davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06
CHAPTER XIII.

They reached the Khyber famished
and were fed at Ali Masjid fort. after
King had given certain password and
had whispered to the officer command
ing. But he did not change into Eu-
ropean clothes yet, and none of his fol-
lowing suspected him of being an Eng
lishman.
"a Hangar on black mare has gone
down the pass ahead of you In a hur-
ry," they told him at Ali Masjid. HE
had two men with him and food
enough. Only stopped long enough to
make his business known"
"What did he say his business ISL"
asked King.
"He gave sign and said word
that satisfied us on that point! !"
"Oh!" said King. "Can you signal
down the passY
Surely"
"Courtenay at Jamrud"
Eyes. In charge there and growing
tired Of doing nothing"
"Signal down and ask him to have
that bath ready for me that / spoke
about Goodby."
So he left Ali Masjid at the head of
motley procession that grew noisier
and more confident every hour. Ismall
began to grow more lively and to have
a good many orders to fling to the rest.
"You mourn like dog" King told
him. '@Three bowls and whine and
a little sulking-and then forgetful-
ness"
Tsmail looked nasty at that but did
not answer, although he seemed to
have hot word ready. And thence
forward he hung his head more, and at
least tried to seem bereaved. But his
manner was unconvincing none the
less, and King found 1t food for
thought.
The ex-soldiers and would-be soldiers
marched In four behind him, growing
hourly more like drilled men, and talk
ing, with each stride that brought
them nearer India. more as men do
who have an interest In law and or
der. Behind them tramped the wom-
en- efrom Khinjan. carrying their ba-
bies and their husbands loads; and
behind them again were the other
women, who had been told they would
be overtaken In the Khyher but who
had actually had to run themselves
raw-footed In order to catch up.
Down the Khyber have come con-
querors, a dozen conquering kings. and
as many beaten armies; but surely no
stranger host than this ever trudged
between the echoing walls. The, very
eagles screamed at them. Signals pre-
coded them, and Courtenay himself
rode UP the pass to greet them. Al
Jamrud they were given food and their
rifles were taken away from them and.
a guard was set 20 watch them. But
the guard only consisted Of two men
both Of whom were Pathans, and they
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06
CHAPTER XXI.

"Whitherw one whispered to King.
'sro Khin1anv" he answered; and
that was enough. Each whispered to
the other, and they all became fred
with curiosity more potent than money
brides.
When he halted at last and dis
mounted and sat down and the strag-
glers caught up, painting, they held a
council of war all together, with Is
mail sitting at Kings back and leaning
a chin on his shoulder In order to hear
better. Bone pressed on bone, and the
place grew numb; King shook him off
dozen times but each time Ismail
set his chin back on the same spot, as
dog will that listens to his master.
Yet he insisted he was her man, and
not Kings.
"Now, We men Of the HIS" said
King, listen to me who am political
offender with reward for capture
offered" That was gem of title.
1t fired their imaginations. II know
things that no soldier would find out
In thousand years, and l will tell
you some Of what know"
Now he had to be careful. II he
were to invent too much they might
denounce him as traitor to the
Hills" In general. II he were to tell
them too little they would lose in
terest and might very well desert him
al the first pinch. He must feel for
the middle way and upset no preju-
dices.
"She has discovered that this null
lab Muhammad Amin is no true mus
linn, but an unbelieving dog of for
eigner from Farangistanl She has
discovered that he plans to make him
self an emperor in these hills, and to
cell hlllmen into slaveryp Might as
well serve the mullah up hot while
about It'll Beyond any doubt not much
more than a mile away the mullah was
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06

was not Hangar at all but She, and
how anybody can ever have mistaken
her for man, even In mans clothes
and with her skin darkened, was be-
yond the sentry's power TO guess. He
for one, ets But nobody be-
lieved that part of his tale.
AS Yussuf bin Ali said over the
campfire up the Khyber later on,
when she sets out to disguise her.
self, she is what she will be- and he
who says he thinks otherwise has two
tongues and no conscience !"s
What Is surely true is that the four
OF them-Yasmini, the general, Cour-
tenay and King-sat up all night in
room In the fort, talking together,
while a succession of sentries over
strained their ears endeavoring to hear
through keyholes. And the sentries
heard nothing and invented very much.
But Partan Singh, the Sikh, who
carried In bread and cocoa tokthem at
about five the next morning, and
found them still talking, heard King
say. $50, in my opinion, sir, there1l
be no 1ihad in these parts. There1l
be sporadic raids, of course, but
nothing brigade can't deal with. The
heart of the holy wars torn out and
thrown away"
Very WE'LL" said the general. ."You
can go up the Khyber again and join
your regiment"
But by that time the Rangers tur-
ban was on again and the tears were
dry, and 1t was Partan Singh who
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06

