Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1917-11-22
CHAPTER ~.

CHAPTER 90.
Delhi boasts q round half-doxen rail
way stations, all Of them designed with
regard to war, so that to King there
was nothing unexpected in the fact
that the train had brought him to ar
unexpected station. He plunged into
its crowd much as man In the mood
might plunge into a whirlpool. The
station screamed echoed, reverberated
hummed. At one minute the whole
building shook to the thunder of Q
grinning regiment; an instant later II
clattered to the wrOught-steel ham
mer Of q thousand hoofs, as led troop
horses danced into formation to invade
the waiting trucks. Soldiers Of nearly
every Indian military caste stood about
everywhere. Down the back of eact
platform Tommy Atkins stood in Ions
straight lines. talking or munchina
great sandwiches or smoking.
Threading his way In and out among
the motley swarm with great black
cher0ot between his teeth and sweat
running into his eyes from his helmet
band, Athelstan King strobe at ease
ct NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and almost awfully happy. He was
not In the least Less happy because
perfectly aware that native was fol
lowing him at distance, although he
did wonder how the native had con
trived to pass within the lines. At the
end Of fifteen minutes there was not
glib staff officer there who could have
deceived him as to the numbers ant
destination Of the force entraining.
"Kerachi!" he told himself, chewing
the butt Of his cigar and keeping well
ahead Of the shadowing native. He
did not have to return saIutes, because
he did not look for them. Very few
people noticed him at all. although hi
was recognized once or twice by for
0ee messmates. AZ his leisure-ln hi
own way, thar was devioue and hike II
string Of mlracles--he filtered toward
the telegraph office. The native who
had followed him I'LL this tine drew
closer, but he did not let himself be
troubled by that.
He whispered proof Of his identity
to the telegraph clerk, who was Royal
engineer. new to that job that MORN
Ing, and a sealed telegram was handed
to him at once. Because 1t was war
time, and the censorship had closed
on India like a throttling string, 1t
was not In code. So the Mira All, Of
the Fort. Bombay. to whom II was
addressed, could be expected to read
between the lines.
Cattle intended for slaughter. dispatched
Bombay on Fourteen down. Meet train.
viii be inspected en- route, but should be
dealt with carefully on arrival. Cattle
inclined to stampede owing to bad scare
received north OF Delhi Take all pre-
cautions and notify Abdul.
"Good!" he chuckled. Lets hope
We get Abdul too. wonder who he
isr
Still uninterested In the man who
shadowed him, he walked back to. the
ONCE window and wrote two tele-
grams: one to Bombay, ordering the
arrest Of All Mira of the Fort. with
an urgent admonition to discover who
his man Abdul might be, and to seize
him as soon as found; the other to the
station In the north. insisting on close
confinement for SULLIVAN.
That being all the urgent business,
he turned leisurely to face his shadow.
and the native met his eyes with the
engaging frankness Of an old friend,
coming forward with 0utstretched
hand. They did not shake hands, but
the man made signal with his fingers
that il known to not more than dozen
men In all the world. and that changed
the situation altogether.
"Walk with me-" said King, and the
man fell into stride beside him.
He was Rangar-which IL to say a
Ratput who. or whose ancestors had
turned Mohammedan. Like many Raj.
puts he was not big man, but he
looked ut and wiry; his head scarcely
came above the level of Kings chin
although his turban distracted attcn'
ton from the fact. The turban was OF
silk and unusually large.
The whitest of well-kept teeth
cleaning regularly under a little black
waxed mustache betrayed no trace OF
betelnut or other nastiness. King was
not so sure that the eyes were brown
and he changed his opinion about theil
color a dozen times within the hour
Once he would even have sworn the!
were green.
The man was regular Rangal
dandy. OF the type that can be seeI
playing polo almost any day Mt Noun
Abu-that gets into mischief with ,
eyaee due to practice and heredity-
NJ that does not manage Its estate
to well. % Z rule. nor pay Its debt
81 . hurry.
NY name u Rewa Gunga," he sal
insa low voice. II have message 10
yoa-s
ATrom whomf
syrom herr said the Hangar. an
wtthout exactly knowing why, or b
~ pleased with himself. King felt q
G1to6
They we're walking toward the sta
q = - -. -