Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-18

the arms Of the station master. and had
the seriousness of his mistake pointed out
to him forthwith and without regard to
the sensitiveness of human anatomy.
And the train continued on its appointed
way. bearing both Amber and the injured
Doegott-
Thus they had come to the heart of
Rajputana.
In the chill of dawn they were deposited
at Badshah Junction. A scanty length
Of rude platform received them and their
two small travelling bags.
On their left the Haiderabad express
roared away, following the night. its
course upon the parallel ribbons of shin
ing steel marked by a towering pillar or
dust. On their right. beyond the sharp
cut edge OF the world, the sun had kin
died a mighty confiagration in the skies.
On every hand, behind and before them,
the desert lay in ebbing shadows, a roll
ing waste scared by arid nullahs-the
bone-dry beds of long-forgotten streams.
Off i'm the north the hills cropped up and
stole purposely away over the horizon.
They stood then. forlorn I'm bowling
desolation. For signs Of life they had
the station, flimsy shelter rooted with
corrugated iron. a beaten track that wan
dered of northwards and disappeared
over a CRASHES swell, a handful OF mud
huts at a distance. and the ticket agent.
The latter a sleepy, surly Eurasian. in
pajamas, surveyed them listlessly from
the threshold OF the station, and without
a sign either OF interest UT NOHtculpt
turned and locked himself In.
Amber sat down on his upturned suit
case and laughed and lit a cigarette. Dog
gott growled. The noise of the train
died to silence in the distance. and a
hyena came out OF nowhere, exhibited
himself upon the ridge of a dry desert
swell and Knocked them, sardonically.
Then he, like the ticket agent, went away.
leaving an oppressive silence.
Presently the sun rose In glory and
h,,r, ,f,x 1axn
shadow several rods long Of an enraged
American beating frantically with clench-
ed fists upon the door of an unresponslve
railway station.
He hammered until he was a-weary.
then deputized his task to Doggott. who
resourcefully found him stone OF size
and proceeded to make dents in the door.
This method elected the Eurasian He
came out, listened attentively to abuse
and languidly to their demands for
tonga to bear them to Kuttarpur, and OBJ
served that the mail tonga left once
day--at 3 in the afternoon. Doggott
caught him as he was on the point OF
returning to his interrupted repose and
called his attention to the unwisdom of
his ways.
Apparently convinced, this ticket agent
announced his intention OF endeavoring
to f..d a tonga for the sahib. Besides,
he was not unwilling to acquire rupees.
He scowled thoughtfully at Amber. feroc-
iously at Doggott. went back into the
station, gossiped casually with the tele-
graph sounder for a quarter of an hour.
and finally reappeafng, without word
or a nod left the platform for the road
and walked and walked and walked and
walked. Within thirty yards his figure
was blurred by the dance OF newborn
heat devils. Within a hundred he disap-
peared; the desert swallowed him up.
An hour passed as three. The heat be-
came terrific; not breath Of wind stirred.
The face Of the world lost its contours
in wavering mirage. The travellers found
lukewarm water In the station and break
tasted sparingly from their own stores of
biscuit and timed things. Then, in the
shadow of the station. they settled down
to wait. bored to extinction. Lulled by
the. hushed chatter of the telegraph
sounder. Doggott nodded and slept audi
bly,; Amber nodded, felt himself going.
reused with q struggle. ana lapsed into q
dreary mid world of semistupor.
In the simple fullness of Asiatic time
a tonga came from heaven knew where
and reused him by rafting up beside the
platform. He got up and looked it over
with just eye and a temper none the
sweeter for his experience. 1t was a
brute of a tonga, patched and RAM
shackle wreck Of what had once been q
real tonga, with no top to protect the
travellers from the sun and acconmoda-