Crittenden record-press., 1917-11-01

i kHtll HaONSs NlahC any hSt Ol INV
mules you Ike, but store the loads where
can draw on them In case OF need
| would like 70 have talk with you u.foi.
taking the{Irather desperate step ! In
| tend. but Hton't want 10 be seen enter
| ing OF leaving Ali Masjid. Can you come
down the pass without making your in
tsntions sknown7 II 10 growing misty now.
II ought to be easy. MY men will tell
you where ! am and show YOU the way.
Why Aot destroy this 'ietter?-Athelstan
He folded the note and stuck post
age stamp on II In lieu Of seal. Then
he examined the packs with the aid'of
the fashlight sorted them and ordered
two Of the mules reloaded.
"You three" he ordered then. Take
the loaded mules into Ali MasJid fort.
Take this chit, you. Give IT TO the
sahib In command there"
"To hear is to obey said the near
est man Thea tCos The hiules' leading
reIns pni before they had gone ton
PAGES were sWallow.u in the mist thrt
had began to tluw s"u,heastward. The
ght grew III, except for The whu-
pcrinG Of jackals.
lsmal ca.4e nrHrcr aod sG""''od ~
Kings f'rl 1arya khan came closer
too. Kin: n ,,'., Tie rcinS Of th"
two hor,,, ..ul the one rcmain'r g
mule tccr'N.r In u knot AID was sl,-
ting on rr pack. Solemn, almost
mo'ionless, ..uattcd on the!nthunkers,
Sry looked like two great vultures
L.aHc''... an "n..-a, -.
They sat in silence for five minutes.
r,yn sudden' .nr tvN hillmcn shud-
lGcrcd although King Glu not bat an
eycld, hin burst into being A yoley
Iri,led out Of the night and Numbered
down the pass. '--.
Uow.urt, HukkumS darT came
the inSolent challenge half minute
after 1.-THE proof positive that Ali
Masid's guards neither slept nor were
afraid. .--.-
: Weird wall answered the chal-
lenge. and there began a tossing to and
fro Of words. that was prelude TO a
shouted invitation; -----'- ''''-.
"Ud.vance-frrrennen-orSSS-wcrrul!' ~
English can be as weirdly distorted
Gs wirr. or any other supple medium,
and native leyieS advance distortion 70
the point Of art; but the language
sounds no less good in the chilly gloom
of a Khyber night.
Followed another wait, this time OF
haf an hour Then mans foot
.reps-a booted. leather-heeed man,
strding carelessly Not far behind him
was the softer noise Of sandals. The
man began TO whistle Annie Laurie" D."
"Charles2 That you?" called King.
THAT you, old manf
A man in khaki stepped into the
moonlight. He was so nearly the I'm
age Of Athelstan King that Ismail and
Darya Khan stood up and stared.
AthelStan strobe TO meet him. Their
walk was the same. Angle for angle,
line for line they might have been one
man and his shadow, except for three
quarters Of an inch Of stature.
"Glad to see you, old man." said
Athelstan.
Sure, old chap said Charles; and
they shook hands.
What's the desperate propossl?''
asked the younger.
"Tll tell you when we are alone"
His brother nodded and stood ster
aside. The three who had taken the
note TO the fort came Closer-partly 10
call attention to themselves partly 10
claim credit partly because the outer
ence,frightened them. They elbowed
TSmail and Darys Khan, and one Of
them received a savage blow in the
stomach by way OF retort from lsmail
Before that spark could start an ex'
ploslon Athelstan interfered.
"Tsmall! Take two men. Go down
the pass out OF earshot, and keeT
watch, Come back when | whistle
thus-but no sooner"
He put fingers between his teeth and
blew until the night Shrllled back OF
him. ISmall seized the leather bag and
started to obey.
Leave that bag. Leave 1t, | say!
"But some man may steal It, sahib
How shall n thief know there is NO
money In ~"
leave II and 60"
Islsail departed, grumhHng, and
King turned on Darya Khan.
"Take the remaining men and 20 up
the pass" he ordered. "Stand out Of
earShot and keep watch. Come when
| whistle"
"Rut this one has n bcllyache where
ISmaIl Smotc him! Can a man with O
hcllyaChe stand guardi His moaning
win hc,ruy both him and me" ob.
lcctoI Lord of the Rivers
Take him aud co. commanded
King
But"
King was careful now not 10 show
n', bracelet But there was something
70 his eye and 10 his attitude
subtle suggestive somo,h'ugoroth,-
about h.m-that was rather more con-
vInclnr than n pistol ar q stick naryl
. Khan thrust hl> riN, end into 'ho hur'
mans stomach for cIongTur,mcnt yud
started o'r In The mist.
"ynwc and ache out .. the S'a
.IHItf H 30 .UHrIYN