The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-07-17

IL d AeOpdFu1 10 bAEL ns clrCulatlonp as II were
He ordered his prisoners to be brought into the Court
of Death and left there. Meditation was excellent for
the end. A parapet ran round the court, and from there
Umballah could see everything below. His victims en-
tered the court without struggling. They merely stood
closely together in the center.
you see?' said Umpallah. Now, where have you
hidden the treasurer
Kathlyn walked over to one Of the cages and peered
into it. A sleek tiger trotted up to the bars and purred
and invited her to scratch his head. She did not accept
the invitation, however, knowing the species tolerably
well. Usually these courts # death had solid steel doors
which could be drawn up or lowered at will The ami
NAL dens were more like cages.
With no little curiosity she noted a singular arrange
ment OF the three central bars. The removal Of these
three bars left an opening sufficiently wide for the agress
Of the largest tiger or lion. ~
al am not answered" laid Umballah.
A click resounded from the four sides, and a bar dis
appeared from each Of the cages.
THAT will be all for the present" said Umballah.
Food and water you will not require. Tomorrow morn
ing another bar will be removed" -.
And he left them.
Overhead the blue sky was growing bluer and the
shadows in the Court of Death a deeper black.
Early the next morning the town began to seethe In
the squares. Bola khans army lay c@camped outside the
city Those who possessed treasures dug pits for them
in the cellars Of their houses. Within the great temple
there was a futter among the white robed ones. What
could they do2 They Lnew not where the white goddess
was, nor UmbalIah. They dispatched a peace messenger
to the camp, but the messenger was sent back before be
had passed the outposts.
When Bruce, Ramabai, Pundita, and Ahmed halted
their elephants before the :emple they were greeted by
the now terrified priests, who begged to be informed what
Bola Khan proposed to do.
Deliver to us the Memsahib."
The priests swore by all their gods that they knew
nothing Of her.
He speaks the truth" volunteered Ramabai, as the
chief priest fell before one of his gods. "UmbaIlah has
doubtless entered secretly"
What would you advise? For Gods sake, think OF
something, Ramabai! He may be torturing them!"
LET US enter the temple" said Ramabai. Ahmed,
bring the treasure and leave it in the care Of the
priests" A few moments later Ramabai addressed the
a%ssemblage. "Bola Khan is hostile, but only for the
sake of his friends. He lays down this law, however
obey it or disobey it: The Colonel sahib and his daugh-
tiers are to go free, to do what they please with the treas
ure. Pundita, according to the will Of the late king.
shall be crowned. Obey or disobey. I warn you that
these are not my dictates, but Bola Khans."
Peace, peace!" The cry rose from all directions
even from the priests themselves.
The high priest held up his hand for silence. "We
obey, on one condition-that the new queen shall in
no manner interfere with her old religion nor attempt
to force her new religion into the temple"
To this Pundita agreed.
"Ramnbai, soldiersI To the house of Umballahl
We shall find them there" cried Ahmed.
Umballah squatted upon his cushions on the terrace.
The second bar had been removed. The beasts were
pressing their wet nozzles to the openings and growing
deep challenges.
Once more, and for the last time, will you reveal
the hiding place of the treasurer"
Not q word from the prisoners If they told or did
not tell it would have made no difference with the map
above. He was drunk.
1.-THE third bari"
But it did not stir.
THE third bar; remove i'll"
The slave who had charge Of the mechanism which
operated the bars refused to act. Perhaps his refusal
saved the lives Of the Colonel and his daughters. The
bastinado was ordered for the poor, disobedient wretch.
Then he was thrown out into the street
And there Bruce found him and learned what was
toward.
The events which followed were Of breathless rapid
ity. Ramabai and Umballah met upon the parapet in
a struggle which promised death or the treadmIl to the
weaker. At the game time Bruce opened the door 20
the Court Of Death as the final bar dropped in the cage.
At the sight of him the Colonel and his daughters rushed
to the door. Roughly he hurled them outside, slamming
the iron door, upon which the infatuated tigers Hcng
themselves.
The young newspaper man to whom Winnie was en-.
gagged and the grzzled Ahmed sat on the steps Of the
bungalow in California one pleasant afternoon. The
pipe was cold in the hand Of the reporter and Ahmed's
cigar was dead, which always happens when one re-
counts an exciting tale and another listens. Among the
flower beds beyond two young women wandered, fol-
lowed by a young man in pongee, a panama set care
lessly upon his handsome head, his face brown, his build
slender but round and muscular.
"And that, sahib, is the story" sighed Ahmed.
"And Kathlyn gave the treasures to the poor Of
Alaha2 That was fne."
"You have said"
"They should have hanged this Umballah."
"No, Sahib. Death is grateful. 1t is not a uunish-
ment; 1t is peace. But Durga Ram, called Umbarah,
will spend the remainder of his days in the treadmfI.
which is a concrete hell, not abstract. Always round
his ankles there win be irons, the gals of the night.
chains. Always his wrists shall be bruised and torn:
for sometimes he win lose his step and hang by his
wrists. So much for ingratituda; 80 much for the blind
ness OF revenge"
Do you think England win ever step int"
Perhaps. But so long as Pundita rules justly no
long as her consort abets her, England win not move.
Perhaps. if one Of them dies. Theref tA maids