Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-01-01

turned with the Holy YhiOrdeS. il ID
not impossible that he would have lin!
Grated them all. But now he dared
not; he was not far enough away. I'd
Bagdad, then, and as swiftly as ths
exigencies of desert travel would perl
nit One beacon of hope burned ins
his breast. The Pasha might be del
posed, and in that case he could i'm.
mediately dispose of his own goods
and .chattels and seek new pastures
1t would come hard, doubly hard, since
he never could regain the position he
was to lose.
Nine hundred pounds English, and
a comfortable fraction over; the yell
low-haired dog would have nothing
in the end for his pains. 1t would be
what the Feringhi called good Joke.
A week passed. Christmas And
not one Of them recalled the day.
Perhaps it was because years had
passed since that time when it meant
anything to them. The old year went
out a-lagging! neither did they take
note Of this. Having left behind civil
! lization, customs and habits were for
gotten.
Sometimes they rode all day and all
night, sometimes but half day, and
again, when the water was sweet, they
rested the day and night. Never a
human being they saw, never cara
van met or crossed them. In this
week, the secret marvels Of the desert
became theirs. They saw it CLEAN
and waver and glitter under skies of
brass, when the north wind let down
and breeze came over from the Per
sian Gulf. They saw it covered with
the most amazing blues and greys and
greens. They saw it under the rarest
azure and a stately fleet Of billowy
clouds; under the dawn, under the set
of sun, under the moon and stars;
and unfailingly the tnterminable
reaches of sand and rock and scrubby
bush, chameleon-like, readjusted its
countenance to each change in the
sky. George, who was a poet without
the gift of expression, never ceased
to find new charms; and nothing
D1GdS6u Ills larry HWY b41tNAh " w NV
cloud-shadows scud away across the
sands Once, toward the latter end
of day, Fortune cried out and pointed.
Far away, palely yet distinctly, they
saw an ocean liner She stood out
against the yellowing sky as a magic
lantern picture stands out upon the
screen. and faded similarly 1t was
the one and only mirage they saw, or
at least noticed.
Once another caravan, composed
wholly Of Arabs, passed. What hope
the prisoners had was instantly
snuffed out. Before the strangers
came within hailing, Mahomed hustled
his captives into his tent and sWore
he would kill either George or Ryanne
if they spoke. He forgot Fortune
however. AS the caravan passed she
screamed. Instantly Mahomed cIaPpeo
his hand roughly over her mouth. Inc
sheik Of the passing caravan looked
keenlv at the tent, smiled gTimIy ana
passed on. What was it to him that a
white woman lay in yonder tent? his
one emotion was of envy. AFTER Ibis
tbe prisoners became apathet1c.
Upon the seventh day, they VIII
messed the deserts terrifying anger
The air that had been cool, suddenly
grew still and hot; the blue above
began to fade, to assume a dusty cop
nerish color The camels grew rest
less. Quickly there rose cut OF the
horizon saffron clouds, approaching
with incredible swiftn2ss. Lll'Ie
whirIwinds of sand appeared here
and there. rose and died as II for
want of air. Mahomed veered the car
AVIAN toward a kind of bluff composed
of sand and precipitous boulders. All
the camels were made to kneel' In0
bows muffied up their mouths anu
noses. and Mahomed gave lhstluC
tions TO his captives. Fortune ouIleu
her head in her coat and nestled do"n
beside her camel, while George anu
Ryaune used their handkercnlelS'
Georse left his camel and sought For
tunes side, found her hand ana nelu
it tightly. He scarcely gave thougnt "
what he did. He vaguely meant 10
encourage her; end possibly ne uld'
The storm broke. The sun became
obscured. Pebbles and splln5ers Vi
rock sang through the pail OF Whlr'l ing
sand. A golden tone enyelopeu 'n0
little gathering.
Had there been no natural proteo-
! ton. they must have ridden on Ohnu-
" and desperately, for to nave 10
/ ma!aed still in the open would naE9
been 10 await their tombs 1t speh'
it's fury in half ar hour; ana Ine
clearing air became tcld again inc
caravan proceeded. Fhe hair OF eY,
erv one was dim1y yellow, their races
and their garments
(TO BE CONTINUED