Part 55 (1/2)

Before ever thethe steep valley wall The et in the lead, and King and hisback, to keep at a distance from him It hen the mullah had reached the top of the slope and was not far fro's horse, that he had found in possession of anothermounted and thanked him Isue through his teeth, which did not look quite like treachery either Yet the Afridi could not be got to say a word

Two or threethe top of the escarpment the mullah sent back word that he wanted the hakim to be beside hi on the horse, head and shoulders above the baggage

But King's

”Bid the mullah hunt hiive thee a lesson in how to use a knife!”

The ri's stirrup, striding beside hiait

”Art thou hed and shook his head

”I a asked

”Nay, who am I that I should know?”

”But she sent thee?”

”Aye, she sent me”

”To what purpose?”'

”To her purpose!” the Afridi answered, and King could not get another word out of him He fell behind

But out of the corner of his eye, and once or twice by looking back deliberately, King saw that Is theto them What he said was aAnd the more they talked the better pleased they seerew Bywanted to dismount there were three at least to hold his stirrup and ten to help hiain

Chapter XVIII

By the sweat of your brow; by the ache of your bones; In the sun, in the wind, in the chill of the rains, Ye sowed as ye knew And ye knoas blown To be trodden and burned-aye, and that by your own Who sneered at lean furrows and mocked at the stones

But ye stayed and sowed on And a little remains

Ye shall have for your faith Ye shall reap for your pains

Four thousand e do not move so swiftly as one man or a dozen, especially in the ”Hills,” where discipline is reckoned beneath a proud o before Khinjan when night fell and the mullah bade them camp He bade them camp because they would have done it otherwise in any case

”And we,” said King to his all but eighty who crowded around hireat new hope in us, will halt here and eat the evening meal and watch for an opportunity”

”Opportunity for what?” they asked him

”An opportunity to sho Allah loves the brave!” said King, and they had to be content with that, for he would say nohe would not talk, they made their little fires all around him and watched while their women cooked the food The mullah would not let thehteous