The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-09-22

some water wouId stay III II, UIO els>
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
a sort of quicksand that would suck
him down He therefore threw himself
fat 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
1t 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
that another woman should have him
since he despised her. and if it had
come to pass she would have tried to
kill that other. But there was no
danger of such a thing now; and he
would die first. and she would kiss
him many times when he was dead.
and then she would die also
The pool was all gone by this time,
leaving a funnel-shapped hollow in
the sand where it had been. If any
water still leaked through from with
out it lost itself under the sand, and
the man and the girl were at the bot
tom OF a great natural well that was
quite dry. Baraka looked up, and she
saw a vulture sitting in the sun on
pinnacle, 800 feet above her head. He
would sit there till she was dead, for
he knew what was coming; then he
would spread his wings a little and let
himself down awkwardly, half-fying
and half-scrambling When he had
finished he would sit and look at her
bones and doze, till he was able to fly
away
The hours passed, and the sun rose
higher in the sky and struck deeper
into the shady We'll till he was almost
overhead, and there was scarcely any
shadow left It became very hot and
sitting, because the passage through
which the air had entered with the
water was shut up. Then the traveller
took off his loose jacket. and opened
his flannel shirt at the neck, and
turned up his sleeves for GOODNESS,
and he crept backwards into the hol-
low where the ruby mine was, to shell
ter himself from the sun. But Baraka
edged away to the very foot of the
cliff, where there remained a belt of
shade, even at noon; and as she sat
there she took the hem of her one
garment in her hands and slowly
famed her little feet Neither he nor
she had spoken for many hours, and
she could see that in the recess of the
IOCk liz W dS Slll4AlS cio DNAOA & W. Ill
his forehead against his hands that
were clasped on his knees, III the at
titude 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 knowledge that there was none,
and that he was never to drink again,
parched his life and his throat and his
tongue till it felt like dried fig in his
mouth He did not feel hunger, and
indeed he had a little food in a wallet
he carried; but he could not have eat
en- without water and it did not occur
to him that Baraka might be hungry.
PERHAPS. even if he had known that
she was, he would not have given her
OF what he had; he would have kept
it for himself What was the life of a
wild hiI-girl compared with his? But
the vulture was watching him, as well
as Baraka. and would not move from
its pinnacle till the end. though days
might p2ec
Continued tomorrow