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Show I ) v V.. , ICS FLOYD GIBBONS Adventurers7 Club "See Comrade 'Slain " By FLOYD GIBBONS Famous Headline Hunter. GET a tight grip on your nerves, boys and girls, and hold on to your hair because today we are going adventure hunting in the mysterious, blood-soaked land of India. Thomas McGrath is the man to blame if you get a sudden heart attack while reading this, so don't blame me. I'.nck In '!V7 and '! Tom was a 'Tommy" In the Rrltlsh nrmy on service In India. He was a member of the third brigade, Thirnh field force, sin Honed on the northwest frontier of India, and his brigade was opera tin; against the Afghans. Now your Afghan Is about as brave and fearless a tribesman as yon can find anywhere, but his Ideas of bravery and ours are slightly different. dif-ferent. For instance, an Afghan's Idea of supreme heroism is to sneak into the tents of the enemy and cut as many throats as he can before he gets his own cut. And that's exactly the sort of warfare they were waging on Tom's outlit. Afghan Assassins Terrorize Whole Post. Night after night a lone sentry would be silently knifed at his post of duty. Jhen a scream In the night would startle the sleeping camp and when the commotion had died down two or three soldiers would be found dead in their beds slaughtered as they slept. The low pitched tents accommodated IS men, and the men. Tom says, slept fully equipped for protection against these raids. But still the raids went on. One particularly fillet night, Tom says, as he lay In his cot, wishing he were hack home, he was horrified to see the tent flap slowly open and a big, bearded Afghan step noiselessly Inside and stand motionless like a bronzed statue, listening. Tom's first idea was to scream out a warning to his comrades, com-rades, but to his horror he found that sheer terror had made him powerless to sound the alarm. Tom was on the opposite side of the tent and says be seemed to be the only one aware of the Afghan's presence. His ri fie with bayonet attached was on the floor beside him but he eays he was paralyzed with terror and could not move a muscle. Tom's Vocal Chords Paralyzed With Fright. The native raised the long, razor-sharp, curved sword of the country and moved steadily toward the nearest sleeper. Tom says he opened his mouth to scream but not a sound came from his dry throat and, as he lay there shamming sleep he saw the long knife rise and fall and heard the frightful death rattle in the throat of a tent-mate! The soft-footed Afghan moved on to the next cot stepping between I (he sleepers as quietly as a cat and slashing steadily from side to side! . A splash of warm blood on his cheek brought Tom out of his trance ! of terror hut before he could move the Afghan seemed to sense that j Tom Saw Him Point His Sword at HIM! someone was awake in that blood-soaked tent and he paused AND . BTAIIKD STRAIGHT AT TOM! Shamming sleep still but with all his senses alert Tom says, he peeked through half-closed eyes and tried to figure his chances would he have time to reach his gun before that red knife reached his throat? He had about decided to risk it when the tent flap moved again and A SECOND AFGHAN STEPPED INSIDE! There Became Two to Worry About. The second Afghan's eyes swept the tent quickly Tom saw blra point with Iiis sword AT HIM and the first native crept quietly toward Tom his blood-red knife drawn tiaek for the fatal thrust! At that moment, Tom says, his manhood returned to him. As the native sprang, Tom bounded from bed to meet him his pent up scream shattered the silence of the night and his hands closed with a death grip on the throat of the murderous Afghan. Terror must have lent him strength, Tom thinks, because he held on to that throat with a grip of steel the knife could not reach him he squeezed and squeezed and screamed and kicked out savagely with bis knees at the groin of ids enemy there was a sickening crash. And that's all Tom remembers of the fight. The next tiling he knew he heard voices somewhere In the distance. One of the voices sounded like that of the medical officer. lie's coming out of it." the voice was saying. Tom opened his eyes. He was In the hospital tent. His head was swathed in bandages. A group of his tent mates were around his bed. Tom looked at one of them and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. THE MAN WAS THE FIRST SLEEPER HE HAD SEEN THE AFGHAN KILL! Tom's eyes wandered from face to face there was another tentmate he had seen bathed In bis own blood and another! Well, sir, those hard-boiled Tommies didn't keep Tom guessing very long. They gave him the bad or rather good news at once. Tom. it seems, had suddenly leaped In the quiet of the night on the man In the next cot to him and It had taken the whole army to get his-hands olT HIS TENT-MATES THROAT! .Yes. sir. just a nightmare. They had to give Tom an awful beating to make him lei loose but t lie man he almost clinked was recovering in the hospital tent with him. and Tom says the beating was better than a knife in his throat, anyway. WNU Service |