Arizona republican. [volume], April 26, 1914, SECTION TWO, Page PAGE EIGHT, Image 18

About Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930

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THE ARIZONA REPUBLICAN. SUNDAY MORNING, APRIL 20, 1014
PACE EIGHT
(BY HAROLD MACGRATH)
SYNOPSIS OP PRBVIOl'S CHAPTERS. .
Kathlyn Hnro hrllevea her father. Col. Hare, to be
I. dire peril In Allah., . W
KIok of Allaha baa recently died, and beeanae the
rolonrl bad once eaved hie life be name, him aa Ma
successor. I mballah, pretender to the throne of
Allaba. love, Kathlyn and baa forced a messase anm-
monlnic her to her father, whom he baa thrown into
muiuu
prison.
She leavea ber hone la California to so 10 j
"es
him. ,
Vpon ber arrival la Allaba abe la Informed by la.
ballah that her father, belnjridead, ahe la to be queen,
and muni marry blm forthwith. Her refuaal Infnrl
atra him, but aa Kathlyn'a beauty and aplrlt have
made a atroag- apnea! to the people be yield the
....in, . ao ln belna-. A vHoat annouucen that no
w oman muy rule unmarried, . but 'beeanae the young
qurrn la not conversnnt with the dawn of the atate
ahe will be aiven seven daya to dedde.
When Kathlyn -reltertea,V the: expiration of the
week of trior, her reuaal toljnarry'rmbalUb, ahe re
reives aentenoe from the anpremeVtrtbunal jthat ahe la
to undergo two ordeala vrltnwrlld'vbennta. If ahe aur
Tlvra she la to be permitted to rule wtthoutfhlndraace.
John Bruce, an American and i fellow passenger on
the boat which brought Kathlynito Allaha.! saves ber
life. The elephant' which earrlea ber from i the acene
of her trials becomea frightened and "ins away, aep
aratlng her from Bruce and the rest of the. party.
After a ride filled with peril ahe takes refuge In a
ruined temple. The holy men, and villagers believing
her to be an ancient prlesteaa risen from the tomb,
allow her to remain na the guardian of r the sacred
Are. But Kathlyn'a haven i la also the abode of a
Hon. and abe Is forced to flee from It, with .-the aavage
beast la pursuit. She escapes and finds a retreat In
the Jungle, only to fall Into the) hands off a band of
slave tradera.
The photo-drama eorretponding to the installment of
"The Adventure of Kathlyn" may 'now le teen at a
number of the leading moving picture theater. By thit
unique arrangement trith the Selig Polytcope' company it
i therefore pottible not only to read " The Adventure
of Kaitiyn" in thii paper but alto to keep pace tcith
ach iyttallment of it at the -moving picture theater.
Copyright: 1914: By Harold Mac Grath.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SLAVE MARKET".
HAVING decided upon the '.fate of KaHflyn, the
native set about recapturing the .wild elephant. '
It took the best part of the morning. When tbi
was accomplished i the journey to Allaha was
begun. But for the days of. peace and quietof j the wil-
derness and the consequenthardness ofiher flesh, Kathlyn
would have suffered greatly. Half the time ahe: was com
pelled to walk. There were no bowdahs, and it was a
difficult feat to Bit back of the mahout The rough skin
of the elephant had the same effect upon the calves of
her legs that sandpaper would have. bad. Sometimes she
stumbled and fell, and was rudely jerked i to her feet.
Only the day before they arriTed was she i relieved in
any way: she was given a litter, and in thia-manner'nhe
entered the hateful city.
In giving her the litter the chief mahout had been in
spired by no expressions of pity ; simply they desired her
to apprar fresh and attractive when they carried her into
the slave mart.
In fitful dreams all that had happened came back to
her the story her father had told about saving the old
king's life, and the grim, ironical gratitude in making Col.
I fare his heir as if such things could be! And then
her own journey to Allaha ; the nightmarish durbar dur
ing which she had been crowned ; the escape from the
ordeals with John Bruce; the terrors of the temple of
the sun; the flight from there . . . John Bruce!
She could still see the fire in his eyes; she could still
feel the touch of his gentle yet tireless hand. Would ahe
ever see him again?
