Nebraska Newspapers

    THE 8EMI.WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
King of the Khyber
I&lfiGS Romance of Adventure
CHAPTER XVI Continued.
10
"Listen, while I tell you nil from tho
beginning I The slrknr sent mo to dls
ercr what may be this 'Heart of the
Hills' men tulk about. I found these
avo nnd this I I told tho slrknr a
UtUo about the caves, and nothing at
all about the sleepers. But even at
that they only believed the third of
what I said. And I back In Delhi I
bought books. When I had rend enough
1 came back here to thlrik. I knew
trough now to be sure that tho sleeper
tm a Roman and tho 'Heart of the
Hills' a Grecian maid. She In like me.
Tfcat Is why I know sho drove him
to ronko an empire, choosing for a be
rinrUng these 'IIIUh' where Homo had
setfer penetrated. I liuve seen It all In
drtaras. And because I wus all alone,
2 tew that I would need skill and much
patience, So I began to learn.
Times I would go to Delhi and
Ataco thcro n little, and a Uttlo In
other places onco Indeed beforo n
Ttccroy, and once for the king of Eng
land. And all tho whllo I kept look
ing for ttlo man the man who should
tee like the sleeper, even as I am like
her whom ho loved I There was none
Hlce tho sleeper until you came. And
when tho world war broke for It Is
a world war, a world wur, I tell you I
I thought at last that I must manago
all alone. And then you camel
Hut thoro wero muny I tried many
especially after I abandoned tho
thought that tho mnn must resemble
tho Sleeper. Thcro was a prince of
Germany who enmo to India on n hunt
tog trip. You remember?"
King pricked his ears nnd allowed
himself to grin, for in common with
many hundred other men who had
keen lieutenants at tho time, ho would
race have given an ear nnd an cyo
to know tho truth of thnt affair. The
pin transforccd his wholo appearance,
bU1 Yasmlnl beamed on him.
Tm listening, princess 1" ho remind
a her.
"Well ho came tho prlnco of Ger
many. I offered him India first, then
Asia, then tho world oven as I now
ffor them to you. Tho slrknr sent iilm
to aeo mo dance, and ho stayed to
bear me talk. When I saw at Inst that
he lias tho head nnd heart of a hyena I
opat In his faco and threw food at hlin.
"Ho complained to tho slrknr agnlnst
ase, so I told tho slrknr some not
such, Indeed, but enough of the
things ho and his officers had told me.
And tho slrknr said at onco thnt thcro
was both cholera and bubonic plague,
and ho must go homo I Ills officers
laughed beblsd his back. Ever slnco
thnt tlmo there hnvo nlways been Gcr
teans In communication with me, and
I havo not onco been In tho dark about
Germany's plnns although they hnvo
always thought I am In tho dark.
"I went on looking for my mnn.
Thwo ennio that old Bull-wlth-n-bcard,
Hahammad Anlin. Ho thinks ho Is the
"The Old Gods Who Quilt These Caves
in tho 'Hllla' Are Lauahlngl They
Are Getting Readyl Thou and I"
man, having moro strength to hopo and
wore will to will wrongly than uny
mun I ever met, except a German. I
kavo oven been Hura sometimes thnt
Muhammad Anlin Is a Germi'.u; yet
mow I am not sure.
