THE 8EMI.WEEKLV TRIBUNE. NORTH PLATTE, NEDRA8KA.
King
The Most
KING HAS A FINAL CONFERENCE WITH HIS FRIENDS AT
THE MOUTH OF KHYBER PASS AND PREPARES FOR
THE JOURNEY INTO STRANGE COUNTRY.
Synopsis. At tho beginning of tho world war Capt. Athclstnn
King of the British Indian nrmy and of Its secret service, Is ordered
to Delhi to meet Yasmlnl, n dancer, and go with her to Khlujan to
quiet the outlaws thcro who arc suld by spies to be preparing for n
jihad or taoiy war. On his way to Delhi King quietly foils n plan to
assasslnntc him and gets evidence that Yasmlnl Is after him. Ho mceta
Rewa Gunga, Yasmlnl's man, who Nays sho has already gone north,
nnd at her town house witnesses queer dances.
CHAPTER IV Continued.
The Rangar'8 eyes blazed for n sec
ond and then grew cold again, as King
did not fall to observe. Alt thin whllo
tho women danced ou, In time to wall
ing flute music, until, It seemed from
nowhere, n lovelier woman than uny
of them nppcarcd In their midst, sit
ting cross-legged with a flat basket at
her knees. Sho sat with arras raised
and swayed from the waist as If In n
delirium. Her nrms moved la narrow
ing circles, higher nnd higher nbovo
the basket lid,, and the lid began to
rise. It was minutes before the bodies
of two great king cobras could bo
made out, moving against tho woman's
spangled dress with hoods raised, hiss
ing tho cobra's hate-song that Is pre
lude to tho poison-death.
They struck at tho woman, one after
tho other, and Bho leaped out of their
range, swift and as supplo ns they.
Instantly then sho Joined in tho dance,
with tho snakes striking right and
left at her. Left and right sho swayed
to avoid them, far moro gracefully
than a matador avoids tho bull and
courting n deadlier peril than he pol
sonous,two to his one. As sho danced
sho whirled both arms nbovo her head
and cried as the wcrowolves nro said
to do on stormy nights.
"Do you do this ofton?" wondered
King, In a calm asldo to Rewa Gunga,
turning half toward him nnd taking his
eyes off tho danco without any very
great effort
Rewa Gunga clapped his hands and
the danco ceased. Tho woman spirited
bcr snakes away. Tho blind was
drawn upward nnd In a moment all
was normal again with tho punkah
swinging slowly overhead, except that
tho seductive smell remained, that was
llko tho cnrly-mornlng breath of nil
the different flowers of India.
"If sho wero here," said tho Rangar,
n little grimly with a traco of disap
pointment In his tone "you would not
snatch your ejea away llko that 1 Per
haps you shall seo her danco somo day 1
Ah hero Is Ismail," ho added In an
altered tono of volco. no seemed re
lieved at sight of the Afrldl.
Bursting through tho glass-bead cur
tains at tho door, tho great savago
Dtrodo down tho room, holding out a
telegram. With a murmur of conven
tional. apology King tore tho envclopo
M' V , Ml JP '
Mum ITTITv 11 Iri
H1 m l .1 ' ljf3
A Sho Danced She Whirled Both,
Arms Above Her Head and Cried
the Werewolves Are Said to. Do
on Stormy Nights.
and In n second his eyes wero ablnzo
with something more than wonder. A
nystery, added to a mystery, stirred
ill the zeo.1 In him. But in a second ho
k.,t n.nt,i din .ritnmt iown.
tad sweated his excitement down,
"Read that, will you?" ho said, pass
tag It to Rewn Gunga. It was not in
sypher, but In plain ovcry-day Eug
Sen. Nhe -has not roue North. She Is -till
Is Delhi. Suit your own movements to
fur plaac
"Can you explalar asked King !
X level voice, lie was watchtntf the
of the Khyber
By TALBOT MUNDY
Picturesque Romance of the
Copyilsht by The Bobbt
Rnngar narrowly, yet ho could not
detect the slightest symptom of emo
tion.
"Explain?" said tho Hangar. "Who
can explain foolishness? It means
that another fat general has mado an
other fat mistake 1"
"Ah I" said King. "You nro positive
sho Iiub started for tho North?"
