THE 8EM1.WEEKLY TRIDUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRA8KA.
King of the Khyber
R.tflS A Romance of Adventure
THE MYSTERIOUS RANGAR DESERTS CAPT. KING AND HIS
CUTTHROAT ESCORT IN A DANGEROUS PART OF KHY
BER PASS AND ADVENTURES COME RAPIDLY.
Synopsis. At tho beginning of tho world war Capt. Athclstan
King of tho Urltlsh Indian army mid of Its cret service, Is ordered
to Delhi to meet Ynsmlnl, n dancer, and r with her to Khlnjnn to
quiet the outlaws there who arc said by f jIcs to be preparing for u
Jihad or holy war. On his way to Delhi King quietly foils a plan to
asFnRBlnato him and gets evidence that Yusmlnl Is after him. lie meets
Itewa Gunga, Yasmlnl's innn, who says she has nlrcady gone north,
and at her town houso witnesses queer dances. Ismail, on Afrldl, be
comes his body servant and protector. Ho rescues somo of Ynsmlnl'n
hlllmen and takes them north with him, tricking the Hangar Into going
ahead. .
CHAPTER VI Continued.
4
Tt was not a long Journey, nor a very
loV one, for there was nothing to
tUct tho way except occasional men
tilth flags, who guarded culverts and
llttte bridges. It was low tldo under
Pimalayas. Tho flood that wan
rtraialng India of her armed men had
left Jnflirud high and dry with n llttlo
eorricscrlpt force stranded there, as
H ttr-ro, under a British major and
e"s natlvo ofllccrs. Frowning over
fSiimd were tho lean "Hills," peopled
tr fiercest fighting men on earth,
B(l Ito clouds that hung over tho Khy
lvW courso were an accent to tho sav
revy. Sut King smiled merrily ns ho
Jainwd out of tho train, and Itewa
Donga, who was thero to meet him,
advanced with outstretched hand and
a tmUo that would havo melted snow
oil ttie distant penks If ho had only
(oolrcd tho other way.
?Velcomo, King nahlb l" ho laughed,
with tho nlr of a skilled fencer who
iffedrcs another, better one. "I shall
(cum hotter another tlmo nnd let you
kctp In front of me I I trust you had
comfortnblo Journey?"
Thanks," said King, shaking hands
pflh him, and then turning nwny to un
fcrfk tho carrlago doors that held hit
pfhioners In. Thoy wcro baying now
Wtu wolves to bo free, and thoy surged
8. llko wolves from a r,$c, to clarofr
fWsfl the Henm, rwlng 1dm and
.ftynggnng to tho first to ask him
-ftWStlOflB. t
"Nay, ya Uijuntaln people; nay!" he
Wighed. r?, too, am from tho plain?:
Waat d ; know of your families or
f ynir Srlends? Am I to bo torn to
ffacos make a meal?"
tt hnt Ismail Interfered, with tho
aW si an ash pick handle, chance
Wtoifi beside tho track. Laughing ns
K the wholo thing was tho greatest
ffrto Imaginable Rowa Gungn fell Into
Ido bcsldo King and led him away In
e direction of Bono tents.
Sha la up tho pass ahead of us," ho
Moounccd. "She wna in tho done
w a hurry, I can aosuro you. Sho want-,
w to wait and moot you, hut mnttcro
Wfiro too Jolly well urgent, nnd wo
lu all havo our bally work cut out to
Wtch her, you can hot I But I havo
everything ready tents and beds nnd
Korea everything I"
King looked orr-r his shoulder to
Wiake euro that Ismail was bringing
l& llttlo leather bag along.
"So havo I," ho suld quietly.
I havo horses,' snld Itewa Gunge,
nd mules and"
"How did sho travel up tho Khy.
liftY' King asked him, and tho Hangar
reared him a curious Bldowlso glance.
'Tho 111118 are her escort. King sa
ib. Sho is mistress In tho 'mils.'
There isn't a murdering ruffian who
-vnuld not llo down and let her walk
ftt him I Sho rodo away nlono on n
thoroughbred mnro and sho Jolly well
Wi mo tho mare's double on which to
Ojlow her. Como and look."
Kot far from whoro tho tents had
lcn pitched ,ln a cluster n Btrlng of
t erses whinnied nt a picket rope. King
ttw tho two good horses ready for
tTnself, and ten mules bosldo them
itht would havo done credit to any
"tflt But nt tho end of tho lino, paw
tttfc at tho trampled grass, was a black
atro that mado Mb eyes open wide.
