[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] THE INDIAN SWORD.
BY
AGNES BLUNDELL.
It was a fióe sword with jewelled hill and handsomely chase / blade.
"It is a quoor sword, too," said Major Mohon as he laid it on the table. It came from the hille yonder, and it has some of the Indian devilment in it. I boliere."
I looked at him onquiringly and said :
There a story?
He nodded. The night was wild with a strong wind blowing high ap, sud it was word, to hear it rashing and ro ring in the houvess, while the sheltered trees and bushes in the law, of the wall hardly stirred.
THE HONGKONG DAILY PRESS, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1910.
"He walked away. I was sagry with my. self for eren allowing that there could pos- ibly be anything in bis premonitions, bat my heart was heavy all the same,
That same day I went on on outpost Anty and heard no more of my frisad. A wook-later I rjoined the column. Clancy met me and daring me on one side, silently held out the
sword.
After a pause, he spoke harkily;
Bilverbilt, not with real stone, snake design, chased binde, I reported the words after him mechanically, almost unable to be Live! say, woman capable of this last perfidy. I perauated the fellow to tell me how he be came possessed of the sword. It had been sold to him by a lady, he at length admit ed
"Bat it was quite a private affair, sir,' he added hastily. I don't know as I should have mentioned it, but you seemed so interested like, thought it was yours perhaps, and you'd vent the gentlemen to buy it back on the quiet.'
What gentleman P I asked, wondering who had found the poor dishonoured word,
and sent it to me.
I had a hard night's work before me, and turning up my leaven I fell to work. Among those carried in was Clancy, badly hurt.
"Doctor," he called hoarsely, as I passed him. In the Major dome ir p I told him "No"
"Has any of ye se him" he enquired anxiously of everyone who drew near. Nobody had seen him; he had not been brought in with જેવો. the rounded--he had been rought in vain among
ther
Tho Major's out beyond there, sir," insisted Claasy, as I bent over him, raising his eyer bright with fover to my fase. They've left him out on the sand and you can hear thos beasts howlin"."
The poor Captain's gone, sir. He and me and a fow others went out in reconnoitre. "Twas the day you loft. We eat a bit too far and them devils at around us and blaned away at us from behind the boulders. The Captain
The gentleman as bought it, sir. He came
The jackals ories indead made my blood rau dropped at the first shot, but he shouted to to retire audene for," he in late last night. Walked straight in, he did, says, I'm hit. Take my sword to the and asked for the sword moribed the cold, and the feat porsaud mo that a yet more Major." We carried him some way, but he ole weapon. He didn't look at it (I'd get horrible fate might bodall the Major. Was to was dead when I lifted him, so we laid him it wrapped up), but just told me where to send those who fell alivo into the hands of the savage down under a bash and get back to camp. it. No, I didn't notios the gentleman partienhill people. Bat there was nothing to be done Next day we burieil him there on the veldt. larly, ai. I don't know as Isso his feco at all natil the morning
The whole night pour Clancy called brakenly "I took the sword in silence, and Clancy Not quite so tall as you, I shouldn't say, bat I This was poor Martin's," sil he. "You! Dank away, wiping his oren on his aleove. 'I didn't railly observé. He was just a ordinary for someone to see to the Major.
drow out Dick's fotters, and set myself to the sort of gentleman as far as I remember. heavy tank of writing to his mother and to the girl who was to hare son his bride. To the last I but broke the news of his death, and the will. The rest I could tell her whou I took home the word.
The Major sat with the sword across his kncos, ataring at it reflectively,
didn't know him, did you?**
No," I replied, and added, "Ho left it to you, I suppose, when he died?
No. he sent it home, but it came back to me
all the sno
79
Cariosity
"It i Not that either," said Mahon. quver story. I'll tell it you. This sword was given to Martin's father by a hill tribe he befriended. Haven knows where they got it from, I don't sappose young Martin and I had a single idos in common, but our people word neighbours, and we had always known each other; and had been to the same Boool; When Dick thongh he was a lot janier to me. joined, his mother wrote and naked me to look
"His family gave it to you?" prompted me to pursue my queries.
inethor's passionste
"This was all I could extract in reply to my queries, nor was I able thereafter to Bud the smallest clue among my friends and aejasint- anoes to the buyer of the worl
"It is goour that the same thing should happen twice I obarval, Bat it might be mere coincidenso after all."
