Adventure Magazine Cover, December 10, 1922 — page 71: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Benefit of Doubt of him. They say he is paid by Hindus to protect their property and lives. It is hinted that he serves the British. If that were so, that might explain why he insists on treat- ing prisoners so tenderly! Turn that thought over in your minds, my brothers! Victory tomorrow? For whom? For him- self doubtless!’’ P He had no other means of thwarting the discontented element than that he took, constantly moving about and appealing to the spirit of the others. He had hardly had time to surround himself with a group of loyalists, hand picked, really to be depended on, although he had done his best along that line. Over by his tent, which was a tarpau- lin spread over branches, his more or less inner guard waited for him. When he approached they showed him a good deal of deference; but that was not necessarily in every instance more than their way of ex- cusing themselves for accepting his leader- ship. To obey him and not appear to respect him would have been to make them- selves ridiculous. That bonfire in front of a tarpaulin was his G. H. Q. Thither the runners came, bringing messages from the out-thrown in- telligence units—spies, the enemy called them—scouts, they called themselves— experts unquestionably. Mahommed Ba- bar sat down on a log with his saber across his knees, and two runners who had been waiting for him stood up to tell their story. “The British work their way along the railway line. They toil by night, with great oil-burning lamps that roar exceedingly. Where the bridges are broken they use timber very cunningly. Soldiers guard the workers with machine-guns, and a tee-rain follows fifty paces at a time as fast as the rails are laid.” Another took up the tale from another angle. “They push supplies along the mended line—heavily guarded—food and ammuni- tion for a thousand men perhaps és “Perhaps!” agreed Mahommed Babar with a dry nod. “They have no thousand men. Two-hundred men in five days eat as much as a thousand men in one.” “They come fast, sahib! It is better we oppose them now.” “Let them come!” he answered. Some of the men around the fire caught one another’s eyes at that. One of them tendered advice: 5 render. 65 “But, sahib; if we let them come too far there are others who will pounce on them and get the loot. We are not the only armed men in the woods.” ‘“‘We are the wise men of the woods!”’ he answered. “Let others fight them. We will cut their line of communications when the time comes. They will be obliged to sur- The more well-treated prisoners we have, the easier it will be to make satis- factory terms. What we must do is to de- feat, not aggravate.” ‘Sahib, they say you have a purpose in holding us back.” “T have a purpose.” “They say, a private purpose.” ‘“‘None who believes that needs follow me.” There began to be a fairly obvious divi- sion of his adherents into two. Perhaps a third of them believed their own advantage lay in supporting him as long, at least, as success might seem to attend his methods. Two thirds proposed to use him for thei own ends and, if he would not be — ww -F ee = eae ~~ = we gy ee = pe ae ee, ae either to force his hand or else cast him off. — “We fighting men came to find a leader. You show us words and dalliance,’”’ one man grumbled. “The woods are already full of loot, but the others have it all! Where is ours?” said another. “Listen!” saida third. “There is a Hindu shroff who has fled to Calicut, but his house lies yonder, half a day’s march. Once he lent me a little money. Three times with the aid of the notes I signed he took away all I had, and he claims that [I still owe him more than he originally lent me. Lead to that man’s village! Let me see the burning of his whole property! Thereafter you may lead me where you will!” Mahommed Babar got to his feet, rested - his hands on the saber in front of him, and met the gaze of every man in turn. The firelight shone in his eyes, and the most in- expert guesser might have known that even his oriental patience was near exhaustion. “How many times shall I tell you that I am no man’s agent?” he demanded. He spoke through his teeth, spitting the words at them. “TI lead, or I do not lead.” “Very well, lead on!’ retorted some one from just beyond the zone of light. “Thus far you have only led on little forays. We will give you until an hour after dawn to lead us against this big force that comes Gomichbooks com