The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-02-15

shall he tell how he revenged the deed?
Father-mother brothers-you shall be
revenged if Mulek lives"
With a narrow tent spade, which had
been left behind, Mulek digged the
graves of his friends. He was many
hours iii the work; the sun arose and
again set ere it was done. But the last
prayer from the boy lips was said at
length, and the sand smoothed over the
resting places of all that was mortal OF
his friends. Then the lad lay down
beneath the old tent and slept alone.
In the morning Mulek arose, and hay
ing bowed himself upon the graves he
had made and said his prayers, he pre-
pared himself for, the. task before
him. First he darkened his skin with
some berries which ne found at hand,
and then he gathered up such provisions
as he could find, and filled leather bot
tie with water. To follow the track OF
the murderers over the sand was easy
enough, for there had been no wind to
fill them up.
For three days the boy followed the
trail, and when he awoke on the morning
of the fourth he saw a small village
ahead, which lay at the foot OF rugged
mountains. He pushed on, and at the
first hut he stopped and asked for food.
An old woman named Noona owned the
place, and she admitted the applicant at
once. Mulek told her that he was from
the mountains. and that his parents were
dead. She took pity, and offered him a
home if he would be son to her. She
had lost all her children, and was alone.
The Moorish boy readily accepted her
offer, and from that time he had home.
Old Noona protected him, and claimed
him as her own; and when people asked
her whence the child came, she said
.He is my dead sisters child, and he
his way to my hut"
As soon as Mulek dared question Moo
ma he began to gain light. He found
that the chief of the place was named
Ben Zama, and that he was robber by
profession. In time the boy learned all
he could wish to know, and a part of it
he learned from the chieftain's own lips.
Ben Zama and seven of his chosen fol-
lowers were the men who had MUIR
dered his family. He made sure OF this
he knew every maitland then he
turned his thoughts and energies in an
other direction.
He began to wander among the noun
tains, and at length he found the place
he sought. 1t was where narrow shelf
or rock ran around an almost perpendic-
ular mountain side, and overlooked
frightful chasm, along the far-off bottom
of which dashed and roared a swift, white
torrent. 1t was wild, fearful place,
but the boy was not afraid. Day after
day he made his way to that giddy hight,
,bara xvorE al rinhf hrovalv
This shelf, which seemed to be midway
up the steep mountains side, led from
rugged pathway which only the wild ga
zelle had troddeE before. 1t was not
over six feet wide at the commencement,
and then led for some distance in cir
cuitous way; but when it became straight
it widened to broad inclined plane.
This plane descended at such an angle
that no man could have held himself on
it, and at distance of twenty yards it
ended abruptly, leaving broad chasm
open at its foot. Some ccnvulsion of
nature seemed to have split and opened
the shelf at This point, for at the distance
of a few yards it commenced again, and
led off around the mountain on q plane.
But the chasm had been opened clear to
the roaring torrent in the dim, deep dis
lance The side of the mountain had
been wholly cleft in twain, SO that be-
tween the two ends of the shelf there was
only yavning gul!.
Mulek got long strong vines, and hav-
ing secured them to tie rocks above, he
let himself down the inclined plane.
Then he brought long, dry sticks, and
laid them carefully over the chasm, and
when he had framed groundwork thus,
he brought grass and twigs and broad
flakes of light moss. At times he let
himself down upon the sweeping plane,
and at others he ascended the mountain
by another way, and worked upon the
opposite side.
Months had passed since the boy Moor
commenced his work. 1t had been a
work of great moment-of great magni-
tude-a work which few strong men
would have dared to commence alone.
But the boy had done it. Day after day
he labored when he dared and week after
week saw but little done. But when
the months had gone, and the rainy sea-
son was at hand, the work was complete.
One morning Ben Zama sat in his tent,
and with him were the seven men who
had helped to murder the Moorish mer.
chants. While they conversed, Noonas
boy entered their presence. He had
waited over week to find these eight
men together.
What now?" asked Ben Zama, half
angrily.
The boy drew piece of yellow metal
from his bosom-a piece which he had