The Washington herald., 1916-01-02


Use all your wfts-we need eyes. ears
Then as Gideon once did in Bible
story, Dick took steps TO choose a
handful from his host on whom he
could depend. He and Usbeg All walk
ed here and there, here and there. in
Ing for men whose eyes were brighs
STILL and who were not too tired TO
answer jest With Jest
It took them two hours TO pick as
they had three fifty-Iaan piatoons to
take the strain In turn. and then they
pushed a living firing far forward, be-
Dick posted them. though usbeg Ali
wenS~yNith him to see, and Usbeg All
listsstd to the orders that he gave;
but the Afghan learned little.
Now for the closest watch that
The man caught nodding diesi The
first man 10 get information wins pro-
motion on the spots I'm short of good
I'VE viii watch as the night birds
watch. for mice.R they promised.
Two hoursE said Dick.
four-then. two hours watch againl"
When the last fixed post had been
attended to. he and Usbeg Ali walked
the foot OF the overhanging elm, where
DICK had ordered grass bed made for
himself, raised on four cleft sticks.
whsre aSsss esn 20 sssP nd sueEv h9 SAID 10
up to where the men lie; sleep until
dawni"
1T " an order. Usbeg Alie..
SO the Afghan went, regretfully-
almost resentfully-yet sore-eyed
from long wakefulness, and soon his
snores sang second to Andry Mac
Douglas rasping salutation to the
sleep god. The whole host was sleeping
almost before the sun went under. and
saw four horsemen. one by one. go
racing along the plain at chance, un-
certain intervals.
Dicks orders were for silence and
o1tempt tnrs was innnd made to to shoot the
So the fourth man. riding within
sound of the thirds hoof thunder,
gathered confidence. He rode fun pelt
with a pegged rope, and pounced on
him to strip him, and whether he
broke his neck in falling or they
Dick as dead. when they had torn
every strip of clothing from his body
they discovered a letter tucked IN his
soek. and hurried to Dick with. it,
earned the reward. Dick-leaplng
from his bed before they were within
ten yards of him-promoted all FIVE
Then he struck match after match,
and burned his fingers in his eager
ness to read the message, chuckling
to himself and thanking the god Of
good adventurers because he kRew
enough Russian to understand the
fifty words scrawled on a piece of ufl-
I>teri No one to share the news! No
body, then, TO warn the Russians! For
the hundredth time his trick of keep
ing silent had served him well!
At dawn. when the drifting, gray
ish mists were rising to proclaim the
hour OF prayer. he found Usbeg Ali
Khan-adventurer idealist, true be-
lieyer--rising from a prayer mat fac
Look said Dick. pointing through
a rift In the mist to the plain below.
sSFRer bank mSys6 of s0Ty aTdy tn. IKE
half a thousand feet below. and ten
miles dlstant-noiseless apparently,
and yet there, was a hint Of something
by, the blood Of Allah's prophet"
said the Afghan. "Gunsl"
In few hours we win have
gun.% answered Dick.
Never, probably. since in the dawn
OF ages. Asia first began to writhe
Ish desires and passlon-bred wars OF
individuals, had the hot plains out
side Astrabad seen fury such as rent
while Dicks little army Wound its
way toward the hills
ICowardsr' she screamed. "Curs!'
two hours She brought them to halt
at last-rallied them-faced them
about-and led them back; and how
she did 1t, only she knew. There were
faces streamed blood where her. whip
lash had descended; there was an Of
feer whose blood ran in his eyes. They
followed her like little beaten dogs,
tramping in fours as If in leash, too
daZed and frightened to remember
anything, or to, do anything. but obey
bidding back to Astrabad.
They were challenged-brought to
a halt outside the gate.
"Open"' she ordered, and the gate
So She rode in at the head of lit
tie more than two half regiments,
reckless OF the dead and. dying on the
Russia's grip that must be reclenched
on northern Persia. Gone was her
passion for Dick Anthony-gone up in
hate for him that was inhuman in its
deVilish determination. Gone was the
thought of serving Dick by playing
the. okhrana false-gone any hope of
seeing him king.
Not a minute did she waste. Tn-
wires were down and the Caspian
cables cut; she had the field all clear,
and none now w9pid be. iikeiy TO 0p-
ings for the Cossacks, raided the
bazears and seized an ample supply
OF food, arrested twenty OF the lead
ing citizens, and whipped them-set
Astrabad a-thunder with the prepara-
tion for new. resolute beginnings.
Then, looking out toward the foot
hills from a high muezzin'S tower, she
saw Dicks line of wagons and believed
that he intended to entrench himself
in that position.
s'IdIot!" she laughed, gazing through
binoculars. He waits for me! l must
smash the wagon barricade with
guns,"
But the guns had been sent to
harry Dick In his former fastness up
in the Elburz mountains. ~.
"Gallopers!" she ordered. -Four! No,
ski"
She wrote a letter. and made six
copies of II, ordering the guns to
hurry back and not wait for their es-
cort, explaining In nifty words that
Dick Anthony was entrenched near
the city, and that therefore the road
below the foothills must be clear. She
sent them one at time at intervals.
in case OF accidents. Two rot by un-
observed. The following three were
seen.
1t was the last man whose letter
reached Dick Anthony.
wreathed in the rising mist, Dick
Anthony stood silent on the cliffs pro-