son — ———————— A BI marvelous fascination. THE EDITOR. CHAPTER |. a — The men who govern India—more power to them and her!-—are few. Those who stand in their way and pre- tend to help them with a flood of words are a host. The charge has seen the light in print that India—well- spring of plague and sudden death and money lenders—has sold her soul to twenty succeeding conquerors in turn. So when the world war broke the world was destined to be surprised on India’s account. The Red sea, full of racing transports crowded with dark- skinned gentlemen, whose one prayer was that the war might not be over before they should have struck a blow for Britain, was the Indian army's an- swer to the press. More than one nation. was deeply shocked by India's answer to “prac- tices” that had extended over years. But there were men in India who learned to love India long ago with | that love that casts out fear, who knew exactly what was going to happen and could therefore afford to wait for or- ders instead of running round in rings. Athelstan King, for instance, .noth- ing yet but a captain unattached, sat! in meagerly furnished quarters with | his heels on a table. He is not a doctor, yet he read a book on sur gery; and when he went over to the club he carried the book under hid | arm and continued to read it there, | In the other room where the telegraph | blanks were littered in confusion all | about the floor, the other officers sent | telegrams and forgot King, who sat and smoked and read about surgery: | and before he had nearly finished one box of cheroots a general at Peshawur wiped a bald red skull and sent him | an urgent telegram. . i} “Come at once!” it sald simply. King was at Lahore, but miles don't | matter when the dogs of war are | The right man goes to the right place at the exact right time then, and the fool goes to the wall. In that one respect war is better than | some kinds of peace. | In the train on the way to Peshawur | loosed. he was not troubled by forced con- | versation. Consequently he reached | Peshawur comfortable, in spite of the | heat. And his genial manner of salut- | ing the full-general who met him with | a dogenrt at Peshawur station was | something scandalous. Full-generals, | particularly in the early days of war, “Come at Once,” It Said. do not drive to the station to meet captinins very often; yet Kidg climbed into the dogeart unexcitedly, after keeping the general waiting while he checked a trunk! The general cracked his whip with- out any other comment than a siile. A blood mare tore sparks out of the maeadam, and a dusty military road began to ribbon out between the wheels. Sentries in unexpected places announced themselves with a ring of shaken steels as their rifles came to the “present,” which courtesies the general noticed with a raised whip. On the dogeart’s high front seat, star ing straight ahead of him between the horse's ears, King listened. The general did nearly all the talking. “The North's the danger.” King grunted with the lids halfJlow- ered over full, dark eyes. He did not look especially handsoms ia that ate titude. Some men sweat he looks lke a Roman, and others liken him to a gargoyle, all of them chosing to ig. nore the smile that can transform his whole face Instantly. “We're dervding India of troops— King nodded. peace along the northwest border, from that quarter. In some of King's reports that the gen- eral was planning now. “Well, the tribes'll know how many men we're gending oversea. stant the general's fat figure darkened the doorway twenty men of higher rank than King, native and English, rose from lined-up chairs and pressed forward. “Sorry—have to keep you all wait- ing—busy !” . He waved them aside with a little apologetic gesture, “Come in here, King." King followed him through a door that slammed tight behind him on rub- ber jambs, “Sit down!” | The general unlocked a steel drawer {and began to rummage among the pa- | pers in it. In a minute he produced an package, bound in rubber bands, with a faded photograph face upward on the top. “That's the woman! {like the look of her? King took the package and for How d'you n | a woman whose fame has traveled up and down India, until her witchery has become an proverb, She was by the hundred Iantely. ing something. keeping quiet now?” “That depends, sir, imagine it." The general laughed, “That's why I sent for you. I need ma man with imagination! There's a woman you've got to work with on this occasion who can imagine a shade or two too much. What's worse, she's ambitious. So I chose you to work with her.” King's lips stiffened under his mus. tache, and the corners of his eyes wrinkled into crow's feet to spond. Eyes are never coal-black, of Yes, ute. “You know we've sent men to Khin- Not CAVes, King frowned. and come out again at pleasure, She cepted, the general nodded, The helmet-strap mark, printed indelibly on King's jaw and cheek by the Indian