Askov American., 1917-12-20

eM IN here I'D TIE ~ lSiaAtf-Auu
eave me In here alcne."
Saunders whistled and wiped sweat
nom his gsistening face, for In spite
| NJ windows wide open to the courtyard
was hotter than a furnace room.
"Maynt 1 have you thrown into a
Zen Of tisersy he asked. ''Or nest
,f cohrass Or get the fiery furnace
readye That God be with thee stuff
5 hahit--they say 1t with unction be-
core they knife a man"
"rll be careful. them" King
.huckled: and 1t Is fact that few
men can argue with him when he
aughs quietly in that way. "Send me
| in the keys. like good chap"
So Saunders went, glad enough to
get into the outer air. The instant the
ioor slammed King continued down
| the line with his left wrist held high
80 that the occupant Of each cell In
turn could see the bracelet.
"May God be with theew came the
instant greeting from each cell until
down toward the farther end. The
occupants Of the last six cells were
silent. He had scarcely finished doing
that when Ismail strobe in, slamming
the great iron door behind him, jan
Cling bunch Of keys and looking more
than ever like somebody out Of the Old
Testament
"Open every door except those whose
numbers have rubbed out! !" King or
dered him.
Ismail proceeded to obey as If that
were the least improbable order in all
the world. 1t took him two minutes
to select the pass-key and determine
how 1t worked, then the doors flew
open one after another in quick sue
cession.
"Come out" he growled. '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 out
Of tombs, blinked at the bright light
saw him--then the bracelet-and sa-
luted.
"May God be with theel" growled
each of them.
They stood still then. awaiting fresh
developments. 1t did not seem to oc-
cur to any one Of them as strange that
a British officer in khaki uniform
should he sporting Yasmini's talisrnan;
the thing was apparently sufficient ex-
planation in itself.
"Ye all know this2' he asked. hold
ng up his wrist. "Whose is this?"
"Hers!" The answer was mOnosyl-
able and instant from all thirty
-hroats.
lote of the wisdom of referring to her
~ pronoun, not by name.
"And II Who am II" he asked.
"Her messenger Who else? Thou
lrt he who shall take US to the Hills 7
She promised"
II shall start for the Hills at dawn"
King said slowly. and he watched their
l0es gleam st the news No cageA
t,ael ,> a. wrNtcieu a. u ,,.> :
man No creed bird wings more A'i'!sy
for the open. No moth Gomez more
foolishly back to the fame again Ii
was easy to take pity on theni--prob.
ably not one Of whom knew PHYS
meaning.
"Is there any among you who would
care to come-2"
"Ah-h-h-hr
"Will We obey me and himT" he
asked, laying his hand on Ismail's
shoulder, as much to let them see the
bracelet again as for any other rea.
son.
"Ayel If we fail, Allah do more tc
us!"
King laughed. "Ye 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
prisoners then? In the Hills will ye
still obey me?"
The answer to that was unexpected.
Ismail knelt-seized his hand-and
pressed the gold bracelet to his lips
In turn, every one of them filed by,
knelt reverently and kissed the brace
let!
"Saw We ever a hillman do that he.
fore?" asked Ismail. "They will obey
thee! Have no fearw
"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 handcufYed
Each lock has key, but some keys
at all locks" says the Eastern proverb
King has been chosen for many tick
lish errands In his time, and Saunders
Is still in Delhi.
The prisoners were left sQuattine
under the eyes and bayonets of a very
suspicious prison guard, who made nc
secret Of being ready for all conceiv'
able emergencies. One enthusiast drew
the cartridge out of his breech cham
ber and licked 1t at intervals Of min
ute or two, to the very great interest
Of the hillmen. who memorized every
detail that by any stretch Of imagtna
ton might he expected to improve
their own shooting when they shoulc
| get home again.
King found his way on foot through