Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1920-07-16
CHAPTER Viii.
Swami Ram Bids Adieu!

Swami Ram Bios AoieUs
"Listen!'
Buck Williams held up warning
hand,
The two score American riders trail
ing behind him halted in the cover Of
the thick trees just above Ell Tigre
mine. Some were aching with wounds,
others Keeling in their saddles with
fatigue. But at the signal everything
was forgotten except the possibility of
another brush with Moreno's men.
Indomitable, resolute expressions re-
placed the lines which pain had paint
ed on their faces as weapons were
loosened and muscles grew taut with
the suspense Of the moment.
"What the devil is it?" wonderingly
demanded Billy Scott.
"Do you hear cit, tOo?" There was
note of relief in Buck Williams
voice. "Scotty, thought for min
ute I had the rams again-and it's
seven years since I touched drink.
That's the same tune heard the night
I got back to Ell Tigre, when dreamed
Washington was leading his army of
ghosts against PachecO's poems. Then
I woke up to find that lousy thief had
me hamstrung for fair!"
"It's a flute or fife of some Sort"
averred Friday Thornton, playing
Yankee Doodle I guess"
"Git out, Friday" scoffed Tommy
Wickwire. 'That amt Yankee Doc
die any more than It's Lead, Kindly
Light If that amt 'Everybody's Do
ing It. I'm a greaser myself"
'It can't be any of MorenO's outfit"
thoughtfully remarked Scott. "His
shotgun artists never play nothin' but
fantan and guitars"
"Here goes, boys!" shouted Will
liams, galloping his horse down the
hill toward the building. The others
| followed unhesitatingly. The piping
notes grew more clearly audible as
they swept up the road to Bucks resi-
dence.
The owner of El Tigre was first out
| of the saddle. He strobe into the
building, with rifle ready, Scott, Thorn
| ton and Wickwire just behind. The
auartette burst into the dining room.
Seated cross-legged on the floor was
an emaciated, brown-hued little man.
naked to the lOins, save for an i'm
maculate turban which encircled his
head. From small, reedlike pipe
came the music which they had heard
and upon which he was still perform
ing vigorously, but with the greatest
composure.
On each side of him, swaying in per-
feet rhythm to the music, were two re-
pulsNe king-cobras. A hypnotic spell
| seemed to fill the room. Neither the
piper nor the snakes appeared aware
of the intrusion.
"Jitendra!' p sharply CALCULATED Will
| liams.
The music abruptly ceased.
The ophidians, as if seeming pos
sible danger, flattened to the floor and
glided with amazing SwiftneSs over to
| the Hindu. He thrust one nonchalant-
| ~ into his turban and the other into
the neck-cloth he plucked from the
floor and adjusted.
The four Americans gasped.
It was several seconds before Will
liams could find his voice. So many
weird things had happened that he
would not have been surprised to see
the little brown man disappear through
the floor or dissolve into nothing while
they watched.
II thought you were dead, Jiten-
dra!" at last exclaimed the mine
owner.
The diminutive brown man arose
and salaamed profoundly.
1.-THE sahib speaks true of Jalising-
rao Jitendra, who today excarnated
on the Seven Paths from the prison
| yard of the city-is it not 500"
Buck WINGED.
But his careful scrutiny of the half
starved figure before him removed the
sudden doubts which had projected
themselves into his mind.
you're Jitendra, all right" he posi-
lively replied. II know your feet
you loyal little cuss! You cut the soles
Of them almost to pieces following me
from Ell Paso. Look at them-they're
raw YETI
"Jalisingrao Jitendra has passed
on" politely but firmly returned the
Oriental, with the flicker of a smile
across his mobile face. "But, verify,
his soul reincarnates again in my body
but ], sahib, am called Swami RAM"
81 get you, Steve" laughed Buck up
roariously. "And I think l savvy an
other little incident which occurred
when the late Jalisingrao Jitendra-
| Gee! what mouthful that name is
was in my company. If you had that