On the way to the mart they pawed under the shadow
of the grim prison walls of the palace. The elephants
veered off here into a side street toward the huge square
where horses and cattle and elephants were bought and
"sold. The litter, in charge of the chief mahont, pro
ceeded to ihe slave mart." Kathlyn glanced at the wall
wonderingly. Was her father alive? Was he in some
bleak cell behind that crumbling masonry? Did he know .
that she was here? Or was be really dead? Ah, perhaps
it were better that death 'should have taken him better
that than having his living heart wrung by tha tale of
his daughter's unspeakable miseries. 1
Even as she' sent a last lingering look at the prison the
prisoner within, his head buried in his thin, wasted
hands, beheld her in a viicn but in a happy, joyous
vision, busying about the living room of the bungalow.
And far away a younger .nun beheld a vision as Very
tenderly he gazed at Kathlyn's discarded robe and re
sumed his determined quest. Often, standing beyond his
evening fires'." he would .ask this silence, "Kathlyn. where
are you?" Even then he M tiding fast toward Allaha.
A skive mart is a rare. tfciaaT in these days, but at the
time these scenes were frying enacted there existed many
of them here and there acrosa the face of the globe.
Men buy and sell men and women in these time's en
lightened, so they say but they do it by legal contract or
from vile hiding places.
Allaha had been a famous mart in its prime. It had
drawn the agents of princes from all over India. Persia,
Beloochistan, Afghanistan, and even southern Russia had
been rifled of their beauties to at'orn the zenanas of the
slothful Hindu princes.
The slave mart in the capital town of Allaba stood in
the center of the bazaars, a great square platform with a
roof, but open on all four sides. Here the slaves were
exhibited, the poor things intended for dalliance and those
who were to struggle and sweat and die under the over
seer's lash. - t
' Every fortnight a day was set aside for the business
of the mart. Owners and prospective buyers met, chewed
betel nut, 'smoked their hookahs, sipped coffee 'and tea,
- and exchanged the tattle of the hour. It was as much
an amusement as business; indeed, it was the oriental
idea of a club, and much the same things were discussed.
Thus Appaji bought a beautiful girl at the last barter,
and Roya found a male who was good juggler, and
only night before last they had traded. The bazaars were
not what they used to be. Dewan Ali had sold his wife
to a Punjab opium merchant. Aunut Singh' daughter
had run away with the son of a bhisti. All white people
ate pig. And no one read the slokas, or moTal stanzas,
any more." Yes, the English would come some day, when
there would be enough money to warrant it.
AH about there were barkers, and fruit sellers, and
bangl wallas (for slave girls should have rings of rupee
silver about their ankles and wrists), and solemn Brah
mins, and men who painted red and ochre caste marks
on one's forehead, and ash covered fakirs with withered
hands, nautch girl's, girls from the bazaars, peripatetic
jewelers, kites, and red headed vultures this being a
proper place for them.
The chief mahout . purchased for Kathlyn a beautiful
sarw or veil, which partially concealed her face and hair
'cbalu !" he said, tout-bin Kathlyn's shclder, when-
'
fr she lagged, for they had dispensed with the litter,
"ftJ0 on '
, Sue undei-stood. Outwardly she appeared passive
.( , .,
fnoliirh. tint llpr snni wnson tiro nnti lior U nnt
- -
those of the circling, swooping kites, watching for that
moment which was to offer some loophole. On through
the noisy bazaars, the object of many a curious remark,
Sometimes insulted by the painted women at the windows,
sometimes jested at by the idlers around tl merchants'
booths. Vaguely she wondered if some fue of her an
cestors had not been terribly wicked .and that she was
paying the penalty. '
It seemed to her, however, Oat a film of steel had
grown over ber nerves ; noting startled her ; she sensed
only the watchfulness shed often noted in the captives
at the farm. '
At length they caie ollt jnto the busy mart. The old
mahout congraturfd himrelf upon the docility of his
find. It woul 'stiffen the bidding to announce that Hie
was gentle. e even went so far as to pat her on the
shoulder. 'ibe steel film did not cover all her nerves
it would seem ; the patted shoulder was vulnerable. She
winced, for she read clearly enough what was in the
mind ba'ck of that touch.