"From all tho men I met and
vatched I hnvo learned all they know I
And I havo never neglected to tell the
sirkar sufficient of what men havo told
aae, to keep the slrkur pleased with
aoel It was fortunate thut I know of
German plot that I could spoil at tho
ikst minute. A million dynamto
Iwmbs was n big haul for tho sirkar
My offer to go to Khlnjun and keen tho
Wills' quiet '708 accepted that samo
fey I
"Bat what are a million dynamite
By TALBOT MUNDY
Copyright by the Dobbt-Mrrrlll Compinjr
bombs I Dynnmlto bombs havo been 1
coming Into Khlnjun month by month
these three years I Hombs and rifles
and cartridges I Muhammad Anlin's
men, whom he trusts becauso he must,
hid It all In a cavo I showed them, thnt
they think, and ho thinks, has only ono
entrance to It. Mulrniumad Anlm sealed
It, and ho hus the cy. But I havo
tho ammunition I
"There wus another way out of that
cave, although there Is none now, for
I havo blocked It. My men, whom 1
trust becauso I know them, carried ev
erything out by tho back way, and 1
have It all. We, my warrior, when Mu
hammad Anlm gets tho word from Ger
many and gives tho sign, nnd the 'Hills'
nre afire, nnd tho wholo East roars In
tho flnmo of the Jihad wo will put our
selves nt tho head of that Jihad, nnd
tho Enst nnd tho world Is ours 1"
King smiled at her.
"The Enst Isn't very well armed,"
he objected. "Mere numbers "
Numbers?" She lnughcd at him.
The West has tho West by the thront I
It Is tearing Itself 1 They will drag In
America I Thcro will ho no armed na
tion with Its hands free nnd while
thoHo wolves fight, other wolves shall
como and steal tho meat I The old
gods, who built these caves In the
Hills,' nro lnughlngl They nro get
ting ready I Thou nnd I "
As sho coupled him and herself to
gether lu ono plan sho read the
changed expression of his face tho
very quickly passing cloud thut even
tho bust-trulncd mun cannot control.
"I know!" sho asserted, sitting up
right and coming out of her dream to
faco facts us their master. She looked
moro lovely now than ever, although
twlco as dangerous. "You uro thinking
of your brother of his head I Thut I
urn n murderess who can never bo your
friend I Is thut not so?"
Ho did not answer, but his eyes may
havo betrayed something, for sho
looked as If ho had struck her.
"Oh, I havo needed you so much,
these mnny years 1 And now that you
have como you want to hato mo bo-
enuso you think I killed your brother I
Listen 1 i
"Without my leave, Muhammad Anlm
sent live hundred men on a foray
toward tho Khyber. Bull-wlth-a-bcurd
needed an Englishman's head, for
proof for a spy of his who could not
enter Khlnjan caves. They trappr!
ygur brother outsldo All Masjld with
fifty of his men. They took his head
after n long light, leaving moro than
a hundred of their own In payment.
"Bull-wlth-a-beurd was pleased. But
ho was careless, and I sent my men to
steal tho head from his men. I needed
evidence for you. And I Bwear to you
I swear to you by my gods who havo
brought us two together thnt I first
knew it was your brother's head when
you held it up In tho Cavern of Eurth's
Drink J Then I knew It could not bo
anybody elso's hcndl"
"Why bid mo throw it to them,
then?" he nsked her, und ho was awnro
of her scorn beforo tho words had left
his Hps.
Sho lenned back again and looked at
him through lowered eyes, as if sho
must study htm all anew. Sho seemed
to find It hard to bcllevo that ho really
thought so In tho commonplace.
"What Is n head to mo, or to you
a head with no llfo In It carrion !
compared to what shall bo? Would
you havo known It was his head If you
had thrown it to them when I ordered
you?"
Ho understood. Sorao of her blood
wus Russian, some Indlun. Sho stood
up, and of course ho stood up, too. So,
sho on tho footstool of tho throue, her
eyes and his wero on a level. Sho laid
bauds on his shoulders and looked Into
his eyes until ho could sco his own
twin portrults in hers, thnt wero glow
ing sunset pools. Heart of tho Hills?
Tho heart of all tho East scemod to
burn In her, rebellious 1
"Aro you believing me?" sho nsked
him.
Ho nodded, for no mnn could hnvo
helped believing her. As sho know
the truth, sho was telling It to him,
as surely as she was doing her skill
ful best to mesmerize him. But tho
secret servlco Is mado up of men
trained against thnt.
"Como I" sho said, and stepping
uuii bhu iook ms arm.
