Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 1917)
:$&&JtG&&J8m&i& ti17lkiK1S'tWV'i'wrw RED CLOUD, NEBRASKA, CHIEF hi King of the Khyber jKlilCS 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 the world war Cnpt. Athclstun King of tho British Indlnn nrmy nnd of Its Bccrct service, la ordered to Delhi to meet Ynsmlnl, a dnnccr, and go with her to Khlnjnn to quiet tho outlaws thero who nro said by spies to bo preparing for a Jihad or holy war. On his way to Delhi King quietly foils a plan to assas8lnnto him and gets evidence that Yasmlnl is after him. Ho meets Rown Gunga, Yasmlnl's man, who says sho has already gone north, nnd at her town house witnesses queer clnnccs. Ismail, an Afrldl, be comes his body servant nnd protector, no rescues somo of Yasmlnl's hlllmen and takes them north with him, tricking tho Hangar Into going ahead. , CHAPTER VI Continued. It wns not a long Journey, nor a very alow one, for thoro was nothing to block tho way except occasional men with flags, who guarded culverts nnd llttlo bridges. It was low tldo .under tho Himalayas. Tho flood that was draining India of her armed men had left Jamrud high and dry with a llttlo nondescript forco stranded there, as It wercf under a British major and aomo native officers. Frowning over Jamrud were tho lean "Hills," peopled by tho fiercest fighting men on earth, and tho clouds that hung over tho Khy bcr's course wcro an accent to tho sav agery. But King smiled merrily as ho Jumped out of tho trnln, and Itcwa Ounga, who was thero to meet him, advanced with outstretched hand and a smile that would havo melted snow on the distant penks if ho had only looked tho other way. "Welcome, King sahib 1" ho laughed, with tho air of a skilled fencer who admires another, better one. "I shnll know better another tlmo and let you keep In front of mo J I trust you had a comfortablo Journey?" "Thanks," said King, shaking hands with him, and then turning away to un lock the carrlago doors that held his prisoners In. They wero baying now like wolves to bo free, and they surged out, like wolves from a cage, to clamor round the Hangar, pawing him and struggling to be the first tb ask him Questions. "Nay, ye mountain people; nay!" ho laughed. "I, too, am from tho plains I What do I know of your families or of your friends T Am I to bo torn to pieces to make a meal?" 1 At that Ismail Interfered, with tho aid of an ash pick handle, chance found beside tho track. Laughing as If the wholo thing was tho greatest Joke Imaglnnble, Rewn Qunga fell Into trldo bosldo King nnd led him away In the direction of somo tents. I "She Is up tho pass ahead of us," ho announced. "She wns In tho dcuco of a hurry, I enn assure you. Sho want ed to wait and meet you, but matters wcro too Jolly well urgent, nnd wo shall hnvo our bally work cut out to catch her, you can bet I But I havo everything ready tents nnd beds and tores everything I" King looked over his shoulder to mako suro that Ismail was bringing the little leather bag along. "So have I," ho said quietly. "I hnvo horses,' said Rewa Gunga, "and mules nnd " "How did sho travel up tho Khy ber?" King asked him, and tho Hangar pared him a curious sldewlso glance. "Tho 'Hills' nro her escort, King sa hib. Sho Is mistress in tho 'Hills.' Thoro Isn't a murdering rufllnn who would not Ho down and let her walk on him I Sho rodo away alono on a thoroughbred mnro nnd sho Jolly well left mo tho mare's douhlo on which to follow her. Como and look." Not far from where tho tents had been pitched in a cluster a string of horses whinnied nt a picket rope. King j saw tho two good horses reudy for himself, and ten mules bcsldo'them that would havo dono credit to any outfit But nt tho end of tho line, paw ing at the trampled grass, was a black mare that mado his eyes open wide. Once In a hundred yenrs or so n vice roy's cup or a Derby Is won by on ani mal that can stand and look and move bh that mare did. "Never saw anything better," King admitted ungrudgingly. "Thero Is only one mnro llko this one," laughed tho Rangar. "Sho has her." , "What'll you take for