The Tupelo journal., 1909-12-03
HAPTE i.-continued.

It was a long time since she had
heard any sound from the v she
went to the entrance and listened, but
all was quite still. Perhaps the trav'
eler had fallen asleep from exhaus'
ton, too tired even to drag himself
out into the air when he could work
no longer. She sat down in the en-,
trance and waited.
An hour passed. Perhaps he was
dead. At the mere inward suggestion
Baraka sprang to her feet, and her
heart beat franticallt, and stood still
an instant, and then beat again as II
it would burst, and she could hardly
breathe. She steadied herself against
the rock, and then went in to know
the truth, feeling her way, and in
stinctively shading her eyes as many
people do in the dark.
A breath of cool air made her open
them, and to her amazement there
was light before her. She thought
she must have turned quite round
while she was walking, and that she
was going back to the entrance, so
she turned again. But in a few sec
onds there was light before her once
more, and Don she saw the dry sand,
full of her footprints and the travel
er's, and then the hollow where the
mine was came in sight.
She retraced her steps a second
time, saw the light as before, a for
ward on the smooth sand and stumbled
upon a heap of earth and stones, just
as she saw the sky through an irregu-
lar opening on the level of her face.
Scarcely believing her senses she
thrust out her hand towards the hole.
1t was real, and she was not dream
ing; the traveller had got out and was
gone, rocking little of what might hap
pen to her, since he was free with his
treasure.
Baraka crept up the slope of earth
as quickly as she could and got out;
if she had hoped to find him waiting
for her she was disappointed, for he
was nowhere to be e He had got
clear away, with his camel-bag full of
rubies. A moment later she was lying
on the ground, with her face in the
stream, drinking her fill, and forgetful
even of the man she loved. In order
to deprive them of water the men had
dug a channel by which it ran down d.
rectly from the spring to the ravine
on that side; then they had blocked
up the entrance with stones and earth,
believing that one mans strength could
never suffice to break through, and
they had gone away. They had prob
ably buried or burnt Baraka's clothes,
for she did not see them anywhere.
She ate some of the dates from the
dead mans wallet, and a bit of the
dry black bread, and felt revived,
since her greatest need had been for
when she had eaten and drunk, and
had washed herself in the stream and
twisted up her hair, she sat down
upon a rock; and she felt SO tired
that she would have fallen asleep if
the pain in her heart had not kept
her awake. She clasped her hands to-
gether on her knees and bent over
them, rocking herself.
When nearly an hour had passed
she looked up and saw that the sun
was sinking, for the shadows were
turning purple in the deep gorge, and
there was a golden light on the peaks
above. She listened then, holding her
breath; but there was no sound ex-
cept the tinkling of the tiny stream
as it fell over a ledge at some distance
below her, following it's new way
down into the valley.
She rose at last, looked upward,
and seemed aboelt to go away when a
thought occurred to her, which after
wards led to very singular conse-
quences. Instead of going down the
valley or climbing up out of it, she
went back to the entrance of the cave,
taking the wallet with her, dragged
herself in one more over the loose
stones and earth, reached the secret
hollow where the pool had been, and
made straight for the little mine of
precious stones. The traveller had
broken out many more than he had
been able to carry, but she did not try
to collect them all. She was not alto
gether ignorant os the trade carried
on by the men of her family for gen.
erations, and though she had not the
finest of the rubies, she knew very
we'll that it would be wise to take
many small ones which she could ex-
change for clothing and n~ecessaries
with the first women she met in the
hills, while hiding the rest of the sup
ply she would be able to carry in the
wallet.
When she had made her wise Sc
lection, she looked once more towards
the quicksand, and left the place for
ever. Once outside she began to
climb the rocks as fast as she could,
for very soon it would be night and
she would have to lie down and wait
many hours for the day, since there
was no moon, and the way was very
dangerous, even for a Tartar girl who
could almost tread on air.
High up on the mountain, over the
dry well where Baraka and the stran-
ger had been imprisoned, the vulture
perched alone with empty craw and
dropping wings. But 1t was of no use
for him to wait; the living, who might
have died of hunger and thirst, we're
gone, and the body of dead Saad lay
fathoms deep in the quicksand, in the
very nav of the mountain.
AhAa-4A