The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-03-08
women who are prisoners here.
may therefore live ~

Ihere was utter silence. Men looked
at one another and at her, and her
blazing eyes searched the crowd swift
ly. 1t was plain enough that there
were at least two parties there, and
that none dared oppose Yasmini's will
for fear Of the others.
ITO thy seat, Kurram Khan!' she
ordered, when she had waited full
minute and no man spoke.
He wasted no time. He hurried out
of the arena as fast as he could walk,
with Ismail and Darya Khan close at
his heels. Ismail overlook him, seized
him by the shoulders, Rugged him, and
dragged him to the empty seat next to
the Orakzai Pathan. There he Rugged
him until his ribs cracked.
"Ready O. wit" he. crowed. Ready
O. tongue! Light o. life! Man after
mine own heart! Hey, I love theel
Readily would be thy man, but for be-
ing hers! Turned the joke on Muham-
mad Amin! Turned it against her
enemy and raised laugh against him
from his own men! Ready O. Will
Shameless one! Lucky onel Allah
was surely good to theel"
"Have they taken Ali Masjid fort?"
King whispered.
"Nay, how should / Know? Ask herl
She knows more than any man knows!"
King turned to ask the same ques-
ton Of his friend the Orakzai Pathan:
but the Pathan would have none of his
questions, he was busy listening for
whispers from the crowd, watching
with both eyes, and he showed King
aside.
The crowd was very far from being
satisfied. An angry murmur had be-
gun to fill the cavern as hive is filed
with the song Of bees at swarming
time. But even so, surmise what one
might, it was not easy to persuade the
eye that Yasmini's careless smile and
easy poise were assumed. If she rec
ognized indignation and feared it, she
disguised her fear amazingly. Leisure
~, languidly, she raised both arms un-
til she looked like an angel poised for
flight. The little jewels stitched to her
gauzy dress twinkled like fireflies as
she moved. The crowd gasped sharp
ly. She had it by the heart-strings.
She called, and four guards got I'M
der one shield, bowling their heads and
resting the great rim on their Shout
ders. They carried 1t beneath her and
stood still. With low delicious laugh,
sweet and true, she sprang on it, and
the shield scarcely trembled; she
seemed lighter than the silk her dress
was woven from!
They carried her so, and In the midst
Of the arena before they had ceased
moving she began to sing, with her
head thrown back and bosom swelling
like a birds.
The East would ever rather draw its
own conclusions from q hint let fall
than he puzzled by what the West be-
lieves are facts. And parallels are not
good evidence in courts of law, which
is always consideration. So her song
took the form of parable.
And to say that she took hold of
them and played rhapsodies Of her
own making on their heartstrings would
be to undervalue what she did. They
were dumb while she sang, but they
rose at her.. Not force in the world
could have kept them down, for she
was deity touching cords that stirred
other forces-subtle, mysterious, mes
meric, which the old East understands
which Muhammad the prophet I'M
derstood when he harnessed evil in the
shafts with men and wrote rules for
their driving In book. They rose in
silence and stood tense.
She sang of wolf-pack gathering
from the valleys in the winter snow
very hungry wolf-pack. Then of a
stalled OK, grown very. fat from being
cared for. OF the "Heart of the Hills
that awoke in the worm Of the Hills"
and that listened and watched.
SNOW, is she the Heart of the
HillsY" King wondered. The rumors
men had heard and told again in India.
about the "Heart of the Hills" in kim
Jan seemed to have foundation.
He thought Of the strange knife.
wrapped in a handkerchief under his
shirt, with its bronze blade and gold
hilt in the shape of a woman dancing.
The woman dancing was astonishingly
like Yasmini. standing on the shieldi
She sang about the owners Of the
stalled OK, who were busy at bay.
defending themselves and their OK
from another wolf-pack In another d.
rection "far beyond"
She urged them to watt little while.
The OK was big enough and fat enough
to nourish all the wolves in the world
for many seasons. Let them wait.
then, until another. greater wolf-pack
Joined them, that they might go hunt
ing all together, overwhelm its pres
ent owners and devour the OK! So
urged the "Heart Of the Hills" speak
ing to the mountain wolves, according
to Yasmini's song.
The little cubs in the burrows know.
Are ye grown wolves, who hurry SO?
She paused, for effect; but they gave
f0nQun fhpn hocauco fhnv rnuld NOT