New-York tribune., 1908-03-15

The pool was all gone by this time, leaving
| a funnel shaped hollow in the sand where II
| had been. If any water still leaked through
| from without, it lost itself under the sand, and
the man and the girl were at the bottom of
great natural well that quite dry. Baraka
looked up, and on a pinnacle. three hundred
feet above her head. she a vulture sitting
in the sun. 1t would sit there till she was
dead, for It knew what was coming then It
would spread its wings a little and let itself
down awkwardly, half flying and half scramb-
ling. When it had finished, it would sit and
look at her bones and dOze, till It was able TO
fly away.
Baraka thought of all this; but her face did
not change. and when she had once seen the
vulture she did not look at 1t again but kept
her ewes fixed, without blinking her COM
panion's bent head. To her he seemed the
most handsome man that had ever lived
Baraka was very young and was considered
beautiful too, among the wild people to whom
she belonged. But her father had chosen her
name in evil hour for she was indeed not
blessed, since she was to die so young: and
the with the beard of spun gold and the
very white skin did not love her. and would
not even make prentense OF loving, though
for what was left of life she would have been
almost satisfied with that.
THE hours passed. and the sun rose higher
III the sky and struck deeper into the
shady well. till 1t almost overhead, and
there was scarcely any shadow left 1t be
came very hot and sitting. because the pas
sage through which the air had entered with
the water was shut up. Then the traveller
took of his loose jacket, and opened his fan
mel shirt at the neck, and turned up his sleeves
for CoOlneSS, and Crept backward into the hOl-
low where the ruby mine was, to shelter him
self from the sun. But Baraka edged away
to the very foot of the cliff. where there re-
mained a belt OF shade even at noon, and as
she sat there she took the hem of her one gar
ment III her hands and slowly famed her little
-ia- cI,. I.s,i
hours and she could see that in the recess of
the rock he was sitting as before. with his
forehead against his hands. which We're Clasped
on his knees IN the attitude and bearing of
despair
He began to be athirst now in the heat If he
had not known that there was no water he
could easily have done without it through a
long day. but the knowledge that there was
none, and that he was never TO drink again,
parched his life and his throat and his tongue
till 1t felt like dried fig in his mouth lie
did not feel hunger, and indeed he had a little
food IN a wallet he carried: but he could not
to him that Baraka might be hungry. Per
haps. even If he had known that S. was. he
would not have given her of VIII; ne had
he would have kept it for himse What
was the life of wild hill girl comp l with
his But the vulture was watchiI him,
well as Baraka. and would not move from
its pinnacle till the end, though days might
pass
The fever began to burn the traVeler,-the
fever of thirst which surely ends in raving
madness. he knew, for he had wandered
much in deserts and had seen men 90 mad
for lack OF water His hands felt red hot the
pulses were hammerng at his temples and
his tongue became as hot as baked clay. He
would have borne great pam for a time if it
could have brought sleep. for this much
worse than PAIN, and 1t made sleep impossible.
He tried to take account Of what he felt for he
was strong, and was conscious that the heat
OF the fever. and the throbbing in his arteries
and the choking dryncsS in his mouth and
throat were not really hlS main sensation. but
only accessories to II or consequences of II.
The real suffering the craving for the
sight, the touch. and the taste of water To
see 1t alone would be a relief even if he was
not allowed to drink, and to dip his hands
into a stream would bc heaven though he
was not permitted to taste a drop
Baraka was not thirsty yet, because she
had drunk her fill III the morning and was not
used 20 drink often, it WAS enough that she
could look at the man she loved for the end
would come soon enough without thinking
about 1t
All day long the traveller Crouched IN the
hollow of the ruby cave and Baraka watched
him from her place When 1t grew dark the
vulture on the pinnacle of rock thrust its
head under its wing. As soon as BaraL-a could