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BED OLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF
By
Talbot Mundy
Coprrlsbt by thaBobU-MerrUlOwnpuiy
King f the Khyber Rifles
A
5
ADVENTURE AND ROMANCE EXTRAORDINARY
la this rcmnrkablo tnlo Mr. Mundy Introduces us to tho mysteries
and charm of India, and to nn Interesting people of tho Orient ubout
whom tho western world knows little or nothing. In tho company of
Captain Athclstnn King, his hero, wo ro on n wonderful Journey In
Khlnjan caves; and with him wo moot Ynsmlnl, nn exotic beauty of
marvelous fascination. It gives us grcnt plcnsuro to publish "King of
tho Khybcr Rifles" because we believe our renders will enjoy tho
scrlnl moro than any wo have printed In a long time.
TUB EDITOR.
CHAPTER 1.
Tho men who govern Indln more
power to them and her! aro few.
Those who stand In their way and pre
tend to help them with n flood of
words nro a host. The chargo has
seen tho light In print that India well
spring of plague and sudden death
and money lenders has sold her soul
to twenty succeeding conquerors In
turn.
So when tho world war broko the
world was destined to be surprised on
India's account. The Red sea, full of
racing transports crowded with dark
skinned gentlemen, whose one prayer
was that tho war might not be over
before they should have struck a blow
for Britain, was the Indian army's an
swer to the press.
Mors than one nation was deeply
shocked by India's answer to "prac
tices" that had extended over years.
Bat there were men In India who
learned to love India long ago with
that love that casts out fear, who knew
exactly what was going to happen and
could therefore afford to wait for or
ders Instead of running round In rings.
Athelstan King, for Instance, noth
tag yet but a captain unattached, sat
la meagerly furnished quarters with
tin heels on a table. He Is not a
doctor, yet he read a book on sur
gery; and when ho went over to the
dab he carried the book under his
arm and continued to read It there.
In the other room where tho telegraph
blanks were littered In confusion all
bout the floor, tho other officers sent
telegrams and forgot King, who sat
and Bmoked and rend about surgery;
not keeping back moro than a mere
handful to hold the tribes in check."
King nodded. There has never been
peace along tho northwest border. It
did not need vision to forcsco troublo
from that quarter. In fact It must
hnvo been partly on the strength of
some of King's reports that the gen
eral was planning now.
"Well, tho trlbcs'U know presently
how many men we're sending oversea.
Thcro've been rumors about Khlnjan
by the hundred lately. They're cook
ing something. Can yoa Imagine 'em
keeping quiet now?"
"That depends, sir. Yes, X can
Imagine It"
The general laughed. "That's why
I Bent for you. I need a man with
imagination I There's a woman you've
got to work with on this occasion who
can Imagine a shade or two too much.
What's worse, she's ambitious. So I
chose you to work with her."
King's lips stiffened under his mus
tache, and tho corners of his eyes
wrinkled Into crow's feet to corre,
spond. Eyes are never coal-black, of
course, but his looked It at that mln
utc.
"You know wo'vo sent men to Khln
jan who ore said to have entered the
caves. Not one of 'em has ever re
turned." King frowned.
"She claims she can enter the caves
and come out again at pleasure. Sho
has offered to do It, and I have ac
cepted. Can you guess who she Is?"
"Not Yasmlnl?" King hazarded, and
tho general nodded. Tho helmet-strap
mark, printed indelibly on King's Jaw
and cheek by tho Indian sun, tight
Htnnt the general's fat figure darkened
tho doorway twenty men of higher
rank thnn King, natlvo and English,
rose from llncd-up chairs and pressed
forward.
"Sorry have to keep you all wait
ing busy 1" Be waved them BBlde
with a little apologetic gesture. "Come
In here, King."
King followed him through a door
tlutt slummed tight behind him on rub
ber Jambs.
