The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1935-01-04


ers, nor glance about wanton1y lest the
pure spirit be distracted by mundane
things-but did that make him less
dangerous or more so than the others?
You could never tell with his type.
The cold eye, the bold chin, the dead
ly reputation of the Hazramut were
things to which these fierce men ma
turally reacted. They smiled more at
ease at one who showed the true fero-
city Of Islam.
whats all the talk about?" the girl
herself quavered. I'm scared stiff OF
them, mister. What are they up to?"
Don't you know" he snapped.
me? How could I? don's un-
derstand thing they say. She saw the
glinlmer of establishment in his eyes.
The girl really did not know what
was happening to her. Jemal Hirsir
was exhibiting her garish charms to
the richest local bidders as boldly as
though she stood on the slave block in
the Sok outside, and she was ignorant
of his game. He was even cajoling her
into smiling and making the most of
herself to force up her price-and she
had not the remotest inkling of what
it meant or what her fate was to be.
Acknowledgment then her presence
here, a white woman in Shashirdz,
holy and hidden city into which no
more than three white men had "ver
penetrated, was even more astounding.
The Hazramut knew that better than
any one. He was the third white man
and he had already seen the big hooks
in the Kasbah wall on which the other
two had been hung until they died.
And while he stared amazed and
aghast the others scowled and Shar-
makay, in truculent voice, wanted to
know what it was the white woman
had said that he could not share it
with his brethren in Islam. The Hazra-
NUT did not hesitate to tell them. He
gave them the bare truth in his sar-
donic desert voice-how the girl was en-
tirely ignorant of her fate.
That more than convinced them he
was one of themselves. They r:cked
with laughter at the joke of it, at the
simplicity of the girl and the slyness
of jenna Hirsir.
The HaHamut studied her closely
and grew more and more furious that
his mission should be endangered by
such creature.
He staggered to find such a girl in
such a place, but there she was just
such flashy little thing as the hun
dreds who parade the pavement of any
Broadway after the shops are shut.
&c. and her limbs are as small and
round and swift as a gazelle's," Jemal
Hirsir chanted "A maiden so remark:
81, 1r,i1 1,a in
EN-, o Kadis."
The girl was bewildered at the sqlab-
bling over her worth that now arose
about her. The Hazramut could see
that she had certain fragile appeal
and her gilt hair must be irresistible
to so dark race, but for himself he
wished her small red mouth did not
culver so fearfully.
1T won't be so hard now" she smiled
shakily. "Gawd, you don't know how
much safer feel with an Englishman
about"
He felt more angry with her han
ever for that. It was so characteJ tstic
of her type. Having made hell's own
mess of things she took it as natural
right that being English any English
man who came along would get her out
of it.
He ragged at her more painfully be-
cause, not being the hard-bitten Haz-
ramut he seemed but just British. that
sort of sentimental appeal naturally
got between him and his real duty
That, to be sure, was plain enough
and big enough to shut out all thought
of saving her. What did her one, fiab-
by little life count beside the millions
black and white-he was here to
save?
That was his position. He and he
alone stood between an ugly fanatic
and bloodthirsty invasion of the Mall
aria Coast Colony and its safety.
He had now very little doubt that the
war his chief, Col. Verreker of the NAL
aria Coast Field Force, had dreaded
was in preparation. He, Lieut.. Glen
Harrington, had noted all the indica-
lions as he had wandered disguised
through the Shashiraz.
They were very close and cunning
these little known Arabs but, expert
in their mentality and habits, he had
sensed a new threatening ferr,ent
among them. He had listened in tent
and Sok to their yelled and excited
whispers Of new glory soon to come
to Islam. He had watched them shake
their fists in the direction of the NAL
aria Coast and curse the Infidel with
a hooking gusto that held the ugl,est
promise. Above all he had found them
using a strange and significant oath
by the power of the Mighty One, the
Secret Conqueror."
These things, however, were mere
surface indications and to get definite
facts he had had to come on to Shash-
iraz, the capital, where alone he could
expect to find full and final evidence
the amount Of arms and ammunition
smuggled in, the numbers and colIIen-
tration points of the tribes, the line of
attack-vitally important, that--and,
above all, the character, quality and
identity Of this new leader, the Mighty
One, the Secret Conqueror, for prac-