Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-06
CHAPTER XII.
(ContiDued.1

"Ranjoor Singh is buffalo OF
buffaloes-a Jat buffalo of no i'm
agination and no sense. He is buff
falo enough to love the British Raj
and his squadron of Jat farmers
with all his stupid Sikh heart!
There could not be better for the
purpose than this Ranjoor Singh!
He is stopped enough, and nearly
blunt enough to be an Englishman.
He is just of the very calibre to
fool a Germanl Trust me, sahib--
I, who picked the man who"
"ThatII dol" said the general;
and Yasmini laughed again like the
tinkling of a silver bell.
There came then a soft rap on
the door. 1t opened about six
inches, and maid whispered.
Watt" ordered Yasmini. Come
through! Wait herel" She pulled
the maid through the door to the
little back stair-head landing. Did
you hear?" she Kissed excitedly.
"She says Kirby sahib has come,
and another with him!"
She was twltching with excite
ment. Her fingers clutched the
generals sleeve, and he found him
self thinking of his youth. He re-
leased her fingers gently and she
spared a giggle for him.
bad business!" said the general
again. Kirby will ask questions
and go away; but the troopers OF
Ranjoor Singh's squadron will come
later and they will lot go away.
in such a hurry. You can fool Col
dhel Kirby sahib, but you can not
fool a hundred troopers"
Nor" she purred. She had done
thinking and was herself again, i'm
pudent and artful. u can fool any
body and any thousand men! l
have sent Sta Ram already with a
message to the troopers of Ran
joor Singh's squadron. The mes
sage was supposed to be from him,
and It was worded just as he would
have worded 1t. Presently Sta
Ram will come back when he has
helped himself to payments. Then
l can send him with yet another
message.
Go and put thoughts into the
buffalo's head, General sahib, and be
quick There must be message
a written message from Ranjoor
Singh to Kirby sahib-and token
not the token, in proof
that the writing is not forged! For
get not the token. There must
surely be a tokeni"
She pushed the general forward
down a passage, through a series OF
doors. and down another passage
halted him while she fitted a
strange native key into lock-
opened another door, and pushed
him through. Then she ran back
to her maid.
"Send somebody to find Sta
Ram, Bid him hurry! When he
comes, put him in the small room
next the cobras, and let him be
shown the cobraS until fear OF too
much talking has grown greater in
him than the love of being heard!
Then let me see him in a mirror, so
that l may know when it is time.
Have cobras in hair-noose ready,
close behind where the sahibs sit,
and watch through the hanglngs for
my signalI Both sahibs will kneel
to me. Then watch for another
signal, and let all lights be blown
out instantly Or if the sahibs do
not kneel Though they shall!D then
watch yet more closely for a signal
which l will give to extinguish
lights.
"So-now go! Am I beautiful?
Are my eyes bright? Twist me that
Jasmine in my hair-so. Now run
I will surprise them through the
hangings!'
So Yasmini surprised Kirby and
his adjutant as has been told, and 1t
need not be repeated how she hum
bled the pride of sIndia's army on
their knees. She would have to
forego the delight of being Vas
mini before she could handle any
or plan any coup along
ordinary lines, and Kirby and his
were not the first English
men, nor likely to be the last, to
feed her merriment.
The general, for his part, had
even although pushed without cere-
mony through a door-behaved
with perfect confidence, for he
knew that, whatever her within or
her sense of bumor, or her impu-
dence, Yasmini would not fail him
in the pinch. Even she, whose jest
it is to see men writhe under her
hand, has to own somebody ,her
master, and though she would gig
gle at the notion of fearing any one
man, or any dozen, she does fear