The Tupelo journal., 1909-11-26
cHAPTER I.-continued.

girls relatives, who blocked up the en-
trance, and drew off the water supply,
leaving the couple to die.
CHAPTER i.-Continued.
The traveller fshed up the sack and
waded out upon the tiny beach. He
looked up rather a%nXiously, though he
could not have seen a head looking
down from above if there had been
any one there. There was not light
enough. He understood also that If
the men were going to shoot at him
from the height they would wait till 1T
was daylight. Baraka stood still in
the water, which was up to her waist,
and he paid no attention to her, but
The night was warm, and his clothes
would dry on him by degrees. He
would have taken them off n spread
them out, for he thought no more of
Baraka's presence than if she had
been q harmless young animal stand
ing there in the pool, but he could not
tell what might happen at any mo-
ment, and so long as he was dressed
and had all his few belongings about
him, he felt ready to meet fate.
Baraka saw that he did not heed
her, and was thinking. She came up
u of the water very slowly, and she
modestly loosened her wet garment
from her, so hat it hung straight
when she stood at the end of the
beach, as far from the traveller as pos
sible. She. also, sat down to dry her
self; and there was silence for q long
time.
After half an hour the traveller rose
and began to examine the rock, feel
ing it with his hands wherever there
was the least shadow, as high as he
could reach, to find if there was any
foothold, though he was already sure
that there vas not.
There is no way out" Baraka said
at last. Il have been here by day. l
have seen"
"They will let themselves down
from above with ropes, till they are
near enough to Shoot" the traveller
answered.
NO." replied Baraka. "They know
that you have a good weapon and
they will not risk their lives. They
will leave us here to starve. That is
what they will do. 1t is our portion,
and We shall die. 1t will be easy, for
there is water, and when we are hun
CRY we can drink our fill. You will
die nrst. You are not as we are, you
cannot live so long without food"
The traveller wondered if she was
right, but he said nothing.
IF we had got out with the treas
ure," continued Baraka, you would
have loYed me for it, because you
would have been the greatest man in
the world through me. But now, be-
cause we must die, you hate me. l
understand. if you do not kill me
you will die first; and when you are
dead l shall kiss you many times, till
I die also. 1t will be very easy. | am
not afraid"
The man sat quite still and looked
at the dark streak by the edge of the
pool where the water had wet it when
the falling boulder outside had sent in
little waves He could see it dis
tinctly. Again there was silence for
a long time. Now and then Baraka
loosened her only garment about her
as she sat, so that it might dry more
quickly; and she quietly wrung out
her thick black hair and shook it over
her shoulders to dry it, too, and
stuck her two silver pins into the
sand beside her.
Still the traveller sat with bent head,
gazing at the edge of the pool. His
hands were quite dry now, and he
slowly rubbed the clinging moisture
from his revolver. Some men would
have been thinking, in such a plight,
that if starving were too hard to bear,
g bullet would shorten their sufferings
n the end; but this man was very full
of life, and the love of life, and while
he lived he would hope.
He still watched the same dark
streak where the sand was wet; he
had not realized that he had been so
far from it till then, but by looking at
it a long time in the starlight his sight
had probably grown tired, so that he
no longer saw it distinctly. He raised
himself a little on his hands and
pushed himself down till it was quite
clearly visible again, and he looked at
the rock opposite and up to the stars
again, to rest his eyes. He was not
more than a yard from the water now.
The place was very quiet. From far
above a slight draught of air descended.
warm from the rocks that had been
heated all day in the sun. But there
was no sound except when Baraka
moved a little.
Presently she did not move any
more, and when the traveller looked he
saw that she was curled I'D on The
sand, as eastern women lie when thew
sleep, and her head rested on her
hand; for her garment was dry now.
and she was drowsy after the walk
and the effort she had made. Be-
sides, since there was no escape from
death, and as the man did not love
her, she might as well sleep if she
could.
He had been certain of the distance
between his feet and the waters edge
as he sat: 1t had been a yard at the
most. But nov it was more; he was
sure that it was a yard and a half at
the least. He rubbed his eyes and
looked hard at the dark belt OF wet
sand, and 1t was twice as wide as it
had been. The water was still run
ming out somewhere, but it was no
longer running in, and in an hour or
two the pool would be dry. The tray-
80, o1ro,41s-.F e