OMo in a hundred years or so a vice
reya cup or a Derby Is won by an nnl
rati Unit can stand nnd look and move
f that mnro did.
"Never saw anything hotter," Klug
Emitted ungrudgingly,
i Thero Is only ono uiaro llko this
iTe," laughed the Hangar. "She has
rr."
Whafll you tako for this one?"
tO ng asked him. 'Name your price 1"
The mare la hers. You must qslt
krr. Who knows? fehe is generous.
Ifeerc Is nobody on earth moro gen
erous than she when sho cares to be.
e what you wear on your wrist I"
"That Is a loan," said King, uncover
In tho bracelet. "I shall glvo It back
4o her when wo meet."
"See what sho says when you meetl"
Wnghed tho Rangnr, taking a cfgnrotf
from his Jeweled caso with an nlr and
wiling as ho lighted it. "Thero Is
fnur tent, sahib."
With a nod of dismissal, King
walked over to Inspect tho bandobnst,
nnd finding It much morn cxtravuguut
jtlinri he would have dreamed of provid
ing for himself, he lit one of his black
By TALBOT MUNDY
Copyright by tht DobbcMerrlll Company
cheroots, and with hands clasped be
hind him strolled over to the fort to
Interview Courtcnay, tho officer com
manding. It so happened that Courtcnay had
gono up the pass that morning with his
shotgun after quail. IIo came back
iDto view, followed by his llttlo ten
man escort Just as King nearcd tho
fort, and King timed his approach so
aa to meet him. Tho men of tho
racort wcro heavily burdened ; ho could
3co thnt from a distance.
"ncllol" ho said by tho fort gnto,
cheerily, after ho had saluted and tho
saluto had been returned.
"Oh, hello, King I Glad to seo you.
Ileard you were coming, of course.
Anything I can do?"
"Tell mo anything you know," said
IClng, offering him u cherooj, which tho
other accepted. As ho bit off tho end
they Btood facing each other, so thut
King couW seo tho oncoming escort
and what it carried. Courtenay read
his eyes.
"Two of my men J" ho snld. "Found
'cm up tho pass. Gazl work, I think.
They wcro cut all to pieces. Thero's
n big lashknr gathering somewhero In
tho 'mils,' nnd It might havo been dono
by their sklrmlRboxA but I don't think
BO."
"Who's supposed to bo leading It?"
"Can't find out," said Courtenay.
Then ho stepped nsldo to give orders
to tho escort. They carried the dead
bodies into tho fort.
"Know anything of Ynsmlnl?" Hlwg
asked, when tho mnjor stood In front
of him again.
"By reputation, of conrso. ves. Fn.
mous person sings like a bulbul
jnnccs nice tho dovll lives In Delhi
mean her?"
King nodded. "When did sho start
up tho pass?" ho asked.
"Sho didn't stnrt 1 I know who coeM
up and who comes down."
"Know anything of Rowa Gungn?"
King asked him.
"Not .much. Tried to buy his mare.
Seen tho nnlmnl? Gad I I'd glvo a
year's nay for that beast I Ho wouldn't
sell and I don't blnroo him."
"IIo told mo Just now." said Klntr.
"that Ynsmlnl went up tho pass unes-
He Recognized the 8ame Strange
Scent That Had Been Wafted From
Behind Yasmlnl's Silken Hangings
n Her Room In Delhi.
cortcd, mounted on a mnro the very
dead spit of tho blacks ono you Hay
you wanted to buy,"
Courtcaay whistled.
"I'm sorry, King. I'm sorry to say
ho lied."
King threw nwny hjs less thnn half
consumed cheroot and they started to
walk together toward King's camp.
After a few minutes they arrived at n
point from which they could seo tho
prisoners lined up lu n row facing
Itewa Gunga. A less experienced eye
than King's or Courtenny's could havo
recognized their nttltudo of reveron'
obedience. Within two minutes tho
Hangar stood facing them, looking
moro nt caso than they.
"I was cautioning thoso savages!"
ho explained. "They'ro an escort, but
they need u reminder of tho fact, clso
.they might Jolly well .Imagine them
selves mountain goats and scatter
among tho 'Ulllsl'"
I. W R ffl
IIo drew out his wonderful cigarette
case and offered It open to Courtcnay,
who hesitated, and then helped him
self. King refused. .
MMnJor Courtenay has Just told me,"
said Kfng, "thnt nobody resembling
Ynsmlnl has gono up tho pass recently.
Can you explain?"
