Mexico Missouri message., 1910-01-06


from her neck a bag of antelope skin, |
no larger than her closed hand, and |
gave It to him with the thin thong by |
which It had hung.
when you have seen them in the |
sun you will want Others" she said. |
'T will take you to the place, and |
when you have filled your sack with |
them you will love me enough to take |
me away. It Is not far to the place.
In two hours we can go and come. |
Tomorrow night, about this time,
will wake you again. 1t will not be
safe to unbar the door, so you must
let me down from this roof by camel
rope, and then follow me-"
When Baraka was gone, the stranger
sat up on his carpet and opened the
small bag to feel the stones, for he
knew that he could hardly see them
in the starlight; but even the touch
and the weight told him something,
and he guessed that the girl had not
tried to deceive him childishly with
bits Of glass. Though the bag had
been in her bosom, and the weather
was hot, the stones were as
cold as Jade; and moreover he felt
their shape and knew at once that
they might really be rough rubies, for
he was we'll versed in the knowledge
of precious stones.
When the day began to dawn he
went down from the roof to the COM
mon room of the fore-house, where
guests were Quartered yet although
there was no other stranger there he
would net take the bag from his neck
to examine the stones, lest some one
should be watching him from a place
of hiding; but afterwards, when he
was alone in the foothills and out of
sight of the town, searching as usual
for new plants and herbs, he crept
into low cave at noon, and sat down
just inside the entrance, so that he
could see any one coming while still
long way of, and there he emptied
the contents of the little leathern wal
let into his hand, and saw that Bara-
ka had not deceived him; and as he
looked closely at the stones in the
strong light at the entrance Of the
cave, the red or the rubies was re-
fiected in the blue of his bright eyes,
and made a little purple glare in them
that would have frightened Baraka;
and he smiled behind his great yellow
beard.
He took from an inner pocket q
| folded sheet on which a map was
traced in black aud green ink, much
corrected and extended in pencil; and
he studied the map thoughtfully in the
cave while the great heat of the day
| lasted; but the lines that his eye fol-
| lowed did not lead towards Persia,
Palestine, and Egypt, where Baraka
wished to live with him in a marble
palace and eat fat Quails and fig
| paste.
She came to him again that night
on the roof, bringing With her a small
bundle. tightly rolled and we'll tied
up. He wrapped his blanket round
her body, and brought it up under her
arms so that the rope should not hurt
her when her weight came upon 1t,
and SO he let her down over the edge
of the roof to the ground, and threw
the rope after her; and he let himself
over, holding by his hands, so that
when he was hanging at the full
length of his long arms he had only
a few feet to drop, for he wished to
take the rope with him.
! Baraka's house was at the head of
the town, towards the foothills; every
one was sleeping, and there was no
moon. She followed the stony sheep
track that struck into the hills only a
few hundred PAGES from the last
houses, and the stranger followed her
closely. He had his sack on his shoul-
der, his book of plants and herbs was
slung behind him by strap, and in
his pockets he had all the money he
carried for his travels and his letters
to the chiefs, and a weapon; but he
had left all his other belongings, judg-
ing them to be Of no value compared
with a camel's bag full of rubies, and
only hindrance, since he would have
to travel far on foot before daylight
by dangerous paths.
The girl trod lightly and walked
fast, and as the man followed in her
footsteps he marked the way turn by
turn, and often looked up at the stars
ONNAuCd AANA w hAO oA0, oSNNS
toned to journeying alone in desert
places. For some time Baraka led
him through little valleys he had often
traversed, and along hillsides familiar
to him, and at last she entered a mar
row ravine which he had once fol
lowed to its bead. where he had found
IL ended abruptly in high wall oi
rock, at the foot of which there was
q clear poo, that did not overflow. II
was darker in the gorge, but the rocks
were almCst white, so that it was
quite possible to see the way by the
faint light
The MN and the girl stood before
the pool: the still water reflected the
stars.
''This Is the place" Baraha said
do yo see anything?"
Il see water and a wall of rock.
the man answered. "Ishave been her.
2 Il