BED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF
King of the Khyber
By TALBOT MUNDY
The Most Picturesque Romance of the
KING HAS A FINAL CONFERENCE WITH HIS FRIENDS AT
THE MOUTH OF KHYBER PASS AND PREPARES FOR
THE JOURNEY INTO STRANGE COUNTRY.
Synopsis At the beginning of tho world war Capt. Athclstnn
King of tho British Indian army and of Its secret service, Is ordered
to Delhi to meet Ynsmlnl, a dancer, and go with her to Khlnjan to
quiet tho outlaws thcro who are suld by spies to bo preparing for a
jihad or holy war. On his way to Delhi King quietly foils a plan to
assasslnntc htm and gets evidence that Yasmlnl Is after him. Ho meets
Rewa Gungu, Yasmlnl's man, who says sho has already gono north,
and at her town house witnesses queer dances.
CHAPTER IV Continued.
Tho Hangar's eyes blazed for n sec
ond and then grew cold again, as King
did not fall to observe. All this while
tho women danced on, In time to wall
ing fluto music, until, It seemed from
nowhere, a lovelier woman than any
of them appeared In Miclr midst, sit
ting cross-legged with a flat basket at
her knees. Sho sat with arms raised
and swayed from tho waist as If In a
delirium. Iler arms moved in narrow
ing circles, higher and higher ubovc
tho basket lid, and tho lid began to
rise. It was minutes beforo the. bodies
of two great king cobras could bo
mado out, moving against tho woman's
spangled dress with hoods raised, hiss
ing the cobra's hate-song that Is pre
lude to tho polson-dcutb.
They struck nt tho woman, one after
tho other, and sho leaped out of their
range, swiff and as supple ns they.
Instantly then she Joined In the dance,
with tho snakes striking right and
left at her. Left and right she swayed
to avoid them, far more gracefully
than a matador avoids tho bull and
courting a deadlier peril than he poi
sonous, two to his one. As sho danced
sho whirled both arms above her head
and cried as the werewolves nro said
to do on stormy nights.
"Do you do this often?" wondered
King, In n calm asldo to Ilewa Gunga,
turning half toward him and taking his
eyes off the danco without any very
great effort.
Rewa Gunga clapped his hands and
the dance ceased. Tho woman spirited
her 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 Btnell remained, that was
Hko tho early-morning breath of all
tho different flowers of India.
"If sho were here," said tho Rangar,
a little grimly with a trace of disap
pointment In his tone "you would not
(match your eyes away like that I Per
haps you shall see her dance some day 1
Ah hero Is Ismail," ho added In an
altered tono of voice, no seemed re
lieved nt sight of tho Afrldl.
Bursting through tho glass-bead cur
tains at tho door, tho great savage
strodo down tho room, holding out a
telegram. With a murmur of conven
tional apology King lore tho envelope
As She Danced She Whirled Both
Arma Above Her Head and Cried
a the Werewolves Are Said to Do
en Stormy Nights.
ad la a second his eyes were ablaze
with something more than wonder. A
'mystery, added to a mystery, stirred
'U the seal in him. But In a second ho
atd sweated his excitement down.
. mat, will you?" ho Bald, pass
flag tt to Rewa Gunga. It was not In
cypasr, bat In plain e very-day Eng
lish. t has not gone North. She is still
la Delhi. Suit your own movements to
year plana,
, "Gaa yon explain?" asked King In
a level voice. Ho was watching tho
Copyright by Tb Bobbt
Rnngur narrowly, yet ho could not
detect the slightest symptom of emo
tion. "Explain?" said tho Rangur. "Who
enn explain foolishness? It means
that another fat general has made an
other fat mistake I"
"Ah I" said King. "You nro posltlvo
sho haB started for tho North?"
"Suhlb, when she speaks It Is best to
believe I She told mo sho will go.
Therefore I nm ready to lead King
suhlb up tho Khyber to herl"
"There's a train leaves for tho
North tonight," said King.
The Rangar nodded.
"You'll want a pass up the line,
now many servants? Three four
how many?'