Sho led him pust the thrones to
other leather curtains In' u wall, and
through them Into long hewn passages
from cavern to cavern, until even the
Hock of Gibraltar seemed like a doll's
houso lu comparison. Sho showed him
a cuvo containing great forges, where
tho bronzo had been worked, with
charcoul still piled up ogulnst tho wall
nt ono end. There wero copper und tin
Ingots In there of a shnpo ho had uover
seen.
"I know where thoy enmo from,"
sho told him. "I made It my business
to kuow all tho 'Hills.' I know things
tho hlllmen's greut-great-greut-grund-fathers
forgot 1 I know old workings
that would muka a modern nation rich 1
Wo shnll havo money when wo need
It, never fear I Wo shall couquer In
dia whllo tho English bucks nro turned
und tho best troops uro overseas."
Then sho called him her warrior and
her wcU-belovtfd and took him down
a long passage, holding his hand nil
the wuy, to show htm slots cut In the
floor for tho uso of archers.
"You entered Khlnjan enves by a
tunnel under this floor, well-beloved.
There Is no other entrance I"
By this tlmo "well-beloved" was her
name for him, although thcro was no
air of finality nhout It. It was as If
sho paved the way for use of Athelstan
nnd thnt was n sacred name. It was
amazing how sho conveyed that Im
pression without using words.
"The Sleeper cut these slots for his
archers. Then he' hnd nnother thought
and set these cauldrons In place, to
boll oil to pour down. Could nny army
force a way through by tho routo by
which you entered?"
"No," he snld, marveling nt tho ton
weight copper cauldrons, one to ench
hole.
"And I havo moro than u thousand
Mnuser rifles here, and moro thnn a
mtlllon rounds of ammunition 1"
Sho showed him a cavo In which
boxes wero stacked In high, square
piles.
"Dynamite bombs I" sho boasted.
"How many boxes? I forget I Too
"They WIN Lay Waste Indial They
Will Butcher and Plunder and Burnt
It Will Be What They Leave of
India That We Shall Build Anew
and Govern."
ninny to count I Women brought them
nil tho way from the sea, for even
Muhammad Anlm could not make
Afrldl riflemen carry loads. I havo
wondered what ifull-wlth-u-beard will
say when ho misses his precious dyna
mltol" "You've enough in thcro to blow
tho mountain up!" King advised her.
"If somebody fired a pistol In here,
tho least would bo tho collapso of this
floor Into tho tunnel below with n hun
dred thousand tous of rock on top of
It. Thero Is no other way out?"
"Eurth's Drink I" she said, and ho
mado u grlmaco that set her to laugh
ing. But sho looked at him darkly after
that and he got tho impression thnt tho
thought was not now to her, nnd that
sho did not thank him for tho advice.
Ho began to wonder whether thero
wus anything sho had not thought of
nny loopholo sho hnd left him for
escape any Issuo sho had not fore
seen.
Sho showed htm whero eleven hun
drcd Mnuser rifles stood In racks In
another cave, with boxes of ammunl
tlon piled bcsldo them each rlllo and
cartridge worth Its weight In Bllvcr
coin a very rajah's ransom I
"Tho Germuns nro generous in some
things only in boiuo things very
meuu In others I" sho told him. "They
sent no medlcnl stores, nnd no blan
ketsl"
Past caves whero provisions of ov
cry Imaginable kind wero stored, null!
clent for an nrmy, sho led him to whero
her guards slept together with tho
thirty special men whom King had
brought with him up tho Khyber.
"I hnvo llvo hundred others whom I
dnro trust to como In here," she said,
"but they shall stay outsldo until
want them. A mystery Is n good thing!
It Is good for them nil to wonder what
I keep In here I It Is good to keep this
sanctuary; It makes for power I"
Pressing very closo to him, sho
guided him down another dark tunnel
until ho nnd sho stood together in tho
Jaws of tho round holo nbovo tho
river, looking down Into tho Cavern of
Earth's Drink.
