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12 YOUNG JACK HARKAWAY I<'iGH'i'ING
" But do they not form very quickly when the sitnoou blows?“ asked
ack.
“ They certainly do, oh, Bey; but only when there is something for
the sand to rest oti."
“ Do you mean to say there is something under that hill?" asked
Jack.
“There must be, oh, Bey.”
Just then the horses, seeming to realize that the end of their journey
was at hand, made a rush for the oasis.
This took Talka away, for there were wells just inside the tree line,
and to :illow the horses to drink freely meant death.
Soon the part) was in camp among the rtiitis.
The old houses offered by no means a had shelter.
Although the roots were in had condition, and, in many instances
wanting entirely, there were still houses enough in shape to protect tlze
whole party from the boiling sun.
Jack and Harry picked out oneof the best, and swinging their ham-
mocks frotn the rafters, stretched themselves out for a comfortable
snooze.
In this, however, they took turns, as they did not fully trust their
companions.
Jack, urged by Harry, slept first.
At the end of an hour llarry awakened him, and Jack lita cigar,
and remaining in the hammock, kept guard while his companion
slept.
Pi-ace reigned in Soloom then.
It is donhtful if anyone was awake hut Jack.
Indeed, he was heginning to get drowsy himself, owing to the iii-
tense heat and hreathlees atinosphere, when all at once he felt a purl
of wind in his face.
Jack dropped out of the hammock and went 0I1lSl(i("..
Wind here in the desert might mean serious mischief.
Still Jack realized that the prevailing course of the sand storms at
this particular point trust he away from the diets or it would have no
existence, hut he wanted to know what was goiiig on.
Walking out to the edge of the tree line he looked off oti the desert.
Away over near the lIfll‘i’1()Il was it cloud.
It was hut a small affair, yet. it seeiiiail lo he growing.
Just then another puff of wind was felt.
It was close to the groutid and uiidoiihiedly proceeded from the
cloud.
“ This ought to mean a sand storm,” thought Jack, and he lost no
time in awakening ’I‘ull<a.
One glance was enough for the Abyssinian.
" It is a sand storm, oh, Bey!” he said; “ hut we are perfectly safe
here.”
" fire you certain?" asltevl Jack.
Tiilka pointed to the palms.
“ Would they he here if it were not so?" he asked.
“ That's the way I reasoned," said Jack, “and it would seem that
my reasoiiing was corrt-cl.”
“ It nndnuhtedly is, oli,Bey!”
“ Then it is not iiecessary to wake up Mr. Girdwood and the men?"
“ Not at all, oh, lley! Let them slumher; they will to all the
fresher for our journey wheii the storm has p.-is<od."
As Tulka sieeined to know perfectly what he was talking about, Jack
remained quietly with him, and together they watched the progress of
the storm.
The cloud grew and grow until at last it overspread a large section
of the sky.
It was as black as night, and seemed to have a rotary motion.
As yet there was no wind save an occasional pull", out all at once
Jack saw the sand begin to fly in the distance, and a steady hrevze
arose which swayed the palm trees gently.
It was wonderful to watch it and feel that there was no danger.
Jack conlii see that the tendency of the funnel shaped cloud was to
the P0rlLiVlll"ii.
This would carry it clear of the oasis, hut at the same time the
whirl of sand drew aware: and iiearer.
They could tiow hear the roar of the storm with startling distinct-
ness.
The sand seemed to rise right up oil the grouiid.
It formed a dense wall, always rotating, and quite impenetrahle to
the eye.
Tho noise hecame so great that many of the men awoke rind joined
them.
1’resen'ly Iirirry (lirdwood came out of the house ruhhing his eyvs.
"What in the world i-i goiiig on iieiw-T" he a d.
" You in-0," replied Jzick; “ we are having: a . '1ndstorm."
“”0()1illt',IlVl>IlS! Will it lmry its all alive?"
" 'f‘ulka says not. I am acting on his say so and takiiiL' it cool."
“ It looks niiglity flllrlLV tome, tliongli."
“ I should say it did," laiiglied Jack.
lie had scarcely spoken when the whirling riiass took
swept toward them.
'l‘lie wind now liegmi to hlow with fearful velocity.
Piirriclv-gs of lliiri sand filled the air.
It grow ahsolntnly siiil-ic:itin'.’-
It was all they could do to hreailir-.
Eye.-1, rinses and mouths wero tilled with -the (lying sand.
it "V Jm.,,! w,-, my goiiig to got it!" criv-il llarry.
.. (;‘,ti in under cow-r, oh, in-yr" culled Tulka, his voice soiinding
faintly above the whirling hla:-it.
ayturn and
THE SOUDAN.
All made a rush for the houses, in which they sheltered themselvt
the best they could.
It soon grew as dark as night, and for a few moments it was a ques-
tion whethsr they would survive it.
Then all at once it ligliteneil up again, the air grew clear, and the
sand storm was wliirled away across the desert.
“ It is as I said," exclaimed Tulka triumphantly. “ This oasis al-
ways escapes; otherwise it would not be here; we only caught the
edge of the storm."