"One," snld tho Rangar, nnd King
was Instantly suspicious of tho mod
esty of that allowanco; however ho
wrote out n pass for Rewa Gunga and
ono servant and gave It to him.
"Bo thcro on tlmo and seo nbout
your own reservation," ho said. "I'll
attend to Ismail's pass myself."
Ho folded tho list of names that tho
Rangar had marked and wrote some
thing on tho back. Then ho begged
an envelope, nnd Rewa Gunga had one
brought to him. Ho scaled the list In
the envelope, uddresscd It and beck
oned Ismail aguln.
"Toko this to Saunders sahib 1" ho
ordered. "Go first to' tho telegraph of
fice, where you wero before, tho babu
thero will tell you where Saunders
sahib may bo found. Deliver tho letter
to him. Then come and find me at tho
Star of India hotel and help me to
bathe and chango my clothes."
"To hear Is to obey 1" boomed Ismail,
bowing; but his last glance was for
Rewa Gunga, and he did not turn to go
until ho had met tho Rnngar's eyes.
When Ismail had gono striding down
tho room King looked Into tho Rangar's
eyes with that engaging frnnkness of
his that disarms so many people.
"Then you'll bo on the train to
night?" ho asked.
"To henr Is to obey! With pleas
ure, sahib 1"
"Then good-by until this evening."
King bowed very civilly nnd walked
out, rather unsteadily because his
head ached. Probably nobody else, ex
cept the Rangar, could havo guessed
what an ordeal he had pussed through
or how near ho had been to losing self
command. In the street ho found a gharry after
a while and drove to his hotel. And
before Ismail came ho took a stroll
through a bazaar, where he mado a
few strango purchases. In the hotel
lobby ho Invested In a leather bag
with a good lock, In which to put them.
Later on Ismail came and proved him
self an efficient body-servant.
That evening Ismail carried tho
leather bag and found his place on the
train, nnd that was not so difficult, be
cause tho trains running North wero
nearly empty, although the platforms
wero all crowded. As he stood at tho
carriage door with Ismail near him, n
man named Saunders slipped through
tho crowd nnd sought him out.
"Arrested 'em nil 1" ho grinned.
King did not answer. Ho was watch
ing Rewn Gunga, followed by a serv
ant, hurrying to n reserved compart
ment at tho front end of tho trnln. Tho
Rangar waved to him and ho waved
back.
Tho englno gavo a preliminary shriek
and tho giant Ismail nudged King's
elbow In Impatient wnrnlng. Thero
wns no raoro sign of Rewa Gunga, who
had evidently settled down In his com
partment for tho night.
"Get my bag out again l" King or
dered, and Ismail stared.
"Got out my bag, I said l"
"To hear Is to obeyl" Ismail crum
bled, reaching with his long arm
through tho window.
Tho englno shrieked again, some
body whistled, and tho train began
to move.
"You'vo missed It!" said Saunders,
amused at Ismail's frantic disappoint
ment
CHAPTER V.
Tho rear lights of tho train ho had
not tnken swayed out of Delhi station
and King grinned as ho wiped tho
sweat from his faco with a dripping
handkerchief. Behind him towered tho
hook-nosed Ismail, resentful of tho un
expected. In front of him Saunders
oyed tho proffered black cheroots sus
piciously, accepted ono with an air of
curiosity and passed tho case bask.
- Mtrtltl Compear
Around them the clatter of tho station
crowd began to die, and Parsimony
In a shabby uniform went round to
lower lights.
"Arc you sure "
King's merry eyes looked Into Saun
ders' as If thero wero no world war
really and they two were puppets In a
comedy.
" nro you absolutely certain Yas
mlnl Is In Delhi?"
"No," said Saunders. "What I swear
to Is that she has not left by train.
Sho's the most elusive Individual In
Aslnl Ono person in tho world knows
where she Is, unless she has an accom
plice. My Information's negative. I
know sho has not gono by"
King struck n match and held it
out, so tho sentence wns unfinished;
the first few puffs of tho astonishing
clgnr wiped out nil memory of the miss
ing word. And then King changed the
subject.
