The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1909-09-04

cure on the pinnacle OF rock thrust its
ugly head under its wing. AS soon as
Baraka could not see any more she
curled herself up on the white sand
like little wild animal and went to
sleep, though she was thirtsy.
1t was dawn when she awoke, and
her linen garment was damp with the
dew, so that the touch of it refreshed
her. The traveller had come out and
was lying prone on the sand, his face
buried against his arm, as soldiers
sleep in q bivouac. She could not tell
whether he was asleep or not, but she
knew that he could not see her, and
she cautiously sucked the dew from
her garment, drawing it up to her
mouth and squeezing 1t between her
lips.
1t was little enough refreshment,
but it was something, and she was not
afraid, which made difference. Just
as she had drawn the edge of her shift
down and round her ankles again, the
man turned on his side suddenly, and
then rose to his feet. For an instant
he glared at her, and she saw that
his blue eyes were bloodshot and
burning; then he picked up the heavy
camel bag, and began to make his
way round what had been the beach of
the pool, towards the passage through
which they had entered, and which
was now dry cave, wide below. mar
row at the top, and between six or
seven feet high. He trod carefully
and tried his way, for he feared the
quicksand, but he knew that there
was none in the passage, since he had
walked through the water and had
felt the way hard under his feet. In
a few moments he disappeared under
the rock.
Baraka knew what he meant to do;
he was going to try to dig through the
dam at the entrance to let the water
in, even if he could not get out; but
she did not move, for in that narrow
place and in the dark she could not
have helped him. She sat and waited.
BY and by he would come out, drenched
with sweat and yet parching with
thirst, and he would glare at her hor-
ribly again; perhaps he would be mad
when he came out and would kill her
because she had brought him there.
After some time she heard a very
faint sound overhead, and when she
looked up the vulture was gone from
his pinnacle. She wondered at this,
and her eyes searched every point
and crevice of the rock as far as she
could see, for she knew that the evil
bird could only have been frightened
away; and though 1t fears neither
bird nor beast, but only man, she
could not believe that any human be-
ing could find foothold near to
where 1t had perched.
For some seconds, perhaps for a
whole minute, she saw nothing, though
she gazed up steadily, then she saw
that small patch of snowy white was
moving slowly on the face of the cliff,
at some distance above the place
where the vulture had been. She bent
her brows in the effort to see more
by straining her sight, and meanwhile
the patch descended faster than it
climb down that perilous steep. Yet
It was man, she knew from the first.
and soon she saw him plainly, in his
loose shirt and white turban, and with
long gun slung across his back
Nearer still, and he was down to the
jutting pinnacle where the vulture had
sat, and she saw his black beard; still
nearer by few feet and she knew
him, and then her glance darted to
the mouth of the cave, at the other
end Of which the man she loved was
toiling desperately alone in the dark
to pierce the dam of earth and stones.
1t was only a glance, in second Of
time, but when she looked up the
black-beared man had already made
another step downwards. Baraka
measured the distance. II he spoke
loud now she could understand him.
She knew him well, and she knew why
he had come, with his long gan, He
was her fathers brothers son, to
whom she was betrothed; he was
Saad, and he was risking his life to
come down and kill her and the man
whom she had led to the ruby mines
for loves sake.
He would come down till he was
within easy range. and then he would
wait till he had fair chance at them
when they were standing still, and she
knew that he was a dead shot The
travellers revolver could never carry
as far as the long gun, Baraka was
sure, and Saad could come quite near
with safety, since he seemed able to
climb down the face of fiat rock
where there was not foothold for
cat He was still descending, he was
getting very near; If the traveller we're
not warned he might come out of the
cave unsuspiciously and Saad would
shoot him. Saad would wish to shoot
him first, because Of his revolver, and
then he would kill Baraka at his
leisure. If he fired at her first the
traveller would have chance at him
while he was reloading his old gun.
She understood why he had not killed
her yet, if indeed he wanted to, for it
was barely possible that he loved her
opouoh RI toko hor o1ivo