"Sahib, when sho speaks It Is best to
believe I Sho told mo sho will go.
Therefore I am ready to lead King
sahib up tho Khyber to her I"
"There's n train leaves for tho
North tonight," said King.
ljio Rnngar nodded.
"You'll want n pass up tho line.
now many servants? Three four
how ninny?'
"One," Bald tho Rnngar, nnd King
was Instantly suspicious of tho mod
esty of that nllowanco; however ho
wrote out a pass for Rowa Gunga nnd
ono servant and gnvo It to him.
"Bo thcro on timo and see about
your own reservation," ho said. "I'll
attend to Ismail's pass myself."
Ho folded tho list of names that tho
Rangar hnd marked and wroto some
thing on tho buck Then he begged
an envelope, nnd Rowa Gunga had ono
brought to him. Ho scaled tho list In
tho envelope, addressed It and beck
oned Ismail again.
"Tako this to Saunders sahib 1" ho
ordered. "Go first to tho telegraph of
fice, whero you were beforo, tho bnbu
thcro will tell you whero Saunders
sahib may bo found. Deliver Uio letter
to htm. Then como and find mo at tho
Star of Indln hotel and help mo to
bntho and change my clothes."
"To hear Is to oboy 1" boomed Ismail,
bowing; but his last glanco was for
Rowa Gunga, and ho did not turn to go
until ho hnd mot tho Rangar's eyes.
When Ismail had gono striding down
tho room King looked Into tho Rangar's
eyes with that engaging frankness of
his that disarms so many people
"Then you'll bo on tho train to
night?" ho asked.
"To hear Is to obey! With pleas
ure, salitb I"
"Then good-by until this evening."
King bowed very civilly und walked
out, rather unsteadily becauso ht3
head ached. Probably nobody else, ex
cept tho Hangar, could havo guessed
what an ordeal ho had passed through
or how near ho had been to losing self
command. In tho street ho found a gharry after
a whllo and drove to his hotel. And
beforo Ismnll ennio ho took n stroll
through a bazaar, wheso ho mado a
few strnngo purchases. In tho hotel
lobby ho Invested In a leather bag
with a good lock, In which to put them.
Later on Ismoll-camo and proved him
self an cfllclcnt body-servant.
That ovenlng Ismnll carried tho
leather bag ami found his placo on tho
train, and that was not so dlfllcult, be
causo tho trains running North wero
nearly empty, although tho platforms
were all crowded. As ho stood at tho
carriage door with Ismail near him, a
man named Saunders slipped through
tho crowd and sought him out.
'Arrested 'em all I" ho grinned.
King did not answer. IIo was watch
ing Rewn Gunga, followed by a serv
ant, hurrying to u reserved compart
ment nt tho front end of tho train. Tho
Rangar waved to him and ho waved
back.
Th0 c"Rno cave a preliminary shriek
nml tho Cnnt Isranl1 nudged King's
elbow In Impatient warning. Thcro
...... ........ o v i. m v. I.. .,, itv
, hnd evidently settled down la his com
ipnrtmcnt for tho night.
"Get my bag out again 1" King or
dered, and Ismail stared.
"Get out my bag, I said I"
"To hear is to obcyl" Ismail crura-
jblcd, reaching with, his long arm
through tho window.
tho engino snricKcu again, some
body whistled, and tho train began
to move.
"You'vo missed It!" said Saunders,
amused, at Ismail's frantic disappoint
mont
j
CHAPTER V.
? Tll rcnr "kM of o train ho had
not token swayed out of Delhi station
and King grinned ns ho wiped tho
sweat from his face with a dripping
handkerchief. Behind him towered tho
hook-nosed Ismail, resentful of tho un
expected. In front of htm Saunders
eyed tho proffered black cheroots sus
piciously, accepted one with an air of
curiosity and passed the case back.
- Mcrrlll Company
Around them tho clatter of the station
crowd began to die, und Parsimony
In n shabby uniform went round to
tower lights.
"Are you sure "
King's merry eyes looked Into Saun
ders' as If there were no world wnr
really and they two wero puppets In a
comedy.
" arc you absolutely certain Yas
mini Is In Delhi?"
"No," said Suunders. "What I swear
to Is that she has not left by train.