sun, tight noted out of the corner of his eye. “Know her? “Know of her, of course, sir, Never met her does, to knowledge” “Um-mem! to Delhi now and meet her. She knows I've chosen you. She tried to insist on full discretion, but I over ruled her.” King's tongue leked his Hips, and his eves wrinkied. The general's voice be came the least shade more authorita- “When you see her, get a pass from her that'll take you into Khinjan caves! Ask her for it! For the sake of appearances I'll gazette you sec onded to the Khyber rifles. sake of success, get a pass from her!” “Yery well, sir” “You've a brother in the Khyber rifles, haven't you? Was it you or your sent in a report?” “1 did, sir” He spoke without pride. Even the brigade of British-Indian cavalry that went to Khinjan on the strength of his report and leveled its defenses with the ground, had not been able to find the famous caves. Yet the caves themselves are a byword. “There's talk of a jihad (holy war), There's worse than that! When you went to Khinjan, what was your chief object?” “To find the source of the everlast. ing rumors about the so-called ‘Heart of the Hills' sir” “Yes, yes, I remember. I read your report. You didn't find anything, did you? Well. The story is now that the ‘Heart of the Hills’ has come to life So the spies say.” King whistled softly. “There's no guessing means,” said the genoral, “Go and work with Yasmin, The spies keep bringing in rumors of ten thousand men in Khinjan caves, and of another large lashkar not far away from Khin- jan. There must be wo Jihad, King! India is all but Qefenseless! This story nbout a ‘Heart of the Hills’ com- ing to lite may presage unity of action and a holy war such as the world has not seen, Go up there and stop it if you can, At least, let me know the facts.” King grunted, To stop a holy war single handed would be rather like stopping the wind—possibly easy enough, if one knew the way. Yet he knew no general would throw away a man like himself on a useless venture, He began to look happy. The general clucked to the mare and one wheel ceased to touch the gravel as they whiried along a semi circular drive, Under the porch of a pretentious residence, sentries salut ed, the sals swung down and In less than sixty seconds King was follow. ing the general through a wide en trance into an crowded ball, Thelin. ¥ what it - 9 ALTO AT ~~ — VALLI Vd | “That's the Woman! How: Do You Like the Look of Her” ' dressed as a dancing woman, yet very | few dancing women could afford to be | dressed as she was. The general watched his face with | eyes that missed nothing. “Remember—I said work with her!” King looked up and nodded. “They say she's three parts Rus sian,” sald the general, “To my knowl. | edge she speaks Russian like a native, and sbout twenty other tongues ns well, including English, She was tie girl widow of a rascally hill rajah. I've heard she loved her rajosh. And { I've heard she didn't! There's another story that she poisoned him. 1 know ghe got away with his money-—and that's proof enough of brains! Somo say she's a she-devil, I think that's an exaggeration, but bear in mind she's dangerous!” ting grinned, A man who trusts Fastern women over readily does not rise far in the secret service. “If you've got nous enough to keep on her soft side and use her—not let lier use you--you can keep the ‘Hilly { quiet and the Khyber safe! If you {can contrive that—now—in this pinch —there’'s no limit for you! Com- mander in chief shall be your job for: you're sixty!” . King pocketed the photograph and papers. © “I'm well enough content, sir. as things are” he said quietly. The general paced once across the room and once back again, with hands behind him. Then he stopped in front of King. “No man in India has a stiffer task than you have now! A jihad launched from the ‘Hills’ wouid mean anarchy in the plains. That would entail send- ing back from France an army that can't be spared. There must be no jihad, King! There must—not—be-— one! Keep that in your head!” “What arrangements have made with her, sir?” “Practically none! She's watching the spies in Delhi, but they're likely to break for the ‘Hills’ any minute, Then they'll be arrested. When that happens the fate of India may be in your hands and hers! Get out of my way now, until tiffin-time I" In a way that some men never learn, King proceeded to efface himself en tirely among the ero*d in the hall, contriving to say nothing of any ac count to anybody until the great gong boomed and the general led them all in to his long dining table. Yet he did not look furtive or secretive. No- body noticed him, and he noticed ev erybody. There is nothing whatever secretive about that, The fare was plain, and the meal a perfunctory affair. The general and his guests were there for no other reason than to ent food, and only the man who happened te seat himself next to Kinga major by the name of Hyde--spoke to him at ali, “Why