Evening star., 1924-10-10
Continued from Yesterdays starr

Ortho nodded, he knew. 1t was
late afternoon when he passed
through Tameslouht and saw the
koutoubia minaret in the distance,
standing serene, though all humanity
rotted.
He was not desperately alarmed.
Plaques bred in the beggars' KEN
nels, not in palace gardens. 1t would
have reached his end or the city last
of all, giving his little family ample
sec to it that Ourida had every con-
venience. They were probably down
a Oar el Beida reveIing in the clean
sea breezeS. or at Rabat with the
court. He told himself he was not
really frighted-neverthel he did
the last six miles at gaIlop, passed
straight through the Bah ksiba into the
kaSha. There were couple of in
dolent Sudanese on guard at the gate
shadow of the Drum Barracks. but
the big Standard square was empty
and so were the two further courts.
He jumped off his horse at the
postern and walked on. From the
houses around came not a sound, not
a move: in the street he was the
only living thing. He knocked at
his own door: no answer. Good.
They had gone!
The door swung open to his push
and he stepped in. half relieved, half
fearful, went from room to room to
find them stripped bare. Ourida had
managed to take all her belongings
with her then. He wondered how
she had found the transport. Osman
Baki contrived it, doubtless. A pic
ture flashed before him of his famous
black horse squadron trekking for
the coast burdened with Ourida's fur
niture-a roll of haitiS to this man.
cushion to that, a cauldron to an
other-and he laughed merrily.
Where had they gone, he wonder
ed-Safi, Oar el Beida, Mogador.
Rabat? The blacks at the barracks
might know; Osman should have left
message. He stepped out OF the
kitchen into the court and saw
man roofing the little orange trees
out of their tubs.
Hey"
The man swung about, sought to
escape, saw it was impossible and
flung himself upon the ground. writh-
ing and sobbing for mercy.
1t was d begger who sat at the
Ahmar gate with his head hidden in
the hood of his haik Che was popu-
larly supposed TO have no face),
supplicating claw protrudlng from
bundle of foul rags and muff1ed
voice wailing for largesse. Ortho
hated the loathly beast, but Ourida
gave him money-"in the name OF
God"
What are you doing here""
Great lord, have mercy in the
name of Sidi Ben Youssef the Blest,
of ADD el Moumen and Muley Idriss,"
he slobbered. Il did nothing, lord,
nothing. / thought you had gone to
the South and would not return to
house. Spare me, oh, amiable
prince"
And why should I not return to
this house?" said Ortho.
The beggar hesitated. "Muley, l
made sure-I thought-it was not
customary-young men do not llnger
in the places of lost love-
Dog" said Ortho. suddenly cold
about the heart, what do you mean"
was a note of surprise in the mendi-
cant's voice.
Il know nothing, I have been
away-the lalla OuridaT'
The beggar locked both hands over
his head and sauirmed in the dust.
"Kaid, Kaid-the will of Allah"
The little court reeIed under
Ortho's feet. a film like heat wave
rose up before his eyes, everything
went blurred for a minute. Then he
spoke quite calmly:
why did she not go away?"
"She had not time, lord. The little
one, thy son, took the sickness first:
she stayed to nurse him and herself
was taken But she was buried with
honor, Kaid; the Turkish officer
buried her with honor in a gay bier
with tholbas chanting. I, miserable
that I am, I followed also-afar. She
was kind to the poor, the lalla Our
ida"
But why, why didn't Osman get
them both away before the plague
struck the palace?" Ortho muttered
fiercely, more to himself than other
wise, but the writhing rag heap heard
him and answered:
He had no time, Muley. The kasba
was the first infected"
THE first! How?"
"Yakoub Ben Ahmed brought many
rebel heads from Tissant thinking to
please Sidi. They ,stank and many
soldiers fell sick, but Yakoub would
not throw the heads away-it was
his first command. They marched into
the kasba with drums beating, sick
soldiers carrying offal."
Ortho laughed mirthlessly. So the
dead had their revenge.
"Where is the Turk officer now?'
he asked presently. "Rabat?"
NO. Muley-he too took the sick
ness tending thy lancers."
Ortho walked away. All over, ali
gone-wife, boy, faithful friend.
Ourida would not see her son go by
at tho proud head of a regiment nor