ose, Sahib, the slayer of Amir Khan, in
accordance with my promise, is to go from our midst a free man. His
punishment has been left to Allah, the one God."

Without more ado he stretched forth his right arm impressively toward
the murky stream, that, where it rippled at some disturbance carried on
its bosom ribbons of gold where the sun fell, saying:

"Yonder lies the way, infidel, strangler, slayer of a follower of the
Prophet! Depart, for, failing that, it lacks but an hour till the sun
reaches overhead, and thy time will have elapsed--thou will die by the
torture. You are free, even as I attested by the Beard of the Prophet.
And more, what is not in the covenant,"--Kassim drew from beneath his
rich brocaded vest the dagger of Amir Khan, its blade still carrying
the dried blood of the Chief--"this is thine to keep thy vile life if
you can. Seest thou if the weapon is still wedded to thy hand. It is
that thou goest hand-in-hand with thy crime."

He handed the knife to a soldier with a word of command, and the man
thrust it in the belt of Hunsa. Even as Kassim ceased speaking two
round bulbs floated upon the smooth waters of the sullen river, and
above them was a green slime; then a square shovel just topped the
water, and Barlow could hear, issuing from the thing of horror, a
breath like a sigh. He shuddered. It was a square-nosed _mugger_
(crocodile) waiting. And beyond, the water here and there swirled, as
if a powerful tail swept it.

And Hunsa knew; his evil swarthy face turned as green as the slime upon
the crocodile's forehead; his powerful naked shoulders seemed to
shrivel and shrink as though blood had ceased to flow through his
veins. He put his two hands, clasped palm to palm, to his forehead in
supplication, and begged that the ordeal might pass, that he might go
by the bridge, or across the desert, or any way except by that pool of
horrors.

Kassim again swept his hand toward the river and his voice was horrible
in its deadliness: "These children of the poor that are sacred to some
of thy gods, infidel, have been fed; five goats have allotted them as
sacrifice and they wait for thee. They serve Allah and not thy gods
to-day. Go, murderer, for we wait; go unless thou art not only a
murderer but a coward, for it is the only way. It was promised that no
Pindari should wound or kill thee, dog, but they will help thee on thy
way."

Hunsa at this drew himself up, his gorilla face seemed to fi