A'V
"That Is the Passage. '
CHAPTER I.
There Is a ruby mine hidden in the
heart of the mountains near a remote
little city of central Asia , unknown
to European travelers ; and the secret
of the treasure belongs to the two
chief families of the place , and has
been carefully guarded for many gen
erations , handed down through the
men from father to son ; and often the
children of these two families have
married , yet none of the women ever
learned the way to the mine from
\ their fathers , or their brothers , or
their husbands , none excepting ono
only , and her name was Baraka ,
which may perhaps mean "Blessed ; "
but no blessing came to her when she
was born. She was much whiter and
much more beautiful than the other
gills of the little Tartar city ; her face
was oval like an ostrich egg , her skin
was as the cream that rises on sheep's
milk at evening , and her eyes were
like the Pools of Peace In the Valley
of Dark Moons ; her waist also was a
slender pillar of ivory , and round her
ankle she could make her thumb meet
her second finger ; as for her feet ,
they were small and quick and silent
as young mice. But she was not
blessea.
When she was in her seventeenth
year a traveler came to the little' city ,
who was not like her own people ; he
was goodly to sec , and her eyes were
troubled by the sight df him , for the
stranger "was tall and very fair , and
his beard was like spun gold , and ho
feared neither man nor evil spirit , go
I ing about alone by day and night.
Furthermore , ho M-US a great physi
cian , and possessed a small book ,
about the size of a man's hand , in
which was contained all the"knowl-
edge of the world. By means of this
book , and throe small buttons that
tasted of mingled salt and sugar , he
cured Baraka's father of a mighty
pain in the midriff which had tor
mented him a whole week. He brought
with him also a written letter from a
holy man to the chiefs of the town ;
therefore they did not kill him ,
though ho bad a good Mauser revolver
ver with ammunition , worth much
money , and other things u'seful to be
lievers.
Satan entered the heart of Baraka ,
and she loved the traveler wild dwelt
In her father's house , for she was not
blessed ; and she stood before him in
the way when ho went out , and when
ho returned she was sitting at the
door watching , and she took care to
show her cream-whito arm and her
slender ankle , and even her beautiful
face when neither her father nor her
mother was near. But ho saw little
and cared less , and was as grave as
her father and the other graybeards
of the town.
When she perceived that ho was not
moved by the sight of her , she watched
him moro closely ; for she said in her
girl's heart that the eyes that are
blind to a beautiful woman see ono of
three things : Gold , or power , or
heaven ; but her sight was fixed only
on him. Then her throat was dry , her
heart fluttered in her maiden breast
like a frightened bird , and sometimes ,
when she would have tried to speak ,
she felt as if her tongue were broken
and useless ; the fire ran lightly along
her delicate body , her eyes saw noth
ing clearly , and a strange rushing
sound filled her ears ; and then , nil at
cnco , a fine dow wet her forehead and
cooled It , and she trembled all over
and was as pale as death like Sap
pho , when a certain god-like man was
near. Yet the stranger saw nothing ,
and his look was bright and cold as a
winter's morning in the mountains.
Almost every day he went out and
climbed the foothills , and when the
sun was lowering he came back bring
ing herbs and flowers , which he dried
carefully 'and spread between leaves
of gray paper In a large book ; and he
wrote 'spells beside them In an un
known tongue , so that no ono dared
to touch the book when he went out ,
lest the genii should wake and come
out from between the pages , to blind
the curious and strike the gossips
dumb , and cast a leprosy on the thief.
At night ho lay on the roof of the
forehouse beside the gate of the court ,
because it was cool there. Barnka
came to him , before midnight , when
her mother was In a deep sleep ; she
Itnolt at his side while he slept in the
starlight , and she laid her head beside
his , on the sack that was his pillow ,
and for a little while she was happy ,
being near him , though he did not
know she "was there. But presently
she remembered that her mother
might wake and call 'her , and she
spoke very softly , close to his ear ,
fearing greatly lest bo should start
from his sleep and cry out.
' The ruby mine is not far off , " she
said. "I know the secret place.
