| Show F- F r King of i the th a Khyber R Rifles A Romance of f Adventure By TALBOT MUNDY Copyright b by the Bobb Merrill Bobba-Merrill Merrill Company I CHAPTER Continued 13 13 i But out of the corner of his eye and once or twice by looking back deliberately deliberately deliberately King saw sav that Ismail was taking the members of his new band bandone bandone bandone one by one and whispering to them What he said was a mystery but as they talked each man looked at King i And the more they talked the better pleased they seemed And as the day wore on the more deferential they grew By midday If King wanted to dismount there were three at least to hold his stirrup and ten to help him mount again Four thousand men with women and Children and baggage do not move so swiftly as one man or a dozen especially especially espe espe- dally In the Hills where discipline Is s reckoned beneath a proud mans man's honor There were many miles to go before when night fell tell and the mullah bade them camp He bade them camp because they would have done It otherwise In any case When the evening meal was eaten and sentries had been set at every vantage vantage vantage van van- tage point there came another order from the mullah The women ana and children were to be left In camp next I dawn and to remain there until sent for tor There was murmuring at that around the camp and especially among Kings King's contingent But King laughed It Is good I be he said I Why How so they asked him Bid your women make for tor the Khyber Khyber Khyber Khy Khy- ber soon after the mullah marches to to- morrow Bid them travel down the Khyber until we and they meet 1 But But Please yourselves sahibs The of In In- hakim's haUm's air was one difference As for me I leave no women behind me in the mountains I am nm content I They murmured a while but they gave the orders to their women and King Xing watched the women women nod Even as had tested him and tried him before tempting him at last she must be watching him now for even the East repeats itself She had bad sent Ismail Ismall for that purpose It was likely that her course would depend on his If he failed she was done with him If he succeeded ded In establishing a strong position of ot his own she would yield With or without Ismail's aid with or without his enmity be he must control his eighty men and give the slip sUp to the mullah and he went at once about the best way to do bothWe bothWe bothWe both We will go now he be said quietly That sentry In yonder shadow has his back turned He Be has overeaten We will rush him and put good running between us us and the mullah Surprised into obedience and too delighted delighted delighted de de- lighted at the prospect of ot action to wonder why they should obey a hakim so they slung on their bandoliers and made ready Ismail brought up Kings King's horse and he be mounted And then at Kings King's word all eighty made a sudden swoop on the drowsy sentry and took him unawares They tossed him over the cliff too startled to scream an alarm and though sentries on either hand heard beard them and shouted they were gone like wind-blown wind ghosts of dead men before the mullah even knew what was happening They did not halt until not one of them could run another yard King trusting to his horse to find a footing along the tops cliff tops and to the men to find the way t f CHAPTER Whither one whispered to KingTo KingTo King I he answered To and that was enough Each whispered to I the oth other r and they all became fired with curiosity more potent than money I bribes I When he halted baited at last and dismounted dismounted dismounted dis dis- dis- dis mounted and sat down and the stragglers stragglers strap strap- caught up panting they held a council of war all together with Ismail Ismail Ismail Is Is- mail sitting at Kings King's back and leaning a n chin on his shoulder in order to hear better Bone none pressed on bone and the place grew num numb King shook him off ort offa orta a dozen times but each time Ismail set his chin back on the same spot as asa asa a n dog will that listens to his master Yet he insisted he was her ber man and not Kings Now ye men of the Hills said King listen to me who am political political- offender with reward for capture- capture offered 1 l That was a gem gem of a title It fir fired their Imaginations I 1 know things that no soldier would find out in a thousand years and I will tell you some some of at what I know Now he be had bad to be careful If It he e were to invent too much they might denounce him as a traitor to the Hills In general If he were to tell them too little they would lose Interest Interest Interest In In- terest and might very well desert him himat himat himat at the first pinch He must feel for forthe the middle way and upset no dices She has bas discovered ed that this mullah mullah mullah mul mul- lah Muhammad Is no true muslim mus- mus lim but an unbelieving dog of ot a foreigner foreigner foreigner for for- eigner from She has bas discovered that he h plans to make him him- an emperor in these hills hUls and to cell en hillmen into slavery 1 t Might as aswell aswell well serve the mullah up hot while About it iti I Beyond any doubt not much more Inore ore than a mile away the mullah was wu getting even by condemning the lot of ot