Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1912-02-01
"what have you to say for

'NOth1ne!S
Take care! It wouldn't come hard
to put bullet into your ugly hide.
You can't abduct white women these
days, you beggar! Well, what have
you to say
Mahomed folded his arms; his ex-
preston was calm and unafraid. But
down in his heart the fires Of hell
were raging If only he had brought
his rifle from the tent; even knife;
and one mad moment If he died for
it! Ane he had been gentle to the
girl; he had withheld the lash from
the men; he had not put into action
q single plan arranged for their misery
and humiliation! Truly his blood had
turned to water, and he was worthy
of death. The white man. always and
ever the white man won in the end.
To have come this far, and then to be
cheated out Of his revenge by chance!
Kismet! There was but one thing LETT
for him to do, and he did 1t. He spoke
hurriedly to his head boy. The boy
without hesitation obeyed him. He
ran to the racing camel, applied. q
kick, flung on the saddle bags, stuffed
dates and dried fish and two water
bottles into them, and waited. Ma
homed walked over to the animal and
mounted.
"Stop!" The white man leveled his
rifle. "Get down from there!"
Mahomed as if he had not heard.
kicked the camel with his heels. me
beast lurched to it's feet resentfully.
Mahomed picked up the guiding rope
which served as bride, and struck
fhe amel across the neck
Click! went the hammer OF the rifle,
and Mahomed was at that moment.
very near death. He gaye no heed.
"No, MOI" cried Fortune, pushing up
the barrel LET him CO. He was kind
to me- after his fashion"
Mahomed smiled. He had expected
this, and that was why he had gone
about the business unconcernedly
"What do you say?" demanded the
stranger Of Ryanne.
Ryanne, having no love for Ma
homed shrugged.
"Humph!" And you?" to George.
"Oh let him CO."
"All right. Two to one. Off with you,
then" to Mahomed "Bit wait! What
about these beggars of yours? what
are you going to do with them?"
'They have been paid They can 60
back"
The moment the camel felt the SAND
under his pads, he struck his gait east
ward. And when the mists and
shadows crept in behind him and his
rider that was the last any of them
ever saw Of Mahomed- -El-G ebel, keeper
of the HOLY Yhiordes in the Pasha's
palace at Bagdad.
fne
strange caravan, my name Is Acker-
man, and mine is carpet caravan, IN
from Khuzistan, bound for Smyrna.
How may help you?" ;,
"Take US as far as Damascus,
kansw cred Ryanne. "We can get on
from there well enough"
Whats your name?" directly.
! "Ryanne."
"And yours?"
I Fortune Chedsoye."
"Next?" .,
| Jones'"
The humorous bruskness put :; KIND
Of spirit into them all. and they
answered smilingly.
"Ryanne and Jones are familiar
enough, but Chedsoye is a new one.
Here, you' whirling suddenly upon
the boys who were pressing about re
volleyed some Arabic at them, anu
they dropped back. well, I've heard
some strange yarns myself in my time,
but this one beats them all. Shang-
haied from Cairo! Humph. II some
one had told me this, anywhere else
but here, I'd have called him liar.
And you, Mr.. Ryanne, went into Bag
dad alone and got away with tnat
Yhiordes! 1t must have been tne
devils own of a job"
1T was" replied Ryanne laconically.
He did not know this man Ackerman;
T he had never heard, of him; but he
recognized born leader of men when
he saw him. Gray-haired, lean, bearded,
sharp of word, quick of action, rude;
he saw in this carpet hunter the same
lindomitable qualities Of the ivory
seeker. "You did not stop at Bagdad?
he asked, after the swift inventory.
/; "No. came direct always do"
grimly. Better turn in and sleep;
we'll be on the way at dawn, sharp
"Sleep?" Ryanne laughed.
"Sleep?" echoed George.
Fortune shook her head.
"Well. an hour to let the reaction
wear away" said Alderman. but
you've got to sleep. I'm boss now, and
you won't find me an easy one with
humorous glance at the girl.
eve are all very happy to be bossed
by you," she said.
| Twenty days." Alderman. mused.
you're a plucky young woman. NO
hysterics?"
"Not even a sigh of discomfort put
in George. "If it hadn't been for her
pluck, we'd have gone to pieces just
from worry. Are you Henry Acker.
mann, Of the Oriental Co. in SMYRNA?
| eyes; why?"
-"I'm George P. A. Jones, OF
Mortimer & Jones, New York. I've
heard Of you; and God bless you for
this nights work.
| Mortimer & Jones? You don't say!
Well, if this doesn't beat the Dutch!
Why, If you're Robert E. Jones boy,
I'll sell you every carpet in the pack
at cost" He laughed; and 1t was
laugh good to hear, dry and harsh