"Do you mean, can I explain why
the nnjor foiled to seo her7 Ton my
houI, King sahib, d'you want mo to
Insult tho man? Ynsmlnl is too Jolly
clever for me, or for any other man I
ever met; and tho mnjor's a man, Isn't
he7 Ho may pack the Khyber so full
of men that there's only standing room
and still she'll go up without his lenvo
If she chooses 1 Thero Is nobody llko
Ynsmlnl In all the world 1"
The Hnngnr was looking pnst him,
facing tho great gorgo thnt lets the
north of Asia trickle down Into Indln
and back again when weather and tho
tribes permit. Ills eyes had become
Interested In the distance. King won
dered why nnd looked nnd saw.
Courtcnay saw, too.
"Hall thnt man and bring him hero 1"
ho ordered.
Tsmnll, keeping his dlstnnco with
ears and eyes peeled, heard Instnntly
and hurried off. Fifteen minutes Inter
nn Afrldl stood scowling In front of
them with a little letter In n cleft stick
In his hnnd. IIo held It out and Cour
tenay took It and sniffed.
"Well I'll bo blessed! A nota"
snlff-snirr "on scented pnper!" Snlff
snlff I "Cnrried down tho Khyber In a
split stick 1 Tako it, King It's ad
dressed to you."
King obeyed nnd sniffed too. It
smelt of something far moro subtle
than musk. Ho recognized the same
strange scent thnt had been wafted
from behind Yasmlnl's silken hangings
In her room In Delhi. As he unfolded
tho note It wns not scaled ho found
tlmo for n swift glnnco at Rewa Gun
ga's face. Tho Hangar seemed Inter
ested nnd amused, Tho note, in Eng
lish ran :
"Dear Captain Klntr: Kindly bo
quick to follow me, because thero is
much talk of a lashkar cettlnpr ready for
a raid. I shall wait for you In Khlnjan,
whither my measengrer shall show the
W37. Please let him keep his rifle. Trust
him, nnd Itewa Gunga and my thirty
wnom you brought with you. The mes
senger's name Is Darya Kahn. Tour serv
ant, Tapani."
Ho passed th note to Courtcnay,
who read it and passed it back.
"I'll find out," tho major muttered,
"how sho got up tho pass without my
knowing it Somebody's tall shall bo
twisted for this I"
But ho did sot find out until King
told hlra, nnd that was many days
later, when a terrible cloud no longer
threatened India from tho north.
CHAPTER VII.
"I think I envy youl" said Courte
nay. Thoy wcro seated In Courtenay's
tent, faco to faco across tho low table,
with guttering lights between- and Is
mail outsldo tho- tent hnndlng plntcs
nnd things to Courtenny's servant In
side. "You'ro about tho first who has ad
mitted It," said King.
Not far from them a herd of pack
camels grunted nnd bubbled after tho
evening meal. Tho evening brcczo
brought tho smoko of dung fires down
to them, nnd nn Afghan ono of tho
llttlo crowd of traders who had como
down with tho cnmels threo hours ago
sang n walling song about his lady
love. Overhend tho sky was llko black
velvet, pierced with silver holes.
"You see, you can't call our end of
this business war It's sport," said
Courtcnay. "Two battalions of Khy
)cr rifles, hired to hold tho pass
against their own rclntlons. Against
them a couplo of hundred thousand
tribesmen, very hungry for loot, armed
with up-to-dato rifles, thanks to Russia
yesterday and Germany today, and nil
perfectly well nwnro that a world war
la In progress. That's sport, you know
not tho 'Imago and likeness of war'
that Jorrocks called it, but tho real
red root. And you'vo got n mystery
thrown In to glvo It piquancy. I
haven't found out yet how Ynsmlnl
got up tho pass without my knowl
edge. I thought It was a trick.
DIdu't believe she'd gono. Yet all my
men swenr they know sho has gone,
and not ono of them will own to hav
ing seen her go I What d'you think of
thut?"
For a while, ns he nto Courtenny's
broiled quail, King did not answer.
But tho merry smile had left his eyes
and ho. seemed for onco to bo lotting
his mind dwell on conditions as they
concerned himself.
"How muny men havo you at tho
fort?" ho linked at last.
"Two hundred all natives."
"Like 'em?"
"What's tho uso of talking?" an
swered Courteuny. "You know what
It means when, men of an alien ruco
stand up to you und grin when they
salute. They'ro my own."
King nodded. "Dlo with you, eh?"
