Part 53 (1/2)

”Remember all I said Set down she must surrender Khinjan Caves or I swear by Allah I will have thee tortured with fire and thorns-and her, too, when the ti very like it, in the first letter There was no doubt left that the Mullah was trying to hide ignorance, as men of that fanatic ament If fanatics were all-wise, it would be a poor world for the rest

”Very well,” King said quietly And with great pretense of copying the other letter out on fresh paper he norote what he wished to say, taking so long about it (for he had to weigh each word), that the s over

”Greeting,”' he wrote, ”to the most beautiful and very wise Princess Yasmini, in her palace in the Caves in Khinjan, from her servant Kurram Khan the hakiht's march distant in the hills

”The mullah Muhammad Anim makes his stand and demands now surrender to himself of Khinjan Caves; and of all his ammunition Further, he demands full control of you and of ht for his demands and already-as youin Khinjan Caves

He has at least as many men as you have, and he has four thousand more here

”He threatens as a preliminary to blockade Khinjan Caves, unless the answer to this prove favorable, letting none enter, but calling his own overn themselves they can not raid India, and while he blockades Khinjan Caves there will be tiin and can accomplish what he threatens, I am sorry; because I know it is said how overnment I serve We who serve one raj are One-one to reood time

”I have not been idle Some of Muhammad Anim'sinforoverner to be off

”It ainst iance In that case, Princess, you only need betrayto be desired by the spectators At present he does not suspect me

”Be assured, however, that not to betray overnment and well able to do so

”I invite you to return to India withnews that the mullah Muhammad Anim and his men are bottled in Khinjan Caves, and to plan with me to that end

”If you will, then write an answer to Muhae he can understand; seee, either by the bearer of this or by soer

”India can profit yet by your service if you will And in that case I pledge ood service in the matter It is not yet too late to choose It is not iladly I would subscribe rateful and loyal servant”

The mullah pounced on the finished letter, pretended to read it, and watched hinarled thu in, all grins and swagger

”There-take it! Make speed!” he ordered, and with his rifle at the ”ready” and the letter tucked inside his shi+rt, the Pathan favored King with a farewell grin and obeyed

”Get out!” the mullah snarled then immediately ”See to the sick Tell the went He recognized the al power It is contagious, that madness, until it destroys itself It had made several thousand iven Yas his chance He let the mullah think himself obeyed implicitly

He becalowered over the caht with other ued and lanced and poulticed and physicked until his head seariness

The sick swaruard to keep the those who had talked with him after sunrise

And because each of those men had friends, and it is only human to wish one's friend in the sah, the progress through the camp becalo-Indian raj were better spoken of than the ”Hills” had heard for years

Not that there was any effort made to convert the camp en masse Far from it But the likely feere pounced on and were told of a chance to enlist for a bounty in India And inter not so far ahead, and ith experience of for was none so difficult From the day when the lad first feels soft down upon his face until the old man's beard turns white and his teeth shake out, the Hillht on the winning side if he ood treatht there were thirty ues and to wait for the word to hurry down the Khyber for the purpose of enlisting in soe the hakim not to wait for the Orakzai Pathan, but to start hat he had