The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-03-01
The Rains
Came
CONTINUED From Page 81

And 50. one by one. each Of the
little group told what he knew.
what he had seen. what ne had
heard And then for the first time
the full picture Of the catastrophe
emerged. a picture far more ter
rible in its reality than any one Of
them had imagined.
There was no more telephone
or telegraph. no more electricity.
What motors remained would be
useless IN a day or two because
the only petrol was what remained
in the tanks at the palace stables.
Between the city and the outer
world. the railroad which followed
the shallow valley had been swept
away.
Roads there were none beyond
the dead city of El-kautara. but
only the tracks over the distant
hills TO the desert and salt
marshes beyond. tracks over which
only bullock carts and elephants
might pass. slowly. painfully.
The granaries in the middle of
the city We're half-destroyed and
the rice. the millet. the grain
stored there would De fermented
and useless in a day or two.
The wells where the flood had
passed were now only sources OF
corruption and sickness, and the
people must be prevented from
using them. There were corpses
everywhere which must be gath.
cred and burned in heaps regard
less of religious prejudices. Force
had to be used if necessary.
| Mr.. Gupta, the engineer. was TO
! concern himself with the prepar-
ing of bridges. the opening Of
/ roads the demolition of wreckage,
the gathering of good for the great
pyres to burn the bodies.
Colonel Ranjit Singh was to use
what was left of his Sikhs and of
Raschid's disorganized police 10
stop the footing and seal the wells.
posting guard at each one 10
prevent the people from using the
water which would poison them
The Smileys and Aunt Phoebe
were TO be given the task of shell
tering and feeding the orphans
and the low-caste children.
The Major and Miss MacDaid
would have the hospital and the
horror of the epidemic which each
one in his heart knew had already
begun.
To Raschid fell the task of COM
mander-in-chief, the duty of being
everywhere at once. OF seeing that
commands were carried out. the
gathering of food from the villages
and districts, and Of attempting
what at the moment seemed an inn
possible thing. the establishment Of
communication with the outside
world.
And Ransome. il was agreed.
was to help him TO have some-
where a headquarters where infor.
nation might be gathered. where
orders might be given. where the
helpless and ignorant, the hun.
dreds and hundreds of them. might
apply for food and for shelter. He
would have the nephew of Nil
Kant Rao. the palace steward. for
interpreter, and half-dozen I'm
touchable boys for runners.
To Nil Kant Rao of the fierce
Mahratta mustaches fell the task
Of apportioning the scanty supplies
OF grain and rice to the hungry.
And above them all stood the old
Maharanee herself the dictator,
the absolute monarch. with the
power Of life and death in her
hands.
Before the council had ended the
curtains at the end of the pavilion
parted and Colonel Ranjit singh
came in. What he had TO say was
brief. He had driven away the
Bills from the east side Of the
river Twenty-three of them he
had put against the wall of the
ruined Engineering school and shot
as a lesson TO the others. Tween.
ty-three poor. half-naked aborig.
ines from the hills thought Ram
some.
Then as the others left. the old
Maharanee signaled TO him. and
when he came up to her she said.
There is the question of your
friends. the Eskeths."
She is safe. don't know what
has happened to him"
He Is dead said the Maha-
rance. She must be told There
Is the question of what TO do with
what is left of him He is an i'm.
portant man. Even a thing like
that may make trouble later on"
Yes"
The old lady looked AZ him
sharply. She must be got out of
here"
Yes Your Highness. think
she u De willing TO 60 if we can
find way"
I don't like her being here"
i understand"
She was thoughtful for mo.
ment and he saw that there was a
sudden, quick sadness in her face
II was as il the body were old and
tired; but tbs spirit In the black
ewes was unflagging. interchangeable.
He thought, She has been waiting
all her life for this. Now she il
queen. Now she is absolute" For
q little while not even the power
Of the British Empire could
touch her.
To Be Continuedl