"Thoso men I asked yon to ar
rest?" "Nabbed" puff "every one of 'em 1"
puff-puff "all under" puff-puff
"lock and key, best smoko I ever
tasted."
"Well I'll go along with you If
you lllto and look them over."
Both tono nnd manner gnvo Saun
ders credit for tho suggestion, nnd
Saunders seemed to like it. Thero Is
nothing like following up, In football,
war or courtship.
"I see you're n Judge of a cigar,"
said King, nnd Saunders purred, all
men being fools to somo extent, und
tho only trouble being to demonstrate
tho fact.
They had started for the station en
trance when n nnsnl voice begun In
toning, "Cop-teen King sahib Cap
teen King snhlb 1" and n telegraph mes
senger passed them with his book un
der his arm. King whistled him. A
moment Inter he was tearing open an
official urgent telegram and writing a
string of figures In pencil ncross the
top. Then ho de-coded swiftly :
Advices are Yasmlnl was In Delhi as re
cently as six this evening-. Fall to under
stand your Inability to get In touch. Have
you tried at her house? Matters In Khy
ber district much leas satisfactory. Word
from O-C Khyber rifles to effect that
lashkar Is collecting. Better sweep up
In Delhi and proceed northward as quick
ly as compatlblo with caution. L. M. L.
"Good news?" asked Saunders, blow
ing smoke through his nose.
"Excellent. Whero's my man? Hero
you Ismail l"
Tho giant camo and towered above
him.
"You swore she went North I"
"Ha, sahib I To Pcshawur sho went 1"
"I have a telegram hero that says
sho Is In Delhi I"
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 1"
"It Is not wise to Ho to me, my
friend," King assured him, so pleasant
ly that nono could doubt he was telling
truth.
"If I Ho may I eat dirt I" 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 he believed or not.
"Let's make a move," ho suld, turn
ing to Saunders. "She seems nt any
rate to wish It believed she has gono
North. I'll take tho early morning
train. Where are the prisoners?"
"In tho old Mir Khan palace. Shall
wo take this gharry?"
With Ismail up beside the driver
nursing King's bag and looking Hko a
great grim vulture about to ent tho
horse, they drove back through swarm
ing streets in the direction of the river.
King seemed to havo lost all Interest In
crowds. Ho sat staring ahead In
silence, although Saunders mado more
than ono effort to engago him In con
versation. "No!" ho said at last suddenly so
that Saunders Jumped.
"No what?"
"No need to stay hero. I've got what
I camo fori"
"What was that?" asked Saunders,
but King wns silent again. Conscious
of tho unaccustomed weight on his left
wrist, ho moved his arm bo that tho
slecvo drew and he could seo tho edgo
of tho great gold bracelet Rewn Gunga
had given him In Yasmlnl's name.
"Know nnythlng of Rewa Gunga?"
ho asked suddenly again.
"Not much. I've seen him. I'vo
spoken with him, and I'vo had to stand
Impudence from him twice. I'vo been
tipped off more than onco to let him
alone because he's her man. Ho does
ticklish errands for her, or so they
say. He's what you might call 'known
to tho police1 all right"
They began to approach an age-old
palaco near tho river, and Saunders
whispered a password when an armed
guard halted them. They wero halted
again at a gloomy gateway whero an
officer camo out to look them over ; by
his leave they left tho gharry and fol
lowed htm under the arch until their
heels rang on stone paving in a big Ill
lighted courtyard surrounded by high
M-ollai
VTC4I1D I
There, after a little talk, they left
Ismail squatting beside King's bag, and
I
Rifles
Decade
Saunders led tho wny through a mod
ern Iron door, Into what had once been
a royal prince's stables.
In gloom that was only thrown Into
contrast by n wide-spread row of elec
tric lights, a long lino of barred and
locked converted horse stalls ran down
one side of a lean-to building. All that
King could sec of the men within was
tho whites of their eyes. And they did
not look friendly.
no had to pass between them nnd
the light, and they could see more of
him than he could of them. At tho
first cell he raised his left hand and
made the gold bracelet on his wrist
clink against the steel bars.
