Meade County news., 1915-02-04

treasure leopards roared back at the
sinister sound.
"Highness!" timidly.
Enough! / hold you blameless."
He rushed from the palace.
Poor fools Let them believe that
they had escaped. There was still the
little sister; in a short time now she
would be inside the city walls. The
Colonel Sahib would return; indeed,
yes. There would be no further DIM
Guilty regarding the filiGree basket OF
gold and gems. Still, he would pur-
sue them, II only for the mere sport
of 1t. II he failedsto catch them all
he had to do was to sit down and walt
for them to return Of their own Voli-
ton.
Ramabia, however, was a menace;
and Umballa wondered how he was
going to lay hold of him. While walt
ing for his elephants to be harnesseo
he summoned the Council. Rama
bai's property must be confiscated ana
Ramabai put to death. Here for the
first time the Council fatty refused to
fall in with Umballa's plans. And
they gave very good reasons. Yes,
Ramabai was menace. but till the
soldiery was fully paid, to touch Rama
bal would mean the bursting forth OF
the hidden fire and they would all be
consumed.
open the treasury door for me.
then!"
I'VE dare not. The keepers under
stand. They would loose the leopards.
which we dare not shoot. The law
=. :"
what is the law to us?" demanded
Umballa frankly. Let us make laws
to suit our needs. The white man
does. And we need money; we need
each other" pointing a finger sug-
gestively toward the floor.
"Only when we have the troops" re-
piled the Council firmly. I'VE have
bent our heads to your will so far In
everything, but we refuse to sacrince
these heads because OF a personal
spite against Ramabai, whom we
frankly and wisely fear. We dare not
break into the treasury, The keepers
are unbribable; the priests are with
them, and the people are with the
priests. Bring back the white man and
his daughter first; II that Is impossl'
BILE, marry this second daughter, and
we will crown her; and then you may
work your will upon Ramabai. You
have failed In all directions so far
: Succeed but once and we are ready te
follow you"
Umballa choked back the hot, I'm
perious words which crowded to MI
> lips. These we're plain, unvarnishet
facts, and he must bow to the inevita
BILE, however distasteful 1t might be
For the present, then, Ramabai shoul'
be permitted to 60 unharmed. Blu
Ramabai might die suddenly and ac
cidentally in the recapture OF the Colo
u mel Sahib. An accidental death woul
certainly extinguish any volcanic fire
that smoldered under Alfalfa. So, wit
II this secret determination In mind, Un
i balla set forth.
II Ahmed, his mind busy with tho'
D. sand things, forgot the thousand an
first, at that stage most important
d ell; and this was the short cut, a mer
pathway through the jungle but whic
# lessened the journey by some thirt
d miles. And this pathway Umball
II chose. The three hours headway wa
r thus pared down to minutes, and q
the proper time Umballa would al
8 pear, not behind the pursued but Il
u the road in front OF them.
d There was, to be sure. bare poss
0 bllity OF the colonel and his party gel
p ting beyond the meeting Of the pat
n and the road-that is, II he kept goin
forward all through the night, which
L by the way, was exactly what the al
y tute Ahmed did. But Kathlyn's cur
osity the next morning neutralized tn
l. advantage gained.
4 A group of masked dancers, peripa
t tetic, was. the cause. Confident tina
d they had outstripped pursuit, she say
; no reason why she should not witnes
= the dancing.
9 How Umballa came upon them SUD
Il denly, like a thunderbolt, confscatinI
e the elephants; how they fed to neal
}. by temple, bribed the dancers 10
masks and garments, fed still farthe
into the wooded hills, and hid ther
with small arms ready, needs but littl
8 telling. Umballa returned to the cit,
Q satisfied. He had ct least deprive,
them of their means of travel. Soone
l. or later they would founder In the jur
gle. hear Of the arrival Of the younge
IS daughter, and return.
Ahmed was grave. Lal Singh ha'
II gone. Now that the expedition ha'
r practically failed. his place was bac
t in the shoe shop In the bazaars. Yet
o Ahmed was grave. He wac also trlfi
" disheartened. The fakir had said tina
, there would be many disappointment
!. but that in the end He might b
a liar like all the other Hindus. Ye
8 surely one part Of his foretelling wa
u correct: many disappointmehts.
|. kit" said her father. "Ahme
warned you not to stop"