"Sit down I"
Tho general unlocked a steel drawer
and began to ruinmago among tho pa
pers In It. In a minute ho produced
a package, bound in rubber bands,
with a faded photograph face upward
on the top.
"That's tho woman 1 How d'you
like the look of her?"
King took the packngo and for n
minute stared hard at tho likeness of
a woman whoso fame has traveled up
and down India, until her witchery
has become a proverb. Sho was
M HWtBUJ f ...w. rf ... M.U.MM MWM, -0..
and beforo ho had nearly finished one I encd and grew whiter as the general
it Peshawur I noted out of the corner of his eye.
box of cheroots a general at
wiped a bald red skull and sent htm
an urgent telegram.
"Como at oncel" It sold simply.
King was at Lahore, but miles don't
matter when tho dogs of war' nro
loosed. Tho right man goes to tho
right placo at tho exact right time
then, and tho fool goes to tho wall. In
that ono respect war Is better than
somo kinds of peace.
In tho train on the way to Peshnwur
bo was not troubled by 'forced con
versation. Consequently ho reached
Peshawur comfortable, In splto of the
heat And his genial manner of salut
ing th full-general who met him with
a dogcart at Peshawur station was
something scandalous. Full-generals,
particularly In the early days of war,
" lr fw
'tXtlTfe
VAtCVTVC
"That's the Woman! How Do
Like the Look of Herf
You
BSSSSsW
itISil
PAU31 HE BSSSsHs
"Come at Once," It Said.
do not drive to the station to meet
captains very often ; yet King climbed
Into the dogcart 'unexcltcdly, after
keeping the general waiting while he
checked a trunk I
The general cracked his whip with
out any other comment than a smile.
A blood mare tore sparks out of tho
macadam, and a dusty military road
began to ribbon out between the
wheels. Sentries in unexpected places
announced themselves with a ring of
shaken Bteels as theft rifles came to
the "present," which courtesies the
I general noticed with a raised' whip.
On the dogcart's high front seat, star
lag straight ahead of him between
the horse's ears, King listened. The
'general did nearly all tho talking.
The North's tho danger."
King grunted with the lids half-low-isred
over full, dark eyes, no did not
look especially handsomo In that at-
'titude. Some men swear ho looks like
a Roman, and others liken him to a
gargoyle, all of them choosing to Ig
nore the Bmle that can transform his
whole face Instantly.
"We're denuding India of troops
"Know her?"
"Know of her, of course, Bir. Every
body does. Never met her to my
knowledge."
"Um-m-ml Whoso fault was that?
Somebody ought to have seen to that.
Go to Delhi now and meet her. I'll
send her a wire to say you're coming.
Sho knows I've chosen you. She tried
to Insist on full discretion, but I over
ruled her."
King's tongue licked his lips, and his
eyes wrinkled. Tho general's voice be
enmo tho least shade moro authorita
tive.
"When you sco her, get a pass from
her that'll take you Into Khlnjan
caves 1 Ask her for It I For the Bake
of appearances I'll gazette you sec
onded to tho Khybcr rifles. For the
sake of success, get a pass from her 1"
"Very well, sir."
"You've a brother In the Khyber
rifles, haven't you? Was it you or your
brother who visited Khlnjan once and
sent in n report?"
"I. did, sir."
He spoke' without pride. Even tho
brigade of British-Indian cavalry that
went to Khlnjan on the strength of
his report and leveled Its defenses
with tho ground, had not been ablo
to find tho famous caves. Yet the
caves themselves aro a byword.
"There's talk of a Jihad (holy war).
There's worse thnn thatl When you
went to Khlnjun, what was your chief
object?"
"To find tho source of tho everlast
ing rumors about tho so-called 'Heart
of the Hills,' sir."
"Yes, yes. I remember. I read your
report. You didn't find anything, did
you? Well. Tho story is now that the
'Ileart of tho Hills' has como to life.
So the spies soy."
King whistled softly.
