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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1919)
THE OREGOX SUNDAY JOURNAIi, PORTLAOT), SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 1, 1919. TO j rp sweating line of cara II vans moved steadily II across the flat. A screen of red dust shrouded a , the two harnessed camels in tSTi aistj front, a dust that choked and grew bitter on the palate. The central wagon held a dozen performing dogs that yelped 'at intervals with their muzzles against the iron bars. The mammota circus tent was housed upon a car. (In the rear, drawn by a dust-coatedelephant Came the tiger's cage.) An Afghan driver squatted on the elephant's shouldpr, his head swaying from side- to side as the great beast, strained forward, over the wind-piled drifts. Occasionally the out sweeping trunk curled upward toward the dozing Afghan, breathing a mournful re quest that sounded like wind in a chimney. In response the turbaned driver permitted his goad to pinch its huge frontal bone. "Water wantest thou! Wa Allah, am I a mountain spring for thee to suck? Lift thy ugly feet, for thou weariest me and the son of Bengal behind!" The ' elephant flinched at the mahout's words; a long-drawn sigh escaped in the still hot air. A sudden halt occurred in front. The dust-shrouded caravans had reached the main road which followed a dry creek bed into Crushing Flat. At that moment a boy wearing a blue flannel shirt and ' knickers dropped from the steps of a near van and ran hurriedly toward the elephant. Meeting the Afghan's eye he saluted with( mock gravity, then raised his voice abovo the din of shouting drivers and tent-hands. "Say, Ahmed Khan, father wants you to lend him a nickel: He's going to buy a dog when we get to the Flat." The boy wore a circle of dust under his eyes, and his milk-white teeth flashed good htfmoredly. He was the son of Jan Mar ken, the tiger-tamer, and the Afghan re- 1 garded him with a friendly eye as he searched In the folds of his long blue gar ments. ..' "Thy father oweth me a dollar already, Chris Marken, but I will yet len1 9Sr other nickel. Tell him there will be no Interes't. I cannot accept Interest from thy father." With the skill of a conjuror he spun the coin down into the boy's palm. The prox imity of the tamer's son affected the ele phant strangely. Its great ears seejned to stiffen suddenly as it rocked nervously to and fro. The Bharp-eyed mahouf was not slow to observe the animal's unrest. He stared shrewdly at the grinning boy. "Thou hast been teasing m.y beast, thou!" The tamer's son retreated nimbly from the elephant's swaying trunk. " "It wasn't me, Ahmed Khan!" he de clared vehemently. "It was Nick Cassidy's kid that dropped a live locust in Sultan's ear lasr night. My . ... I wouldn't go near your beast, Ahmed!" "A live locust In the ear of my prince! By Allah, how wouldst thou like a flea In thine?" - ' The Afghan leaned over, eyeing the boy closely. "Thou little thug, take care how you tease my mountain of strength or ne may kill thee and the.Cassidy brat!" The mahout's sternness relaxed by de grees. "I have a son like thfee beyond the Kyber, hut he is not so fair." He balanced his goad above the elephant's head. "Go now to thy father, Chris; thou hast the dog-money. By the Prophet . there is not much iced beer in a nickel. Yet . . . he may send to me again when the thirst returns." The goad 6mote tenderly on the wrinkled flesh behind the great ear, and the ele phant swung forward in response, hauling the big ring cage toward Crushing Flat. By midday Hakeman's Hippodrome had camped near the edge of Battery , Gully. A half-holiday had been proclaimed in the township, for it was years since anything larger than a variety show had ventured there. Hakeman, the proprietor, was an American, who had once worked as an nnder-keeper for Barnum. In his younger days he had thrown meat to the lions at the big Coney Island shows, while in Eng land he had played the parts of clown and ringmaster for Myers and Sangers. ) Hakeman worked like a giant among the shifting folds of the mammoth tent. Stepping back into the road, he wolfed a cigar between his teeth and surveyed the chaos of flags and vans with a darkening eye. Some men find pleasure in politics, or . in the manipulation of .stocks and shares. Hakeman breathed only when the big tent hung straight, and the American flag flaunted over it. The crack of a whip, the scent of a sawdust ring, were as 'oil and perfume to the wheels of his mind. At that; moment a range-rider appeared on the brow of a near hill. For ae,riod of six heart-beats he remained motiontass as an image in the hot sunlight, while hs questioning eyes picked out the caravans sprawling in a semi-circle belOw. A half heard exclamation broke from him as he gestured fiercely to an unseen comrade In the background. His "horse fairly leaped out of sight. Immediately from the scrub-lined