Argosy All-Story Weekly, April 28, 1928 — page 138: what you’re looking at

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

568 fire to a dry brown bush at his side, frantically heaping on sticks and branches, which lay scattered over the ground, until the leaping flame ri- valed the watch fires of Zem-Zem. “Give the order to barrak!”’ he said to the trembling guide, who looked helplessly from Cardell to the grim out- line of the city, holding his outspread fingers before his face to avert the evil that confronted him. ‘Then he gave a low, quavering call: “Adaryayan! Adaryayan!” have arrived, oh, sick ones!” At the familiar cry, the camels sank, erunting, to their knees, and lay down with their heads flat on the sand in the extremity of exhaustion.. “ Bismillah! It is a madness, this fire! We should have sent a spy into the city!” “Truly Allah hath sent darkness in- to the mind of the effendi! Omar should have gone first to prepare our way—to soften the heart of the Shekh by cunning tales!” “Wallahi! Wallahi! Now will they come with might to destroy us— oh, very evil hour!’ One after another the men wailed and lamented as the red ‘ire leaped sky- ward. “ Good old Guy Fawkes!” muttered Montgomery between black, parched lips. “ Bonfires for all and long live America!” and he crumpled in a heap by the crackling flames and was in- stantly asleep. “T’ll watch,” said Cardell huskily. “You may as well sleep until they come.” “Thanks,” replied Durning. “ I pre- fer to see them coming!” and squatting down by the fire, he drew out a last cherished packet of cigarettes and eyed it thoughtfully. “ Might as well,’”’ said his compan- ion. “ The Zem-Zem devils may not give us another chance!” They puffed away, pretending great content, but did not deceive each other. Durning’s smoke went out three times, — We ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. and his hand was shaking as he labori- ously lit up again. And Cardell bit his cigarette in two as he watched the dis- tant walls and tried to pierce the blue- black curtain of the night. The moon rose slowly as they sat feeding the fire, and waiting for some sign of recognition from Zem-Zem; and soon the Arabs lay rolled in their blankets like gigantic chrysalis—their troubles drowned in sleep. One—two hours crawled to a close, and the wind began to blow piercingly cold, making a strange, whistling sound over the stones which strewed the ground. Durning got to his feet re- luctantly to collect brushwood. Cardell turned at an exclamation from him to see a Touareg Arab at his elbow, and as the two Americans stared incredulously, one veiled form after another rose from the ground and silently approached, until the glit- ter of their eyes was visible between hood and littram—veil over nose and mouth. “ Aselamu, Aleikum!” the voice of the first Touareg greeted them. “Greeting to you also, in Allah’s name!” responded Cardell. “ We ask food and shelter.” The man made a comprehensive ges- ture toward the vast walls of Zem- Zem, and spoke a few words to his fol- lowing. The Arabs obeyed swiftly, rousing the bewildered and _panic- stricken servants, and helping them to get the camels to their feet. Then, in unbroken silence our little retinue was shepherded toward the distant city. The three white men were aware of something very sweet and potent be- ing put to their lips, which ran like fire through their veins as they drank thirstily—then the desert faded out— and they sank beneath wave after wave of deepest oblivion. Iif. Tue following days were clouded by fever and pain, but the travelers had (e(0) NVOOKS ANG (C@