The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-07-09


any one particular; SO that the fact
that the cave became shambles up
set nobody. The surgeons thrill that
makes even halfamateurs oblivious of
ell but the work in hand, coupled with
the desperate need of winning this
frst trick. made King horror-proof
and nobody waiting for the next turn
was troubled because the man under
the knife screamed little or bled
more than usual.
When they died-and more than
one did die-men carried them ont
and flung them over the precipice in
to the waterfall below.
Ismail and Darya Khan became
choosers OF the victims. They seized
a man. laid him on the bed, tore off
his disgusting bandages and held their
breath until the awful resulting stencil
had more or less dispersed. Then
King would probe or lance or bandage
as he saw fit. using anaesthetics
when he must, but managing mostly
without them.
They almost flung money at him.
Few of them asked what his fee would
be- Those who had no money brought
him shawls and swords and even
clothing Two or three brought old
fashioned firearms; but they were
men who did not expect to live. And
King accepted every gift without COM
ment, because that was in keeping
with the part he played He tossed
money and clothes and every other
thing they gave him into a corner at
the back OF the cave, and nobody tried
TO steal them back, although man
suspected of honesty in that company
would have been tortured to death as
an hereto and would have had no
sympathy.
Fer hour after gruesome hour he
toiled over wounds and sores such as
only battles and evil living can pro-
duce. until men began to come at last
with fresh wounds, all caused by
bullets, wrapped in bandases on
which the blood had caked but had
not grown foul.
There has been fighting in the
Khyber," somebody informed him, and
he stopped with lancet in mid-air to
listen, scanning a hundred faces swift
" IN the smoky lamplight. There
were ten men who held lamps for him,
one of them newcomer, and 1t was
be who spoke.
Fighting In the Khyber! Aye! We
were little leshkar but we drove
them back into their fort! Aye! we
slew many!
mot a jihaa YETI" King asked, as
~ the world might be coming to an
end. The words were startled out OF
him. Under other circumstances he
would never have asked that question
so directly: but he had lost reckoning
of everything but these poor devils
dreadful need of doctoring, and he
was like a man reused out OF dream.
II the holy war had been proclaimed
already, then he was engaged on a
forlorn hope. But the man laughed
ut him.
NAY. not yet. Bull-with-a-beard
holds back yet This was little fight.
The jihad shall come later"
"And who is 'Bull-with-a- beard p
King wondered; but he did not ask
that question because his wits were
awake again. 1t pays not to be In too
much OF hurry to know things in the
Hills.
AS it happened he asked no more
questions, for there came shout at
the cave entrance. whose purport he
did not catch, and within five minutes
after that, without word og explain
alton, the cave was left empty Of all
except his own Ave men. They car
ried away the men too sick to walk
and vanished snatching the last man
away almost before Kings fingers had
fninshed tying the bandage on his
wound.
"Why is that?" he asked Ismail.
"Why did they go?" Who shouted?'
1T is night" lsmail answered. ut
was time"
King stared about him. He had not
realized until then that without aid
OF the lamps he could not see his own
hand held out in front Of him; his
eyes had grown used to the gloom,
like those of the surgeons in the sick
bays below the water line In Nelson s
fleet
''But who shouted?"
"Who knows?" There is only one
here who gives orders. We be many
who obey" said 1smail.
"Whose men were the last ones?"
King asked him trying new line.
"Bull.with.a- boards"