The Tupelo journal., 1909-11-19

he was we'll versed in the knowledge
of precious stones.
When the day began to dawn he
went down from the roof to the COM
mon room of the ~fore-house, where
guests were quartered, yet although
there was no other stranger there he
would not take the bag from his neck
to examine the stones, lest some one
should be watching him from a place
of hiding; but afterwards, when he
was alone in the foothills and out of
sight of the town, searching as usual
for new plants and herbs, he crept
! into a low a at noon, and sat down
just inside the entrance, so that he
could see any one coming while still
a long way off, and there he emptied
the contents of the little leathern wal
let into his hand, and saw that Bara-
ka had not deceived him; and as he
| looked closely at the stones in the
strong light at the entrance of the
cave, the red of the rubies was re-
f1ected in the blue of his bright eyes,
and made a little purple glare in them
that would have frightened Baraka;
and he smiled behind his great yellow
beard.
He took from an inner pocket a
folded sheet on which a map was
traced in black and green ink, much
corrected and extended in pencil; and
he studied the map thoughtfully in the
cave while the great heat of the day
lasted; but the lines that his y fol-
lowed did not lead towards Persia,
Palestine, and Egypt, where Baraka
wished to live with him in a marble
palace and eat fat quails and fig
paste.
She came to him again that night
on the roof, bringing with her a small
bundle, tightly rolled and well tied
up. He wrapped his blanket round
her body, and brought it up under her
arms so that the rope should not hurt
her when her weight anne upon it,
and so he let her down over the edge
of the roof to the ground, and threw
| the rope after her; and he let himself
| over, holding by his hands, so that
when he was hanging at the full
length of his long arms he had only
a few feet to drop. for he wished to
take the rope with him.
Baraka's house was at the head of
the town, towards the foothills; every
one was sleeping, and there was no
moon. She followed the stony sheep
track that struck into the hills only a
few hundred PAGES from the last
houses, and the stranger followed her
closely. He had his sack on his Shout
der, his book of plants and herbs was
slung behind him by a strap, and in
his pockets he had all the money he
carried for his travels and his letters
to the chiefs, and a weapon; but he
had left all his other belongings, judg-
ing them to be of no value compared
with a camel's bag full of rubies, and
only a hindrance, since he would have
to travel far on foot before daylight,
by dangerous paths.
The girl trod lightly and walked
fast, and as the man followed in her
footsteps he marked the way turn by
turn, and often looked up at the stars
overhead as men do who are accus-
toned to journeying alone in desert
places. For some time Baraka led
him through little valleys he had often
traversed, and along hillsides familiar
to him, and at last she entered a mar
row ravine which he had once fol-
lowed to it's head, where he had found
it ended abruptly in a high wall of
| rock, at the foot of which there was
a clear pool that did not overflow. 1t
was darker in the gorge, but the rocks
were almost white, so that it was
quite possible to see the way by the
faint light.
The man and the girl stood before
the pool; the still water reflected the
stars.
This is the place." Baraka said.
"Do you see anything?"
81 see water and a wall of rock"
the man answered. Il have been here
alone by day. / know this place.
There is nothing here, and there is no
way up the wall"
Baraka laughed softly.
"The secret could not have been
kept by my fathers for IA generations
if it were SO easy to find out" she
said. 1.-The way is not easy, but I
know it."
Lead" replied the traveller. Il will
follow"
NO." returned girl. Il will go a
little way down the gorge and watch,
while you go in"
The mar did not trust, her. How
could he tell but that she had brought
him to an ambush where he was to be
murdered for the sake of his money
and his good weapon? The rubies
were real, SO far as he could tell, but
they might be only a bait. He shook
his head.
Listen" said Baraka. "At the other
| side of the pool there is a place where
the water from this spring flows away
under the rock. That is the passage"
Il have seen the entrance" an
| swered the traveller. 1T is so small
that a dog could not swim through it."
1T looks so. But it is SO deep that
n can walk through it easily, with
ones head above water. It is not more
than 50 steps long. That is how 1
found it, for one day / wandered here
alone in the morning for shade, when
the air was like fire; and being alone
l bathed in the clear pool to cool my
self, and I found the way and brought
back the stone, which / have hidden