The Argosy, March 27, 1920 — page 57: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

) —eE———————— AL?’S REVENGE gallop and disappeared in the shimmering heat waves. Ali rode back to his victims and dis- mounted. “The gray Oman hath settled thy fate,” maid,” he said. “I would have saved thee, but the horse can carry but one. Thou shalt lie here by him.” Kahleel groaned .and said: “It will break my heart, Ali Hassan, to see her wither—” “Hadst thou shown any care for my breken heart,” said Ali Hassan, ‘‘ things would not have been as they are.” Mirza laid herself down willingly beside her lover, while the Sultan’s viceroy drova two more tent pegs into the sand. He bound her side by side with her lover. There was not enough of the rope to tie her; he took a leather thong from his saddle and tied one wrist with it. “ Kahleel,”’ said Mirza suddenly, Kahleel did not answer, andthe girl con- tinued: ‘“‘ The Koran sayeth that the true wife can have no greater pleasure than to die with her husband. Thou shalt not mourn for me, for I shall ‘be happy ,in dying with thee. We shall cross the long bridge that leadeth into paradise hand and hand. Death cannot “be painful to us, for TI shall sing to thee and tell thee the long tales which the queen told to Haroun-al- Raschid. Art thou listening?” “Tell him the tale of the.pearl,” cut in Ali, ‘‘ the pearl which the Prophet gave to Ayesha and which hath come to Ali Has- san. Tell him that tale, for it was the pearl that brought me to you.” “T heard no one speak,” said the girl, “nor shalt thou hear any voice but mine.”’ She looked up at the sky with wide-open eyes. “TI will tell thee the tale of the cobbler—how he made shoes for the queen.”’ “T am sorry,” cut in Ali Hassan, “ that I cannot stay to hear thee. But thy tale might charm me from my purpose. Here is audience enough for thee—a rat—a long-whiskered desert rat, that looketh like nothing so much as Najob Azoura.” A jerboa rat had hopped from his bur- row in the rocks, and stood up on his strong hind legs and watched these invaders of his AND ALLAH’S, 207 peace. Ali Hassan walked up to his horse and mounted. He looked about again for the gray Oman camel, but it was nowhere in sight, “Fare thee well, Ali Hassan,” said Mir- za, as he put his heels to the horse, ‘“‘ and in thy death remember me.” “ Fare thee well, witch,” answered Ali, “and when fhy end cometh, think of my garden with the three jets of water and the cucumber vines.” He pushed his horse up the little slope and back along his track. The red flecks that had danced before his eyes were gone; his head was clear, and he looked earefully at the mount under him. There was no question of galloping ow; she shuffled along with her head down and her loins drawn up. He felt the water-skin; it scarcely bulged under his hand. The bun- dig of forage. was thin; he had left most of it at the podl where they had halted at midnight, : At the end.of the second hour he wetted his own lips and gave the mare the rest of what water there was in the skin; gave her also the rest, of the forage. All morning she kept up her shuffling pace; a little past midday he came sud- denly upon the place where the pool had been. A .broad track cut across his own trail there; the water was gone, drunk up by some thirsty Bedouin band who had crossed there. Already the bottom of the pool had baked and curled into dry chips under the fierce sun. The mare turned her head and looked at her rider. Ali climbed painfully down. “Softly, Ali Hassan,” he said; “no horse, no life,” Ahead of him lay eighteen hours of stiff marching; how much his horse could do he did not know, being a city dweller born and bred. Neither did he know enough to give the horse her head and let her go to some haven to which her instinct led her; instead, he stood by her with the reins over hhis-arm. About him lay the confused track of the caravan. He turned and looked at his ‘horse; decided that she could not make the long march into Nejed. Neither could he without water. Half fearfully he laid his hand upon his! ConmiclooolkS.cCotin