Argosy, Vol. 119, No. 2 — page 58: what you’re looking at

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

208 THE ARGOSY. pouch. Hitherto the pearl had helped him > in matters not of life and death; if it should fail him now it was a question only of hours before he would be curling under that sun. He took the pearl from his pouch and held it up to the sun.. The play of light in it was so fierce that it almost blinded him; he muttered his wish and looked long in the pearl before the wavering color set- tled into the tiny picture. Then he saw— net some oasis te which he might go—not some friendly camp of desert dwellers— but the face of Mirza as he had last seen the girl, looking straight to heaven with wide-open eyes. For a moment the heavy pounding of his heart ceased; horse and desert melted into a whirling maelstrom. ‘“ Curse thee!” he screamed. “Traitor!”’ But look asthe might, all that he -could see was that small, upturned face. Then his reason, shaken by his physical suffer- ings In the desert and what he had done, tottered.- Ali Hassan rubbed his hands and babbled like a child: 7 “At least, I shall see them die!” He climbed into the saddle and turned the unwilling horse upon the long return journey—back to where he had left Kah- leel and Mirza exposed to the sun. He rolled in the saddle, singing, cursing, repeat- - ing stray bits of conversations long past. They went on through the terrific heat of the rest hour—just past noon—went on as the sun went down and a moon came up. - When Ali saw the little rise ahead of him behind which he’had left his victims, his head cleared somewhat. He tumbled out of the saddle and stood listening for a groan—weeping—even screaming. Stoop- ing so as not to be seen, and laughing si- lently to himself, he stole up to the brow . of the ridge and_,looked over. The place below was empty. Kahleel and Mirza were gone; the tent pegs were there, and the ropes, and the prints of their bodies showed clear in the strong moon- light. In the little hollow there was but one living thing—an old jerboa rat who sat ‘on his strong hind legs and nibbled at a piece of leather thong. True to its carrion instinct, the jerboa rat o -set them free. had gnawed the leather thong which had bound one of the girl’s wrists, and so had If Ali Hassan had been a desert dweller, he would have known that the nature of the jerboa rat is to gnaw dead flesh or anything like dead flesh; even now it was some time before Ali saw what had liberated his victims. When the truth did penetrate eect ch the whirling maze of his mind, he ran upon the rat and screamed: “ So it wag thou that set them free!”’ But the rat dodged between his hands into the inky shadows. of the rock. He could see its eyes shining like two points of green fire, and tore at the rock until his fingers bled; but the rodent drew deeper within to safety. Ali raged up and down, threw sand upon his head, and beat his breast. His passion cleared a bit after a time; he went to the top of the ridge. His horse was gone; she had shuffled away in the night to some refuge to which her keen nostrils guided her. Once more the pearl came out of his pouch; the silver and violet of the night played along its smooth sides, but there was nothing in the pearl but the face of Mirza as Ali had last seen her—wide-open eyes, upturned face. _He dashed the pearl to the ground and put his heel upon it, chattering with rage. Then he saw the old rat nibbling again at the bit of leather. He threw himself upon it, but it slid between his feet and back into its burrow. Ali Hassan sat down outside the little hole in the rock to wait. Close to dawn he awoke—something tugged at his foot. He raised his head and looked down to see the rat nibbling*at the soft leather shoes. A touch of foam came to his lips, and his voice broke into a falsetto wail as he threw himself upon-his enemy. Again it escaped him, and again he sat down and smiled craftily as he settled him- self dewn to wait. But in such a duel of patience there could be but one victor. The next dawn saw the rat making his meal off the ‘soft leather shoes in peace. (The End.) comicbooks com