Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-11-23
CHAPTER XII.

TWO nOuFS dIleT udWu, " tIle dCCOhl-
paniment of orders growled through
the mist, and the crash of rifle-butts
on the rock path. King went
to the cave entrance, to look the new
man over; he was a Mahsudi-no
sweeter to look at and no less treacher-
Gus for the fact. Also, that he had
boils all over the back of his neck. He
was not likely to be better tempered
because of that fact, either. But it is
an i'll wind that blows no good to the
secret service.
"There is an end to everything" he
remarked presently, addressing the
world at large, or as much as he could
see of it through the cave mouth. "a
hill is so high, pool so deep, river
so wide. There is an end to pain y he
went on, adjusting his horn-rimmed
spectacles. 81 lanced a mans boils
last night, and it hurt him, but he must
be well today"
$50 in!" growled the guard. "She
says it is sorcery She says none are
to let thee touch them!"
81 can heal boils!' said King, retir-
ing into the cave. Then, from a safe
distance down the passage, he added a
word or two to sink in as the hours
went by. At intervals throughout the
day Yasmini sent him food by silent
messengers. 1t is not easy to worry
and eat heartily at one and the same
time. Having eaten, he rolled up his
sleeves and native-made cotton trou-
sers and proceeded to clean the cave.
After that he overhauled his stock of
drugs and instruments, repacking them
and making ready against opportunity.
"As l told that heather with gun
out there, there's an end to every
thingl" he reflected. MAY this come
soonp
The second guard that afternoon
proved even less communicative than
the first up to the point when, to les
sen his ennui, King began to whistle.
Each time he came near the entrance
the new guard could, catch a few bars
of the tune. After a little while the
hoOk-nosed ruffian began to sing the
words to it, in a voice like a forgotten
dogs. So King stopped at the entrance
and saw then a blood-soaked bandage
on the right of his neck, not very far
from the jugular.
'Hah !" said King. "Was that wound
got in the Khyber the other day?"
NAY. Here in Khinjan."
"a man told me last night" said
King, drawing on imagination without
any compunction at all, "that the fight
in the Khyber was because a jihad is
launched already"
THAT man lied ~ said the guard
shifting position uneasily, as if afrait
to talk too much.
$50 l told him. answered King. &c
told him there never will be another
jihad."
"Then thou art a greater liar thar
!" the guard answered hotly. "Thert
will be jihad when she is ready, sucl
an one as never yet wasl India shal
bleed for all the fat years she has lail
unplundered Not throat of an un
believer in the world shall be left un
slit No jihad? Thou liar! Get il
out of my sight ~
So King retired into the cave, witt
something new to think about. Wa
she planning the jihad! Or pretending
to plan one? Every once in a Will
the guard leaned far into the cav
mouth and hurled adjectives at him
the mildest of which was q well of in
formation. If his temper was the ten
per Of the Hills" it was easy to rea
disappointment for jihad that shoul
have been already but had been post
poned. King let him alone and pace
the cave for hours.
He was squatting on his bed-en
in the dark, like spectacled image G
Buddha, when the first of the thre
men came on guard again and at las
Ismail came for him holding a pitch
torch that filled the dim passage fu
of acrid smoke and made both of thel
cough. Ismail was red-eyed with it.
Gomez" he growled. "Come, littl
hakim !" Then he turned on his he,
at once, as if afraid of being twitte
with desertiOn. He seemed to want I
get outside, where he could keep out
range of words, yet not to wish
seem unfriendly.
But King made no effort to speak
him, following in silence out on to Il
dark ledge Gbove the waterfall and n
ticing that the guard with the bol
was back again on duty. He CRIME
evilly out of shadow as King passed
snake an end r' he advised. "Jum
hakim, before worse thing happens
To illustrate the suggestion
kicked loose stone over the cliff, al
the movement caused him to bend h
neck and so inadvertently to hurt h
boiis. He cursed, and there was pi
!. in Kings voice when he spoke next.
. do they hurt thee2"
s AYE, like the devil! Khinjan is
place Of plagues!
Il could heal Them" King said, pa.
e ing on, and the man stared hard.
d Gomez doomed Ismail through t
darkness, shaking the torch to ma
p it burn better and beckoning impatieI
ly, and King hurried after him, Ieayi
behind a savage at the cave mouth W
10 fingered his sores and wondered, m
!" tering, leaning on a rifle, mutteri
e. and muttering again as If he had sc
If new light.
W Insteaj of waiting for King to cat
W up, Ismail began to lead the way
e. great speed along a path that descel
ed gradually until II curved round
Mt end of the chasm and plunged into
ID tunnel where the darkness or
d. Opaque. For thirty minutes he
IS. swiftly down :. crazy devils stairU
Id of uneven powders, stopping to le
as hand at the worst places, but ey
al lastingly urging him to hurry.
r. Then the hell-mouth gloom began
RS grow family luminous, and the wat
falls thunder burst on their ears fr
nd close at hand. They emerged /