Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1912-10-10

fuge grey roll or SAND, down InJo JnaJ
cup-like valley; soundless save when
the camels protested or his stirrup
cllnKed against a buckle; all with the
somber aspect of a scene from Dante.
Several black spots, moving in circles
far above, once attracted George; and
he knew them to be kites, which will
follow caravan into the desert even
as gull will follow a ship out to sea.
Later, a torpid Indifference took pos
session OF him, and the sense of pain
grew less under the encroaching
numbness.
J And when at last the splendor OF
the dawn upon the desert flashed like
sWord-blade along the sky in the
east, grew and widened, George COM
pretended one thing clearly, that they
were IN the Arabian desert, out of the
main travelled paths, in the middle Of
nowhere.
His sense of beauty did not respond
to the marvel of the transformation.
The dark grey of the sand-hills that
became violet at their bases, to fade
away upward into little pinnacles Of
shimmering gold; the drab, formless,
scattered boulders, now assuming
clear-cut shapes, transfused with ruby
and sapphire glowing; the sun itself
that presently lifted it's rosal warm
ing circle above the stepping-off
place-George saw but noted not. The
physical picture was overshadowed by
the one he drew in his mind: the good
ship Ludwig, boring her way out into
the sea.
The sun was free from the deserts
rim when the leading camel was halt
ed. A confusion ensued; the camels
following stupidity into one another, in
a kind Of panic. Out of the silence
came babble of voices, a granting, a
clatter of pack-baskets and saddle
bags. George, as his camel kneeled,
slid off involuntarily and tumbled
against a small hillock, and lay there,
without any distinct sense Of what
was going on round him. The sand,
fine and mutable, formed a couch COM
fort1ngly under his aching body; and
he fell asleep, exhausted. Already the
impalpable dust, which had risen and
followed the caravan all through the
night, had powdered his clothes, and
his face was stained and streaked.
His head lay in the sand, his soft Fe-
dora crushed under his shoulders.
What with the bruises visible, the
rents in his coat. the open shirt.
goiled, crumpled, collarless, he in
vited pity: only none came from the
Dusy ARABS. AS ne sept, 1rown
gathered upon his face and remained
there.
When he came back from his
troubled dreams, a bowl Of rice,
thinned by hot water, was given him.
He cleaned the bowl, not because he
was hungry, but because he knew that
somewhere along this journey he
would need strength; and the recur-
ring fury against his duress caused
him to fling the empty bowl at the
head Of the camel-boy who had
brought it. The boy ducked, laugh
ing. George lay down again. Let
them cut his throat If they wanted to;
it was all the same to him. Again he
slept, and when he was roughly and
forcibly awakened, he sat up with a
snarl and looked about.
His head was clear now, and he
began to take notes. He counted
ten, eleven, twelve camels, car
van in truth, prepared for a long and
continuous journey. There were three
pack-camels, laden with wood, tents,
and such cooking utensils as the fru
gal Arab had need of. Certainly Ma
homed was a rich man, whether he
owned the camels or hired them for
the occasion. Upon one Of the beasts
they were putting. up MAMMAL, a can
opy used to protect women from the
sun while riding. One Arab, taller,
more robust than the others, moved
hither and thither authoritatively.
Wound about his tarboosh or fez was
a bright green cufia, signifying that
the wearer had made the pilgrimage
to Holy Mecca. This individual
George assumed to be Mahomed him
self. And he recognized him as the
beggar over whom he had stumbled
two nights gone. Pity he hadn't
known, and pitched him into the Nile
when he had the chance.
Mahomed completed his directions,
and walked leisurely toward George,
but his attention was not directed
toward him. A short distance away,
at Georges left, was a man, stretched
out as If in slumber. Over his inert
figure Mahomed watched. He drew
back his foot and kicked the sleeping
man soundly, smiling amiably the
while; a kick which, had Mohamed's
foot been cased in western leather,
must have stove in the sleeper's ribs.
Strange, the victim did not stir. Ma