The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1919-09-26

what was happening his legs were
jerked from under him and he fell like
a log, his head crashing against an
iron radiator and fracturing his skull.
In the covered truck below Shallum
was waiting the coming of Joost-Singh
with ever increasing impatience. A
Hindu whom he had left on guard,
came running up to him.
"Officers are coming" was his report.
Shallum seized the wheel Of the ma
chine.
eve can wait no longer for Joost-
Singh. silva will protect him." Start
ing the engine they drove swiftly into
the night.
Rainface crawled out from beneath
the couch, and with single glance at
his fallen foe ran swiftly from room to
room. All were vacant. His senses
half bewildered by the fumes Of the
balls. and lying as he had been beneath
the low couch. he had not seen what
had passed, and as all had been done
silently and without words the disap-
pearance of his companions was
profound mystery to him. Now as his
head cleared in the fresh air of the
open window he bent over the pros
trate form of Joost-Singh and shook
him. No signs of life appearing, he
secured glass of cold water and
dashed it in the others face. Slowly
the eyes of the Hindu opened.
Drawing his knife the Indian put
its point against the throat Of the
fallen one.
"What have you done with them7
Where are they? Speak or you die"
he said fiercely. Joost-Singh gasped.
"When the first sun rays mingle
with the fire in the woodland altar Of
Holy silva, the god will demand his
sacrifice. 1 die. My curse will lay
heavy upon you and them"
His eyes rolled wildly and low rat
tie came to his throat. He half raised
himself to a sitting posture and stared
horribly at the man who had given
him the fall which had fractured his
skull. then with gasping shudder fell
back to arise no more.
Sorely puzzled and greatly alarmed
at the mysterious words Of the now
dead man, Rainface arose and began a
close inspection of the room. A mo-
ment later he found the rope dangling
from the window and peered down into
the alley. Wondering whether he had
not best go to the office and report the
mysterious affair to the hotel authori-
ties. he stood for moment debating,
then his Indian instinct of secrecy and
personal action prevailed. Having first
IL ~s<I 49, ball
and all the rooms to which he could
secure access and finding no one there,
he returned to the apartment, and once
more peered from the window. Below
him he saw two officers in uniform
passing, and waiting until they had
gone short distance past the rope
and their backs were turned to it, he
grasped 1t and slid swiftly to the
ground. A few steps brought him up
to the sauntering policemen.
"You see some white men and white
woman go out Of here pretty quick
ago?" he demanded as the blue-coated
guardians scanned him up and down
in curiosity. The pair laughed at the
queerly pronounced words of the an
cient one.
"Hello, Injun! What are you doing
here? Are you lost?' A heavy scowl
settled over the questioned ones face.
mo. me no lost. Me here. White
folks lost. You see 'um, mebbyso?"
One of the officers pointed up the alley
"No. Injun. we didn't see anybody,
but we did see yellow covered auto
mobile truck go up the alley and drive
down the street. Some kind of for
eign dago was at the wheel. They
turned to the right when they hit the
street" With the dart of wolf the
red man was upon the trail, leaving the
uniformed pair staring after him in
wonderment.
AS he ran swiftly down the middle
of the deserted street, in the dim light
of a curb lamp he saw an object lying
on the pavement and stopped to pick
it up. 1t was handkerchief which he
recognized as having belonged to Davis,
and thrusting it into his pocket he re-
duced his pace to dog trot, carefully
scanning the road as he passed. Some
what further on he saw where a ma
chine had passed through a small bed
of mud but few moments before, and
a quick inspection of the wheel tracks
fixed their peculiarities in his mind
For one who could track soft-footed
beast through the forest mile after
mile, the following of the wet-tired
automobile from now on was as simple
as though it had run upon rails.
Far ahead of the pursuing Indian
the van drew up before a shack in
wooded valley. Its walls were low and
a large tree stood close beside it. one
strong bough overhanging the pyra-
midal roof. Before this rude woodland
temple of silva the Hindus Frustrated
themselves, then carried the uncon.
scious quartet within the house. Al
the far end of the room stood an image
of the god silva, looking down upon the
big stone altar close before him. Upor
this place of sacrifice the four were
placed, and retiring to the outside the
HiDduS Shut the dior and plapad hruSf