The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-09-11

Write thou letter. Since she
loves thee, state thine own case to
her. Tell her that l hold thee host
age, and that Khinjan is mine already
for little fighting. In a month she
can not pick out my men from among
her own. Her position is undermined
Tell her that. Tell her that if she
obeys she shall have India and be
queen. If she disobeys. she shall die
in the Cavern of Earth's Drink"
"She is a proud woman, mullah, -
answered King. Threats to such as
She-?"
The mullah mumbled and strobe
back and forth three times between
Kings bed and the fire, with his fists
knotted together behind him and his
head bent, as Napoleon used to walk
When he stood beside the bed again
at last it was with his mind made up,
as his clenched fists and his eyes
indicated
make thine own terms with herr"
he growled Write the letter and
send it! l hold thee; she holds Kiln
jan and the ammunition. am be-
tween her and India. So be it. She
shall starve in there, She shall lie
in there until the war is over and take
end! Write thine own letter. State
the case, and bid her answer"
Very we'll" said King. He began
to see now definitely how India was
to be saved. It was none of his bust
ness to plan yet, but to help others
plans destroy themselves and to SOW
such seed in the broken ground as
might bear fruit in time.
The mullah left him, to squat and
gaze into the fire, and mutter, and
King lay still. After while the null
lah went and carried a great water
bowl nearar to the fire and, as King
had done stripped himself. Then he
heaped great fagots on the fire, waste
full fagots, each of which had cost
some woman hours of mountain climb
ing. And in the glow of the leapins
flame he scrubbed himself from head
to foot with Kings Ivory soap. Final
", with a feat of strength that nearly
forced an exclamation out of King,
he lifted the great water bowl in both
hands and emptied the whole contents
over himself. Then he resumed his
smelly garments without troubling
to dry his body, and got out Duran
from a corner and began to read it
in a nasal singsong that would have
kept dead men awake. King lay and
watched and listened.
Reading scripture only seemed to
fire the mullah's veins. For him per-
haps sleep was either out of reach or
despicable. He seemed in a mood to
RI Two Int RI
strobe back and forth up and down
the cave like a Gagged bear, muttering
to himself.
After time he went to the mouth
of the cave, to stand and stare out
at the camp where the thousand fires
were dying fitfully and wood smoke
purged the air. The stars looked
down on him, and he seemed to try
to read them, standing with fists knot
ted together at his back
And as he stood so. six other null
labs came to him and began to argue
with hi min low tones, he browbeat-
ing them all with furious words hiss
ed between half-closed teeth They
were whispering still when King fell
asleep. 1t was courage, not careless
ness, that let him sleep-courage and
a great hope born of the mullahs
He dreamed that he was writing,
writing, while the torturers
made hot fire ready in the Cavern
of Earth's Drink and whetted knives
on the bridge end while the organ
played 1.-THE Marseillaise. He dream
ed Yasmini came to him and whisper
ed the solution to if all hut what
she whispered he could not catch, al