Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-07
CHAPTER XVI-Continued.

It was hero the torches had gathered
and still came trooping. Fringed with
pendant boughs. a cavernous white tent
glimmered softly. like a shapeless bal
loon with fire in its belly. Round It a
crowded camp was already spring1ng up
lighted booths for the hungry. surrounded
| by pleasant fumes Of rice and sawah fish
a-cooking; lighted counters for the thirsty,
with candle fame refracted through red
and yellow bottles OF sherbet: an instan-
taneous bazaar Of colored sarongs. hang
ing on lines from tree to tree, like rich
| arras in wood: and humber shops on
trestied boards. where homemade cigar
cites lay next to sugared tamarinds, and
Swedish matches among plough points
| fresh from the forge. like devils hoofs all
had become a colony. busy as Dido's bee
hive but quieter and happier.
"Ah. How good 1t smells!' sighed
Rama, shifting the aroma from sago-
wrapped tobacco. and spiced cookery and
areca juice and trodden grass. ''Ah. how
good! And how Hasan, that she ass be-
longing to Satan, would pinch his nose at
/ it!' He slipped his arm through David
and loitered in the lettering crowd.
Thank your prophet, Bowman, We gave
Hasan the slip. and all his kind!''
| He wriggled forward, murmuring cour-
tesies to clear the way, and gained places
for both Of them at q clean little booth.
Between a cinchona coolie and the gray
beard damang OF three villages they made
q hearty supper on curried fish. rice and
grated cocoanut. Their plates were only
plantain leaves, but Rama ate with all
| the gusto of Haroun AL Raschid on
frolic. and David. for appetite, was no
| bad vizier.
They drank bottle of red sherbet 20
top of their wantonness. The sultan
brought forth cheroots in a lordiy case
And while they stood exchanging lights
the brass music suddenly crashed and
squealed from the tent
TITS on! It's on!' Rama tossed his
match away. Lets not miss any. Do
you know. Bowman. I've not had such a
lark since Chop-chop won at Happy
They followed the flocking mountain
! GERS, wrangled with a sweaty half caste
for their tickets, and were carried on
gay stream af expectancy under the can
Near the door!" called David. pluck
ing his comrades sleeve. "Sit near the
doorr'
The sultan laughed and nodded
"Risht" he cried. The loud horns.
blaring out a music-hall overture.
drowned more than half his words. Here
you are understand keep
an eye for your young lady on the
road"
They captured stools near the entrance
and sat down. Before them hung a broad
white sheet. over platform. The mot
ley audience poured throughout the tent,
discussing, reckoning. subsiding into
banks Of softly blended color. The third
class rows, in front, bristled with rabbit
ear turbans: but elsewhere appeared the
black felt hats and crimson-braided
| queues Of Chinese toxic men; the shaven
polls and broad, important backs OF
| there q restless party Of half-caste girls.
with the same sweetmeat boxes. the same
giggling whispers. the same loose-working
shoulder blades as those which fill an
afternoon theater in the western hemis-
phere.
Before the lamps put out" came
the sultans voice, better show myself
- good chance"'
| He stood up and. slowly turning as on
pivot. scanned the whole assembly with
tern close by threw so generous a light
upon him that for the moment his torso
Of white linen. his olive-golden face, with
| its fine curves OF eyebrow, lip and nostril,
became the chief conspicuous details in
crowded picture. Rama took a thought
full survey round about twice, as II hunt
, ing for friend. His slender brown
| fingers played with the gold chain care
lessly and twiddled the packet on his
breast.
Capital. There's our man" He sat
down. smiling oddly. "All going we'll
'" hoped sou
| AS though he had given a signal, the
orchestra ceased its braying. The mu-
sicians-Javan boys caught in the wilds
and transformed with blue and buttons
now laid aside their nickeled horns and
comets. skipped about the tent, lowered
and blew out the lanterns. Their leader.
a beachcomber. squeezed few last
groans from his ACCORDION. and rising
threaded his way to the rear. All faces
turned to watch. as he began tampering
with a black machine that pointed. gat-
lingwise, over the heads Of the crowd.
Darkness fell A vicious hiss and sputter
succeeded: searchlight ray tilted
through the gloom; white circle. spring
| ing out on the curtain ahead, turned sud
denly to gray; and there before the MUIR
muring company. fickered and shifted
the great Gambar Idup. the live picture
of q house on fire.
| The djinns were liberated the lamp had
begun it's comedy. The sultan, though
more gravely absorbed In these quick
| changing dreams. David could never re-
call more than disturbed and fleeting
impression Of them: in part, because the
upon their stools before him and peered
back into the glaring nozzle of the ma
chine. to study this living magic at the
source; In part. because, at every sound
outside the open door, ne strained both
eye and ear for movements Of travel on
the highway; in part, because there crept
over him that gradual unrest which
| comes, or seems to come. from being
watched by person unknown and un-
discOverable In a crowd. He caught him.
self peeping at his neighbors and fidget-
ing.
!, Rama" he leaned across to whisper:
Rama, when you stood up then. what
was it?''
| The sultan could not take his eyes from
the shivering gray light on the screen.
A nervous Partisan bridegroom there.
dressed for his wedding, now ran at top
speed through fragments Of suburban and
rural scenery. leading q furious pack OF
shopkeepers, peasants. garbage men, gen.
darmes, dogs and fat women to the in
evitable catastrophe in a duck pond.
when I stood up? Oh. yes" came the
answer. Rama nodded impatiently to-
ward his left shoulder. "Over there-clear
overly the canvas. Your friend the sta
| BILE parrot. He saw US. It's all right
David looked sharply along the row.
They themselves were visible enough, in
| the stray CLEAN from a lamp outdoors
The shimmerins screen also threw reflec-
lions that revealed q few dusky faces
nearby. But elsewhere the tent stretched
as black as q cavern. David gave up the
| scrutiny and tried by watching the inane
pictures come and go. to forget his un-