them to death An eye for the risk of an eye 1 I say the unforgiving Hills If one of us should go back Into his hll camp now he be would be tortured Be sure of that Breathing deeply in the darkness they nodded as if It the dark had eyes eyes' Ismail's Ismall's chin drove a fraction deeper Into his shoulder Now ye know know for for all men know know know- that the entrance into caves is free to any man who can tell a lie He without flinching It Is the way out again that is not free How Bow many mendo mendo men mendo do ye know that have bave entered and never returned They all nodded again It was common common common com com- mon knowledge that was a avery avery avery very graveyard of the presumptuous She has set a trap for the mullah She will wUl let him and all his bis men enter and will never let them out again 1 How thou This from two men one on either hand band Was I never in caves caves he retorted Whence came I I am herman herman her herman man sent to help trap the mullah i 1 I I I would have bave trapped all of you but for being weary wear of these Hills and wishful wishful wishful wish wish- ful to go back to India and be pardoned pardoned pardoned par par- 1 That is who I am That is how I know I 1 Their breath came and went sib sibl- Il and the darkness was was' alive with the excitement they thought themselves themselves themselves them them- selves too warrior-like warrior to utter But what will wUl she do then asked II somebody King searched his memory and In Ina Ina Ina a moment there came back to him a picture of the hurrying he had bad held up in the Khyber pass and recollection of ot the mans man's words Know ye not tot he be said that long longI ago she gave leave to all who ate salt to be true to the salt She gave the Khyber leave to fight against her Be sure whatever she does she will wUl stand between no man and his pardon I But will she lead a jihad We will not fight against her ber I 1 INay Nay said King drawing his breath in Ismail's chin felt like a knife against his bis collar bone and Ismail's Iron fingers clutched his arm It was time to give his hostage to Dame For For- tune She will wUl go down into India and use her ber influence in the matter of ot the pardons lI l I II I believe thou art a very great liar Indeed 1 I said the man who lacked part of his nose The went and andle he le did not come back bath What proof ha have ve we 1 Ye have me l I said King If It I 1 show you no proof how can I escape you They all grunted agreement as to that King used his elbow to hit Ismail Ismail Ismail Is Is- mail in the ribs He Be did not dare speak to him but now was the time for Ismail to carry Information to her ber supposing that to be his job And after a minute Ismail rolled into a shadow and was gone King gave him twenty minutes minutes' start letting his men rest their legs and exercise their tongues tongue Now that he was out of the mullahs mullah's clutches clutches and and he be suspected would know of It within an hour bour or two and before dawn in any event event event- he began to feel like a player in a game of chess who foresees his opponent mate In so many moves If were to let the mullah mulish and his men Into the caves and to Join forces with him in there he be would at least have time to hurry back to India with his eighty men and give warning He might have bave time to call up the Khyber Khyber Khyber Khy Khy- ber and blockade the caves before the hive could swarm and he be chuckled to think of the hope of 01 that On the other hand If It there was to tobe tobe tobe be a battle ro royal al between and the mullah he would be there to watch It and to comfort India with the news Now we will go on again In order to be close to at break of day he said and they all got up and obeyed him as if it his word had been law to them for tor years Of all of them he was wa the only man In doubt doubt he he who seemed most confident of all They swung along into the darkness under low-hung low stars trailing behind Kings King's horse borse with only half balf a dozen of them a hundred yards or so ahead as asan asan asan an advance guard and all aU of ot them expecting expecting expecting ex ex- to see loom above each next valley for distances and darkness are deceptive in n the Hills even to trained eyes Suddenly the advance guard halted but did not shoot hoot And Andas as King caught up with them he saw they were talking with someone He Be had to ride up close before he recognized the Salaam 1 said the tell fellow ow with a grin I bring one hundred bundred and eleven 1 As he be spoke graveyard shadows rose out of the darkness around and leaned on rifles Be ye men all aU ex soldiers ex-soldiers of the raj 1 King asked them Aye 1 I they growled in chorus Who gave you leave to come come King asked None He told us of the pardons and we came camel I Aye Ayel I said the o I drawing King aside But nut she gave me mr leave to seek them out and tempt temp them therm I And what does she Intend 1 King asked him suddenly She Ask Allah who put the spirit In her I How should I know We will march again my brothers 1 I King Eving shouted and they streamed along behind him now with no advance guard but with the l striding beside Kings King's horse with a great hand on the saddle Like the others he seemed decided in his mind that the