The Old Man of the Mountain

man by the appearance of his friends, whom the so

cried as they came u

my life," Forrester replied.

ring behind the ear, had passed

ld be simply idiotic not to carry home the trophies

he?" Forre

d. "He's a queer sort of shi

ed, with a laugh. "Let's get back to camp, and send him up.

p, the Chinaman's strange word

s running with me, and after I had shot the elephant he began to tell me things--not in what Bob calls

h," Mackenzie put in.

ut just as he was getting to the most interesting part of his story, he suddenly broke off, whispered that the man was calling him, and looked as terrified as if he'd seen a ghost. I asked hi

ice him particularly," said Jackson. "

e if I can get more out of him presently. The other man doesn't know English,

ssurance that all danger was past. Hamid Gul was helping Sher Jang to re-erect the flattened tent. Near by, t

roached the tent, Sh

him. "Go up presently and cut him up. We'll

sahib," the

is not work

Why did not the stranger

do you

but he did not move. He sat there, and his eyes were fixed like glass. I thought: why is h

at did

me back like a blind beggar feeling his way through the bazar. Then the elder

tent up. Is t

ton," indicating Hamid, "wrung his hands and decl

en rose to his feet with a respectful salutation to the white men. Forrester acknowledged it, and, turning at once to the younger man, asked him to co

afraid of," Forrester urged.

muttered. "It was false. I beg yo

e a whisper; every word se

ter persisted. "Was your friend a servant in

terror or anxiety. The elder man did not return the glance, but stood bes

ng in his sleep. "I was excited after the great peril I had escaped, my m

be got out of the lad, Forrester

ere out of earshot. "What's the matter, Bob?" he

s were all a dream--a queer sor

lies? It looks as if he's mortally afraid of the other man, but I can't make it out, for the

to say anything,"

ster said with a laugh. "You'll

e worth watching," w

er of the march. Mackenzie asked Jackson to go a

what's your reaso

late the Chinkies from

s examination was, Macken

s of undulations, bare stretches of rock, here and there deeply fissured, alternating with thickly wooded valleys and dense jungle. Ever since they left Dibrugarh the party had been steadily climbing, and the higher they rose, the less their

distance. Forrester was already feeling very doubtful of the possibility of distinguishing the hills, when Sher Jang suddenly pointed to the eastern end of a smaller range that crossed the prospect perhaps twenty miles away. It was a precipice falling away abruptly to the general level from a

o round that range, then cut away northward to find t

said Jackson. "The falls can't be more than a day's march far

e only came across some natives we might ask them the

to form camp, M

ed it. Hamid told me the fellow asked where we were going, and why we

ons," said Forrester. "We are

, but I have my doubts. I would like well to see the back o

haven't

at about y

rrester asked with a laugh. "My

ddenly stood up, looked round him with an air of perplexity, then took a step in the direction of the

e about, ma

rester was silen

over there, goodness knows what for. The

ie. "Here, take a stiff dose of quinine

igo, if such it were, and after supper he l

he snowy range. They decided to continue their march until sunset, hoping that somewhere amid the scrub a suitable camping place would offer itself. So difficult was the passage now, that the party became mo

Hamid Gul followed them and Mackenzie appeared last of all. For a few moments his companions were too mu

the Chink

re?" Mackenzie

were contemplating their

uestioned them. The men could give no information. Once or twice they had lost sigh

te men looked