"There's no guessing what It
means," said tho general. "Go and
work with YaBmlnl. Tho spies keep
bilnging In rumors of ten thousand
men in Khlnjan caves, and of another
largo lashkar not far away from Khln
jan. Thcro must bo no Jihad, King I
India Is all but defenseless I This
story about a 'Heart of tho Hills' com
ing to life may presage unity of nctlon
and a holy war such as tho world has
not seen. Go up there and stop It If
you can. At least, let mo know tho
facts."
King grunted. To stop a holy war
Blnglo handed would bo rather like
stopping tho wind possibly easy
enough, if one knew tho way. Yet he
knew no general would throw away a
roan like himself on a useless venture.
He began to look happy.
Tho general clucked to tho mare
and ono wheel ceased to touch the
gravel as they whirled along a semi
circular drive. Under tho porch of a
pretentious residence, sentries salut
ed, the sals swung down and In less
than sixty seconds King was follow
ing the general through a wide en
trance Into a crowded halL The In-
dressed as a dancing woman, yet very
few dancing women could afford to bo
dressed as she was.
Tho general watched his face with
eyes that missed nothing.
"Remember I said work with her!"
King looked up and nodded.
"They say she's three parts Rus
sian," said the general. "To my knowl
edge sho speaks Russian like a native,
and nbout twenty other tongues as
well, Including English. She was tho
girl widow of a rascally hill rajah.
I've heard she loved her rajah. And
I've heard she didn't ! There's another
story that Bho poisoned him. I know
sho got away with his money and
that's proof enough of brains I Sotno
say she's a she-devil. I think that's
nn exaggeration, but bear in mind
she's dangerous 1"
King gr'nned. A man who trusts
Eastern women over readily does not
rlso far In the secret service.
"If you've got nous enough to keep
on her soft Bldo and uso her not let
her uso you you can keep tho 'Hills'
qulqt and the Khybcr safe I If you
can contrive that now In this pinch
there's no limit for you I Com
mander in chief shall be your Job be
foro you're sixty l"
King pocketed tho photograph and
papers. "I'm well enough content,
sir, as things arc," ho said quietly.
Tho general paced once across tho
room and once back again, with hands
behind him. Then he stopped In front
of King.
"No man In India has a stlffer task
than you have now I A Jihad launched
from tho 'Hills' would mean nnurchy
In' tho plains. Thnt would entail send
ing back from Franco nn army that
can't bo snared. Thcro must bo no
Jihad, King! There must not beg
one! Keep thnt in your headl"
"What arrangements havo been
mado with her, Blr?"
"Practically none I She's wntchlng
tho -spies In Delhi, but they'ro likely
to break for tho 'Hills' any minute.
Then they'll bo arrested. When that
happens the fato of India may bo In
your hands and hers I Get out of my
way now, until tlflln-tlmol"
In a way that some men never learn,
King proceeded to efface himself en
tirely among tho crowd In tho hall,
contriving to say nothing of any ac
count to anybody until the great gong
boomed and tho general led them all
In to his long dining table. Yet ho
did not look furtivo or secretive. No
body noticed him, and he noticed ev
erybody. Thero Is nothing whatever
secretive about that
The faro was plain, and the meal a
perfunctory affair. The general and
1 his guests were thero for no other
reason thun to eat food, and only tho
man who happened to scat himself
next to King a major by tho namo
of Hydo spoko to him at all.
"Why aren't you with your regi
ment?" he asked.
"because the general aBked me to
lunch, 8lrl"
"I suppose you've bctu pestering
I him for an appointment 1"
King, with his mouth full of curry,
did not answer, but his eyes smiled.
After lunch ho. was closeted with
tho general ugaln for twenty minutes.
Then ono of tho general's carriages
took him to tho station ; nnd It did not
appear to troublo him at all that the
other occupant of the carriage was the
self-same Major Hyde who had sat
noxt him at lunch. In fact, ho smiled
so pleasantly that Hydo grew exas
perated. Neither of them spoke. At
the station Hydo lost his temper open
ly, and King left him abusing an un
happy native servant.
