The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-09-09
CHAPTER IV-contlnued.

Coarse food, winter air, and the long
hours of camel-swaying had darkened
Cons cheeks. His mittened hands
helped with the wOod-gathering at
camp-time, or chopped the ice for tea
water, but the men of the caravan re-
lgarded him as a stranger, If they no
ticed him at all. FriendlineSs was
fwinter-bOund. The KaIka partner
alone made speech. Lexington kept
his feelings to himself, and set his
teeth. He was lean as a Tartar, and
WAS constantly on the verge of a fever.
Snow rose to the camels' knees, and
then, in the third week of travel,
thawed generally over North China.
The going was slow and menotonous.
Here was said to be grazing country,
but obviously the herdSmen had never
prospered with their skinny f1ocks.
LAt Sin-chen, through a weller of STAIN
ed snow, the rear of the caravan, three
parties, turned southwark, heavy with
rice and salt that grew more precious
at each days end. They were carry
ing on to the province of Origu, seat
of wretchedness. Now at Sin-chen
another party was waiting for the only
them. These two outfits, with that Of
the white man, continued over
nOrtherly road, and the mud was a
drag at every camers foot.
'You take saints?" finally inquired
the KaIka.
He wanted to know whether or not
Lexington was a Christian missionary
ITO far Shan-sung.
'NO." Con shook his head.
! Half an hour later, the Kalka re-
Sumed: you sell-nOH
Nothing to SELL" answered the
white man.
Here their talk ended for that day.
Late in February the wind changed,
and the SHOWS were ended. The mud
dried and lifted in dust. Con realized
that tomorrow morning his compan-
ions. the two outfits of gun-traders,
would go on northward, to find their
customers in those choking hills, but
that he would not be with them. The
Kalka warned him a last time, being
now quite fluent with ''No good
At daylight 1t became clear that both
outfits considered him a fool. With
his one servant, Con remained behind,
and not an arm was raised in farewell,
not a face turned toward the white
mailman. When their dust had blown
away in the west wind and their little
line was reduced by distance to q
mere crawling thing along the edge
OF hills, Lexington turned, to find his
driver weeping.
did you want to go along7'
The servant moaned, and hid his
face.
Cold weather made 1t appear that
the clouds Of heaven avoided this part
OF the world. The sky was always
pale. Lexington gambled on his final
instructions. Twenty times his fingers
stole into the bag to touch the torn
edges OF his packet, and withdrew
again. Andrew March had trusted
him. He had five pack-aninals, and
two saddled- There was grain to last
until Koriku, which was a village in
these yellow hills, a trading-point of
olden days. Somewhere, at distance
beyond Koriku, westward and to the
north lay Shan-sung.
1t was necessary TO be crisp to his
(iuffIemaster. This Celestial son of
ffsy had never dreamed that the world
continued so far west. He was awed
at the rock underfoot, and the sand
that swOOped skyward. noting with
ingrown fear how the soil thinned and
turned TO yellow chalk as the hours
passed. It was the beginning of the
sand desert, unhaIloWed Sha No.
They came TO a thin. fast river, and
followed It's banks, to find solid ford.
ing. Unwittingly they reached the end
Of the stream, Tor Il pitched down
ward into the earth, swallowed up
dry with metallic gurgling. The rock
was cold everywhere around. Con
stood at the base OF these rushing
waters. watching them plunge INTO the
pit at his feet, and q sudden emotion
fitted over him. It was fear-abrupt,
lightly touching. He strove to think
OF sane and ordinary things, laughed
SC away. while his driver crept back
TO the beasts. But he was afraid