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1 Ocorgn Pcrclvnl Algernon Jones, vice
president of tlio Metropolitan Orlonta
Ilug company of New Ydrk, thirsting fo
romance, Is In Cairo on n business trip
lorace Ilynnno arrives at the hotel In
Cairo with a ciirofully guarded bundle
ltyanno sells Jones tlio famous holy VliI
rdes rug which he udmlts having stolen
from a pasha at ltagdad, .lows iiifctv
Major Callahan und later Is Introduced to
Kortuno Chedsoye !y n woman to whom
ho had loaned ICO pounds at Monte Carlo
Dome months previously, nnd who turns
put to ho Fortune's mother Jones takes
Mrs Chedsoye anil Kortuno to a polo
frame Kortuno returns to Jones the
noney borrowed by her mother Mrs
Chcdnoyo appears to engaged In Mine
mysterious enterprise unknown to the
daughter Hyaline Interests Jones In the
United Ilomanco and Adventure, com
pany, a concern which for a prlre will
arrange any kind of an adventure to or
der Mrs. Chedsoye her brother, Majoi
Callahan, Wallaeo and Itvunne, as the
United Romance and Adventure company,
plan a risky enterprise Involving Jones
ltyanno makes known to Mrs. Chedsoye
his Intention to marry Fortune Mrs
Chedsoye declare sho will not permit It.
Plans aro laid to1 prevent Jones Railing
for home. llyxnno steals Jones' lettori
and cabin dispatches. Ilo wires agent In
Now Yoik, In Jones' name, that he Is
renting house In Now York to some
friends. Mahomed, keeper of the holy
carpet, In on Hyunne's trail ltyanno
Sromlses Kortuno that ho will see that
ones comes to no harm na a result nf his
tiurchaso of tlio nig Mahomed aerosts
ltyanno and demands the Yhlordes rug
ltyanno tells htm Jones lias tlio rug and
suggests tlio abduetlou of the New York
Inerchaut na a means of securing Its ro
turn. The rug disappears from Jones'
roam. Fortune quarrels with her mother
when the latter refuses to explain her
rnysterlouu ui tlons fortune gets a mes
sage purporting to he from Ilynnno ask
ing nor to meet mm in
n. Hoeiuriori nluef
that evening
J"ones receives a message
(taking him to inert Ilynnno at the );ngllsh
liar the same evening. Jones Is canted
off Into the desert by Mainlined anil his
Accomplices after a desporatn fight He
Olscovci that ltyanno nnd Fortune also
aro captives, tlio former Is badlj battered
end unconscious. ltyanno recovers con
elounnoK) nnd the sight nf Fortuno tn
captivity reveals tn him the fact that
Mahomed Intends to get vengeance on
Mm through the girl Fortune acknowl
edges that she itolo the rug from Jones'
room.
i CHAPTER XIV. (Continued.)
"Why not toll Mahomed nt onco,
and hnvo him send a courier back for
iho ruR?" suggested Fortuno.
"By Jovo, that clears up everything.
JWo'll do It immcdlntoly." George felt
tiottor than ho hud nt tiny atngo of tlio
advonturo. Here was a simple way
out of tho dlfllculty.
"Softly," Bnltl Rynnnc. "Lot ua
cotrto down to tho loan facts. If thnt
rug la 111- your room, Fortuno, your
tnotbor has discovered It long beforo
now. Sho will turn It over to your
estimable uncle. None of us will over
eco It ngaln, I'm thinking. The Major
IrnowB that Joucb Rave mo a thousand
poundB for It." Struck by n scnao of
Impending disaster, ltyanno began to
fumblo tn IiIh pockets. Gone! Every
hilling of It gonel "Ho'b got that,
too; Mahomed; tho cash you gavo me,
iTonoB. Walt a moment; don't apenk;
things nro whirling about Borne, Over
nlno hundred pounds; every shilling
of It. Wo mustn't lot him know that
I'vo missed It. I'vo got to play weak
In ordor to grow strong. . . . Hut
thoy will nt least atnrt up a tow uh
to your whereabouts, Fortuno."
