Show adventures the V V of T le kathlyn athlyn 11 vy T v 1 HAROLD MAC GRATH Illustrated edby ty pictures from the moving picture brodic tion of the beug poly scope co by harold Maea mth continued from last week reached the ancient gate of aldaha at the same time bruce stopped before the walls of bala khan khans s city c ity he ile pulled the curtains of the howdahs and threatened death it if they called out from time to time be he gave directions to the weary men astride the elephant s neck the thought of gold was not as tempting as it had been there was tear fear in his heart this false holy one was or had been the mot power ful man in all aldaha here he would be among friends and the man who had but recently been a peaceful fish erman felt intermittent hot flashes about his throat had no intention whatever of making his presence known in alla ha he ile determined to wring the secret from either the colonel or his daughter return for the treasure and depart for egypt down the persian gulf he ile could have tortured his captives on the way may but he m was as oriental he wanted to feel all the luxuries he had formerly known to enjoy himself physically as well as mentally he ile missed the exhilaration of his king kings peg he ile made a wide detour and came out at the rear of his house no one was in sight he ile dismounted and centered found three or four of his ahil orn om slaves who when he repealed aled his identity felt the old terror and fear of the man ills prisoners were brought in A slave took the elephants to the stables he ile wanted to run away aay and declare Um ballas s presence but fear was too strong ironically bade the asher men to enter entera to eat and drink what they liked later he found them in a drunken ln in the kitchen that N was as where here 11 ev be angea ongea cast his prisoners into the secret chamber ten he gave himself up to the luxury of a bath had his hair and beard combed his body anointed with perfumes and put on his finest raiment then he drank his peg teg As for his prisoners he did not visit them again that day nor yet that night the in bial torture of suspense susn ense was always excellent one thing an noyed him however not a murmur from these calmeyer calm eyed white people who who were about to face death he lie raged against this lack of feeling tor for it robbed him ot of hall half bis his pleasure he lil ed his victims to whine and cringe and beg for mercy like many rich had his own menagerie he had in merited it along with the denu demi palace now Urn balla in the treadmill wuen the king a sister died several years before there existed what was called the court oi 01 death there yere ere lour four sides to this court and in the center of each side were ere bars and b hind these bars tigers or leopards or lions or wild boar whatever pleased the owner owners s fancy many a royal bat tie ile had been waged in this court some timea between aizers or a tiger an and d a IN ia a leopard arct in and d a boar after his bath asked if the old boar was still alive the heaven I 1 born was told that the animal had died in the cage a few days ago sa rugged he ile had had in mind a fight between the boar and a leopard to start his circulation as it were he ile ordered his pil boners to be ile brought into the court of death and left there meditation was excellent for the end A parapet ran round the court and from there could see everything below his ills victims en the court without struggling they merely stood closely together in the center you seea said now where have you h adden the treasure kathlyn walked over to one of the rages and peered into it A leek tiger trotted up to the bars and purred and invited her to scratch his bead head she did not accept the invitation how ever knowing the species tolerably well usually these courts of death had solid steel doors which could be drawn up or lowered at will the ani mal dens were more like cages with no little curiosity she noted a singular arrangement of the three cen aral bars the removal of these bars left an opening sufficiently wide for the egress of the largest tiger or lion I 1 am not ansa answered ered said A click resounded from the four sides and a bar disappeared from each of the cages that will be all tor for the present said Um balla food and water you will not require tomorrow morning another bar will be removed and he left them overhead the blue sky was as growing bluer and the shadows in the court of death a deeper black early the next morning the town began to seethe in the squares bala khan a army lay encamped outside the city those who po possessed hessed treasures dug pits for them in the cellars of their houses within the great temple there was vas a flutter aflutter among the robed ones what could they do doa they knew not where the white goddess was A as nor they dispatched a peace messenger to the camp but the messenger was sent back before he had passed the outposts wl en cruce bruce pundita pundits and ahmed baited halted their elephants before the temple they were greeted by the now terrified priests who ho begged to be informed what afla laila ahan proposed to deliver to us the mem sahib the priests swore by all their gods that they knew nothing ol 01 her he lie speaks the truth volunteered as mhd ch eh et ef priest tell be fore one of his gods has doubtless entered secretly what would R sav US so V for god s sake think of 0 tom something ething ramabhai Ram abai abail he may be torturing them let us enter the temple said ra mabal ahrmed ahn ed bring the treasure ar ard d leal leave e it in the care of the priests V few moments later ramabhai ad dressed the assemblage bala khan Is hostile but only for the sake ot of his f i lends he ile laa lad down donn this law how ever obey it or disobey it the colo nel sahib and his daughters are to go tree free to do what nhat they please with the treasure tie asure pundits according to the will of the late king shall be crowned obey or disobey I 1 warn you that these are not my dictates but bala khan a peace peace the cry rose from all directions even from the priests tt em selves the high priest held up his hand tor for silence we nhe obey on one condition that the new queen shall in no manner interfere with nith her old religion nor at tempt to force her new religion into the temple to this pundita agreed ramabhai soldiers to the house of Um balla ballat we shall find them thre cried ahmed squatted upon bis his c cus blone on the terrace the second bar had been removed the beasts were press ing their wet muzzles to the openings and growling deep challenges once more and for the last time will you reveal the hiding place of the treasure 9 not a word from the prisoners it if they told or d d not tell it would have m mode de no difference with the man above he lie was drunk the third bar but it did not stir the third bar remove it the slave who had charge of the m which operated the bars refused to act perhaps his refusal saved the lives of the colonel and his daughters the bastinado was ordered fir fr fi r the poor disobedient wretch then he was nas thrown out into the street and there bruce found him and learned what was toward the events which followed were of breathless rapidity ramabhai and um balla balls met upon the parapet in a gle which promised death or the tread I 1 mill to the weaker at the same time bruce opened the door to the court of death as the final bar dropped in the cage at the sight of him the colonel and his daughters rushed to the door he hurled them outside slamming the iron door upon which the infuriated tigers flung them selves A week latar kathlyn winnie their father and bruce by the faithful ahmed reached the coast and set sail for their beloved california the parting with ramabhai and pun dita the real queen of aldaba who at last had come into her own was a sad one kathlyn and her friends had come to respect the devotion and loy alty ally of this couple who had shared with them so many trials and hard ships 0 0 the young newspaper man to whom winnie was engaged and the grizzled ahmed sat on the steps of the bun bigalow galow in california one pleasant after I 1 noon the pipe was cold in the hand of the reporter and ahmed s cigar was lead which always happens when one re recounts an exciting tale and cothel a among the flower beds beyond two young women wandered followed by a young man in pongee a set carelessly upon his hand some head hie his face brown his build slender but round and muscular and that sahib Is the story etory sighed ahmed and karalyn gave the treasures to the poor of that was fine you have aid they sl have hanged this um balla no sahib deth Is grateful it Is not a punishment it is peace but durga ram called will spend the demair der of his days in the tread mill which is a concrete hell not abstract always round his ankles there will be iron the galls or 0 the night chains al his wrists shall be bruised and torn tor for sometimes he will lose bis his step and hang by his wrists so much for ingratitude so much for the blindness of revenge do you think england will ever step ing perhaps but so long as pundita rules justly so long as her consort abets her england will not move per haps chaps it if one of them dies cheret the maids are s alling calling you and I 1 will go and brew the colonel sahib a tea THE END |