The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-11-26


had been. The water was still run
ming out somewhere, but it was no
longer running in, and in an hour or
two the pool would be dry. The trav-
eler was something of an engineer,
and understood sooner than an or
binary man could have done, that his
enemies had Intentionally stopped up
the narrow entrance through which
he had to come, both to make his es;
cape impossible, and to hasten his end
by depriving him of water. The fallen
boulder alone could not have kept out
the overflow of the spring effectually.
They must have shoveled down mass
es of earth, with the plants that grew
in it abundantly and filled it with
twining threadlike roots, and they
must have skllfully forced quantities
of the stuff into the openings all round
the big stone, making a regular dam
against the spring, which would soon
run down in the opposite direction.
They knew, of course, that Baraka
had led him to the place and had gone
in with him, for she had left all her
outer garments outside, and they
meant that she should die also, with
her secret. In a week, or a fortnight,
or a month, they would come and dig
away the dam and pry the boulder
aside, and would get in and find the
white bones of the two on the sand,
after the vultures had picked them
clean; and they would take the trav
eler's good revolver, and his money,
He thought of all these things as he
the slow receding of the water-line,
and listened to the girls soft and reg |
ular breathing. There was no death |
in her dream, as she slept away the |
last hours of the night, though there |
might not be many more nights for
her. He heard her breath, but he did |
not heed her. for the water was sink
ing before him, sinking away into the
sand, now that it was no longer fed |
from the opening.
He sat motionless, and his thoughts
ran madly from hope to despair and
back again to hope The water was
going down, beyond question; if it |
was merely draining itself through the
sand to some subterranean channel,
he was lost, but if it was flowing
away through any passage like the
one by which he had entered, there
was still a chance of escape-a very
small chance. When death is at the
gate the tiniest loophole looks wide
enough to crawl through.
The surface of the pool subsidized,
but there was no loophole; and as the
traveller watched, hope sank in his
heart, like the water in the hollow of
the sand; but BaraRa slept on peace
fully, curled up on her side like lit
tie wild animal. When the pool was
almost dry the traveller crept down
to the edge and drank his fill, that he
might not begin to thirst sooner than
need be; and just then day dawned |
suddenly and the warm darkness gave
way to a cool light in a few moments.
Immediately, because it was day,
Baraka stretched herself on the sand |
and then sat up; and when she saw
what the traveller was doing she also
went and drank as much as she could |
swallow, for she had understood why
he was drinking as soon as she saw
that the pool was nearly dry. When
she could drink no more she looked |
up at the rocks high overhead, and |
they were already white and red and |
yellow in the light of the risen sun;
for in that country there is no very |
long time between dark night and |
broad day.
Baraka sat down again, on the spot |
! where she had slept, but she said |
nothing. The man was trying to dig |
a little hole in the wet sand with his |
hands, beyond the water that was
still left, for perhaps he thought that |
if he could make a pit on one side,
some water would stay in it; but the
sand ran together as soon as he |
moved it; and presently, as he bent
over, he felt that he was sinking into
1t himself, and understood that it was |
sort of quicksand that would suck
him down. He therefore threw himself |
fiat on his back, stretching out his |
arms and legs, and, making move
ments as if he were swimming, he |
worked his way from the dangerous |
place till he was safe on the firm |
white beach again. He sat up then. and |
bent his head till his forehead pressed |
on his hands, and he shut his eyes to
keep out the light of day. He had
not slept, as Baraka had, but he was
not sleepy; perhaps he would not be
able to sleep again before the end
come. Baraka watched him quietly, |
| for she understood that he despaired
of life. and she wondered what he
would do; and, besides, he seemed to
her the most beautiful man in the
world, and she loved him, and she was
going to die with him.
It comforted her to think that no
other woman could get him now. 1t
was almost worth while to die for that
alone; for she could not have borne
| tbof apothar rvOman chOu1d have hin,