The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-06-06

men wait for proofw
He licked his teeth suggestively, as
a wolf does when he contemplates q
meal. Then, as nm afterthought. as
though ashamed. II love theel Thou
art a man after my own heart! But /
am her man! Wait and see !"
The mullah In the arenn. blinking
with his lashless eyes, held both arms
up for silence in the attitude Of a
Christian priest blessing a congrega.
ton. The great cavern grew still. and
only the river could be heard sucking
hungrily between the smooth stone
banks.
"God Is great" the mullah howied.
The crowd Numbered In echo to him /;
and then the vault took up the echoes.
"And Muhammad Is his prophet 7"
howled the mullah. Instantly they an.
swered him again. "His prophet-is
his prophets his prophet! !" said the
~stalactites. In loud barks-then in MUIR
murs-then in awe-struck whispers.
That seemed to be all the religious
ritual Khinjan remembered or could
tolerate. Considering that the mullah.
too, must have killed his man In cold
blood before earning the right to he
there. perhaps II was enourh-too
much. There were men not far from
King who %shuddered.
"There are strangers !" announced
the mullah, as a man might say, II
smell n rat" But he did not look at
anybody In particular; he blinked nj
the crowd.
"Bring them :" he shouted, and King
suppressed n shudder-for what proof
had he Of right to be there, beyond Is
malls verbal Confederation Of a lie?
Would Ismail lie for him again? he
wondered. And II so. would the lie be
any use?
Not far from where King sat there
was an immediate disturbance In the
crowd, and n wretched-looking Baluchi
was thrust forward at n run, with arms
'nshed 70 his sides and n pitiful look
OF terror on his face. Two more Ba-
luchis were hustled along after him,
protesting a little, but looking almost
as hopeless.
Once In the arena. the guards took
charge OF all three Of them and lined
them up facing the mullah, clubbing
them with their rifle-butts to get quick
er obedience. The crowd began to be
noisy again. but the mullah signed for
silence.
These are traitors |" he howled, and
his voice was like a VOLTS at hunting
time. Hear. and be warned! I"
The crowd grew very still. but King
saw that SON men licked their lips,
as II they well knew what was coming.
"These three men came. and one was
a e man !" the mullah howled. THE
other two were his witnesses! All
three swore that the first man came
from Staying an unbeliever In the teeth
of written law. They said he ran from
the law. So, as the custom is, l let all
three enter I"
Good" said the crowd. "Good 7"
They might have been FIVE thousand
judges, judging In equity, so grave they
were. Yet they licked their lips.
"But later. word came to me saying
they are liars. So-again as the Gus
tom Isl ordered them bound and
held! Does any speak for them?"
Speak for them1" said the roof.
There was silence. Then there was
a murmur Of establishment. over OPP
posite to where King sat the mullah
stood up, who the Pathan had said
was
Amin.
"The men are mine |" he growied.
His voice was like a hears at bay II
was low, but II carried strangely. And
as he spoke he swung his great head
between his shoulders. like a bear that
means to charge. "The proof they
brought has been stoleni They had
good proof speak for theml The
men are mine 7"
The Pathan nudged King In the ribs
with an elbow like a club and tickled
his a with hot breath.
"Bull-with-a-beard speaks truth I" he
grtnned. Truth and a lie together
Good may II do him and theml They
die. they three Baluchis
"ProofF" howled the mullah who had
no hair or eyelashes.
proof Show US proof" yelled the
crowd.
The Pathan nert King leaned over Il
whisper to him again. but suffened II