Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-04-15
CHAPTER ".
(Conttpued.(

The door went inward as II
struck by blast of dynamite, ana
the Sikh's head struck hagstone.
Long, strong arms seized him by
the feet and dragged him inside.
Then the door closed again, ana
this time a bolt really did shoot
home. to be followed by two others
and a bar that fitted vertically into
the beam above and the floor be-
meath
Outside, 80 feet from the street
| corner. the crowd came together as
| a tide-raCe meets amid the rocks,
roaring, shouting. surging, sway
ing back and forth, nine-tenths
questioning at the limit of its lungs,
and one-tenth yelling Information
! that was false before they haa IT,
! Those at the back believed ALREADY
that there were ten men down ~
the next street there was supposed
| to be a riot. And the shrlll repeat
ed whistle of the nearest policeman
summoning help confirmed the
crowd in its belief. besides convinc-
| ing it of new atrocities as yet I'M
| guessed.
ONLY one man in the crowd had
wit enough to carry the tale back
| to the barracks where it might be
expected to produce action. He was
a Rengali babu, bare of leg and fat
| of paunch, who had enough imag-
| nation to conceive OF regiment
| in receipt of the news, and the
mental picture so appealed to MN
/ that he held his protruding stom-
| ach in both hands while he ran
down-street like a landslide, his
mouth agape and his eyes all but
! popping from his head.
He reached the barrack gate
speechless and breathless, just as
Ranioor Singh rode up on Bagh,
mud-plastered after an afternoon
work teaching scouts. He chung to
the risaldar-major's stirrup, and
was dragged ten feet, soldering
and bubbling incoherencies. before
the savage charger could be relned
in and made to stand.
What is it. oh, babuji?" laughed
Ranjoor Singh. Are the MosleIns
out after your temple gods ??
Aha, Run, Gallop. Bring all
the guns,'' This in English, all OF
it. Blood in the gutter-blood like
water-twentee policemen are al
ready dead, and your men have
done It! Gallop quicklee. Jaluee'
jaldee!"
60 and get twenty more police
men to wipe away the blood" adj
vised Ran1oor Singh, sitting back
| in the saddle TO get better look
at him and refining back the i'm
patient Bagh. II am not consta-
beel; ! am a soldier"
Aha, Yes. You better hurry.
| All your men are underneath
rehabilitation dog. You
better hurry like slippery! One
/ Afridi is beginning things. and
where is one Afridi with long
knife are many more kinds OF
| troubled"
The babu WAS recovering his
breath, and with it his yearning to
behold regiment careering
| through the barrack gate 10 the
| rescue. He still chung 10 the stir
rup, and since he would not let go
Rantoor Singh proceeded TO tow
him, with a cautious. booted right
leg ready to spur Bagh away TO the
left should the brute commence TO
| kick.
"You are hard-hearted person,
and your fate is forever sealed II
you refuse to listenl" walled the
| babu. 1.-THE blood OF your men
lies In street calling aloud for
vengeanee!" A university educa-
ton works wonders for babu Vo-
cabulary, II tell YOU II is IA riot,
and most extremelee serious af-
| fair!"
That was the wrong appeal to
make, as the babu himself would
/ have Known had he been less eX-
cited In time of riot the place for
o Sikh officer would be at the regi-
ment's headquarters, In readiness