"I heard in due course from poor Mra. Martin. In her letter rimers for having stood between her boy and his marriage, thereby darkening their last months fo gether, warred with feslousy of the woman who had engrossed his thoughts to the exclusion almost of herself. Eron his last lottor to hor, written in expec tition of death, was all abbat Mary from begining among ning to end..
Miss Freeman wrote to me niso a little
which did not tell me much.
ftor him: Ho was an idealistio sort of peace was declared and we camo
The old barrack backs were quite afraid of he treated them all as if they wore doleres with suplemished characters, and he thought one women an angel incarnato-pour-old 1s who wo were out in Dick Boalh
Africa merebing, having furer, got ting queer parcels from home, and having an oasional clap at the Boors A beastly wold night, I remember, with a steady drizzle of rain that farned the camp into a bog and blew about so that we could get no shelter We had lost pretty well everything as we pame along, and had come to look on tents as I could not sleep, for the bygone laxuries. void apl some confounded fellow snoring near by, but at last I dropped off. Tho zort thing knew was that soreano wer auking loved my eyes me and calling in my ear. with difficulty and sat up quite sick and stupid, groping vaguely for my belt and oursing the Beorn.
Don't make a cow--I only want to have a talk with you in quiot.".
Martin was standing over me. **Why, what's up, I growled, not in too good a bamour.
It bed ceasest raining, and was near dawn. A ghastly guy light shone from the East, and made the uy's face look lined an off. All renad us, wrapped in ragged mats and blankets, the man still s'øpt.
"I'll be done for to-night, anid Marlin in na odd voice.. I want you to tako charge of thess.
home. All the way over I was haunted by the thought of Dick in his shallow grave, and his mother and bride-clost his widow-whom had yet to face. The merrymaking on board jarred upon 10. bnay to think much, bat now that the stress was over. I could not get Martin out of bead. My home had been broken up years be
bat fore. I had not much to come back to, Dick! how different it would have beek for him! His adoring mother and sisters and his fandte woald have boon waiting on the quay to welcome him, and in the joy at his return all past griofs would have boca forgottan, and all barriers broken down, Yet I was returning whe had no home, and he slept alors under the southern stars
"My first duty when I reached London was * Miss Freeman, I eat out therefore, earrying Dick's last legacy. I threaded the crowded streets slowly, there seemed a flower stail at nearly every corner, and the scent of the lilies turned we sick.
I had hitherto been kept tos
to
"I'm commented the Major briedy. "I suppose Miss Froomen repented and to you"
out a friend to buy back the sword and take it
"No," he replied “she was not that sort," A few weeks later news came of mischief bre
certain horder tribe Major Mahon was ordered up country with a sinal de tachment to strengthen a hill fert, and I seron panied him.
It was the night before we started. The Major was the offer on duty that night and had been going the rounds.
The Kin's health was proposed as we were sitting in the anta-room, and as the Major rose with the rest, his sword leaped up out of the scabbard, and fell right across the table,
Clancy jumped as though he had been shot splashing me all over with wise. I turned to And dropped the decanter he had been carrying, swear at him, for a clumsy idiot, and saw that his face was a white se chalk, and his starting eyes fixed on the Misier
It was
Will moan of ye feteb him in? Maybe he's not dead at all,” he groaned.
As soon as the light camo I went back with s small company to the scene of the night's tasslo.
..
The nativas had not removed their dead, and the ground was strewn with horrible tropkios of the fight, and the savagos of boasts in the lack Bess. I fon ul the macie i urbes of two pricatos. who wore missing, but no sign of the Major.