She had made ber plans. To the roan who purchased
her she would assume a meekness of spirit in order to lull
his watchfulness. To the man who purchased her . . .
Kathlyn Here! She laughed. The old man behind her
nodded approvingly, b?aring the sound but not sensing
its import. Ah, when the moment came, when the fool
who bought her started to lead her home, she would be
guile him and at the first sign of carelessness she would
trust to her heels. She knew that she was going to run
os never a woman ran before; back to the beasts of the
jungle, which at least made no effort to molest her so long
as as she kept out of their way.
Wild and beautiful she was as the old mahout turned
her over to a professional seller. ..
" Circassian !" . r ''
" From the north !" ' ,
"A bride from the desert!" ''
" A yellow-hair !" ...
"A daughter of ihe north sas!"
The old mahout squatted close by and rubbed his bands.
He would be a rich man that night; bags of rupees; a
well thatched house to coer his gray hairs till that day
they placed him on the pyre at the burning ghat. The
gods were good.
Durga Ram, familiarly known as,. I'mballah, at this
hour came forth into the sunshine, brooding. He was not
in a happy frame of mind. Many things lay -heavy upon
his soul; but among these things there was not one
named remorse. To have brought about all these failures,
this thought irked him most. Here was a crown almost
within reach of his greedy fingers, the water to Tantalus.
To have underestimated this yellow haired young woman,
he who knew women so well there lay the bitter sting.
He had been too impetuous ; he should have w aited till
all her fears had been allayed. That spawn of Siva, the
military, was insolent again, and. rupees to cross their
palms were scarce. Whither bad 'she blown? Was she
dead? Was she alive?
The white hunter had not returned to bis camp yet,
but the sly Ahmed was there. The perpetual gloom on
the face of the latter was reassuring to I'mballah.
Ahmed's master had not found her. To wring 'lie white
man's heart was something. He dared not put him out
of the way ; too many knew. ,
And the council was beginning to grow uneasy. How
long could he hold them in !easb?
What a woman! As magnificent as the daughter of
Firoz, shah of Delhi. Fear she knew not. At one mo
ment he loved her with bis whole sou1, at another he
hated her, longed to get her into his bands again, to
wreak his vengeance upon her for the humiliation she
had by her wit and "courage heaped upon him. "I am
ready!" He could hear it yet. Wb.;n tliey had ledger
away to the ordeal's "I am ready!" A woman, and
not afraid to die!
Money! How to get it! He could not plunge bis band
into the treasury ; there were too many about, too nr.iny
tongues, 3ut Col, Hare k,m?w where the silver basket
, so
J ' t V HittM wS Ikfifli 1
1 A 'W'l P3g nm fx mi? c?-tt w&l:
fi - - m yl'iiifc fkli I wn if &
. . . . . .- - C7
lay hidden, heaped wjth gold and precious stones; and
torture could not wring the hiding place from him. May
he be. damned to the nethermost hell! Let him, Durga
Ram, but bury his lean hands in that treasure, 'and
Naraka swallow Allaha and all its tings! Rubies and
pearls and emeralds, and a. far country to idle L to be
feted in, to be fawned upon for his riches'.
And Ramabai and his wife, Ptindita, let them beware ;
let them remain wisely in their house and meddle not
with affairs of Btate.
" A thousand rupees !"
Umbalkih looked up with a start. Unconsciously he
had wandered into the slave mart. lie shrugged and
would have passed on but for the strange, unusual figure
standing on the platform. A golden haired woman with
neck and arms like Chinese bronze and dressed in a skirt
of glass! lie paused.
"Two thousand rupees!"
" What!" jeered the professional seller. " For an houri
from paradise? O, ye of weatv hearts, what is this I hear?
Two thousand rupees? for an houri fit to dwell in the
zenana of heaven !''
A keen eyed Mohammedan edged closer to the platform.
He stared and sucked in his breath. He found himself
"Half the time she was compelled to walk-"
pulled two ways.
He had no money, but be had knowl-
edge.
" Who sells this maiden?" he asked.
" Mahomed Ghori."
" Which is he?'
' He squats there."
