Part 20 (2/2)

”Have you passed her on your way?”

The man shook his head-shook it until the whites of his eyes were a streak in the middle of his dark face; and when a Hill set the flask to his own lips and drank a few drops

”Salaa his horse to ride away

King let hi to him to halt

”Come back!” he ordered, and rode part of the way toout the flask

”Allah then preserve me from a second test!”

The jezailchi seized the flask, clapped it to his lips and drained it to the last drop while King sat still in the iver peace!” he prayed, handing the flask back The kindly East possesses no word for ”Thank you” Then he wheeled the horse in a sudden eddy, as polo ponies turn on the Indian plains, and rode away down the wind as if the Pass were full of devils in pursuit of hiht and then listened until the hoof-beats died away and the Pass grew still again

”The jezailchis'll stand!” he said, lighting a new cheroot ”Good ood luck to 'em!”

Then he rode back to his own men

”Where starts the trail to Khinjan?” he asked; not that he had forgotten it, but to learn who knew

”This side of Ali Masjid!” they answered all together

”Two miles this side More than a mile from here,” said Ismail ”What next? Shall we camp here? Here is fuel and a little water Give the word-”

”Nay-forward!” ordered King

”Forward?” growled Ismail ”With this man it is ever 'forward!' Is there neither rest nor fear? Has she bewitched hie the mules faster! Beat the led horse!”

So in weird wan orge, between cliffs that seear and stared at the view, as if he were off to the mountains for a month's sport with dependable shi+karris whouessed he was not enjoying himself

”That man,” mumbled Ismail behind him, ”is not as other sahibs I have known He is a s!”

”Forward!” King called to the ”Forward, men of the 'Hills'!”

Chapter VII

The owl he has eyes that are big for his size, And the night like a book he deciphers; ”Too-woop!” he asserts, and ”Hoo-woo-ip!” he cries, And he s behind us, who are ”on” to the lies Of the hairy Himalayan knifers!

For eyes we be, of Empire, we, Skinned and puckered and quick to see, And nobody guesses hoe be, Nor hidden in what disguise we be, A-cooking a sudden surprise we be For hairy Hied his horse to a jog-trot, and the five Hillether that the horse could easily have kicked h to ination that herded them until they touched the horse's rulanced to left and right The Khyber, fouled by hosts when the ins to flow