"It is no use," said the subaltern who had accompanied me. " Either soms beast his drag- ged him off, or else or ise he hesitated to
sms the dreadful alternative
I straightened myself, and climbing i
A little mound, stood for a moment gazing about ma The sand dazed my eyes with its aitzing re- festions. Then southing abining with a brighter lustre than thoshimmering sind, eight glouce. I went hustily forward towards it. Something like a small erosa, seaming at first to be suspended in mid-air, but which I found on closer inspection supported by a standar, gaam. ing shaft, a sword staullug upright, paint downwards in the sand. Bononth it lag Major Mahon, stretched out as though asleep. I knelt nud touched him; he had been shot straight Biely through the breast, and must have died iuteii.
my
Looking up I noticed a queer thing. The tracks of small wild pawn wont to and fro, crossing and recossing each other all around the ajor's body, but a distance of some Everyone began talking at once.
very thickly, and there were amoured traces of strange how the sword had been jurked ita ir feet from it. They marked the ground whole length out of the scabbard, they all came bushy taf's where the beasts Iml sa and watched. monted on it, and comsons noticed how the spilt wine ran right norest the table over the On one side these ware anderlid by Muhon's sword, and called out that it was laoks. Allow footprints, since pattered over until scarce. immediatoly narroanding his resting-place, on the time the Major stood staring at the slotb, distinguishable matil they ached the area. and Claney, gazed at him without making on the other were my own fresh tracks, but the effort to assist his colleagues in repairing the
sand on which be lay was smooth and untrodden, damage.
noither man nor beait had been nigh him.
There stood the word naked in the morning light, unturaished by fleck or stain, how came it there The Major a blackened rarolver was still clasped in his right hand.
Young Brown picked up the weapon from among the broken glass, and wiped it on his napkin,
It's a beautiful blada, Major," said ke "Odd thing t should hop on to the table like
The controst still pursued me. How glad. ly would he have natened to hor, gathering up a hasty sheaf of flavors from one of the sellers on the way. I fondied I natually heard his swift sager stops bahind me, and turned, startled, but there was no one there. Instead that!"
It is odd," said the Major, as he drove the of flowers I bore o sword. · ·
Amaid-servaut answered my ring and sword slowly back into its sheath. It is my ushered me upstairs -I followed hor slowly-he death warrant," he added quietly, and left the would save pashad past and leaped up the top room was a good deal of astonishment at
The three at a time-Mary would have ran down to
Mahon's extraordinary heliaviour. meet him.
He held out some papora to me as lie spoke. ***What in hoesva's name are you awing about Ioried, rising and stretching myself.
***A serious matter, he replied soleanly. I entered the drawing-room and saw there never thought heres such o supersti
"After all, ha prob- have had the warning. I shall be dead to-night in the window two people a young woman and tins Johnoy," said one.
"I thought it was fover again, and caught waII.
table nothing, noty.
The man was
hold of his wrist, but his pale was steady. Diokhung round the girl'ering the pendantably caucht his belt' under the edge of the
palled his hand aw-3...
You think I'm a raving idiot, but I am not, said he, still in strauge subdued way, * Listen, as one sprake in a house of dosth. ho went on.
My father was told whom he reived this word that it would give him he death warning. 16 did. Do you recellest where it laug on the wall of the old smoking. room at home? Well, one night when he and I were having a pipe together, it leaped out of the scabbard and fall on the polished floor-I remember the later it thede. The Governor picked it up and told me about it, and swore me not to let my mother know. The boxt day his horne coine down and rolled on him-yo re member?'
"I did remember, and there ross before my mind the vision of the old sollier sanding for his sword and backling it on the young soldier at his side, with bands that failed and fumbled. Last night the sword leaped, Dick want on, clean out into the mid.
1 cursed him for a superstitious fool, ho threw out his hand to stop me, and continued in the same level nuomotional tone.
throat, bis face close to hape she was trug kring bill.
I want to speak to Miss Mary Freeman," said 1, Foreboding turned my heart coll
The girl adva pod and tapped kernelf on the breast with a giggle aixi a mook bow.
"Miss Mary Freeman? I stammered.
Yos, suid she, lan hing again.