this one?" King asked him. "Namo your price I" Tho mare Is hers. You must ask fcer. Who knows? Sho is generous. There Is nobody on enrth moro gen erous than sho when she cares to be. Bee what you wear on your wrlBt 1" "That Is a loan," snld King, uncover ing tho bracelet. "I shall givo It back to her when wo meet." "Seo what sho say3 when you meet I" laughed tho Rangar, taking a cigarctto from his Jeweled caso with an air and emlllng as ho lighted it. "Thero Is jour tent, sahib." With a nod of dismissal, King walked over to Inspect tho bahdobast, and finding It much more extravagant than he would havo dreamed of provid ing for himself, he Ut one of his black By TALBOT MUNDY Copyrlt ht by tb Bobht-lltrt 111 Company cheroots, and with hands clasped be hind him strolled over to the fort to Interview Courtenny, tho officer com manding. It so happened that Courtenny had gone up the pass that morning with his shotgun after quail. He camo back Into view, followed by his llttlo ten man escort Just ns King ncared tho fort, and King timed his approach so as to meet htm. Tho men of tho escort wero hcnvlly burdened ; he could seo thnt from a dlstnncc. "Hello I" ho snld by tho fort gate, cheerily, after ho hnd saluted and tho salute had been returned. "Oh, hello, King I Glad to seo you. Heard you wero coming, of course. Anything I can do?" "Tell mo uuythlng you know," snld King, offering him a cheroot, which tho other accepted. As ho bit off tho end they stood facing each other, so that King could seo tho oncoming escort und what It carried. Courtenny read his eyes. "Two of my men !" ho snld. "Found 'cm up tho pass. Gnzl work, I think. They wcro cut all to pieces. There's a big Inshknr gathering somewhero In tho 'Hills,' nnd It might hnvo been dono by their skirmishers, but I don't think so." "Who's supposed to bo lending It?" "Can't And out," Bnid Courtenay. Then he stepped nsldc to givo orders to tho escort. They carried the dead bodies Into tho fort "Know anything of Ynsmlnl?" King nsked, when tho major stood In front of him again. "By reputation, of course, yes. Fa mous person sings like a bnlbul dnnces like tho devil lives In Delhi menn her?" King nodded. "When did sho start up tho pass?" he asked. "Sho didn't Btnrt I I know who goes up nnd who comes down." "Know anything of Rewa Gunga?" King nsked him. "Not much. Tried to buy his mare. Seen tho nnlmnl? Gndt I'd give a year's pay for that beast I Ho wouldn't sell and I don't blamo him." "Ho told mo Just now," said King, "that Yasmlnl went up tho pass unes- He Recognized the Same Strange Scent That Had Been Wafted From Behind Yasmlnl's Silken Hangings in Her Room In Delhi. corted, mounted on n mare the very dead spit of tho black ono you suy you wanted to buy." Courtenny whistled. "I'm sorry, King; I'm sorry to say ho lied." King threw awny his less than half consumed cheroot nnd they stnrtcd to walk together toward King's camp. After a few minutes they arrived at n point from which they could see tho prisoners lined up in a row fncing Rewn Gnngn. A less experienced eyo thnn King's or Courtcnny's could havo recognized their attltudo of reverent obedience. Within two minutes tho Rangar stood fncing them, looking moro nt enso thnn they. "I was cautioning those snvages!" ho explained. "Thpy'rc nn escort, but they need n reminder of tho fact, elso they might Jolly well Imnglno them selves mountain goats nnd scatter among the 'mils I' " s-4-1 HP "II Ho drew out his wonderful cigarctto case and offered It open to Courtenny, who hesitated, and then helped him self. King refused. "Major Courtenny has Just told me," snld King, "thnt nobody resembling Yasmlnl has gono up the pass recently. Can you explain?" "Do you mean, can I explain why tho major failed to Bee her? Ton my soul, King sahib, d'you wont 'mo to Insult tho mnn? Yasmlnl Is too Jolly clever for me, or for nny other mnn I ever met; nnd tho mnjor's a man, Isn't ho? no may pack tho Khyber so full of men that there's only standing room and still she'll go up without his leave If sho chooses I Thero is nobody llko Yasmlnl In nil tho world 