The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1941-09-18
The Road to Bagdad

'Hassan!" Sims mouth sagged
open. 81 guess that makes it un-
animous. Say, Camilla" he NUT
tered, 81 don't like that Zaagi guy
a little bit. If he runs us into any
trouble, he'll be the first one to
go
Slim was rather proud of his
big automatic which. he carried in
shoulder holster and exhibited
childishly. Michael had gun, too,
and Janet Priestly carried little
twenty-five Smith and Wesson in
her handbag.
Zaagi was driving now and
Michael joined them in one OF the
rear seats. Michael was more in
terested in the performance Of his
geat engine Of transportation
than in any social or diplomatic
question:. The road they took was
unlike the hardsurfaced and grad
ed highways from Jerusalem or
Beirut. Caravan travel had ironed
out some of the rough spots but it
was still merely trail over the
desert, and it took careful driving
to avoid the rocks that were hid
den under the dust in unexpected
places.
II made this wheel base as short
as I could" Michael explained,
''but it's hard to keep the body off
the ground. We've got to choose
our terrain carefully, leaving the
road when necessary, to make the
riding easy"
It seemed to Camilla that they
had been off the road ever since
Zaagi had been driving, but she
cheerfully accepted Michaeps ex-
PLANTATION.
"Are you sure this guy knows
where he's going?" Slim asked
cycling the country obviously.
They seemed now to be in the
very heart Of the desert, for the
herds of camels and asses that
they had noticed nearer Damas-
Gus were no longer to be seen; nor
were there any signs of caravans
or groups of horsemen as before.
Just the undulating of the hori-
zon, with here and there the SER
rated edges of rock piercing the
distant sky.
When the speed of the bus was
reduced, as now seemed neces-
sary most of the time, the heat
was intense and the tourists were
all perspiring freely.
"You amt seen nothing yet"
Slim said as Josie complained.
"How hot is Bagdad?"
"A hundred and fifteen when
it's cool-and a hundred and for
ty when it decides to get warm
They were all game except Kit
ty, who had subsidized in her seat,
her face notified and her eyes
bullying, gasping freely from time
to time that she wanted to return
to Damascus. Michael, exhibiting
map, said he hoped to reach
Palmyra in the afternoon, but if
they didn't make better time it
might be later. He explained that
it didn't mater where they
stopped for the night as they were
taking their hotel with them and
there was plenty of water and
/ provisions for everybody.
cts quite exciting" Josie said.
'The grandest picnic I ever
went on" sighed Janet happily.
It was increasingly exciting as
the great bus seemed to be hav-
ing difficulties of it's own, lurch-
ing and fitting unpleasantly like
a ship in an angry sea. There was,
so far as they could see, no sign
now of road or trail, and they
were passing over virgin soil that
had not even been trodden by the
hoofs of camels.
"Say," said Slim, who had fol-
lowed Michael forward to the
chauffeur's bench, ''that gink
doesn't know where he's going.
Look what we're coming to"
They had reached the top Of a
precipitour slope covered with an
gry-looking basalt rocks which
seemed to end in a chaos of minor
precipices. "Put your brakes on,
mani" Slim roared.
Zaagi obliged grudgingly, Civ
ing Slim a sickly smile that was
still superior. Il come shorter
way, monsieur" Zaagi explained.
(TO Be COntinued)