Sho's the most cluslvo Individual in
Asia 1 Ono person In tho world knows
whero she Is, unless she has nn accom
plice. My lnformntlon's negative. I
know sho hns not gono by"
King struck n match nnd held It
out, so tho sentence was unfinished;
the first few puffs of tho astonishing
cigar wiped out nil memory of tho miss
ing word. And then King changed the
subject.
"Those men I asked you to ar
rest?" "Nabbed" puff "every ono of 'cm I"
puff-puff "nil under" purf-puff
"lock and key, best smoko I over
tasted."
"Well I'll go along with you if
you llko and look them over."
Both tono and manner gave Saun
ders credit for the suggestion, nnd
Snunders seemed to llko It. There is
nothing like following up, In football,
war or courtship.
"I seo you're a judge , of a cigar,"
said King, and Saunders purred, nil
men being fools to some extent, nnd
tho only troublo being to demonstrate
tho fact.
They had started for the station on
tranco when u nasal volco began in
toning, "Cap-teen King sahib Cap
teen King sahib 1" and a telegraph mes
scngcr passed them with his book un
dcr his arm. King whistled him. A
moment later ho was tearing open an
official urgent telegram and writing a
string of figures la pencil ncross the
top. Then ho djj-coded swiftly:
Adr" aro Yasmlnl waa In Delhi as re
cently us nix this evening'. Fall to under
stand your Inability to cet In touch. Have
you tried at her house? Matters In Khy
ber district much less satisfactory. Word
from O-C Khyber rifles to effect that
Ioshkar 1b collecting. Better sweep up
in Delhi and proceed northward as quick
ly as compatible with caution. UM. L.
"Good news?" asked Saunders, blow
ing smoko through his nose.
"Excellent. Where's my man? Hero
you Ismail 1"
Tho giant came and towered abovo
him.
"You Bworo Bho went North 1"
"Ha, sahib l To Pcshawur sho went I"
"I have a telegram hero that says
sho is In Delhi 1"
Ho patted his coat, whero tho Inner
pocket bulged.
"Nay, then tho tar lies, for I saw her
go with theso two eyes of mine I"
"It Is not wlso to Ho to me, my
friend," King assured him, so pleasant
ly that nono could doubt ho was telling
truth.
"If I Ho may I eat dirt!" Ismail an
swered him.
Inches lent tho Afrldl dignity, but
dignity has often been used as a stalk'
Ing horso for untruth. King nodded,
und It was not possible to judge by his
expression whether ho believed or not.
"Let's mako a move," ho said, turn
ing to Saunders. "Sho seems at any
rato to wish it believed sho has gono
North. I'll tako tho early morning
train. Whero nro tho prisoners?"
"In tho old Mir Khan palace. Shall
wo tako this gharry?"
With Ismail up bcsldo tho driver
nursing King's bag and looking llko a
great grim vulture about to eat tho
horse, they drove back through swarm
ing streets In tho dlrcctloa of the river.
King seemed to have lost all Interest In
crowds. Ho sat staring ahead In
sllrincc, although Saunders made moro
than ono effort to cngago him In con
versation. "No I" ho said at last suddenly so
that Saunders Jumped.
"No what?"
"No need to Btay hero. I'vo got what
I cumo fori"
"What was that?" asked Saunders,
but King was silent again. Conscious
of tho unaccustomed weight on his left
wrist, ho moved his arm so that tho
slcove drew and he could bcq tho edgo
of tho great gold bracelet Rewn Gunga
had given him In Yasmlnl's name.
"Know anything of Rewa Gunga?"
ho asked suddenly again.
"Not much. I'vo seen him. I'vo
spoken with him, and I'vo had to stand
Impudcnco from him twice. I'vo been
tipped off moro than onco to let him
nlqno because he's her man. Ho does
ticklish errands for her, or so they
Bay. IIo's what you might call 'known
to tho police' all right."
They began to approach an age-old
palaco near tho river, nnd Saunders
whispered a password when nn armed
guard halted them. Thoy wero halted
ugntn at a. gloomy gateway whero an
ofllcer camo out to look them over; by
his leavo thoy left tho gharry and fol
lowed him under tho arch until their
heels rang on stono paving In a big lll
llghted courtyard surrounded by high
walls.
There, after n Uttlo talk, they left
Ismail squattlug besldo King's bag, and
1
Rifles
Decade
Snunders led the wny through n mod
ern Iron door, Into what had onco been
u royal prince's stables.
