The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-03-30
BOBBS
MERRILL

might nave Dt1DDoO nlms OF th1t
Tugendheim might have played
come trick. But not 20 the men.
They saw the lantern recedfng and
receding, dancing with the motion
of.the ship, and they believed them
selves deserted.
Quick! Fire on him!" shouted
some one. Let him not escape!
XIII him before he il out Of range!"
I never knew which trooper It
was who raised that cry, although
! j went to some trouble to discover
afterward. But l heard Gooja singh
laugh like hyena; and heard
the click Of cartridges being thrust
into magazines. I half minded to
let them Shoot. hoping they might
hit Tugendheim. But the Turk
freed his arms at last, and began
struggling. s-ae-..>
Look" he said to me in Eng
fish. VOLTA" said he In French.
"Regardez! Look-see!"
did look. and I saw enough to
make me make swift decision. The
light was nearer to the water
quite lot nearer. flung myself
on the nearest trooper, whose rife
was already raised. and taken by
surprise he loosed his weapon.
With it l beat the next 10 mems
rifles down, and they clattered on
the beach. That made the others
pause and look at me.
THE man who fires the first shot
dies" said /. striving to make the
breath come evenly between my
teeth for sake Of dignity, yet with
none too great success. But in the
principal matter I was successful.
for they left their alignment and
clustered round to argue with me.
At that | refused to have. speech
vithe them until they should have
fallen in again, as befitted soldiers.
Falling in took time, especially as
they did it sulkily; and when the
noise Of shifting feet was finished
heard oars humping in the oar
locks.
A boat grounded amid the surf.
and Ranjoor Singh jumped out OF
II, followed by Tugendheim and his
four guards. The. boats crew leap
ed into the water and hauled the
boat high and dry. and as they did
that ! saw the ships lantern dis
appear altogether.
Ranjoor Singh went straight to
the Turkish captain. "Your mon
ey,' said he, speaking in English
SLOWLY wonder, sahib, oh. have
wondered thousand times in what
medley of tongues strange to all OF
them they had done their bargain
ing!-"Your money" said he. lis in
the boat in which l came. Take it,
and take your men, and go!"
The captain and his crew said
nothing, but got into the boats and
pushed away. One OF the boats was
overturned in the surf, and there
they left it, the sailors scrambling
into the other boats. They were
out Of sight and sound in two min
utes. TheR Ranjoor Singh turned
TO me.
Send and gather firewood." he
ordered
Where shall dry wood be in all
this rain?" said I.
Search" said he.
"Sahib." said l. "a fire would
only betray our whereabouts"
Are you deaf% said he.
Nay" said. s,
Then obey!" said he. So l took
20 men and went stumbling through
rain and darkness, hunting for
what none Of us believed was any
where. Yet within Is minutes We
found a hut whose roof was intact,
and therefore whose floor and inner
parts were dry enough. It was a
little hut. OF the length Of perhaps
the height of four men, and the
breadth of the height of three-a
man and half high from floor to
roof-heam. 1t was unoccupied, but
there was straw at one end-dry
straw. on which doubtless guards
had slept. l left The men standing
there and went and told Ranjoor
Singh.
found him talking to the lined
up men in no gentle manner. AS
drew nearer l heard him say the
word "Wassmuss." Then / heard
trooper ask him. where are we?'
And he answered, "Ye stand on
ASIA That was the first intima-
uon l received that we were in
ASIA, and / felt suddenly lonely
ior Asia is wondrously big. sahib
Whatever Ranjoor Singh had
oeen saying to the men he had
Them back under his thumb for the
ume being; for when told him Of
my discovery Of the hut he called
mem to attention. turned them t.
me right, and marched them of a.
eoedlent as machine. Tugend,
neim following like . man in q
cream between his four guards and
ttruggling now and then to loose
.he wet thongs that were beginning
20 cut into his wrists. He had moi
oeen trussed over-tenderly, but
notlced that Ranjoor Singh hai
.iou Tue gag removed.
Inc hut stood alone, clear or
all Tour sides, and after he haf
looked at 1t. Ranjoor Singh made
.ne men line up facing the door
WIN himself and me and Tugend
nem between them and the hut
PRESENTLY he pushed Tugendhein
,nto the hut, and he babe me stant
!" tne door to watch him.
Now the man who wishes to ash
questions may" he said then. ant
mere was long silence, for sup
pose none wished to be accused o.
mpudence and perhaps made Al
example for the rest. Besides, the,
we're too curious to know what hi
next intention might be to care t.
oIend him. So l, seeing that ht
wished them to speak. and conceiv
Jug that to be part Of his plan fol
establishing good feeling. asked thu
, .st questionable first that CANE
INTO my head.