Nobody looked up nt them. Tho
thousands wero too busy working up n
frenzy for tho great Jlhnd that was to
come.
Stacks of wood had been piled up,
six-man high In tho middle, nnd then
fired. Tho hent enmo upward like n
furnaco blast, nnd tho smoke was a
great red cloud among the stalactites,
Hound and round thnt holocaust tho
thousands did their sword-dnucc, yell
ing us tho devils yelled nt Khlnjan's
birth. They needed no, wine to crazo
them. They wero drunk with fauatl
clsm, frenzy, lust I
Ynsmlnl shouted In his car; for tho
din, mingling with tho river's voice,
mado n volcano chord. "They will lay
waste India I They will butcher and
plunder and burn! It will bo what
they leave of India that we shall build
anew and govern, for Indln herself will
rise to help them lay her own cities
wnsto! It Is always sol Conquests
always arc sol Como!"
Sho tugged at blm and led him back
along the tunnel and through other
tunnels to the throne room, where sho
tnndo him sit nt her feet again. Tho
food had been cleared away In their
absence. Instend, on the ebony table
there wero pens and Ink nnd paper.
CHAPTER XVII.
"You know where is Dar cs So
laam?" asked Yasmlnl.
"East Africa," said King.
"And English warships watch the
Persian gulf and all the seas from In
dia to Aden?"
King nodded.
"Have tho English nny ships thnt
dlvo under water, In theso wnters?"
"I think not. I'm not sure, but I
think not."
"The grenades you have seen, nnd
tho rifles and cartridges were sent by
tho Germans to Dar es Salaam, to
suppress a rising of African natives.
Does It begin to grow clear to you, my
friend?"
He smiled as well ns nodded this
time.
"Muhammad Anlm used to wait with
a hundred women nt a certain place
on the seashore. What ho found on
tho beach there ho mado tho women
carry on their heads to Khlnjan. So
they worked, he nnd the Germans, for
I know not bow long with tho Eng
lish watching the seas ns on land lean
wolves comb tho valleys."
"What wero the terms of the Ger
man bnrgaln?" King asked her, "What
stipulations did they make?"
"With tho tribes? None! They
were too wise. A jlhnd was decided
on In Germany's good time ; and when
that time should come ten rifles In the
'Hills' and a thousand cartridges would
mean not only a hundred dead English
men, but ten times thnt number busily
engaged. Why bargain when there
wns no need? A rifle Is what it Is.
Tho 'Hills' nre tho 'Hllla!'"
"Tell me about your lamp 611, then,"
ho said. "You burn enough oil In
Khlnjan caves to light Bombny! That
docs not come In by submarine. The
slrknr knows how much of everything
goes up tho Khyber. I have seen the
printed lists myself a few hundred
cans of kerosene a few score gallons
of vegetablo oil, and all bound for far
ther north. There Isn't enough oil
pressed among the 'Hills' to keep theso
caves going for a day. Whero does It
alt como from?"
Sho laughed, as a mother laughs at
child's questions, finding delicious
enjoyment in instructing him.
"There nro three villages, not two
days' march from Khabul, where men
hnvo lived for centuries by pressing
oil for Khlnjan caves," she said. "The
Sleeper fetched his oil thence. Tho
Sleeper left gold In here. Those who
kept tho Sleeper's secret paid for tho
oil In gold. No Afghan troubled why
oil was needed, so long ns gold paid
for it And I know whero tho Sleeper
dug his gold I"
They sat In sllenco for a long whllo
after that, sho looking at the table,
with Its Ink nnd pens and paper, and
ho thinking, with hands clasped round
ono kneo ; for It Is wiser to think thnn
to talk, even when n woman Is near
who can read thoughts that are not
guarded.
"Athelstan!" sho snld at last. "It
sounds llko n king's name 1 What wns
the Sleeper's name? Was thero such
a name In Rome?"
