Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1940-03-07
cast nnD ue5T
BY TALBOT MUNDY

So look out for them, and be care
full not to mistake them for thieves"
He returned to his tent, where
O'Leary sat holding an empty glass
with futile optimism.
"Get out of here, now, and make
yourself useful"
"Me-useful?
eyes. Those Brahmins with whom
talked down near the waterfall
this morning"
"Yeah, they slipped one over on
you! I heard all about it,"
"Hold your tongue then. I expect
they'll be coming to talk to me
about my visiting the mine"
"You need a nurse" O'Leary an
swered. "You'd never get your
brass hat one of these days if il
weren't for your Uncle Moses. Them
there Brahmins are as likely to
come and talk to you tonight as ]
am to kiss the Queen of England.
They figure they've bought you. And
they figure they can prove it on
you, if you don't come across.
They'll sit quiet, them Brahmins
will. What you're up against is
what I warned you. That Bengal
doctor was too scared for his own
skin to be telling me lies. Set your
lamp to one side of the tent and
eat your supper in shadow, if you
can't eat in the dark. Watch out
they don't chuck no more cobras
at you. They've guns. They've au-
tomatoes. And there's Gulbaz in
back o. this, SO watch out. Gulbaz
and a woman"
Norwood stared at him. ''Wom-
an?" he said. "What do you mean?"
"You told me to mind my own
business. This amt my business. -
"Talk!"
GLOW about another whiskey?"
"Do you wish to be sat in the
cook-fire?"
you'd spoil your supper! But I've
been thinking. If you want to know
what I was thinking, TIL tell you.
Barring two or three injustices
you've done to me, and I'm of a
forgiving disposition, there's only
one man in Kadur, by my reckon
ing, who'd pay money to see you
dead and buried
"You may name him."
"Name him yourself. Him and
you was thumbing guitar and sing
ing to the same girl. Let's suppose
he knows, for instance, that the
priests slipped you bribe. And let's
suppose he thinks you're honest.
Let's suppose he thinks you'll earn
the bride and fix it so the priests
win their case. And him heir to
the throne. And him and you mash
ing the same golden-haired beauty.
He'd be as oficer-headed as you
are if he didn't hit auckland below
the belt. He'll hit hard! What's to
stop him from spiking the Brahm-
ms case by getting them blamed
for having murdered you? Answer
that one? Why not lay off the girl?
If was you, I'd"
Don't let me have to caution
you too often, O'Leary. What
expect from you is information.
do my own thinking. If I should
ever need advice from you I'll tell
YOU"
'Tain't never no use advising
nobody about no woman" said
O'Leary. II know symptoms when
I see 'em. All right, NUNS the
word, I amt saying nothin'."
"Get out of here"
After supper, Norwood wrote an
other letter to Lynn Harding. He
didn't tear up that one. He ad-
dressed it in care of Mrs. Harding
at the guesthouse, and then stuck it
into his tunic pocket. He was still
undecided. Determined, but not
ready with his plan. O'Leary came
and warned him again about sitting
too near the lamp, so he went out
side the tent and sat in the shadow
cast by the rising full moon. A
sentry challenged.
Careful" Norwood shouted.
Don't shoot unless you have to.
And don't shoot to kill"
A bullet whizzed past him-then