The Red Cloud chief., 1918-01-17

n - ~ N ~ N "A " u - y
straight into the eyes Of the Rangar
Rewa Gungai
"How did you get heref" he asked
In English.
"Any fool could learn the password
into this campl Come over here. sa-
hib. I bving word from her."
The ground was criss-crossed like q
mans palm by the shadows of tent
ropes. The Rangar led him to where
the tents were forty feet apart and
none was likely to overhear them.
There he turned like fash.
"She sends you thisr' he hissed.
In that same instant King was fight
ing for his life. In another second
they were down together among the
tent-pegs, King holding the Rangar's
wrist with both hands and struggling
to break II, and the Rangar striving
for another stroke. The dagger he
held had missed Kings ribs by so
little that his skin yet tingled from
Its touch. It was a dagger with bronze
blade and gold hilt-her dagger II
was her perfume In the air.
They rolled over and over, breathing
hard. King wanted to think before
he gave nn alarm, and he could not
think with that scent In his nostrils
and creeping into his lungs. Even In
the stress Of fighting he wondered how
the Rangar's clothes and turban had
come to be drenched in 1t. He admit
ted to himself afterward that II was
nothing else than jealousy that sug-
gested to him to make the Rangnr
prisoner and hand him over to the
mullah.
That would have been a ridiculous
thing to do, for II would have forced
his own betrayal to the mullah. But
as II the Rangar had read his mind,
he suddenly redoubled his efforts and
King. weary to she point Of sickness,
had to redouble his own or die. Per
haps the jealousy helped put venom in
his effort, for his strength came back
to him as a madman's does. The Ran.
gar gave moan and let the knife fall.
And because Jealousy is poison King
did the wrong thing then. He pounced
on the knife instead Of on the Rangar,
He could have questioned him-knelt
on him and perhaps forced explana.
tons from him. But with a sudden
swift effort like a snakes the Rangar
freed himself and was up and gone be.
fore King could struggle to his feet
gone like shadow among shadows.
King got up and felt himself all over
for they had fought on stony ground
and he was bruised. But bruises faded
into nothing, and weariness as well, as
his mind began to dwell on the new
complication to Lis problem.
It was plain that the moment he
had returned from his message to the
Khyber the Rangar had been sent or
this new murderous mission. Yasmin
had never believed her letter would be
treated seriously by the authorities
and had only sent It In the hope O1
fooling him and undermining his de
termination. Perhaps she saw heI
own peril. Perhaps she contemplated
gosh what contingency !-perhap,
she contemplated bolting into Indie
with a story Of her own, and leaving
the mullah to his own devicesi Woult
she dare escape into India and leav,
himself alive behind her?
There was m alternative, the very
thought Of which made him fearfully
uneasy, and vet brought thrill will
1t. In all Eastern lands, love scornet
takes to the dagger. He had half be
lieved her when she swore she loved
mini The man who could imagine
himself loved by Yasmini and not be
thrilled to his core would be inhuman
whatever reason and caution and caste
ana creed might whisper In imagina
tion's wake.
Keeling from fatigue (he felt like O
man who had been racked. for the Ran
gars strength was nearly unbeliev
able), he started toward where the
mullah sat glowering In the cave
mouth. He found the man who had
carried his bag asleep at the foot OF
the ramp. and taking the bag away
from him, let him lie there. And II
took him five minutes to drag his hurt
weary bones up the ramp, for the fight
had taken more out Of him than he
had guessed Mt first.
The mullah glared at him but let hin
by without word. 1t was by the fire
at the back Of the cave. where ht
stopped to dip water from the mul
lah's enormous crock, that the mex,
pNTNItn AoH1ml