In gloom that was only thrown Into
contrast by a wide-spread row of elec
tric lights, n long lino of barred nnd
locked converted horse stalls ran down
ono side of a lean-to building. All that
King could seo of the men within was
tho whites of their eyes. And they did
not look friendly.
IIo had to pass between them and
the light, and they could seo more of
him than he could of them. At tho
first cell he raised his left hand and
mado the gold bracelet on his wrist
clink agnlnst the steel bars.
A moment later he cursed himself,
and felt tho bracelet with his finger
"May
God Be With Thee!" Boomed
tho Prisoner's Voice.
nail. Ho had made a deep nick in the
soft gold. A second later yet he
smiled.
"May God bo with theo!" boomed
a prisoner's volco in Pashtu.
"Didn't kno.w that fellow was hand
cuffed," said Saunders. "Did you hear
tho 'ring? They should havo been
taken off. Leaving his Irons on has
mado him polite, though."
"Whero did you arrest them?" King
asked when Saunders camo to a stand
under a light.
"All in ono place. At All's."
"Who and what Is All?"
"Thief crimp procurer Prussian
spy and nny other evil thing that takes
his fancy I Run3 a combination gamb
ling hell nnd boarding house. Let's
'cm run into debt and blackmails 'cm.
All's In tho kaiser's pay that's known 1
We'll get him when wo want him, but
nt present bo's useful 'as Is' for a de
coy." .
"You wouldn't call theso men pros
perous, then?"
"Not exactly I All Is the only spy
out of tho North who prospers much nt
present, and even ho gets most of his
money out of his private business. Tho
Germans pay All a little, and ho traps
tho hlllmen when they como south
lots 'cm gamble gets 'era Into debt
thoy can get away when they've paid
him what they owe. Yasmlnl sends
nnd pays their- board and gambling
debts, nnd she's our man, so to speak.
Sho coaxes all their stories out of 'em
nnd primes 'cm with n few cxtrn good
ones into tho bargain. Everybody's
fooled 'specially tho Germans nnd
cxccptln', of course, Ynsmlnl and tho
raj. Nobody over fooled that woman,
nor ever will If my belief goes for
nnythlng I"
"Um-m-ml" King rubbed his chin.
"Know anything of my man Ismail?"
"Surol He's ono of Yasmlnl's pets.
Sho balled him out of All's three years
ago and ho worships her. It was ho
who broke tho leg and ribs of a pup
rajah a month or two ago for putting
on too much dog In her reception
room, no's Ursus out of 'Quo Vndls 1
no's dog. desperado, stalking horso
and keeper of tho queen's secrets 1"
"Then why d'yon suppose sho passed
him nlong to mo?" asked King.
"Dunnol This Is your llttlo mys
tery, not mlno I"
"Glad you appreciate that I Do mo
n favor, will you?"
"Anything In reason."
"Get tho keys to all these cells send
cm In hero to mo by Ismail and
leave mo In hero alonol"
Saunders whistled nnd wiped sweat
from his glistening face, for In spite
of windows wide open to tho courtyard
it was hotter than a furnace room.
"Mayn't I havo you thrown into n
den of tigers?" ho asked. ''Or a nest
of cobras? Or get the fiery furnace
ready? That 'God bo with thee' stuff'
Is habit they Bay It with unction be
foro they knlf o n man 1"
"I'll bo careful, then," King
chuckled; nnd It Is a fact that fow
men can argue with him when he
laughs quietly In that way. "Send mo
Iti iit lruva lllrfk n rnrwl rinn
So Snunaers went, clad cnouch to
get Into tho outer air. Tho Instant tho
vm n
l fll' ,
door slammed King continued down
tho lino with his left wilst held high
so that tho occupant of each cell la
turn could see tho bracelet.
"May God be with Ihcel" came the
Instnnt greeting from each cell until
down toward the farther end. The
occupants of the lost six cells were
! silent. He hnd scarcely finished doing
thnt when Ismail strode In, slamming
tho great Iron door behind him, Jan
gling n bunch of keys and looking more
than ever like somebody out of the Old
I Testament.
"Open every door except those whoso
' numbers I have rubbed out!" King or-
, dorcd him.
