Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-03-30

straight Into the eyes of the Rangal
Rewa Gungal
"How did you get heref" he asked
In English.
"Any fool could learn the password
into this campl Come over here, sa.
bib. / bring word from her."
The ground was criss-crossed like q
mans palm by the shadows of tent.
ropes. The Hangar led him to where
the tents were forty feet apart and
none was likely to overhear them.
There he turned like flash.
"She sends you this!" he Missed.
In that same instant King was fight
| ing for his life. In another second
they were down together among the
tent-pegs, King holding the Rangers
wrist with both hands and struggling
| to break it, and the Hangar striving
for another stroke. The dagger he
held had missed Kings ribs by so
little that his skin yet tingled from
its touch. 1t was dagger with bronze
blade and gold hilt-her dagger. 1t
was her perfume In the air.
They rolled over and over, breathing
hard. King wanted to think before
he gave an alarm, and he could not
think with that scent in his nostrils
and creeping into his lungs. Even in
the stress Of fighting he wondered how
the Rangers clothes and turban had
come to be drenched In It, He admit
ted to himself afterward that 1t was
nothing else than jealousy that sug-
gested to him to make the Hangar
prisoner and hand him over to the
mullah.
That would have been a ridiculous
thing to do, for 1t would have forced
his own betrayal to the mullah. But
as II the Hangar had read his mind,
he suddenly redoubled his efforts and
King, weary to the point of sickness.
had to redouble his own or die. Per-
haps the jealousy helped put venom In
his effort, for his strength came back
to him as madman's does. The Ran
gar gave moan and let the knife fall.
And because jealousy is poison King
did the wrong thing then. He bounced
on the knife instead of on the Hangar.
He could have questioned him--knelt
on him and perhaps forced explana-
lions from him. But with a sudden
swift effort like snakes the Hangar
freed himself and was up and gone be-
fore King could struggle to his feet
gone like shadow among shadows.
King got up and felt himself all over,
for they had fought on stony ground
and he was bruised. But bruises faded
into nothing, and WEAKNESS as we'll, as
MS mind began to dwell on the new
complication to Lis problem.
1t was plain that the moment he
had returned from his message to the
hhyber the Hangar had been sent on
this new murderous mission. Yasmini
had never believed her letter would be
treated seriously by the authorities,
and had only sent 1t in the hope of
fooling him and undermining his de-
termination. Perhaps she saw her
own peril. Perhaps she contemplated
gosh what a contingency perhaps
she contemplated boiling into India
with a story of her own, and leaving
the muilah to his own devices! Would
she dare escape into India and leave
himself alive behind her?
There was an alternative, the very
thought of which made him fearfully
uneasy. and yet brought a thrill with
t. In all Eastern lands, love scorned
lakes to the dagger. He had half be-
ieved her when she swore she loved |
liml The man who could imagine |
himself loved by Yasmini and not be |
thrilled to his core would be inhuman,
whatever reason and caution and caste |
Ind creed might whisper in magma
ions wake.
Keeling from fatigue che felt like a
nan who had been racked. for the Ran
,ars strength was nearly unbeliev-
lble), he started toward where the |
nullah sat glowering in the cave
mouth. He found the man who had |
arried his bag asleep at the foot of
he ramp, and taking the bag away
rom him, let him lie there. And 1t
ook him five minutes to drag his hurt.
weary bones up the ramp, for the fight
lad taken more out of him than he
lad guessed at first.
The mullah glared at him but let him
" without word. 1t was by the fire
t the back of the cave, where he
topped to dip water from the null