FIN
I am Major Mahon, I annonce, and added as she stared at me Maskly Dick Martin's friend."
"Miss Freeman composed her features to a mournfal expression, and shook her bead sadly. She bid good-bye to the other man, and came towards me, ranning back, however, to will over the stairs to the departing guest that he was not to forget Thurs lay
other.
remarked an-
They clustered round the stove, for it was a raw night, and set od down comfortably to tolli stories of prosentiments.
There I left them and went to finish may pra marations for next morning's start.
This is an ugly place," said the Major. We were riding up a sort of onlly--bommed in on ons side by rocky cifts, down which webs. On the other hand, a hundred yards raggeil mats of creepers hung like giant cob- away, were steep shale slopes, headed by The girl whom Dick had loved was small tangled soreb. The road had been washed and slight, with masses of elaborately done away by a mountain stream swelled to a tor fair hair and gray oyes which did not light ront by the recent rains. It had dried up up with he ready smile. She was dressed in again as swiftly as it had rison, but the track
a light-coloured fummor frock. His wow-lay buried beneath tons of sand, which the bnt of course it was absurd to have expected to waters had swept down the hills in their pra
cipitona descont. find her in black.
Now, tell me all about it, plasse,' she mur mured, seating herself near me and casting
"My poor Dick!*
I have a erat dral to tell you, and do settle.down her large eyes. First of all read this,'
Marún tendered a sheet painfully scrawled
in the dim early light. It was his will, oor rolly drawn up. He bequeathed all his little capital to one Mary Freemax.
"I stared up netonished.
"My mother has the place, you know," he resumed. She makes me an allowance, but
Here is his sword, I remarked abruptly.
We buried the sword with him.
As SUPPLIED TO THE HOUSE OF LORDS AND HOUSE OF COMMONS
THORNE'S
OLD VAT
PART HAT DAS MANICA KY THE LATE MOSSEY KUBA
wr eruanase kah MAJ STEI SABAB NG TIMES OF
Before us, strewn with boulders, and baiford SCOTCH WHISKY.
trees and bushes, lay a long, even stretch of sand, through which the horses ploughed their way wearily from little hillock to valley, stambi
I hold it still, hating to give it up. My voicing over the hidden stones, and sinking deeply
sounded load and crade after the girl's soft one, I felt a strong disinclination to speak of Dick, and got the necessary words out with difficulty in short, har h sentences..
at every doundering step.
A few seconds later we were in the thick of Ery bush seemed to hold a loan brown form, every rook screened n rite. At Mahon's command we took cover behind a clump of His sword, she prompted gently "He wished me, to bring it to you. He tamerisk, from which we drove some of the She will be iny widow." The last words tribesmen. The oliff here sloped inward at an angle which protected us from shots from above. "She raised her dark lashes and gave a long We had had no intimation other than that there was trouble browing, no immediate outbreak had look.
"How sad she marmured, and sighed.boon looked for, so this attack was quite anez.
evidoutly, and were determined to intercopt as We must meet again, and talk about poor pected. The devils had bad news of our coming Dick. We both loved him, didn't we?'
this is all I have of my own to leave. It is hair to me wore of you.'
Tery little, isn't it?" he asked anxiously, enough for her to live on."
docil Lord, Dick! I cried. Is the your wife P
She was to have been,' he replied rather madly, 'But my mother didn't like the en- gagement, Mary is why, and she didn't an derstand her, Mary wood have married me with just what I had, hat I couldn't do it without my poor mother's consent. Shio pro mised if neither of us had changed when I came home she would not stand between US. We haven't changed, of course, but I shall
nerer ses home again now."
"I rose hastily. I don't know why I disliked Ko intensely to hear my rough old friendship coupled thus with her sentiment,
Whenever we Raw one of our antagonists we fired carefully, but unless we could locate our man pretty arcticably, we saved our m
Com again, Miss Freeman continued.munition. They lurked in ahelter waiting for When will you conce? On Thursday, do
"I bosted and uttered some reply, and would have taken my loro so, but she held out a small, appealing hand to mo, which I shook obediently, It had a clinging tosch, I could have flung it
from me.
