Literature.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 79, 7 April 1904, Page 4

Literature.

WOOING OP KASIM THH §&. -' STRANGLER. !§l (By George Griffith.) ?~ ' (Continued.) ". " Nay, it is but wonder," I re- * plied, bracing myself up and facing • him. " for this is a strange and terr.rible thing that thou hast told me. • • ~ ¥et, if thou, niy father, ait a serv-*-c-ant of the Goddess, who am I ftat ...my oars should be deaf when she r calls me ?" -' - That night I became a Thug, in a f secluded glade, deep in the jungle, .- surrounded by the chief man of our : bond, the sacrifices were ofered and * the ppayers made to the Uoddcas, ;' and I took the oath of the Strangkjrs ob the holy Koran and on the ■acred pickaxe, symbol of the unknown graves- into which our victims varnished. After that I ate the ~ goor, 01 consecrated sugar, and so devoted myself to the religion of slaughter as the enemy of the whole human race, saving only such tribes or sects as were exempted bythe laws

of our religion. When the riles were accomplished, my uncle annointed me on the forehead with red ochre, and put the roomal, the sacred handkerchief, em- . blem and instrument of our terrible profession, into my hands after he had tied a piece of silver in it with a large knot at one end. Then he showed me the use of it ; how I was to take the knot in my right hand and the other end in the then practised them on him until he tim's head from behind, and, when I had got it tight to force my knuckles into the spine of the ne«k, and, with two'swift wrenches from right to left, crush the wind pipe and break the spine. He first went '- through the motions on me, and I then practised them on him until he was satisfied that I used them properly; and at length a sheep was brought—a sheep of sacriflee. I threw the handkerchief over its head and -- with two wrenches, choked it and broke its neck ere it scarce had time ' to bleat. "Well done, Kasim !" exclaimed my uncle, as the aniraaf dropped dead, i' " truly thy face is bright in my eyes! '- Hadthat been thy father's enemy and " ~ mine he would have died without "** knowing it."' " And, therefore." I said quickly, and flushed with pride, " his depth *- would' haw been too easy for »uch \ an unsainted son of an unbelieving mother 1" "Yea, the easier for him the safer, tor thee, my son," he replicd.laughing, " and for all of us; for thou •' sauat res»embor»that, in such parsuite as ours, on th'e discretion »f oae depends the safety of all." In the afternooa of the next day V we went to Malwur and camped outside the gates; and, in asaordance y- with our custom, my uncle and liis ■ * chief men'went Into the town to !'. make enquiries as to the opportuntt- \ iea for tradiag and alse to learn • othe* things which were yet more " necessary to the work which we had In hand. We found that the news t which our spies had brought us three ? { ' days before was true, and that two [j. parties were setting out noxt day on •S a Journey to Nirnal, which is on Ihe V rive* ' Godaveret; and that one af , ' these was the parity of Mohun Kilos' da, the' Khfttal or Governor ofthe - towa, the man with whom my busi- •[ nass was to be—my first victim and S. the satlgfier of my vengeance. It so happened that the Nizam ef the country was at war just then, ', and had taken nearly all the soldiers away with him, wherefore llohun and his friends were glad enough, uf- '■' ter a little parleying, to bargain for the protection of such a strong and well equipped company as ours, for the country was disturbed by war, '- and away from the towns no one was safe. "That is he, Khaslm, my son !" ' said my uncle to me the next mornteg, pointing out to me a big bloabi ed Brahmin, who came riding out of town towards our camp, followed by two curtained carts carrying women, and an ox-waggon laden with his baggage. " In shallah '." I exclaimed, clenching my hands, " his breath is already in