1" The Rnngnr was looking pnst him, facing tho grent gorge that lets tho north of Asia trlcklo down Into Indln nnd hnck again when weather and tho tribes permit. His eyes had becomo Interested In the distance. King won d(ed why nnd looked and saw. Courtenny snw, too. "nail thnt man and bring him here 1" ho ordered. Ismnll, keeping his distance with cars nnd eyes peeled, heard Instantly nnd hurried off. Fifteen minutes Inter nn Afrldl stood scowling In front of them with n llttlo letter In n cleft stick in his hand. He held It out and Cour tenny took It nnd sniffed. "Well I'll bo blessed I A note" sniff-sniff "on scented paper 1" Snlff snlff ! "Carried down tho Khyber In a split stick! Tnko It, King It's ad dressed to you." King obeyed and sniffed too. It smelt of something fnr moro subtle thnn musk. Ho recognized the same strango scent thnt hnd been wafted from behind Ynsralnl's silken hnnglngs in her room in Delhi. As he unfolded the note It wns not sealed he found time for n swift glance nt Rewn Gun ga's face. The Rangar seemed Inter ested nnd nmuscd. Tho note, In Eng lish rnn : "Dear Cnptaln King: Kindly be quick to follow me, because thero Is much talk of a lashkar getting ready for a raid. I shall wait for you In Khlnjan, whither my messenger shall show the way. Pleaso let him keep his rifle. Trust him, and Rewa Gunga and my thirty whom you brought with you. The mes senger's name Is Darya Kahn. Your serv ant, Yasmlnl." He passed the note to Courtenay, who read It nnd 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 1" But he did not find out until King told Kim, 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. They were seated In Courtenay's tent, face to face across tho low table, with glittering lights between nnd Is mnll outside tho tent handing plates nnd things to Courtenay's servant in side. "You're about tho first who has nd mlttcd it," Bald King. ' Not far from them n herd of pack camels grunted nnd bubbled after tho evening meal. Tho evening breeze brought tho smoke of dung fires down to them, nnd nn Afghan ono of the little crowd of traders who had como down with the camels three hours ago sang n wnlllng song nbout his lndy love. Overhead tho utey wns llko blade velvet, pierced with Oliver holes. "You see, you cna't call our end this business war It's sport," snld Courtenny. "Two battalions of Khy ber rilles, hired to hold the pass against their own relations. Against them u couplo of hundred thousand tribesmen, very hungry for loot, armed with up-to-date rifles, thanks to Russln yesterday and Germany today, mid all perfectly well nwaro thnt n world war Is In progress. That's sport, you know not the 'linage nnd likeness of war' that Jorrocks cnlled it, but tho real red root. And you've got a mystery thrown In to givo It piquancy. I haven't found out yet how Yasmlnl got up tho pass without my knowl edge. I thought It was a trick. Didn't believe she'd gone. Yet nil my men swear they know she has gone, and not one of them will own to hav ing seen her go ! What d'you think of that?" For a while, as ho ato Courtenay's broiled qunll, King did not answer. But tho merry smllo had left his eyes and ho seemed for once to bo letting Ids mind dwell on conditions ns they concerned himself. "How many men havo you at the fort?" ho asked at last "Two hundred all natives." "Like 'em?" "What's tho use of talking?" nn swercd Courtenny. "You .know what It means when men of an alien raco stand up to you and grin when tljpy salute. They'ro my own." King nodded. "Dlo with you, eh?" "To tho lost man," said Courtenay quietly with that conviction that can only bo arrived at In ono way, and that not tho easiest "I'd dlo alone," said King. "It'll bo lonely in tno 'Hill; Got any moro qunll?" And thnt was nil ho ever did say on that subject then or at any other time. "Whnt Bhnll you do first after you get up tho pass? Call on your brother nt All MasJId? He's likely to know a lot by tho tlmo you get there." "Not sure," sold King. "Mny and may not. I'd llko to sec him. Haven't seen tho,. old chap In a donkey's age. How Is he?" "Well