The Pulaskian., 1918-02-15
the flame burned brighter and stead


 fer and began to move and to grow.
 "Haltl" King thundered; and his voice was sharp and unexpected as a pistol crack. This was something tan gible, that man could tackle-a per feet antidote for nerves.
 The blue light continued on & zig gag course. as if man were running among powders with an unusual sort of torch; and as there was no answer King drew his pistol, took about thirty seconds aim and fired. He fired straight at the blue light.
 It vanished instantly, into measure less black silence.
 "Now you've jolly well done 1t, haven't your" the Rangar laughed in his ear. That was her blue light Yasmini'sl"
 It was a minute before King an- swered, for both animals were all but frantic with their sense of their rid ers' state of mind; 1t needed horse manship to get them back under con trol.
 How do you know whose light 1t was?" King demanded, when the horse and mare were head to head again.
 Tt was prearranged. She promised me signal at the point where am to leave the track"
 King drove both spurs home, and set his unwilling horse to scrambling downward at an angle he could not guess, into biackness he could feel, trusting the animal to find footing where his own eyes could make out nothing.
 To his disgust he heard the Ran gar immediately. To his even greater disgust the black mare overlook him. And even then, with his own mount stumbling and nearly pitching him headforemost at each lurch, he was forced to admire the mares goatlike agility, for she descended into the gorge in running leaps, never setting wrong foot. When he and his horse reached the bottom at last he found the Rangar waiting for him.
 This way, sahibi l"
 The next he knew sparks from the black mare's heels were kicking up in front of him, and wild ride had begun such as he had never yet dreamed of. There was no catching up, for the black mare could gallop two to his horses one; but he set his teeth and followed into solid night, trusting ear, eye, guesswork and the god of the secret service men, who loves the reckless.
 Once in every two minutes he caught sight for second of the same blue siren light that had started the race. He suspected that there were many torches placed at intervals.
 His own horse developed speed and stamina he had not suspected, and probably the Rangar did not dare ex- tend the mare to her limit in the dark; at all events, for ten, perhaps fifteen, minutes of breathless gallop- ing he almost made race of 1t, keep ing the Rangar either within sight or sound.
 But then the mare swerved sud- denly behind powder and was gone. He spurred round the same great rock minute later, and was faced by a blank wall of shale that brought his horse up all standing. It led steep up for a thousand feet to the skyline. There was not so much as a goat track to show in which direction the mare had gone, nor sound of any kind to guide him.
 He dismounted and stumbled about on foot for about ten minutes with his eyes two feet from the earth, try ing to find some trace of hoof. Then he listened, with his ear to the ground. There was no result.
 He knew better than to shout After some thought he mounted and began to hunt the way back, remem- bering turns and twists with a gift for direction that natives might we'll have envied him. He found his way back to the foot of the road at trot, where ninety-nine men out of al- most any hundred would have been lost hopelessly; and close to the road he overlook Darya Khan. hugging his rifle and staring about like scorpion at bay.
 Did you expect that blue light, and this galloping awayY he asked.
 May, sahib; I knew nothing of it was told to lead the way to Khin- jan."
 Come on, then !"
 On the level roaG above King stared about him and felt In his pockets for fresh cheroot. He struck a match and watched 1t to be sure his hand did not shake before he spoke. A man must command himself before trying 1t on others.
 "Where are the others?" he asked, when he was certain of himself.
 "Gone" boomed Ismail.
 King took dozen pulls at the cheroot and stared about again. In the middle of the road stood his sec ond horse, and three mules with his