his mouth ! He is as good as dead. When shall it be, my father ?" " To-night,'' he said, "if the omens are favourable. The grave llggfen have already departed. If Bhowanse smiles on thee the enemy Qf thy father and thy mother has seen his last son "rise/' " Even so 1 May the hand of the . Goddess be'with" me I" I whispered, i as we went'forward to welcome our "', victim to the camp. We had a good day's trading the day before, and all was in order for beginning the march at once, while the morning was yet cool, and so, after exchanging compliments and presents with the notables of the town, we set' out. That night the Goddess vouchsafed no omens, and . our scouts came back to say that no suitable place for the graves had been found, aid so Mohua had another day's rospite. But the neat evening a jackass brayed on the right el our route and was answered by another on our left. It was' an omen of the best kind, and within an hour one of the scouts came back to tell my uncle that the diggers had found a (.pot after their L Bwir hearts, and that the 1 graves were already being dug. My heart leapt at their words, aid , I fingered the handkerchief tucked i» my girdle, and longed for the n.oment when it 'should encircle the thiok neck of the eaomy of my father aad my mother. I went aside by myself daring the neat hour, and tli** after ; tt«io I practised the ino- - -tions wtiioh my untie had taught me, until I was sure that my hands \ would do the bidding of my will. '=. That evening we camped beside one , of the small streams whioh rua inte i the great river, aad, as it was the I eve of a feast-day, my uncle invited : the travellers to an entertainment. We spsead our carpets isi a pleasant little glade. The women's carts and baggage waggons were drawn up at one end of it, shielded from view by a. partition of calico hung betwven the trees. We sat or recliied ia an irregular circle round the fire, eating and -, drinking and conversing. One of us f had taken a place behind each victim '■> —I behind Mohan, every nerve thrillj ing and every muscle stretched tight, even as;,the muselev of a tiger about f to spring. When the servants had taken, the last dishes away riy uncle arose, and looked round the circle. I knew that the moment wns near, and disengaged the handkerchief from my.girdle. I had just got it in the proper position, when my uncle called to a servant. "Fan Lap!" {bring beetle-leaf.) It.,was pie longed-for signal. Instantly every man save one had his handkerchief round his victim's neck. I drew, mine tight with twice my common, strength. There was a slight choking sound in my enemy's "" throat ah my knuckles went into his neck. . His head fell on one side and his big body rolled over. I had slain first the great Goddess. At the,, same. moment every other victim had'died'except one, the Jemadar or leader of Mohun's party, a very powerful man, and ho, by some mischance, had looked round just before the, fatal moment and saw the handkerchief go over the head of the man sitting, next him. He leapt to his feet jußt" in time, and roaring out at the top of his voice, " The StrangTerS:! The Stranglers ! We are lost; we are already dead !" ran leaping towards the women's carts. He wa» down with three of our men on top of. him before he had got halfway, and "old Housain, who had , been appartioned to him for execution, quickly had his handkerchief - round his throat and avenged the mischance that had made him, a prince of stranglers, a bungler among his comrades. K - Mow all this had taken place '(• r jkik a P?l m leaf might wave once f'ft » summer breeze, and yet scarce g-,was the voice choked out of the |T .Jemadar than the curtains of the wog&sM*aeartß were flung aside and the ■jai«Wwn and girls'sprang from them EHHjk-paming with terror. They burst HBgjpugh the thin calico partitions BlMg came running towards us, some their arms r» the air, and HP&r tearing wildly at their long