"To tho Inst rann," said Courteuny
quietly with thnt 'conviction that can
only ho arrived at in ono -ny, and
that not the easiest,
"I'd dlo alone," said King. "It'll be
lor.fly in tho 'Hills.' Got nny moro
quail?"
And that was nil he ever did say
on that Bubject, then or at any other
tlmo.
"What shall you do first after you
get up tho pass? Call on your brother
nt All Mnsjid? He's llkoly to know
a lot by tho tlmo you got there."
"Not sure," snld King. "May and
may not. I'd like to nee him. Haven't
seen tho old chap in u donkey's age.
How Is ho?"
"Well two days ago," said Courtc
nny. Vnote'i wishing you luckl" said
King. "It's time to go, sir."
IIo rose, and Courtcnay walked with
him to whero his party waited In tho
dark, chilled by tho cold wind whis
tling down tho Khyber. Hewn Gungn
sat, mounted, nt their head, and close
to him his personal servant rodo an
other horse. Behind them were tho
males, and then In a cluster, each
with a load of some sort on his hend,
were the thirty prisoners, nnd Ismnll
took chnrgo of them officiously.
Dnryn Khan, tho man who had
brought tho letter down tho pass, kept
close to Ismail.
King mounted, nnd Courtenny shook
hands ; then ho went to Rcwn Gungn'a
side nnd shook hnnds with him, too.
"Forwnrd! MnrcM" King ordered,
nnd tho little procession stnrted.
"Oh, men of tho 'Hills,' yo look llko
ghosts llko graveyard ghosts I"
Jeered Courtenay. as they all filed
pnst him. "Yo look llko dead men,
going to bo Judged I"
Nobody answered. They strodo
behind the horses, with tho swift, si
lent strides of men who arc going
homo to the "Hills;" but even they,
DifltTflM
He Fired Straight at the Blue Light
born in tho "Hills" and knowing them
as a wolf-pack knows Its hunting
ground, were awed by tho gloom of
Khyber mouth ahead. King's voice
was tho first to break tho silence, and
ho did not spenk until Courtenay was
out of earshot Then:
"Men of the 'Hills l'" ho called.
"Kuch dar nnhln hall"
"Nahln hall Hah I" shouted Ismail.
"So speaks a man! Hear that, yo
mountain folk! no says, 'Thero is
no such thing as fearl'"
In his place In tho lead, King whis
tled softly to himself; but ho drew on
automatic pistol from Its place be
neath his armpit and transferred It to
a readier position.
Fear or no fear, Khyber mouth is
hnuntcd after dark by tho men whoso
blood fouds are too recking raw to
let them dare go homo nnd for whom
the British hangman very likely waits
a mile or two farther south. It Is one
of tho few places In tho world whero
a pistol Is better than a thick stick.
Boulder, crag and looso rock
faded Into gloom behind; In front on
both hunds ragged hillsides wcro be
ginning to close In; nnd tho wind.,
whoso homo Is In Allah's rcfuso heap,
whistled as it searched busily among
tho block ravines. Then presently
tho shadow of tho thousand-foot-high
Khyber walls began to cover them.
After a while King's cheroot went
out, and ho throw It away. A llttlo
later Hewn Gunga threw nway his
cigarette. After that, tho veriest five-year-old
among tho Zokka Khels,
watching Blecplcss over tho rim of
nomo stono watch tower," could hnvo
taken oath that tho Khyber's unbur
led dead wcro prowling In search of
empty graves. Trobobly their un
canny sllenco wns their best protec
tion ; but Hewn Gunga choso to break
It after a time.
"King snhlbl" ho colled softly, re
peating It louder nnd ihoro loudly un
til King heard him. "Slowly! Not so
fasti There ore men among thoso
boulders, and to go too fast Is to raako
them think you aro nfraldt To seem
afraid Is to invito attack I Can we
defend ourselves, with threo firearms
between us? Look I What Is that?"
They wcro at tho point where tho
rond begins to lead uphill, westward,
leaving tho bed of a ravlno and as
cending to Join tho hlghwny built by
British engineers. Below, to left nnd
right, was pit-mouth gloom, shadows
amid shadows, full of eerio whisper
ings, and King felt tho short hair on
his neck begin to rise. Ho urged his
horso forward. Tho Rungar followed
htm, closo up, nnd both horso nud
mnro sensed excitement.
"Look, Bahlb 1" .