"And what does she intend?" King
| asked him suddenly.
"She? Ask Allah, who put the spirit
In her How should known"
I'VE will march again, my brothers =
! King shouted, and they streamed along
behind him, now with no advance
guard, but with the Orakzai Pathan
striding beside Kings horse, with q
great hand on the saddle. Like the
Others he seemed decided in his mind
that the haklm ought not to be allowed
much chance to escape.
Just as the dawn was tinting the
surrounding peaks with softest rose
they topped ridge, and Khinjan lay
below them across the mile-wide bone.
dry valley. And while they watched,
and the Khinjan men were beginning
to murmur (for they needed no last
view of the place to satisfy any long
ings y none else than Ismail rose from
behind a rock and came to Kings stir.
rup. He tugged and King backed his
horse until they stood together apart.
"She sends this message" said Is
mail, showing his teeth in the most
peculiar grin that surely the Hills"
ever witnessed. 'Many of her men,
who have never been In the army, are
none the less true to her, aud she will
not leave them to the mullah's mercy.
They will leave the caves In a little
while, and will come up here. They
are to 60 down into India and be made
prisoners IL the sirkar will not enlist
them. You are to wait for them here"
us that all her messageT King
asked him.
may. That is none of It'll This is
her message: THOU SHALT KNOW
THIS DAY, THOU ENGLTSHMAN,
WHETHER OR NOT SHE TRULY
LOVED THEE! THERE SHALL BE
PROOF SUCH AS EVEN THOU
SHALT UNDERSTAND"
Ismail slipped away and lost himself
among the men, and none of them
seemed to notice that he had been
away and had come again. 1t was
little more than an hour after dawn
and the chilled rocks were beginning to
grow warmer when the head of pro-
cession came out of Khinjan gate and
started toward them over the valley.
In all more than five hundred men
and about a hundred women
and children. Then:
"Muhammad Amin comesw shouted
voice from crag top.
They snuggled into better hiding,
and there was no thought now of leav-
ing before the mullah should 60 by.
1t needed an effort to quiet them when
the mullah rose into view at last above
the rise and paused for a minute to
stare across at Khinjan before lead |
ing his four thousand down and on
ward. He was silent as an image, but |
his men roared like river In flood and |
he made no effort to check them.
He dismounted, for he had to, and |
tossed his reins to the nearest man |
with the air of an emperor. And he
led the way down the cliffside without |
hesitation striding like mountaineer.
His men followed him noislly.
1t was thirty minutes after the last
Of the mullah's men had vanished
through the gate, and his own men in
dozens and twenties were scattered
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06

mare on the path below missed hel
footing and fell dozen feet, only t.
get up again and scramble as IL thou
hand devils were behind her, the Ran
gar riding her grimly, like jockey In
q race. Three more shocks followed
A great slice of Khinjan suddenly
caved In with a roar, and smoke and
dust burst upward through the tum
bling crust.
There was pause after that, as II
the waiting elements were gathering
strength. For ten minutes they watched
and scarcely breathed. Rewa Gunga
gained the summit and, dsmounting
stood by King with the reins over his
arm. The mare was too blown to do
anything but stand and tremble. And
King was too enthralled to do anything
but stare.
"That is what woman can do for
manp said Rewa Gunga grlmly.
"She set fuse and exploded all the
dynamite. There were tons of it! The
galleries must have fallen in, one on
the other! A thousand men digging
for a thousand years could never get
into Khinjan now, and the only way
out is down Earth's Drink! She babe
me come and bid you goodby, sahib. /
would have stayed in there, but she
commanded me. She said, Tell King
sahib my love was true. Tell him
give him India and all Asia that
were at my mercyr"
While the Hangar spoke there came
three more earth tremors In swift sue
cession, and thunder out of Khinjan
as II the very Hills" were coming to
an end. The mare grew frantic and
the Hangar summoned six men to hold
her,
Suddenly, right over the top of kim
jams upper rim, where only the eagles
ever perched, there burst a column of
water, unreasonable, huge, that for
moment blotted out the sun. 1t rose
sheer upward, curved ON itself, and fell
in a million-ton deluge on to Khinjan
and into Khinjan valley, Kissing and
roaring and laundering.
Earth's Drink had been blocked by
the explosion and had found new way
over the barrier before plunging down
again into the bowels Of the world
The one sky-fiung leap 1t made as its
weight burst down mountain wall
was enough to blot out Khinjan for
ever, and what had been dry, mile
wide moat was shallow lake with
deaths rack and rubbish floating on
the surface.
The earth rocked. King was up ON
his feet In second and faced about.
The Hangar laughed.
$50 ends the Heart of the Fills ?"
he said. Think kindly Of her, sahib.
She thought well enough Of you'll"
He laughed again and sprang on the
black mare, and before King could
speak or raise hand to stop him he
was off at wondrous speed along the
precipice In the direction of the Khy-
Der pass and India. Two of the men
Who had come out of Khinjan mounted
and spurred after him.
King collected his men and the wom-
IN and children. 1t was easy, for they
we're numb from what they had wit
lessed and dazed by fear. In half an
hour he had them mustered and
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06

