The progress-itemizer., 1921-01-07

into deeper rest again, noted that the
spaces In the caves were seething with
little ugly men, whose twisted spines
bobbed In 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 long ac-
emulation of the dust Of peace. In
fact, the present generation could not
recall 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 wakened would rank as
colonels, with no less 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 the
next days labor. The seizing 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 eased some
what Of its burden of hate In the pros
pect of action. They had never before
attempted to express their loathing Of
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, 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 was
but renewal Of bitterness.
And always In the city cellars the
precious store of roots grew and grew.
On the far edges Of the state tho
essence of there roots was bartercd'
or exchanged for silver. Always tho
yellow bowl in the apartment Of the
future queen was kept filed with
dream potency. The state religion
was perpetuated in the lower room.
whsrts wsj ne ssit5,e ted NJ tfit sovuJaIih
all dreams. the mines themselves.
Thus Chez Ming wrought upon tho
whole world the substance Of his medl,
tations-the vizir. whose thin eyelids
had never been touched and s0Othed
and damned by one taint 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
warm silken bag Of clay under the
skinny hands of his vixir. Chez L1ine
was ready to rule the planet entire.
Now in the caverns, The miners were
eating. wherever they stood, sticks
ficking In and out of brown Jars, tho
women sinking about in mortal fear
It 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 feel sure Of u.s."
The two friends sat little way OF
from the swarm, and looked idly into
the gas-fire. Con grew drowsy with
the warmth in his face. After whl1
he said. "The green hair Of -"
"You mean the gas?"
EYES, the way 1t comes up and floats.
like something drowned in air. That's
the flowing green hair-rather fiendish.
1 can't say what mean."
"If the fire happened to go out" said
March, 1--WE should all go out with It,"
"From what depth do you suppose II
comes?"
March looked quickly at his comrads
and smiled. "You are sleepy"
'Yes. I'll take 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 can 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 chasrns 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."
"Something left over, preserved,
from the days Of the giants and the
mastodons," said Con.
81 thought you were going to say
seeds from -"
"How do they extract the oil and
the incense?"
"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
| from the seed itself; but that is death
no dreams with It," added March.
A curious kind of notoriety came ts
| Lexington while he dozed and rested
The story Of his battle with the Nubian
,,.oo cprood about tho cavoruS and