Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-02
BY TALBOT
MINDAN-
CHAPTER Y.
(Continued.1

/ Continued
With a last tremendous effort ne
caught at the floor and held himselr
SUSPENDED by his finger-ends. But
! she came and trod on them, and
| though her weight was light, NAL
/ ice made her skillful, and she hurt
him until he had to set his teeth
and drop. He would never have be-
lieved that those soft slipper-soles
/ could have given so much pain.
Forget not thy trooper IN MS
need!" she called, as he fell away
through the opening. And then the
! trap shut.
To his surprise he did not fall
very far, and though he landed on
an elbow and a hip, he struck so
softly that for a moment he be
lieved he must be mad or dead, or
dreaming Then his fingers, NUMB
from Yasmini's pressure, began to
recognize the feel Of gunny-bags,
and of cotton wool, and OF paper.
/ Also he smelled kerosene or some
| thing very like it.
Forgot not the water for thy
trooper, Ranjoor Singh"
! He looked up to see Yasmlnl $
| face framed in the opening, and he
! thought there was more devilment
! expressed in it, for all her liveli-
ness than in her voice that never
quite lost it's hint of laughter. He
did not answer, and the trap-door
closed again.
He knelt and began to grope
through the dark on hands and
knees, but gave that up presently
because the dust from old sacks
and piles of rubbish began to choke
him. Then rats came to investigate
him. He heard several of them
scamper close, and one bit his leg;
so he made ready to fight for his
life against the worst enemy man
may have, praying little in the
Sikh way, that does not reckon
God to be far off at any time.
Suddenly the trap-door opened,
and the rats scampered away from
the light and noise.
THUS is soldier answered."
muttered Ranjoor Singh.
rs the risaldar-major sahib
thirsty?" wondered Yasmini.
He could hear her pouring wa
ter out of brass ever into a dish,
and pouring it back, again. The
metal rang and the water splashed
deliciously, but he was not very
thirsty yet; he had been thirstier
on parade a hundred times.
When her head and shoulders
hardened the aperture, he did not
trouble this time to look at her.
t'Is it dark down there?' she
asked him; but he did not answer.
So she struck a match and lit a
newspaper. In a moment a ball
of fire was floating downward to
him. and it was then that the smell
of dust and kerosene entered his
consciousness as pincers enter the
flesh of men in torment. He stood
up with hands upstretched to catch
the fire-caught it-bore it down
bags.
still dark" she said, looking
through the aperture once more. Il
viii send another one!"
So Rantoor Singh found his
tongue and cursed her with force
and prehensivenes that only
Asia can command; he gave her to
understand that the next fire she
dropped on him should be allowed
to work Gods will and burn her
her rats, her cobras, and her cut
threats. Two honest Sikhs. he
swore, would die we'll to such an
end
Drop thy fire and I will fan the
flannel" he vowed. and she believed
him.
~ will send my cobras down to
keep the sahib company" she
Knocked.
But Ranjoor Singh proposed TO
take one danger at a time, and he
was quie sure that she wanted him
alive. not dead, for otherwise he
would have ben dead already. He
held his tongue and listened while
she splashed the water.
Thy trooper is very thirsty, sa-
hib."
She was on warmer scent now.
for that squadron of his and the
men of his squadron were the one
love of his warrior life Some
spirit of malice whispered her as
much.
1.-The trooper shall have water
when Ranjoor Singh sahib has
promised on his Sikh honor"
promised WHAT" His voice be-
trayed interest at last; it suggest
ed future possibilities instead of
grim present.
THAT he will do what is required
of him."
as that the price of drink for
Japut Singh p"