black hair. I Ball sprung to my feet at the alarm, but I was still c standing with the fatal scarf in my t hand !>,<. ihe body of Mohun when an t old v.vmon and a young girl came ( runnm;; towunls me, tho woman < dragging the girl by the hand. « "He is there ! He is there !" she i screamed, pointing to the corpse at 1 my feet, " and there Is his slayer, i Hie Strangle!' Kasim, who invited i him with such fair words to iceept i his hospitality ! Dog and son of a ' dog, may thy tongue be blistered, ' , and ihy murdering hands palsied, | and thine arms withered till they rot ', from thy shoulders ! May the tinsel of the widow and the fatherless fol- , low thee through a ihou.suiid incarnations ! I—who was rich an hour ago—thou has made poor and a widow, doomed to the suttee !" Then she flung herself down by the body, wailing and tearing at her hair, and all this I had seen and heard without heeding. Her curses had fallen on me as lightly as the first snows of Cashmere. I had no ears. Iwas all eyes ; for I was gazing at the maiden before me as a true believer might gaze I'or the first time at the beauty of tho houris of Paradise.

She was so beautiful that my heart turned to water as 1 looked at her—that heart which, a moment ago, had been beating with such fierce frenzy. My limbs, so lately strung tense, were like those of a new-born babe. My knees knocked together and my eyes swam, dazed by the glory if her loveliness. That moment my uncle came to me from the other si>>; of the glade and said : " That was well done, Kasim, and my eyes are glad to look on thee ; but it was a pity that Housain bungled, because of these women. Now we shall have to kill them, but the diggers must do it, for no truo Tiiug may lay the hand of violence on a woman. They sliall be buried together." " Slot this one—by the glory of Allah I swear it !" I cried, springing to the girl's side and throwing my arms round her, She, to my amazement, threw her aaatis over my shoulder and whispered : " Yes, kill her, as thou hast killed him ! He was my father f but she was not my mother, and she was taking me to sell me like a slave to the Governor of Nirmal, who might well be even his father. Give mc my life and save me from him, and I will be thy slave indeed." Never had man's ears hoard sweeter music than he* voice seemed to me as she whispered this in my ear, and I whispered back : " I will save thee, or lie with thee in the same grave to-aight ! Ia shallah, I have spokes!" Then I turned to my uncle and said still elasping the girl's trembling form to my side : " Fathoß of the Fatheriees, this night thou shalt take a daughter to thy heart or the morning shall see thee sonless !" He looked into my eyes, and read thero the firmness of my resolve. " I would not lose thee, Kasim," he said, almost softly, " aad the maid is fair and well-born: but thero Is only one way. She must herself make sacrifice to the (ioddess." Then he said to lies : " Maiden, thou and the woman here have learned what none but the true sons and daughters of the great goddess may know, Now take thy choice. Thou hast seen this woman mad* a widow, and so doomed by the law of her raste to burial with him, since for him there will l.e no funeral pyre to-night. Wilt thou make the sacrifice of blood to Bhowanee and so became her daughter and wonthy to wed tho youngest of her sons 9 Kasim, give her thy dagger. There is no other way if fliou would have her live, for the band would demand her life of me, and I could not refuse save at the cost of mine own." (To be continued).

WHOSE FAULT IS IT ? LET NEW PLYMOUTH PEOPLE I DECIDE THE QUESTION. When a fog horn warns the mariner to steer off tho coast, if he still hugs the shore and wreck upon it, whose fault is it ? If the red switch light is up and the engine driver deliberately pull ahead into another train, biame the driver. If a •areless workman will, in spite of warning, try to find out how many teeth a buzz saw has, and the saw tries to find out how many fingers the workman has, btame tho work-' man, not the saw. If New Plymouth people who have kidney complaint and backache will not take Boon's Backache Kidney Pills when they are endorsed by scores of citizens blame the poople, not the medicine. Mr DonaM Robertson, of Manaia, late toll-keeper, Junction Road, New Plymouth, says :—"For twenty years I was troubled with my kidneys, which caused me to sutler with very bad pains. At times these pains nearly crippled me. If I stooped I could scawely rise aigiain, and work was out of the question. I swallowed enough medicine to cure a dozen men, rightly taken, but it did ma no good. I tlien got Doan's Backache Kidney Pills at the Co-opera-tive Store, and these seemed to do me good right from the start, and a short course completely curtd my kidney trouble. 1 have other troubles with my health, and if I could get as eftectiTe medieioe tor then, M Doan .. < proved for ttoe kklnar. i woaM bequit. well. Everybody lound about Bimws wnat I soffcred all that I have no backache, t'hanke to Doan's Backache Kidney PlUs " ♦ J.' n"° « wb ««t!'te. Tou want the pills which Mr Rotortso. T commends, therefore see that the Ml name M the wrapper, aad lliSne WOrd " Baetacta * *■«« IS Doan's Backache Kidney Pill, .re fold by all chemist. md ,^ £•«■» at -V P* l " ** <"» °°*« 16s 9d) or will fe, post,*, on , wd of pnee by Foyter-McClellan Co <6 Pitt Street, Sydney, N.S.W But be sure they are DOAN'S