The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1917-11-09


/ Look out for traps. Smash 'em on
sight. But don't follow up too far :"
"Sure," said Charles.
Help me with the stain now, VIII
you?"
With his flashlight burning as If its
battery provided current by the week
instead of by the minute, Athelstan
dragged open the mules pack and pro-
duced a host of things. He propped a
mirror against the pack and squatted
in front of it. Then he passed lit
tie bottle to his brother, and Charles
attended TO the chin-strap mark that
would have betrayed him a British of
ficer in any light brighter than dusk.
In few minutes his whole face was
darkened to one hue, and Charles
stepped back to look at it.
won't need TO wash yourself for a
month :" he said. THE dirt won't
show !" He shifted at the bottle. But
that stain won't come off If you do
wash--never worry! You'll do finely"
"Not yet, / WON'T" said Athelstas,
picking up little safety razor and be-
ginning on his mustache. In a min
ute he had his upper lip bare. Then
his brother bent over him and rubbed
IN stain where the scrubby mustache
had been.
After that Athelstan unlocked the
leather bag that had caused Ismail so
much concern and shook out from it a
pile of odds and ends at which his
brother nodded with perfect under
standing. The principal item was a
piece of silk-forty or fifty yards of
it-that he proceeded to bind into a
turban on his head, his brother lending
him a guiding, understanding finger at
every turn. When that was done, the
man Who had said he looked In the
least like a British officer would have
| lied.
One after another he drew on native
| garments, picking them from the pile
| beside him. So, by rapid stages he de-
velOped into u native hakim-by creed
q converted Hindu, like Rewa Gunga
one of the men who practice yunani
or modern medicine, without license
and with very great deal Of added
superstition, trickery and guesswork.
"I wouldn't trust you with ha'pen
nyw announced his brother when he
had done. "The part to u T."
"Well-take these into the fort fol
me, will your His brother caught the
| "a nln
and tucked them under his arm. "Now
remember, old man! We've got to hole
the Khyber, and we can't do 1t by rid
ing pell-mell into the first trap set fol
us! Be coward, if that's the name
you care to give it. You needn't tel
me you've got orders to hunt sldrmish
ers to a standstill, because know bet
ter"
"How d'you know better?"
"Never mind! I've been seconded u
your crowd. I'm your senior, and In
giving you orders. Hit hard when yo'
have to, but for Gods sake, old man
ware traps"
"All right" said his brother.
Then good-by, old mani
"Good-by, AthelstaDw
They stood facing and shook hands
Where had been a man and his refiec
tion in the mist, there now seemed Z
be the same man and native. Athel
stan King had changed his very ma
ture with his clothes. He stood like
native-moved like one; even his voic
was changed, as if-like the actor VIII
dyed himself all over to act Othello-
he could do nothing by halves.
"'By, Charlesw
Officers In that force are not chose
, for their clumsiness, or inability I
move silently by night. His footstep
died in the mist almost as quickly a
|. his shadow. Before he had been gon
a minute the pass was silent as deaf
, again, and though Athelstan lstene
with trained ears, the only sound n
could detect was of jackal crackin
bone fifty or sixty yards away.