along the cliff-top arguing against de-
lay with growing rancor, when a lone
horseman galloped out Of Khinjan gate
and started across the valley. He rode
recklessly. He was either panic
stricken or else holder than the devil.
In minute King had recognized
the mare and so had the eyes of fifty
men around him. No man with half
an eye for horse could have failed
to recognize that black mare, having
ever seen her once. In another two
minutes King had recognized the Ran
CARS silken turban.
Most of the men were staring down
ward at the Rangers head as he urged
the mare up the cliff path, when the
explanation of Yasmini's message
came. 1t was only King, urged by
some intuition, who had his eyes fixed
on Khinjan.
There came n shock that actually
swayed the hill they stood on. The
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06
Invented Cherokee AIphahe,

Sequoyah, inventor of the Cherokee
alphabet, was one of the great men
of the Indian race. He was half-
breed, whose English name was
George Guess. His father was . whito
man and his mother a full-blood In.
dian woman.
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06

threw most doubt on the sentry's tale
about the golden hair. But, as the
sentry said, no doubt Partan Singh
was jealous.
There Is no doubt whatever that the
general went back to Peshawur In the
train at eight o'clock and that the
Hangar went with him in a separate
compartment with about dozen hill
men chosen from among those who had
come down with King.
And 1t Is certain that before they
went King had talk with the Hangar
in room alone, of which CONVERSE
ton, however, the sentry reported aft
erward that he did not overhear one
word; and he had to go to the doctor
with cold In his ear at that. He said
he was nearly sure he heard weeping
But on the other hand, those who saw
both Of them come out were certain
that both were smiling.
1t is quite certain that Athelstan
King went up the Khyber again, for
the official records say so, and they
never lie, especially In time of war. He
rode coal-black mare. and Courtenay
called him "Chikki"-a "lifter."
Some say the Hangar went to Delhi.
Some say Yasmini is In Delhi. Some
say no. But 1t Is quite certain that be-
fore he started up the Khyber King
showed Courtenay great gold brace
tnf fhot he hod al
men saw him do it.
And II that was really Rewa Gunga
In the generals train, why was the
general SO painfully polite to him2 And
why did Ismail insist on riding In the
train, instead of accepting Kings offer
to go up the Khyber with him?
One thing is very certain. King was
right about the jihad. There has been
none In spite of all Turkeys and Ger
many's efforts. There have been spo-
radio raids, much as usual, but nothing
one brigade could not easily deal with,
the press to the contrary notwithstand-
ing.
King of the Khyber rifles is now
major, for you can see that by turning
up the army list.
But If You wish to know Just what
transpired in the room in Jamrud Fort
while the general and Courtenay wait.
ed, you must ask King--if you dare;
for only he knows, and one other. II
is not likely you can find the other.
But 1t is likely that you may hear
from both of them again, for "A won.
an and intrigue are onel' as India
says. The war seems long, and the
world is large, and the chances for in
trlgues are almost infinite, given such
combination as King and Yasmlni and
a love affair.
And as King says on occasion:
"Kuch dar nahin hal There Is no such
thing as fear! ~ Another one might
say. "The roofs the limit"
And bear In mind, for this is impor
tant: King wrote to Yasmlni letter
In Urdu from the mullah's cave, In
which he as good as gave her his word
of honor to be her '1oyaI servant"
should she choose to return to her allie.
glance. He is no splitter of hairs, M
quibbler. His word Is good on ths
darkest night or wherever he casts
shadow in the sun.
"A man and his promise-a woman
and fntrfgue-are onep'
(THE END
Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1918-04-06
CHAPTER xxl-continued.