"No," thoughtfully; "no, I do not
think thoy will."
Tho undercurrent wna too deep for
Goorgo. Ho couldn't see very clearly
Just thon. Tho United Romanco nnd
Advonluro Company; wna that all?
WaB there not something sinister
bohlnd that namo, concerning him 7 He
lookod patiently from the girl to tho
ftdvontttror.
Ilyannc Btnred at tho yellow tleaort
beyond. Ilia brain wns clearing rap
Idly undor tho Btlmulua of thought.
Ho hlmBclf dW not bollevo thnt thoy
Jrould send out aeurch-pnrtlos either
tor him or for Fortune. He could not
(fathom "what had given Fortuno hor
(belief; but ho realized that his own
wao based upon tho recollection of
ttrat Bavitgo mood when he had thrown
down tho gauntlet. Now they would
coept (t. Ho had run nwny with For.
wna as no nnu boldly threatened to
do.
uo motjicr and her iiwintn
lfimflll wmil.l nwn ..-.;.. I ...
-..w.v. ,.uulu iiiunvu III onco 10 NOW
fork without him. He had made a
mno muddle or It nil. But for it glass
of wlno nnd n gtaln too much of cou
ifldpnce, ho had not boen hero this day,
I Mahomed, himself; natlr by this
time, enmo over to tho gtotip, leisure
ly. Tho three lookod liWo nnnoni,.
tors lo his suspicions eye, but unllko
conspirators they mndo no effort to
ncparnto becnuuo ho approached. Ho
understood; na yot thoy woro not
fcfrald of hltn. That was one of tho
rcasotiB ho hated white men; thoy
could seldom bo forced to show fear,
von when they poBBCBBed It. Woll
these throo should know what fear
was before thoy buw tho last of him.
Ho carried a kurbaBh. a covvhldo whin.
which ho twirled Idly, even Btiggca
Atvoly. Flrat, ho camo to George
"If you hnvo Yhlordes, there Is stilt
m. chanco for you. Calro la but titty
mllOB away. Bagdad Is aevoral bun.
drcd." Ho drew tho whip caressingly
through his, fingers.
"I do not lie," replied George, a tru-
eulent spurklo In his eyea. "I told
rii Mint f Imrl H n. 14 ..
you that l had It not. it wan tho
truth."
A rlnplp of anxiety passed over Ma
fe&med'B face. "And you?" turning
upou Ilynnno, with suppressed suvjigo
bm. How he longed to lay the lash
Kpen the dogl
"Dan't look at mo," -nnswored Ry
snf waplBhly "It I had It I should
ot bo hero." Ah, for a bit of his old
trcngth! Ho would hnvo strangled
Inhomed then and there. But the
rug and tho beating had weakened
Im terribly.
"If I glvo you tho rug," Interposed
'ortune, "will you promise freedom
0 ua all?"
Mahomed stepped back, nonplussed.
Mo hadn't expected any Information
'rom this quarter.
"I havo the rug," declared Fortune
calmly, though bIio could scarcely
hear her own volco, her heart beat
so furiously.'
"You hnvo ill" Mahomed was-confused.
Hero was a turn In the road
upon which ho had set uo calculation.
All three of them!
"Yes. And upon condition that you
llborntc ua all, I will put It Into your
hands, nut It must be my writing
this time."
A white man would havo blushed
under the reproach of hor look. Mn
homed smiled nmlubly, pleased over
1Mb cleverness. "Where Is tho kls
weh?"
"The klsweh?"
"Tho Holy Yhlordes. Whero Is It?"
"That I refuHo to tell you. . Your
word of honor first, to bind tho bnr
gain." ltyanno laughed. It acted upon Ma
homed llko a goad. Ho raised tho
whip, and hnd Rynnno'a gazo swerved
the part ot an inch, tho blow would
havo fallen.
"You laugh?" sflnrled Mahomed.