aren't you with your regi ment?" he asked. “Because the genemal asked me to Innch, sir!” “I suppose you've been pestering him for nn uppointment i” been King, with his mouth full of curry, did not answer, hut hig eyes smiled. After lunch lie was closeted with the general again for twenty minutes, Then one of the general's carriages other occupant of the curriage was the gself-same Major Hyde who had sat next him at lunch. In fact, he smiled sa pleasantly that Hyde grew perated, Neither of them spoke, CXHN- ly, and King left him abusing an un- happy native servant, The station cation by a crowd that roared and King's reservation, so he took his There were din and stink nenth a sa sun, verberations by the zine's safety valve. once and i of lethargy !——India : ften nowadays—and it made King for the time being of the Khyber rifles, happier than some ot} ballrooms, Any 3 time, ann "ne 5 101 le ¥ VILE shaken into re seream of an It was Indin in « awnke !—India #n- arising out ns she is more one who watched him-—and must have noticed his strange abil ity, almost lke that of water, to reach the point he aimed for, through, not around, the crowd. He neither shoved nor ar wuld have | ly useless, for had it ! the crow could not have obeyed, and it was no mind to try. Without the least parent effort he arri f no other word that quite descrl ed. He climbed Into his riage and leaned from the window, and sued], On ders and blows we wen equals ' 1 trie areiy he “Why are you here?" asl Fvolee behind him; am head, a1 {ling to turn hi | M: { mate again. “Orders,” sald King. “Is that your ans major. Balked for horse to ride, He hac command but had been sli “lI have sufficient King. unrufMed. He thinking of something entirely His eyes were as if they saw the major from a very long way off and rather approved of him on the whole, yor Hs de ved. anthority.” $ poke as ont " “Show me your authority, please ! King dived Into an Inner pocket and produced a card that had ten words written on its face, a general's signature. Hyde read it and passed it back. “80 you're one of those, are you!” about above start a fig and in some services. But King nodded more than ever: he snorted, closed his arrange the sheet and pillow on his berth. CHAPTER IL The train pulled out, amid a din of voices from the left-behind that nearly drowned the panting of the overloaded engine, Hyde all but stripped himself and drew on striped pajamas, was content to lie in shirt sleeves on the other berth, with knees raised, so that Hyde could not overlook the gen eral’s papers, them one by one, memorizing a string of names, with details as to their own. ers’ antecedents nnd probable present whereabouts, There were several photographs In the packet, and he studied them very carefully indeed. But much most carefully of all he examined Yasnini's portrait, returning to it again and again. He reached the conclusion in the end that when it was taken she had been cunningly dis guised, place,” he told himself. Hyde, “No sir. tended.” liyde turned an indignant back on him, und King studied the back as of lie found it interesting. On the whole he looked sympathetic, go it was as well that Hyde did not look around. Balked ambition as a rule loathes sy pathy. After many prickly-hot, interminabie, Jolting hours the train drew up ai Roaval-Pindi station. Instantly King was on his feet with his tunic on, and he was out on the blazing hot platform before the train's motion had quite conned. He began to walk up and down, not elbowing but percolating through the crowd, missing nothing worth noticing in all the hot kaleidoscope and seeming to find new amusement at every turn, It was not in the lenst astonishing that fn well-dressed native should address him presently, for he looked génial enough to be asked to hold a baby. King himself did not seein surprised at mi). Far from it; he looked pleased. “Exense we, sir) sald the pm in gi babu English, “1 am seeking Cape tuln King sahib, for whom wy brother 114 veree anxious to be servant, Cos Nothing of the sort in- vou kindlee tell me, sir, where I could find Captain King sahib?” “Certainly,” King answered him, He looked glad to Be of bein, “Are you welling from the lips of unsuspicion, “Yes, sir. 1 am traveling from this "” kpow K sahib ted bim, smil- Ring ask that “How did you the train?” ine iN G3 “By telegram, sir. iy brother had sahib at Peshawur "y uicing ill wg kle in swityiel He Oona geo.” hi fee King. spar gaid the looked 8 gee, by the n at that instant, nitho He looked back at mid not see his igh he tried to. the train, gly t :: » in profile. t carriage?” he asked, polnt- firgt-clnss there two of and the other Is us in King. for you, id the native most kind! " { “Oh, thank you, sir!