road beyond the hillcrest came the loud rattle of whips followed by the hoarse bellowing of cattle on the run. Three frantic stock hands galloped into view. In their mad effort to .head off the onrushing - herd. They were too late. A squadron of foam ing beasits thundered over the hill and , down upon the outspanning circus. With them rode the curious stock-hands sending back rolleys of sounds with their snake- iiiiiilPiti I t V- ""---ft 'You've been drinking," like whips, and cursing the carnlvora smell which had struck -into the nostrils of the cattle mob. Hakeman in his shirt sleeves suddenly observed the tempest of hoofs and horns whirling in his direction. With a snarl of surprise he spat away his cigar and turned to where the higbroofed tiger cage stood in the centre of the road. "Hi, you Ahmed the elephant-man, you're in the way of those blamed cows!" His voice was as the blast of a befogged liner. , The mahout looked once at the red tor nado of dust and onrushing beasts, and then with a stroke of hi3 iron drove his elephant toward the inner circle of wagons. And not a moment too soon. A hundred dust-blinded steers crashed past, flinging hoof-torn earth and stones in the faces of the petrified circus-hands. A bullock with a brokei horn and a blood smear on its chest rolled from the swerving mob and stared dumbly at the cages. Then with a' moan it fell under the elephant;s flanks. The elephant trumpeted hysterically, but Ahmed Khan, with the courage of his kind, smote his beast with iron and words. "Stand steady, thou child of Jehannum! By Allah, a goat would frighten thee! These be only klne. Look to it that no harm befall our royal charge. The son of Bengal is a beast of price!" Hakeman strolled among the members of Jiis company, a freshly lit cigar in his mouth." "Be ghade, bojjs, the cows nearly had us, sure. Guess, they'd , have pounded up my pet man-eater if Ahmed hadn't got from under!" A sun-tanned stripling rode from the near cottonwoods where the last crazy steer, had vanished in the red whirlwind. There were triple-barred initials on his horse's shoulder, indicating' its famous Montana breeding camp. He loped in among the huddle of circus wagons and shook his fist at Hakeman. "See what your menagerie's done for us ! We're from Medicine Hat, and we never lost a horn 'til we met with your camels, and caged horrors tfit to frighten the Almighty!" His head fell forward almost to. the sad dle and his loud . sobbing was heard far down the circus. Hakeman approached him, a look of genuine regret in his eyes. "Be ghade, boy. I'm' real sorry. I know the cows don't enjoy the smell of a 1 tiger. You see', 'I cant carry a semaphore to tell cattlemen that we're camping out with our r a - 7ST i ,''4. i ' y-: -3L 5 J V 11 "i- V snapped the manager m his ear. "You are spoiling the show." lions. And cows haven't got no sense of humor nowadays." Night came to soothe the nerve-broken party of circus people on the rflat. The distant hills seemed to breathe under the star-whitened firmament like a woman, resting from the intolerable heat of noon Troops of miners, with here and there a few excited women and children from the outlying townships, hurried Into the hug tent to take their seats around the thickly sawdusted ring. At first they gaped at the sleek Indian wolves" sidling from corner to corner of their dens, at the sloth bear lolling against its greasy bars. The hyena, which never looks man in the face, concealed itself in its house,' refusing to exchange glances with the scoffing, bronze-hued denizens of Crushing Flat. But the joy of the eve ning was the large kindly elephant picket ed near the ring entrance. A small tent, pitched In one of the dark recesses between the wagons, was occu pied by Jan Marken and his family. Herr Marken was the most important member of the company. f It was his duty to enter the tigers cage' and compel it to leap through a burning hoop. Tiger taming,, considered as a profession, is no more dangerous than whaling or any other deep sea trade. But some tamers take their business seriously, and they are apt to become over-abusive when the striped maneater will not come to heel. Constant friction with half-tamed animals had brit tled Marken's nerves; he had become sul ienly watchful; the clash of a falling bar or a sudden shout set him a-iuiver. In his younger days he had entered cages with the air of a sportsman, and he was never slow to drive' his boot against a lion's Jaw when it ran counter to his will. In later years he was Inclined to temporize with beasts, and they grew subtle in at tempts to kill him. Marken's "turn" was almost the last item on "the programme. The applause from the circus broke upon him with deafening insistence. Two fair haired children crawled about the tent floor and struggled occasionally for pos session of a heavy-thonged, brass-mounted whip, while the tamer and his wife played Cards to fill in the long wait. Marken wdl a heavy shouldered Hol lander. The flesh under his eyes was slack and livid. The company of acrobats, who slept In the adjoining tent, complained that Marken shouted In his sleep. The tamer's , hand shook as he threw down an ace, while a sudden cagelike odor drifted Copyrig-ht, 19X, ty Star Company. j?'