Crittenden record-press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1909-191?, 1917-11-15

Within minute there were Il hun.
dred men busy sweeping up the splin-
tiers. In another minute twenty Zakka
khciS had begun Il sword dance. yell
ing like demons. \ hundred inii |
them, In three minutes more the
whole arena was Il dining whirlpool,
AM the rivers voice was drowned In
shouting and II" stamping Of naked
feet on stone.
Gone" urged Ism1!!, and led the
WY.
/ Kings last impression was of ealth's
womb on fire and If hclionS brewing
wrath. The St1laCttcs and the hurry
luz river multiplied the dancing lights
into a million. aud the great roof
hurled the din down again to make
confusion with the row lin coming up.
!Smail went like n rat down Il run,
and IL became 50 dark that King had
to follow by ear. lie imagined they
were running back toward the ledge
under the waterfall; yet, when ISmall
called halt at last, painting, CROPPED
behind Il great rock for lamp and III
the wick with Il common safety match,
hey were In cave he had never seen
before.
"Nhcrc are WEI" King asked.
"Whcre none dare seek US. Art
thou afraid;' asked ISmail, huldng
the lamp to Kings face.
"Kuch dar nahin hal !" he answered.
There is no such thing as fcar,"
Suddenly the Afridl blew the lamp
out and then the darkness became
solid Thought itself left Off less than
n yard away.
"Ismail I" he whispered. But Ismall
lid not answer him.
He faced about. leaning against the
rock, with the fiat Of both hands
pressed tight against it for the sake
of its company; and almost at once he
saw littHe bright red light glowing
in the distance. It might have been
below him. it was perfectly impossible
To judge, for the darkness WAS not
| measurable.
blowers turn TO the light" droned
iSmail's voice above Scnteniiously and
turning he thought he could see red
eyes peering over the rock. He jumped.
and made Il grab for Che flowing beard
that surely must be below them, but
he missed.
Little fish swim to the light :"
droncd lsmail Moths fly to the
light, Who is man that he should
know less than thcy?'
He turned again and stared at the
light. DImly, very vaguely he could
make out that causeway led down
ward from almost where he stood He
was convinced that should he try 700
climb back Ismail would merely reach
ont hand and shove him down again.
and there was no sense In being put
10 that indignlty. He decided to go
forward, for there was even less sense
in standing still. So he stopped to
feel the floor with his hand before
deciding to go forwQrd. There was
no mistabing the finish given by the
tread Of countless feet. He was on a
highway, and there are not often pit
,aIls where so many feet have been.
For all that he went forward as n
certain Agag once did, and 1t was
many minutes before he could see n
certain glowing blood-red In the light
behind two lamps, at the top of flight
of ten stone steps. When he went
emit" close he saw carpet down the
middle OF the steps. So ancient that
the stone showed through in places;
all the pattern. SuppOsng il ever had
~, was worn or faded away. Carpet
and steps glowed red too. His own
face, and the hands he held in front
of him were red.hot.poker color. Yet
outside the little ellipse of light the
darkness looked like thing to lean
against. and the silence was So intense
that he could hear the artcrlc1 sing
ing 10y his ears.
He saw the curtains move slightly.
apparently in Il little pun Of wind that
made the lamps wavcr. Then he walked
up the steps and al the top he stopped
Ia examine the lamps.
They were bronze, cast. polished and
gravcd. All round the circumference
Of each bowl were figures in half
relief, representing n woman dancing.
She was the woman OF the knlfe-hilt.
and Of the lamps In the arena! But no
two figures Of the dance were alike.
II was the same woman dancing but
the artist had chosen twenty differ.
ent poses with which to immOrtalize
his skill, and hers. Both lamps burned
sweet oil with n wick, and each had
a chimney Of horn, not at all unlike
n modern lamp chimney. The horn
was stained red.
As he set the second lamp down he
became aware Of subtle, interesting
smell. and memory took him bnck at
once to luSmlnls room In the Chandnl
Chowk In Delhi where he had Smcllcd
Il first. It was the peculiar scent he
Ind been told was lusmlnl's own-a
blend Of scents, like chord Of music,
IN which musk did not predominant.
lie took three strides aud touched
the curtains, discovering now for the
first time that there were two Of them,
divided down the middle. They We're
Of leather, and though they looked old