Part 25 (1/2)
”I am Kurram Khan, the dakitar, but who in the 'Hills' would believe it? Look now-look ye and tell ?”
He pointed to the horse, and they stood in a row and stared
”Shorten those stirrups, then, six holes at the least! Men will laugh at me if I ride like a British arrficer!”
”Aye!” said Isreed the others
”Now,” he said, gathering the reins and swinging into the saddle, ”who knows the way to Khinjan?”
”Which of us does not!”
”Ye all know it? Then ye all are border thieves and worse! No honest man knows that road! Lead on, Darya Khan, thou Lord of Rivers! Do thy duty as badragga and beware lest we get our knees wet at the fords! Ismail, you march next Now I You other two and the mule follow me Let the man with the belly ache ride last on the other horse So! Forward march!”
So Darya Khan led the ith his rifle, and King's face glowed in cigarette light not very far behind hied his horse up the narrow track that led northward out of the Khyber bed
It would be a long tiain, and his supply of cigarettes was destined to dwindle down to nothing before that day But he did not seem to mind
”Cheloh!” he called ”Forward, men of the mountains! Kuch dar nahin hai!”
”Thy ht were one!” swore Is to a picnic ”She will love thee! Allah! She will love thee! Allah! Allah!”
The thought seemed to appal him For hours after that he climbed ahead in silence
Chapter VIII
Dear is the swagger that takes a , proud
Sweet are the honors the arrogant win, Hot from the breath of a crowd
Precious the spirit that never will bend- Hot challenge for insolent stare!
But-talk when you've tried it!-to win in the end, Go ahsti! Be meek! And beware!
[ Slowly]
Even with the man with the stomach Ache mounted on the spare horse for the sake of extra speed (and he was not suffering one-fifth soto coax, and the fear of mountain death on every side of theht and a part of another day in reaching Khinjan
Darya Khan, with the rifle held in both hands, led the iftly, but warily; and the last ht have seen theed a stern chase worth while
In the ”Hills” the hunter has all the best of it, and the hunted needs must run The accepted rule is to stalk one's ene, although not for human life, and he felt bold, but the ht conceal a rifle in the ”Hills”