- - fc '. ' "5 ! In upon them. Madame Marken rose quickly and pulled down the tent flap. The smell of beasts was intolerable to her. "Der animals vas excited, to-night, Jan. Dey haf not forgot der cattle dot come round us "to-day. It vas a horrible sight." Madame resumed her seat on a biscuit box and took up her cards. Marken frowned. "Der vas always some thing to excite dem. My beast vas put out, I think. De fool Ahmed left der .ring cage standin in der road. Ahmed haf a soft yob; der elephant glf him no trouble." "Der Lascar man always get der soft yobs,"" said Madame pettishly "It vas us white . peoples dot haf to pull der tiger's tail. Ahmed haf a softer yob than us, Jan." With a caressing movement she smoothed back the grizzled curls that clung to his brow. He glanced at her and coughed. "Der vas a man in dis circus who vas after my yob, vrow. He vas always pokln . about de cage,' He say to me yesterday, Jan, I wish you would let me go In mit yod seme day." . The tamer plafed on steadily. Madame watched him, a nameless dread in her eyes, "I tink you vas gettin' nervous, Jan. You -smoke too much, und de coffee you take vas always black." "Hush, vrow! You must nod let de clr . cus beople hear you say dot. Hakeman would not like It." The two children crawled' outside, un noticed, to the flaring lamps where Ahmed Khan sat smoking at the circus' entrance The boy in the moleskin knic&ers and blue flannel shirt crept noiselessly Into the tent and lay on tte ground vat his father's feet. "Been 'elpin' to water the -ponies," he said in a half-whisper. "My -word.that piebald stallion can kick!" . "Time you vas In bed. Chris." Madame glanced at the boy over her card . He wriggled hls bare toes into the earth, floor. , "Let's; say up mother, till father does his turn, I want to 'ear the band .play." "Let him stay up, vrow." The tamer shuffled the cards and dropped them on the floor in his nervous haste. "One of the grooms, says Tommy Bates, the tmderkeeper, '11 get father's job some day. The keeper's tellin the whole circus that father has to sit on the whiskey keg before he goes Into the cage " The tamer glanced sharply at his son; t uen his brooding eyes-fell on the cards. He made no reply. Madame's lips quivered. "Dey rant your reat Britain Right Reserved -'is j - - ' ' 'J , N ? 1 t if - v 5 ,f- ' mm. fader's yob, every one ob dem. TJnd dey haf no leedle childrens to keep. To-morrow I shall tell dem my mind. Dey t'ink of noding but de oder man's yob." 'Say noding's, vrow," ) Marken gestured heavily. "Where vas the childrens?" He looked round the tent sud denly. "I did nod see dem go out." Madame put away the cards hurriedly. "I t'ink dey vas in de circus, Jan. I can not see dem when dey creep from here." She slipped out' and hiirried toward the mammoth tent. J Marken rose heavily fjrom his seat, his large hands resting on his hips. He stop ped near the. swinging tent lamp and ad Justed it carefully. Afar1 off he heard the ring manager's voice calling to the per forming dogs. Returning 0 his seat he sat down again, and listened).-A soft pad-pad from the adjoining cage caught his ear, then the sound of a paw striking the bars rang dully across the dark open space. "Hear him. father." The toy lay. with,. his head to the ground, his right arm thrown lazily forwardj kfows his turn's cominj 'Listen! He They fed him early to-day. He got an extra piece of ullock for his share, anr he ran round an 'round the cage tearin it to pieces. Hear him now?" From the darkness outside came the. whoof, whoof of the broathlLg tiger as Iff padded ceaselessly across the cage. In the silence that followed they heard the man like cough of the hyena), the. clatter of a bone Jerked noisily from the corner.of a den. ' i " ' "Dis vas a horrible trade!" A look of unutterable hatred camej into the tamer's ees. He crept swiftly from the teht stooped under, a cage awning and stared through the bars at a pair of fireballs that seemed to await his coding. "Hell-dog, be still!" The fireballs ap- peared to retreat a little. Marken turned away. In a flash the tiger flung itself against the bars, its claws striking within a foot of his sleeve. Marken flinched. The . fury vanished from his eyes. His .tongue grew- dry against his palate, but the sudden hate which sometimes lifts a his elbow seized him. "By Himmelt . . . bulleted soldier to you shall see yet!" He nodded at the fireballs. "You shall see who Is afraid," and he smote him self across -the heart with his fist. J ; "Jan. where are you ?" Madame stooped from the small tent and glanced along the avenue of dark cages. Marken