The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-06-07

l duuOuuCeu Que WAS III Tic OcuSc
| OF a hurry. l can assure you. She
wanted to wait and meet you. but
matters were too jolly well urgent.
end we shall have our bally work cut
out to catch her, you can bet! But
I have everything ready-tents and
| beds and stores-everything!"
| King looked over his shoulder to
make sure that Ismail was bringing
the little leather bag along.
so have IT, he said quietly.
II have horses" said Rewa Gunga,
| "and mules and"
How did she travel up the Khy-
ber?" King asked him, and the Ran
gar spared him a curious sidewise
glance.
ION horse. You should have seen
the horse!"
What escort had she?"
"She?"
Rewa Gunga chuckled and then sud-
denly grew serious.
1.-THE Hills are her escort, King
| sahib. She is mistress in the Hills.
There isn't numbering ruffian who
| wouldn't lie down and let her walk on
him. She rade away alone on thor
cughbred mare and she jolly we'll left
| me the mares double on which to
follow her. Come and look"
Not far from where the tents had
been pitched in cluster string of
horses whinnied at picket rope.
! King saw the two good horses ready
for himself, and ten mules beside
them that would have done credit to
any outfit But at the end Of the line
paving at the trampled grass, was
black mare that made his eyes open
wide. Once in a hundred years or
so viceroy's cup, or Derby is won
by an animal that can stand and look
and move as that mare did.
Just watch" the Hangar boosted.
hooking up the Dit and throwing off
the blanket. And as he mounted into
the native-made rough-hide saddle a
shout went up from the fort and ma
tive officers and half the soldiery
came out to watch the poetry of mo-
ton. The mare was not the only one
worth watching; her rider shared the
praise. There was something unex-
pected, although not in the least I'M
calmly, about the Rangers seat in the
saddle that was not the ordinary,
graceful native balance and yet was
full of grace. King ascribed the diff
ference to the fact that the Hangar
had seen no military service, and be-
fore the inadequacy Of that explana-
ton had asserted itself he had already
forgotten to criticize in sheer admira-
ton.
There was none of the squirting
and back-reining that some native
bloods Of India mistake for horseman-
ship. The Hangar rode with sympa-
thy and most consummate skill, and
the result was that the mare behaved
as if she were part Of him, responding
to his thoughts, putting0a foot where
he wished her to put 1t and showing
her widest turn Of speed along level
stretch in instant response to his
mood
Never saw anything better" King
admitted ungrudgingly, as the mare
came back at walk to her picket
rope.
There is only one mare like this
one" laughed the Rangar. "She has
her."
"What'll you take for this one?"
King asked him. Name your price!"
THE mare is hers You must ask
her. Who knows? She is generous.
There is nobody on erath more gen.
erous than she when she cares to be.
See what you wear on your wrist"
THAT is a loan" said King, uncav-
ering the bracelet. II shall give it
back to her when we meet"
"See what she says when you meet!
laughed the Hangar, taking a cigaret
from his jeweled case with an air and
smiling as he lighted IT, This is
your tent, sahih."
He motioned with the cigaret to-
ward q tent pitched quite hundred
yards away from the others and from
the Rangers own; with the Rangers
and the cluster Of tents for the men It
made an equilateral triangle, SO that
both he and the Hangar had privacy.
With a nod Of dismissal King walk
ed over to inspect the bandobast, and