Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-27

an Arabic letter 70 him. NOW, swear 70 you,
by every Christian and Moslem OATH that
shan't write such a letter! So how are you 60
ing to get word to him that you people are on
strike and that you won't do another lick Of
work till you get double pay and half time?
How are you going to do that?"
NJAJLB'S solid face went blank. Here at last
was an argument that struck home. He
had known Kirby for years, long enough to know
that the American was most emphatically q
man of his word. II Kirby swore he would not
act as the mems intermediary with the COM
pany. then decisively Kirby would keep his oath.
And Najib realized the futilty of getting any
one else to write such letter in any language
which the Cabell Smelling Co.'S home office
would decipher.
He peered up at Kirby with disconsolate
establishment Quick to take advantage of the
change the manager hurried on,
Now, the men are on strike. That's under
stood Well, what are you and they going to do
about 1t? When the draft for the monthly pay
roll comes to the bank at Jerusalem, as usual
I shall refuse to indorse it. I give you my oath
on that too. am not going to distribute the
companys cash among a bunch of strikers.
Without my signature the bank won't cash the
draft. You know that. Well how are you 60
ing to live, all of you, on nothing a month?
When the present stock of provisions gives out
I'm not going to order them renewed. And
the provision people in Jerusalem won't honor
any ones order for them but mine. This is the
only concern in Syria today that pays within 40
per cent Of the wages you chaps are getting
With no pay and no food you're due to find your
strike rather costly. For when the mine shuts
down I'm going back to America. ThereM be
nothing to keep me here. I'll be ruined in any
case. You people will find yourself without
money or provisions. And if you 60 elsewhere
for work it will be at pay that is only little
more than half what you are getting now Your
lockout isn't CHEEKY, my striking friend!"
He made as though to go into his tent. After
brief pause of horror, Najib battered hurriedly
and besechingly in his wake.
"Howadji" pleaded the Syrian shakily
"Howadji! You would not in the untameful-
ness of your mad desertion us like that? Not
me- anyhow? Not me- who have loved you as
Daoud and Emir loved Jonathan of old! You
would not forsook me, to starve myself! Aiel
Ohe!"
Shut up that ungodIy racket" snapped
Kirby, entering his tent and lighting his lamp
as the first piercing notes of the traditional
mourner chant exploded through the unhappy
Najibs wide-fiung jaws.
But, howadji!" pleaded Najib.
"Taman!" growled Kirby, summariy speaking
the age-halowed Arabic word for ending of all
interviews.
But shall be Terminated, howadji!" tearfully
insisted Najib.
Covertly the American watched his hench-
man while pretending to make ready for bed.
II he had fully and permanently scared Najib
into conviction that the strike would spell
ruin for the Syrian himself, then the little
mans brain might possibly be Jared into one
of its rare intervals of uncanny craftiness and
Najib might hit upon some way of perSuading
the fellaheen that the strike was off.
This was Kirby'S sole hone And he knew il
Unless the fellaheen could be SO convinced it
meant the strike would continue until it should
break the mine as well as the mines manager.
Kirby knew Of no way to persuade the men.
The same arguments which had crushed Najib
would mean nothing to them. All their brains
could master at one time without the aid of
some uprooting shock. was that henceforth they
were to get double pay and half labor.
A calm fatalism of hopelessnesS, bred perhaps
of his long residence in the homeland of fatal
ism, began to creep over Kirby. In one hour
his golden ambitions for the mine and for him
self had been smashed. At best he saw no hope
of getting the obsessed mine crew to work soon
enough to save his present contracts. He
would be lucky IT, on non-receipt of their de-
manded increase, they did not follow Najib's
muddled preachments to the point of sabotage.
The more he thought of it the less possible
did it seem to Kirby that Najib could undo the
damage he had so blithely done Ordering the
blubbering little fellow out of the tent and refls
ing to speak or listen further, Kirby went to
bed
Oddly enough, he slept. Only once in the
night was he reused
Perhaps two hours before dawn he started
up at sound of humble scratching at the open
door flap of his tent. On the threshold covered
Najib.
Furthermore, howadji," came the Syrian's
woe-begone voice through the gloom, could
borrow me a book if shall use it with much
carefulness?"
Too drowsy to heed the absurdity of such a