Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1918-08-29

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virtues OF the Anglo-Indian raj were
better spoken of than the "Hills" had
heard for years.
Not that there was any effort made
to convert the camp en- masse. Fan
from 1t. But the likely few were
bounced on and were told Of chance
to enlist for q bounty In India. And
what with winter not so far ahead
and what with experience Of former
fighting against the British army, the
choosing was none so difficult. From
the day when the lad first feels soft
down upon his face until the old mans
beard turns white and his teeth shake
out, the hillman would rather fight
than eat; . but he prefers to fight on the
winning side II he may, and he Hkes
good treatment.
Before 1t was dark that night there
were thirty men sworn to hold theil
tongues and to wait for the word t.
hurry down the Khyber for the pur
pose OF enlisting In some British-In
dian regiment. Some even began tc
urge the hakim not to wait for tht
Orakzai Pathan, but to start with what
he had.
"Shall I leave my brother In tht
lurch?" the hakim asked them; anc
though they murmured, they thought
better of him for 1t.
Well for him that he had plenty q
EPSON salts I'm his kit. for In this
"Hllls" physic should taste evil anC
show very quick results to be believed
In. He found q dozen diseases Of
which he did not so much as know
the name, but half Of the sufferers
swore they were cured after the first
dose. They would have dubbed him
faquir and have foisted him to pillar
Of holiness had he cared to let them
Muhammad Amin slept most of the
day, like great apimal that scorns
10 live BY rule. But at evening he
Ame to the cave mouth and fulml
inttsi ssch Il sermon da set the w.o:.
camp. 10 roaring, He showed ,ls
power then The Jihad ne preached
would have tempted dead men from
their graves to come ana chare the
plumber. and the curses ne called { own
on towards and iaggards ana unbe.
levers were enough to nave fright.
ened the dead away again.
In twenty minutes ne had undone all
Kings missionary work. And then In
ten more. feeling his power and their
response, and being at heart fool
as I'LL rogues are. ne built 1t up again.
He began to make promises too def.
mite. He wanted Khinjan caves. More,
he needed them. So he promised them
they should all be free Of Khinjan
caves within day or two. to come
and go and live there ut their pleasure,
He promised them they should leave
their wives and children and belong.
ings safe In the caves while they them.
selves went down to plumber India. He
overlooked the fact that Khinjan caves
for centuries had been secret to be
spoken of in whispers, and that pros.
poet Of its violation cnme to them as
shock.
Half Of them did not believe him.
Such thing was impossible. and II
ne We're lying as to one point. why
not as to all the others, too?
And the army veterans, who had
been converted by Kings talk Of par.
dons, and almost reconverted by the
sermon, shook their heads ut the talk
of taking Khinjan. Why waste time
trying to do what never had been done,
with her to reckon against, when a
place In the sun was waiting for them
down In India. to say nothing of the
hope Of parlons and clean living for
while? They shook their heads and
combed their boards and eyed one
another sidewise in a way the "aills"
understand,
That night. while the mullah glow.
cred over the camp like great old
owl. with leaping freight reflected In
his eyes. the thousands under the skin
tents argued, 50 that the night was
all noise. But King slept,
All Of another day and part of nm.
other night he toiled among the sick.
wondering when a message would
come back. II was nearly midnight
when he bandaged his last patient and
came out into the starlight to bend
his back straight and yawn and pick
his way reeling with WEAKNESS back
to the mullah's cave. He had given
his bug OF medicines and implements
to man to carry ahead Of him and