FOR THE CHILDREN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13435, 13 March 1907, Page 9

FOR THE CHILDREN.

LIFE FOR LIFE IN THE HIMALAYAS.

A n?et over the Himalayas—a ted and angry sunset—ominous of coming storm. Just where two «-rocky- gorget met/ *' stood a tail young Englishman m fncw jacket and leather leggings, with !i u yU " °" i! ' fiboulder, " looking Joubtfully round him, as if uncertain which way to go. "This comes of going shooting when you don t know the country," he muttered. "1 ve lost my way, that's curtain, and I suppose that precious guide of mine has gone off for good; and this, is just the PAT 6 . here t,iat nice Mr. Kala Bagh (Black liger) and his gang of cut-throats might pounce upon nte any minute. Hullo! what is this? a dead man?" It seemed, in truth, as if the tall native, who lav half-buried in the snow that tilled a small hollow on the right, must, be either dead or severely wounded : for he lay quit* still, and the snow all round him was deeply stained with blood. His heart still beat, however; and the young officer, with the true Knglish instinct of helping anyone in distress, lifted and carried him into a rocky cave close by, which his quick eye had already marked out »s a handy shelter from the twining storm. The native—a man of the true Paharri (mountaineer) type, gaunt as ,i wolf, and all bone and sinew—had an ugly wound in his light shoulder, and a deep, ragged gash in ins left silk'. " No man ever did those," muttered the young soldier, with the air of an expert. 'There have been teeth and claws here. Re's been having a set-to with some wild beast or other, and I'll he bound he got the best of it; he. looks just that sort." So saying, he skilfully hound up the wounds with strips of the man's own clothJig. He proceeded to drop very cautiously, a . part of the contents of his pocket-flask into the helpless man's mouth. Ere long he hud the satisfaction of seeing [he latter open his eyes, and look inquiringly round him. Then he helped the stranger to sit tip, and, seeing that he now seemed able to understand what was said to him, told briefly, in fluent Hindustani, all that had passed. "Thou art Knglish, then? it is well," said the native. 'Truly Allah (God) hath put much valour into the hearts of the English unbeliever, and in brave men there is no treachery. Thou hnst saved my life, > md assuredly thou shalt not find me ungrateful." .. N?a "If yon think you owe me any thanks, show me the way hack to the Bn- ♦• tish camp, for 1 shall never find it by myself; and they say. too, that the Black ■■"•• Tiger is about here just now." " Hast thou ever met with the Tiger chief, then?" asked the Paharri, looking keenly at him. # - : . Never—and I don't particularly want " to meet him, for 1 hear he kills every Englishman ho catches." ■■■' " J "What woulds't thou do, did strangers invade thy land?" said tho other, pointedly. "But gladly will I guide thee till we come in sight of the ramp of thy people-*- -*> into it I: may not go." - v~-"~ . v "Can't, eh?' What arc you, then?.-* A.--•-'•* robber, I suppose?" - :--;•••> '; "I am," said the -man, with perfect col- - ness. " But how earnest thou hither with- *<•*" out a guide?" : > ■ ■;■* " I had one, but he has run away. He was a Paharri—by name Baba Ismail." His new friend told him that he had met »:«• a, bear on the hillside, and that his gun - being out of. order he .had attacked and *-•** slain the monster with his dagger alone; •■?'■" but in the death-struggle the */wounded* *-.•••' beast had fallen over a precipice, all Imt - dragging him along with it, and carrying; «&■ off in its carcass the trusty dagger, the' loss of which the Paharri seemed to think a far more serious matter. "What? did you really kill a full-sized boar with nothing but a dagger?" cried the rs, $ .young officer admiringly. "Well done, in- <'■ " "deed! I only wish I could say as much.'' r Such a warrior ought not to be without a weapon; take this one, and I'll be bound you will handle it well -••~ •'"■ : And he handed to his guest the nativo S tulwar (short sword) that he himself wore. '•"'' "Truly thou art a brave man and a. kind : man, young chief," said he heartily, an ha' " 'j grasped the young soldier's hand with an iron strength of which his spare frame gave ■'. no sign; "and assuredly there shall no harm come nigh thee so long as thou art with me—l vow it by the tomb of the ; .', Prophet!" . * ■■-' ;v' Sunrise next morning found the two ' ' strangely-met comrades on their way back to the British camp. '"; ;/.' They had crossed the ridge, and were just at the' foot of its further slope, when they discovered the body of the runaway guide, Baba Ismail! ' "Thus, said the hillman, with an air of stern contempt, "doth the judgment of God alight upon traitors!" " Traitors! ' echoed iJernott, " what do you mean?" "I mean," said the other, casting a ■ withering look at the corpse, " that this■■•> fellow who lieth there was but a jackal. Many a man hath he betrayed tothe Black Tiger," our hero started, again) " and after he forsook thee, he was coining straight to warn our band, when the justice of Heaven stayed his course, a*"'" thou seest." "Our band?" cried Fernottj "are you one of the Black Tiger's men, then?" It is a true word," said the Paharri, as • composedly as ever. "Tell me all about him, then," said F«r- - - nott; " I've never seen him yet, you know." The other at once began to relate various exploits of this Eastern Rob Roy, with, such lire and vividness that the absorbed listener was quite surprised when his guide , stopped suddenly, and pointed out, at tho ••• far end of the long, narrow, stony gorge that they were traversing, the tents' of the "... British camp. . "'■ ? f". "Here we part," he said, "may Allah send thee prosperity! ' ,'•"/' " Here, stop a bit .'" cried Fernott, catching him by the arm a.s he turned to go; "we mustn't prut like this, you know. Round the angle of the' cliff camo ill at once a score of Goorkha riflemen, at right of whom the Paharri sprang hack igainst the rock, and, drawing' his only weapon (the short sword given him by our hero), stood grimly at hay. • The Goorkhas (who had started visibly is they caught sight of him) brought their rifles to their shoulders as if to shoot him iown on the spot; but the young officer sprang between, and sternly "waved them back. "Stay!" cried he; "this man has proved himself my friend!" "Your friend, indeed? A nice friend/ to be sure!'' said a deep voice from behind, which was that of Edward Fernott's jwn father, the colonel of the regiment. "Why. you young idiot, dp you know who lie is?" "Well, I know he's a robber, of course; Hit- " "A robber! As if that was anything! IrVhv. he's the Black Tiger himself!" "What!" cried the lieutenant, starting as if stung, "are you really the Black Tiger?" " Even so; and thou shalt see how a :iger can die.'' But just then pressed to the front a small, wiry, keen-eyed man, with crisp prawn hair just- beginning., to turn grey*, . 'or whom everyone made way respectfully;, 'or he was no other than the general in .ommand of the expedition. One glance at the Black Tiger {whom h* <new at once) told him the whole story 5 md his voice rang out clear and commanding through the gloomy silence. . " Chief the Paharris! hear my words, foi . , hou knowest my name, and I know thiuc. We war not with thee and thv people, but with the Afghans, who are thy foes;, arid, 7 jladlv would I see thee fighting on'outside against them. Such warriors as thou and thine are worthy of a great reward, ■ and great shall their reward be, Whai savest thou?" '.'"" , - -<|v£ • With certain death on one'side, and the' i >ffer of high pay on the other, the Block ,'. L'iger did .not take long to. make- up"his' . nind ; and most valuable allies did he aad> bis nicy, prove to be,