Tho station wns crammed to suffo
cation by a crowd thnt roared and
writhed nnd smelt to high heaven. But
the general himself had telephoned for
King's reservation, so ho took his time.
Thcro were din nnd stink nnd dust be
neath a savage sun, shaken Into re
verberations by the scream of an en
gine's safety valve. It wns Indln in es
sence end awake I India arising out
of lethargy 1 India as she Is more
often nowadays and It mado King,
for the time being of the Khyber rifles,
happier than somo other men can be In
ballrooms.
Any one who watched him and
there was at least one man who did
must have noticed his strange abil
ity, almost like that of water, to reach
the point he aimed for, through, nnd
not around, the crowd.
He neither shoved nor argued. Or
ders and blows would have been equal
ly useless, for had It tried the crowd
could not have obeyed, and It was In
no mind to try. Without the least ap
parent effort he arrived and there is
no other word that quite describes It
he arrived. He climbed into his car
riage and leaned from the window.
"Why are you here?" nsked an acid
voice behind him; and without troub
ling to turn his head, he knew that
Major Hyde was to be his carriage
mate again.
"Orders," said King. -
"Is that your answer?" asked the
major. Balked ambition Is an ugly
horse to ride. He had tried for a
command but had been shelved.
"I have sufficient authority," said
King, unruffled. He spoke as If he were
thinking of something entirely differ
ent His eyes were as it they saw the
major from a very long way off and
rather approved of him on tho whole.
"Show mo your authority, please 1"
King dived Into an Inner pocket and
produced a card that had about ten
words written on Its face, above a
general's signature. Hyde read It and
passed It back.
"So you'ro one of those, aro youl"
he said In a tono of voice that would
start a fight in some parts of the world I
and In some services. But King nouaea
cheerfully, and that annoyed the major
more than ever ; he snorted, closed his
mouth with a snap and turned to re
arrange the sheet and pillow on his
berth.
CHAPTER II.
The train pulled out, amid a din of
voices from tho left-behlnd that nearly
drowned the panting of the overloaded
engine! Hyde all but stripped himself
and drew on striped pajumas. King
was contcnteto Ho In shirt sleeves on
the other berth, with knees raised, so
that Hyde could not overlook the gen
eral's papers. At his easo ho studied
them one by one, memorizing a string
of names, with details as to their own
ers' antecedents nnd probable present
whereabouts. Thcro were several
photographs in tho packet, and ho
studied them very carefully indeed.
But much most carefully of all he
examined Yasmlnl's portrait, returning
to it again and again. He reached tho
conclusion In tho end that when It wns
taken she had been cunningly dis
guised. "This wns Intended for purpose of
Identification at a given time and
place," ho told himself.
"Were you muttering at mo?" asked
Hyde.
"Ne sir. Nothing of the sort In
tended." nydo turned on Indignant back on
him, und King studied tho back as if
he found It interesting. On the whole
ho looked sympathetic, eo It was as
well that Hydo did not look around.
Bulked ambition as a rule loathes sym
pathy.
After many prlckly-hot, Interminable,
Jolting hours tho train drew up at
Rawal-Plndi station. Instantly King
was on his feet with his tunic on, and
ho was out on the blazing hot platform
beforo the train's motion had quite
ceased.
He began to walk up and down, not
elbowing but percolating through the
crowd, missing nothing worth noticing
In all tho hot kaleidoscope and seeming
to find new amusement at every turn.
It was not in the least astonishing that
n well-dressed native should address
him presently, for he looked geulal
enough to bo asVed to hold a bnby.
King himself did uot seem surprised at
all. Far from It ; ho looked pieaseu.
"Excuse me, sir," said tho man In
glib bnbu English. "I nra seeking Cap
tuln King Btthlb, for whom ray brother
is vcrce anxious to bo Bervant Can
you klndlcu tell me, sir, where I could
And Captain King sahib?"
