Evening star., 1900-06-30

sp1nes moved continually, as thougn root
ed in loose skin, and occasionally one OF
the queer creatures rolled slowly seaward
walking on the tips.
kind of globular centipede with the
legs sticking in all directions, isn't her
observed Curtis, regarding one in motion.
You would have thought so had you on
one stepped!'' replied Michali the spnes
are sometimes-what you call him. poison
Gus. You would not have put on your
boot for many days"
"They are slow eating" said the Swede,
sucking the contents from the half OF one
noisily as though It were teacup.
Nevertheless. with bread they are deli
cious,' persisted Michali.
Anything would be delicious with bread
yust now" observed the lieutenant.
At the end Of the sandy beach steep,
comrades reached the top of this the sun
was pouring down his fiercest rays upon
them, and the achini were tormentlng their
vitals with an avenging thirst. At their
right scared the majestic and inaccessible
mountains of Crete at the left and far be-
low stretched the winsome sea, strewn with
Islands and tiecked with fitting sailsI They
walked for half an hour over volcanic rocks.
through spiteful, thorny shrubs that
clutched at their ankles and tore their
Clothing, and came at last to the brink of a
ravine whose walls were as perpendicular
as though they had been cut with giant
saw. In the bed, far below. a mountain
torrent dashed eagerly to sea- making sheer
leaps over smoothly worn rocks or swirling
dDoul III HOLLOW basins.
The three looked down at 1t and their
thirst grew.
81 could drink 1t ALL" said Curtis
"A swallow drifted by on slanting wings.
darted to the brim of a waterfall and
leaped again skyward.
How is bird superior to a man. ex-
aimed Michali.
The wings of man are his mind" re-
fire inside Of me. We must reach that
water to Quench them. 1t would take the
whole stream to put out the ones that
ate.''
After another hour they came upon a goat
trail that. leading from above. ended alb
ruptly and zig-zagged from ledge to ledge
down the side of the cliff into the stream
Michali's delight was unbounded
Follow this tr:iil' he cried, land we
shall shepherd find with water, or may
be a village. who knows?'
How far is it?" asked Lndbohm
,,, How do Know? Perhaps one mile
lf 1t Is two the hedgehogs would burn
through before I got there replied Cur
tbs. I'm going down.
1T is very dangerous" replied Michali
Lindbohm.
The descent was not so difficult as It ap-
peared. Within twelve feet of the bottom
they found themselves on the edge of a
rock Below them the stream gurgled en-
ucinSly between banks of snowy sand.
And now?' asked Curtis.
we must yust yump and take our
chances. replied Lindbohm. Instnctively
seizing the tails of his coat he held them
out like wings and sprang into the air
"Hurrah!' he cried, looking up. Its all
right and throwing himself fiat on his
stomach. he sucked UP long drafts of the
ccoi, refreshing water. In a moment Mi
chali and Curtis were lying beside him.
How do the goats get out of here?"
asked Curtis, looking at the face of the
rock down which he had just made fly
Ing leap.
oh goat is like fly: he can skip up
pane of glass" replied Lindbohm.
we must follow the stream up"
said Michali. We shall surely find some
body. In Greece, where there is water men
are not far away.
But We are not in Greece" objected
Lindbohm. The Cretans eyes blazed.
do not say that when you are among
my countrymen-it would not be safe.
Lindbohm seized him by the hand.
Il beg your pardon" he cried. "You
are right. We are in the very heart of
Greece, and we are here to shoot down
anybody who says the contrary"
For some distance up the ravine the path
was over fine sand and easy. Then they
came to a long stretch tumbled full Of
round smooth powders. Twice they were
obliged to climb steep rocks that extended
from one wall to the other, like the face
of dam. They pulled themselves up the
ing in the ravine. whose sides still rose
sheer above them to such a height that
they seemed almost to meet at the top.
Finally, when Michali had clcmbered be-
fore the others to the top of rocky dam,
higher and sleeper than usual. he gave a
lo I'D shout Of joy ard pointed dramatically
upstream. Lindbohm followed agilcly. and
Curtis with more difficulty. There. per-
haps mile away, was a white village, sit
ting in an amphitheater, like an audience of