The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-02-22

Ioi AiA1 w Ao, ana ne 4lu ~. ne SpOtAe
hurriedly to his head-boy The boy
without hesitation obeyed him. He
ran to the racing-camel, applied
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
rife. Get down from there!"
Mahomed, as IL he had not heard,
kicked the camel with his heels. The
beast lurched to its feet resentfully.
Mahomed picked up the guiding-rope
which served as a bride, and struck
the camel across the neck
Click! went the hammer Of the rife.
AaJnd Mahomed was at that momenI
Skery near death. He gave no heed.
y "No, no." cried Fortune, pushing nv
the barrel. LET him go. He was
kind to me, after his fashion"
Mahomed smiled. He had expected
this, and Fat was why se had gone
about the business unconcernedly.
What do you say?" demanded the
stranger Of Ryanne.
Ryanne, having no love whatever
for Mahomed, shrugged.
"Humph! And you??" to George.
"Oh, let him co.
'All right. Two to one. OF with
you, them, to Mahomed. "But wait!
What about these beggars OF youra?
What are you going to do with them?''
They have been paid. They can
go back
The moment the camel felt the sand
under his pads, he struck his gait
eastward. And when the mtsts and
shadows crept in behind him and his
rider, that was the last any of them
ever saw OF Mahom ed El-Gebe1, keeper
Of the Holy Yhiordes In the Pasha's
palace at Bagdad.
Now, them" said the leader OF the
strange caravan, my name Is Ack-
ermann, and mine is carpet-caravan,
in from Khuzistan, bound for Smyrna.
How may help your
Take us as far as Damascus" an
sWered Ryanne We can get ON from
there well enough.
What's your name" directly
'.Ryanne"
And yours p
Fortune Chedsoye.''
s'Next?"
Jones'"
The humorous bruskness put kind |
of spirit into them all, and they an
swered smilingly.
tRyanne and Jones are familiar |
enough, but Chedsoye is new one |
Here, you!" whirling suddenly upon
the boys who were pressing about. |
He volleyed some Arabic at them. and |
they dropped back well, I've heard /
some strange yarns myself In my
time, but this one beats them all. |
Shanghaied from Cairo! Humph! If |
some one had told me this, anywhere |
else but here, I'd have called him 8 |
liar. And you, Mr.. Ryanne. welt into
Bagdad alone and got away VITA that |
Yhiordes! 1t must have been the |
DEVILS own of job
st was, replied Ryanne laconically. |
He did not know this man Acker-
mann; he had never heard of him; |
but he recognized a born leader OF |
men when Ne saw him. eGray-haired. |
lean, bearded, sharp Of word, quick |
of action, rude; he saw in this carpet
hunter the same indomitable qualities :
NJ the, ivory-seeker "You did n&
Etop at Bagdad?" ne asked, after tn Fss
h,Wift inventory. I'
No. I came direct. always do, |
grimly. Better turn in and sleep; |
Wen be on the way at dawn. sharp"
"Sleep! Ryanne laughed.
"Sleep?" echoed George.
Fortune shook her head
We'll, 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
1--WE are all very happy to be bossed |
by you," she said.
Twenty days." Alderman unused.
You're plucky young woman. No
hysterics?"
mot even q sigh OF discomfort" put |
in George. "If 1t hadn't been for her
pluck, we'd have gone to pieces Just i
from worry, Are you Henry Acker-
mann, OF the Oriental Company in
Smyrna" |
Eyes; why?"
''I'm George P. A. Jones, OF Morti- |
mer & Jones. New York. I've heard |
of you; and God bless you for this /,
nights work." |
Mortimer & Jones? You don't say! !
Well, II 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
ter good to hear, dry and harsh though
it was Your dad was a fine gentle
man, and one Of the best judges Of
his time. You couldn't fool him q
knot. He wrote me when you came
into this world OF sin and tribulation.
Didn't they call you Percival Algernon,
OF something like that?"
They did, And George laughed.
too. |