"Why, yeH. A bargain with your
honor makes me laugh."
"And your honor?" relurnod Ma
homed fiercely. Ho wondered why ho
held his hand. "1 havo matched trick
ery agaltiBt trickery. My honor has
not been cnlled. I fed you, I gave
you drink; In return you lied to mo,
dishonored mo In tho eyea ot my
frlenda, and ono of thorn you killed."
"It wbb my Hfo or IiIb," exclaimed
ltyanno, not relishing tho recital of
this phaso. "It was my life or his;
and ho wns upon my back."
Fortuno shuddered. Presently she
laid hor hand upon Mahomed's arm.
"Would you take my word of honor?"
Mahomed sought her eyea. "Yes.
1 read truth In your eyes. Btlng me
the rug, nnd my word of honor to you,
you shall go free."
"But my friends?"
"Ono of them." Mahomed laughed
unpleasantly. It was nn excellent Idea.
"Ono of them shall go free with you.
It will bo for you to chooBe which.
Now, you dog. laugh, lnught" and tho
tongue of tho kurbaBh bit tho dust
within nn Inch of Ryanno's feet.
"What ahnll I do?" nBked Fortune
miserably.
"Accept," urgod ltyanno "If you
nro afraid to clyjoao ono or tho other
of us, JoneB audi will Bpln a coin."
"1 ngreo," anld George, very unhap
py. "Hnvo you any paper, Jones?"
Georgo searched. Ho found tho
dance-card f tho ball ut tho hotel, In
another pocket he discovered tho little
pencil that went with. It.
"You wrlto,'1 Bald Mahomed to For
tuue.
"I lntond to." Fortune took tho card
and pencil and wroto as follows:
"Mother: Horace, Mr. Jones nnd I are
prisoners of the man who owned the
rug which you will Hnd In tho largo
Btcainer-roll. Glvo It to the courier
who tilings this card. And undor no
circumstances sot spies upon IiIb
trnck." In French Bho ndded: "Wo
aro bound for Bagdad. In case Mo
hnmed receives tho rug nnd wo nro
not liberated, wlro tho ombassy at
Constantinople nnd the consulate at
Bagdad. FORTUNE."
She gavo It to Mahomed,
"Read It out loud," ho commanded.
Whllo ho apoko English fluently, ho
could neither road nor wrlto It In any
Bervlceablo degree. The note ho had
glvou to Fortuno had been written by
n friend of his In tho bazaars who had
upon n tlmo lived In New York. For
tuno read Blowly, slightly flushing aa
Bho evaded tho French script
"Thnt will do," Mahomed agreed.
Ho shouted for ono of tho boyB,
bnde him saddle tho hagtn or racing-
enmel, which ot nil those twelve, nlono
was his, nnd be o to Cairo. Tho boy
dipped his bowl into tho kettle, nto
greedily, Bnddled tho camel, and tlvo
minutes later wna speeding back
toward Cairo at a gait that would
hi lug him thero Into that night.
Fortuno nnd George and ltyanno
watched him till ho disappeared below
a din nnd wns gone from view. In
tho mlndn of tho threo watchcra the
Bamo question rose: would ho be too
lato? Goorgo was cheerful enough
thereafter, but hla cheerfulness wua
not of tho Infectious kind.
At noon tho enrnvan wbb onco moro
upon Rb way. Ryanno wna ablo to
rldo. Tho fumes of whntover drug
had been administered to hlra had
flnrtUy evaporated, und ho felt only
biuUcd, old, dlBheartonod. An ovll
. .i... l.Iiah Vn lnl not fnrtli
fhiv for him when Jio had Bet forth
for Bagdad In quest of tho rug. Ho
was confident that thoro would bo no
lug awaiting tho courlor, nnd what
would bo Mahomed's procedure when
tho hoy returned empty-handed was
..., .ttfflpiiit to Imagine. Mnhomed
. ". . . ..
