Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-11-26

UmbaIIa looked up with a start
Unconsciously he had wandered into
the slave mart. He shrugged and
strange. unusual figure standing on
the platform. A golden haired wom-
an with neck and arms like Chinese
bronze and dressed In a skirt of grass!
He paused.
1.-TWO thousand rupees!"
What" jeered the professional sell
Ter. For an houri from paradise?
| o. ye of weak hearts, what Is this l
hear? Two thousand rupees?-for an
! houri flt to dwell in the zenhna of
heaven!"
closer to the platform. He stared
and sucked his breath. He found
himself pulled two ways. He had no
money. but he had knowledge.
who sells this maiden?" he asked.
"Mohammed Ghori."
which is he7"
He squats there"
The Mohammedan stopped and
touched the old mahout on the shoul-
der.
Call on this sale and my master
will make you rich"
The old sinner gingerly felt of the
speakers cotton garb. "Ah! My mas
ter must be rich to dress thee in cot
ton. Where is your gold? Bid" satiri-
cally.
Two thousand rupees!" shouted
the professional seller
II have no gold. but my master will
give 10000 rupees for yonder maid.
Quick! Old fool. be Quick!"
BE gone. thou beggar!" And the
old man spat.
"Memsahib," the Mohammedan
called out in English. do not look
toward me. or all will be lost. I am
All. Bruce Sahib's chief mahout; and
we have believed you dead! Take
care! ! go to inform Ahmed Bruce
Sahib has not returned"
Kathlyn. when she heard that voice.
shut her eyes.
Umballa had drawn closer. There
was something about this half yelled
slave that stirred his recollection.
Where had he seen that graceful
poise! The clearness Of the skin.
though dark; the roundness Of the
throat and arms. :. .
Three thousand rupees!"
The old mahout purred and
smoothed his palms together. Three
thousand rupees. a rajah's ransom!
He would own his elephant; his wife
should ride in gilded palanquin. and
10
thousand rupees! He folded his arms
and walked gently to and fro.
Five thousand rupees!" said Um-
balla, impelled by he knew not what
to make this bid
A ripple OF surprise ran over the
crowd. The regent, the powerful Dur
ga Ram. was bidding in person for his
Zenana.
Kathlyn's nerves tingled with life
again, and the sudden bounding of
her heart stihed her. Umballa! She
would recognize her.
The mahout stood up, delighted. He
was indeed fortunate. He salaamed.
"Huzoor. she is gentle" he said.
The high-caste who had bid 5000
rupees salaamed also.
'Highness. she is yours" he said.
Il cannot bid against my regent"
1t was the custom TO mark a pur-
chased slave with the caste OF her
purchaser. Umballah. still not recog-
mixing her. waved her aside toward
the Brahmin caste markers, one OF
whom daubed her forehead with a vel.
low triangle. Her blue eyes pierced
the curious brown ones.
The sahib at the river" she whis-
pered in broken Hindustani Many
rupees Bring him to the house OF
I Durga Ram This in case Ali failed
J The Brahmin's eyes twinkled. Her
Iindustani was execrsble. but "sahib
and river" were plain to his under
I standing. There was but one sahib
I by the river. and he was the white
hunter who had rescued the vanished
queen from the ordeals. He nodded
almost imperceptibly. nwardly he
smiled. He was not above giving the
naughty upstart a Thugee's twist. He
spoke to his neighbor quietly. as
signed to him his bowls and brushes.
rose and made of.
Follow me" said Umballa to the
happy mahout. Presently he would
have his bags of silver, bright and
twinkling.
Fate overlook Ali, who in his mad
race to Hare's camp fell and badly
sprained his ankle. Moaning. less
from the pain than from the attend
ant helplessness. he was carried into
the hut of kindly ryot and there
ministered to.
The Brahmin. however. filIeu with
greed and a sly humor, reached his
/ dnatinafinn in safety Natnrn liz. ....,