But out of the corner of his eye, ant
once or twice by looking back DELHI
erately, King saw that Ismail was
taking the members of his new bane
one by one and whispering to them
What he said was mystery, but as
they talked each man looked at King
And the more they talked the better
pleased they seemed And as the day
wore on the more deferential they
grew. BY midday II King wanted to
dismount there were three at least to
hold his stirrup and ten to help him
mount again.
-Four thousand men with women and
children and baggage do not move so
swiftly as one man or dozen, espe-
cially In the "Hllls," where discipline
is reckoned beneath proud mans
honor. There were many miles to go
before Khinjan when night fell and
the mullah babe them camp. He babe
them camp because they would have
done 1t otherwise In any case.
When the evening meal was eaten,
and sentries had been set at every van
tage point, there came another order
from the mullah. The women and
children were to be left in camp next
dawn, and to remain there until sent
for. There was murmuring at that
around the camp, and especially among
Kings contingent. But King laughed.
ut Is good!" he said,
"Why? How so?" they asked him.
IBID your women make for the Khy-
Der soon after the mullah marches to-
morrow. Bid them travel down the
Khyber until we and they meet!"
"But---"
"Please yourselves, sahibs! !" The
hakim's air was one of supremest In
difference. "As for me, leave no
women behind me In the mountains.
/ am content"
They murmured a while, but they
gave the orders to their women, and
King watched the women nod.
Even as Yasmini had tested him and
tried him before tempting him at last,
she must be watching him now, for
even the East repeats itself. She had
sent Ismail for that purpose, 1t was
likely that her course would depend on
his. If he failed, she was done with
him. If he succeeded In establishing a
strong position of his own, she would
yield. With or without Ismail's aid,
with or without his enmity, he must
control his eighty men and give the
slip to the mullah, and he went at once
about the best way to do both.
"We will go now" he said quietly.
THAT sentry In yonder shadow has
his back turned. He has overeaten. |
We will rush him and put good running |
between us and the mullah,"
Surprised into obedience, and too de-
lighted at the prospect Of action to
wonder why they should obey a hakim
SO, they slung on their bandoliers and
made ready. Ismail brought up Kings
horse and he mounted. And then at |
Kings word all eighty made sudden
swoop on the drowsy sentry and took
him unawares. They tossed him over
the cliff, too startled to scream an
alarm; and though sentrles on either
hand heard them and shouted, they
were gone like wind-blown ghosts Of
dead men before the mullah even knew
what was happening.
They did not halt until not one of
them could run another yard, King
trusting to his horse to find footing
along the cliff-tops, and to the men to
find the way.
TaÌˆgliches Cincinnatier volksblatt. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1885-1919, 1918-02-19

gsiseoint Wsiboleton er5dbIte, bnf
Der ier,og pon DepoHitire. Mii'
gIie0 ops Saufes Der oorbs. eineni
Grennoe mitbeilte:
.@eitern itlief i'd Elm unb tatts
cinen jonberbprefiS Trnin; mir
trGuurte n11nliH, ih bieIt cine an.
ipruhe anbie goroB. nab nls Id oirf.
tpoAte, bieIt ih ibatiddIi6 eine aw
jpsade as BAD Gasas bsr 2oth :
TaÌˆgliches Cincinnatier volksblatt. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1885-1919, 1918-02-19
Die 9l us n q + me.

Die Gusnabme.
Der Menicb bebrrfbt nun AUDI bic
Qiifte,
8as SSlugproblem erI9etnt geI6ft;
@r flieJt nab Sften ober @siten
limb frdgt niht, no ber Mtnb Per
blGit
Gr tpeiB bas &raftgefdbrt su lenten,
Sos Sampfrob TT linn unterthun,
Der @IiB ae6or6t unb trGet Dpeften
Bon S5ean gu S5eGn.
Or sabmt bas 9RoB, ben Glefdrrfen,
Sen 20pen stpingt iein Gngeii9t,
Gr stptnet Cuff, Idffer, syeuer, Grbe,
Iab iiar iia ieIbt besutnct q ai#.
TaÌˆgliches Cincinnatier volksblatt. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1885-1919, 1918-02-19

