Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1915-07-23
CHAPTER X.
A sacred Truat,

A Sacred Trust.
His eyes had grown accustomed to
the glare of the beautiful sands. but
his sense Of beauty was never satisfied
with looking at the desert picture and
drinking In the glory~and the lowell
ness of the melancholy waste. Stand
ing in the door of his tent in fatigue
uniform, he said to Pitchoune:
Il could be perfectly happy here If
were not alone"
Pitchoune barked. He had not
grown accustomed to the desert He
hated It 1t slipped away from under
his little feet; he could not run on 1t
with any comfort. He spent his days
idly in his masters tent or royalty
perched on camel, crouching close
to Sabron's man servant when they
went on caravan explorations.
Yes" said Sabron. IF were not
alone. ! don't mean you, mon vieux.
You are a great deal, but you really
don't count, you know"
Before his eyes the sands were as
pink as countless rose leaves. To
Sabron they we're as fragrant as flow
ers. The peculiar incenseliker odor
that hoyers above the desert when the
sun declines was to him the most de-
licious thing he had ever inhaled. All
the west was as red as FIRE. The day
had been hot and there came up the
cool breeze that would give them de-
licious night. Overhead, one by one,
he watched the blossoming out Of the
great stars; each one hung above his
lonely tent like q bridal flower In a
veil of blue. On all sides, like white
petals on the desert face, were the
tents Of his men and his officers, and
from the encampment came the hum
OF military life, yet the silence to him
was profound. He had only to order
his stallion saddled and to ride away
for little distance In order to be
alone with the absolute stiffness.
This he often did and took his
thoughts with him and came back to
his tent more conscious of his solitude
every night of his life
There had been much looting of car
avans in the region by brigands, and
his business was that of sentinel for
the commerce of the plains. Thieving
and rapacious tribes were under his
eye and his care. Tonight, as he stood
looking toward the west into the glow,
shading his eyes with his hand, he saw
coming toward them what he knew to
) be caravan from Algiers. His ordon.
nance was a native soldier, one OF the
desert tribes, black as ink, and scarce.
ly more childlike than Brunei and pre-
sumably as devoted.
sMustapha," Sabron ordered, fetch
me out lounge chair" He spoke in
French and pointed, for the man un
: derstood imperfectly and sabron did
not yet speak Arabic.
He threw himself down. lighted q
fresh cigarette, dragged Pitchoune by
E the nape of his neck up to his lap, and
9 the two sat watching the caravan
slowly grow into individuals of camels
: and riders and finally mass itself II
& shadow within some four or FIVE hun
dred yards of the encampment.
The sentinels and the soldiers begaI
to gather and Sabron saw a single
[ footman making his way toward tn,
camp.
Go" he said to Mustapha, "and Sc,
e what message the fellow brings to tn,
regiment"
Mustapha went, and after little re
turned. followed by the man himself,
, black-bearded, half-naked Bedouin
e swathed In dust-colored burnoose an,
! carrying 3 bag.
He bowed TO Captain de Sabron ant
extended the leather bag. On the out
side Of the leather there was a tickle
pasted, which read:
THE Post for the - Squadron o
Cavalry-."
. Sabron added mentally:
: wherever It may happen to bel
He ordered bakshish given to tn,
man and sent him or. Then he opene,
r the French mail. He was not NOR,
than three hundred miles from Algiera
Il had taken him long time to worl
down to Dirbal. however. and they ha,
had some hRrdships. He felt a million
miles away. The look OF the primitiv,
mail bag and the knowledge of how
far It had travelled to find the peopl
/. to whom these letters were addresse,
made his hands reverent as he IN
fastened the sealed labels. He locke,
the letters through. returned the bal
7 to MustRpha and sent him on to dis
tribute the post.
Then. for the light was bad, bril-
liant though the night might be. b
| went into his tent with his own mai
! On his dressing table was a small Il
Illumination consisting of a fat candl
set In q glass case. The mosQuitoe