two days ago,' Bnid Courte nay. "Hero's wishing you luck!" Bald King. "It's tlmo to go, sir." He rose, nnd Courtenay walked with him to where his party waited in the dark, chilled by the cold wind whis tling down the Khyber. Rewa Gunga sat, mounted, at their hend, and close to him his personal servant rodo an other horse. Behind them wcro tho mules, nnd then In n cluster, each with a load of some sort on his head, wero tho thirty prisoners, nnd Ismnll took charge of them officiously. Dnrya Khan, tho man who hnd brought tho letter down tho pass, kept close to Ismail. King mounted, nnd Courtenay shook hnnds ; then ho went to Rewa Gunga's side and shook hands with him, too. "Forward! March 1" King ordered, nnd tho llttlo procession stnrtcd. "Oh, men of tho 'Hills,' yo look llko ghosts like graveyard ghosts I" Jeered Courtenny, ns they nil filed pnst him. "Ye look llko dead men, going to bo Judged I" Nobody nnswercd. They Btrodo behind tho horses, with tho swift, sr lent strides of men who nro going homo to the "Hills;" but even they, kEMT"tf He Fired Straight at the Blue Light born in tho "Hills" nnd knowing them as a wolf-pack knows Its hunting ground, wero awed by the gloom of Khyber mouth nhead. King's voice was tho first to break the silence, and ho did not speak until Courtenay was out of earshot. Then: "Men of the 'Hills l,M ho called. "Kuch dar nahln hall" "Nohln hai I Hah !" shouted Ismail. "So speaks a manl Hear that, yo mountnln folk I Ho says, 'There Is no such thing as fear!'" In his place in tho lead, King whis tled softly to himself; but ho drew an nutomatlc pistol from its place be neath his armpit nnd transferred it to n readier position. Fear or no fear, Khyber mouth Is haunted after dark by tho men whoso blood feuds nro too reeking raw to let them dare go homo and for whom the British hangman very likely waits n mile or two farther south. It is ono of tho few places In tho world where a pistol Is better than a thick stick. Boulder, crag and loose rock faded into gloom behind; In front on both hnnds ragged hillsides were be ginning to close Am; nnd tho wind, xyhvso homo Is In AiUih's refuso heap, whistled as ,lt searched busily among tho black ravines. Then presently the shadow of tho thousund-foot-hlgh Khyber walls began to cover them. After a while King's cheroot went out, and he threw it away. A llttlo later Rewa Gunga threw nwny his olgurette. Aftur that, tho veriest five-year-old among tho Zakka Khels, watching sleepless over tho rlra of somo stono wntch tower, could have taken oath that tho Khyher's unbur led dend wero prowling In search of empty graves. Probably their un canny silence wns their best protec tion ; but Rewa Gunga chose to break it after a time. "King snhlbl" ho colled Boftly, re peating It louder nnd moro loudly un til King heard him. "Slowly I Not so fast! There are men among those boulders, and to go too fast is to mako 'them think you aro afraid I To seem nfrnld is to invite attack! Can wo defend ourselves, with three firearms between us? Look! What Is that?" They wero at tho point where tho road begins to lead uphill, westward, leaving tho bed of a rnvlno nnd as cending to Join the highway built by British engineers. Below, to left nnd right, was pit-mouth gloom, shadows alnld shndows, full of cerlo whisper ings, nnd King felt tho short hair on his neck begin to rise. Ho urged his horso forward. Tho Rangar followed him, closo up, nnd both horso nud mare sensed excitement "Look, sahib I" After n second or two ho caught a gllmpso of blu.sh flnmo that flashed suddenly and died ngaln, somewhere below to tho right Then nil nt once v v uwWwlMSijBWItsSfciaBM Ksllni -rVwWNflaflflraaflaC 2$&&VkLH jHHF VvnVxil?