The Tupelo journal., 1909-11-26

For a moment he did not move. But
he was already dead as he slowly bent
forward from the rock, making a
deep obeisance with both arms hang
ing down. before him, SO hat his body
shot down perpendicularly to the
sand, where it struck head first, rolled
over and lay mOtionless in a heap.
The travellers was a .Mauser pistol
that would have killed as surely a.
500 yards as so; and the bullet had
gone through the Tartar's brain.
Baraka sprang up the sandy slope
and ran along the narrow beach to the
body. In an instant she had detached
the large brown water-gourd from the
thong by which he it had hung over
Saad's shoulder, and she felt that it
was full. Without a thought for her.
self she fastened back to the mouth
of the cave where the traveller vas
now standing. His face was dripping
with p~erspiration that ran down into
his matted golden beard, his eyes
were wild, his hands were bleeding.
Drink" cried Baraka joyfully, and
she gave him the gourd.
He gripped it as a greedy dog snaps
at a bit of meat, and pulling out the
wooden plug he set the gourd to his
lips, with an expression of beatitude.
But he was an old traveller and only
drank a little, knowing that his life
might depend on making the small
supply last. A gourd of water was
worth more than many rubies just
then.
"Are you very thirsty YETI he
asked in a harsh voice.
NO." answered Baraka bravely;
keep it for yourself"
His hand closed round the neck of
the gourd and he looked up towards
the rocks above. The vulture had
come back and was circling slowly
down.
'You had better bury the body,
while l go on working" said the trav-
eler, turning back into the cave and
taking the gourd with him.
Baraka had marked the place where
he had tried to dig for water and had
almost disappeared in the quicksand.
She took from the body the wallet, in
which were dates and some half-dry
bread, and then dragged and pushed
and rolled the dead man from the
place where he had fallen. The vul-
ture sat on the lowest ledge where
his claws could find a hold, and
though he watched her with horrible
red eyes while she robbed him of his
prey, he did not dare go nearer.
The body sank into the moving
sand, and Baraka had to roll herself
back TO firmer ground in haste to es-
cape being swallowed up with the
dead man. The last she saw of him
was one brown foot sticking up. 1t
sank slowly out of sight, and then she
mine was and took up a piece of the
broken crust, full of precious stones,
and threw it at the vulture as hard as
she could. 1t did not hit him, but he
at once tumbled off the ledge into the
air, opened his queer, b~edraggled
wings and struck upwards.
Then Baraka sat down in the shade
and slowly brushed away the dry sand
that had got into the folds of her lin
en- garment, and looked steadily at the
mouth of the cave and tried not to
| realize that her throat was parched
and her lips almost cracking with
thirst, and that the traveller had a
gourd almost full of water with him.
For she loved him, and was willing to
die that he might live a little longer;
besides, if he succeeded in digging his
way out, there would be plenty to
drink, and when he was free she was
sure that he would love her because
she had made him so rich.
The sun rose higher and at last
shone down to the bottom of the
chasm, and she sat in the narrow strip
of shade, where she had passed most
of the previous day. She was very
thirsty and feverish, and felt tired,
and wished she could sleep, but could
not. Still the traveller toiled in the
! darkness, and from time to time she
| heard sounds from far away as of
| stones and loose earth falling. He was
still working hard, for he was very
strong and he was desperate.
Baraka thought that if he was able
to dig through the dam the water
would run in again, and she watched
the sand for hours, but it vas drier
| than ever. The shadow ~broadened
again, and crept up the rock quickly
as the afternoon passed.
) (TO BE CONTINUED.)