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And she kissed Will on the mouth in full view of all of us, he blushing furiously, and Kagig cracking all his finger-joints. "Go with her, Will!" urged Monty, as she disappeared down the steps. "Go and save yourself. You're young. I've notions of my own that I've inherited, and the world calls me a back number. You go with Miss Vanderman!" I seconded that motion. "Go with her, Will!
So we closed up with him, and he repeated to us what he had evidently said before to Monty. "Maga says I let her go scouting she says she met a man who told her that Miss Gloria Vanderman and a party of seven were attacked on the road, but escaped, and now have doubled on their tracks so that they are far on their return to Tarsus." Rustum Khan met Monty's eyes, and his lips moved silently.
We'll find Miss Vanderman tired of waiting for us with the women. Since when has a crack on the shin made a baby of you? You used to be tough enough!" "D'you get the idea?" chuckled Fred. "We're coming, Will, we're coming." Perfectly unconsciously Will took the lead, and most outrageously he drove us.
There was a second of indecision during which the Armenians consulted their women-folk, in two minds between snatching Miss Vanderman out of our reach or discovering first what our purpose might be. I took advantage of it to slip down the stone stairs behind them. The opening in the castle wall was easy to find, for the star-lit sky looked luminous through the hole.
"If you'd said less I'd have skinned you for an ingrate!" Fred announced. "Monty is a man men love." Miss Vanderman nodded. "Where is he?" "On the way to a place called Zeitoon," answered Will. "He's a hostage, held by Armenians in the hope of putting pressure on the Turks. Kagig the Armenians, that's to say let us go to rescue you, knowing that he was sufficiently important for their purpose."
"I am Maga Jhaere," she said slowly, addressing Gloria. "Who are you?" "My name is Gloria Vanderman." "And that man beside you who is he?" Gloria did not answer. Will looked more embarrassed than the devil caught in daylight, and Fred recovered his mental equilibrium sufficiently to chuckle. "Is he your husband?" "No." "Then what you want with 'im?" No one said a word.
With my clothing nearly torn off and cars in agony from bellowed questions, the only remedy I could think of was to yell to Fred to start up a tune on his concertina; I had seen him change a crowd's temper many a time in just that way. But even supposing my advice had been good, he could not get his arms free, and it was Gloria Vanderman who saved that day.
For rather than trade honor for a mob's foul praise I'll keep full fealty to the ancient ways And, hoistinq my forebear's banner in the face of hell, Will die beneath it, knowing I die well! Fifteen minutes after Gloria Vanderman left us I saw a banner go jerkily mounting up the newly placed flag-pole on the keep. A man blew a bugle hoarsely by way of a salute. I raised my hat. Monty raised his.
The last man who went below handed the spluttering torch to Miss Vanderman, as if she might need it to defend herself, and she stood there shaking it to try and make it smoke less until the planks were back in place.
The place was deserted, prob'ly because it 'ud be too easy to roll rocks down into it. But I can't make 'em listen. Ours is a pretty chesty lot, with guts, and our taking part with 'em has stiffened their courage. They claim they're goin' to hold this rats' nest against all the Turks and Kurds in Asia Minor!" "That's where the rest of us are," said Will "Where's Miss Vanderman?"
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