Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-01-21

the wolves, for the available cracks
were not at sufficiently good angles.
An hour went by. Kathlyn could hear
the wolves as they crowded against
the door. smiling the SILL.
The colonel, Bruce, Ramabai and
Ahmed had found the horses half
dozen miles away; and they had
thrashed the thieving natives soundly
and instilled the right kind of tear in
their breasts. At rifle point they had
forced the natives back to the rest
house. The crack of their rifles soon
announced to Kathlyn that the dread
of wolves was thing of the past. She
wisely refrained from recounting her
experiences. The men had worry
enough.
After hasty meal the journey to-
ward the seaport began In earnest.
Umballas attack had thrown them far
out of the regular track. They were
now compelled to make wide detour.
Where the journey might have been
made in three days, they would be
lucky now II they reached the sea un-
der five. The men took turns in stand
ing watch whenever they made camp.
for idleness. They had learned their
lessons; no more carelessness. moth
ing but the sharpest vigilance from
now on.
One day, as the pony caravan made
a turn round a ragged promontory,
they suddenly paused. Perhaps TWEEN
ty miles to the west lay the emerald
tinted Persian gulf. The colonel
slipped OFF his horse. dragged Kathlyn
from hers, and began to execute a
hornpipe. He was like boy.
1.-THE sea, Kit. the sea! Home and
| Winnie; out of this DEVILS caldron!
You will come along with us, Bruce?'
81 haven't anything else to do
Bruce smiled back.
Then he gazed at Kathlyn. who
found herself suddenly filled with
| strange embarrassment. In times OF
danger sham and subterfuge have no
place. Heretofore she had met Bruce
as q man. to whom a glance from her
| eyes had told her secret. Now that
| the door to civilization lay but a few
miles away. the old conventions
| dropped their obscuring mantles over
her and she felt ashamed. And there
| was not a little doubt. Perhaps she
had mistaken the look in his eyes,
back there in the desert, back in the
first day when they had fed together
from the ordeals. And yet
On his part. Bruce did not particu-
larly welcome the sea. There might
be another man somewhere. No wom-
an so beautiful as Kathlyn could pos
| ci hsa NIT AnI w
the journey down to the sea was re-
sumed he became taciturn and moody.
and Kathlyn's heart correspondingly
heavy.
| The colonel was quite oblivious to
this change. He swung his legs free
of the primitive stirrups and whistled
the airs which had been popular in
America at the time of his departure.
There was no lightness In the ex-
pressions of Ramabai and Pundita.
They were about to lose these white
people forever. and they had grown to
love, nay. worship them. More. they
must return to face they knew not
what.
entalism by appearing unconcerned.
He had made up his mind not to re-
turn to America with his master.
There was much to do in Allaha, and
the spirit of intrigue had laid firm hold
of him. He wanted to be near at hand
when Ramabai struck his blow. He
would break the news to the Colonel
Sahib before they sailed.
| 1t was four o'clock when the caravan
entered the little seaport town. A few
tramp steamers lay anchored in the
offing. A British flag dropped from the
stern of one of them. This meant Bonn
bay; and Bombay. In turn, meant Suez.
the Mediterranean, and the broad At.
lantic.
The air was still and hot. for the In
dian summer was now beginning I'd
lay its burning hand upon this grea;
peninsula. The pale dust, the white
stucco OF the buildings. blinded the
eye.
They proceeded at once to the single
hotel. where they found plenty of ac-
/ commodation. Then the colonel hur-
ried of to the cable office and wired
Winnie. Next he ascertained that the
British ship Simla would weigh anchor
the following evening for Bombay:
that there they could pick up the Delhi.
bound for England. There was moth
ing further to do but wait for the an
swer to the colonel's cable to Winnie.
which would arrive somewhere about
noon of the next day.
And that answer struck the hearts
of all of them with the coldness of
death Umballa had beaten them
Winnie had sailed weeks ago for ALA
ha in search of father and sisterl
Ahmed spat out his betel nut and
squared his shoulders. Somehow he