A moment later ho cursed himself,
and felt the bracelet with his finger
TWtfoO
VAcwiruC-
"May
God Be With Thee!" Boomed
the Prisoner's Voice.
nail. He had made a deep nick In the
soft gold. A second later yet he
smiled.
"May God be with thee!" boomed
a prisoner's volco In Pashtu.
"Didn't know that fellow was hand
cuffed," snld Saunders. "Did you hear
the ring? They should have been
taken off. Leaving hits irons on has
mado him polite, though."
"Where 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 AH?"
"Thief crimp procurer Prussian
spy and nny other evil thing that takes
his fancy I Runs a combination gamb
ling hell nnd boarding house. Let's
'em run Into debt nnd blackmails 'em.
All's In the kaiser's pay that's known 1
We'll get him when we want him, but
at present he's useful 'as Is' for a de
coy." "You wouldn't call these men pros
perous, then?"
"Not exactly I All Is tho only spy
out of tho North who prospers much at
present, and even ho gets most of his
money out of his prlvato business. The
Germans pny All a little, and he traps
tho hlllmen when they come south
lets 'em gamble gets 'cm Into debt
they can get away when they've paid
him what they owe. Yasmlnl sends
nnd pays their board and gambling
debts, and sho's our man, so to speak.
Sho coaxes nil their stories out of 'em
and primes 'em with n fow extrn good
ones into tho bargain. Everybody's
fooled 'specially tho Germans and
exceptln', of course, Yasmlnl und tho
raj. Nobody ever fooled that woman,
nor ever will If my belief goes for
anything 1"
"Um-m-m!" King rubbed his chin.
"Know nnythlng of my man Ismnll?"
"Sure I no's ono of Yasmlnl's pets.
Sho balled him out of All's threo years
ngo and he worships her. It wns ho
who broko tho leg nnd ribs of a pup
rajah a month or two ngo for putting
on too much dog In her reception
room, no's TJrsus out of 'Quo Vndls P
IIo's dog, desperado, stalking horso
and keeper of tho queen's secrets I"
"Then why d'you suppose sho passed
him along to mo?" asked King.
"Dunnol This is your Ilttlo mys
tery, not mine 1"
"Glad you appreciate that I Do me
a favor, will you?"
"Anything In reason."
"Get tho keys to all theso cells send
em in hero to mo by Ismail and
leave me 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 furnaco room.
"Mayn't I havo you thrown Into a
den of tigers?" ho asked. "Or a nest
of cobras? Or get the fiery furnace
ready? That 'God be with th.ee stuff i
Is habit they say it with unction be
foro they knlfo a man! '
Til bo careful, then," King
chuckled; and it is a fact that few
men can argue with him when he
laughs quietly In that way. "Send me
In the keys, like a good chap."
So Saunders went, glad enough to
get into the outer air. The instant the
' If Till ifJi?2 ijflBsv
w JfflSLllJJ
itqapw fir
door slammed King continued down
the lino with his left wrist held high
so that the occupant of euch cell In
turn could seo tho bracelet.
"May God bo with thee!" came the
Instant greeting from each cell until
down toward the farther end. The
occupants of tho last six cells were
silent. He hnd scarcely finished doing
that when Ismail strode In, slamming
tho great Iron door behind him, Jnn
gllng a bunch of keys nnd looking more
thnn ever Hko somebody out of the Old
Testament.
"Open every door except those whoso
numbers I havo rubbed out 1" King or
dered him.
Ismnll proceeded to obey as If that
wero the least Improbable order In nil
the world. It took him two minutes
to select tho pnss-key nnd determine
how It worked, then tho doors flew
open one after another In quick suc
cession. "Come out I" he growled. "Como
out I Come out I" although King had
not ordered that.
King went nnd stood under tho cen
ter light with his left nrm bnrcd. Tho
prisoners emerging like dead men out
of tombs, blinked nt the bright light
saw him then the bracelet and sa
luted. "May God be with thee I" growled
each of them.
