Part 50 (2/2)
”She sent her e,” he whispered ”He took a few e when they reach the Khyber, but he is to coe is not intercepted, for Bull-with-a-beard is growing reckless these days He kneas doing and said at once that she is treating with the British, but there were feho believed that There are e is on its way None has seen her Men have swarmed into the Cavern of Earth's Drink and howled for her, but she did not come Then the mullah went to look for his aone It was all gone And there was no proof of who had taken it!
”Hakim, there be some who say-and Bull-with-a-beard is one of theeance for the stolen ammunition, because it was plenty for a conquest of India So men say So say these here, for I have asked the to keep the note of exultation froht be staring into a crystal in so new mischief of any kind But afraid she was surely not And just as surely he could vow she orking out her own undoing
”I?” said the Pathan ”I swear she is afraid of nothing If she has taken all the aain and fro ”What will the mullah do withfaith in hi it in mind that a reat value to her He has sworn to have thee skinned alive on a hot rock should she fail to co reflection, King rode in silence for a while, with the Pathan trudging soleuard over him When they reached the steep escarph the mullah in the lead tried to ry with hiswhen the horse fell back with hi and the Pathan shoved and hauled and nearly lost their horse a dozen times at that But once at the top the mullah set a furious pace and the laden wo less notice of them than if they had been anile file until the sun died down in splendid fury Then there began to be a wind that they had to lean against, but the women were allowed no rest
At last at a place where the trail began to widen, theto ride beside him It was not that he wished to be co knew that he did not know, and he had his oay of asking questions
”darowled ”Pill-man! Poulticer! That is a sweeper's trade of thine! Thou shalt apply it atdid not answer, but buttoned his coat closer against the keen wind The mullah mistook the shudder for one of another kind
”Did she choose thee only for thy face?” he asked ”Did she not consider thy courage? Does she love thee well enough to ranso did not answer, but he watched theof its expression He decided the man was in doubt--even racked by indecision
”Should she not ransom thee, hakim, thou shall have a chance to show my men how a er to send to her Better ent! Thou shalt state my terms to her and plead thine own cause in the same letter My camp lies yonder”
He motioned with one sweep of his arm toward a valley that lay in shadow far below the down to it was visible in the ht it was littered hat the ”Hills” call ”hell-stones,” that will neither lie flat nor keep on rolling, and are dangerous to h the darkness but a feisted tae and the loneliness loom below the trees was that of the very underdepths of hell itself
The mullah pointed to a rock that rose like a shadow fro, ”I have seen” And the mullah stared at him Then he shouted, and the top of the rock turned into aon his rifle as one who had assured hio
As they approached it the rock clove in two and becareat pillars, with a man on each And between the pillars they looked down into a valley lit by fires that burned before a thousand hide tents, with shadows by the hundred flitting back and forth between theorge
”More than four thousand men!” said the mullah proudly
”What are four thousand for a raid into India?” sneered King, greatly daring
”Wait and see!” growled the mullah; but he see off his horse and giving the reins to adown they found their way along the dry bed of a water-course between two spurs of a hillside, until they stood at last in the midst of a cluster of a dozen sentries, close to a ta spiked That the ested by the body's attitude
Without a word to the sentries the h the reat open cave at the far side, in which a bonfire cast fitful light and shadow Watchers sitting by the thousand tents yawned at them, but took no particular notice
The ed with teeth There wereround the fire
”Get out!” growled the mullah But they did not obey They sat and stared at him
”Have ye tents?” the mullah asked, in a voice like thunder
”Aye!” But they did not go yet