™ sa ofiily. “You are ible servant, sir!” ro 1.1 King noagao eves In the shi: w of the khak interested find seeming scarcely “Couldn't yon Hyde asked him angrily when {61 riment ny efor might not have heard Hyde snorted to his the akat But is Wen $401 ' sent In gence ye scorn. presently he opened a mut a repeating pistol cl he cocks refaully and stowed beneath his pillow; not at ail a beeanse the { 3 5 5 temntible i Hove, thief specialist in the worl railway iN resourceful no overt precautions of any “Thought so!” He dared open his eyes-a mite wider, “He's pukka—{roe to type! Rob first and then kill” As he watched, the thief drew the sheet back from Hyde's face, with trained fingers that could have taken out his knowledge, {in and out among Then as fish glide the reeds without seen, his fingers searched Hyde's body. | They found nothing, King moved In his sleep, rather noisily, and the movement knocked a the floor from the font of his i berth. The nolse of that awoke Hyde, and King to begin to wike, (that dan uh and san ich the ¥). the tor { book to pretended on his back at position ned man ean take an st awkward for his enem . and rolling being much the sufe iwning vde yelled n o_o the £itu jello arted Ove- . ¥ LAR i second, i ans nnother Ch more “if AK net in ind the for him, slipped it A his hoid nt he wos fton and & hand ik wt tho wl the 11 af » Drie 3 2 5.1 3, red-hot, black-dark, vided aria shut down on them, mesinerieaily b by the thump of lit at Intervals by | from the suis into seconds ¥ ii ~e sa whopls wd CI pe WHORISs ALG showers pf sparks Then King. Easping engine, s shoulders, On covered his | head, to keep dust out of his hair, and presently King heard him begin to snore gently. Then, very carefully he adjusted his own position his | profile lay outlined light from the gas lamp i mi { drew a sheet up over hi Hyde the opposite berth so that the dim the roof. in in = shaved, Long aft midnight his | vigil was rewarded by an slight sound er | were on the watch, under dark closed { lashes; but his even breathing was { that of the seventh stage of sieep that | knows no dreams, A click of the doorlatch heralded the appearance of a hand, With skill, | of the sort that only special training can develop, a man in native dress in- | sinunted himself into the carriage AEN ESR SAR bh 3 kJ - IRR RS 2 & He Feigned Sleep So Successfully That the Native Turned Away at Last, without making another sound of any kind, King's ears are nart of the oquipment for his exacting business, but he could not hear the door click shut again. For about five minutes, while the train swayed headlong into Indian darkness, the man stood listening and watching King's face. He stood so pear that King recognized him for the one who had accosted him on Rawal indi platform. And he could see the outline of the knife-hilt that the man's fingers clutched underneath his shirt, tie feigned sleep so that the native turned away at last. { it, | pretense of pair i the thi f hurst free in dive i fri A second | he The ) | prodig effort, just foo { eluteh the man again, snd he coed In tearing loose a ples but the fleeing roht he { shadows of the station an | anhib should hax i feeble showing “Hang it!-—conldn't lof ¥ sr must have dered, as bolted intn the bellding. why {| eneh iron-fingered wiloriente e made =uch nn truly at the end. you im, ning to bold or what?” him? | Were you afrai dpe i manded Hyde, beg reese him aned and fa a sergennt self. Instead of answering, Rin i out into the lamp-dit gloom | minute he canght sight of a of native infantry down the train. He made a sign that brought the man to him on the run, “Did you see that runaway? he asked. ’ “Ha. =ahib. I saw one ronning. Shall I follow?” “No. This plece of his, shirt will identify him. Take it. Hide it! When a man. with a torn shirt, into which that plecd fits, makes for the telegraph office after this train has gone on, see that he is allowed to send any tele grams he wants to! Only, have copies of every one of them wired to Capinin King, care of the stationmaster, Delhi. Have you understood?” “Ha, sahib.” “Grab him. and lock him up tight afterward—but not unt! he has seat his telegrams” “Atcha, sahib.” “Make yourself scarce. then!" Major Hyde was dressed, having pen formed that military evolution in some- thing less than record time, “Who was that yon were talking to?" he demanded. But King did not scem to understand until the native sergeant had quite vanished into the shadows, The engine shrieked of death and torment; the heat relaxed as the en gine moved——loosened-—let go-—liftal at last, and a trainload of hot passen- gers sighed thanks, “What are you looking at?” Hyde demanded at last, sitting on King's berth. “Only a knife,” said King, He was sinnding under the dim gas lamp that helped make the darkness more un: bearable. He stowed the knife away in his bosom, and the major crossed to his own side. | In Delhi, King ects Rowa Gunga, Yasmini’s man, who tolls him che has already gone north. In Yasmini's house the captain Js Given un Bist seat of EnafuG passing
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