Rubles ! Rubles ! Rubles ! You shall
have as many as you can carry of the
blood-red rubles ! "
Ho opened his eyes , and even in the
starlight they were bright and cold.
She stroked his hand softly and then
pressed it a little.
"Come with mo and you shall know
the great secret , " she whispered. "You
shall fill this sack that is under your
head , and then you shall take me with
you to Egypt , and we will live In a
marble palace and have many slaves ,
and bo always together. For you will
always remember that it was Haraka
who showed you where the rubles
were , and even when you are tired of
her you will treat her kindly and feed
her with fig paste and fat quails , such
as I hear they have in the south all
winter , and Frank rice , and coffee
that has been picked over , bean by
bean , for the great men. "
She said all this In a whisper ,
stroking his hand ; and while she whis
pered ho smiled In his great golden
beard that seemed as silvery In the
starlight as her father's.
"That is women's talk , " ho an
swered. "Who has seen mines of
rubles ? And If you know where they
are , why should you show them to
me ? You are betrothed. If you had
knowledge of hidden treasures you
would keep It for your husband. This
is some trick to destroy me. "
"May these hands wither to the
wrists If a hair of your head bo
harmed through me , " she answered ;
and as she knelt beside him , the two
little hands held his face towards her
very tenderly , and then ono of them
smoothed the thick hair back from his
forehead.
"You are betrothed , " ho repeated ,
"and I am your father's guest. Shall
I betray him ? "
"I care nothing , neither for father ,
nor mother , nor brothers , nor be
trothed , " Baraka answered. "I will
give you the riches of Solomon if you
will take me , for I will have no other
ION CBAWrORI )
6
iV-v
CQPYfUGHT/9O7 BY f . MA ft/Oft CftAWFORD
"Thcro nro no rubles , " stild the
stranger. "Show them to me nntl I
will believe. "
The girl laughed very lew , and took
from her neck n bng ot antelope Bhln ,
no larger than her closed hand , and
gave It to him with the thin thong by
which It had hung.
"When you have soon thorn In the
sun you will want others , " she said.
"I will take you to the place , and
when yon have filled your sack with
them you will love me enough to take
mo away. It Is not far to the place.
In two hours we can go and come.
To-morrow night , about this time , I
will wake you again. It will not bo
safe to unbar the door , so you must
lot mo down from this roof by a camel
rope , and then follow me. "
When Haraka Was gone the stranger
sat up on his carpet and opened the
small bag to feel the stones , for bo
knew that ho could hardly see them
In the starlight ; but even the touch
and the weight told him something ,
and he guessed that the girl had not
tried to deceive him childishly with
bits of glass. Though the bug had
been in her bosom , and the weather
was hot , the stones were as
cold as jade ; and moreover he felt
their shape and knew at once that
, they might really bo rough rubles , for
ho was well versed In the knowledge
of precious stones.
When the day began to dawn ho
went down' from the roof to the com
mon room of the fore-house , whore
guests were Quartered , yet although
there was no other stranger there ho
would not take the bag from his neck
to examine the stones , lest some one
should be watching him from a place
of hiding ; but afterwards , when ho
was alone In the foothills and out of
sight of the town , searching as usual
for new plants and herbs , he crept
Into a low cave at noon , and sat down
just inside the entrance , so that be
could see any one coming while still
a long way off , and there be emptied
the contents of the little leathern wal
let Into his hand , and saw that Bara
ka had not deceived him ; and as he
looked closely at the stones In the
strong light at the entrance of the
cave , the red of the rubies was re
flected In the blue of his bright eyes ,
and made a little purple glare in them
that would have frightened Baraka ;
and he smiled behind his "great " yellow
beard.
He took from an inner pocket a
folded sheet on which a map was
traced in black and green ink , much
corrected and extended in pencil ; and
he studied the map thoughtfully in the
cave while the great heat of the day
lasted ; but the lines that his eye fol
lowed did not lead towards Persia ,
Palestine , and Egypt , where Baraka
wished to live with him In a marble
palace and eat fat quails and fig
paste.
