Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-10-26

laughs quietly in that way. "Send me
in the keys, like a good chap"
So Saunders went, glad enough to
get into the outer air. The instant the |
door slammed King continued down
the line with his left wrist held high
so that the occupant of each cell in
turn could see the bracelet.
"May God be with thee" 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 it worked, then the doors flew
open one after another in quick sue
cessiOn.
"Come out !" he growled. "Come
out Come outI' 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 theev 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 be sporting Yasmini's talisman ::
the thing was apparently sufficient ex-
PLANTATION in itself.
Eye all know this?" he asked, hold
ing up his wrist. "Whose is this?"
Hers r' The answer was monosyl-
Liable and instant from all thirty
throats.
King lit a cheroot and made mental
note Of the wisdom of referring to her
by pronoun, not by name.
"And I? Who am II" he asked.
"Her messenger! Who else? Thou
art he who shall take us to the Hills =
She promised"
81 shall start for the Hills at dawn"
King said slowly, and he watched their
eyes gleam at the news. No Gagged
tiger is as wretched as prisoned hill
man. No freed bird wings more wildly
for the open. No moth comes more
fOolishly back to the flame again. 1t
was easy to take pity on them-prob-
ably not one of whom knew PHYS
meaning.
'Ts there any among you who would
care to come-?"
"Ah-h-h-hr
"Will We obey me and him?" he
asked, laying his hand on Ismail's
shoulder, as much to let them see the
bracelet again as for any other rea
son.
aye! If we fail, Allah do more tc
us!"
King laughed. "Ye shall leave thi.
place as my prisoners. Here We have
no friends. Here ye must obey. Bu
what when We come to your Hills a
last? Can one man hold thirty mer
prisoners then? In the Hills will "
still obey me-"
The answer to that was unexpected
Ismail knelt-seized his hand-ant
pressed the gold bracelet to his lips
In turn, every one of them filed by
knelt reverently and kissed the brace
let!
"Saw ye ever a hillman do that be
fore?" asked Ismail "They will ODE,
thee! Have no fear!"
''Then comet" ordered King, turnin
his back confidently on thirty savage
whom Saunders. for instance, woul
have preferred to drive in front of hin
after first seeing them handcuffe(
Each lock has a key, but some key
fit oil locks" says the Eastern provert
! King has been chosen for many tick
lish errands in his time, and Saunder
is still in Delhi.
The prisoners were left squattin
under the eyes and bayonets of yer
suspicious prison guard, who made n
secret Of being ready for all concei,
able emergencies. One enthusiast dre7
the cartridge out of his breech chan
:, ber and licked 1t at intervals of mil
: ute or two, to the very great intere:
of the hillmen, who memorized ever
detail that by any stretch of imagin'
ton might be expected to improy
their own shooting when they shoul
get home again.
King found his way on foot throug
: maze of streets to a place where /