Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-12-07

er, do not win pardonS so easily rs
that. They would hang us unless we
came bearing gifts
Gifts? Has Allah touched thee?
What gifts should we bring: y dozen
stolen rifles? A bus of silver? And /
am the dreamer. am T.
NAY" said King. Il am the dream
or. There are others in these Hills
others in Khinjan who wear British
medas?"
The Pathan nodded Hundreds.
Men fight first on one side, then on The
other. being true to either side while
the contract lasts. In MI there must be
the markings of many regiments among
the Hills
King nodded He himself had seen
the chpftains come to parlcy after the
Trah war Most of them had worn
British medals and had worn them
proudly.
III we two" he said speaking SLOW
~, could speak with some of those
men and stir the spirit in them and
persuade them to feel rs thou dost
Mentioning the pardon for dcSerterS
and the probability Of bonuses TO the
,me-eXprod for re-enliStment If we
could march down the Khyber with
hundred such, or even With fifty or
with twenty-five or with Il dozen men
we would receive our pardon for the
sake of service rendered.
Good"
The rathan thumped him on the
back 50 hard that his eyes watered.
I'VE would have to u.s. much cau-
ton" King advised him. when he was
able to speak again.
Aye, Ii .with-a-heard got wind
! If II he wogld have Us crucitied And
if she heard Of it"
He was silent. Apparently there
were no words in his tongue that could
compass his dread of her revenge, He
was silent for ten minutes and King
sat still beside him, letting memory
Of other days do its work-memory of
the long clean rcgtmental lines. ard OF
order and dccency and of justice hand
ed out 10 all and sundry by gentlemen
who did not think themselves too good
to Wear a native regiments Uniform.
ain two days | could do the drill
again as we'll as ever" he said ut last.
Then there was silence again for tif-
teen minutes more. Il could always
shoot" he murmurcd; Il could always
shoot"
When Muhammad Amin came back
they had both forgotten TO replace the
laShing on Kings wrists. but the null
lah seemed not to notice II,
Come - he ordered, with sidewise
jerk of his great ugly head. and then
stood muttering mpationtly while they
oheyed
They marched downward through
interminable tunnels and along lodges
poised between earth and heaven. I'M
/ I'll they came at last to the tunnel lead
Ing TO the one entrance into Khinian
caves Just before they entered IT two
more Of the muIlah's men came up
with them. leading horses. One horse
was for the mull1h, and they helped
/ Eing mount the other. showing him
more respect than is usually shown a
prisoner in the Hills
Then the mullah ed the way into the
tunnel, and he seemed in deadly fear
The echo of the hoof-beats irritatpd
him. He eyed each hole In the roof as
II Yasmini might be expected TO shoot
down at him or drench him with boil
Ing oil and hurried past each Of them
a. n trot, only TO draw rein immediate
~ aftcrwnrd because the noise was toe
great.
It became evident that his men hat
been at work here too. for ut interval,
along the passage my dead bodies. Vas
mini must have posted the men there
but whore was she? Each of them lay
dead with knife wound In his back
and The mulaks men possessed them
selves of rifles and Knives and car
trldges, wiplng off blood that hat
scarcely cooled yet.
When they came TO the end of IN,
tunnel ii was to find the door into ht
mosque open in front of them anl
twenty more Of Muhammnd Amin
men standing guard over the pyensh
less mullah, They had bound ant
gagged him, At n word from Muham
mad Amin they loosed him; and AT
threat the hairless one gave signa
that brought the great stone door slid
Ing forward on It's oiled bronze grooves
Then, with dozen tests thrown t,
the hairless one for consolation, nnt
an utter Indifference to the sacrednes
Of the mosque floor, they sought QUITE
air, and Muhammud Amin led them NJ
fhe Street OF the Dwellings townr,
Kiln ]nn'S outer rampartS. The
reached the outer gate without Incl
dent and hurried into the grent dr.
valley beyond II. AS they rode ncros
the valley the mullnh thumbed II lon
string of bends. Unlike Yasmini. h
was praying to one rod hui he seeme
10 have many prayers. Hts back was