Ismail proceeded to obey as if that
were the least Improbable order In nil
tho world. It took him two minutes
to select tho pass-key and determine
how It worked, then tho doors flew
open ono nftcr nnotlur in quick suc
cession. "Come out!" he powlcd. "Como
out I Como out!" although King had
not ordered thnt.
King went nnd stood under the cen
ter light with his left nrm bnred. The
prisoners emerging like dend men ont
of tombs, blinked nt the bright light
saw him then the bracelet nnd sa
luted. "May God bo with thee I" growled
each of them.
They stood still then, nwnltlng fresh
developments. It did not seem to oc
cur to nny one of them as strange thnt
a British ofllcer In khnkl uniform
should be sporting YnBinlni's tnlismnn;
tho thing was apparently sufficient ex
planation In itself.
"Ye all know this?" ho asked, abid
ing up his wrist. "Whoso Is this?"
"Hers!" The nnswer was monosyl
labic nnd instnnt from nil thirty
thrnnts.
King lit n cheroot and made mental
note of the wisdom of referring to her
by pronoun, not by nnme.
"And I? Who am I?" he nsked.
"Her messenger! Who else? Thou
nrt ho who shall take us to the 'Hills !'
She promised."
"I shall start for the 'Hills' nt dawn,"
King said slowly, and he watched their
eyes gleam at the news. No caged
tiger Is as wretched as a prisoned hill-
man. No freed bird wings more wildly
for tho open. No moth comes more
foolishly back to the flame again. It
was easy to tako pity on them prob
ably not ono of whom knew pity's
meaning.
"Is there any among you who would
care to come ?"
"Ah-h-h-hl"
"Will ye obey me and him?" he
asked, laying his hand on Ismail's
shoulder, as much to let them seo the
bracelet again as for nny other rea
son. "Aye I If we fall, Allah do moro to
us!"
King laughed. "Ye shall leave this
placo as my prisoners. Here ye have
no friends. Here yo must obey. But
what when ye come to youfv'Hllls' at
last? Can one man hold thirty men
prisoner's then? In the 'Hills' will ye
still obey me?"
Tho nnswer to that was unexpected.
Ismail knelt seized his hand and
pressed tho gold bracelet to his Hps I
In turn, every one of them filed by,
knelt reverently nnd kissed the brace
let!
"Saw yo over a hlllmnn do that be
fore?" asked Ismail. "They will obey
theo! Have no fear!"
"Then come I" ordered King, turning
his back confidently on thirty savages
whom Saunders, for Instance, would
hnve preferred to drive In front of him,
after first seeing them handcuffed.
"Each lock has a key, but somo keys
fit all locks," says tho Eastern proverb.
King has been chosen for many tick
lish errands In his time, nnd Saunders
Is still In Delhi.
The prisoners were left squatting
under the eyes nnd bayonets of a very
suspicious prison guard, who mado no
secret of being ready for all conceiv
able emergencies. One enthusiast drew
tho cartridge out of his breech cham
ber nnd licked it at intervals of a mln
uto or two, to tho very great Interest
of tho hlllmen, who memorized every
detail that by' any stretch of imagina
tion might be expected to Improve
their own shooting when they should
get home again.
King found his way on foot through
n mnze of streets to a placo where ho
was admitted through ono door after
another by sentries who saluted when
ho had whispered to them. Ho ended
by sitting on tho end of tho bed of a
gray-headed man who owns three titles
und whoso word is law between tho
borders of a province. To him ho
talked as ono schoolboy to n bigger
one, because the gray-haired man had
understanding, and hence sympathy.
"I don't envy you I" said ho under
tho sheet. "There's tho release for
your prisoners. Tako It and tako
them I Whatever possessed you to
want such n gift?"
"Well, sir first place, sho doesn't
want to seem to bo connected with me.
Second place, she hns left Delhi and
sho did not mean to leavo those men.
Third place, If those thirty men had
been anything but her particular pet
gung they'd cither have been over tho
border or clso In jail beforo now Just
llko all the others. For somo reason
thnt I don't pretend to understand, she
promised 'cm moro than sho has been
nblo to perform. So I provido per
formances. Sho getB tho credit for it
I get n pretty good personal following
at leust as far as up tho Khyber 1 Q.
E. D., sir:
Tho man In bed nodded. "Not bad,"
no buiu.
