Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1915-04-08
CHAPTER xxV-continued.


hand reached up and took hold of the
gunwale of the boat he had picked out
TO bring down. Would Umballa have
possessed tenacity enough to hang on
to it in face of all the devastation?
Bruce sighed as he drew himself up
and crawled into the boat He knew
that treasure Lad often made a hero
out of a coward; and treasure at that
moment meant life and liberty to Um-
balla. On his return to the island he
greeted the colonel somewhat roughly
But for this accursed basket they
would have been well out of Asia by
this time.
"Umballa has your basket, colonel
II he hasn't, then say good-by to it, for
1t can never be dug from under those
tons of rock. Here! where are
those fishermen going?" he demanded
The men were in the act of pushing
of with the boats. which they had only
Just brought back.
Ramabai picked up his discarded
rife.
Stop"
"They are frightened" explained the
chief
We'll, they can contain their fright
Till we are in safety" Ramabai de-
clared Warn them"
Hurry, everybody! feel It in my
bones that that black devil has the
treasure. Get these men into the
boats. Here pick up those oars. Get
in, Kit; you. Winnie; come every
body"
Kathlyn gazed sadly at her father
Treasure, treasure; that first. She was
beginning to hate the very sound Of
the word. The colonel had been nerv-
GUS, impatient, and irritable ever since
the document had been discovered.
Till recently Kathlyn had always be-
lieved her father to be perfect, but
now she saw that he was human, he
had his flawed spot Treasure! Before
her or Winnie! So be it.
Colonel" said Bruce, taking q
chance throw, I'VE are less than a
hundred miles from the seaport. Sup
pose we let Umballa clear out and we
ourselves head straight up the coast?
1t is not fair to the women to put them
to any further hardship"
"Brlce, l have sworn to God that
Umballa shall not have that treasure
Ramabai, do you understand what 1t
will mean to you if he succeeds in
reaching Alfalfa with that treasure,
nrnho hlU fni1liOnc0 10 mil ho 10
buy every priest and soldier in Alfalfa
and still have enough left for any ex-
travagance that he may wish to plunge
in"
"Sahib," suggested Ramabai, '1et us
send the women to the seaport in care
of Ahmed, while we men seek Umbal-
Ia"
Good" Bruce struck his hands to-
gether. THE very thing"
Il refuse to be separated from faith
err" declared Kathlyn. IF he is deter
mined to pursue Umballa back to AL
aaha, must accompany him."
And II" added Winnie.
Nothing more to be said" and
Bruce signed to the boatmen to start.
-'If only this breeze had not come up!
We could have caught him before he
made shore"
Umballa paced the deck of the sloop,
thinking and planning. He saw his
enemies leaving in the rescued boats.
Had he delayed them long enough? AS
matters stood. he could not carry away
l.
armed force Of men he could trust. On
the mainland were Ahmed and the 10y
lal keepers; behind were three men
who wanted his life as he wanted
theirs. The only hope he had lay in
the cupidity of the men on the sloop
1f they could be made to stand by
him, there was a fair chance. Once
lhe was Of mind to heave the basket
over the rail and trust to luck In find
ing it again. But the thought tore at
his heart. He simply could not do it
Perhaps he could start a revolt, or
win over the chief of the village. He
had known honest men to fall at the
sight of gold, to fight for it, to commit
any crime for it-and, IL need be, to
die for it. But the chief was with his
enemies. Finally he came to the con-
clusion that the only thing to be done
WAS to carry the treaure directly into
the chiefs hut and there await him.
He would bride the men with him suf-
ficiently to close their mouths. If All
med was on the shore, the game was
up. But he swept the mainland with
his gaze and discovered no sign of
him.
AS a matter OF fact, Ahmed had ar
ranged his elephants so that they could
start at once up the coast to the sea-
port. He was waiting on the native
highway for the return of his master,
quite confident that he would bring the
bothersome trinkets with him. He
knew nothing of Umballa's exploit.
The appalling thunder of the explo-
sions worried him. He would wait for |
just so long; then he would go and
seek
Every village chief has his successor
In hope. This individual was one of |
those who had helped Umballa to