The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1914-09-03
The Man Who
Would Be King
CONTINUED from Page 81

yet I should be sorry If it was He
sinks his head upon his great fur cloak
for a minute and thinks. King says
he. be you man or god or devil. I'll
stick by you today. ! have twenty OF
my men with me. and they will follow
me. Well go to Bashkai until the
storm blows over
"a little snow had fallen in the
night and everything was white except
the greasy fat clouds that blew down
and down from the north. Drav0t
came out with his crown on his head.
swinging his arms and stamping his
feet and looking more pleased than
Punch.
"'For the last time. drop 1t, DAM
says I in a whisper. Billy Fish here
says there will be row..
"a row among my peoplev says
Dravot. Not much. Peachey, you're
fool not to get wife too. Where's
the girlY says he with a voice as loud
as the braying of jackass. Call up
all the chiefs and priests and let the
SupCLOI SEC IL utS W1kC ouitS uAA4s
There was no need to call any one.
They were all there leaning on their
guns and spears round the clearing in
the center Of the pine wood. A depu-
tation Of priests went down to the lit
tie empire to bring up the girl. and the
horns blew up ft to wake the dead.
Billy Fish saunters round and gets as
cIoco 20 no p}ol &c ha could oud hohind
him stood his twenty men with match
locks. not q man Of them under six
feet. l was next to Dravot, and be-
hind me was twenty men of the regu-
lar army. Up comes the girl. and q
strapping wench she was, covered with
silver and turquOises, but white as
death and looking back every minute
ut the priests.
She'll do said Dan. looking her
over. What's. to be afraid of, lass?
Come and kiss me- He puts his arm
round her. She shuts her eyes, gives
bit of. squeak, and down goes her
face in the side Of Dams flaming red
beard.
"'The girls bitten mer says he,
clapping his hand to his neck. and
sure enough his hand was red with
blood. Billy Fish and two of his
matchbox men catches hold Of Dan by
the shoulders and drags him into the
Bashkai lot. while the priests bowls in
their lingo, Neither God nor devil, but
a man. was all taken aback, for
priest cut at me In front. and the army
behind began firing into the Bashkai
men.
81 tried to give some sort of orders
to my men-the' men o. the regular
army-but it was no use. so fired into
the brown Of 'em with an English Mar
TIM and drilled three beggars in line.
The valley was full of shouting. howl
ing creatures. and every soul was
shrieking. Not God nor devil, but
only a man. The Bashkai troops
stuck to Billy Fish all they were worth.
but their matchIocks wasn't half as
good as the Kabul breechlOaders, and
four of them dropped.
1--WE can't stand says Billy Fish.
Make . run for it down the valley.
The whole place is against u.s. There
wasn't more than six men. not count
ing Dan. Billy Fish and me. that came
down to the bottom Of the valley alive.
"My own notion is that Dan began
to go mad in his head from that hour.
He stared up and down like stuck
pig. Then he was all for walking back
alone and killing the priests with his
bare hands. which he could have done
An emperor am L. says Daniel. and
next year shall be knight Of the
queen
"'All right. Dam says l. but come
along now while there's time
Its your fault says he. for not
looking after your army better was
too heartsick to care. though it was all
his foolishness that brought the smash
I'm sorry. Dam says /. but there's
no accounting for natives. This bust
ness is our Fifty-seven. Maybe we'll
make something out Of it yet. when
we've got to Bashkai.'
Let's get to Bashkai them says
Dan. and when come back here
again I'll sweep the valley SO there
isn't bug in a blanket left.
I'VE walked all that day. and all
that night Dan was stumping up and
down on the snow, chewing his beard
and muttering to himself.
There's no hope o. getting clear,
said Billy Fish. The priests will have
sent runners to the villages to say that
you are only men. Why didn't you
stick on as gods till things was more
settled? Pm dead man. says Billy
Fish. and he throws himself down on
the snow and begins to pray to his
gods.
Next morning we was in q cruel
bad country-all up and down. no level
ground at all and no food either. The
six Bashkai men looked at Billy Fish
hungrywise as If they wanted to ask
something. but they said never word.
At noon we came to the top of fat
mountain all covered with snow, and
when we climbed up into 1t. behold.
there was an army in position waiting