Zl'Z SSrrffnVtoldrirloaiaili,; all In all. a,flno
Avrfkor of HEARTS AND rsk$Y$,
&ho rm ON THE BOX et&.
lllvisfraliorvs ky M.G.KerTNEJs-
COPYUTOHT igil ty BODDS - nERIlILt, COnPAMY
his lights, tho Arab wna only paying
coin for coin. But for the girl, Ry
nnno would havo accepted the situa
tion with n shrug, to nwalt that mo
ment when Mahomed, eased by tho
sgnso of security, would nntunilly re
lax vlgllnnce. The presence of For
tune changed tho wholo face of the
affair Mahomed could havo his eyes
nnd heart If he would but bparo her.
Ho must bo patient; he must accept
Insults, even physical violence, but
some tiny he nnd Mnhomed would play
the final round.
Ills past, his foolish, futile past: all
tho follies, nil tho petty crimes, all
tho low dissipations In which ho had
Indulged, seemed trooping about hln
camel, mocking nnd gibbering at him.
Why hadn't he lived clean llko Jones
there? Why hadn't he fought temp
tntlon aa ho hnd fought men? Envi
ronment wna no excuse; brlnglng-up
offered no palliation; ho had gone
wrong simply hecnuse hla Inclinations
had been vrong. On the other hand,
no ono had over tried to help him
back to n decent living. His mother
had died during his childhood, and
her Influence hnd left no Impression.
His fnther had been n money-maker,
consumed by the pleasure of building
up pyramids of gold. He hnd never
lensoned with his youngest-born; he
had paid his bills without protest or
reproach; It was bo much A month to
bo written down In the expense ac
count. And the first-born hnd been
his natural enemy since the days of
tho nursery. Still, he could not acquit
himself; his own arralgnmeilt was aa
keen na any Judgo could have made.
Strong ns ho wns physically, brilliant
as ho was mentally, there was a mor
tal weakness in his blood; nnd search
na he might the history of his ances
tors, their lives shed no light upon
his own.
In stating that his face had been
granted that dubious honor nnd con
corn of the perpetrators of tho rogues'
gnllery, ho had merely given, rein to
a seizure of soul-bitterness. But there
was ttuth enough In the statement
"I
P 41I1P' I
. . WW .
- V Wi
imm m mmmw n muwmismmigsBL
' 'Uf
Hnvo You Three, Then; and You Shall Pay.".
thnt ho hnd been short In his accounts
many thousands at hla father's bank;
gambling debts ; und In making no ef
fort to replace Jho loss, ho was Boon
found out by his brother, who Boomed
only too glad to dishonor him. Ho
was given his choice: to sign over his
million, due him n year later (for at
this tlmo tho father wbb dead), or go
to prison, Tho Bcnndal of tho nffalr
had no weight with his brother; ho
wanted tho younger out of tho way.
Llkn tho hot-headed fool he was, he
had signed away IiIb Inheritance, tnk
en a pnltry thousand nnd left Amer
ica, facing Imprisonment If ho re
turned. That was the kind of a broth
er ho had. Onco ho had burned hla
bridges, thero camo to him n dozen
vvayB by which ho could havo extri
cated himself. But onco a fool, alwnya
a fool!
Disinherited, outcast, living by his
wits, ingenious enough; tho finer
soiiBCB ca musing unuor mo cumaui
I ...in. i.iu Inf.r1ni-fl. n unmhlpr. a hnrd
portrait for any gallery given over to
rogues. And ho hadult worried much
over tho moral problom confronting
him, thnt tho wny of tho transgieesor
la hard. It was only when love rent
tho veil of his fatuity that he saw
himself no ho teally was.
Love! Ho gazed uhend nt Fortuno
under tho mahraal. Thnt a gulleleaa
young girl na alio was should enchain
him! Thnt tho sight of her should
nlwnys send a longing Into his boul
to go back and begin over! His Jaws
hardened. Why not? Why not try
to recover some of the crumbs of tho
fine things ho had thrown away? At
least enough to permit him to go
again among his fellows without con
stantly looking behind to note it he
were followed? By tho Lord Harry!
once ho was out of this web ot his
own weaving, ho would livo straight;
ho swore thnt every dollar hereafter
put In his pocket should bo an honest
one. Fortuno could never bo his wife.
