A MYSTERY OF THE DESERT.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIII, Issue XVIII, 28 October 1899, Page 778

A MYSTERY OF THE DESERT.

By

Neville Cain.

“I luring my sojourn in Egypt,” said Walton, removing his hookah from his burnt black beard, “I lievanie interest* <1 in the horse; and desirous of p< sassing an Arabian of high quality. sought guidance of our local consul as to the best way of going about obtaining one. lit* gave mt* a letter to a certain camel anti horse breeder of renown, located near Samana. a Bedouin sheik, llassam Moakbar by name. The sheik, he informed me. had reason to feel under obligations to him. which would insure me a pleasant reception. I took with me only a small escort the consul's letter, in the Arabian tongue, being a sort of passport and affording me immunity from the toll gathering customary among the desert Iribts. Arriving at the encampment at twilight, a seem* of great beauty hurst upon me. The stars were beginning to blaze forth with unusual size and brilliancy through tin* wonderfully rare atmosphere. Threads of smoke rose perpendicularly from fires which sparkl'd among the long, low. wide tents, where preparations for the evening meal were going on. ‘•Sheik llassam. a man of noble appearance. met mi*, and after reading the letter, at once relaxed the stern dignity of his countenance, and the supper now being ready, bade me partake of the same tray with himself. The meal consisted of kid's flesh roasted delicately with certain condiments. of the nature of eau de cologne, and washed down with mare's milk. A noble cup of coffee, however, atoned for the singularity of this repast, and lighting cheroots of a strong, sweet flavour, we strolled among the horses, much of whose beauty and fine points were observable in the moonlight, for that luminary had now risen above the horizon. For reasons of his own. the sheik certainly did his best to get me what 1 wanted, and out of fifty, every one of which seemed to possess some different charm, I chose one, and regretted I had not chosen all the. others. I was loath to leave so romantic a spot. and. though duty called, lingered some days, the guest of the sheik, who seemed equally unwilling to have me go. ami plied me with rare tobacco and still rarer legends, dusky happenings of desert land, which had come within his ken. and revealed to few. I began to feel as if I had chewed the lotus buds, and did not care greatly whether I returned to my native land or not. “One evening (that before the day set for my departure), while strolling and smoking, as usual, in the moonlight. at some distance from the encampment. our footsteps, whether by accident or the sheik's design, were directed towards a dark ridge of rocks which crested a great rise of sand on the horizon and shone jagged against the rising moon. “ ‘That forbidding pile.' said Sheik llassam. with a wave of his long arm. causing' a meteoric effect with the glowing end of his cheroot, ‘formed once tlie centre of an oasis, discovered by myself and tribe while seeking an unfrequented portion of the desert for the purpose of establishing ourselves for the favourable pursuit of our business. ” ‘This oasis seemed the portal of paradise when, in the splendour of the noontide, we halted, after days of travel beneath a copper sky. before its waxing palms and luxuriant shade, among which gurgled hidden springs of water, blessed water, and tlie song's of birds echoed among the foliage. Allah be praised! We shall prosper here!” I cried aloud, and bade them set up the tents, which were not few. and dig a cistern, which was tilled from the springs amid the groves. The heat dimiinivhed not. but rather intensified from day to day. so that the outer springs became dry. ami we had to force our way inward (for the oasis was wide and of densest growth) to obtain supplies ‘•Here and there we encountered beaten paths, which struck us as being rather singular, as we had seen no living thing save birds. Possibly, we argued, they wen* made by the jackals, which howled about in the daytime and went there for water after dark, although on one occasion I could have sworn that a vague imprint in the sandy pathway was that of a beast of prey. “‘I kept a sharp look-out and sentinels ever on watch about the horses, camels and goats tethered a short distance from the camp beneath

leafy sheds. Nothing' of note transpired for some days, except slight additional proofs from time to time that som ■ living creature inhabited the place. The heat seemed to inerase daily, and the sky assumed that reddish tinge which Ivodes no frond to the dweller in the desert. At rare intervals across the yellow hillocks would come pirouet ni ng dialxdical little spirals of sand. moved by puflfs of wind, like breaths from a furnace. “‘On tile morning of the fifth dav Hamed, my Circassian slave, a man of rare courage and singular |>erson a! lieauty. disappeared into the depths of the oasis in oi'est of fresh water, that in the cistern being- used for the Ix'ists only. and. from the length of time elapsing, must have penetrated further than usual. Suddenly we perceived him at the edge of the jungle wildly gesticulating. The Arabs’ rifles were at their shoulders in an instant, but there was a minified scream and roar, a flash of tawny flanks, and Hamed, dragged down from behind, disappeared into the wood. "‘The riflemen who had been nearest to him fell upon their faces, pa'alyzed with some awful fear, and could not lie induced to stir. What they had seen I knew not. Drawingmy scimitar and grasping mv pistol I hade a huge black, under threat of instant death, follow with a lance. and plunged into the tangled wood at the spot where Hamed had disappeared. White fragments of cloth upon the broken twigs, borne down by what must have been a creature of unusual size and ponderous strength. guid 'd us onward. Panting with the licit bruised with falling, and now feeling giddy with a strange odour which began to pervade the air. wo proceed 'd with the utmost caution along a path grown steep and rocky. “‘The terrible odour had grown utmost stifling, and mingling with came a. low. whining imrr. apparent! at no great distance now. “‘Crouching Ixdiind a ragged m-is-of rock which seemed to have been split by the heat (the black calling incessantly upon Allih with chattering teeth) I peered through the crevice into the space beyond. Soul of Mohammed! What a sight met my gaze!" "Sprawling upon its belly at the entrance to a cavern, the lithe tail beating the ground, was a. creature, the sight of which caused my scimitar to fall from my nerveless grasp. Out of ■ tangled red mane, rose a white neck of columnar strength, sun bv a countenance ot awful beauty. Beneath netted eyebrows glowed’ evelike burnished brass, human in all save the slit like pupils. The lips were a venemous red arch, through which flashed long- canine teeth. •' ‘Before her. slightly propped against a boulder, lay Hamed, white and limp, but conscious and fascinated. Ever and anon the great furry paw was thrust forward caressingly (the claws sheathed), and the eves of the dread creature became narrow and tender, and the purring sound was repeated. "‘Streaming with sweat. I had managed to level my pistol across a projection, when a shadow fell over us which deepened, and a murmur broke upon our ears, increasing to a roar. Springing to its feet, its eves blazing greenly in the gathering gloom, the 'ldling seized the shoulder of Hamed’s garments in its teeth, and with a horrid screaming snarl leaped pa-t us. as the simoon in all its filin' burs' upon us. "‘The black had already clambered to the highest rock and lax clasping' the base of a large palm, flee down, enveloped in his burnous. I did likewise. and after a period of unconsciousness. awoke. and painfully draw in g my sei f up to a sitting' po dlire against w hat remained of a palm tree, gazed about me. The black lay rigin at my side, stifled. "‘Around about among- the rocks and trees and across the plain were great drills ami billows of ind. but of all my faithful people and valuable beasts there was no trace. A tent pole, with a fragment of canvas beta and there, marked their graves. ‘I was rescued in a delirious condition by mx partner, who came wrelih to visit the ene.'i mpmen f. ‘That I am stopping- in this vicinity is owing' to an irresistible fascination the spot, has for me, and to its being- in the direct road to the market t iwn, whither I go at intervals to trade. The mystery that yonder sand heaps envelop will never be revealed until the desert and the sea give up their dead.’ ’’