After o second or two ho caught
n gllmpso of bluish flamo that flashed
suddenly end died again, somewhere
below to tho right Then all at once
the flame burned brighter nnd stead
ler aod becan to movo anil to crow
"Haiti" King thundered; nnd his
voice was sharp and unexpected ns a
pistol crack. This was somothlmr tan-
glhlo, that a man could tackle a per
fect antidote for nerves.
Tho blue light continued on n zltr
zag course, as If a man were running
among bowlders with nn unusunl sdrt
of torch ; nnd ns there wns no nnswer
King drew his pistol, took abont thirty
seconds' aim and flred. He flrcd
straight nt tho blue light.
It vanished Instantly, Into measure
less black silence.
"Now you've Jolly well dono it,
haven't youl" tho Raniriir lntiched in
his ear. "That was her blue light
lnsmlnrsl"
It was n minute beforo King an
swered, for both animals were all but
frantic with their senso of their rid
ers' state of mind: It needed horse
mnnshlp to get them back under con
trol. "How do you know whose light It
was?" King demanded, when tho
horso and mare wero head to head
again.
"It was nrcarrnnced. Shn nromlsed
mo a signal at tho point where I am
to leave the track 1"
King drove both snurs home, nnd
set his unwilling horso to scrambling
uownward at an nnglo ho could not
guess, Into blackness he could feel.
trusting the nnlmnl to find a footing
wnero nls own eyc3 could make out
nothing.
To his disgust ho heard tho Ron-
gar Immediately. To his even greater
disgust tnc black mnro overtook him.
And even then, with his own mount
stumbling nnd nearly pitching r.Im
headforemost at each lurch, he was
forced to admire the mare's trontllko
agility, for she descended Into the
gorge in running leaps, never setting
n wrong foot. When ho nnd his horso
reached tho bottom at last ho found
the Rnngar waiting for him.
"This way, sahib!" .
The next ho know sparks from tho
black maro's heels wcro kicking up
In front of him, and a wild ride had
begun such ns he hnd never vet
dreamed of. Thero was no catching
up, for the block mare could gallop
two to his horse's one; but he set
his teeth and followed into solid
night, trusting ear, eye, guesswork
and tho god of tho secret service
men, who loves tho reckless.
Onco In every two minutes ho
caught sight for a second of the'same
blue siren light that had started tho
race. He suspected that there were
many torches placed at intervals.
His own horso developed a speed
and stnmlna he hnd not suspected, and
probably the Rangar did not daro ex
tend the mare to her limit In the
dark; at all events, for ten, perhaps,
fifteen, minutes of breathless gallop
ing he almost made a race of It, keep
ing tho Hangar either within sight or
sound.
But then the mnro swerved sud
denly behind a bowlder and wns gone.
Ho spurred round the same great rock
a minute later, and was faced by a
blank wall of shale that brought his
horse up all standing. It led steep up
for a thousand feet to the skyline.
Thero was not so much as n goat
track to show In which direction the
mnro had gone, nor a sound of any
kind to guide htm.
Ho dismounted nnd stumbled about
on foot for about ten minutes with
his eyes two feet from tho earth, try
ing to find some trace of hoof. Then
he listened, with his oar to the
ground. Thero was no result
Ho knew better thnn to shout.
After some thought ho mounted nnd
began to hunt tho way back, remem
bering turns nnd twists with a gift
for direction that natives might well
have envied him. Ho found his way
back to the foot of tho road at a
trot, where ninety-nine men out of al
most any hundred would have been
lost hopelessly; and close to the road
ho overtook Darya Khan, hugging his
rlflo nnd staring about llko a scorpion
at bay.
"Did you expect that blue light, and
this galloping away?" he asked.
"Nay, sahib ; I knew nothing of It !
I was told to lead tho way to Khln
jan." "Como on, thcnl"
On tho level rond above King stored
about him nnd felt In his pockets for
a fresh cheroot Ho struck a match
and watched it to bo suro his hand
did not shake beforo ho spoke. A
man must command himself beforo
trying It on others.
"Where are tho others?" ho asked,
when ho wns certain of himself.
"Gono I" boomed Ismail.
King took a dozqn pulls nt the
cheroot and stared about again. In
tho middle of tho road stood his sec
ond horse, and threo mules with his
baggage, Including tho unmarked
medicine chest. Closo to them were
threo men, making the' party now only
six all told, Including Darya Khan,
himself and Ismail.
"Gono whither?" Ismnll's voice wns
eloquent of shocked surprise. "They
followed 1 Was It then thy baggage
on tho other mules? Wero they thy
men? They ia the mules and went!"
"Who orders them?"
