Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-11-26
! KNG-:@G If1E
|KKYB[p pFIFS
ARomance Of Adventure 7 E7;;:;s
~ TALBOT T1U7NDY -=,==-'

messengers. IL is not easy 10 worry
and eat heartily at one and the same
time. Having eaten, he rolled up his
sleeves and natlve-made cotton trou-
sers and proceeded to clean the cave.
After, that he overhauled his stock of
drug and instruments, repacking them
and making ready against opportunity.
'As | told that heather with a gun
out there, there's an end to every
thing!" he reflected. 'May this come
soon :"
The second guard that afternoon
proved even less communicative than
the first, up to the point when, to les
sen his ennui, King began to whistle
Each time he came near the entrance
the new guard could catch few bars
Of the tune. After little while the
hook-nosed ruiiian began to sing the
words to it, in voice like a forgotten
dogs. So King stopped at the entrance
and saw then blood-soaked bandage
on the right of his neck, not very far
from the jugular.
"Hah" said King. "Was that wound
got in the Khyber the other day."
"Nay. Here in Khinjan."
"A man told me last night" said
King, drawing on Imagination without
any conjunction at all, "that the fight
in the Khyber was because jihad is
launched already"
"That man led" said the guard,
shifting position uneasily. as If afraid
to talk too much.
$50 told him. answered King. II
told him there never will be another
had" o
"Then thou art greater liar than
he !" the guard answered, holly. "There
will be jihad when sheis ready, such
an one as never yet was! India shall
bleed for all the fat yMrs she has lain
unplundered Not throat of an I'M
believer in the world shall be left I'M
slit! No jihad? Thou liar! Get in
out Of my sight"
So King retired into the cave, with
something new to think about. Was
she planning the jihad! Or pretending
to plan one? Every once in while
the guard leaned far into the cave
mouth and hurled adiectives at him,
the mildest of which was O well of in
formation. If his temper was the tenn
per of the Hills" it was easy to read
disappointment for iihad that should
have been already but had been post
poned. King let him alone and paced
the cave for hours.
He was squatting on his bed-end
In the dark, like a specialized image of
BuG,,ha, when the first of the three
men came on guard again and at last
Ismail came for him holding pltchy
torch that filled the dim passage full
of acrid smoke and made both of them
cough. Ismail was red.eyed with 1t.
Come" he gEowled. "Come, little
hakim!" Then he turned on his heel
at once, as If afraid of being twitted
with desertion. He seemed to want to
get outside, where he could keep out of
range of words, yet not to wish to
seem unfriendly.
But King made no effort to speak tC
him, following in silence out on to the
dark ledge above the waterfall and no
ticing that the guard with the boils
was back again on duty. He grinned
evilly out Of shadow as King passed.
! snake an endv' he advised. slump
hakim, before worse thing happens 7
To Illustrate the suggestion he
, kicked loose stone over the cliff, ant
/ the movement caused him to bend his
, neck and so inadvertently to hurt his
, b0ls. He cursed, and there was pit,
/. In Kings voice when he spoke next.
| 'Do they hurt thee?"
, "Aye, like the devil Khlnjan Is 1
I place Of plaques"
: 81 could heal them" King said, pass
, Ing on, and the man stared hard.
"Come!" doomed Ismail through thu
q darkness shaking the torch to max,
1t burn better and beckoning impatient
I ly, and King hurried after him, Leaving
| behind a savage at the cave mouth WHIT
: fingered his Sores and wondered nut
o tering. leaning on rifle, muttern!
I and muttering again as II he had sect
: new light.
{ Instead of waiting for King to catcl
up. Ismall began to lead the way a
Q great speed along path that descend
3 ed gradually until 1t curved round tn
end Of the chasm and plunged into
. tunnel where the darkness grew
0 opaque. For thirty minutes he le'
4 swiftly down crazy devils stalrwa.
: Of uneven powders. stopping to lent
. a hand at the worst places. but ever
I lastlngly urging him to hurry.