The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-04-06

MANY"
When the colonel appeared at supper, simple but sub
Stantia1, he was a new man. He stood up straight.
though his back still smarted from the lash. Kathlyn
was delighted at the change.
After the meal was over and coffee was drunk, the
Khan conducted his guests to his armory, OF which lac
was very proud. Guns of all descriptions lined the
walls. Some Of them Bruce would have liked to own,
to decorate the walls of his own armory, thousands Of
miles away.
The colonel whispered a forgotten prayer as, later, he
laid down his weary aching limbs upon the rope bed.
Almost Immediately he sank into sumber as deep and
silent as the sea.
Kathlyn and Bruce, however, went up TO the hanging
gardens and remained there till 8, marveling over the
beauty OF the night. The Pathan city lay under their
gaze, with a likeness to one of those magic cities one
reads about in the chronicles of sinbad the Sailor. But
they spoke no word Of love. When alone with this re-
markable young woman, Bruce found himself invariably
tongue-tied.
At the same hour, less than fifty miles away, Um-
ballah stood before the opening Of his elaborate tent,
erected at shutdown by the rivers brink. and scowled at
the moon. He saw no beauty in the translucent sky, In
the sivery paleness of the world below. He wanted
revenge, and the word Missed in his brain as a viper
Kisses In the dark of it's cave.
Dung fires twinkled and soldiers lounged about them,
smoking and gossiping. They had been given an earnest
dSdiusL iuelE long uellnquenL wages, AIT they were j.
a happy frame of mind. Their dead comrades were
dead and mourning was for widows; for them would
be the pleasures Of swift reprisals. The fugitives had
gone toward the desert, and in that bleak stretch of
treeless land it would not be difficult to find them, once
they started in pursuit.
Midnight.
In the compound the moonlight lay upon everything;
upon the fat sides and back of the sacred white el-
plant, upon the three low caste keepers, now free If
the vigilant eye of their Brahmin chief. The gates were
barred and closed; all inside the house Of Bala Khan
were asleep. Far away a sentry dozed on his rife, on
the wall The three keepers whispered and chuckled
among themselves.
"Who will know" said one.
THE moon will not speak" said another.
Then, let US 60 and smoke"
The three approached the elephant. A bit Of gymnas.
tics and one of them was boosted to the back of the
elephant, to whom this episode was more or less familiar.
Another followed; the third was pulled up, and from
the elephants back they made the top OF the wall and
disappeared down into the street. Here they paused
cautiously, for two guards always patroIed the front OF
the compound during the night. Presently the three
truants stole away toward the bazaars, which in this
desert town occupied but a single street. Down they
went into a cellar way and the gurus curse stalked be-
side them. For opium Is the %handmaiden of all curses.
Perhaps twenty minutes later slight sounds came from
the front of the compound wall. A rife barrel clattered
upon ~ Goddess. linen, over the wall near the ele.
phant, a head appeared, then a body. This was repeated
four times, and four light footed nomads of the desert
lowered themselves into the compound. They ran quick
~ to the gate and noiselessly unbarred 1t. Outside were
five more desert nomads, gathered about the insenyibls
bodies of the s~entries.
These nine men were the dancers who had entered
the town in advance Of Kathlyn. For weeks they had
lain in wait for this moment. They had spied upon
the three low caste keepers and upon learning of their
nocturnal iunketa into the nninmr dom had raxf khn die
this night.
With the utmost caution they approached the sacred
elephant, took of his chains, and led him from the COM
pound. Immediately six OF the marauders trotted far
ahead toward the gate they knew to be the least guard.
ed. The sacred elephant, passing through the streets.
attended by three men, aroused no suspicious in any
~straggler who saw. So remote was the wall city, 80
seemingly impregnable, and 30 little interfered with that
it was only human that its guardians should eventually
grow careless.
When the keepers, staggering under the fumes of the
drug, returned near daybreak, first to find the gate open,
second to find their sacred charge gone, they fed in
terror: for it would be death, lingering and painful, for
them to stay and explain how and why they had left
their post.
The wild and lawless brigands knew exactly what
they were about. There were several agents Of Euro
pean and American circuses after this white elephant:
and as it could mot be purchased there was no reason
why IL could not be stolen.
When the Brahmin arrived at sunrise to find his
vocation gone he set up a wailtng which awakened the
household. The Khan was furious and ordered a gem
eral search. He vowed death to the foul hands which
had dons this ~sacrilege!
Kathlyn and the others were genuinely sorry when
the Khan announced what had taken place.
Said he: Come, you are all skilled hunters. Find
me my elephant and these guns and newer and surer
ones shall protect you from Durga Ram, should he taks
1t into his head to como this way"
The colonel, Bruce, and Ranabai SET out at once.
After they had gone a camel rider entered the compound
and sought audience with Bala Khan. KathIyn and
Pundita were in the compound at the time and the
former was greatly interested in the saddle bags, at.
tached to one Of which was a binocular case. Rathiyn
could not resist the inclination to open this ease. 1T
contained an exceptionally fne pair OF glasses, such as
were, used in that day in the British army. No doubs
they were o part of some loot.
Suddenly an idea came to her. She asked permission
Through Pundita) TO ride the camel outside the town
After some argument the servant in charge consented
Upon . knoll outside the city-a hiilock OF sand three
or four hundred feet Ia height-Kathlyn tried the glasses.
III ErnNn fhse ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS a haN ~ n #41~anxht-~Is