The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-12-09

,ste< % ufe were rxasssed snt so
n rsoue1- he trod acresss tie ist.1y
fC- TIE l1sz tine whe1 lis se1zn vas
czlie-d
he Greer uaS 70 TIE western gate
q the cliE. and haste. HIS runners
stRrrci ard Levir-roz SINK hack. VERY
ruuh and Sck- In his ulrd uns uord
ESs rie41irE Ike an instrumenf q
torture. ShaR-S1nE- And MS irsrr1c-
tso1x rez1zioed unread In the back
hzE
Near the western gate we're q cara
vznszry and many trzvsl-sfo-eS- Snail
hcuses ue-e pTSSSet Together Ike
drifrwo.osd against q river bridge.
Thsy ran 60 On top q ooe smother. or
sid o0vn IL Al aspect of perennial
ruin Il vas eark- In the torchIiEht
q the sli@yWays many humans moved
IN and o1t They were chilled. and
had N curiosity. Every roof shelter
- half shop and half a nursery.
Business hours we're without ter1nina-
ton
Among the red shadows one might
p1rchase hundred horses or pocket
ful cf chesrnufs. silks frosn the South
Or figured linen from the North. wine
In stone TASKS. grain in leather bags.
salt hay. eznels. drivers themselves.
Con sought out a native merchant who
spoke English His purchases were
swift and simple after that
In the swarm Of traders and idlers
he forgot himself. turned his hack
upon everything except bis mission
He knew nothing Of carnels. but he felt
them over carefully by torch-light 10
discover any sores or cracked pads
The Eigilsh-speaking merchant. a
weli-fed Chinese. watched him sOberiy.
and later. with feeble protest. accept
ed q certain reward for his advice.
Near nine In the evening. with a
cold wind pressing in. all WIS ready.
and LevingtOn's private caravan moved
forth from the city. passing under the
ancient bricks Of the Western arch.
Perhaps !; was Imagination only. but
the air felt different outside the walls:
as though the sky had receded 10 its
normal distance from earth. leaving
much clear air and breeze In between
The reason was more truly that the
fog had gone Winter was down in
earnest
II was late TIE next day when they
reached the inner line OF the Great
Wall. where arrangements were made
I 10 join a merchant caravan on its
westward journey. Cons was the
sixth outfit in line The head driver
Of one party had half dozen English
words. which II pleased him to ad-
dress 10 Lexington The young white
man gave another half-doZen to this
/ friend. az the same time gaining a
! valuable dozen Of his own. travel
phrases that could mean the difference
between food and starvation.
This small village on legs followed
the icy river road. and al Kalgan
passed the outer Great Wall Lew
ington. swathed In padded robes Of
leather. viewed the old marvel with
/ mixed feelings. He was awed by IL.
and he hated II. this patchwork sprawl
I Of stones. raised 10 Withstand the
/ Tartar hordes. but only lifting a long
shadow across the minds of its
builders.
For number Of days they skirted
| the masonry beyond the King lakes,
now crusted with brown ice. Beside
I the road. in the cracking marsh. one
I trader In firearms lost his fortune
I when his camel shied. All his car
tridges were spilled and soaked, and
his l0ng-barreled rifles rusted. He
diminished the caravan. turning back
eastward. The others pushed on
through the singing cold. Con was
/ somehow relieved when the trail led
\ away from the sight Of that dragon
barrier. the Wall.
His student Of English, dry and
brown kalka driver. rode ever Jay
beside him. and Lexington received
assurance that shan-sung was some
where ahead. but so far Off the trail
that none but a mailman would wish
TO reach ii. II had never been a point
on the trade routes.
Snow blew down. darkening the air.
and lining the camels' eyes with shin
ing drops The foolish lips OF the
beasts we're pearled with ice. Every
length OF stay-leather creaLed with
cold Up ahead. the caravan seemed
always moving OF into the invisible.
The fields =ere white. Villages hud-
died undep thin lines Of smoke. but In
certain districts the swirllng snow hid
every curved roof, and all the mud
was turned 10 stone.