He came to this fact without any
roundabout or devious bywnys. In -Hie
first placo, he knew ho hnd not
touched her heart; she had been friend
ly; nnd now oven her friendship hung
by a thread. All right. The love he
bore her was going to bo hla salvation
Just the earno; nnd nt this moment
he was deadly In earnest.
It waa after nlno when they were
ferried across the two canals, the
fresh-water nnd tho salt, several miles
below Sernpeum. Tho three weary
captives saw a reat liner Blip past
slowly hnd majestically upon its way
to tho Far Enst. Sho radiated with
light and cheer nnd comfort; nnd nil
could hear faintly tho pulsations of
her engines. So near and yet bo far;
a cup ot water to Tantalus! At mid
night they mado camp. There were
no palms this tlmo; Blmply a well in
the center of a Jumblo of huge boul
ders. The tents woro pitched to tho
southwest, fop now the wind blew, bit
ing from the land of northern snows;
and a fire was a welcome thing. This
was Arabia; Africa had been left be
hind. Here they awaited the return
of tho cornier, who arrived two days
later, dead tired. Tho poraona to whom
tho card had been sent had sailed for
Naples with tho steamer Ludwlg. Ma
homed turned upon tho threo miser
ables. "I havo jou three, then; nnd by tho
beard of the Prophet, you shall pay,
you shall pay I You havo robbed and
beaten and dishonored me; and you
shall pay!"
"Am I guilty of any wrong toward
you?" faltered the girl. Her mother
had gono. She hnd hoped against
hope,
"No," cried Mnhomed. Ho laughed
"You aio free to return to Cairo.
. . . alone! Freo to tnko your
choice ot theso two mon to accompany
you. Freo, freo nB tho nlr. . , .
Well, why do you hesitate?"
CHAPTER XV.
Fortune's Riddle Solved.
Fortune, without deigning to reply,
walked slowly and proudly to her tent,
and disappeared within. Sho looked
neither at Ryanne nor at Georgo. Sho
knew-that George, his soul filled with
unlucky quixotic cense of cnivalry
which hnd made him so easy a victim
to her mother, would not accept hla
liberty nt tho price of Rynnno'a, Ry
nnne, to" whom ho owed nothing, not
even mercy. And If aho had had to
ask one of tho two, Georgo would
have, been the natural selection, for
sho trusted him implicitly. Perhaps
there still lingered In her mind a rec
ollection of how charmingly ho had
spoken of his mother.
Sho could havo set out for Cairo
alone: even as sho could havo grown
a pair of wings nnd sailed through tho
nlr! Tho fate that walked behind her
wna malevolent, cruel, unjust. Sho
had wronged no one, in thought or
deed. Sho had put out her hand confi
dently to tho world, to be laughed $t,
distrusted, or ignored. Was it pos-
slblo that a little more than n month
ago Bho wandered, if not happy, In
the sense she desired, nt least In a
peaceful state of mind, among her ca
melins and roses nt Meutone? Her
world had been, in this short time,
remolded, reconstructed; where onco
had bloomed a garden, now yawned a
chasm: nnd tho psychological earth
quake had left her dizzy. That Ma
homed, now wrought to a kind of Ber
serk rage, might begin leprlsals at
once, did not alarm 'her; Indeed, her
feeling wns lather of dull, nchlng In
difference. Nothing mattered now.
But Ryanne and George were keenly
nhvo to the danger, and both agreed
that Fortune must go no farther.
Ryanne, under his bitter raillery and
seeming scorn for sacred things, pos
sessed a latent magnanimity, and it
now pushed up through tho false lay
ers. "Jones, It's my funeral. Go tell
her. You two can find tho way back
to tho cnnal, and once thero you will
hnve no trouble. Don't bother your
bend about me."