"Certainly," King answered him. He
looked glad to bo of help. "Aro you
traveling on this train?"
The question sounded like politeness
welling from the lips of unsusplclon.
"Yes, Blr. I nm traveling from this
placo where I have spent n few days,
to Bombay, where my business Is."
"How did you know King sahib Is
on the train?" King asked him, smil
ing so genially thnt even the police
could not hnvo charged him with more
than curiosity.
"By telegram, sir. My brother had
the misfortune to miss Captain King
sahib nt Peshawur and therefore sent
a telegram to me asking mo to do what
I can at an Interview."
"I sec," said King. "I see." And
judging by the sparkle In his eyes as
ho looked away, he could see a lot.
But tho natlvo could not see his eyes
at that Instant, although he tried to.
He looked bn'.'k at the train, giving
the man a good chanco to study his
face In profile.
"See thnt carriage?" ho asked, point
ing. "Tho fourth first-class carriage
from the end? Well there are only
two of us In there; I'm Major Hyde,
and the other Is Captain King. I'll tell
Captain King to look out for you."
"Oh, thank you, sir I" said the native
olllly. "You are most kind t I am your
humble servant, sir!"
King nodded good-by to him, his dark
eyes In the shadow of the khaki helmet
seeming scarcely interested any longer.
"Couldn't yoa find another berth?"
Hyde asked him angrily when he
stepped back Into the compartment.
"What were you out there looking
for?"
King smiled back at him blandly.
"I think there are railway thieves
on the train," he announced without
any effort nt relevance. He might
not havo heard the question.
Hyde snorted and returned to his
seat In the silence of unspeakable
scorn. But presently ho opened a suit
case and drew out a repeating pistol
which he cocked carefully and stowed
beneath his pillow; not at all a con
temptible move, because the Indian
railway thief la the most resourceful
specialist in the world. But King took
no overt precautions of any kind.
After more Interminable hours night
shut down on them, red-hot, black-dark,
mesmerlcally subdivided Into seconds
by the thump of carriage wheels and
lit at intervals by showers of sparks
from the gasping engine. Then King,
strangely without kicking off his shoes,
drew a sheet up over his shoulders. On
tho opposlto berth Hyde covered his
head, to keep dust out of his hair, and
presently King henrd blm begin to
snore gently. Then, very curefully he
adjusted his own position so thnt his
profile lay outlined In the dim light
from the gas lamp In the roof. Ho
might nlmost havo been waiting to be
shnved. Long after midnight his
vigil wns rewarded by a slight sound
at the. door. From that Instant his eyes
were on the watch, under dnrk closed
lashes; but his even breathing was
that of tho seventh stage of sleep that
knows no dreams.
A click of the door-latch heralded
tho appearance of a hand. With skill,
of the sort that only special training
can develop, a man in native dress In
sinuated himself Into the carriage
fla&HPa'
mBSSk
X
(sr
aaa . t?,.l?
He Feigned Sleep So Successfully
That the Native Turned Away at
Last
without making another sound of any
kind. King's ears are part of the
equipment for his exacting business,
but he could not hear the door click
shut again.
For about five minutes, while the
train swayed headlong Into Indian
darkness, tho man stood listening and
watching King's face. He stood so
near that King recognized him for the
one who had accosted him on Rawal
pindi platform. And ho could see tho
outline of tho knlfe-hllt that tho man's
fingers clutched underneath his Bhlrt.
He feigned sleep so successfully that
the native turned away at last
"Thought sol" He dnred open his
eyes n mite wider. "He's pukka true
to type I Rob first and then kill I"
As ho wntched, the thief drew tho
sheet back from Hyde's face, with
trained fingers thnt could havo taken
spectacles from the victim's nose with
out his knowledge. Then ns fish glldo
In and out nmong the reeds without
touching them, swift nnd soft nnd un
seen, his fingers searched Hyde's body.
They found nothing.