They stood still then, nwaltlng fresh
developments. It did not seem to oc
cur to nny one of them ns strange that
a British officer in khaki uniform
should be sporting Ynsmlnl's talisman ;
tho thing was apparently sufficient ex
planation In Itself.
"Ye all know this?" he asked, hold
ing up his wrist. "Whoso Is this?"
'Tiers 1" The nnswer was monosyl
labic nnd Instant from all thirty
throats.
King lit n cheroot and mnde mentnl
note of the wisdom of referring to her
by pronoun, not by name.
"And I? Who nm I?" he asked.
"Her messenger! Who else? Thou
nrt he who shall take us to the 'Hills I'
She promised."
"I shall start for tho 'Hills' at dawn,"
King said slowly, nnd ho watched their
eyes gleam at tho news. No cnged
tiger is as wretched us n prisoned hill
man. No freed bird wings more wildly
for tho open. No moth comes more
foolishly back to the flame again. It
wns ensy to take pity on them prob
ably, not ono of whom knew pity's
meaning.
"Is there nny nmong you who would
care to come ?"
"Ah-h-h-ht"
"Will ye obey mo nnd him?" he
asked, laying his hand on Ismail's
shoulder, as much to let them see the
bracelet again as for any other ren
Bon. "Aye! If we fall, Allah do more to
us!"
King laughed. "Ye shnll leave this
place ns my prisoners, nero ye hnve
no friends. Here ye must obey. But
what when yo come to your 'Hills nt
last? Can ono man hold thirty men
prisoner's then? In tho 'Hills' will ye
still obey me?"
The answer to that was unexpected.
Ismnll knelt seized his hnnd nnd
pressed the gold bracelet to his lips I
In turn, every ono of them filed by,
knelt reverently and kissed tho brace
let! "Saw yo ever a hillman do thnt be
fore?" nsked Ismail. "They will obey
thcel Have no fear I"
"Then cornel" ordered King, turning
his bnck confidently on thirty savages
whom Saunders, for Instance, would
hnve preferred to drive In front of him,
after first seeing them hnndcuffed.
"Each lock has n key, but some keys
fit nil locks," says tho Eastern proverb.
King has been chosen for many tick
lish errnnds In his time, and Saunders
Is still In Delhi.
Tho prisoners were left squatting
under the eyes and bnyonets of n very
suspicious prison gunrd, who mado no
secret of being rendy for all concelv
nble emergencies. Ono enthusiast drew
the cartrldgo out of his breech cham
ber and licked It nt Intervals of n mln
uto or two, to the very great Interest
of tho hlllmen, who memorized every
detail that by any stretch of imagina
tion might he expected to Improve
their own shooting when they should
get homo ngaln.
King found his way on foot through
n maze of streets to n place where he
was admitted through one door after
another by sentries who saluted when
ho had whispered to them. Ho ended
by sitting on tho end of tho bed of n
grny-hended man who owns threo titles
and whoso word is law between tho
borders of a province. To him ho
talked ns ono schoolboy to a bigger
ono, because the gray-haired mnn had
understanding, and hence sympathy.
"I don't envy youl" said ho under
tho sheet. "There's tho releaso for
your prisoners. Tnko It and take
them! Whatever possessed you to
want such n gift?"
"Well, sir first place, sho doesn't
want to seem to be connected with me.
Second place, sho has left Delhi and
sho did, not mean to lcavo those men.
Third place, If thoso thirty men hnd
been anything but her particular pet
garig they'd either havo been over the
border or elso In Jail before now Just
like all tho others. For somo reason
that I don't pretend to understand, sho
promised 'em more than she has been
nblo to perform. So I provldo per
formances. She gets tho credit for It
I get a pretty good personal following
at least as far as up the Khyber I Q.
E. D sir."
The roan in bed nodded. "Not bad,"
he said.
"Didn't she mako some effort to got
thoso men away from All's?" King
nsked him. "I mean, didn't she try to
get them dry-nursed by the slrkar in
some way?"
