The Huttig news., 1911-08-05


 and kicked him grievously. so that he complained with loud voice and cast himself at the sahib's feet. declaring that he was but as tf just beneath them and that Amber as his father and mother and the light of the Uni verse besides.
 Somewhat notified and refecting, at the same time, that this was all but part of the game, to be expected by those who patronize resthouses off the beaten roads of travel. the Virginian returned to his charpoy and immedi- ately lapsed into singularly disquiet- ing dream He was strolling by the border of the lake when a coot swam in and hailed him in English; and when he stopped to look the coot lifted an A. D. T. me ssenger boys cap and pleaded with him to sign his name in little black book, promising that If he did so, 1t would he 'ree 10 doff It's disguise and be LabtrOo fehe again. So Amber signed Pink Sat.n" in the book and the coot stood up and said: I'm not Labertouche at al but Ram Nath, and Ram Nath is only an other name for liar Dyal Button, and besides you had better come away at once, for the Eye thou dost war upon they finger never sleeps and it's only paste Token anyway" Hearing which. Amber caught the coot by the leg and found that he had grasped the arm of Salig Singh. whose eyes were both monstrous emeralds without any whites whatever. And Salig Singh tapped him on the shoulder and began to say over and over again in a whis- per
 But here Amber another time found himself wideawake and sitting up, his left hand gripping the wrist of na- tive and his right holding his pistol steadily leveled at the natives breast. While the voice he heard was real and no flgment of dream-mused imagi- nation; for the man was whispering earnestly and repeatedly:
 Hasten, hazor, for the night doth wane and the hour is at hand"
 What deviltry's this?" Amber de- manded sharply. with a threatening gesture.
 But the native neither attempted to free himself nor to evade the pistols mouth Have patience. hazor," he begged earnestly, and make no dis turbance It Is late and the se9oys sleep: If you will be eircumspect and are not afraid"
 Who are your"
 q was to say. T come from you know whom, hazeor" ,"
 That all ?"
 "In the matter of a certain photo graph, hazoor"
 By thunder," Labertouche's name was on Amber's lips, but he repressed l it. Wait a bit" He gulped down the last dregs of sleep. Let me think and-see."
 This last was an afterthought. AS 1t came to him he dropped the pistol by his side and felt for matches in the pocket of his coat, which hung over the back of beside chair Find ing one, he struck it no<selessly and as the tiny flame broadened. drew his captive nearer
 It was a fat, mean, wicked face that stood out against the darkness: an ochre-tinted face with a wide. loose tipped mouth and protruding eyes that 1 blinked nervously into his. But he had never seen it before.
 Who are you?" He cast away the match as it's flame died and snatched up his weapon.
 'l was to say"
 "I heard that once Whats your name?"
 "Dulla Dad. hazoor" And who are you from?'
 'Hazoor, l was not to say"
 T think you'd better" suggested Amber. with a grim significance. ''I am the hazoor's slave. dare not say
 Now look here"
 "Hazoor, it was charged upon me to say, I come from you know whom ]"
 The devil 1t was Well, what do you want?"
 q was to say. Hasten. hazoor, for the night"
 I've heard that, too You mean you're to lead me to somebody, some where-you can't say where?"
 Aye, hazoor, even SO"
 Get over there, in the corner. while l think this overland don't move or I'll make you a present of a nice young bullet Dulla Dad"
 That is as Allah wills; only re- member, hazoor, the injunction for haste"
 The man, small stunted Moham- medan, sidled fearsomely over to the spot indicated and waited there, cring- ing and supplicating Amber with elo- quent gestures. The Virginian watch ed him closely until comforted by the reflection that. had murder been the object, he had been a dead man long since. Then he put aside the revolver and began to dress
 "Only Labertouche would have to communicate with me by such stealth, he considered. Besides. that reference to the photograph He slipped hurriedly into his cloth | ing and ostentatiously dropped the