The Mohammedan stooped and touched the old mahout
on the shoulder. ' .
'Call off this sale, and my master will make you rich'."Va
The old sinner gingerly felt of the speaker's cotton
garb. "Ah! 'My master' must be rich to dress thee in
cotton. Where is thy gold? Hid," satirically.
."Two thousand rupees!" shouted the professional
seller. .
" I have no gold, but my master w ill give 10 000 rupees
for yonder maid. Quick! Old fool, be quick!"
" Be gone, thou beggar '." And the old man spat.
" Memsabib," the Mohammedan called out in English,
" do not look toward me, or all will be lost. I am Ali,
Bruce Sahib's chief mahout; and we have believed yon
dead! Take care! I go to inform Ahmed. Bruce Sahib
has not returned."
Kathlyn, when she heard that voice, shut ber eyes.
I'mballah had drawn closer. There was something
about this half veiled slave that stirred his recollection.
Where bad he seen that graceful poise? The clearness
of the skin, though dark ; the roundness of the throat
and arms. ...
"Three thousand rupees!"
The old mahout purred and smoothed his palms to
gether. Three thousand rupees, a rajah's ransom! He
would own his elephant; his wife should ride in a gilded
palanquin, and bis children should wear shoes. Three
thousand rupees! lie folded his arms and walked gently
to and fro.
"Five thousand rupees!" said I'mballah, impelled by
be knew not what to make this bid.
A ripple of surprise ran over the crowd. The regent,
Ihe powerful Durga Ram, was bidding in person for bis
zenana.
Kathlyn's nerves tingled with life again, and the sud
den bounding of her heart stifled ber. I'mballah! She
was surely lost. Sooner or later be would recognize her.
The mahout stood up, delighted, lie was indeed for
tunate. He salaamed.
" Huzoor, she is gentle," he said. '
The high caste who liad bid .1.000 rupees salaamed also.
" Highness, she is yours," he said. " I cannot bid
against my regent."
It was the custom to mark a purchased slave with the
caste of her purchaser. Vinbnllah, still not recognizing
her, waved her aside toward the Brahmin aste markers,
one of whom daubed her forehead with a yellow triangle.
Her blue eyes pierced the curious brown ones.
" The sahib at the river," she whispered in broken
Hindustani. "Many rupees. Bring him to 'the bouse of
Durga Rain." This in case Ali failed. '
The Brahmin's eyes twinkled. '.Her IKud.'.stani was
execrable, hut "sahib" and " river " wnv plain' to hi
understanding. There was but one sahih l the river,
and he was the white hunter who lad refer od the van
ished queen from the ordeals. He nodded almost imper
ceptibly. Inwardly he smiled. He was not above giving
the l.'.iughty upstart a Thugee's twist. H- spoke to his
neighbor quietly, assigned to him his bowls and brushes,
rose, and made off.
" Follow me." paid I'nihallah to the happy mahout.
Presently he would have his bags of silver, bright and
twinkling.
Fate overtook AM, who in bis mad race to Hare's
camp fell and 1'idly sprained his ankle. Moaning, less
from the pain than from the attendant helplessness, he
was carried into the hut of a kindly ryot and there
ministered to.
The r.raliiiiin. however, filled with greed and a sly
humor, reached his destination in safety. Naturally cun
ning, double tongued, sly, ingratiating, after the manner
of all Rrahniins. who will sink to any base level in order
to attain their equivocal ends, bis actions were unham
pered by any sense of treachery toward I'mballah. A
Thugee's twist to the schemes of the. street rat I'mballah,
who wore the Brahmin string, to which he had no right!
The Itrahmin chuckled as he paused at the edge of
P.ruce's camp. A fat purse lay yonder. He approached,
ills outward demeanor a mixture of pride and humility.
P.ruce bad returned ltd half an hour before, mind
weary, bone tired. He sat with bis bead in his hands,
ills elbows propped upon bis knees. His young heart
was heavy. He had searched the bewildering jungle as
one mi!;lit 'search a plot of grass before one's door, blade
by blade. A huudn d times he had found traces of her ;
a hundred tiiiies be had called out her name, only to be
mocked and gibbered at by apes. She had vanished like
P"1""- likp ?.''--d shadow in the wind.
illa soul was hitler; for he had built many dreams,
and always this fair haired girl bad ridden upon them.
