The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-03-15

And many have offered to buyF inquired the colonel Many"
 When the colonel appeared supper simple but sub stantial he He stood up straight though his back still smarted from the ash Kathlyn delighted at the change
 After the meal and coffee drunk, the Khan conducted his his armory, of which he was proud. Guns of all descriptions lined the walls Some of them Bruce would have liked own, decorate the walls of his armory thousands of miles away
 The colonel whispered forgotten prayer later. hs laid down his weary aching limbs upon the rope bed Almost immediately he sank into slumber deep and silent the
 Kathlyn and Bruce, however went up to the hanging gardens and remained there till O. maryeling the beauty of the night The Pathan city lay under their gaze, with likeness to of those magic cities reads about in the chronicles of Sinbad the Sailor But they spoke word of love- When alone with this markabe young woman Bruce found himself invariably tongue-ted.
 At the same hour, less than fifty miles away. Um halah stood before the opening of his elaborate erected at sundown by the rivers brink scowed the He beauty in the translucent sky in the silvery paleness of the world below. He wanted revenge and the word hissed in his brain viper hisses in the dark of it's cave
 Dung fires twinkled and soldiers lounged about them smoking and gossipng They had been given against their long delinquent and they in happy frame of mind. Their dead comrades dead and mourning for widows for them would be the pleasures of swift repriss The fugltives had toward the desert. that bleak stretch of treeess land it would be difficult find them, they started in pursuit.
 Midnight.
 In the compound the moonlight lay upon everything; upon the fat sides and back the sacred white phant upon the three low caste keepers, free ot the visant eye their Brahmin chief The gates were barred and closed; all inside the house of Bala Khan were asleep. Far away sentry dozed his rhe the wall The three keepers whispered and chuckled among themselves.
 Who will know?" said one.
 The moon will not speak," said another.
 Then let go and smoke"
 The three approached the elephant A bit of gymnas. ties and of them boosted to the back of ths elephant to whom this episode less familiar Another followed the third pulled up and from the elephants back they made the top the wall disappeared down into the street Here they paused cautiously for two guards always patroed front of the compound during the night Presently the three truans stole away toward the bazaars, which In this desert town occupied but single street. Down they went into cellar way and the gurus staked be- side them For opium is the handmaden of all curses Perhaps twenty minutes later slight sounds came from the front of the compound wall rife barrel ciattered
  ran head appeared, then body. This was repeated four times, and four light footed nomads of the desert lowered themselves into the compound They ran quick y to the gate and noselessy unbarred it. Outside were five desert nomads gathered about the insensibs bodies of the sentres.
 These nine the dancers who had entered the town in advance of Kathyn For weeks they had lain in wait for this They had spied upon the three low keepers and upon learning of their nocturnal junets into the opium den had cast the die this night
 With the utmost caution they approached the sacred elephant took off his chains and led him from the com pound Immediately six Of the marauders trotted far ahead toward the gate they knew the least guard cd The sacred elephant passing through the streets attended by three men, aroused no suspcions in any straggler who So was the wall city, ,o seemingly impregnabe and little nterfered with that it only human that its guardians should eventually grow careless
 When the keepers. staggering under the fumes of tho drug returned daybreak first find the gate opeu second to ind 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 about There were several agents of Euro. pean and American crcuses this white elephant and as it could be purchased there was no reason why it could not be stolen
 When the Brahmin arrived at slnrise to find hi.
  vocation gone he set up wailing which awakened the household The Khan furious and ordered a gen era search. He vowed death to the foul hands which had done this sacrilegeI
 kathlyn and the others genuinely sorry when the Khan announced what had taken place.
 Said he :" Come, you all skilled hunters Fin. me my elephant and these guns newer and sr... ones shall protect from Durga Ram should he taks it into his head to this way"
 The colonel Bruce. and Ramaba out at orce After they had umel rider entered the compound and sought audience with Baa Khan. Kathlyn ani Pundita were in the compound at the time and the former was greatly interested in the saddle bags at. tached to of which a binocular case Kathlyn could not resist the inclination to open this case It contained exceptionally fine pair glasses such as were used in that day in the British army. No doubt they a part of loot.
 Suddenly an idea came to her. She asked permission through Pundit) to ride the camel outside the town After argument the servant in charge consented Upon knoll outside the citya Lillock of sand three