"No," ho said.
"What does It mean?" sho nsked
him.
"Slow of resolution I"
Sho clapped her hands.
"Another sign I" sho laughed. "Tho
gods love mo ! There always Is a sign
when I need ono I Slow of resolution,
art thou? I will speed thy resolution.
well-beloved I You wero quick to
change from King, of tho Khyber Rifle
regiment, to Kurrnra Khnn. Cham
now Into my warrior my dear lord
my King again 1"
Sho rose, with arms outstretched to
him. All her dancer's nrt, her un-
tnmed poetry, her witchery, wero ex
pressed In a movement. Her eyes melt
cd ns they met his. And slnco ho stood
up, too, for manner's sake, they were
eye to eyo again almost Hp to Hp
Her sweet breath wus In his nostrils
In another moment she wns In his
arms, clinging to him. kissing htm.
And If any mnn hns felt on his Hps
tho kiss of nil tho scented glamour of
tho Eust, let him tell what King's son
sntlons wore. Let Caesar, who was
kissed by Cleopatra, como to llfo and
talk of It I
King's nrm Is strong, and ho did not
stand Hko nn Idol, nis head might
swim, but she, too, tasted tho delirium
of human passion loosed and given for
a mnd, swift minute. If his henrt
swelled to bursting, so must hers have
done.
"I have needed you !" sho whispered
"I hnvo been all alone t I have needed
you 1"
Then her Hps sought his again, nnd
neither spoke.
Neither know how long It was beforo
she begau to understand thut he, not
she, was winning. Tho human answer
to her nppenl was full. Ho gave her
nil sho asked of admiration, kiss for
kiss. And then her arms did not
cling so tightly, although his strong
right nrm wns Hko a stanchion. Be
causo ho kuow that he, not she, was
winning, ho picked her up In his nrms
and kissed her as If sho wero a child
And then, because he knew ho h
won, he set her on her feet on the foot
stool of the throne, and even pitted
her.
She felt the pity. As sho tossed the
hair back over her shoulder her eyes
glowed with another meaning danger
ous llko a tiger's glnrc.
"You pity mo? You think because
I love you, you can feed my love on
plate to the Indian government?
You think my love Is n weapon to use
gainst mo? Your love for mo muy
wait for a better tlmo? You nre not
so wlso ns I thought you, Athelstan I"
But he knew he hnd won. Ills heart
wus singing down Inside him ns it hnd
not sung slnco he left India behind.
But ho stood quite humbly before her,
for hud he not kissed her? He knew
ho hnd won. Yet If nnyone hnd nsked
him how he knew that he had won, he
never could have told.
"If you were to go back to India ex-
cept ns Its conqueror, they would strip
tho buttons from your uniform und
tear your melnls off and shoot you
In tho back against u wall 1 My signa
ture Is known In India aud I am
known. What I write will be believed.
Rcwa Gunga shall take a letter. Ho
shall take two four witnesses. He
shall see them on their way and shall
give them the letter when they reach
the Khyber and shall send them Into
India with It. Hnvo no fear. Bull-
wlth-a-beard shall not Intercept tliem,
as I have Intercepted his men. When
Rewa Gunga shall return and tell me
he saw my letter on Its way down the
Khyber, then we shall talk again
you and II Come!"
She took his arm, ns If her threats
had been caresses. Triumph shone
from her eyes. She tossed her brave
chin and laughed at him, only en
couraged to greater daring by his atti
tude, and by the time they reached the
ebony table and she hnd taken the pen
and dipped It In the ink, she was
chuckling to herself no if the ono good
joke had grown Into a hundred.
Sho wrote In Urdu, with an easy,
flowing hand, nnd In two minutes she
hnd thrown sand on the letter and hnd
given It to King to rend. It was not
like a woman's letter. It did not waste
a word.
