The Washington times., 1910-11-06
CHAPTER V.
Peril-And a ReYolution.

CHAPEL V.
Peril-And A Revolution.
r. OR perhaps a half hour L knelI
~ there. my head awhirl, the acacia
blossom clasped between my hot
palms
Had L really been dreaming2 Was the
whole thing just an unusually Vivid
feNer fantasy MY common sense told
me IL was. But-the mower in my hands.
That, at least, was real. II had snOne
IN her hair Il had fallen on my face.
1 held II. What did il all mean2
The more ! thought, the less did / un-
derstand. The face that had been
above me was young and beautiful.
even as L believed my mothers TO have
Deen. But my mother mad been dead
these sixteen years. J. myself, was
past twenty-five. This being that had
looked down from above me could not,
Il she were mortal, be day over
eighteen.
No, Of course she was a dream
fgment And yet-the flower! j could
have sworn il was real flesh and blOoC,
not spirit, that had glided so swiftly
from my embrace Was 1 going maj
Or was this one of the numbprlesS myS-
teries that thronS the EaSty Nothing
except the probable is really Improbable
in that land broOued over by the shadow
of the Sphinx.
The sort pad, pad, pad. of unshod feet
dark BedOuin encampmenI brought me
quickly TO me feet The BedOuin is not
the sort Of man 70 march out in that
fashion at dead of night TO satisfy ais
curiosity as 10 a guest camped on tho
outskirts OF his settlement Nor, since
we had been accepted as guests OF The
tribe could the OncOmers be marauders.
What then2
/ was standing where the end Of
the tent street merges with the outer
wilderness. our own tiny camp was a
hundred feet behind me / carried no
weapOa- Moreover, except Tor per
haps a brief effort. my strength was
not what IL had been.
Yet L felt no fear; only a mild Gu
riosity. Had troop of ghosts
emerged from that black Street-end 1
should probably nave known little
surprise after what 1 had Just passed
through.
Silent and white-clad as ghosts,
emerged from the aperture a dozen
men They carried long rifles. and
one who led them held a curved, short
sword. At sight of me they halted
not in confusion nor menace, but as
If III surprise that ! had apparently
10 me quietly in Arabic. l touched
my lips, shaking my head.
Laying his hand on my arm. he
pointed 10 the tent street 1 under
stood he expected me TO go with him.
In fact. his men had silently fallen
into rank on either side Of me I
paused an instant. Then l realized
that. unarmed, l stood no chance Of
resistance. Nor was the aspect Of the
guard one of anger.
Perhaps the emir had sent them I,
conduct Said to him. 1 thought. and
in the deceptive moonlight thew mis-
took me for the dragoman. As 1 had
scarce picked up a dozen words of
their language, argument or eXplana-
ton was useless. Nor did l wish 70
awaken my tired companions need
a 81 NJ chp
ders l stepped out, at the officers
side. and we began our brief march.
Through the sleeping village we
moved. the bare feet of the men tread
Ing with true desert ightness. On
either side the tents, some large, some
small Of woven black gOat-hair
stretched out to an infinite distance.
Once or twice a scavenEer cur skunk
from our path or growled at US out
Of the shadows.
Suddenly we turned a corner and
came into an open central space. at
whose farther end stood a tent nearly
hundred feet long. Before il a spear
was thrust upright into the ground
symbol of a chiefs dwelling, and be
side the shaft rose another bearing the
prophets green banner. Clearly this
was the abode Of the emir himself.
The center curtains We're Drawn back,
revealing an interior lighted by a score
Of torches. 4 guard OF spearmen stood
without. Inside there seemed to be
considerable aSSemblage. I could catch
sight of many men moving TO and fro
and hear the hum or excited voices.
As we drew near word Of our coming
evidently preceded Us. for the voices
grew silent; there was a rustic as of
men taking up appointed places. As 1
stood in the wide doorway the place
had the air OF a council chamber in
full session.
At the upper end Of the room, on an
embroidered dais, sat a man Of perhaps
fifty. Massive, strikingIy handsome and
even classic Of viSage, he dominated the
entire assembly. It needed not the
rich robes and the green turban, sym
bols Of his Mecca pilgrimage. nor the
difference Of his fellows. to tell me this
was the Emir BasraouL Around him
IN ranks were ranged sheiks and gray
bearded advisers.
In front Of the emir stood the tall,
slender sheik, Hanz, whom I had met a
few hours earlier. Cringing beside him
was an Arab. evidently a Cairene. who
Still wore the battered blue-and-gold
finery Of a dragOman'S uniform. evil
IDENTIFY Il captive or recruit Of the tribe.
The guard officer who had conducted
me thither now caught my arm again
and would have led me into the tent.
shook off his grip and entered by my
self Standing in the midst Of the CEN