The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1917-11-23

| anu SuW lneu Dioou-souhcu Dahua5C
on the right of his neck, not very far
from the jugular.
"Hah :" said King. "Was that wound
got in the Khyber the other dayT
Nay. Here in Khinjan."
"A man told me last night" said
any compunction at all. that the fight
in the Khyber was because jihad is
launched already"
THAT man ledw said the guard,
shifting position uneasily, as if afraid
to talk too much.
$50 told him." answered King. 81
told him there never will be another
jihad."
Then thou art greater liar than
he !" the guard answered hotly. There
will be jihad when she is ready, such
an one as never yet was India shall
bleed for all the fat years she has lain
unplundered Not a throat of an I'M
believer in the world shall be left un-
slit No jihad? Thou liar! Get in
out of my sight!'
So King retired into the cave, with
something new TO think about. Was
she planning the jihad Or pretending
to plan one? Every once in a while
the guard leaned far into the cave
mouth and hurled adjectives at him,
the mldest of which was well of in
formation. If his temper was the tenn
per of the Hills" it was easy to read
disappointment for jihad that should
have been already but had been post
poned. King let him alone and paced
the cave for hours.
He was squatting on his bed-end
in the dark, like a spectacled image of
Buddha. when the first of the three
men came on guard again and at last
ISmail came for him holding a pitchy
torch that filled the dim passage full
of acrid smoke and made both of them
cough. Ismail was red-eyed with it.
Gomez" he growled. "Come, little
hakimi" Then he turned on his heel
at once. as If afraid OF being twitted
with desertion. He seemed TO want to
get outside, where he could keep out of
range of words, yet not to wish to
seem unfriendly.
But King made no effort to speak to
him. following in silence out on to the
dark ledge above the waterfall and no.
ticing that the guard with the boils
was back again on duty. He grinned
evilly out of shadow as King passed.
Make an endI' he advised. Jump,
hakim, before q worse thing happens ="
To illustrate the suggestion he
kicked loose stone over the cliff, and
| the movement caused him to bend his
neck and so inadvertently to hurt his
bolls. He cursed. and there was pity
in Kings voice when he spoke next.
do they hurt thee?"
"Aye, like the devil! Khinjan Is a
place of plagues!"
II could heal them" King said, pass
ing on, and the man stared hard.
Gomez" doomed Ismail through the
darkness, shaking the torch to make
| ii burn better and beckoning inpatient
| ly, and King hurried after him, leaving
behind savage at the cave mouth who
| fingered his sores and wondered, NUT
L lNlAIS, Oi a IlHt,
and muttering again as If he had seen
Il new light.
Instead Of waiting for King to catch
up. Ismail began to lead the way at
great speed along a path that descend
ed gradually until 1t curved round the
end Of the chasm and plunged into q
tunnel where the darkness grew
Opaque. For thirty minutes he led
swiftly down a crazy devils stairway
of uneven powders, stopping to lend
a hand at the worst places, but ever.
lastingly urging him to hurry.
Then the hell-mOuth gloom began to
grow family luminous, and the water
falls thunder burst on their ears from
close at hand. They emerged into
fresh wet air and q sea of sound, on q
rock ledge like the one above. Ismai
raised the torch and waved ii. The
fire and smoke wandered up, until they
flattened on moving opal dome, tina,
prisoned all the noises in the world.
"Earth's Drink ~ he announced, wav
ing the torch and then shutting hi:
mouth tight, as if afraid to voice sacri
lege.
1t was the river, million-colored il
the torchlight, pouring from half
mile-lOng slash in the cliff above then
and plunging past them through th,
gloom toward the very middle of the
world. Somewhere it met rock bottom
and boiled there. for a roar like tn,
seas came up from deeps unimagin
able.
He watched the overturnlng dome
until his senses reeled. Then HI
crawled on (hands and knees to th'
ledge's brink and tried to peer over
But Ismail dragged him back.
Come" he howled; but in all tina
din his shout was like a whisper.
"How deep is it?' King beloved
back.
Allah Ask him who made Ii
The fear of the falls was on th
Afridi, and he tugged at Kings arm IL
a frenzy of impatience. Suddenly h
let 90 and broke into run. KIM
trotted after him. After ten minutes
hurrying uphill he guessed they mus
be level with the river, in tunnel run
ming nearly parallel. Ismail kept look
ing back to bid King hurry and neve