King moved In his Bleep, rather
noisily, and tho movement knocked a
book to tho floor from tho foot of his
berth. Tho noise of that awoke Hyde,
nnd King pretended to begin to wake,
yawning nnd rolling on his buck (that
being much the safest position an un
armed man can take nnd much tho
most nwkwnrd for his enemy).
"Thieves I" Hyde yelled nt the top of
his lungs, groping wildly for his pistol
and not finding It
King sat up nnd rubbed his eyes.
Tho native drew tho knlf, and be
lieving himself in command of the
situation liesltuted for one priceless
second. He saw his error and darted
for the door too late. With a move
ment unbelievably swift King was,
there ahead of him ; and with another
movement not so swift, but much more
disconcerting, he threw his sheet as
the retlarius used to throw a net in
ancient Rome. It wrapped round the
native's head and arms, and the two
went together to the floor In a twisted,
stranglehold.
, In another bnlf-mlnute the native
was groaning, for King had his knife
wrist in two hands and was bending it
backward while ho pressed the man's
stomach with his knees.
The knife fell to the floor, and the
thief made a gallant e'ffort to recover
It, but King was too strong for him.
He seized the knife himself, slipped It
In his own bosom and resumed his hold
before the native guessed what he was
after. The train screamed Itself to a
standstill at a wayside station, and a
man -with a lantern began to chant
the station's name. The Instant the
train's motion altogether censed the
heat shut In on them ns If the lid of
Tophet had been slammed. The prick
ly heat burst out all over Hyde's skin
and King's too.
Thero was plenty of excuse for re
laxing hold, and King made full use of
It. A second later he gave a very good
pretense of pain In his finger ends as
tho thief burst free. The native mado
a dive at his bosom for tho knife, but
he frustrated that Then ho made a
prodigious effort, Just too Into, to
clutch tho man ngaln, and he did suc
ceed In tcnrlng looso a piece of shirt;
hut the fleeing robber must have won
dered, ns he bolted Into the blacker
shadows of tho station building, why
such an iron-fingered, wide-awnko
sahib should have made such a "truly
feeble showing at the end.
"Hang It I couldn't you hold him?
Were you afraid of him, or what?" de-mnndcd-Hyde,
beginning to dress him
self. Instead of answering, King leaned
out into the lamp-lit gloom, and In a
minute he caught sight of a sergeant
of native Infantry passing down the
train. He made a sign that brought
the man to him on tho run. ,
"Did you see that runaway?" he
asked. ,
"Ha, sahib. I saw one running. Shall
I follow?"
"No. This piece of his shirt will
Identify him. Take It Hide it I When
n man with a torn shirt, Into which
thnt piece fits, makes for the telegraph
office after this train has gone on, see
that he Is allowed to send any tele
grams he wants to I Only, have copies
of every one of them wired' to Captain
King, enro of the stntlonmnster, Delhi.
Havo you understood?"
"Ha, sahib."
"Grab him. and lock him ap tight
afterward but not until he has sent
his telegrams 1"
"Atchn, sahib."
"Slake yourself scarce, then I"
Major Hyde was dressed, having per
formed that military evolution in some
thing less than, record time.
"Who wns that you were talking
to?" he demnnded. But King did not
seem to understand until the native
sergeant had quite vanished Into the
shadows.
Tho engine shrieked of death and
torment; the heat relaxed as the en
glno moved loosened let go lifted
nt Inst, and a tralnload of hot passen
gers sighed thanks.
"What are you looking at?" Hyde
demnnded at last, sitting on King's
berth.
"Only a knife," said King. He was
standing under the dim gas lamp that
helped make the darkness more un
bearable. He stowed the knife away
In his bosom, and the major crossed to
his own side.
In Delhi, King meets Rewa
(Jungs, Yasmtnl'e man, who tells
him she has already gone north.
In Yasmlnl's house the captain
Is given his first test of character.
(TO BB CONTINUED.)
1
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