Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-03-27
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WYNN ""'''' M
had the sudden, unpleasant realization
that he was a coward. added to his
other qualifications. Yes, q cowardi
II saw it in his blurred eyes and
the quivering of his bloated lips
stark, dumb funk. I'm afraid / lost
my nerve. too. | make no excuses.
Fear is infectious. At all events, we
tore down out of that place as If
death was after us. the mules clatter-
ing and Tapping in the rear. After a
time l rode more slowly, but in the
morning we We're nearly down at the
desert again, and there it lay before
US, shimmering like a lake of salt
two days back to water.
"I>HE next day was rather blur.
There was a water hole little
to the east of the way we had come,
and toward that l tried to head. One
OF the mules gave out and staggered
and groaned and tried to get up again.
| remember hearing him squeal once
1t was horrible. He lay there, little
black speck on the desert. Whitney
and / didn't speak to each other at all,
but / thought of those two kegs of
water he had upset.
Have you ever been thirsty-mOr-
tally thirsty-until you feel your
tongue black in your mouth? It's
queer what it does to you. Do you
remember that little place, ZoFn's, at
college? We used to sit there some
times on Spring afternoons. 1t was
cool and cavern-like. and through the
open door one could see the breeze in
the trees. Well, thought about that
all the time; it grew to be an OBJ
session, q mirage. l could smell the
mOss-like smell of book beer; l even
remembered conversations we had
had. You fellows were as real to me
as you are real tonight. It's strange,
and then when you come to, uncanny;
you feel the sweat on you turn cold.
I'VE had ridden on in that way I
don't know how long, snatching
couple of feverish hours of sleep in
the night, Whitney grooming and
murabling horribly, when suddenly
my horse gave a little snicker-low,
the way they do when you give them
grain, and 1 felt his tired body
straighten up ever so little. Maybe
thought, and I looked up. BUT 1
didn't much care. I just wanted to
crawl into some cool place and forget
all ABOUT IL ana ole.
ut was late in the afternoon. My
shadow was lengthening. Too late.
really, for much mirage. But l no
longer put great stock in green vege-
tation and matters of that kind. l had
seen too much of it in the last day
and half fade away into nothing
nothing but blistering sand. And SO /
wouldn't believe the cool reeds and the
sparkling water until / had dipped
down through little swale and was
actually fighting my horse back from
the brink. / knew enough to do that,
mind you, and to fight back the two
mules so that they drank just a little
at a time-a little at a time, and all
the while l had to wait, with my
tongue like sand in my mouth.
"Over my horses neck / could see
the water just below. 1t looked as
cool as rain. / was always a little
proud of that-that holding back. 1t
made up in a way for the funk of two
nights earlier. When the mules and
my horse were through / dismounted
and, lying fiat, bathed my hands and
then, a tiny sip at u time. began to
drink. That was hard. When l stood
up the heat seemed to have gone and
the breeze was moist and sweet with
the smell of evening. l think l sang
my head, and, at all events, L remem-
Der l lay on my back and rolled a |
cigarette. And, quite suddenly and |
without the slightest reason, there |
were tears in my eyes.
"Then I began to wonder what had |
become of Whitney. l hadn't thought |
IF him before. / got to my feet. Just |
rs l did SO / saw him come over the |
little rise of sand. swaying in his sad
lie and trying-the fool-to make his |
horse run. He looked like a great /
scarecrow blown out from some field
nto the desert. His clothes were torn
md his mask of face was scanned |
md black from dust and sweat. He
saw the water and let out one queer.
hoarse screech and kicked at his
horse with wabbling legs.
Look out" / cried, and stepped in
his way. I had seen this sort of thing
before, and knew what to expect. But
he rode me down as if l hadn't been
here. His horse tried to avoid me,
md the next moment the sack of grain
IN it's back was on the sands, creep
ng like a great, monstrous, four
egged thing toward the water.
"'Stay where you are | said, and
II bring you some
But he only crawled the faster.
grabbed his shoulder. /
"'You fool' said, you'll kill your
elf
"And before 1 knew it and with all
he strength, / imagine, left in him,
he was on his feet and / was looking
lown the barrel of his gun. 1t looked
cry round and big and black, too.
lis eyes were quite mad, there was no ;
oubt about that, but, just the way a
lying map achieves some of his old
esire to i've, there was definite pur-
ose in them. {
You get out of my way he said, {
nd began very slowly to circle me. |
'ou could hardly hear his words. his !
ps were so blistered and swollen. I
4, ND now this is the point of what
- l am telling you Hardy 7
umbled again for a match and c
cigarette. "There we were-we two s
in that desert light, about 10 feet I
rom the water, he with his gun point d
lg directly at my heart, and his hand n
TaSn't trembling as much as you n
rould imagine, either, and he was n
ircling me step by step and l was =
landing still. 1 suppose the whole II
fair took two minutes, maybe three, a
ut in that time-and my brain was n
till blurred to other Impressions
aw the thing as clearly as i see it t
ow, as clearly as 1 saw that great, il
vollen beast of a face. a
Here was the chance | had longed h
,r--the hope I had lain awake at | h
light and prayed for. Between the