The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1914-07-24

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Now that she was on land. moving to
ward her father. all her yisortretnrned
She felt strangely alive, exhilarated
She knew that she was not going 70
be afraid Of anything hereafter. To
enter the strange country without hay.
Ing her purpose known would be. the
main difficulty. Where was Ahmed
all this time? Doubtless in a cell like
bis. master, 81,
Three days later she stood at the
frontier, and her servant set about
arguing and bargaining with the ma
houts to engage elephants for the three
days march through junglesi and
mountainous divides to the capital.
Three elephants were necessary.
There: wereitw howdah. elephants and
one pack elephant who was always
tagging behind. Through long aisles Of
magnificent trees they. passed. across
hot, blistering deserts, dotted here and
there by shrubs and stunted trees. in
and out OF gloomy de6les Of tiinty
rock. over sluggish aud swiftly flowing
streams. The days were hot, but the
nights were bitter cold. Sometimes a
blue miasmic haze settled down, and
'theI dry raspya hides OF the elephants
grew damp: and they fretted at their
Chains. lgay a.t5 u - al.
1 Raos the kMtmatgar Kathlyn had
hired in Calcutta, proved invaluable.
Without him she would never have
succeeded ! in n entering the strange
country; for these wild.eyed Mahom,
edan T'ahoufs (and It is pertinent to
note that only Mahomedans are ever
made mahouts, It being against the
tenets Of Hinduism to kill or ride any.
thing that kills. scowled at her evil,
". They would have made way with
her for an anna.piece. .Rao5was a Ma,
homedan himself. SO they listened and
obeyed. IA
All this the first day and night out
On the following morning leopard
crossed the trail. kathryn seized her
rife and broke; its spine. The jabber-
ing Of the mahouts would have amused
her at any other time.
Good, memsahib,% whispered Rao.
"You have put fear into their devils
hearts, Good! chup!" he called.
Stop your noise"
After that they gave Kathlyn's dog
font nlantv of roorn
One day, in the heart of natural
clearing, she saw a tree. Its blossoms
and leaves were as scarlet as the
seeds OF a pomegranate. ii
20, how beautiful! What Is 1t,
Rao% ~
THE fame Of the jungle, memsahib.
1t is good luck to see it on a Journey"
I About the tree darted gay para
ksets and fat green parrots. The green
plumage Of the birds against the bril-
liant scarlet; OF the tree was inde.
scrlbably beautiful. Everywhere was
life, everywhere was color. Once, as
the natives seated themselves OF the
evening round their dung fire while
Eathlyn busted with the tea over a
wood fire, a tiger reared near by. The
elephants trumpeted and the mahouts
rose In terror. Kathlyn ran for her
rife. but the trumpeting of the ele.
rhants was sufficient To- send the
striped cat to other hunting grounds.
Wild ape and pig abounded, and &C.
casionally a caha wriggled out Of the
sun into the brittle grasses. Very few
beasts or reptiles are aggressive; fl
Is only when they feel cornered that
they turn. Even the black panther, the.
most savage of all cats, will rarely
offer battle except when attacked.
Meantime the man who had followed
Kathlyn arrived at the city.
Five hours later Kathlyn stepped
cut Of her howdah, gave Rao the
money for the mahouts, and looked
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