"Allnh! Neca xka night bo ordered
to follow tho day?"
"And thou?"
"I am thy man! Sho bade mo bo
thy man I"
"And these?"
"Try theml"
King bethought him of his wrist,
that was heavy with tho weight of
gold on It Ho drew back his sleevo
and held It up.
"May God bo with thcol" boomed
nil flvo men at once, and tho Khyber
night gave back their voices, llko the
echoing of a well.
King took his reins and mounted.
"What now?" asked Ismnll, picking
up the lenthor bng that he regarded
ns his own particular charge.
"Forward!" said King. "Come
along I"
Ho began to set a fairly fast pace.
Ismnll lending tho spare horso and.
tho others towing the mules along.
Kcept for King, who wns modern
and out of tho picture, they looked
llko Old Testament pntrlarchs. hur
rying out of Egypt as depleted in tha
illustrated Bibles of a (feneration ago
all leaning forward each man carry
ing a staff and nono looking to tho
right or left
"Forward?" growled Ismail. "With
this man it Is over 'forward I' la
there neither rest nor fear? Has sho
bewitched hlra? Hail Yc lazy ones!
Ho ! Sons of sloth I Urge tho mules
faster 1 Beat tho led horse 1"
So In weird, wan moonlight, King
led them forwnrd, ntraight up the
narrowing gorge, between cliffs that
seemed to fray tho very bosom of the
sky. He smoked a cigar and stared
at tho view, ns If he were oft to the
mountains for a month's sport with
dependable shlkarrls whom ho knew.
Nobody could havo looked at him and
guessed ho wns not enjoying himself.
"That man," mumbled Ismail be
hind him, "Is not as other sahibs I
have known. He Is n man, this onoi
He will do unexpected things!"
"Forward I" King called to them,
thinking they were grumbling. "For
ward, men of the 'Hills 1"'
CHAPTER VIII.
After a time King urged his horso to
a jog-trot, and they trotted forward
until tho bed of the Khyber began to
grow very nnrrow, and All MasJId fort
could not bo much more than a rollo
nway, at the widest guess. Then King
drew rein and dismounted, for he
would have been challenged had he
ridden much farther. A challenge In
the Khyber after dark consists Inva
riably of a volley ot short range, with
tho mere words afterwnrd, and tho
wise man takes precautions.
"Off with tho mules' packs!" ho or
dered, and the men stood round nnd
stared. Darya Khan, leaning on the
only rlflo In tho party, grinned like a
post-omco letter box.
"Truly," growled Ismnll, forgetting
past expressions of a different opinion,
"this mnn is as mad as all the other
Englishmen."
"Were you ever bitten by one?" won
dered King aloud.
"God forbid 1"
"Then off with tho packs and
hurry!"
Ismnll began to obey.
"Thoul Lord of the Rivers! (For
that Is what Darya Khan means.)
What Is thy calling?"
"Badraggn" (guide), he answered.
"Did sho not send me back down tho
pass to bo a guide? If sho says I am
badragga, shalL any say sho lies?"
"I soy thou art unpackcr of mules'
burdens!" nnswered King. "Begin!"
For nnswer the fellow grinned from
ear to ear and thrust the rifle barrel
forward insolently. King, with the
movement of determination that a man
makes when about to force conclu
sions, drew up his sleews above tho
wrist At thnt Instant the moon shone
through tho mist nnd tho gold brncelct
glittered in the moonlight.
"Mny God be with thee 1" said "Lord
of the Rivers" at once. And without
another word ho laid down his rifle
and went to help off-load the mules.
King stepped aside and cursed soft
ly. But for a vein of wisdom that un
derlay his pride ho would have pock-
At Tint Instant the Moon Shone
Through the Mist and the Gold
Bracelet Cllttered In the Moonlight
cted tho bracelet thero and then and
havo refused to wear it
ho sweated his prldo ho overheard Is-
uinu growi:
"Good for thee 1 Tfo h An
obcdlenco In nnothe. bat of the eye!"
x oDoy ner r muttered Darya Khan.
"I, tOO." Said Ismail. "Sn ntinll ,
before tho week dlesl Tint nnur 1 la
good to obey him. Ho Is an ugly man
io Qisoocyr
"I obey hlra until shn nut ma
then," grumbled Dnrya Khan.
-uener ror tlieel". said Ismail.
King meets hla brother at All
Masjld fort and they hold a me
morable conference. The British
captain disappears In the dark
ness and a strange native medi
cine man takes his place.
(TO UK CONTINUED.)
