The evening world., 1912-04-17
THE CARPET
FROM BAGDAD|
BY HAROLD

and no wasn't sure that the rib was
whole. What time had passed since his
to the English bar was be-
yond MS reckoning. but he knew II VA
yet In the dark of night. - no light
whatever penetrated the cloth over his
ayes. That he was somewhere outside
thu city he was assured by ths tang
OF the winter wind. lie heard low
volces-Arabic: and while he possessed
q snnatterlng OF the tongue. his head
ached too sharply for him TO sense a
word. Later a camel couEhed.
,Camsls? And where were they taking
him upon . PANEL? Bagdad? Impossi-
BILE: there were too many white men
following tho known c~amel-ways. He
sroaned a little. out the sound did not
reach the ears Of his captors. To ride
. camel under ordinary conditions was
. painful affair. but to straddle the
ungsinly brute. dressed al he was. In
4 swaHOw-tail and paper-thin pumps.
did not promote any plsasuraole
thoughts. They would In all truth kill
HIM before they got through. Hang
the rug. And doubly hang the man
WHO had sold It 20 him!
He felt. himself being lifted to mis-
feet. The rope round his ankles was
thrown on. His feet stung under the
renewed flow Of blood. He waited for
them 20 l.bsrate Ids hands. but the
calling o was not diaturbed. II was
evident that the natives still entertained
some respect for his hghtinE ability.
Next. they boosted him. fiung q leg here
and 4 leg there; then came . lurch for
ward. q lurch backward. the recurrence
Of the pain In his side. and he knew
that he was upon the back OF q camel.
desert-bound. There were stirrups. and
a. life began to spread vigor once more
through his legs. no found the steel.
The straps were too short. and In
time The upper turn OF the steel chafsd
Ids insteps. lie eased himself by riding
sidewise. the proper way to ride q camel,
but with constant straining to keep Bis
balance without the use OF his hands.
Fortunately. they were not travelling
very fast. otherwise. what with the
, stanbins pains IN his side. produced BY
ths unvsrytns doE-trot. he must have
fallen. lie was miserable. yet defiant:
tears Of anger and pain filled his eyes
and burned down his cheeks In apats
| OF the cloth.
And he. poor fool. had always been
longing for an adventure. = taste u IKE
outside tho peaceful harhor wherein Ne
had called his cat-boat! Wen. here he
was. In the deep-sea water and he road
himself 10 truly hat he knew the ad-
venture he had longed Tor had been tho
cut-and<risd affairs OF s~tory.tsiiers, In
which only the villains were serfously
discommodsd, and everything ended
happily. A dashlnE hero he was, 20 be
sure! Why hadn't he changed As
clothes7 Was there ever such an a..
Ryanne had told HIN that there was
likely to be sport; and yet he had left
the ho;e! a. one dressed for the opera.
ASS And Tomorrow the Ludvtg would
sail without him.
The wind blew cold sgainst his chest,
and the fact that he could neither see.
nor use his tongue to moisten his
bruised lips, added to she discomfort.
Back and forth he swayed and rocked.
The, pain in his side was gradually
minlmi1ed by the torture bearing upon
his ankles. his knees. across his
shoulders.
Egyptian night. well called. he
thought. Io could discern nothing but
phantom-llke grsy s~llhouettes that
bobbed UP and down after the fashion
OF corks upon water. Before him and
behind him; how many camels made up
the caravsn ne could not tell. He could
hear the faint slip-Nip as the beasts
shufnsd forward IN the fne and heavy
sand. They were well out into the dss-
srt. hut what desert was as yet a
mystery. He had forgotten 20 keep the
points OF tho ompass In his mind
And to pick out his bearings by any
particular star was 10 him no mora
simple than translating Chinese.
Far. far away behind he saw a lum
inous paiior In the sky. the refected
lights Of Cairo. And only a few hours
, he had complained to the head
walter because OF tse bits Of cork noat-
L lOK IN his gllsa nf wilma All 20. A..