She came to him again that night
on the roof , bringing with her a small
bundle , tightly rolled and well tied
up. He wrapped his blanket round
her body , and brought it up under her
arms so that the rope should not hurt
her when her weight came upon it ,
and so he let her down over the edge
of the roof to the ground , and threw
the rope after her ; and ho let himself
over , holding by his hands , so that
when he was hanging at the full
length of his long arms ho had only
a few feet to drop , for he wished to
take the rope with him.
Baraka's house was at the head of
the town , towar'ds the foothills ; every
one was sleeping , and there was no
moon. She followed the stony sheep-
track that struck Into the hills only a
few hundred paces from the last
houses , and the stranger followed her
closely. He had his sack on his shoul
der , his book of plants and herbs was
slung behind him by a strap , and in
his pockets he had all the money he
carried for his travels and his letters
to the chiefs , and a weapon ; but he
had left all his other belongings , judg
ing them to be of no value compared
with a camel's bag full of rubies , and
only a hindrance , since he would have
to travel far on foot before daylight ,
by dangerous paths.
The girl trod lightly and walked
fast , and as the man followed In her
footsteps ho marked the way turn by
turn , and often looked up nt the stars
overhead as men do who are accus
tomed to journeying alone In desert
places. For some time Baraka led
him through little valleys ho had often
traversed , and along hillsides familiar
to him , and at last she entered a nar
row ravlno which ho had once fol
lowed to Its head , where he had found
It ended abruptly in a high wall of
rock , at the foot of which there was
a clear pool that did not overflow. It
was darker In the gorge , but the rocks
were almost white , so that It was
quite possible to see the way by the
faint light.
The man and the girl stood before
the pool ; the still water reflected the
stars.
"This is the place , " Baraku said.
"Do you see anything ? " ,
"I see water and a wall of rock , "
the man answered. "I have been hero
alone by day. I know this place.
There Is nothing bore , and there is no
way up the wall. "
Baraka laughed softly. ,
"The secret could not have been
kept by my fathers for 11 generations
If it wore so easy to find out , " she
said. "Tho way Is not easy , but 1
know It. "
"Load , " replied the traveler. "I will
follow. "
"No. " returned girl. "I will go a
little way down the gorge and watch ,
while you go in. "
The man did not trust her. How
.could ho tell but that she hud brought
him to an ambush whore he was to bo
murdered for the sake of his money
and his good weapon ? The rubles
were real , so far a ho rouhl toll , but
they might be only a bait. Ho shook
his head.
"Listen , " said Baraka. "At the other
side of the pool there is a place where
the > water from this spring Hews awny
under the rock. That Is the passage. "
"I have seen the entrance , " an
swered the traveler. "It is so small
that a dog could not swim through It. "
"It looks so. But It is wo deep that
one can walk through It easily , with
one's head above water. It Is not moro
than CO stops long. That Is how 1
found It , for one day I wandered hero
alone In the morning for shade , when
the air was like fire ; and being alone
I bathed In the clear pool to cool my
self , and I found the way and brought
back the stone , which I have hidden
over since. For If my father and
brothers know that 1 have seen the
treasure they will surely kill me , be
cause the women must never learn the
secret. You see , " she laughed a little ,
"I am the first of us who 1ms known
it , since many generations , and I have
already betrayed It to you ! They are
quite right to kill us when wo find
it out ! "
"This is an idle tale , " said the trav
eler. "Go into the pool before mo and
I will bellovo and follow you under
the rock. I will not go and leave you
here. "
"You are not very brave , though you
are so handsome ! If they come and
find me here , they will kill me first. "
"You say it , but I do not believe It.
I think there is a deep hole in the
passage and that I shall slip Into it
and be drowned , for no man could
swim in such a place. I have but one
life , and I do not care to lose It in a
water-rat's trap. You must go in and
lead the way If you wish mo to trust
you. "
Baraka hesitated and looked at him.
"How can I do this before you ? "
she asked.