ssyn bem ettpos entferitt bon oem
8obrbaule itebeiloen geebengebGiloe,
on tpel6es Der Sdlippen unb Der
Stad itieBen befaub iih bic aanl.
mer Der bei6en SelpS.
@s iparen oies Elm panr robe Wsif.
iciiriblri6en fr1ftig, drbeitSge'
tponot, aber aiih sinpeiIen toIfopfie
unb 5u f6leften Streiben aufgeIegt.
Sim ur6 Soc tptrben fie genannt.
Inn lire 3unanen fiiiruertc fid feiu
Wseitib.
geionbere 0riilibe moften lie
tpobI peraillabt babetL Miiiouri gu
berIaiien. 2anoltreiGeno maren lie
norbtp1rts ge5ogen uii6 bon Cooper
inter giiten gebingatngeh engngirt
tpcrben, aLS bieier iie artraf. Gen
Sonu1er unb Serbit iiber batten iie
i4 aud sltrsebsMtsIszA hssrGasss
TaÌˆgliches Cincinnatier volksblatt. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1885-1919, 1918-02-19
ssranf 90. @eilsnb.

gitttper bon Warsdretba Sanfer.aaetIanb (ge
hcrrne Ibpums)s I'm 7o. 9ebersiubre Sic ge.
erhignne ftnbet ftatt Gm Whttipodb, ben 20. &c,
brIar, 9aGmittass nm / a l1br, bonn 2ramer,
hruie aus, tuorald Inn 2h nbr eide Get6en,
feierIihfeit In Der ISABELLE oes Oca.idtcn grpi.
gBaInut 6ius Sriebboies dbge5GIteu tptrb, tuo5u
geripanete unb 5retrtbs obne iceitere Rotia b5f.
Itdif eiHgeIaSen ftrb bon
1920 Ten tranerubeI Siutertftebeueu-
TaÌˆgliches Cincinnatier volksblatt. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1885-1919, 1918-02-19
Carl Qnbl,

Sfarb am Gonutaa ben IT. SebrIdr 1913,
erDenos nm 9 ubr 80 Wdni1ten' In feinsr Wjo5.
HiIrg.. SEQ. 2704 Bestmau Strnbe. Rprb SaIr.
Deming graphic. (Deming, N.M.) 1903-1948, 1918-12-13
AMERICA MUST SUPPLY
EuRoFEs room DEMANDS


1.-THE pressing demand for food 1.
| Obvious" cnhled Herbert Hoover after
lane week "a Europe. "Bul the hilna-
ton does not yet admit the formula.
tlon 81 a definite program. NerotIal
liona with allied governments regard.
ing shipping, ilnancea and oreaniza.
ton are still IN progress.
Liberated territories are daily and
urgently calling upon the United
States Tor food. Pending the deter.
minati0n Of a complete program. the
purchase and dispatch Of two hun.
dred and seventy thousand tons 81
food was arranged 10 meet the most
urgent calls. The FIRST Of the ships
carrying this food Is reported as hay.
ing passed Gibraltar for Southern
Europe"
The international food controllers
must meet the problems Of finding
the food, providing money, arranging
transportation, and finally supervis.
ing distribution. Efficient organiza-
ton Is absolutely necessary. All this
must be settled before the new food
program may be completed.
Shipping Is still limited. and Il may
not be possible for some time to draw
heavily on the grain stores IN Aus
traIia. Argentina and India. America
will therefore remain the worlds food
reservoir. at least until next harvest
The Federal Food Administration
for New Mexico has had the speech
delivered by Herbert Hoover to tho
Federal Food Administrator at their
conference in Washington. November
18th, printed in both English and
Spanish for general circulation. This
is now being mailed out to post
meters and food administration
workers. This speech outlines the
world food situation and is the most
concise statement that has been made
on the subject.
II is in fact an outline Of the con-
servation program for world relief
and Americas opportunity to prevent
famine and anarchy.
The Hunger Map" Of Europe
shows actual famine conditions IN
Northern Russia, Finland, the Baltic
provinces, Poland. Bohemia, Serbia
and parts Of Austria-Hungary: food
shortage approaching the famine
point in ROumania, Greece, Southern
Russia, and other countries; serious
shortage in Italy, Bulgaria. Switzer.
land and Turkey; and in the rest Of
Europe fair present supply, but fu.
ture outlook serious. America is the
great storehouse to which all Europe
looks for relief.
Herbert Hoover, now in Europe az
representative Of the American gov.
eminent, cables that the pressing de.
mand for food is obvious. The inter
national food controllers are In con.
ference to provide money and ships
TO obtain food and arrange for prope.
distribution.