The Raymer enterprise., 1921-03-17


bobbed Ia a light that was sickish and
cold. The crowd seemed to grow az
the hours passed. as II 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 long ac.
emulation of the dust Of peace. In
fact. the present generation could not
recall day of revolt In their subter-
rnnean history. The Arabian sailor
rushed about all this night like one
possessed, his old hopes ignlted.
Primitive military system prevailed.
The horde was grouped into units.
khere were lieutcnants. The white
men when Weakened would rank MS
colonels. with no less a person than
the Arab rs their .eneralissimO.
The miners seemed lost In a dull
glow of excitement Within their lives
nothing had occurred to interrupt the
next days labor. The seizing Of their
four brothers had not seemed unusual.
but the effect promised an intinity OF
new turns. There was no thought of
sleep. The old humors Of an uprising
seemed at last about 10 be fulfilled.
The hour was near. their lot cast.
Every tortured heart was eased some.
what OF Its burden Of hate IN the pros.
pect of action. They had never before
attempted to express their loathing o!
the city, Of their masters.
They had been born to pain, toll. 81.
lence. HOME, shop. and grave were
one to them. There were no families.
From some warriors house In the city.
each man-child returned to the pits
crippled forever. It's spine an arch Ut
horror. There was seldom any way Of
identifying the broken creature Of ter
or twelve. All thought Of percentage
was lost. When. by chance. kinship
was re-established, such meeting was
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 bnrtsred
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 80 situated ms 10 be symbolic
| Of Its connection with the source Of
all dreams. the mines themselves.
Thus Chez Ming wrought upon the
whole world the substance Of his medl.
tations--the vlzir, whose thin eyellds
had never been touched and soothed
and damned by one faint Of koresh.
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 sllken 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
fiicking In and out Of brown Jars. the
women Sinking about In mortal fear.
1t was long after midnight. March
dropped down beside Lexington.
Surprising the riders do not come"
They'll wait for daylight. They
have the four. They fee. sure Of U.S."
The two friends sat little way off
from the swarm, and looked idly into
the gas.fre. Con grew drowsy with
the warmth In his face. After while
he said. 1.-THE green hair Of -"
"You mean the gas?"
Eyes. the way It comes up and floats.
like something drowned In air. That's
the flowing green hair-rather fendish.
can't say what | mean."
"If the fire happened to go ont" said
March. 1--WE should all 90 out with It."
"From what depth do you suppose II
comes?'
March looked quickly ut his comrade,
and smiled. "You are sleepy"
"Yes. I'll take a nap here. But do
you think the gas has anything to lo
with the crusted seeds they dig out Of
the pits here7"
II don't know. Nor can I tell you
how the koresh seeds, millions Of them
ever got down 50 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 months time when
planted on the surface and watered."
| Something left over. preserved.
from the days Of the giants and the
mastodons." said Con.
"I thought you were going to say
seeds from -"
Elbow do they extract the oil and
the incenser'
"The oil is simply pressed out Of the
full-grown root, and the incense IL that
oil vaporixed."
ut got me-" said Lexington.
'And there Ia poison they make
from the seed itself; but that is death.
no dreams with IT," added March.
A curious kind Of notoriety came b
Lexington while he dozed and rested.
The story OF his battle with the Nubian
was spread about the caverns, and