"Didn't sho make somo effort to get
thoso mea nway from All's?" King
asked him. "I mean, didn't sho try to
get them dry-nursed by tho slrkar in
somo way?"
"Yes. Sho did. But 8ho wanted them
arrested and locked up at a moment
when the Jails were nil crowded, Sho
must hnve known our fix. She
shouldn't have asked."
King smiled. "Perfectly good op-,
portunlty for me, sir 1" he said cheer
fully. "So you seem to think. But look out
for thnt womnn, King sho's dnnger-v
o-is. She's got tho brains of Asia
coupled with Western energy! I think
she's on our side, nnd I know he be
lieves it; but watch her I"
"Ilnm dekta hal I" King grinned. But
the older man continued to look as If
he pitied him.
"If you get through nllvc, como and
tell mo nbout It afterward. Now, mind
you do! I'm awfully Interested, but
as for envying you "
"Envy!" King almost squealed!. He
mndc the bcdsprlngs rattlo as ho,
jumped. "I wouldn't swap Jobs with
General French, sir I"
"Nor with me, I suppose I"
"Nor with you, sir!"
"Goodby, then. Goodby, King, mj
boy. Goo'dby, Athclstan. Your broth
cr's up the Khyber, Isn't he? Give bine
my regards. Goodby I"
jfi
CHAPTER VI.
Long before dnwn tho thirty prison
ers nnd Ismnll squatted In n little herd
on tho up-plntform of n railway sta
tion, shepherded by King, who smoked
a cheroot some twenty paces away,
sitting on nn unmnrked chest of medi
cines. He seemed nbsorbed In a book
on surgery. Ismnll nursed tho hew
handbag on his knees, picking ever
lastingly nt the lock and wondering
audibly what the bag contained to an
accompaniment of low-growled sympathy.
"I nm his servnnt for she snld so
und he Bald so. Then why why In
Allah's name am I not to have the
key of this little bag that holds so
little and Is so light?"
"A razor would slit tho leather eas
ily," suggested ono of tho herd. "Then,
later, the bag might be pushed vio
lently against somo sharp thing, to ex
plain tho cut."
Ismail shook his head.
"Why? What could he do to thee?"
"It Is because I know not what he
would do to mo that I will do noth
ing 1" answered Ismail. "Ho Is not
nt all like other sahibs I have bad
dealings with. This man does unex
pected things. This man Is not mad,
ho has n devil. I have it In my henrt
to lovo this man. But such talk is
foolishness. Wo nro all her men!"
"Aye I Wo aro her men !" came the
chorus, so that King looked up and
watched them over tho open book.
At dawn, when the train pulled out,
tho thirty prisoners sat safely locked
in third-class compartments. King
lay lazily on tho cushions of a first
class carriage In the rear, and Ismail
attended to tho careful packing of soda
water bottles In the icebox on the
floor.
"Shall I open tho Uttle bag, sahib?"
ho nsked.
"Put It over there 1" King ordered.
"Set it down!"
Ismnll obeyed nnd King lnid his book
down to light another of his black
cheroots. The themo of antiseptics
ceased to exercise Its charm over him.
Ho peeled off his tunic, changed his
shirt and lay back in sweet content-
"Look Out for tho Woman, Kln.g
She's Dangerous. She's Got the
Brains of Asia Coupled With West
ern Energy."
ment. Headed for tho "Hills," who
would not bo contented, who hud been
born In their very shadow? In their
shadow, of a lino of Britons who have
all been buried thero!
"Tho day after tomorrow I'll see
snow!" he promised himself, And Is
mnll, grinning with yellow teeth
through n gap in his wayward beard,
understood nnd sympathized.
Forwnrd In the third-class carriages
tho prisoners hugged themselves and
crooned as they met old landmarks
and recognized tho changing scenery.
Thero was a new, cleaner tang In tho
hot wind that spoko of tho "Hills" and
homol
At Peshawur tho train was short
ened to three coaches and started up
tho spur-track, that leads to Jamrud,
whero n fort cowers In tho very throat
of tho dreadfulest gorge In Asia tho
Khyber pass.
The Rangar deserts King and
his native escort In a dangerous
part of Khyber pass, and the
special agent tastes moro weird
adventure.
ITO BE CONTINUED.)
