The Washington times., 1922-06-24
Co. tbe-b
BY .. u. HULL.
pa. is1i. by emali lsaynafe

tf tf8ftee F'fls - 4op to9sk tNt-, @stst n
By E. N. HULL.
NYYHEN Ahmed Ben Hassan
~ came back IN few min
K w utes with Henri following
him the camp ,hsd undergone Q
transformation. with the prompt
ness Of perfect discipline tte 100
men who hsd been chosen to go on
The expedition were already wait.
ing. each man standing BY his
horse, and the sheik, quiet and I'm
passive a. usual. was superintend.,
ing the distribution OF extra am.
nunition. A groom was walking
The Hawk slowly up and down,
and Yusef. whose gloomy eyes had
been fixed reproachfuiiy on his
chisf. chafing against the order to
remain behind to take command OF
the reiuforcssnsnts should they be
needed. went to him and took the
hcrss's bride from him and
brought him TO the Sheik. Even
rs he beld the stirrup Saint Hu.
bert could see that he was ex.
postulating with an unusual In
sisteuee, begging for permission TO
acccn,pany them. But the Sheik
shook his head. and the young man
stood suiisnly aside to- avoid The
Hwk's hoofs as he reared i'm
patiently,
Manned Ben Hassan rnotioned
Saint Hubert TO his side and IN
silence the cavalcade started at the
usual swift galiop. The silence i'm.
pressed Raoui. who was accustom.
cd to the Arabs usual Glamour. II
affected his sensitive tempera.
ment, filling him with n sinister
foreboding. The silent band Of
stern-faced horsemen riding In
close and orderly formation behind
them suggested something more
than q mere relief party. The ira
dition Of reckies courage and or
sanized fighting efficiency that had
msds the tribe known and feared
for generations had been always
maintained, and under the leader.
ship of the last two holders Of the
hereditary name to 90 high de-
gree that the respect In which 1t
was held was such that no other
tribe had ventured 70 dispute its
supremacy. and for many years Its
serious fighting capacities had not
been tested.
Even Ibrahsim OMAR had inher.
tied feud that was largely trsdi.
tional. Only once during the life.
time OF the last Ahmed Ben Has
san had he dared come into open
conflict. and the memory Of 1t had
lasted until now. skirmishes there
had been and would always be In.
svitably. sufficient to keep the
tribes men In q state Of perpetual
expectancy, and for this Ahmed
Ban Hassan preserved the rigid
discipline that prevailed In his
tribe, insisting on the high stan
dard that had kept them famous.
The iifeIwork that his predecessor
had taken over from his father the
present Ahmed Ben Hassan had
carried on and developed with au-
tocratic perseverancs. The Unborn
love Of fighting had been carefully
Nfostered In the tribe. the weapons
with which they were armed were
Of the newest pattern. Raoul knew
with perfect certainty that to the
picked men following them this
hasty expedition meant only one
thing-wsr. the war that they had
looked forward to all their lives,
precipitated now BY an accident
that gave to Q handful Of them tho
chance that hundreds Of their fsi.
low.tribesmen were longing for, q
chance that sent them joyfully be-
hind their chief. careless whether
the reinforcements that had be N
sent for arrived in time or not. The
smallness Of their numbers was a
source Of pleasure rather than
otherwise: II they won through to
them would be the glory Of vic.
tory; IL they were annihilated WITH
them would rest the honor OF dy.
ing with the leader whom they
worshipped, for not one Of them
doubted that Ahmed Ben Hassan
would not survive his bodyguard.. L.
the flower Of his tribe, the careful
ly chosen men from whose ranks
his. personal escort was always