The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-10-05

QOWu
"You had better bury the body.
while 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 flrmer 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
went to the hollow where the ruby
mine was and took up piece of the
and threw it at the vulture as hard as
she could. It did not hit him, but he
| at once tumbled off the ledge into the
air, opened his queer, bedraggled
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
uav nd -
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 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 t. 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
70 in Izx, H.
would run in again, and she watched
the sand for hours, but it was drier
than ever. The shadow broadened
again, and crept up the rock quickly
as the afternoon passed.
1t was long time since she had
heard any sound from the cave; 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 frantically, and stood still
ban instant, and then beat again as il
1t 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 CT 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, sc
she turned again. But in few sec
onds there was light before her once
more, and soon 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, ran for
ward on the smooth sand and stumbled
upon 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