Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-05-02
The Winds of the
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ASK Jagut Singh Go. ask him,
| Let II be as he answers"
He could hear her hurrv a..
/ although she slammed the trs5
door shut. Evidently she vas -.
satisfied to speak through the ~
| tie hole, and he suspected that -.
was showing the' man water. pa
hsps giving some to the Afridi n,
/ sweet suggestions sake. She w.,
/ back within five minutes. and h. -.
way she opened the trap and zri-
ned at him he knew what her -
swer would be.
He begs that you promise, II,
begs, sahib, He says ne is ~
troopere thy dog, thy meniai. an
very thirsty"
Bring some one who knows be..
/ ter how to liet" said Rapioo,
Singh. ~ know what his answs,
was, He said, Say to the risalaar.
major sahib that have eaten sail
but l am not thirsty &c. tell him
his answer was a good one. and
that | know he said it, I know
that man, as men know each Other
Thou art woman. and they knowl.
edge is but emptiness. Thou hast
heard now twice what the answer Ia
once from him and once from mel
II will leave thee TO the ratslr
she said, slamming the trap-door
tight.
The rats came and he began n
grope about for a weapon 10 use
against them. He caught one rat
in his fingers, squeezed the suueal.
ing brute to death and flung Il
away, and he heard q hundred Of
it's messn1ates race to deyour thu
carcass.
He began to see little active eve,
around him in the blackness, that
watched his every movement, and
he kept moving since that seemed
to puzzle them. Also he wondered.
as drowning man might wonder
about things, how long it would be
before Colonel Kirby would send
for him. Something would happen
then, he felt quite sure.
The rats by this time had grown
very daring and he had been bitten
der what lies Yasmini would tell to
account for her share in things. He
did not doubt she would lie herself
out of it, but he wondered Just how
and along what unexpected line. Il
began to seem to him the the col
onel and his squadron were very
long time coming.
But they will comet" he assur-
ed himself.
He was nearer to the mark when
he expected unexpectedness from
Yasmini, for she did not disap-
point him. A door opened at one
end of the black dark cellar, and
again the rats scampered for cover
as Yasmini herself stood framed In
it, with a lantern above her head.
She was alone, and he could not see
that she had any weapon.
This way. sahib," she called
sweetly to him.
Never-north, south, east or west,
in olden days or modern-did a
siren call half so seductively. Ey-
cry move she ever made was poetry
expressed, but framed in a golden
aura shed by the lamp. and sway
ing in the velvet blackness Of the
pits mouth, she was, it seemed to
Ranjoor Singh. as no man had
ever yet seen woman.
Come. sahibt" she called again;
and he moved toward her.
Food and water waiti Thy
trooper has drunk his fill. Come,
sahibi"
Che r,ado M vy,ora Of oil 20 rzo
tect herself from him. She did not
lead into the cavern beyond the
door. She waited for him, leaning
against the door-post and smiling
as if she and he were old friends
who understood each other.
Il but tried thee, Ranjoor Singh"
she smiled, looking up into his face
and holding the lantern closer TO
his eyes, as if she would read be
hin him. Thou art a soldier, and ,
not a buffalo at all. l am sorry
that l called thee buffalo Ny heart
goes out ever to brave man, Ran
joor Singh"
He was actually at her side, her
clothes touched his. and he could
have flung his arms around her.
But it was the move next after that
which seemed obscure. He won
dered what her reply would be;
and, moving the lantern a little,
she read the hesitation in his eyes
the wavering between desire for
vendeance, a sOldierly regard for
sex. and mistrust of her apparent
helplessness, and being Yasmini'
she dared him.
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