Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-17

TcStament.
"Open every door except those whose
numbers ! have rubbed out" King or /
dered him.
Ismail proceeded To obey as if that |
We're the least Improbable order in all
the world Ii took him two minutes
To select the pass-key and determine
how It worked then the doors flew
open one after another In quick sue
CesslOn.
"coma Outw he growlcd. "Come |
out Come out" although King had
not ordered that
King went and stood under the cen
ter light with his left arm barred The
prisoners emerging like dead men ont
Of tombs. binked ut the bright light
saw hlm-then the bracclet-and sa-
luted.
"May God be with theew growled
each of them.
They stood still then, awaiting fresh
developments. 1t did not seem to oc
! eur to any one Of them rs strange that
| II British officer in khaki uniform
/ should be sporting YaSmini's talismnn;
i the thing WAS apparently sufficient ex-
PLANTATION IL itself.
aye all Know this?" he asked. hold
| ing up his wrist Whose is thisi"
Hers The answer was monosyl-
Liable and instant from all thirty
threats.
King lit cheroot and made mental
note of the wisdom of referring to her
by prononn, not by name.
"And l? Who am II" he asked.
"Her messenger! Who else? Thou
art he who shall take US to the Hills!
She promised"
II shall start for the Hills at dawn"
King said slowly, and he watched their
eyes CLEAN at the news. No Gagged
tiger is MS wmtchcd as a prisoned hill.
man. Np freed bird wings more wildly
for the open. No moth comes more
focliShly back 10 the fame again. II
was easy IL take pity on them--prob-
ably not one of whom knew PHYS
meaning.
as there any among you who would
care to come-W
"Ah-h.h-h.'
"Will We obey ne and him?" he
asked. laying his hand on lsmail's
shoulder, aS much to let them see the
bracelet again as for any other rea-
son.
"Aye, If we fail, Allah do more TO
us!"
King laughed. aye shall leave this
place as my prisoners. Here We have
no friends. Here We must obey. But
what when ye come to your Hills at
last? Can one man hold thirty men
still obey meT'
The answer to that was unexpected.
ISmail knelt--Seized his hand-nnd
pressed the gold bracelet TO his lips!
In turn, every one of them filed by,
knelt revercntly and kissed the brace
let
"Saw We ever hillman do that he
foref' asked Ismail "rhey will obey
thee! Have no fear"
"Then Gomez ordered King. turning
his back confidently on thirty savages
whom Saunders, for instance, would
have preferred to drive in front Of him.
after first seeing them handcuffed.
Each lock has key. but some keys
fl all locks" says the Eastern proverb.
! King has been chosen for many tick
) fish errands in his time, and Saunders
Is still in Delhi.
, The prisoners were left Squatting
under the eyes and bayoncrs of very
suspicious prison guard, who made no
; secret of being ready for all conceiv-
able emergencies. One enthusiast drew
the cartridge out of his brecch cham
her and licked it at intervals of min
ute or two. to the very great interest
Of the hillmen who memorized every
, detail that by any stretch Of magma
ton might be expected to improve
their own shooting when they should
get home again.
King found his way on foot through
Il maze OF streets to Il place where he
was admitted through one door after
, another by sentries who saluted when
I he had whispered 10 them. He ended
by sitting on the end of the bed of Il
, gray-hcaded man who owns three titles
I and whose word Is law between the
. borders Of province. To him hi
{ talked rs one schoolboy to a bigger
+. one. because the gray-hared man had
understanding, and hence sympathy.
|, 81 don't envy you!s said he under
, the sheet "rhere's the release foi
+ your prisoners. Take it--und take
. them! Whatever possessed you I,
want such II gift?'
D "Well, slr-iirst place, she doesn
- want to seem 20 be connected with me
n Second place, she has left Delhi--ant
n she did not mean to leave those men
n Third place, If those thirty men h1t
been anything but her particular pc
q gang they'd either have been over IN,
4 border or else In Jail before now--jus
o like all the others. For some reason
@ that don't pretend to understand sh,
o promised 'em more than she has beer