staggered Into the light, his clenched hand resting on his breast. V "What is der matter. Jan? . VIU1U haf annoyed you?" "I vas alride, vrow. Get my uniform. Id vas my turn In a minute." Madame sighed as she brought his spangled clothes from a bag. Carrying them to the opening in the tent, she brushed them carefully. "Dey smell of der tiger, Jan," she said, placing them before him. . He appeared not to notice her. '"Get my whrp, vrow." His voice was hoarse t hi hands trembled as he tossed the contents of a portmanteau on the floor. "What are you looking for, Jan?" ' '-'For der looit1 TKn-r iter tnullo hlanV . vere is der leedle" black box?" He cast away the bag In nervous haste, and thrust flfa AnAMa L 4 n 1 1 , A 1. . , uu&ci p wiu h uaii-opeu irun& on me floor. "Vere is der black box, vrow?" She saw. with a woman's keenness the sudden flash of despair in'his eyes, ths V r , m a .4 9 . 1 1 11 . . . . . . jiuiicu uj. iub o mai cnamea jnm to ft Jungle beast. "I do not remember the leedle box. Does it matter so much?" :' .His Jaw slackened., The skin of his face seemed to shrivel and age. He stared Into the trunk as one looking into a grave. A boy in circus livery came and peeped Inside the tent. "Hurry up,' Marken," ho said, briskly, "they'll be waiting for you in a minute." Marken struck the. air with M amnt-r hand. "Someone haf beenJ here, vrow . . . my leedle box; someone haf stolen it." , , . The noise of wheels went pastslow grinding wheels, that broke upon Marken like the sound ofjgrtillery. The voice of Ahmed Kahn rang clear In the darkness as the yoked elephant swung Into the ring drawing the Bengal tiger into the full glare of the light. The ring-manager ' cracked his whip cheerfully while the clown somersaulted to and fro across the sawdusted arerta. "Why do you hesitate, Jan?. Why do you not go at de call?" Madame half- pusnea mm iorwara. "uo at de can. uey vill 8ayx things about you." In their sixteen . years of married 1 lifs Madame had never known him ' to flinch from his duty. Always Jan had gone for- vard at tne word, something bad hap pened, she knew not what, v The small orchestra struck up the "Btar-Spangled Banner" as the tamer' staggered into the ring. The tiger, erect in its cage, stealthily watched his ap proach, for it bad learned to hate the scorching hoop and the dreadful human voice that' shouted In its ear. ' Marken saw" the thousand eyes turned toward him, and to-night each face stood out with revolting distinctness. His sick brain received a savage impression of the blood-greed that quivered in the nostrils of the multitude. The tiger, Its ears flat tened, seemed to move on its belly as he drew near. Jan halted in the centre of the ring 10 aajusc 11 is Doouace. A taste sour as of death took him like a bullet in the The cage steps seemed high as moun tains. He was subtly conscious of the manager's -footsteps in -his rear,' of his per emptory voice calling his attention to the business in hand. A metallic numbness gripped his knees; he tried desperately to ascend the steps, and as he stood near" the iron door he heard the minanr am In t his elbow. "Marken, you've been drinking. Yon ars spoiling the show.' The words were snapped in his ear. The acid taste In the trainer's throat in- ' creased beyond endurance. He restrained- 1 1 . ... . . . , . . . ma impulse to leur at ms couar ana strained nis eyes to see in the fast gatber ingred haze which obscured a distorted word. , Two spots of wavering green light, shone , Gut clear and unmistakable. Thev wra the eyes of the waiting beast he must bully. The tiger that had issued )ts dumb challenge only a few moments before. Jan drew .himself up to the second step ' and turned his livid face to the throng. -Id vas a lie, sir, a lie !" Marken heard a dull murmur slowly ris ing from the dim sea: of faces which bounded his narrowing horizon., He thought he stood there ages and won dered why the manager did not curse him Into action. - His fingers grew slack on the iron gate; he pitched forward into the sawdust at the manager's feet. The doctor said the cause of death was heart failure; and he told the shivering Dutchwoman that Marken" ought to have left the taminsr business ten years tttarm. A crowd of sympathizers gathered rpund the small, temV- Ahmed Khan, bearing one of thpi tamer' children on hla shonldnr. . lounged forward and placed it Inside. Then he salaamed. . "-I found thy child playing In the dust with this' .; She stared at it dully and remembered. "The box is full of opium," whispered the mauout "It is not good for thy child He swung from the crowded tent and crossed the ring. Bates, the underkeeper, followed hungrily in quest of information. ' "Say, 'Ahmed!" he ' called, , "it was pure funk that killed poor Marken nothing but funk. I knew it all along." , "Liar, thou ! " The mahout stalked to ward the elephant's quarters, "he wa4 the bravest of us all!" (CopyrigHt pr Star Oh