The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-02
4 LION AND A LONESS.
An Adventure end Romance of a Courageous Woman.
wanzsw FOB The SAY faA9c,sco CAL BY JOAQUIN xnlEa

of granite were coped with great slabs of
granite These granite slabs were OF aston
ishing breadth and thickness. This temple,
as il Is called, had probably been tomb. |
took GOOD care to see that there was no other
means of ascent to the place where we had
chosen TO spend the night than the one by
which we had assembled. And | remember
how eagerly wished for croWbar in order
that / might break down little of the de-
bris so that the ascent might be less easy
for providing beasts.
But as there was nothing of the sort at
hand | dismissed the two Arabs and re-
solved TO be as brave, if possible, as the SIN
gularly brave and beautiful woman who had
come here to hear the voices of desolation.
The sky was trimmed with yellow-yellow
10 the east, yellow to the west, world OF
soft and restful yellow that melted away by
gradationS as tile eye assembled from the
desert. 1t was like melodies III Its serene
harmonies and awful glory.
And she at my side partook of it all; she
breathed IT, absorbed il. literally became a
and body | saw her Gllate and expand TIL
she was in absolute harmony with the awe
ana Splendor that encompassed us. l felt
that she had been in the midst of even a
part of this tawny deSolati0n ages and ages
before. Perhaps her soul had been born
here-born before the pyramids.
CHAPTER Ill.
With my own hands l spread her couch
of skins and rugs in the remotest corner of
a great stone slab that still lifted its I'M
broken front in defiance of time high above
the tawny sands of the desert. The night
was very sultry, even here on this high and
roomy summit. The broad deep slab OF
granite was still warm with sunshine gone
away and gave out heat like dying fur
mace. The steep and arduOus ascent had
taxed her strength and unloosinS her robe
as | turned to examine more mlnutely our
strange quarters on the top of this lofty
tomb or temple, she sank to rest, half re-
Ginning on her arm. her chm in her uptumed
palm. her face lifted away toward the rising
moon.
Half dozen PAGES to the right I saw two
tall and ponderouS columns OF granite
standing in line with those that supported
the great slab ON which she rested. Evil
IDENTITY these grand and solitary columns mad
also once been topped by granite slabs. But
these had fallen to the ground under the
leveling feet of many centuries, and now
lay almost swallowed up in the SEA of yellow
sands beluW. 1 put out my foot carefully,
trying 10 reach the broad top OF the nearest
column of granite, but 1t was beyond me.
Stepping back couple Of PAGES and quietly
removing my boots, ] gathered up my
strength and made leap, landing almost
in the center OF the columns top. A half
step backward, another leap-~hO could re-
SlSt the claIIeUge Oh That zone anu klHSlN
column that remained? landed securely
as before, then turned about. Her face had
not lifted an instant from the awful majesty
of the Orient
Slowly. YEARLY, the immense moon came
shoulderins up through the SeaS eff yellow
sand. These pillows of sand seemed TO
breathe and To move. The expiring heat of
the departed sun made them seintillate and
simmer in a soft and undulatms light.
And yet it was not light: only the lone and
solemn ghost OF a departed day. Yellow
ard hinge and startling stood the moon al
last, full grown and fearful in lis ntarDess
and immensely on the t0pmost lift of yellow
sands in the yellow seas before Us. Dis
tance seemed to be annihiated. The moon
seemed to have forgotten her place aud all
proportion. Looking down into the sulleu
Nile. it seemed a black and bottomless
chasm. And it seemed SO far away! And
the moon so very near.
Black as blacklist Egypt rolled the somber
Nile down and on aud on through this world
of yellow light; this light that was moi
light. Silence, des0latiGn, death lay on all
things below, about, above. The west was
molten yellow gold, FAINT and fading it is
true but where the yellow sands left of
aud the yellow skies began no man could
say or guess, save by the yellow stars that
studded the west with an intense yellow.
Yellow to the right and yellow to the left