The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1917-12-14
By TALBOT MUNDY


2 these three years Bombs and rifles
and cartridges! Muhammad Anim's
. men, whom lac trusts because he must,
hid IL all in cave / showed them, that
they think, and he thinks. has only one
entrance to IT. Nuhammad Amin sealed
It, and he has the key. But 1 have
; the ammunition!
There was another way out of thar
cave, although there is none now, for
have blocked it. My men, whom
trust because / know them. carried ev-
crUhing out by the back way, and |
have it all. We, my warrior, when Mu-
hammad Amin gets the word from Ger
many and gives the sign, and the Hills
are ahre, and the whole East roars in
the fame of the jihad-we will put our
selves at the head Of that jihad, and
the East and the world is ours :"
King smiled Mt her.
'Thc East isn't very well armed"
he objected. Mere numbers"
"Numbers?' She laughed at him
'The West has the West by the throat /,
1t is tearing itself! They will drag in
America! There will be no armed ma
ton with its hands free--and while
those wolves fight, other wolves shall
come and steal the meat. The old
| gods, who built these caves in the
Hills, are laughing! They are get.
ting ready Thou and I"
AS she coupled him and herself to-
! gether in one plan she read the
| changed expression of his face-the
very quickly passing cloud that even
! the beSt-trained man cannot control.
| Il know she asserted, sitting up
/ right and coming out of her dream to
/ face facts as their master. She looked
| more lovely now than ever, although
| twice as dangerous. you are thinking
of your brother-of his head That |
am a murderess who can never be your
! friend! Is that not so2"
lie did not answer, but his eyes may
| have betrayed something, for she
looked as if he had struck her.
"Oh, l have needed you so much.
these many years! And now that you
have come you want to hate me be-
cGuse you think killed your brother.
Listen!
without my leave, Muhammad Amin
| sent five hundred men on foray
toward the Khyber. Bull-with-a-beard
needed an Englishmans head, for
proof for spy of his who could not
| enter Khinjan caves. They trapp"l
your brother outside Ali Masjid with
nf a
after long fight, leaving more than
a hundred of their own in payment.
"Rull-with-a-beard was pleased. But
he was careless. and sent my men to
steal the head from his men. needed
evidence for you. And l swear TO you
Il swear to you by my gods who have
brought us two tOgether-that l first
knew 1t was your brothers head when
you held 1t up in the Cavern of Earth's
Drink Then l knew 1t could not be
anybody else's headv'
"Why bid me throw 1t to them,
then?" he asked her, and he was aware
OF her scorn before the words had left
his lips.
She leaned back again and looked at
him through lowered eyes, as II she
must study him all anew. She seemed
to find il hard to believe that he really
thought so In the commonplace.
What Is head to me, or to you
head with no life in it--carrion -
compared to what shall be? Would
you have known 1t was his head If you
had thrown 1t TO them when / ordered
you"
He understood. Some OF her blood
was Russian, some Indian. She stood
up, and of course he stood up. too. So.
she on the footstool of the throne, her
eyes and his were on level. She laid
hands on his shoulders and looked into
his eyes until he could see his own
twin portraits In hers, that were glow
Ing sunset pools. Heart OF the Hills?
The heart OF all the East seemed to
burn in her. rebelIiousl
"Are you believing mel" she asked
| him.
He nodded, for no man could have
| helped believing her. AS she knew
the truth, she was telling 1t to him,
as surely as she was doing her skill
ful best to mesmerize him. But the
secret service is made up Of men
trained against that.
"Come" she said. and stepping
down she took his arm.
She led him past the thrones to
other leather curtains In wall, and
through them into long hewn passages
from cavern to cavern. until even the
Rock Of Gibraltar seemed like dolls
house in comparison. She showed him
a cave containing great forges, where
the bronze had been worked, with
charcoal still piled up against the wall
| at one end. There were copper and tin
ingots in there of n shape he had never
seen.
II know where they came FROM"
she told him. II made Ii my business
to know all the Hills. 1 know things
the hillmen's great-great-great-gr grand
fathers forgot know old workings
that would make modern nation rich
We shall have money when we need
II, never fearl We shall conquer In
dia while the English backs are turned
and the best troops are overseas"