The Irish standard., 1909-08-28

they were already white and RED an
yellow in the light of the risen syn
for in that country there is noaySlyss5
long time between dark night -
broad day.
Baraka sat down again, on tha5sposlS
where she had slept, but she $50
nothing The man was trying to di4S
a little hole in the wet sand with hiss
hands, beyond the water that 49, eAS
still left, for perhaps he thought tnASs
If he could make a pit on one stds
some water would stay in it; but tnesss
sand ran together as soon AZ -
moved it; and presently, as he Don't
over, he felt that he was sinking INTO
1t himself, and understood that 1t Wa
sort of quicksand that would sucK#
him down. He therefore threw himself
fiat on his back, stretching OUT Ms
arms and legs, and, making move
ments as II he were swimming. me-
worked his way from the danger9ps
place till he was safe on the tirmg
white beach again. He sat up Them 80
bent his head till his forehead pressNda
on his hands, and he shut his eyes ~
keep out the light of day. He hAds
not slept. as Baraka had, but he 49,
not sleepy; perhaps he would mott O.
able to sleep again before the 5dp
come. Baraka watched him quil,tMss
for she understood that he despaireaS
of life, and she wondered what hes
would do; and, besides, he seemed to-
her the most beautiful man In the
world, and she loved him, and she was
going to die with him.
1t comforted her to think that mo-
other woman could get him now. It
was almost worth while to die for that
alone; for she could not have borne
that another woman should have him
since he despised her, and If 1t had
come to pass she would have tried to
kill that other. But there was no
danger of such thing now; and he
would die first, and she would kiss
him many times when he was dead,
and then she would die also.
The pool was all gone by this time.
leaving funnelshapped hollow In
the sand where it had been. If any
water still leaked through from with
out it lost itself under the sand, and
the man and the girl were at the bot
tom OF a great natural we'll that was
quite dry. Baraka looked up, and she
saw vulture sitting in the sun on a
pinnacle, 800 feet above her head. He
would sit there till she was dead, for
ne knew what was coming; then he
would spread his wings a little and let
himself down awkwardly, half-Aying
and half-scrambling. When he had
finished, he would sit and look at her
bones and doze till he was able TO fly
away.
The hours passed, and the sun rose
higher in the sky and struck deeper
into the shady we'll, till he was almost
overhead, and there was scarcely any
shadow left. 1t became very hot and
sitting, because the passage through
which the air had entered with the
water was shut up. Then the traveller
his flannel shirt at the neck, and
turned up his sleeves for GOODNESS.
and he crept backwards into the hol-
low where the ruby mine was, to shell
ter himself from the sun. But Baraka
edged away to the very foot of tho
cliff, where there remained a belt Of
shade, even at noon; and as she sat :
there she took the hem of her one
garment in her hands and slowly
famed her little feet. Neither he nor
she had spoken for many hours, and
she could see that in the recess of the
rock he was sitting as before, with
his forehead against his hands that
were clasped on his knees, in the at :
titude and bearing of despair.
He began to be athirst now, in the
heat If he had not known that there
was no water he could easily have
done without 1t through a long day,
but knowledge that there was none,
and that he was never to drink again,
parched his life and his throat and his =
tongue till it felt like 4 dried fls In his
mouth. He did not feel hunger and
indeed he had little food in a wallet
he carried: but he could not have eat