So straight' she stood, o calm in the ee, mannered with
that gcntl'Micss known of the brave. . . . (lone, and
skilled he was in junsle lore, be could not find ber.
" Sahib, a Brahmin desires audience."
"Ask him what he wants."
" It is for the sahib's ear alone." s
"'All! Bring him to me quickly."
The Brahmin approached, salaamed.
" What do you w ish?" Bruce asked curtly.
"A thousand (rupees, Iluzoor!" blandly.
"And what have you that is worth that many rupees?"
irritably.
The Brahmin salaamed again. " Huzoor. a slave this
day was purchased fiy Durga Ram, I'mballah, so-called.
She has skin the color of old tusks, and eyes like tur
quoise, and lips like the name of the jungle,' and hair like
the sands of Canges, mother of rivers."
Bruce, was up m his feet, alive, eager. He caugbt the
Brahmin by tbe arm,
" Is this woman white?'' harshly.
"Huzoor, the women of Allaha are always dark of
hair."
" And was sold as a slave?"
"To Durga Ram, the king without a crown, Huzoor.
It is woTth a thousand rupees." smiling.
"Tell me," said Bruce, stiliinz the tremor in his voice,
" tell me. did she follow him without a struggle?"
" Yes. But would a struggle have done any good?"
Bruce took out his wallet aud counted out a thousand
rupees iu Bauk of India notes. Now, listen. I'mbalkih
tin ist not know that I know. On your head, remember."
'Huzoor. the wor 1 of a Brahmin."
"Ah. yes; but I have lived long here. Where is Ali?''
cried Bruce, turning to one of bis men.
" He went into the city this morning, sahib, and has
not returned."
"Come," said Bruce to the waiting Brahmin, "we'll
return together." He now felt no excitement at all; ic
was as if he had been immersed in ice water. It was
Kathlyn. not the least doubt of it, bought and sold in the
slave mal t. Misery, degradation . . . then he smiled.
He knew Kathlyn Hare. If be did not some to her aid
quickly she -would lie dead. '
Now when I'mballah took her into his house Kathlyn
was determined to reveal her identity. She bad passed
tlr uigb the ordeals : she was in law a queen, with life
a:id death in her hands.
"Do not touch me !" she cried lowly iu English.
I'niliallnh stepped back.
" I am Katblyn Hare, and if all the world is not made
up of lies and wickedness 1 am the (jueen you yourself
made. I can speak a few words, enough to make myself
known to the populace. I will make a bargain with you.
I will give you five times five thousand rupees if you will'
deliver me safely in I'e'shawer. On my part, I promise to'
say nothing, nothing."
I'mballah raised both his hands in astonishment. He
knew now why that form bad stirred bis recollection.
" You !" He laughed and clapped his hands to summon
his servants. Kathlyn, realizing that it was useless M
attempt to move this man, turned and started to run. hut
he intercepted her. " My queen, my bride that was to bei
the golden houri! Five times five thousand rupees wouli
cot purchase a hair of your head."
"I am your queen!" But 'she -aid it without heart. ;
" What! Do you believe that? Having passed the on
deals, you nullified the effect by running away. Yo
will be whatever I choose! O, it vill be legally done
You shall go with me to the eouiicil, and the four of u'
shall decide. Ah, you would not lie my wife!"
" You shall die, Durga Ram," she replied, '' and it wi!!
be the death of a pariah dog."
"Ah! Still tliat spirit which I li ved. Why, did I no)
buy you without knowing who you were? Are you no'
mine? At this very moment 1 'ould place you in rat
zenana, and who'TouId ever know? And soon you woulc
not want any one to know."
" Are you without mercy?"
"Mercy? I know not the word. But I have an ambi'
tion which surpasses all other things. My wife you shall
be, or worse. But legally, always legally!" He laughed
again and swiftly caught her in 1 is arms. She struggles
like a tigress, but without avail. He covered her fact
and neck with kisses, then thrust her aside. "Poor little
fool! If you had whined and whimpered I should have
let you go long since. But there burns within you a spirit
I must conquer, and conquer I will !"