"I will not go alone , " the man an
swered , for ho suspected foul play.
"Do ns you will. "
The girl took from her head the
large cotton cloth with which she
veiled herself , and folded It and laid
It down on the rock by the pool ; then
she let her outer tunic of thin white
woolen fall to the ground round her
fe < H and stepped out of It , and folded
it also , and laid it beside her veil , and
she stood up tall and straight as a
young Egyptian goddess In the star
light , clothed only in the plain shirt
without sleeves whteh the women of
her country wear night and day ; and
the traveler saw her cream-whito
arms near him in the soft gloom , and
heard her slip off her light shoes.
"I will go before you , " she said ;
and she stepped into the pool and
walked slowly through the water.
The traveler followed her as ho
was , for ho wag unwilling to leave
behind him anything ho valued , and
\\hat ho had was mostly In the pock
ets of his coat , and could not bo
much hurt by water. Kvcn his
pressed herbs and floworn would dry
again , his cartridges were quite wa
terproof , his letters were In an Im
pervious case , and his money wns In
coin. When he entered the pool ho
took his revolver from Us place and
he held it above the water In front of
him ns he went on. With his other
hand he carried the sack ho had
brought , which was ono of those that
are made of Bokhara carpet and are
meant to sling on a camel.
Baraka was almost up to her neck
in the water when she reached the
other side of the pool ; a moment
later she disappeared under the rock ,
and the traveler bent his knees to
shorten himself , for there was only
room for his head above the surface ,
and ho held up his revolver before his
face to keep the weapon dry , and also
to feel his way , lest ho should strike
against any jutting projection of the
stone and hurt himself. Ho counted
the stops ho took , and made them as
nearly as possible of equal length. Ho
felt that ho was walking on parfcctly
smooth sand , Into which his heavily
shod feet sank a very little. There
was plenty of air , for the gentle
draught followed him from the en
trance and chilled the back of bis
neck , which had got wet ; yet it
seemed hard to breathe , and ab ho
made his way forward his Imagina
tion pictured the death ho must die
If the rock should fall in behind him.
Ho was glad that the faint odor of Bu-
raka's wet hair came to his nostrils
In the thick darkness , and It was very
pleasant to hear her voice when she
spoke at last.
"It is not far , " she said quietly. "I
begin to see the starsight on the wa
ter. "
The passage did not widen or grow
higher as It went on. If it had been
dry. it 'vould have been a commodious
Qaraka Was Almost Up to Her Neck.
cave , open at each end , wide at the
bottom and narrowing to a sharp
angle above. But the pool was fed by
a spring that never failed nor oyen
ebbed , though It must sometimes have
overflowed down the ravlno through
which the two had reached the pool.
They came out from under the rock
at last , and were In the refreshing out
er air. The Btlll water widened al
most to a circle , a tiny lake at the bottom
tom of a sort of crater of white stone
that collected and concentrated the
dim light. On two sides there were
Httlo crescent beaches of snow-white
sand , that gleamed like silver. The
traveler looked about him and upward
to see if there was any way of
climbing up ; but ua far ns he could
make out in the half darkness the
steep rock was an smooth as If it had
been cut with tools , and it sloped
away at a sharp unglo like the sides
of a funnel.
Haraka wont up towards the right ,
and the bottom shelved , so that pres
ently the water was down to her
waist , and then she stood still and
pointed to a dark hollow just above
the little beach. Her wet garment
clung to her , and with her loft hand
she began to wring the water from her
bald behind her head.
"Tho rubles arc there , " she said ,
"thousands upon thousands of them.
Fill the sack quickly , but do not take
moro than jou can carry , for they are
very heavy. "
The traveler waded out upon the
beach , and 'the water from his clothes
ran down In small rivulets and made
little round holes In the white sand.
H& put down his revolver In n dry
place , and both ills hands felt Tor the
precious stones In the shadowy hol
low , loosening small fragments of a
sort of brittle crust In which they
seemed to bo clustered.
