New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-02-01

"khinjan Is Mine!" He Crowded. "In'
dia Is Mine!"
1t was partly disguised by some gummy
stuff stuck all about the eyes. He
stared at the face again.
"Ismail !" he said "YouY
"Aye! Father Of cleverness! Make
play of healing my eyes"
SO King made a great show of rub.
bling on ointment. In a minute Ismail,
looking almost like a young man with
out his great beard, was dancing like
a lunat.. with both fists in the air. and
yelling as If wasps had stung him.
"Aieee-aieee-aieee!" he yelled. II
see again! see! My eyes have light
In them! Allah! Oh. Allah heap
riches on the great, wise hakim who
can heal mems eyes! Allah reward
him richly; for I am a beggar and
have no goods"
The whole camp began to surge
toward him to see the miracle, and his
chosen bodyguard rushed up to drive
them back. And as they went a tall
Afridi came striding down the camp
with a letter for the mullah held out
in a cleft stick in front of him.
"Her answer" said Ismall with a
wicked grin.
"What Is her word? Where is the
Orakzai Pathan"
But Ismail laughed and would not
answer him. 1t seemed to King that
he scented climax. Also he chose in
that instant to force the mullah's hand,
on the principle that hurried b~uffaloes
will blunder.
ITO Khinjan" he shouted to the
nearest man. "The mullah will march
on Khinjan"
They murmured and wondered and
backed away from him to give him
room. Ismail watched him with
dropped jaw and wild eye.
"Spread 1t through the camp that
we march on Khinjan! Shout It! Bid
them strike the tents"
Somebody behind took up the shout
and 1t went across the camp In leaps,
as men toss a ball. There was a surge
toward the tents, but King called to
his deserters and they clustered back
to him. He had to cement their allie
glance now or fail altogether, and he
would not be able to do it by ordinary
argument or by pleading; he had to
fire their Imagination. And he did.
"She Is on our side |" That was a
sheer guess. "She has kept our man
and sent another as hostage for him In
token Of good faith! Listen! Ye saw
this mans eyes healed. Let that be
a token! Be We the men with new
eyes! Give 1t out! Claim the title
and be true to 1t and see me guide
you down the Khyber in good time like
a regiment, many more than a hundred
strong"
They jumped at the idea. The
Hills" the whole East, for that mat
tar-are ever ready to form a new sect
or join a new band or a new blood.
feud. Witness the Nikalseyns, who
worship a lOng-since-dead Englishman.
"We see!" yelled of them.
"We see" they chOrused, and the
u tooh Nilu 6Cs iioIu tllul ulitlutC |
they were a new band, with a war-cry
of their own.
"We see!" they hOwled, scattering
the camp, and the mullah
out to glare at them and tug
beard and wonder what possessed
them.
"To Khlnjanv they roared. Lead
us to Khinjan! !"
ITO Khinjan, then" he Numbered.
throwing up both arms in a sort of
double apostolic blessing, and then mo-
as if he threw them the reins
and leave to gallop. They rOared back
him like the sea under the whip of
q gaining wind. And Ismail disap-
among them. leaving King
alone. Then the mullah beckOned him
and showed him q letter he had crum-
pied in his fist. There were only a
few lines, written in Arabic, which all
are supposed to be able to
read, and they were signed with a
strange scrawl that might have meant
anything. But the paper smelt strong
" of her perfume.
Come. then. Bring all your men, and
let you and them enter Khinjan
We will strike a bargain in the
cavern Of Earth's Drink.
That was all, but the fire in the null
abs eyes showed that he thought 1t
was enough. He did not doubt that
,nce he should have his extra four
thousand in the caves Khinjan would
De his; and he said so.
'Khinjan is mine!" he growled. "In-
liza is mine" |,
King did not answer him. He could
,nly be still and be glad he had set the
amp moving and so had forced the
nullah's hand. "The old fatalist would
AVE suspected her answer other
wise !" he told himself. for he knew
hat he himself suspected It