Kathlyn stood panting against a pillar. Had she held
a weapon in hpr hand she would Lave killed him withoeS
compunction, as one crushes a poisonous viper.
" Legally ! Why. all the crimes in Hind are done unde
that word. It is the shibboleth of the British Raj. Le
gally! Come!"
" I will not Ftir !" '
" Then be carried," be replied, Reckoning his servants.
" No. no !"
" Ah ! Well, then, we'll ride togethr in the palanquin."
To st-ticglc wo::! 1 reward her with nothing but shame
and humiliation, so she bent her head to the inevitable.
A passionate longing to be revenged upon this man began
to consume her. She wanted the feel of his brown throat
in her fingers; wanted to beat him d iwn to his knees, to
twist and crush him. But she was a woman and she had
not the strength of a man.
"Behold!" cried I'mballah later, as he entered the
presence of the council, "behold a slave of mine!" He
pushed Kathlyn forward. "This day I bought her for
five thousand rupees."
The council stirred nervously.
" Do yon not rec.ignize her?" exultantly.
The council whispered to one another.
" Legally she is mine, though she has been a queen.
But by running away she has forfeited her rights to the
law of the ordeals. Am I not right?"
The council nodded gravely. The;- had not yet wholly
recovered from their bewilderment.
"On the other band, her identity must remain a secr?t
till I lave developed my plan's," continued I'mballah.
"You are all courting a terrible reprisal," said Kath
lyn. "I beg of you to kill me at once; do not prolong
my torture, my misery. I have harmed none of you, but
you have grievously harmed me. One even now seeks aid
of the British Raj ; and there are many soldiers."
The threat was ill timed.
The Iliad of the council said to I'mbaKah : " It would
be wise to lock her up for the present. We all face a
great complication."
"A very wise council," agreed I'mballah, knowing that
he had but to say the word to destroy them all. "And
she shall have company. I would not have her lonely.
Come, majesty; deign to follow your humble servant."
I'mballah salaamed.
Kathlyn was led to a cell in the palace prison, whose
walls she had but a little while ago viewed in passing,
and thrust inside. A single window admitted a faint
light. I'mballah remained by the door, chuckling softly.
Presently, her eyes becoming accustomed to the dark,
Kathlyn discovered a man chained to a pillar. The man
suddenly leaned forward.
" Kit. my Kit!"
" Father !"
She caught him to her breast Lj her strong young arms,
crooned to him. and kissed his matted head. And they
stood that way for a long time.
At this very moment there appeared before the council
a wild eyed, disheveled young man. How he had passed
the palace guard none of them knew.
" A white woman was brought into this room forcibly
a few minutes ago. I demand her! And by the God of
my father I will cut out the. heart of every one of you if
you deny me! She is white: she is "of m race!"
"There is no white woman here. Bruce Sahib."
"You lie!" thundered the young man.
Two guards came in quickly.
" I say yon lie! She was seen to enter here!"
"The man is mad! Besides, it is sacrilege for him to
enter our presence in this manner." cried one of the
council. " Seize him !"
A fierce struggle between the guards and Bruce fol
lowed : but bis race to the city and the attendant excite
ment had weakened him. He was arried away, still fight
ing manfully. -
In the meantime I'mballah concluded that the reunion
bad lasted long enough. He caught Kathlyn roughly by
the shoulder and pulled her away.
" Behold. Colonel Sahib ! Mine! I bought her this day
iu the slave mart. Legally mine! Now will you tell nie
where tl.at silver basket lies hidden, with its gold aud
game?"
" Father, do not tell him!'' warned Kathlyn. "So long
as we do not tell him he does not put us out of the, way !"
" Kit !"
" Dad,- poor dad !"
" Little fool!" said I'mlallah.
Kathlyn struggled to reach ber father again, but could
not. I'mballah folded bis arms tightly about her and at
teaipted to kiss her. This time her strength was super
human. She freed her hands and beat him in the face,
tore his garments, dragged off his turban. The struggle
brought them within the radius of the colonel's reach.
The prisoner caught his enemy by the throat, laughing
insanely. - . 5
Now, you black dog, die !" '
TO BE COSTINUBD, "5