Now all hurried outside.
“ Great lieavensl Look there!" cried Jack, pointing to where the
big sand hill had heeii. “ It‘s the l[ahdi's force for sure‘. To arms,
Tulkal We'll be annihilated! It's light or die now!"
Certainly it looked very much that way.
There, crouching low oti the desert, were camels and horses, and a
great ininiher of men.
But they never moved.
A death-like stillness hung about them.
Jack lla!kaway’s party, too.
For a moment no one moved or said a word.
“ Do you expect us to tight dead men, oh, Bey?" Tulka exclaimed
at last.
But Jack had seen it all before this.
A great heap of corpses lay hefore them.
Men, horses and camels, all lying in the precise position they had
taken when struck by the sundsiorm Illfll'iiilS'-vllefdlilps years before.
All hands hurried over to exaniine into the wonder.
The storm had swept away the sand under which the uulortunates
of this old caravan had been buried.
Tliere they lay, just as when death had 0voi'taken them.
The sand under which they had been hiiried, acting as a preserva-
tive, tliey;were dried like so many llliilllfllit‘S. As a matter of fact they
were notliint: else.
“ Why, this is really wonderful!’ said llarry. “ Tiilka, how long
do you suppose these people have hm-ii huriod liere‘."’
“ Who can tell?" rt-plied Tiilka. “ I’ei‘litips one year, perhaps two
enohody knows."
liy this time the men, overcoming their fears, hsigaii glioul.sh work
among the corpses.
Jack saw that it would he iisoloss to try to stop them.
'l'hey torn from tho .‘lll0lll(i+‘l‘H of the dead Illl‘fl their hurtiousos,
emptied their pockets of what inoiiey or other Vtlill:llliP.rI they coiiiaineil
sand in many iiistaiices it was not a liLI.le>’-and were still hard at it
when 'l‘ulltu snddi-iily giivo a shout,
“ What is it?" demand:-d Jack, who, in company with Ilrirry, had
walked away that he might not he a witness to this desi,-ct‘atioii of the
den: .
“ lioiiltf"
Tullta pointed over the (i9S<llII‘i. lo the southeast.
A U11: party of nioiintml invn were Sl‘Pl1 1llljll‘()1Cillllg.
" ltis tho Alahtli!" cried ’l'ulka. “or that there can he no mis-
take."
“ M111 1111951111. U10 5‘l11i'8 trader, is donlitlesi with him." said Jack.
" lfiiloss they have separated since they left Wady llalfa, oh, Boy,
is no douht so."
“ We must act, llnrry," said Jiici,-,
“ Certainly we mu.-it!"
“ 'l‘his means Clara and that SC()llIlliI‘(’l liuiistoiit"
“ We must not lose a;inoinc-iit; hut what is to he done?"
It seemed to etlect young
“ livideiiily we have got in aliead of iliem, and as you say we must. ‘
act, but they are double our nuniher, Jack; we must he very careful
what move we iiiake."
“ If “WY WEN! Irehle oitr nuuihnr I would take the Cl1IlIlCf‘S just the
same. We must stand up and tight hem!"
“ But what I am iirguiiig for is ciiiitioii," said llarri‘.
to really resciie Clariienot to he killed oursvl':i>s." I
“ If the We‘ will twrmit. I will sii2gesi," said Tulka.
L ]"W;ait,” said Jack; “ let us he sure that we are making tio mis-
ate.
llo took his powerful field glass frotn its case and leveled it at the
approaching party.
" Yes," he extzlainied, “ it is the )i;iiiiii,
Ilunston, lint not Clara.“
“ Prohahly she rides among the women in the rear," said Ifarry.
“(lad grant lliat she is sale: now Tiilka, for your snzgvstioti."
“ (“M 150% F011 know that I am a Cht'=iian like Voiirself."
" I am perfectly aware that all Al))'.‘4Hilll(lIlS are Cliristiaiis; I pre-
stimi-(I that you wore no vxceplioii to your race."
“ 1315 "110. Oh. BM‘! hut tlwse Sioliaminedun dogs are not like my
people; Ih--y are very siiporstitiniis."
“ So I have iiiiderstood. '
“ ’l'h:it. will give us our chance."
“ 'I‘ulka, I don’t see how."
“ I will rwlul part, of tho inoa hack itito the houses; they shall stand
lay the liorsi-s and he all ri-aily."
“ And the rust?"
“ Zfliall lir-. down here among tho dead men, oh, Roy! When the
MalIIli's mun conio up they will liink that. all are do>a:l‘aliko, but a
8h<'l11HlWW tho"! dill‘:-roni. Then you will soc how they run."
" Hood lilo-a," rllilii llarry. ' '
" lilxcolli-iii," l‘!‘[)lll‘li Jack.
'l'lii-,ro was no IiI'ln-V.
The words spoki-n hy ’I‘nlka to his men were iinintnlligihlo 10 Jack
and Harry, hut till‘, result showed the slirewiliit-as of the man.
" We want.
Ican see him mid also
“ Let it he carried out at once."