$r aaaH ywvMw tho flnme burned brighter nnfl Btend ler nnd begun to move nnd to grow. "Hnltl" King thundered; nnd his volco wns sharp nnd unexpected ns a pistol crack. This was something tan gible, that a man could tackle a per fect antldoto for nerves. The bluo light continued on a zlg sag course, as If a man wero running nmong bowlders with nn unusual sort of torch ; and as there was no answer King drew his pistol, took abont thirty seconds' aim and fired. Ho fired straight at the blue light It vanished Instantly, into measure less black silence. "Now you've Jolly well done It, hnven't youl" tho Rangar laughed In his car. "That was her bluo light Yasmlnl's !" It was a mlnuto beforo King an swered, for both animals wero nil but frantic with their sense of their rid ers' state of mind; It needed horse manship to get them back under con trol. "How do you know whoso light It was?" King demanded, when tho horso and maro wero head to bead again. "It was prearranged. Sho promised mo a signal at tho point where I am to leave tho track!" King drovo both spurs home, and set his unwilling horso to scrambling downward at an angle ho could not guess, Into blackness ho could feel, trusting the anlmnl to find a footing where his own eyes could make out nothing. To his disgust ho heard the Ran gar Immediately. To his even greater disgust the black nm"ro overtook him. And even then, with his own mount stumbling nnd nenrly pitching him headforemost nt each lurch, ho was forced to admire the mare's goatlike agility, for sho descended into the gorge in running lenps, never setting a wrong foot. When he and his horso reached tho bottom at last ho found tho Rangar waiting for him. "This wny, sahib I" Tho next ho knew sparks from tho black mare's heels were kicking up in front of him, and a wild ride had begun such ns he had never yet dreamed of. Thero was no catching up, for tho black mare could gallop two to his horse's one; but he set his teeth and followed Into solid night, trusting car, eye, guesswork and tho god of tho secret service men, who loves tho reckless. Once in every two minutes he caught sight for a second of the same bluo siren light that had started the rnce. Ho suspected that there were ninny torches placed at intervals. Ills own horse developed a speed and stamina he had not suspected, and probably the Rangar did not daro ex tend the mnre to her limit in the dark; at all events, for ten, perhaps fifteen, minutes of breathless gallop ing he almost mado a race of It, keep ing the Rangar either within sight or sound. But then the mare swerved sud denly behind a bowlder and was gone. He spurred round the same great rock a mlnuto later, and was faced by a blank wall of shalo that brought his horse up all standing. It led steep up for a thousand feet to tho skyline. Thero was not so much as a goat track to show in which direction the mare had gone, nor a sound of any klud to guide him. He dismounted and 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 enr to the ground. Thero was no result. Ho knew better than to shout. After somo thought he mounted nnd began to hunt tho wny back, remem bering turns and twists with a gift for direction thnt natives might well havo envied him. Ho found his wny bnck to tho foot of the road at a trot, where nlncty-nlno men out of nl most any hundred would havo been lost hopelessly; nnd close to the road ho overtook Dnrya Khan, hugging his rifle and staring about llko a scorpion nt bny. "Did you expect that blue light, and this galloping nwny?" ho asked. "Nay, sahib; I kuew nothing of It! I was told to lead tho wny to Khln jan." "Como on, thenl" On tho level road above King stnred nbout him nnd felt in his pockets for n fresh cheroot Ho struck a match and wntched it to bo suro his hand did not shako beforo ho spoke. A man must command himself before trying it on others. "Where nro tho others?" ho nsked, when ho wns certain of himself. "Gono!" boomed Ismail. King took a dozen pulls at the cheroot and stared about ngaln. In the middle of tho rond stood his sec ond horse, nnd three mules with his bnggago, Including tho unmarked medicine chest Closo to them wcro three men, making tho party now only six all told, Including Darya Khan, himself and Ismail. "Gono whither?" Ismail's volco was eloquent of shocked surprise. "They followed! Was it then thy bnggago on tho other mules? Were they thy men? They led tho mules and went I" "Who ordered them?" "Allah I Need tho night bo ordered to follow tho