Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-01-04

stare across at Khinjan before lead
ing his four thousand down anu OH
ward. He was silent as an image Dut
his men roared like a river in flood ana
he made no effort to check them.
He dismounted for he had TO, anu
tossed his reins to the nearest liith
with the air of an emperor. Ana ne
led the way down the cliffside without
hesitation, striding like a mountalheef'
His men followed him noisily.
1t was thirty minutes after the last
of the mullah's men had vanlshed
through the gate, and his own men IN
dozens and twenties were scattered
along the cliff-top arguing against de-
Law with growing rancor, when lone
horseman gallOped out of Khinjan gate
and started across the valley. He rode
recklessly. He was either panic"
stricken or else bolder than the devil.
In Il minute King had recognized
the mare, and so had the eyes of fifty
men around him. No man with hail
an eye for horse could have failed
TO recognize that black mare, having
ever seen her once. In another two
minutes King had recognized the Ran
gar's silken turban.
Most of the men were staring down
ward at the Rangar's head as he urged
the mare up the cliff path, when the
explanation of Yasmini's message
came. 1t was only King, urged by
some intuition, who had his eyes fixed
on Khinjan.
There came a shock that actually
swayed the hill they stood on. The
mare on the path below missed her
footing and fell a dozen feet. only to
| get up again and scramble as if thou
hand devils were behind her, the RAN
gar riding her grimly, like jockey in
q race. Three more shocks followed.
A great slice of Khinjan suddenly
caved in with a roar, and smoke and
bling crust.
There was q pause after that, as if
the waiting elements were gathering
strength. For ten minutes they watched
and scarcely breathed. Rewa Gunga
gained the summit and, dismounting
stood by King with the reins over his
arm. The mare was too blown to dc
anything but stand and tremble. And
Kins was too enthralled to do anything
but stare.
"That is what a woman can do fol
a man ~ said Rewa Gunga grimly
"She set a fuse and exploded all the
dynamite. There were tons of it The
galleries must have fallen in, one or
the other! A thousand men digging
Tor thousand years could never gel
into Khinjan now, and the only way
out is down Earth's Drink She bade
me come and bid you goodby, sahib.
would have stayed in there, but she
commanded me- She said, Tell Kins
sahib my love was true. Tell him
give him India and all Asia thai
were at my mercyv"
While the Rangar spoke there came
three more earth tremors in swift sue
cession, and a thunder out of Khinjar
as if the very "Hills" were coming tt
an end. The mare grew frantic ant
the Rangar summoned six men to hOlC
her.
Suddenly, right over the top of Khin
JAMS upper rim, where only the eagles
ever perched, there burst a column o
water, immeasurable, huge, that for
moment blotted out the sun. 1t ros
sheer upward, curved on itself, and fel
in q million-ton deluge on to Khinjal
and into Khinjan valley, kissing an
roaring and laundering.
Earth's Drink had been blocked b
the explosion and had found new wa
over the barrier before plunging dow
again into the bowels of the worlt
The one sky-fung leap it made as it
weight burst down a mountain wa
was enough to blot out Khinjan fol
ever, and what had been dry, mile
wide moat was shallow lake wit
deaths rack and rubbish floating O
the surface.
The earth rocked. King was up o
his, feet in a second and faced abou
The Rangar laughed.
$50 ends the Heart of the Hills y
he said. Think kindly of her, sahi
She thought well enough of your
He laughed again and sprang on tt
black mare, and before King coul
speak or raise hand to stop him /
was off at wondrous speed along tn