Your Captain Klntr has been too much
trouble. He has taken money from tho
Germans. Ho adopted nattvo dress. Ho
called himself Kurram Khan. He slew
his own brother at night in tho Khyber
pass. These men will say that ho car
ried tho head to Khlnjan, and their word
Is true, for I, Yasmlnl, sa'-- .Ho used tho
head lor a passport, to ono... admittance.
Ho proclaims a jihad! Ho urges Invasion
of Indial He held up his brother's head
before live thousand men and boasted of
tho murdar. Tho next you shall hear of
your Captain Kins of tho Khyber rllles.
ho will be leading a jihad Into India. You
would havo better trusted mo.
YASMINI.
He rend It and passed it back to her.
"They will not disbelieve me," she
said, triumphant as the very devil over
a brundered soul all hot. "They will
bo sure you are mud, and they will
believe tho witnesses 1"
"Rewa Gunga shall start with tilts'
today 1" sho said, with moro amuse
ment than malice. After that she was
still for a moment, watching his eyes,
nt a loss to understand his careless
ncss. He seemed strangely unubascd.
His folded arms were not defiant, but
neither were they yielding.
"I love you, Athelstan!" sho said.
"Do you love me?"
"I think you aro very beautiful,
princess 1"
"Beautiful? I know I am beautiful.
But Is that all?"
"Clever 1" he added.
Sho began to drum with the golden
dagger hilt on tho table, and to look
dnngerous, which Is not to Infer by any
means that she looked less lovely.
"Do you lovo me?" she asked.
"Forglvo me, princess, but you for
get. I wns born east of Mecca, but my
folk wero from the West. Wo nro
slower to lovo than some other nations.
With us love is moro often growth, less
often surrender nt first sight I think
you nre wonderful 1"
She nodded nnd tucked tho scaled
letter In her bosom.
"It shall go," sho snld darkly, "and
nnother letter with It They looted
your brother's body. In his pocket they
found the note you wrote him, nnd that
you asked him to destroy! That will
ho evidence. That will convince I
Come 1"
Ho followed her through leather cur
tains ngaln and down the dark pas
"Do You Love Me7" She Asked.
snge Into tho outer chamber; and the
Illusion wns of walking behind u gold
en-hnlred Madonna to some shrine of
Innocence, ner perfumo was like In
censo; her manner perfect reverence,
Sho passed Into tho cuvo whero the
two dead bodies lay llko a high priest
ess performing c rite.
Wulklng to tho bed, sho stood for
minutes, gazing at tho Sleeper nnd hUl
queen. And from tho new angle from
which King snw him tho Sleeper's like
ness to himself wns actually startling;
Startling weird llko nn Incantation
were Yasmlnl's words when at last sho
spoke.
Muhammad lied I Ho Hed In his
teeth! His sons havo multiplied his
He ! Slddhattha, whom men hnvo culled
Gotama, tho Buddha, was beforo Mu
hammad nnd ho knew more! Ho told
of the wheel of things, nnd there la a
wheel I Yet, what knew the Buddha of
the wheel? He who spoko of Dharma
(the customs of the law) not knowing
Dharma! Thl3 Is true of old thero
wns a wish of the gods of tho old
gods. And so these two were. There
Is u wish ngaln now of the old gods.
So, nre we two not ns they two were?
It Is the same wish, and lo! We nref
ready, this man and I. We will obey,
ye gods ye old gods!"
Shu raised her arms and, going closer
to tho bed, stood thero In an attitude
of mystic reverence, giving and re
ceiving blessings.
"Dear gods 1" she prayed. "Dear old
gods older than these 'Hills' show
me In n vision what their fault was
why these two were ended before the
end!
