Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-03-23

w ia Aut uEaAhs WAth -
stiff-5acked sahib out In front OF me-
and the thunder of the gun-wheels go
ing by. The salt was good! Come
thou with me -
"The pardon is for deserters," King
objected, mot for political offenders"
"Haugh!" said the Pathan, bringing
down his fiat hand hard ON the hakim's
thigh. 81 will attend to that for thee.
| will obtain my pardon first. Then
will lead thee by the hand to the
karnal sahib and lie to him and say,
This is the one who persuaded me
against my win to come back to the
regimentp"
"Thou art dreamerl" said King.
Unite my hands; the thong cuts me-"
The Pathon obeyed.
Dreamer, am |? 1t Is good to dream
such dreams. BY Allah, I've mind
to see that dream come truel never
slew man on Indian soil, only In
these Hills | will go to them ana
say Here ami l am deserter.
seek that pardonl' Truly will gol
Come thou with me, little hakim"
May" said King. Il have another
thought. You who were seen to Stay
man, and who am political Offend
err, do not win pardons so easily as
that. They would hang US unless we
came bearing gifts
Gifts? Has Allah touched theef
What gifts should we bring? A dozen
stolen ritiesl A bag Of sllver2 And
am the dreamer, am II"
"Nay," said King. II am the dream
| er. There are others In these Hills
others in Khinjan who wear British
medals"
The Pathan nodded. Hundreds,
Men fight first ON one side, then on the
other, being true to either side while
the contract lasts. in all there must be
the markings of many regiments among
the His"
King nodded. He himself had seen
the chieftains come to parley after the
Tirah war. Most of them had worn
British medals and had worn them
proudly.
"If we two" he said, speaking slow
ly, "couId speak with some of those
men and stir the spirit In them ana
persuade them to feel as thou dost,
mentioning the pardon for deserters
and the probability of bonuses to the
time-expired for re-enlistment; If we
could march down the Khyber with
hundred such, or even with fifty or
with twenty-five or with a dozen men
we would receive our pardon for the
sake of service rendered"
"GoodW
The Pathan thumped him on the
back so hard that his eyes watered.
"We would have to use much eau
tion," King advised him, when he was
able to speak again.
"Ayel If Bull-with-a-beard got wind
of 1t he would have us crucified. And
If she heard of it"
He was silent. Apparently there
were no words in his tongue that could
compass his dread OF her revenge. He
was silent for ten minutes, and King
sat still beside him, letting memory
Of other days do Its work-memory of
the long, clean regimental lines, and of
order and decency and of justice hand
ed out to all and sundry by gentlemen
who did not think themselves too good
to wear a native regiments uniform.
I'm two days | could do the drill
again as well as ever" he said at last.
Then there was silence again for flf-
teen minutes more. II could always
shoot" he murmured; II could always
shoot"
When Muhammad Amin came back
they had both forgotten to replace the
flashing on Kings wrists, but the null
lah seemed not to notice it.
"Come I" he ordered, with a sidewise
Jerk Of his great ugly head, and then
stood muttering impatiently while they
obeyed.
They marched downward through
interminable tunnels and along lodges
poised between earth and heaven, un-
til they came at last to the tunnel lead
| ing to the one entrance into Khintan
caves. Just before they entered 1t two
more Of the mullah's men came up
with them, leading horses. One horse
was for the mullah, and they helped
King mount the other, showing him
more respect than Is usually shown a
prisoner In the Hills"
Then the mulah led the way into the
tunnel, and he seemed In deadly fear
The echo of the hoof-beats irritated
him. He eyed each hole In the roof as
If Yasmini might be expected to shoot
down at him or drench him with boil
ing oil and hurried pas. each of them
at trot, only to draw rein Immediate
~ afterward because the noise was too
great.
1t became evident that his men had
been at work here too, for at intervals
along the passage lay dead bodies. Vas
mini must have posted the men there,
but where was she2 Each of them lay
dead with a knife wound In his back,
and the mullah's men possessed them
selves Of rifles and knives and car-
tridges, wiping Off blood that had
scarcely cooled yet.
When they came to the end Of the
tunnel 1t was to find the door into the
mosque open In front of them, ana
twenty more Of Muhammad Anim's
man etandinn nuard nrnr. thn ouolnal