"Yes. She did. Bnt she wanted them
arrested and locked up at a moment
when the Jails were all crowded. he
must hnvo known our fix. 8hi
shouldn't have asked."
King smiled. "Perfectly good op
portunity for me, slrl" he said cheer
fully. "So you seem to think. But look out
for that woman, King she's danger
018. She's got the brains of Asia
coupled with Western energy ! I think
she's on our side, nnd I know ho be
lieves It ; but wntch her I"
"Ham dekta hal 1" King grinned. But
the older roan continued to look as if
he pitied him.
"If you get through nllve, come and
tell me nbout It afterward. Now, mind
you dot I'm awfully lutcrested, but
as for envying you "
"Envyl" King nlmost squealed. Ho
made the bcdsprlngs rattlo as he,
Jumped. "I wouldn't swnp Jobs with
General French, slrl"
"Nor with me, I suppose 1"
"Nor with you, slrl"
"Goodby, then. Goodby, King, my
boy. Goodby, Athelstnn. Your broth
er's up the Khyber, Isn't ho? Give him
my regards. Goodby I"
CHAPTER VI.
Long before dawn the thirty prison
ers nnd Ismnll squatted In a little herd
on the up-platform of a railway sta
tion, shepherded by King, who smoked
n cheroot somo twenty paces away,
sitting on an unmnrked chest of medi
cines. He seemed nbsorbed In a book
on surgery. Ismail nursed the new
hnndbng on his knees, picking ever
lastingly nt tho lock nnd wondering
audibly what tho bag contained to an
nccompanlmcnt of low-growled sympa
thy.
"I nm his servant for sho said so
and he snld so. Then why why in
Allah's nnmc am I not to havo the
key of this Ilttlo bug that holds so
little and Is so light?"
"A razor would silt tho leather eas
ily," suggested one of the herd. "Then,
Infer, the bag might be pushed vio
lently against some sharp thing, to ex
plain tho cut."
Ismail shook His head.
"Why? What could ho do to thee?"
"It is because I know not whnt he
would do to me that I will do noth
ing!" answered Ismnll. "Ho Is not
at all like other sahibs I have bud
dealings with. This man does unex
pected things. This mnn Is not mad.
he has a devil. I have It In my heart
to love this man. But such talk Is
foolishness. We nre nil her men I"
"Aye ! We nre her men 1" came the
chorus, so that King looked up nnd
wctched them over the open book.
At dawn, when the train pulled out,
the thirty prisoners sat safely locked
In third-class compartments. King
lay lazily on the cushions of a first
class carriage In tho rear, and Ismail
nttended to the careful packing of soda
water bottles in tho Icebox on tho
floor.
"Shall I open the little bag, sahib?"
he asked.
"Put It over there!" King ordered.
"Set It down!"
Ismnll obeyed and King laid his book
down to light another of his black
cheroots. The themo of antiseptic."
ceased to exercise Its charm over him.
Ho peeled off his tunic, changed his
shirt and lay back in sweet content-
WWrMt
"Look Out for the Woman, King
She's Dangerous. She's Got tht
Brains of Asia Coupled With West
ern Energy."
ment. Headed for tho "Hills," who
would not bo contented, who hnd been
born In their very shadow? In their
shadow, of n lino of Britons who havo
all been burled thcro I
"Tho day after tomorrow I'll see
snow!" ho promised himself. And Is
mail, grinning with yellow teeth
through n gap In his wayward beard,
understood and sympathized.
Forward In the third-class carriages
tho prisoners hugged themselves nnd
crooned ns they met old landmarks
nnd recognized tho changing scenery.
There wns a now, cleaner tang In the
hot wind that spoke of the "Hills" and
homo!
At Pcshawur the train was short
ened to threo conches and started up
tho spur-track, that leads to Jamrud,
whero a fort cowers in tho very throat
of tho drcadfulcst gorge In Asia the
Khyber pass.
The Rangar deserts Kino and
hie native escort In a dangerous
part of Khyber pats, and the
pedal agent tattee more weird
adventure.
(TO BE) CONTINUED.)
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