Part 54 (2/2)
”Nay,” s unusual happen here five years ago?”
The chief smoothed the tip of his nose ”My father died and I becae”
”Would you call that unusual?” ironically
”No Ha!” suddenly ”Five years ago; yes, yes, I remember now
Soldiers, who made us lock ourselves in our huts, not to stir forth on the pain of death till ordered My father alone was permitted outside
He was compelled to row out to the island There he was blindfolded
Only twothat was very heavy My father never knehat the strange shi+ning basket held
Then the soldiers went away and we came out No one was allowed on the island till my father died”
”Did he tell you what it was he helped bury yonder?”
”No, holy one He was an honorable man Whatever the secret was, it passed with him We were not curious”
”It was the private treasure of the king of Allaha, and thehimself”
The fisherman salaamed
”And I am sent, because I am holy, to recover this treasure, which illed to the teernaut”
”And, holy one, I know not where it is hidden!”
”I do What I want is the use of your sloop and old as your hands can hold”
”I will furnish you with men as honest as myself”
”That will be sufficient; and you shall have your gold”
The word of a holy man is never subjected to scrutiny in India
Uood humor Here he was, several hours ahead of his ene up and transferred to the sloop before the Colonel Sahib could reach the village And Umballa would have succeeded but for the fact that the wind fell unaccountably and they lostthe sloop with oars
When the sloop left the pri the chief returned to his hut and told his hat had taken place, like the good husband he was
They would be rich
Suddenly the child set up a wailing Through theshe had seen a bold leopard trot over to the bullock cart and carry away the kid The chief at once su men, and they proceeded to set a trap for the prowler The cat had already killed one bullock and injured another They knew that the beast would not return for soed itself upon the kid But it ell to be prepared
Toward noon the other treasure seekers dreithin a quarter of a ht it advisable to reconnoiter before entering the village One never could tell Winnie declared her intention of snoozing while they waited, and curled up in her rugs Kathlyn, however, could not resist the longing to look upon the sea again She could see the lovely blue water through the spaces between the trees Soon she would be flying over that water, flying for home, home!