Evening star., 1924-07-06

oners driven at the points Of bayo-
nets into a great dark barn. utterly
windowless, which stood on one side.
At the door were more sentries, but
we were saved further effort by the
appearance of polite A. d. c.. who
actually smiled when he saw US. For
the first time 1 wondered how we
looked! My shirt was rent from
shoulder to elbow where a thorn had
caught it in the night, the brim of
my companions straw hat Topped
gaping from the crown, the result of
her fall into the pond. We were mud
stained. scratched and unkempt, our
boots and skirts stiff and caked with
mud.
remembered suddenly that we
hadn't had a proper bath for three
weeks, and hadn't taken our clothes
of for nine days, and yet / knew that
I would have bartered a years baths
for . good meal, Ridiculously, while
the interpreter was volubly explain
ing our plight, I began thinking of
Hongkong and all the things l would
eat under a rose-red lamp in the IA
nous grillroom there.
IL WAS 100 fdte TO see tHc general,
we were told, and as it was nearly
dark we did not press the point.
fat senior officer came out, and after
much parleying we were conducted
to a building at the other end of the
garden-half house, half shed. There
was some straw in it. a wide bench
and the remnants of a charcoal fire
Some soldiers left 1t surlily at our
approach, SO it had probably been
used as a guardroom. There was q
kind Of loft up above, whose only
obvious approach was by means of
ladder.
There we slept the sleep Of exhaus-
ton, disturbed only once. when I
thought catlike steps sounded across
the room, followed by a slithering
back to dreams Of lavender-scented
sheets and buttered eggs with crisp
bacon!
THE morning light beating in
through a hole in the roof woke
us early, and we searched for our
retinue. There was no sign of them
at first, but shouts brought the smil-
ing Interpreter with cold water, in
which we made a hasty toilet His
obvious nervousness made US ask for
the cook He assured US that he had
no knowledge of that individual with
such emphasis that we grew sus-
picious. I remembered the stealthy
sound in the night. Had fear driven
the poor wretch into the maddest of
all courses-attempted escape? AS
far as I knew, he had no friends in
the town, and we had seen the fate
Of one fugitive.
Wasting no further time, We in
sisted on seeing the general. This
time the protests of his staff were
of no avail. It must have been very
early. but we forced ourselves into
the presence of q pompous-looking
individual who was studying maps and
by the sheer force of our horror,
made him fetch his superior. The
general was exceedingly polite, but
naturally denied all knowledge Of our
lost follower.
felt desperately helpless until the
idea came of searching among the
prisoners in that frightful yard. The
1nSC8Ht 1 suggested II L IClt SOIuSs
thing terrible was going on there-so
much protest came forth, 50 many
reasons why we shouldn't go. I
think despair drove US beyond reason.
remember stumbling through the
bushes with quite kindly omcer
clutching at my sleeve; / remember
the naked blades of the sentinels at
the door and how I fell through them
and wondered vaguely il were hurt
Then I saw the red prison yard, and
some of the sand was . deeper red
whore strange huddled heaps lay
headless, with hands still bound be-
hind their backs,
The place seemed very, full, but 1
didn't see anything else. for right in
front Of me was the little cook, livid,
but trancelike in his calm. kneeling
with several others. hands bound.
waiting for the great sword. which
came slowly nearer.
Sounds broke from my lips, but
didn't know what cried. In any
case he didn't hear. His mind had
gone ahead of his body-far into the
next world, think, before the blow
fell. I don't even know II I actually
saw the end Of his timid life felt
my revolver In my hand ! would