"You cannot choose , " Barnku said
"for you cannot see , but I have boon
hero by daylight and have seen. The
largest are on the loft side of the hol
low , near the top. "
By the stars the traveler could see
the pieces a little , as ho broke them
out , for the white rocks collected the
light ; ho could see many dark crys
tals , but as to what they were he had
to trust the girl.
"Do not take moro .than you can
carry , " she repeated , "for you must
not throw them away to lighten the
burden. "
"You can carry some of them , " an
swered the traveler.
Ho broke up the crust of crystals
with a small geologist's hammer and
toro them out like u madman , and his
hands wore bleeding , for though ho
was a philosopher the thirst for wealth
had come upon him when he felt the
riches of empires' ' In his grasp , and
the time was short ; and although ho
knew that ho might some day come
back with armed men to protect him ,
and workmen to help him , ho know
also that to do this ho must share the
secret with the over-lord of that wild
' 'ountry , and that his portion might be
the loss of his head. So he lore at the
ruby crust with all his might , and as
bo was very strong , ho broke out
great pieces at once.
"Wo cannot carry moro than that ,
both of us together , " said Haraka ,
though she judged moro by the sound
of bis work than by what she could
see.
see.Ho
Ho lifted the sack with both uls
hands , and ho knew by Us weight'
that she was right. Under the water
It would bo easy enough to 9arry , but
It would be a heavy load for a man to
shoulder. ,
"Come , " Baraka said , "I will go back
first. "
She moved down Into the deeper
water again , till It was up to her
nock ; and feeling the way with her
hands she went In once moro under
the rock. The traveler followed her
cautiously , carrying the heavy sack
under water with ono hand and holdIng -
Ing up his revolver with the other to
keep it dry ,
"I begin to see the starlight on tlio
water , " Baraka said , just as before ,
when they had been going 'In.
When she had spoken , sh heard a
heavy splash not far off , and the wa
ter In the' subterranean channel rose
suddenly and ran past her In short
waves , three of which covered her
mouth in quick succession and
reached to her eyes , and almost to the
top of her head , but sank again in
stantly ; and they passed her com
panion in the sumo way , wetting his
weapon.
"Go buck , " Baraka said , when she
could speak ; "tho rock Is falling. "
The traveler turned as quickly as ho
could , and she came after him , gaining
on him because he carried the heavy
sack and could not move UK fant as
nlio. He felt bis damp hair rising
with fctr ; , for he bolloved Unit , after
all , she had brought him into a trap.
They reached the opening and came
out Into the pool again.
"You have brought me here to dlo , "
ho Bald. "Your father and vour broth
ers have shut up the entrance with
great stones , and they will go up the
mountain and let themselves down
from above with ropes and shoot mo
like a wolf In a pit-fall. Hut you shall
die first , because you have betrayed
me. "
So ho cocked his revolver and set
the muzzle against her bead , to kill
her , holding her by her slender throat
with his other band ; for they were In
shallow water and ho bad dropped the
sack in the pool.
Barnka did not struggle or cry out.
"I would rather die by your hand
than bo allvo In another man's arms , "
she said quite quietly.
Ho let her go , merely because she
was so very bravo ; for ho did not love
her at all. She knew It , but that made
no difference to her , since no other
woman was near ; If they could get
out alive with the rubles she was sure
that ho would love her for the sakd
of the great wealth she had brought
him. If they were to starve to death
at the bottom of the great rock wall
In the mountains , she would probably
dlo first , because ho was so strong ;
and then nothing would matter. It
was all very simple.
( TO 1113 CONTINUED. )
Hint for a Groom-Elect.
If a groom-elect has not provided an
extra room to bis bouse for storing hla
bride's linen ho should build It In time ,
for In these days whenever a girl mar
ries , her mother closes her lips grim
ly , goes after pa's pocketbook , and
does the right thing with nine dozen
towels , 15 dozen napkins , 8i pairs of
sheets , etc. She doesn't expect her
daughter to open a boarding house ,
but she bus proper pride , and Intends
to do the right thing by the girl , even
II it breaks pa. Atcblsou Globo.
