in B 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 misin-
terpretcd his silence.
81 am not a rascal, sahib," he ex-
claimed proudly. II only killed a man
because
Listen, Mir Jan. You cannot well
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 1 left
them
VIII they not miss youw
"Thcy will miss the goatskin. sahib.
1t was the last full one"
mir Jan, do as l bid and you shall
see Delhi again. Have you ever used
a Lee-Metford?'
Il have seen them, sahib, but 1 bet
ter understand the Mahtini."
Il will give you a rifle, 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 a tale for children.
There is no ghost, only a few bones
of a man murdered by these scoun-
drels long ago. Have you any food?"
Some rice, sahib; sufficient for a day
or two at a pinch"
Good! We will get water from the
well. When the fighting begins at
dawn fire at every man you see from
the back of the ave On no account
come out. Then they can never reach
you If you keep n full magazine. Wait
here"
II thought you were never coming"
protested Iris when jerks reached the
ledge. II have been quite creepy. l
am sure there is some one down there.
And, please, may I have another
drink"
The sailor had left the crowbar be-
meath. He secured a rifle, a spare clip
and a dozen packets of cartridges,
meanwhile briefly explaining to Iris
the turn taken by events so far as Mir
Jan was concerned. She was natural
ly delighted and forgot her fears in
the excitement caused by the appear
ance of so useful an ally. She drank
his health in a brimming 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 rifle. Fortunately Iris
was now much recovered from the
fatigue and priyation 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 it her province to act as sentry
while the two men conferred. Hence
she was the first to detect, OF, 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-
N ~ IS NlH-E9