The Broken Road

cle secretly to have sold his country to the British, and a half-crazed priest from out beyond the borders of Afghanist

g the precipitous sides of cliffs; it snaked treacherously further and further across the rich vall

e eastern passes to Linforth's relief. But it was believed that the whole province of Chiltistan had risen. Moreover it was winter-time and the passes were deep in snow. The news was telegraphed to England. Comfortable gentlemen read it in their first-class carriages as they travelled to the City and murmured to each other commonplaces about the price of empire. And

feature, with a worn face and a bald forehead. He had made enemies, and still made them, for he had not the art of suffering fools gladly; and, on the other hand, he made no friends. He had no sense of hum

ad, had been kept in ignorance. At times, indeed, some spokesman from among the merchants of Kohara, the city of Chiltistan w

!" the merchant would say; and Linforth would then proceed to demonstrate

traders from Turkestan and Tibet and Siberia, mingling with the Hindoo m

of Kohara seemingly well content, and inch b

nd polite and pretty ways. But treachery was a point of honour with them and cold-blooded cruelty a habit.

But the mother's delight lasted for just five days. She began to complain, she began to quarrel; the young wife replied, and the din of their voices greatly distressed the young man, besides making him an object of ridicule to his neighbours. One evening, in a fit of passion, both women said they would sta

came back to a house unfamiliarly quiet

in India proper. He heard of the growing power of the old Mullah by the river-bank. He was aware of the accusations against the ruling Khan. He knew that after night had fallen W

ur hours he led out a small force from his Agency-a battalion of Sikhs, a couple of companies of Gurkhas, two

he be i

and, too, in the clubs of Pall Mall, but nowhere with so passi

was her boy alone, who wandered along one of the wooden galleries high up above the river torrent, until a plank broke and he fell through with a piteous scream. Now it was her husband, who could go neither forward nor backward, since in front and behind a chasm gaped. But most often it was a man-a young Englishman, who pursued a young Indian along that road into the mists. Somehow, perhaps because it was inexplicable, perhaps because its details w

er dissociated from the dream. Often she rose from her bed and, kneeling beside the boy's cot, prayed with a pass

es of Kohara before he was stopped. In a strong fort at a bend of the river the young Khan with his wife and a few adherents had taken refuge. Luffe joined t

n was pressed on; a gre

Appleton was appoi

said official India,

ol, and yet Luffe had not suffered him gladly. All the more, therefore, did he hurry on the preparations. The force marched out on the new road to Chiltista