Plentywood herald., 1930-02-27
By Douglas Ne,cton

|
"Yes, they want leader to pull them
together" he said. his eyes cleaning
with quick thoughts. Good stuff,
with the right man to handle them
such as l am" His eyes became
shrewd. rs that why you travel to
Nenussi by the Keef coast instead of
the shorter land trail? zaid has gath
cred his men to snatch you as your
caravan goes through his deserts?"
NO" she sighed. 1T is not fear
of Zaid Hanna is too strong for the
zeb in their present state; even Zaid
admits it. 1t is because Yussif of the
Dagger and his brigand band lurk in
the border hills. am princess, worth
much ransom. l bring rich dowry.
Hamza who does not wish to pay
penny for me or lose a penny of mine,
thought out this clever way of protect
ing me with no cost to his own purse.
He is the valued friend of the
effringis. who rule the Keef coast. He
has bargained with them that he
should crush Yussif with his tribe.
The effringi are therefore giving him
powder and guns to do this. also an
escort of soldiers to guard 1t till it
reaches his kasba. So Hanna gets q
guard for his bride for nothing and
brought me with my Beni-Seyyid men
and women to Mcquala by the ship of
steam. That is Hanna. He has a
heart like a money bag. Even now he
is in this house making sure-before
taking me to NenuSSi-that he has not
been cheated over my dowry"
"A dog without single lovers grace"
| said Savaran. "Savaran, always the
friend of love and lovers has another
reason to hate him. And does he
marry you here. little Moonbeam?"
No. he said Il shall not be his
wife until the night reach his kasba
at Nenussi. That is the custom of his
race"
And zaid Ali knows of your jour-
ney?"
He will sit among his people on
the border mourning as l go by
but why do you laugh, oh Saarvaran?'
Because life assuredly was made for
the amusement of Savaran," he said
with eyes bright, and he dropped from
the window. BE of good heart, little
lotus" he called up to her, "and wait
on tomorrow
But tell me-you have something
| III your nina, she cried.
Not now he laughed softly. Il
have just remembered a place to which
l must return before the world and its
sergeants take fright at the knowledge
that Savaran is free
And SO Savaran returned to his
prison house, by the way he came out
never having been missed by the guard
! set over him.
A caravan of three hundred camels
shuttled listlessly from the brazen sand
of the Keef desert into the blistering
stone lands of the border hills.
Garsah blinked down at a Tapping
map wondering how on earth Napoleon
had managed to conjure victories out OF
such idiot things, and he said feebly.
1T would appear that four frontier
lines come together about here
1T is So" said Hanna Ibn Kalid
who rode fat, perspiring and almost
grandly wordless to his right.
"Nenussi is the land straight ahead?"
said Garsali.
Two marches through the silks
tgorges) of those mountains before us
is Nenussi-my land" said Hama
loftily.
/ And over there, to the right beyond
the hills, is Beni-Seyyid?" said Gar
sail
You have said it, grunted Hanna.
who had very little small talk outside
meals, money, and massacres.
And among those hills is Yussif Of
the Dagger with his cutthroats?" Gar
sails voice was husky.
Indeed, the hills swarm with his
vermin," said Hanna, with an uncon-
Germ SO lofty that Garsali croaked: 81
hear he is more dangerous than ever,
his following bigger, his attacks more
bloodthirsty'
THAT is So" shrugged Hanna. He
!, is now bolder on the ghazu raid). And
more particular. Now he kills all not
worth ransoming."
And those for ransom?" gasped
Garsali.
He asks an absurd price and then
cuts off the ears, nose-the usual things
until it is paid
Pray Allah he does not attack us,
then" cried Garsali fervently.
'I?" Hamza's stare was fat and
cold. What concern is it OF mine?
, 1t is you and your soldiers who have
to deal with Yussif. Have you made
your planS?"
Garsali gulped and stared at the
sergeant. The sergeant decided it was
, wiser to change the subject.
But to the right above the Benz
Seyyid and before we reach Nenussi
we touch the land of the zeb, do we
J not?"
THAT is so,' said Hanna, resumine
, huge indifference
Arabs, too?" asked the sergeant
''Friendly?"
"Nothing!' grunted the sheriff of Ne
nussi. Just wild men, mere black tent
; Arabs without power. A leaderless pack
of wanderers"
''No danger from them?" asked Gar
sail with a wan smile
None for a large party, though they
would cut our throats if they could
, One day, after have settled with Yus-
sif, when my marriage and my natura
might have brought the Beni-Seyyic
under my dominion, 1 will move onto
: the Zeb and take all their land fol-
myself. Then l will be the greatest
ruler in this part Of Africa-as, indeed
/ deserve to be-"
Il see," said Garsali, looking anxious
) ly towards the hills. Meanwhile Yus.
, sif of the Dagger still lives"
"LJn troubles mo MT - said Hap,1o