The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-06-18

But Halpern, who had picked up g
smattering of Burmese by now, was
occupied with certain mutterings he
had heard among his men. He only
glared when Stone tossed over the
mail with an insolent:
"a ladys handwriting, Halpern!"
Stuffing the envelope with Nora's
writing on it in his pocket, and leav-
ing the rest on the table in his tent,
he strobe off to the bridge where the
Eurasian was working in the noon
glare, near the lip of the gorge.
at is these bends which you say
is twisty, Granny disease that comes
in time to all compressed-air workers.
sarr," the Eurasian said. "Since two
of their number have suffered the mon
are saying the airlock is jinjinnee
of the air, and this sicness is a mani
festation of his displeasure because
you are building this bridge to block
the open space of the gorge"
AS he spoke ragged, bent form
flashed suddenly into view on the
bank as if the earth had erupted him,
weaving in a fantastic dance to the
weird chromatic notes of the chant
he intoned. Sarka Dass' face blan-
ched; he lifted a warning finger to his
lips.
Better you pay him, sarr, before
the Burmese hear" he said. "That is
the Song of the Spiders to which he
iikens your bridge. The natives will
not work if they know the spiders
web is their omen of DOOM"
CPL thrust the damned fakir in his
own rags in one of the tenths," Hal
perm began.
ooh, sarr he is holy mani"
The Eurasion's shaking voice ar
rested Halpern. Involuntarily he
ganced out over the gorge to where
the rest of the men were working or
the fourth caisson. Already the great
box rested on the river bottom, with
the Burmese digging in the watery
mud beneath it's iron shod edges, while
the American bridgemen SUPERVISED
the excavation from above to make
sure that they were even all around
so that the top-heavy structure would
Iool he
sent down into the air chamber.
With it's steel cords and slender
beams, the huge steel span was indeel
not unlike huge spider web, and the
men poised high in the air on the
swinging beams were the flies caugh'
in it's meshes that the ragged fakir
On the bank was singing about. Hal
perm could use caution where there
was need; he thrust his hand into his
pocket.
BE rid of him, Sarka Das," he
ordered.
Halpern could have sworn his Bur-
mese workmen had seen and heard
nothing of the trouble-maker, and he
gave Salka Dass no chance to betray
his presence and the singing of the
dire Song of the Spider to them. YET
spread among them, openly that spoke
of the bridge as spiders web ON
which they would not venture again.
They'll go if l have to herd them
out with gum" Stone said, soming
late that night into Halpern's tent.
I'VE can't risk any delay, behind as
we are with the work. 1 had Sarka
Dass tell them"
Halpern shot him a quick glance.
Ordinary prudence should have told
the man he risked plunging them all in
| imminent peril; Stone had been tao.
turn enough before, had shown scan;
interest in pushing the work on the
bridge, then why had he interfered
Their progress indefinitely unless
| you'll need that gun all right,
Stone" he said grimly. eff Sarka Dass
was fool enough to repeat that there
isn't a Burmese in the camp by now
But they'll come back to bust up things
for u.s."
| Halpern was right. Hurried inves-
tigation showed that every Burmese
had fitted, silently as the shadows
into which they had melted. But it
was noon on the following day before
they gave signs of any hostile inten.
Halpern had his men marshaled by
then; they were a scant company;
eight of the American bridgemen with
Stone and himself, all grimly deter
mined to hold off the Burmese until
re-enforcements came from Jerminda
some 20 miles distant, where he knew