Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-03-25
CHAPTER xXIv.-Continued.

not be hard, seeing that for long
We have thought each other dead apart"
Yet it is hard" answered Richard.
after living through so much and be-
ing led so far. to die at last and go
whittier we know not before our time. -
Rachel looked at Mole. who sat oppo-
site to them, her head rested on her
hand
Have you anything to say. sister,
she asked
Yes. Zoola. Here is a little moss that
| have found upon the stones and she
produced a small bundle. Let us boil
it and eat. it will keep us alive for an
other day
What is the use?" asked Rachel. "un-
less there is more
Ihere Is no more. said Mole. for
the leaves of yonder tree are deadly
poison. and here grows no other living
thing Still. eat and live on. for / wait
a message
"A message from whom" asked RAJ
chel
"A message from the dead, sister. 1t
was promised to me by Nya before she
passed. and if it does not come then it
Will be time to die
so they made fire and boiled the moss
till it Was a horrible sticky substance,
which they swallowed as best they
could washing it down with gulps of
water. Still it was food of kind. and
for while stayed the gnawing. empty
pains within them; only Mole ate but
little. so that there might be more for
the others.
That night was even hotter than those
that had gone before. and during the
day which followed the place became
like a hell. They crept into the cave
and lay there gasping, while from with
out came loud cracking sounds. caused.
as they thought. by the trees of the for
est splitting in the heat. About midday
the sky suddenly became densely over
cast, although no breath stirred: the air
was thicker than ever, to breathe 1t was
like breathing hot steam. In their rest
less despair they wandered out eff the
cave. and to their surprise saw dwarf
standing upon the top of the wall. 1t
was Eddo. who called to them to come
out and give themselves up.
What are the terms?" asked Mole.
That thou and the wanderer shall die
Dy the white death and that the inko-
sazana shall be installed mother of the
trees" was the answer
I'VE refuse them" said Mole. Let us
go now and give us food and escort. and
thou shalt be spared Refuse and it is
that red death which Nya promised
thee
THAT we shall learn before tomor-
row." said Eddo. with hooking laugh,
dHO vanished GOWN the wall.
AS he went hot gust of wind burst
upon them, causing the forest with
out to rock and groan. Mole turned her
face toward it and seemed to listen.
What is it," asked Rachel.
Il heard voice in the wind. sister,
she answered. The message l avail led
has come to me-
What lnessage?" asked Richard list
lessly.
That I will tell you by and by. chief
1,n
is nd longer safe here, the hurricane
breaks"
So supporting each other they crept
back to the cave. and there Mole made
fire, feeding it with the idols and preci-
Gus woods that had been brought thither
as offerings. Richard and Rachel watch
ed her wondering, for it seemed strange
that she should make d fire in that heat
where there was nothing to cook. Mean
while gust succeeded gust. until tenn
pest of screaming wind swept over them.
though no rain fell. Soon it was so fierce
that the deep-rooted tree of the tribe
rocked above them, and loose stones
were blown from the crest of the great
wall.
Then OF a sudden Mole sprang up
and seized flaming brand from the fire:
it was limb of fetish. made of some
resinous wood. She ran from the cave
swiftly, before they could stop her. and
vanished in the gathering gloom. to re-
turn again in a few moments weak and
GREATNESS.
Come out, now" she said, land see a
sight such as you shall never behold
again" and there was something SO
strange in her voice that, notwithstand-
ing their weakness, they rose and follow
ed her.
Outside the cave they could not stand
because of the might of the hurricane.
but cast themselves upon the ground. and
following Noie's outstretched arm. look
ed up toward the top of the mound.
Then they saw that the Tree of the
Tribe was on fire. Already its vast trunk
and boughs were wrapped in flame, which
burnt furiously because of the resin
within them. while long flakes of blazing
moss were being swept away to leeward.
to fall among the forest that lay beyond
the wall.
did you do this?" cried Rachel to
Mole.
AYE Zoola. who else?" That was the
message which came to me. Now my
Office is fulfilled. but you two will live
though I must die. I who have destroy
here that l should destroy them.
Destroy them" exclaimed Rachel
What do you mean?'
Il mean that when their tree dies. they
die. the whole race of them. oh. Nya
told me, Nya told me-they die as their
now. and look. Follow me-
Forgetting their hunger-bred weakness
in the wild excitement of that moment.
Rachel and Richard struggled hand in
hand. after Notes thin. ethereal form.
Across the open space they struggled.
through the furious buffeting of the gale.
sometimes on their feet, sometimes on
their hands and knees. till they came
to the great wall where a stairway ran
up it to an outlook tower. Up this stair
they climbed slowly since at times the
weight of the wind pinned them against
the blocks of stone till at length they
reached its crest and crept into the shell
ter of the hollow tower Hence. looking
through the loopholes in the ancient ma
sonry. they saw a fearful sight The flakes
of burning moss from the tree of the tribe
Darched almost to finder with drought
and heat, and fired them hera and there.
Famed by the screaming gale the flames
spread rapidly. leaping from tree to tree.
now in one direction. now in another as
the hurricane veered which it did con-
tinually. till the whole green forest be-
came sheet of fire. an overwhelming
sheet. which spread east and west and
north and south for miles and miles and
tens Of miles.
Earth and sky were one blaze of light
given out by. the torch-like resinous trees
as they burned from the top downward
BY that intense light the three watchers
could see hundreds of the people of the
dwarfs fitting about between the trunks
Waving their arms and gibhering. they
rushed this way and that. to the north
to be met by fire. to the south to be met
by fire. till at length the blazing boughs
and bnles fell upon them and they disap-
reared in showers or red sparks. or. more
fore the flame that leapt after them. One
cnp.,any of them ran toward the sane