"But what will you do?"
"Take my medicine," grimly.
"Ryanne, you are offering the cow
ardly part to me!"
"You fool, It's tho girl. What do
I care about the rest of It? You're
as bravo an a Hon. When youput up
your fists the other night, you solved
that puzzle for yourself. Fdr God's
sake, do It while I have tho courage
to let you! Don't you understand? I
love thnt girl better than my heart's
blood, and Mnhomed can havo It drop
by drop. Go and gd quickly! Ho will
glvo you food and water."
"You" go. She knows you better,
thannej"
"But will she tust me as sho will
you? Pe'rclval, old top, Mahomed will
never let me go till he's taken his
pound ot flesh. Fortune!" Ryanne
cnlled. "Fortune, we want you!"
She appeared al the flap of the tent.
"Jones here will go back with you.
Go, both of you, beforo Mnhomed
changes his mind."
"Miss Chedsoyc, ho Is wrong. He's
the ono to eo. Ho wns hurt worR
thnn I was. Prldo doesn't matter at
a tlmo llko this. You two go," des
perately. Fortuno "Bhook her head. "All or
nono of us; all or nono of ub," sho re
peated. And Mahomed, having witnessed
and overheard tho scene, laughed, a
laughter identical to that which had
struck the barmaid's ears slnlsterly.
He had not studied his white man
without gathering some insight into
his character. . Neither of these men
was a poltroon. And when he had
made tho offer, he knew that tho con
ditions would erect a barrier over
which none of them would pass vol
untarily. So much for prldo as the
Christian dogs knew It. Prldo is a
flno buckler; nono Jtnew that better
than Mahomed himself; but a wlao
man does not wear It at all times.
"What Is it to bo?" ho demanded
of Fortune.
"What shall I say to him?"
"Whatever you will." Ryanno was
tired. Ho eaw that argument would
bo of no UBe.
"All or nono of us." And Fortuno
looked at Mahomed with nil the prldo
of hor race. "It is not because you
wish mo to be freo; It la becauso you
wish to sea ono of my companions
mndo bnBO in my eyes. I will not havo
It!"
"Tho will of Allah!" Ho could not
repress tho fire of admiration In IiIb
own eyes aa they took In her beauty,
tho erect, slender figure, tho scorn
upon hr fai?, nd tho fearlessness In
her giat, dark eyes, such a woman
might hnvo graced tho palace of tho
Great Caliph. Ho had had In mind
many little cruelties to practice upon
her, that ho might seo the men writhe,
impotent and helpless to aid her, But
In this tenso and dramatic scene, a
sense ot shame took possession of
him; his pagan heart softened; not
from pity, but from tho respect which
ono bravo person gives free-handed to
another.
Mahomed was not a bad man, nei
ther was ho a cruel ono. Ho had been
terribly wronged, nnd his eastern way
had but ono nnglo of vjslon: to nvengo
himself, believing that revenge alone
could soothe his outraged pride nnd
re-establish his honor aa ho viewed it
from within. Hnd tho courier re
turned with tho Holy YhlordeB, it is
not Impossible that ho would havo lib
erated them all. But now ho dared
not; ho was not far enough away. .To
Bagdad, then, and as swiftly aa tho
exlgoncles of desert travel would per
mit. Ono beacon of hope burned In
his breast. Tho Pasha might bo de
posed, und in that caso ho could Im
mediately dispose of his own gooda
and chattels and seek now pastures.
It would come hard, doubly hard, slnca
he never could regain the position ho
was to lose.
Nine hundred pounds English, and
a comfortablo fraction over; tho yol-low-haired
dog would havo nothing
in the end for hlB pains. It would bo
what tho Ferlnghl called a good Joke.
A week passed. Christmas. And ,
not ono of them recalled tho day.
