The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-06-11
|ZAIA |.
By THE COUNTESS OF
CROMARTIE. /

way VI SIuiiiuS llldI sic sun ndu even
now, in the midst of fear and haunting
memories of happy home. The fact
of their both being highly born may
nave drawn them together. For Zala,
the Scythian, was a princes son, aud
had known a happy life, till one day,
after hunting, he awoke from a heavy
sleep among the sand dunes to find
the kidnapers' ropes about his neck
and ankles. He had fought like young
tiger, but it had been no use, and
now-his slim highbred beauty and his
courage and strength would doubtless
fetch high price. Just now he spent
most of his time in chains, for he still
had fits of violence. Lying on the
deck one sunset his black curly head
against the mast, his eyes gazing sui
lenly at nothingnesS, he caught sight
of the girl Zoe. One of the other
clave women, foul-tongued young
fury. was hooking her for a soft
hearted little fool that did not know
what fate had in store for her. Zala
knew well why the other girls hated
Zoe. The Phoenician trader spared
her few of the hardships that would
fall to the ordinary slaves share, be-
cause he knew well enough if he did
not he might lose what promised to be
the best of his female merchandise.
For the little Greeks steady bravery
and endurance covered frailty of
body and nerves that Zala born horse
man as he was, recognized at once.
"A touch of the whip and she'll die"
he thought, as he watched the girl face
the woman's gibes. The cool bravery
of her race was in her eyes, but the
lovely, slender lines of her little figure
were drawn tense, and the pulse in the
white throat beat like a hammer, and
as the woman tainted on roughly, tell
ing of Tara's slave market, and other
things, Zoe seemed to be bracing her.
self against physical blows, as she
leaned against the side of the pitch
Ing galley. Zala rose with a growl,
TO stagger against the mast, for he had
forgotten that his ankles were roped.
The woman shrank away, for she got
as good as she gave from the Scyth-
often knew many languages. Zala
had been a fighter and, young as he
was, had been in many strange camps.
SO he was able to speak to Zoe, who
as soon as her enemy had departed,
collapsed into a frightened, trembling
child. From that hour they were
friends. She would bring him her share
of food and drink, for Zala, being re-
bellious, was often half-starved. Some
times he would eat wolfishly, for he
was no saint to deny himself. But
then he would look at the sweet deli
cate face, and demand half angrily,
Hast thou eaten?' and she would lie
10 him and say, Yes, Zala, yes
1t was on one of these occasions that
he caught her to him fiercely and put
his lips to hers. 1t was enough to him
that she returned his kisses before he
felt the slave merchants whip across
his shoulders. That also was enough
for his passionate nature, and fierce,
unsubdued pride. He gripped the girl
to him tigerishly, and she chung to
him though she was bruised and hurt
in his savage embrace. They tore her
away from him at last and Zala was
lied up and thrashed, then flung un-
DER the deck to mediate upon his
sins, faint and sick, but absolutely un.
subdued. Two nights afterward there
was heavy storm, the slaves were
driven below, and discipline was some
what relaxed by imminent danger.
The storm had driven the galley out
OF its course. For Zala and Zoe the
Inevitable separation was delayed, per-
laps for months. There was a glory
hot of earth in the girls blue eyes.
The trader grunted with satisfaction;
che was growing fairer every day, she
would fetch much gold. AS for Zala.
ne was more amenable. The trader
did not guess at the reason that made
the Scythian put aside his fierce pride
because with tied limbs he could
not, with all his cunning, arrange those
desperate stolen meetings that were
life to two souls on the slave ship. In
one of these dangerous hours. Zala
noticed how Zoe coughed-a hacking
little cough-and how the cold air
was making her shiver She was made
tor warmth and light A chill Noven-
Der In the northern sea was not good
FOR her, he thought anxiously. So one
night he rose and made his way to
the traders cabin in the fore part of
the galley. Under the light of
swinging lamp sat the Phoenician cast.
ing up accounts on a huge sheet OF
parchment. He looked up. Gala stood
with his back to the cabin door, his
dark eyes burning fire In the pallor of
Eis face. The trader had merely to
call his men to have him dragged
back to the lower deck. But he did
not call. He had lived a fearless and
evil life, but he feared his gods. He
said afterward that Zala had the very
fire of Bael in his eyes, that night as
he spoke-quickly and hoarsely like
man IN fever.
What hast thou done with the
child! Answer me. man, answer!"
The young Scythian had once com.
manded men. The sense of that made
his tone like whip-lash, for all his
present fate. The trader could cope
with that, SO he shrugged his shout
der5 and answered: "Ah, ha, SO 1t II
that, is it?"
The terrible burning eyes fixed him
again. Give her to me-" said Zala,
give her to me, or by the gods tbs
my dead body thou shalt take on thy
ship to Tara and-I am valuable. Seei"
He rent the tattered tunic from him,
and stood in his 1.-THE half-naked
beauty under the lamplight. See!
They said long ago l had beauty and