The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-03-27
SINGH
By
TALBOT MUNDY
BOBBS
MERRILL.


So went and told Ranjoor Singh.
whispering to him In . corner OF
the ofYicers' mess. Some Turks had
Joined the Germans and most Of
them were bending over maps that
q German ofIicer had spread upon
q table IN their midst: he was lee
turing while the others listened.
Ranjoor Singh had been listening.
4 too, but he backed into . corner a.
entered, and all the while I was
whispering to him kept hearing
the word Wassmuss-Wassmuss--
Wassmuss. The German who was
lecturing explained something about
this Wassmuss.
What IL Wassmussr I asked.
when I had given Ranjoor Singh
the mems answer. He smiled into
my eyes.
"Wassmuss is the hey to the
door," said he.
ITO which door," asked him.
There is only one" he answer
\ ed.
q, shall / tell that to the mem"
said I.
At that he began scowling at me,
stroking his beard with one hand.
Then he stepped back and forth .
time or two. And when he saw
with the corner Of his eye that he
had the senior German officers at
tention he turned on me and glar-
ed again. Then there was sudden
silence in the room, and stood at
attention, striving to look like .
man Of wood.
ut is as l said" said he In Eng
fish. ut was most unwise to pay
them. Now the rufians demand
liberty to go and spend-and that
means license! They have been
prisoners of war in close confine-
ment too long. You should have
sent them to Gallipoi before they
tasted money or anything else but
work! Who shall control such men
now!"
The German officer stroked his
chin, cycling Ranjoor Singh stern
ly, yet / thought irresolutely.
IF they would be safer on board
q steamer, that can be managed
A steamer came in today. that would
do" said he, speaking in English
perhaps lest the Turks under
stand "And there is Tugendheim
of course. Tugendheim could keel
watch on board"
! think he had more to say, bu
at that minute Ranjoor Singh chos'
to turn on me fiercely and ordel
me out of the room.
Tell them what you hav,
heard" he said in Pun5abi, as i
he were biting my head of. and
expect the German officer believes
he had cursed me. l saluted ant
ran, and one Of the Turkish officer
aimed kick at me as passed. l
was by the favor Of God that tn
kick missed, for had he touches
me l would have torn his throa
out, and then doubtless / SHOULD
not have been here to tell wha
Ranioor Singh did. To this day
do not know whether he had ever
move planned out in his mind, o
whether part was thinking and par
good fortune. When q good NAL
sets himself to thinking, God put
thoughts into his heart that other
can not overcome, and it may b.
that he simply prayed. know no
although l know he prayed often
as true Sikh should.
told the men exactly what Ia,
passed, except that I did not sa
Ranjoor Singh had hidden me d.
so. l gave them to understand tina
] was revealing a secret, and tina
gave them greater confidence il
my loyalty to them. It was impor
tant they should not suspect me Q
allegiance to Ranjoor Singh.
1T is good!" said they all, ate
a lot of talking and very littl
thought. "To be sent on board
steamer could only mean Gallipol
There we will make great show @
ferocity and bravery, so that the
will send us to the foremost trench
es. 1t should be easy to stea
across by night to the BIRTHS
trenches. dragging Ranjoor Sing
with us. and when we are anon
friends again let him give what &C
count of himself he may! VIVA
new shame is this, to tell the Ger
mans We will make trouble becaus
We have a little money at last! LIE
the shame return to roost on him!
They began to make ready Their
and then. and while they packe
the knapsacks / urged them t
shout and laugh as II growing mu
tinous. Soldiers. unless prevented
load themselves like pack animal
with a hundred unnecessary things
but none of us had more than tn
full kit for each man that the Ger
mans had served out, so that pack
ing took no time at all. An h0u
nfter We were ready came Ranjoo
Singh. standing in the door of on
quarters with that senior German
officer beside him, both Of then
scowhng at us, and the German
making more than little show o
possessing a repeating pistol. s.
that Gooja Singh made great tod
about military compliments, rebuk
ing several troopers in loud tone
for not standing quickly to atten
ton. and shouting to me to be NOR
strict. let him have his say.
Angrily as gathering thunder
storm Ranjoor Singh ordered US I,
fall in. and we scrambled on
through the doorway like q pacl
OF hunting hounds released. N,
word was spoken to MS by way o
explanation, Ranjoor Singh contin
uing to scowl with folded arm
while the German officer went bacl
TO look the quarters over, perhap
to see whether We had done dam
age, or perhaps to make certain
nothing had been left. He cam,
out in a minute or two and then v,
were marched out of the barracl
in the dimming light, with Tugend