Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 115: what you’re looking at

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

he was to come back that evening, the chief, having said his prayers, would give him a private audience. — Hunsa had seen Barlow making his way from the serai where he camped with his horse toward the palace, and hurrying with the swift celerity of a jungle creature, he reached the gate first. His head wrapped in the folds of a turban so that his ugly face was all but-hidden, he was talking to the guard when Barlow gave the latter his yellow slip of passport; and as the guard left his post and entered the dim entrance to call up the stairway for one to usher in the Afghan, Hunsa slipped nonchalantly through the gate and stood in the deep shadow of a jutting wall, his black body and drab loin-cloth merging into the gloom. age at the gat CHAPTER XX. THOU ART A MAN!” “WS the one alone?” Amir Khan asked when a servant had presented Bar- low’s yellow slip of paper. “ But for the orderly that is with him.” ‘Tell him to enter, and go where your ears will remain safe upon your head.” The bearer withdrew and Captain Bar- low entered, preceded by the orderly, who, with a deep salaam, announced: “ Sultan Amir Khan, it is Ayub Alli who would have audience.”’ Then he stepped to one side, and stood erect against the wall. “Salaam, chief,’ Barlow said with a sweep of a hand to his forehead, and Amir Khan from his seat in a black ebony chair inlaid with pearl shell and garnets, _re- turned the salutation, asking: ‘‘ And what favor would Ayub Alli ask?” “A petition such as your servant would make is but for the ears of Amir Khan.” The black eyes of the Pindari, deep set under the shaggy eyebrows, hung upon the speaker’s face with the fierce, watchful stab of a falcon’s. Barlow saw the distrust, the suspicion. ears of Amir KJ The Pindari spoke thou and wait below.” rose from the ebony wood chair, s his tall, giant form, and laughed. — art a seemly man, Ayub Alli, but thinkest thou that Amir Khan would have fear thou sendest thy playthings by the orderly?” ‘No, chief, it was but proper. And you will know that the message is such that none other may hear it.”’ “Sit on yonder divan, Afghan, and tell this large thing that ‘3 in thy mind.” As Barlow took a seat upon the divan covered by a red and green Bokharan rug, lifting his eyes suddenly, he was conscious of a mocking smile on the Pindari’s lips; and the fierce black eyes were watching his every move as he slipped a well-strapped sandal from a foot. Rising, he stepped to the table at one end of which the Pindari sat, and placing the sandal upon it, said: ‘Tf the chief will slit the double sole with his knife he will find within that which I have brought.” “The matter of which you spake, Af- ghan, is a service, and Amir Khan is not one to perform a service of the hands for any one.” “ But if I asked for the chief’s knife, not having one—” “Inshalla! But thou art right. If thou hadst asked for the knife thou mightst have received it, and not in the sandal,” he laughed. The laugh welled up from his throat through the heavy black beard like the bubble of a bison bull. The Pindari reached for the sandal, and as he slit at the leather thread, he com- mented: “Thou hast the subtlety of a true Patan; within, I take it, is something of value, and if it were in a pocket of thy jacket, or a fold at thy waist, those who might seek it with one slit of their dis- coverer, which is a piece of broken glass carrying an edge such as no blade would have, would take it up. But a man’s san-- 10. Rut a man's sam