The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1920-07-22

the night, and then merely to relax
into deeper rest again, noted that the
spaces in the caves were seething with
little ugly men. whose twisted spines
bohbed in a light that was sickish and
cold. The crowd seemed to grow as
the hours passed. as if the innermost
crevices of earth were giving up their
human ants. More hoelike weapons ,
were brought. to add to the rusty
knives. There were tubes for blow
ing darts. containing now a long ac-
emulation of the dust of peace. II
fact. the present generation could not
recall a day Of revolt in their subter-
ranean history. The Arabian sailor
rushed about all this night like one
possessed. his old hopes ignited.
Primitive military system prevailed.
The horde was grouped into units.
There were lieutenants. The white
men. when Weakened would rank as
c%oloncls, with no less a person than
the Arab as their generalissimo.
The miners seemed lost in a dull
glow of excitement. Within their lives
nothing had occurred to interrupt tb.
X days labor. The selling of Their
four brothers had not seemed unusual,
but the effect promised an infinity Of
new turns. There was no thought of
sleep. The old humors of an uprising
seemed at last about to be fulfilled.
The hour was near, their lot cast.
Every tortured heart was eascd some
what of its burden of hate in the pros.
nect of action. They had never before
attempted to express their loathing of
the city, of their masters.
They had been horn to pain, toll, ST.
lencc. Home, shop. and grave were
From some warriors house in the city.
each man-child returned to the pits
crippled forever, its spine an arch of
horror. There was seldom any way of
identifying the broken creature of ten
or twelve. All thought of %parentage
was lost. When, by chance. kinship
was ~re-established, such meeting IA
but a renewal Of bitterness.
And always in the city cellars the
precious store of roots grew and grew.
On the far edges Of the state the
essence of there roots was bartered
or exchanged for silver. Always the
yellow bowl in the apartment Of the
future queen was kept filled with
dream potency. The state religion
was perpetuated in the lower room,
which was so situated as TO be symbolic
of it's connection with the source of
all dreams, the mines themselves.
Thus Chez Ming wrought upon the
whole world the substance of his medi-
tations-the vizir, whose thin eyelids
had never been touched and soothed
and damned by one faint of korcsh.
His web was spreading beyond the
sea. He chose the blood of princes
and Of queens, to blend at his leisure,
in his own Interpretation of right. The
old monzoul had become no more than
a warm silken bag of clay under the
skinny hands of his vizir. Chez Ming
was ready to rule the planet entire.
Now in the caverns, the miners were
eating. wherever they stood, sticks
Ticking in and out of brown jars. the
ONE sinking about in mortal fear.
1t was. long after midnight. March
dropped down beside Lexington.
"Surprising the riders do not come"
"Tlleyll wait for daylight. They
have the four. They fee. sure of us"
The two friends sat a little way of
from the swarm, and looked idly into
the gastric. Con grew drowsy with
the warmth in his face. After a while
he said. 1.-THE green hair Of -"
"YOu mean the gaS?"
"Yes. the way It comes up and floats.
the flowing green hair-rather fiendish.
l can't say what l mean."
eff the fire happened to go out" said
March. 1--WE should all 90 out with it."
"From what depth do you suppose 1t
comes?"
March looked quickly at his comrade.
and smiled. "You are sleepy"
eyes. I'll take a nap here. But do
you think the gas has anything to do
with the crusted seeds they dig out. of
the pits here?"
IT don't know. Nor ear I tell. you
how the koresh seeds, millions of them,
ever got down so deep in the earth, to
begin with. The Arab says that there
are shafts as deep as wells, and from
these chasms the worker with a torch
brings up seeds that must have laid
in the clay ever since the planet con-
densed and cooled; and the same seeds
will sprout in a months time when
planted on the surface and watered."
"Somcthing left over, preserved,
from the days of the giants and the
mastOdonS," said Con.
II thought you were going to say
seeds from -"
GLOW do they extract the oil and
the incense!"
1.-THE oil is simply pressed out of the
full-grown root. and the incense is that
oil vaporized,"
ut got me-" said Lexington.
"And there is a poison they make