The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-06-13

ing river multiplied the dancing lights
into n million, and the great roof
hurled the din down again to make
confusion with the new din coming up.
Ismail went like n rat down n run,
and It became so dark that King had
to follow by eur. He imagined they
were running back toward the ledge
under the waterfall yet, when lsmail
called n halt at last, painting, CROPPED
behind n great rock for a lamp and lit
the wick with n common safety match,
they were In n cave he had never seen
before.
"Where are wei" King asked.
"Where none dare seek US. Art
thou afraid?" asked Ismail, holding
the lamp to Kings face.
"kuch dar nahin hal !" he answered.
There Is no such thing rs fear"
Suddenly the Afridi blew the lamp
out, and then the darkness became
solid. Thought itself left OF less than
a yard away.
"Ismail !" he whispered. But Ismnil
did not answer him.
He faced about. leaning against the
rock. with the fiat OF both hands
pressed tight against II for the sake
Of Its company and almost ut once he
saw a little bright red light glowing
In the distance. 1t might have been
below him II wal perfectly impossible
to Judge, for the darkness was not
measurable.
FLOWERS turn to the light" droned
Ismail's voice above sententiously, and
turning, he thought ne could see red
eyes peering over the rock. He Jumped,
and made a grab for the flowing beard
that surely must be below them, but
he missed.
Little fish swim to the light !"
droned Ismail. moths fly to the
light Who Is a man that he should
know less than theyT"
He turned again and stared at the
light. Dimly. very vaguely he could
make out that n causeway led down.
ward from almost where he stood. He
was convinced that should he try too
climb back Ismail would merely reach
out a hand and shove him down again,
III itlt WINS III StllSt ia btlhk Iut
to that indignlty. He decided to 60
forward. for there was even less sense
in standing still. So he stopped to
feel the floor with his hand before
deciding to go forward. There was
no %mistaking the finish given by the
tread Of countless feet. He was on u
highway, and there are not often pit
falls where $ o many feet have been.
For all hat he went forward as a
certain Agag once did, and II was
many minutes before he Gould see n
certain glowing blood-red In the light
behind two lamps. at the top OF a flight
OF ten stone steps. When he went
quite close he saw carpet down the
middle OF the steps, so ancient that
the stone showed through In places
/. all the pattern, supposing It ever had
any, was worn or faded away. Carpe,
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 n thing TO lean
against, and the silence was so intense
that he could hear the arteries sing.
Ing by his ears.
He saw the curtains move slightly,
apparently In a little pun of wind that
made the l~ampsJvaver. Then ne walked
up the steps and at the top he stopped
to examine the lamps.
They were bronze. cast, polished and
graved. All round the circumference
Of each bowl were figures In half.
relief, representing a woman dancing.
She was the oma Of the knife-hilt,
and Of the lamps In the arena But no
two figures OF the dance were alike.
IL was the same woman dancing, but
the artist had chosen twenty differ
n poses with which 20 immortalize
his skill, and hers. Both lamps burned
sweet oil with a wick. and each had
a chimney Of horn. not at all unlike
a modern lamp chimney. The horn
was stained red.
As he set the second lamp down he
became aware Of a subtle, interesting
smell. and memory tool him back a,
nee to Yasmini's room In the Chandnl
Chowk In Delhi where he had smelled
It FIRST. II was the peculiar scent he
had been told was Yasmini's own-a
blend Of scents, like a chord OF music
In which musk did not predominant.
He took three strides and touched
the curtains, discovering now for tn,
first time that there were two OF them
divided down the middle. They wer,
OF leather, and though they looked ole
as the Hills" themselves. the leather
was supple rs good cloth.
"Kurram Khan hal I" he announced
But the echo was the only answer
There was no sound beyond the cur
talns. With his heart In his mouth h,
parted them with both hands, startle,
by the sharp jangie Of metal rings OF
a rod.
So he stood. with arms outstretched
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES eve
skilled swiftly to take In details, bu
with a brain that tried to explain
formed q hundred wild suggestions
and then reeled. He was face to fac,
with the unexplainable-the riddle o
Khinjan caves.
The Ieathep curtsins slippad thxouL