Rubbish, my boy? I exclaimed, cher
·fully. You're a deal more likely to come
"One night, returning late from the club, I through the show alive than I am-erreilly found Joas, thin, parool-on my table. Its as you have such happiness waiting for you."
Martin's face, had softened werdorfully apprarnate caused my heart to beat faster. when he spoke of the girl. He pat his hind testily tearing apart the coverings of paper to his breast now, end half drew forth and uns I behold the well-known hilt of photograph. But the fase depicted there wax after all too sacred to be shown to her eye wen, mine; he put it back tenderly. As wor ing advanced all became stir and movement about ns, and presently Martin's servant, Clancy by nams, approached his master with a pot
Martin's sword.
Next morning in reply to my questipus my landlady told me the package had been handed in without any message.
*As I turned over the papers at my lonely breakfast & same in the marriage columu eaughs
Mary Fresioan!
night to fall before they male a rush, They must have been nearly three times ear num- Darknes advanced rapidly, and it seemed ber, and several of our party had already fallen. to our strained cars that stealthy movements took place all around as a fitful rastling among the thorns, a sinus motion in the fawny grasses.
Then saddenly the uncanny stillness was Our shots had been haaril at the fort, and thay broken by a shout from the top of the deflo were sanding us help. The Major held up a warning band, and pointed with a long forefinger to where a mass of dusky shadows bad grouped itself among the rocks, between un nod our comrades. Someone, startled by the sudden sound, had moved and revealed their locsity
Then there roug out together our answer-
coffee. Dick took it from him, and set it down is woman had taken poor Dick's love, in sheer, and the weird metallic serem absently on the wat ground.
Thoro followed uude the only rift between him and his mother that sononuced the hillmes's onset. We firel, that had troubled lus brief life, received his they rushed upon us, and the fort party ran down money, and manied another man within twelve the valley, yelling as they osme months of his death. His widow! Well, she a rough and tumble fight in the darkness. The wa struggling up towards our friends. Every knew her own unworthiness at least, she bad enemy trying to seattor us among the rocks, and
Come here, both of yon," said he, and witness this.
"He spread the paper on his knoo and siwned it carefully. I watched his brown head travel over the sheet and marked idly the bng Bear,
-where it had beon cut: by a cricket ball in the sent me back the sword constitutional man strove for himself, Some fell headlon
old days at Bobool.
As in a dream I eat my name beneath 'bi“, and then Clancy, gazing at his master with the dismayed eyes of a faithful dog, ensspel the stylo in his large awkward fingers and bending his bead very close to the paper, d-ly insaibed bis. I took the will and the letters Disk gare
in silence
I'd like Mare to have my sword, too," he said. If you can get hold of it afterwards, take it to ber.'
"I exportalated. If anything does should happen to you, old man, Mrs. Martin has the bost right to your father's sword."
You don't understand, Jin, he answered gently. Mary will be my widow,"
As hobbled along on my
my wound still bothered me that same down hidden gullies and got stabbed to death day, a fae pair of old duelling pistols in the and trodden down into the sand by the surging window of a pawnbroker's shop attracted me of hare brown feef. Corses rang out and cries Entering, an finding them on, closer inspection of man to man until the advance of the fort party up to my expectatios, Iphrohased them and drove the natives book into the scrub dead, the shopman to dispatch them to my. lodgings,
We had the pleasure of sending you a very handsome sword yesterday, sir, had we not?" se ved that individual, as he took down the address.
***I shook my head, when the words struck me with a new thought that made. my brain wel I steadied myself by placing a hand on the counter, and made him describe the wespon
1
We gathered up our wounded, and all we conld fiod of the dead, feeling with hand and foot about the trod lea sand. It was too dark to sse. There were several missing, but the sound of the tom tome beating in the villages above us, warned us to hasten to shelter before another attack was made. Wo, made all spoed we could, until the friendly guns of the fort the howling of the jackals down the valley. overad us, and even as we retreated we heard
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