Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 85: what you’re looking at

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

“The captain says that he goes to col- lect revenue, but it may be that he spoke a lie, for it is said that a man of the land of the Five Rivers, which is the Punjab, has five ways of telling a tale, and but one of them is the truth, and comes last.” The girl pondered over this for a little, and then asked: ‘“ Does the sakib think perhaps it is war against his people?” That was just what was in Barlow’s mind since he had seen the big gun going forth at night; that perhaps the plot that was just a whisper, fainter than the hum of a humming bird’s wing, was moving with swift, silent velocity. “Why do you ask that question? Have you heard from lips—perhaps loosened by wine or desire—aught of this?” When she remained without answer, Bar- low tapped his fingers lightly upon her shoulder, saying: “ Tell me, girl.” “T have heard nothing of war,” she said. “‘ There was a something, though, that men whispered in the dark.” “What was it?” “Tt was of the chief of the Pindaris.” She felt the quivering start that ran through Barlow’s body, but he said quietly: * With the Pindaris there is always trouble. Something of robbery—of a raid, was it?” “I will listen again to those that whis- per in the dark,” she answered, “ and per- haps if it concerns you, for your protec- tion, I will tell.” “I hope those men didn’t fall in with my two chaps,” Barlow said, rather voicing his thoughts than in the way of speaking to the girl. “ The two who rode—they were the Cap- tain Sahib’s servants?” Barlow started. “Yes, they were. I I can trust you.” “ And the sahib is troubled? Perhaps it was a message for the saib that they car- ried.” “I don’t know,” he answered, evasively. “TI was thinking that perhaps they might be messengers, for our sepoys are not sta- tioned here, and come but on such errands.” _ “And if they were killed, and the mes- | Stoler » i would cause trouble?” - ? > 5 = m at (= Pe. : CASTE. 555 “T don’t know. But the messages of a raj are not for the ears of men to whom they have not been sent.” Barlow had an intuition that the girl’s words were not prompted by idle curiosity. He was possessed of a sudden gloomy im- pression that she knew something of the two men who rode. And it was strange that they had not been seen upon either of the roads. The officer spoke of them frank- ly, and not as a man hiding something. Suddenly hé took a firm resolve, perhaps a dangerous one; not dangerous though if his men had really gone through. “ Gulab,” he said, and with his hand he turned her face up by the chin till their eyes were Closer together, “ if the two bore a message for me, and it was stolen, I would be like that one you loved and lost.” The beautiful face swung from his palm and he could hear her gasping. “You know something?” he said, and he caressed the smooth, black tresses. ‘“‘T did not see them, sahib.” They rode in silence for half a mile, and then she said: “ Perhaps, sahib, Bootea can help you—if the message is lost.” “And you will, girl?” “T will, sazb; even if I die for doing it, IT will.” His arm tightened about her with a shrub of assuring thankfulness, and she knew that this man trusted her and was not sorry of her burden. Little child dreams floated through her mind that the silver- faced moon would hang there above and light the world forever—for the moon was the soul of the god Purusha whose sacri- ficed body had created the world—and that she would ride forever in the arms of this fair-faced god, and that they were both of one caste, the caste that had as mark the sweet pain in the heart. And Barlow was sometimes dropping the troubled thought of the missing order and the turmoil that would be in the council of the Governor General when it became known, to mutter inwardly: “ By Jove! If the chaps get wind of this, that I carried the Gulab throughout a moonlit night, there’ll be nothing for me but to send in my I'll be drawn—my leg’ll be ie ee COMIC DOOKS.COM,