Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 69: what you’re looking at

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

Kohino and everything else of value back | to Persia. But he didn’t get the ruby, for the Vizier of the King of Delhi stole it. Then Alam, the eunuch, stole it from the vizier. Its possession was desirable, not only because of its great value as a jewel, but because it held in its satanic glitter an unearthly power, either of preservation to its holder or malignant evil against his enemies. At any rate, Sewlal sent for Hunsa the night of the ordeal and explained to him, somewhat casually, that a jewel merchant passing through Mahrattaland, had in his collection a ruby of no great value, but a stone that he would like to become pos- sessed of because a ruby was his lucky gem. The Dewan intimated that Hunsa would get a nice private reward for this particular gem, if by chance he could, quite secretly, procure it for him. Next day was a busy one in the Bagree camp. Having followed the profession of decoits and thugs for generations it was with them a fine art; unlimited pains were taken over every detail. As it had been decided that they would go as a party of mendicants and bearers of family bones to Mother Ganges, there were many things to provide to carry out the masquerade—stage properties, as it were—red bags for the bones of females and white bags for those of the males. In two days one of the spies came with word that Ragganath, the merchant, had started on his journey, riding in a covered cart drawn by two of the slim, silk-skinned, trotting bullocks, and was accompanied by six men, servants and guards. On the sec- ond night he would encamp at Sarorra. So a start was made the-next morning. Sookdee, Ajeet Singh, and Hunsa, ac- companied by twenty men and Gulab Be- gum, took the road, the Gulab traveling in an enclosed cart as befitted the favorite of a rajah, and with her rode the wife of Sook- dee as her maid. oe gl rode a Marwari stallion, a black, TO; brute, with bad hocks and an CASTE. - green and yellow. _ 589 silver tracery, his steel shirt of mail; through his sash of red silk was thrust a straight-bladed sword, and from the top of his turban of blue and gold thread peeped a red cap with dangling tassel of gold. In the afternoon of the second day the Bagrees came to the village of Sarorra. ‘We will camp here,” the leader com- manded, “‘ close to the mango tope through which we have just passed, then we will summon the headman, and if he is as such accursed officials are, the holy one, the yogi, will cast upon him and his people a curse; also I will threaten him with the loss of his ears.” ‘The one who is to be destroyed has not yet come,” Hunsa declared, “for here is what these dogs of villagers call a place of rest, though it is but an open field.” Ajeet turned upon the jamadar: ‘“ The one who is to be destroyed, say you, Hunsa? Who spoke in council that the merchant was to be killed? We are men of decoity— we rob these fat pirates who rob the poor, but we take life only when it is necessary to save our own.” “‘ And when a robbed one who has power, such as rich merchants have, make com- plaint and give names, the powers take from us our profit and cast us into jail,” Hunsa retorted. “ And forget not, Ajeet, ‘that we are here among the Mahrattas far from our own forests that we can escape into if there is outcry,” Sookdee interjected. “If the voices are hushed and the bodies buried beneath where we cook our food, there will be only silence till we are safe back in Karowlee. The Dewan will not protect us if there is an outcry—he will deny that he has promised protection.” The Bagrees were already busy prepar- ing the camp, the camp of a supposed party of men on a sacred mission. It was like the locating of a circus. The tents they had brought stood gaudily in the hot sun, some white and some of cotton cloth dyed in brilliant colors, red, and blue, and yellow. In front of Ajeet’s tent a bam- boo pole was planted, from the top of which floated a red flag carrying a figure of the monkey-god, Hanuman, embroidered in c€omicbooks.com