The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-05-23

Come with me. then"
"Nay, I am her man. She waits for
me ~
II imagine she waits for me -
laughed King. forward We have
rested in this place long enough
1t was ten Of a blazing forenoon, and
the sun had heated up the rocks until
Ii was pain to walk on them and agony
to sit, when they topped the last es-
carpment and came In sight of kim
JAMS walls, across n mile-wlde rock
ravine-khinjan the u~nregenerate,
that has no other human habitation
within a march because one dare
build.
1t was midday when at last they
stood or bottom and swayed like men
In u dream lingering their bruises and
scarcely able for the heat haze to see
the tangled mass of stone towers and
mud-and-stone walls that faced them,
a mile away. They were nearly across
the valley, hunting for shadow where
none was to be found, when a shotted
salute brought them up outstanding In
a cluster. Six or eight ni~ckel-coated
bullets spattered on the rocks close by,
and one so narrowly missed King that
he could feel its wind.
Up went NIL their hands together.
and they held them so until they ached.
Nothing whatever happened. Their
arms ceased aching and grew numb.
They advanced another two hundred
yards and another volley ratified among
the rocks on either hand, frightening
one of the mules so that II stumbled
and fell and had to be helped up again.
When that was done, and the mule
stood trembling. they all faced the
wall. But they were too weary to hold
their hands up any more. Thirst had
begun to exercise It's sway. One Of
the men was half delirious.
"Who are YET" howled n human be.
ing, whose voice was so like IA VOLTS
that the words at first had no meaning.
He peered over the parapet, II hundred
feet above. with his head : 10 swathed
in dirty linen that he looked like u
bandaged corpse.
"What will We? Who IN unin.
vited into Khlnjanf"
King bethought him Of Yasimini's
talisman. He held 1t up, and the gold
band glinted In the sun. Yet, although
n Hillmnn's eyes are keener than an
eagles, he did not believe the thing
could be recognized at that angle, and
from that distance. Another though,
suggested itself to him. He turned his
head and caught Ismall In the act OF
signaling with both hands.
"Ye may GOMEZ" howled the watch.
man on the parapet, disappearing In.
stantly.
King neutrality-suspicious. as n race
horse tremblcs at the starting gate,
though he was weary enough TO trcm.
BILE from fatigue. But that passed. lie
was all In hand when he led his men
up Ovcr n rough stone cnuSowny to n
door in the bottom Of n high battle
mented wall and waited for somebody
TO open r..
The great teak door looked ns II II
had been stolen from some Hindu tenn
pie, and he wondered how nm | wher
they could have brought It there across
those savage intervening miles. High
above the door was n ledge OF rock
that crossed like a bridge from wall e
wall, with a parapct Of stone bull
upon II, pierced for rlfo-fre.
As they approached n Hangar tur
ban, not unlike Kings own, appeared
above the parapet on the ledge and {
voice he recognized hailed him good
humoredly.
"Salaam aleikoum 7"
"And upon thee be peace" King an
swered In the Pashtu tongue, for thu
Hills" are polite, whatever the othe
principles.
Rewa Gunga's fnce beamed down OF
him, wreathed In smiles that seemed 4
! Include mockery as well as triumph
Looking up Mt him at nm angle tina
made his neck nche and dnzzled hi
eyes, King could not be sure. but |
D seemed to him that the smile said
: Here you are. my man, and aren't yo'
In for itT' He more than half sus
. pected he was intended to understan,
that. But the Rangers conyersstlo
] took another line.
by Jove!" he chuckled. "She ex
5 pected you. She guessed you are
hound who can hunt well on a dr.
scent, and she dared bet you will com
In spite of all oddsi But she dIdn'