Part 1 (1/2)

King--of the Khyber Rifles

by Talbot Mundy

Chapter I

Suckled e in a school unkind On suddenly snatched deduction And ever ahead of you (never behind!) Over the border our tracks you'll find, Wherever some idiot feels inclined To scatter the seeds of ruction

For eyes we be, of Empire, we!

Skinned and Puckered and quick to see And nobody guesses hoe be

Unwilling to advertise we be

But, hot on the trail of ties, we be The pullers of roots of ruction!

-Son of the Indian Secret Service

The overn India-more power to them and her!-are few Those who stand in their way and pretend to help theoes up an endless cry that India is the hory ones

The ht claiinal hoallant, native gentlee has seen the light in print that India-well-spring of plague and sudden death andconquerors in turn

Athelstan King and a hundred like hiht, can answer truly that she has won it back again from each by very purity of purpose

So when the world war broke the world was destined to be surprised on India's account The Red Sea, full of racing transports croith dark-skinned gentleht not be over before they should have struck a blow for Britain, was the Indian army's answer to the press

The rest of India paid its taxes and contributed and muzzled itself and set to work to make supplies For they understand in India, al of such old-fashi+oned words as gratitude and honor; and of such platitudes as, ”Give and it shall be given unto you”

More than one nation was deeply shocked by India's answer to ”practises” that had extended over years But there were o with that love that casts out fear, who knew exactly as going to happen and could therefore afford to wait for orders instead of running round in rings

Athelstan King, for instance, nothing yet but a captain unattached, sat in erly furnished quarters with his heels on a table He is not a doctor, yet he read a book on surgery, and when he went over to the club he carried the book under his arm and continued to read it there He is considered a rotten conversationalist, and he did nothing at the club to iasped a wondering senior, accepting a cigar nobody knohere he gets those long, strong, black cheroots, and nobody ever refuses one

”Thanks-got a book to read,” said King

”You ass! Wake up and grab the best thing in sight, as a stepping stone to sorinned You have to when you don't agree with a senior officer, for the army is like a school in many more ways than one

”Help yourself, sir! I'll take the job that's left when the scraood's sure to be overlooked”