Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-10-03

| lounge on the heaped cushions. his
! long pipe in his teeth, his tankard
handy, Schems ed dab nesting
against one shoulder, Tama and
Ayesha taking turns with the other
and call for his jester. Said.
Hey. boy. tell us about ole Jerry
and the bear"
Then Ortho would squat and tell
imaginary anecdotes of Jerry. and
the captain would boot and splutter
and choke until the three little girls
thumped him normal again.
Rot me. but amt that rich?' he
would moan, tears Frightening his
scarlet cheeks. Amt that jist like
ole Jerry-the ole rip. He-he! Tell
us another Said-that about the
barber he shaved and painted like
his own pole-go on"
Said would tell the story. At frst
he had been at pains to invent new
episodes for Capt. Gish. that great
hero of MacBride's boyhood, but he
soon found it quite unnecessary; the
old would do as well-nay. better.
II was like telling fairy stories to
children, always the old favorites in
the old words His audience knew
exactly what was coming, but that IN
no way served to dull their delight
when it came. AS Ortho COR SAID
approached we'll worn climax
tremor of delicious expectancy would
run through Schems- dan the Was
talking in Arabic now. rama ana
Ayesha would clasp hands, and Mac
Bride sit up, eyes fixed on the speak
err. mouth open. like a terrier ready
to snap a biscuit. Then the thread
hare climax MacBride would cast
himself backward and beat the AR
with ecstatic legs: Schems-eu-q Loan
clap her hands and laugh like
ripple of fairy bells: Ayesha ana
Tama hug each other and swear their
mirth would kill them.
When they recovered. the story
teller was rewarded with rum and
tobacco from that stanch Mosiem
MacBride, with sweetmeatS and mint
tea from the ladies. He enjoyed MS
evenings During the Winter they
sat indoors before charcoal praZierS
in which burned sticks or aromatic
wood but on the hot Summer nlSn's
Ahey took to the roof to eaten the
sea breeze Star-bright, languorous
nights they were.
Below them the white town, ghostiy
-limmering. sloped away to the coast
and the flats. Above them the slender
minaret. while on the lazy wind came
tho drone of breakers and the taiht
sweet scent of spice gardens Eolup-
tuous, sea -murmurous nights. mix
warm, satin-Soft under tent OF star
silvered purple.
Sometimes SchemS-ed- dan nm sertu
a eounibri and sang plaintlve desert
songs of the Bedouni women, ,ne
other girls. smuggling. half-aSleep'
against MacBrides broad chest
grooming the refrains.
Sometimes Ayesha. stirred by
moonlight, would dance. clicking her
bracelets, tinkling tiny brass Gym
balls between her fingers, s~aSins her
graceful body backward ana sioe-
ways. posing on her toes. arms OUT
stretched, like sea BIRD orll'ihs,
stamping her heels and shuoderih9
from head to toe.
BESIDES STORYTELLING, Ortho occa-
sional1y lifted up his voice in song
He had experimental with his moth
er's guitar in times gone by ana
found he could make some show with
the gounibri.
He sang Romany ditties he had
learnt on his travels. and these were
approved of by the Moorish girls
being in many ways akin to their
own. But mostly he sang sea songs
for the benefit of MacBride, who
liked to swell the chorus with his
bull below. They sang "Cawsand
Bay" baltimore" Lowlands Low"
and The Sailors Bride" and made
much cheerful noise about it. on one
occasion calling down on themselves
the reproof of the muezzin, who re-
buked them from the summit or
the minaret swearing he could hardly
hear himself shout. Eleven months
Ortho remained in congeniaf bond
age in Sa1lee.
Then one morning MacBride sent
for him I'm goin' to set you free,
Said, my buck" said he.
Ortho was aghast, asked what he
had done amisS.
MacBride waved his hand. II amt
got nothin against you as yet, but
howsomdever / reckon I'd best turn
you loose. I'm goin' to sea again
as reiS."
REFS" Ortho exclaimed. What
Of Abdullah Benani?"
Had his neck broken by the Sui
tan's orders in Mequinez three days
ago for losin' them three xebecs off
Corunna- I'm to go in his place. I've
settled about you with the Basha-
You're to go to the MakhZen Horse
as a. free soldier. I'll find you a nag
and gear; when you sack a rich kasba
you can pay me back. You'll make
money if you're clever-and don't
get shot first
Cant I go with you?"
mo. We only take Christians with
prices on their heads at home. They
don't betray us then-you might"
We'll, can't / stop here in Sallee?"
THAT you cannot. 1t has struck
me that you've been castin' too free
an eye on my girls. Mind you. I
don't blame you. You're young and
they're pretty: it's only natural. But
1t wouldn't be natural for me to
go to sea and leave you here with
free run. Anyhow, I'm not doin'
it."
Ortho declared with warmth that
MacBride's suspicious were utterly
unfounded, most unjust; he was in
capable Of such base disloyalty.
The captain wagged his bullet
head. Maybe, but I'm not takin'
any risks. Into the army you go
or the quarries."
Ortho declared hastily for the
army.
A fortnight later MacBride led his
fleet out over the bar between salut-
ing forts, and Ortho. with less cere-
mony, took the road for Mequinez.
That phase Of his existence was
over. He had a sword. long match
lock and a passable barb pony under
him. Technically he was a free man:
actually he was condemned to a servi,
tude vastly more exacting than that
which he had just left A little
money might come his way bullets
certainly wounds probably, possibly
painful death-and death was the
only discharge.
He pulled up his horse at the en-
trance of the forest and looked back.
his eye was caught by the distant
Swimmer of the seattle Atlantic.
He was going inland among the
naked mountains and tawny plains
of this alien continent, might never
see it again.
The Atlantic!-the same ocean that
peat IN blue, white and emerald upon
the shores of home, within the sound