Perhaps" it waB becauso yeara had
passed since thnt tlmo when it njeant
anything to them. Tho old year went
out n-lagglng! neither did thoy tako
note of this. Having left behind civi
lization, customs nnd habits woro for
gotten. Sometimes they rodo all day and all
night, sometimes but half a day, and
again, when tho water was sweet, thoy,
rested tho day and night. Nover a
human being they saw, never a cara
van met or crossed them. In this
week, tho secret marvels of tho desert
became theirs. They saw It gleam
and waver and glitter under skies of
brass, when tho north wind let down
nnd a breeze camo over from the Per
sian Gulf. They saw It covered wltn
the most amazing blues and greys nnd
greens. They saw it under thorarcst
azure and a stately fleet of billowy
clouds; under the dawn, under tho set
of. sun, under the moon and stars;
and unfailingly tho lntermlnablo
reachea of sand and rock and acrubby
bush, chameleon-like, readjusted Its
countenanco to each change in tho
sky. George, who was a poet without
the gift ot expression, never ceased
to find new charms; antL nothing
pleased his fancy more than to see tho
cloud-shadows scud away ncrosB tho
Hands. Once, toward the latter end
of day, Fortuno cried out and pointed.
Far away, palely yet dlatinctly, they
mk nn op.oan liner. Sho stood out
against tho yellowing sky as it maglcj'
lantern picture stands out upon"tho
screen, and faded similarly. It was
the one and only mirage they saw, or
at least noticed.
Once another caravan, composed
wholly of Arabs, passed.. What hopo
the prisoners had wa's Instantly
snuffed, out Beforo tho Btrfmgr
camo wlthtnhailing, Mahomed hustled
his captives into his tent and swore
ho would kill either George or Ryanno
If they spoke. Ho forgot Fortune,
however. As the caravan passeu snq
screamed. Instantly Mahomed clapped,
his hand toughly over her mouth. Tho
sheik of tho passing caravan looked
keenly at tho tent, smiled grimly and
passed on. "What was it to him that a
whito woman lay in "yonder tent? Hla
one emotion was of envy. After hla
tho prisoners became apathetic.
Upon tho seventh day, thoy wit
nessed tho desert's terrifying anger.
Tho air that hnd been cool, suddenly
grew still and hot; the bluo above
began to fade, to assume a dusty, cop
perish color. The camols grow reat
less. Quickly thero rose out of tho
horizon saffron clouds, appsoachlng
with Incredible Bwlftnesa. Little
whirlwinds of sand appeared here
and there, rose and died as If for
want of air. Mahomed veered tho car
avan toward a kind of bluff composed
of sand and precipitous boulders, All
the camela were made to kneel. Tho
boya muffled up their mouths "and
noses, anu iuanumeu bv jubituu
tlonB to hla captlvea. Fortuno burled
her bead In her coat and nestled down
bcsldo her camel, white Goorgo sand
Ryanno used their handkerchiefs.
Georgo left his enmel nnd sought For
tune's aide, found her hand nnd held
It tightly. Ho scarcely gave thought to
what ho did. Ho vaguely meant to
encourage her; and possibly he did. .
Tho storm broke. Tho sun became
obscured. Pebbles and splinters of
rock aang through the pall of whirling
Band. A golden ton enveloped tho
little gathering.
Hod thero been uo natural protec
tion, thoy must have ridden on, blind
ly nnd desperately, for to havo re
mained still In tho open would havo
been to await their tombs. It spent
its fury In half an hour; and tho
clearing air became cold again. Tho
caravan proceeded. Tho hair of ev
ery ono waa dimly yellOH, their faces
and their garmenta.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Australia Would Sava Birds.
Strong protest Is being mado In
South Australia against tho continual
slaughter of audi rare birds as tho Ibis,
tho egret, craues nnd spoonbills to sup
ply tho demands of mllllnors. Tho
slaughter renders South Australia
oven more prone to plagues of grass
hoppers, and is a prime cause of tho
decline of Its fish resources. As tho
wudlng birds disappear tho crustnee
ans that destroy fish tpiuvn increaso
in multitude
tw i-
if &
i
M