The Adventures of Kathlyn

enana gharry, ready to convey them to the camp, freedom! It took the heart out of him for a moment. The confusion all about, the pall of dust, the roaring of the frightened lions which had

e of it. Possibly, when no further explosion shook the air, the mo

from the murk, the wrong side of

ving me. I have never in all my life injured any one, and yet God makes m

with which men enter battle. He drew Lal Sin

will note the shots, or if they do, will think that more explosions are o

htma

yn leaned dizzily agai

the revolver into the keyhole and fired. She heard a shot behind her, another and an

nd drew h

e l

Let me have a wh

's Ram

warn Ahmed; maybe gone directly off to

so have I,

He was up instantly. He caught Kathlyn by the hand and hurried her along; and all she could think of was Winnie r

!" a voice cal

med!" crie

as soon as he can get the better of his legs. Siva take that batt

go home, Ah

ut a handful of cartridges toward Bruce. "T

e more dilapidated the vehicle, the less conspicuous it would be. He urged the horse. He wanted the flying mob to think that he was flying, too, which, indeed, he was. The gharry rolled and careened like a

streets of the bazaars, and the g

Hare, and this

and the planning. If we can reach my elephants, all right; we'll be in Delhi w

ore to rehabilitate her

he elephant arena. Once he heard the clatter of hoofs. A horseman ran alongside the gharry, slowed up, peered down and shrugged. Kathlyn shrank toward Bruce. The rider proceeded on his w

d Pundita greeted Kathlyn with delight. All their troubles

yn, "leave the gharr

ve work to do, much work. Allah guard you!" He stru

k! Go to the bungalow and remain there. You will be questioned. Tell the truth. There is not an elephant in the royal stables t

by Bruce and Kathlyn in the lead, Ramabai a

regarding father. I don't know what. Who knows? T

over. It appears to me that the king latterly took a dislike to his protege, Umballa, and turned this little trick to make him unhappy. I dare say he thought your fat

the night-time comes. To Umballa I was only a means to the end. If he declared himself king, that would

to see this girl it was only human to want her. "Your father was one of the best friends I had. But, oddly enough, I never saw a photograph o

offer me the chan

might be too close lipped sometimes.

ceaseless rollings from side to side, intermingled with spine racking bumps forward, as the elephant occasionally hastened his stride. Kathlyn succeeded in stealing from th

protested feebly. "You wi

ght fal

n till the journey ends. You ha

nse

wolf. They were not disturbed by any of the cat family. But there was one interval of suspense. Bruce spied in the distance a small herd of wild elephants. So did Rajah, who raised his trunk and trumpeted into the night. The mahout, fully awake

y of the menace. Years ago at home, when I used to fish for bass, during the closed season I'd see thousands of du

have fished and h

hat it's ten to one you know

elf, so he began munching biscuits. Lighter and lighter grew the east; the moon dimm

re both

to drink during the night. Even as he looked a huge gray ape came bounding out, head-on toward Rajah, who despised these foolish beasts. Perhaps the old elephant missed Ali, perhaps he was still somewhat upset by his failure to join his wild brothers the night

ull. Rajah did not mind this beating at all. Whatever

, with a crash as of musketry, struck the howdah, but it held, thanks to the stoutness

Bruce saw the futility of shooting at the beast. The only thing he could do was to mount up beside Ramabai and Pundita and give chase; and this he did in short order, dra

y. The elephant was not running amuck, though he might eventually work himself into that blind ungovernable rage. Off like that, without th

She tried to recall the "elephant talk" Ahmed had taught her in the old days at the farm, but just now she was too dazed. At the end of an hour all sounds

kicking out a dung fire. Rajah headed directly toward them, the fire evidently being in the line of path he had chosen. This rare and unexpe

d the highly inflammable grass. A few hundred yards beyond Kathlyn turned to see the flames leaping along the grass. Rajah, getting a whiff of the acrid smoke, quickened his stride. The fire followed with amazing rapidity a

dah would slip down the brute's side. She prayed that she might die instantly. Strange f

. Beyond this field rose a ruined wall, broken by a crumbling gate, and lounging

, who stopped. He had had his sport. He swayed to and fro. One of the mahouts reached forward and clouted Rajah on the knee. He

so that the water trickled into her mouth; no lips but his own must touch the nozzle, otherwise, being a Brahmin, he would be denied. Natives instantly flocked about, jabbering in wonder. Some of

he shroud of the prophet what can this mean? Stop!" he called to the soldiers. Kathlyn looked up du

al. He gazed upon Kathlyn with eyes

s woman?" h

laha, but who may say that she is here?

came sh

d the events as he had seen t

the delectable pastime of conspiring in two languages; for, from Bombay to Calcutta, from Peshawar to Madras, India seethes, conspires

ner." Somehow instinct told her that she might not expect

y. Besides, I do not know that you tell the truth. Still, I can

refuse to give me proper aid. There is no possible way for you to cover up my appearance

h Raj looming in the distance. He shrugged. "Achmet, call the captain of the guard and have him convey this runaway queen to Allaha. Surely,

The human mind can sta

ere placed in the howdah beside her. Then a drunken mahout mounted behind Rajah's ears. The elephant did not like the feel of the man's legs,

re. The regular highway was a moderately decent road which led along the banks of one of those streams which eventually join the sacred J

hus it was with Kathlyn. Out of that funeral pyr

*

ng about, wailing and beating their breasts, while behind them stood the high caste widow, her

m su

igh caste Hindu's wife. Better death on the pyre than a future like that of a pariah dog. For a wife who preferred to live after her husband was gone was a

the pyre where her husband lay, swathed in white. She gazed about wildly, and

uttee in her place!" cr

horror in the wide world like it. Smoke began to curl up from the underbrush. It choked and stifled her. Sparks rose and dropped upon her arms and face. A

h browsed in a clump of weeds, the howdah at a rakish angle, like the cocked hat of a bully. Kathlyn stared at her hands. There were no burns there; she passed a hand over her fac

gged it down the road without so much as trumpeting his

state she must have both or die. Let them send her back to Allaha; she was beaten; she was without the will to resi

o him for a space in monotone. She held out her hands; the dry raspy trunk curled out toward them. Rajah was evidently willing to meet her half-way. She ordered him to kneel. Without even pausing to think it over Rajah bent his callou

e, she espied the ruin