day?" "And thou?" "I am thy man! Sho bade mo be thy man!" "And these?" "Try them!" King bethought htm of his wrist, thnt wns heavy with tho weight of gold on it Ho drow buck his slcovo and held It up. "May God bo with thee!" boomed all five men at once, and tho Khyber night gavo back their voices, like tho echoing of a well. King took his reins and mounted. "What now?" nsked Ismnll, picking up tho lenther bag that he regarded as his own particular charge. "Forward!" Bald King. "Come along I" Ho began to set a fairly fast pace, Ismail leading the spare horse and the others towing tho mules along. Except for King, who wns modern and out of the picture, they looked like Old Testament patriarchs, hur rying out of Egypt, as depleted In the Illustrated Bibles of a generation ago nil leaning forward each man carry ing a staff and none looking to the right or left "Forward?" growled Ismail. "With this mnn it la over 'forward ! Is there neither rest nor fear? Has she bewitched him? Hal! Yo lazy ones! Ho ! Sons of sloth ! Urgo tho mules fnstcr! Bent tho led horso I" So In weird, wan moonlight King led them forward, straight up the narrowing gorge, between cliffs that seemed to fray tho very bosom of the sky. He smoked a cigar and stared at the view, as If ho wero off to the mountains for a month's sport with dependable shlkarrls whom he knew. Nobody could havo looked nt him and guessed ho was nct enjoying himself. "Thnt man," mumbled Ismail be hind him, "Is not as other sahibs I havo known. He Is a mnn, this onel Ho will do unexpected things l" "Forwnrdl" King cnlled to thinking they were grumbling, ward, men of tho 'Hills l' " them, "For CHAPTER VIII. After a tlmo King urged his horse to a Jog-trot, and they trotted forward until tho bed of the Khyber began to grow very narrow, and All MasJId fort could not be much moro than a mile away, at tho widest guess. Then King drew rein and dismounted, for ho would hnvo been challenged hnd he ridden much farther. A challenge In tho Khyber nfter dark consists Inva riably of a volley at short range, with the mere words afterword, and tho wlso man takes precautions. "Off with tho mules' pncksl" he or dered, and the men stood round and stared. Darya Khan, leaning on tho only rlflo In the pnrty, grinned llko a post-ofllce letter box. "Truly," growled Ismnll, forgetting pnst expressions of a different opinion, "this mnn Is ns mad as all the other" Englishmen." "Were you ever bitten by one?" won dered King aloud. "God forbid I" "Then oft with the packs and hurry I" Ismail began to obey. "Thou! Lord of the Rivers! (For that Is what Dnrya Khan means.) What Is thy calling?" "Badragga" (guide), he answered. "Did sho not send mo back down the pass to be a guide? If she says I am badragga, shall any say she lies?" "I say thou art unpneker of mules' burdens I" answered King. "Begin I" For answer the fellow grinned from ear to ear and thrust the rifle bnrrcl forwnrd Insolently. King, with the movement of determination that a man makes when nbout to forco conclu sions, drew up his sleeves above the wrist At that instant the moon shone through the mist nnd tho gold bracelet glittered In the moonlight. "May God bo with thee!" said "Lord of the Rivers" nt once. And without another word he laid down his rifle and went to help off-lond tho mules. King stepped aside nnd cursed soft ly. But for n vein of wisdom thnt un derlay his pride he would have pock- At That Instant the Moon Shone Through the Mist and the Gold Bracelet Glittered In the Moonlight ctcd tho bracelet tbero and then and havo refused to wear It again. But ns ho sweated his prldo he overheard Is mail growl: "Good for thee I Ho had taught thee obedience In another bat of the eye I" "I obey her I" muttered Darya Khan. "I, too," said Ismail. "So shall ho beforo tho week dies! But now it Is good to obey him. Ho Is an ugly man to disobey I" "I obey him until she sets me free, then," grumbled Dnrya Khan. "Better for thee I" sold Ismail. King meets his brother at All MasJId 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 I3B CONTINUED.) ? Jit IMlIrt It J