hakim ought not to be allowed much chance to escape I Just as the dawn was tinting the surrounding peaks with softest rose they hey topped a ridge and lay lilY below elow them across the wide mile-wide bone- bone i dry valley And while they watched and the men were beginning to murmur for tor they needed no last view of the place to satisfy any longIngs longings long- long Ings none else than Ismail rose from behind a rock and came come to Kings King's stir stir- rup He tugged and King backed his horse until they stood together apart She sends this message said Ismail Ismail Is Is- mail showing his teeth in the most II peculiar grin that surely the Hills ever witnessed Many of her men who have never been in the army are none the less true tree to tD her and she will I not leave them to th the mullahs mullah's mercy I I They will leave the caves In a little while and ond will come up here They are to go down Into India and be made prisoners If the will not enlist them You are ZUe to wait walt for them here Is that all aU her message King asked him Nay That Is none none- of or it I This Isher is isher isher her message THOU KNOW THIS DAY THOU ENGLISHMAN WHETHER OR NOT SHE TRULY LOVED THEE I 1 THERE SHALL BE PROOF SUCH AS EVEN THOU UNDERSTAND I Ismail Ismall slipped away and lost himself among th the men and none none- of them seemed to notice that he he- had been away awaT and had bad come again It was a little Ittle more than an hour bour after atter dawn and the chilled rocks were beginning to grow warmer when the head of or a procession procession procession pro pro- cession came out of gate and started toward them over the valley In all aU more than five hundred men emerged and about a hundred women and children Then Muhammad Anim comes I shouted a voice from a crag top They TheT snuggled into better hiding and there was no thought now of ot leavIng leaving leav- leav Ing ng before the mullah should go by It t needed an effort to quiet them when the he mullah rose rose Into into view at last above the he rise and paused for tor a minute to stare across at ber before re leadIng leading lead- lead Ing ng his four thousand down and on on- ward H He was silent as an Image but buthis buthis his ils men roared like like- a river in flood and andle he le made no effort to check them He dismounted for he be had bad to and tossed ossed his reins to the nearest man with the air of an emperor And he heed led ed the way down the cliffside without hesitation striding like Uke a mountaineer His men followed him noisily It was thirty minutes after the last of ot the mullahs mullah's men had vanished through the gate and his own men in dozens and twenties were scattered f s Thou Know This Day Thou Englishman Whether or Not She Truly Loves Thee along the top cliff arguing against delay delay delay de de- lay with growing rancor when a lone horseman galloped out of gate and started across the valley He rode recklessly He ne was either panic- panic stricken or else bolder than the devil In a minute King had nad recognized the mare and so had the eyes of at fifty men around him No man with half an eye for a horse could have failed tailed to recognize that black mare having ever seen her ber once In another mother two minutes King had bad recognized the Hangars Hangar's Run Ran gars gar's silken turban Most of the men were staring downward downward downward down down- ward at the Hangars Hangar's head as he urged the mare up the cliff path when the explanation of at message came It was only King urged by some intuition who had his eyes fixed on I l There came a shock that actually swayed the tho hill they thel stood tood on Th mare on the path below missed her footing an and fell tell a dozen feet only to get up again and scramble as If It a thou- thou hand d devils were behind her the Ranar Ran- Ran gar ar riding her grimly like Uke a Jockey In Ina Ina ina a race Three more shocks shocks followed A great slice of suddenly caved In with a roar and smoke moke and dust burst upward upward through the tumbling tumbling tum tum- bling bUng crust There was a pause after that as if It the waiting elements were gathering strength For ten minutes they watched and ond scarcely breathed Rewa gained the summit and dismounting stood by KIn King with the reins over his arm The mare was too blown to do anything but stand and tremble And King was too enthralled to do anything but stare That Is what a n woman can do for fora a man mon said Bold Rewa grimly She set a fuse and exploded all the dynamite There were tons of ot it I 1 The galleries must have fallen In one on the other A thousand men digging for or a thousand years could never get Into now now and the only way out is down Earths Earth's Drink She bade me come and bid you good goodby by sahib I would have stayed in there but she commanded me She said Tell TeU King sahib my love was true Tell him I 1 give him India and all an Asia that were at my mercy 1 IP i While the spoke there came three more earth tremors in swift succession succession succession suc suc- cession and a thunder out of as if It the very Hills were coming to toan toan toan an end The mare grew frantic and ond the Hangar summoned six men men merito to bold hold her Suddenly right oyer over the top of ot Khin- Khin In- In Jans Jan's upper rim |
