Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1937-06-25
CHAPTER z

out who sat monkey-like on the high
peaked saddle of his camel.
The capes of the burnooses were
drawn over the head of the imposters,
and with Selim in the lead, they drew
up alongside the drowsy, unsuspicious
sentinel, who called a cultural greet
ing in some language which Roberts
could not understand, and raised his
lance in salutation.
Selim nodded and at the same time
urged his camel forword. In an in
slant, his arm shot out and swept the
startled Touareg from his high-peak-
ed saddle. With hand as powerful
as bear trap, the blue-veiled Negroes
grip closed in the Touareg's windpipe,
shutting off the sentinel's startled
cry. Dexterously the Senegalese plung
ed dagger beneath the prisoners
armpit, then held the quivering figure
until it relaxed in death.
Uthtering a little grunt of satisfac-
ton, Selim grinned whitley in the
starlight; then threw the inert figure
across his own saddle bow, while the
camels snuffled greetings to each 9TH
er.
Roberts swiftly knelt his mahari
and quickly dashed the dead mans
hands and feet together under the
Touareg cancels belly. This done, he
gave the beast sharp cut across the
flank and drove it at a silent, yet
steady trot across three parallel wadis.
AS they reached the shelter of the
third dune, the adventures made the
dead mans camel kneel, with its jolt
ing, grisly load dangling horribly.
With expert speed, Selim knee-halter-
ed the beast, while Roberts cast the
dead mans robe as hood over the ami
mails head lest it cry out in warning.
This precaution taken, the two swift
~ remounted and shortly afterward
boldly rode toward the cluster of
goatskin tents
"See how they sleep!" The Sene-
galese's eyes, which alone were Wis
ible (thanks to the blue veil CLEANED
bright with the lust of killing.
The mrauders, for the most part,
lay thickly about, sleeping beside their
mounts, which moaned and gurgled
drowsily with the stencil of their bod
les making the night noisome beyond
belief.
"Here," murmured the foremost Of
the new arrivals, and pressed his foot
on the camel's neck.
1t was on the outskirts of the en-
campment the two imposters quietly
knelt and hobbled their camels, then
with pistols held ready in their hands
beneath their heavy Tapping robes,
they staggered off among the low,
rounded felidj, looming like giant toad
stools sprouted from the sand.
AS the two neared the center of
the douar, they caught murmur of
voices in hot dispute. Cautiously fol-
lowing circuitous route, the impos-
tiers advanced toward one of the lar
gest tents, stepping warily among the
sleeping Touaregs. To Roberts, the
sleeping tribesmen in the half light
looked like so many bundles of rags.
At sign from the dangerously
calm engineer, the two dropped mo-
tionless outside the big tent, merging
successfully with the shadows, and
lay there with every nerve on the
alert.
Very cautiously and with infinite
patience, he slit tiny eye-hole in the
tough smelly goat-skin and at last
was able to gaze within. To his dying
day he forgot no detail of the scene
that met his eye.
By the light of a single amber-col-
ored lamp, he could see four figures
seated on species of low divan. They
were all of high rank, if the rich robes
and gold-mounted daggers they wore
indicated anything. Three of the Tar
gui were gray-haired and had lean,
aquiline faces that seemed to be cast
of bronze. The blue wells which habit
ually covered their faces to the level
of their eyes had been dropped and
Roberts suddenly realized he was one
of the few white men ever to see an
unveiled Touareg. At the sight of
them, he drew deep breath of anx-
iety.
"God! What a tough lot" he
thought. "They look like lot of
'Pache braves"-Never had he seen
faces more savage and cruel of ex-
preston.
The fourth man, he noted, was
younger than the rest, handsome, and
with a short black beard. AS he ar