The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-23

. twice before.I have related Ii
briefly to two different per-
4 sons once when'I told 1t to h bum
boat nan at Berbera in return for a
bowl of -four. and sweetened water
tie. looked at the little statue of Mo-
manned in the corner OF the room and
winked slowly three. times. The other
person to. whom I narrated. the hap
pening was a little wrinkled .Hadesi,
who sat by the roadside where the
great pilgrim trail to Mecca winds
like a white milk snake across the
hills, and he walloped the san with
the fiat OF his sword when I had m
ished.
And what answer did you give the
woman when she asked o what are
the greatest things in the world?'
queried the little Hadesi.
This was my answer" said I:
-Four things greater than all things are,
Women and horses and power and war
Wow! that was a great answer"
said the little Hadesi, and when I
walked on across the hot sand that
giittered like crushed diamonds he
was pounding the earth with his
sword blade and chanting the song of
MunDuD tne MuittteT 10 INC ueSeTt
winds that kissed the sand dunes with
dry lips.
Now this is the story. Three hours
after the old Penlennon dived into a
thousand fathoms Of water of the
coast Of Somaliland 700 miles north
east of Mombasa I struck a hump
backed patch OF wet sand about half
the size of the parade ground OF Alden.
TIA I-. .h-r,. 49, MI
smudge Of SCOT on a sky of brass and
l watched 1t as I rested. I knew that
I would have to swim the stretch OF
oily water between the san hummock
and the shore before the tide rose.
l was IN the sandbank about an
hour when I sighted a fleet Of feluc-
cas, catamarans and ~dahabeahs COM
ing out from the mainland inc maxi
ing straight for the island, and l
covered myself with a tangle Of sea-
weed so that I could see everything
without being seen. There were over
thirty boats in the feet and they COM
pletely surrounded the little hummock.
Then the biggest dahabeah drew
out from the rest and I watched a
big, bearded man on the deck yelling
instructions to the crew. The naked
"a ioWSiCu u iOHS. yciiOW boA llto
the water, padded the box to the sand
bank. fixed 1t on the highest point and
then splashed back to the dahabeah.
The moment they climbed aboard the
mixed fleet turned and raced for the
mainland. leaving me alone with the
mystery 20
NOW, it's up to me to investigate"
I said, n I ciawed myself out Of the
son uaad md u-apt tnu,arl cha h;.x 49,.
Some n has died Of the plague"
muttered as I stumbled toward it.
This Is an isle Of the dead by the look
OF things, and they bring the bodies
out here for the current to carry them
out to sea-"
The box was covered with a piece
Of coarse mating and I pulled this
aside and looked in. Staring up at
me were a pair Of topaz eyes that
were deeper than the Guinea Basin
and those eyes belonged to a brown
woman who was prettier than the
hours that wait to open the pearl
gates Of the seventh heaven. The
bumboat man at Berbera said h
couldn't be so, but the bumboat man
was a fool. He didn't see her.
What is wrong?" stammered,
and when I put the question I thought
that the odds were a million to one
against her being able to understand
1t. But / got a surprise.
The world is wrong" she answered.
n when I stood staring at her with
my mouth open like a Shanghai beg
gar she smiled like the sun on an
Easter morning.
And what Is wrong with the
world?" l asked stupidity.
when o cut the thongs on my
wrists and ankles I will tell YOU
she answered.
/ cut the cords hurriedly, wonder
ing as I did so what was at the bot
tom OF the mystery. She chafed her
limbs till she was able to stand up
right, then she folded her silk sarong
round her body and looked at me
with her big topaz eyes.
What are the greatest things in
the world?" she asked.
1t was then that I gave the an
swer which so impressed the little
Hadesi I had heard a sailor chant
ing the song in a Portuguese board
ing house at Mombasa and the words
came to my lips as she asked the
question. Said I:
" Four things greater than all things
are,
Women n horses and power and
war.
you are wrong she said.
And what are greater?" / asked.
Low n hate" she answered;
then she walked down to the water.
I'VE had better make a start for the
mainland" she continued. THE tide
is rising"
pushed the yellow box into the
water without speaking, the
slipped in behind me and when she
had got a grip with one hand We
struck out for the shore. That was
a mighty big swim, but at last we
found ourselves high and dry on a
stretch Of pebbly beach. that looked
lonelier than the ruins OF Karnak.
The woman got her breath and
turned toward me. We're here" she
said, land now I'd like to know what
you intend doing?"
I'll sleep here to-night,"I answered,
"and tomorrow I'll strike south along
the coast till I find a settlement. And
your" ! asked.
She was staring at the sea when I
put the question, but she turned SUD
denly and fired an Interrogation at me.
did you ever hear OF the Red
Face Of Feerish ALP" she asked.