Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-31

7 have q little friend, slender, red
haired. with adorable freckles Just gid
ing her curled-up features. She Is
| frightened Of most things. Cockroaches
! nearly drive her mad. Her husband In
sisted on taking her shooting In East
Africa. She did not enjoy 1t, for she
was cursed with the kind Of Imagination
that pictures an unknown danger be-
hind every bush.
LONE evening buffalo was wounded
Foolishly, In spite Of the advice OF
| their native hunters, they followed him
into the bush. The tracks began to twist
In q manner to warn the experienced
We've lost him." said the chief hunter
He, Hes quite likely. to be hunting us
I'm going to try that grass FIRST
retorted the Englishman. "You'd bet
wife.
The natives protested, but their en-
ployer tramped into the grass and dis
| appeared. For time they kept track
OF him by the waving stalks. Then
even this trace disappeared. Silence
came with the sunset A ghost Of q
sound broke tit might have been q
distant cry. The little ed-haired girl,
who was frightened of anything sud-
den, remarked that she was going into
the grass to look for her husband. The
natives laughed. "The old bull Il in
t there SON. somewhere Si.s and it'll be dark
NY friend took no notice, but
marched into the grass. Her followers
hesitated ct the edge, called to her,
argued for o few minutes, then ran
away.
It must have been twilight between
those great stalks, but the girl blum
dered through them, her heart thud-
ding so noisily that she heard none
of the evening rustlings, the little
creeping things and small animals slip
She found her husband. He had
stepped In q hole, pitched forward on
mentarily stunned. His wife pillowed
his head on her knee, and doubtless
tried the usual ineficient first aid.
There was no result, so she picked UP
| the rife and sat hugging 1t, In the
| middle Of o nightmare darkness pune
tuated by sounds imaginary and real,
and by twin points Of light that were
| the eyes of unseen annals.
: In due course the man recovered
consciousness, the moon rose and they
stumbled out but not before the red
hair, she said, was family streaked
with gray.
IN my sort of life most things happen
so quickly that one has not time
| to be afraid.
Long ago I was frightened in O Ave-
day storm On perfectly good liner on
| the north coast Of Australia, when the
starboard pcrtholes blew In and the
cabin floor turned into Q wall.
was more frightened at midnight
| In an old Forbes castle In Scotland.
when, according to my dog, fangs
was active. I was most frightened pm
an occasion in Western Arabia.
Now, to understand this story, you
must let your imagination ripl Forget
| steam and electricity, policemen, sign
| boards and the superiority Of the white
race. None Of these exist In Arabia ut
present. Moreover, an airplane or Q
| lift In the country am telling you
about would be Is extraordinary 6
battle, murder and the. sudden death
Of traitors are ordinary and common
The thing began at the tenth stage Of
i u uldIExl kkOkn uAAG WSot Sgs~Ss Va So s~Ssss
to hill village where friendly sheik
awaited as. / had forced the pace be.
cause OF the hostility OF the tribes
through whose country we marched, and
from the frst day the guide had pro-
tested to deaf ears.
THAT guide was an unprepossessine
4 person, BY name Farraj, o n1ountaineei
With muscles that corded over hairy
chest and thighs. His features Were
broad and fiat, and his great shock Of
fuzzy hair was held above q low brow
with 9 fIlet OF, thyme; His garments
consisted Of narrow loin cloth and Q
savage ia mind as wen ali appearance
| he showed his resentment Of wcman'l
authority. The climax came at sunset
when Farraj called d halt. The place
was unsuitable for camping, tor there
was no grazing and no protection against
Iattack, So disregarding the mans suller
fury, countermanded his orders. Fol
i q second the line OF can1eis wavered
Then the leading driver slipped from BIZ
/, pS 1t il better to rest, lady he smiled
! up at me as ! swayed above the nurnE
81 tail hejeen (camel). The hill you
wish "a reach IS strange country, very
far away" The other Bedouins ranged
4 themselves on the side Of the noun
taineer, and / swung my beast around
! To face them.
.The man who refuses to march with
me goes q long journey, ! said, and
idrew my revolver.
There was d murnur Of indignation
land Farraj put up his rifle. He was 9
good target against the sunset MY first
i shot grazed his hand; my second sent
/ his Martini flying.
ssThere Is no doubt about that jour.
iney,'' said, and laughed ct him.
dBy Allah, your words are as straight
& a. v5l1sr fhilt1eks y f1fftS&red the heAf