"I know all the other things ye havo
shown me. I know tho world's silly
creeds have made It mad, and It must
rend Itself, and this man nnd I shall
reap where tho nations sowed If only,
we obey! Wherein, yo old dear gods,
who love me, did these two disobey? I
pray you, tell me In n vision I"
Sho shook her head and sighed. Sad
ness seemed to have crept over her,
like n cold mist from the night. It
wns as if sho could dimly seo her
plans foredoomed, and yet hoped on la
spite of It The fatalism that she
scorned as Muhammad's He held her
In Its grip, and her natural courngo
fought with It. Womanlike, she turned
to King In thnt minute and confided to
him her very Inmost thoughts. And he,
without an Inkling as to how she must
fall, yet knew that she must, and pitied
her.
"Have you seen thnt breast under
the armor?" sho asked suddenly.
"Come nearer! Come and look I Did
sho kill him? Wns that n dagger-stab
in Ills breast7 I found; perfume Id
theso caves great Jars of It, and I use
It nlways. I think that scent Is tho
preservative. Athelstan listen 1 i
think he would have failed her! H
think she stabbed him rather than se
him fail, and then swnllowed poison I
Afterward their servants lnld them
there. She smiles In death because sho
knew the wheel will turn nnd that
death dies too! He looks grim be
cause he knew less than she. It Is nl
ways woman who understands nnd
man who falls! I think she stabbed
him. She should have loved him bet
ter, and then there would have been
no need. I will love you better than
sho loved him!" ' I
She turned and devoured him with
her eyes, so that It needed all his man
hood to hold him back from being her
slave that minute. For In that mln-
uto she left no charm unexercised
sex mesmerism beauty flattery
(her eyes could flatter as a dumb dog'a
flatter n huntsmnn) grace unutterablo
mystery sho used every art on him
sho knew. Yet he stood the test
"Even If you fall me, well-belovecL
I will lovo you! The gods who gavo
you mo will know how to make yon
lovo ; and lessons are to learn. If yon
fall me I will forgive, knowing that In
tho end the gods will never let you fall
mo ! You are mine, nnd earth Is ours,
for tho old gods Intend It so 1"
She seemed to expect him to take her
In his arms again; but he stood re
spectfully nnd mado no answer, nor
any move. Grim and strong his Jowl
was, like the Sleeper's, nnd the dark
hair threo days old on It softened noth
ing of Its lines. His Roman nose nnd
steady, dnrk, full eyes suggested no
compromise. Yet ho was good to look
at She had not lied when sho said
she loved him, and he understood her
nnd was sorry. But he did not look
sorry, nor did ho offer nny argument to
quench her love. He wan a servant of
the raj ; his life and his lovo had been
India's since the day he first buckled
on his spurs, and Yasmlnl would not
have understood that
Nor did sho understand that, even
supposing he had loved her with all hla
heart, not on nny conditions would he
have admitted It until absolutely free,
nny more than that If she crucified htm
ho would lovo her the same, supposing
that he loved her at all. Nor did sho
trust the "old gods" too well, or let
them work unnlded.
"Come with me, Athelstan 1" sho said.
Sho took his arm found little Jeweled
slippers In a closet hewn In the wall
put them on and led him to the cur
tains ho hnd entered by. She led down
the steps, and at tho foot told him to
put on his slippers, as If he ,vere a
child. Then, hurrying as If those opal
eyes of hers wero Indifferent to dark
or daylight, sho picked her way among
bowlders that he could feel but not
sec, along a floor that was only smooth
In places, for a distance that was long
enough by two or three times to loso
him altogether. When he looked back
there wns no sign of red lights behind
him. And when he looked forward,
thcro was a dim outer light In front
and a whiff of the cool fresh air that
presages tho dawn I
She led him through a gap on to a
ledge of rock that hung thousands of
feet above tho homo of thunder, a
ledge less than six feet wide, less than
twenty long, tilted back toward tho
cliff. Thero they sat, watching the
stars. And thero they saw tho dawn
come.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
'Arklno Back.
Tho Vicar What n dreadful plaguo
of caterpillars, John!
John Ah; an' 'oo let loose tho first
pair of 'em? Noah! Sketch.