The Key West citizen., 1940-11-12

/ LuIOugQ Lle SdEc.
Temu had spoken truly; Lynn
was surprised, both at the ease of
the conveyance, and at the speed
of travel. As well as gold-studded
wheels, the cart possessed a gold
en- roof with gracefully curved
caves. Its springs and upholstery
equaled the comfort of an en-
peror's coach. At the end of the
tongue to the vehicle was a wood
en- croSspiece made to fit in front
of the saddles of two horsemen.
They started off at a dead run
over a boundless, grassy pl lin
stretching north into the violet
haze of the desert; the riders and
extra animals surrounding them
like a flowing wave Of whit e
horsefiesh with streaming names
and tails.
At short intervals two other
horSemen would ride in close and
take over the management of the
cart, slowing the pace but a trifie.
They were magnificent feats of
horsemanship. Lynn thrilled to
the show but Peggy preferred not
to watch.
eff Pm going to get my neck
broken in an accident" she said.
II don't want to see it coming"
| Temu rode beside the cart ex-
cept when he dropped back each
hour or so. as the others did, to
change mounts. Once or twice a
herd of gazelle cut their trail. De-
casionally a band Of spirited wild
horses Joined them for a run.
An incredible distance for horse
men had been covered when they
stopped to camp late that after
noon. Blue and white Mongol
tents went up like fiuttering birds.
Bula served the supper of roast
lamb and tea. Chan was follow
ing at a more leisurely pace, it
seemed. hard riding being beyond
his power. Someone brought in
great armful of wild leeks from a
nearby spring. Lynn and Temu
ate of them because they had ro-
bust appetites.
Herdsmen had taken the horses
out to Craze. The other men of the
party spent the evening wrestling.
telling stories, or singing. The
sound of the revelry. coming TO
the girls in their tent, made Peggy
shudder.
"What people! feel as if were
travelling with a party of Apache
Indians on the warpath."
Lynn lifted a corner of the tent
beside her pallet and looked
out rebelliously. Temu had made
them go to bed with the camels
though there were no camels. She
had wanted to watch the fun and
hear the songs.
You'll have many other oppor-
tunities when you are Princess of
Shani Lun." he had assured her.
She could see a light in his tent
now. Two other young men were
with him, riders who had come
in from the north on spent horses.
A sentry paced back and forth in
the darkness. The inhabited. war
torn valleys had been left far be-
hind and already seemed unreal,
as if they had never existed.
On Wings
ITHE next days breathless, head
L long flight across the plains
was similar to that of the day be-
fore, except that il included a
wolf hunt. The animal jumped up
before them in the morning. A
bowlegged young rider brought in
the brush and showed it to their
leader.
"A young wolf" observed Te-
mu. I'VE have probably saved the
lives of hundreds of gazelle."
They were now wei into Mon
gol country; their camp-site that
night was on the brakes above a
deep. dry wash in which the men
dug a shallow well. In the wall on
the opposite side of the canyon
gaped abandoned cave dwellings.
They will be occupied again
when wandering nomads return
to pasture their f1ockS for the win
ter" Temu told Lynn.
They were standing on a prom
ontory in front of their tents look
ing out across the p lain n tn a
merged into hilly. desert country.
Sunset clouds had banded along
the horizon in slender, graceful
streamers Of purple and crimson
and orange against a lemon-yel-
low sky.
This is worth everything I've
been through in coming here" "
Lynn murmured softly.
Temul was staring as IL he saw
something even beyond the sun
set. She asked him about il.
Il see the grassy hills of Shani
Lun with their great herds of
horses and cattle and their white
yurtaS dotting the landscape. Be-
yond these I see the river and the
irrigated districts Of orchard and
garden, and beyond that, the city
at the foot Of the mountain. It Is
sunset over the park that sur
rounds the palace. A pair Of pekin
ducks are playing in the willow
pool. The Princess Mother Is
walking with her ladies in the
garden"
A little smile curved Lynn's
lips what IS the Prince doing?"
she asked.
Temu kept his pose and re-
Trained from looking at her as she
had hoped he would do.
He is thinking Of you"
She stepped closer and put a
hand in the crook of his arm. This
time he looked down at her, his
tea-colored eyes very bright.
you See," he said, @the Prince
IS very much in love with you. To
think of an object IS to touch It
He always has a sense Of your
presence"
/ Then he possesses powers that
I do not ] have no serSe of his
rnrnSarCa T-6or. Shf1b ~ Kim