Part 29 (1/2)
”Do you kno many men Holm has with him at the Forza camp?”
”A score and a half Some of my people passed that way yesterday, when the soldiers were parading”
”And there are two more camps?
”There are two beyond the Nazri Pass, on the fringe of the Doorab hills
We call the places Khautlish have their own names for them”
Marker nodded
”I know the places They are Gurkha camps The officers are called Mitchinson and St John They will give us little trouble But the Forza garrison is too near the pass for safety, and yet far enough away for my plans” And for a ht
”I have another thing to tell of the Forza camp,” the chief interrupted
”The captain, the man whom they call Holm, is sick, so sick that he cannot reerous places, so a bullet of one ofto Bardur to-morrow Is it your wish that he be prevented?
”Let him come,” said Marker ”He will suit my purpose Noill tell you your task, Fazir Khan, for it is time that you took the road You will take a hundred of the Bada-Mawidi and put them in the rocks round the Forza cae, lest this man Holm dare not leave If I know the man at all, he will only hurry the quicker when he hears word of trouble, for he has no stoet out of it creditably So he will come down here to-morroith a tale of the Bada-Mawidi in arms, and find no ers I will have already warned the, and if, as I believe, they serve the Governrow below their feet till they get to Forza Then on the day after let your tribesmen attack the place, not so as to take it, but so as to arrison e men quiet; they will think that all ru of yours, and they will be content, and satisfied that they have done their duty Then, the day after, while they are idling at Forza, ill slip through the passes, and after that there will be no need for ruses”
The chief rose and pulled hiht ”After that,”
he said, ”there will be work for men God! We shall harry the valleys as our forefathers harried theive us a free hand, h,” said Marker ”But see that every word ofis done We fail utterly unless all is secret and swift
It is the lion attacking the village If he crosses the trap gate safely he e at his pleasure, but there is first the trap to cross And now it is your tiirdle, and exchanged his slippers for deer-hide boots He bowed gravely to the other and slipped out into the darkness of the court Marker drew forth soreat-coat pocket and spread the he had done a hundred tiain and traced his route anew, his action showed the tinge of nervousness to which the strongest natures at ti deeply, he shut up the place and returned to Galetti's
CHAPTER XXV
MRS LOGAN'S BALL
When Lewis had finished breakfast nextthe busy life of the bazaar at his feet, a letter was brought him by a hotel servant ”It was left for you by Marker Sahib, when he went away this retted that he had to leave too early to speak with them, but he left this note” Lewis broke the envelope and read:
/ DEAR MR HAYSTOUN,
When I was thinking over our conversation last night, chance put a piece of information in my hich you may think fit to use You know that I am more intimate than most people with the hill tribes
Well, let this be the guarantee of ot it, for I cannot betray friends So mischief The Forza camp, which I think you have visited--a place soes to be safe So to-eneral attack upon it, and, unless the garrison were prepared, I should fear for the result, for they are thescoundrels in the world What puzzles e for such a move, for lately they were very much in fear of the Govern from over the frontier You will say that this proves your theory; but to me it ot a could be done My duties take me away at once, and in a very different direction, but perhaps you could find souard I should be sorry to hear of a tragedy; also I should be sorry to see the Bada-Mawidi get into trouble They are foolish blackguards, but a
Yours most sincerely,
ARTHUR MARKER
Lewis read the strange letter several tie read it with difficulty, not being accusto frontier hand ”Jolly decent of hiive a lot to knohat to ame, but what the deuce it is I can't fathoet up to that Forza place as soon as we can”
”I think not,” said Lewis
”The man's honest, surely?”