Mxoss aft
The PI ains of Abraham
By JAMES OLIVER CURWOOD
nEAD
si
V
by PoubUJuy Poran Co, In.
CHAPTER X Continued
20
But this happier spirit coulJ not
endure long with th people. Death
had settled on thera heavily. No word
had come from Tlaoga and his war
riors. There were whisperings that
they had been annihilated In battle
and would never return. Anxiety
grew Into fear, fear Into certainty.
The grlmness of a tragedy darker
than the sable robes of the priest hov
ered over Chenufslo.
In their happiness, Jeems and Tot
netts did not feel the undercurrent of
change about them. Their abiding
place became a home whose roots
spread so securely that death could
not have torn theui up. The cloud of
the tragedy through which they had
passed was a curtain vaguely soft and
distant behind them; they thought of
It, they talked of It. and dreams some
times awakened Tolnette to find com
fort In Jeems' arms. But Its memories
did not wound so deeply. The spirits
of Tonteur and of Jeems' mother drew
nearer to them each day, strengthen
ing with Invisible chains the love
which bound them. It was the Thrush
who first made them see what was
happening about them. As days and
weeks passed without word from
Tlaoga, the fear that Shlndas was
dead clutched her with an evil hand.
She began to avoid Tolnette and kept
to herself. The hardness which had
settled In the faces about her came
Into ber own. She was a changed
Mary Paghlen. She was Opitchl the
Seneca.
It was this change In the one she
had come to regard as a sister which
startled Tolnette Into a realisation of
the situation which was gathering
about her and Jeems. and she was now
destined to witness In all of Its sav
agery that streak In Indian character
which arouses hate and the desire for
verges nee In the face of adversity at
the hands of human enemies. Jeems
marked its rising symptoms. He was
no longer greeted with friendliness.
Men were sullen and aloof, and women
tolled without thsir usual chatter.
Death end misfortune bad ridden too
hard, and human nerves were at the
breaking point- Chenufslo was like a
handful of powder ready for the touch
of fire.
Then came the lightning Cash.
It was an afternoon late In May
when Shlndas appeared In Chenufslo.
He was alone. His arms and shoul
ders were hacked and cut and sotne
of the wounds were scarcely healed.
A scar lay across his cheek. His moc
casins were In tatters, and his eyes
held the ferocious light of a wolf that
had been hunted. He made no effort
to soften the news of which he was
the bearer. He had come from the
border of the Cayuga country as a
messenger from Tlaoga and was many
hours ahead of his comrades. Tlaoga
was returning with nine of his thirty
warriors. The others were dead.
This tragedy was a cataclysmic one
even for a tribe of the most warlike
of the Six Nations. Nothing had
equaled It In Seneca history for gen
erations. Twenty were dead out of
thirty the flower of Chenufslo the
very sinew of Tlaoga 's people!
8hlndas waited until his words sunk
like barbs of Iron Into the hearts of
the men and women about him. He
waited until there seemed no relief
from the despair which settled over
them, and then slowly gave the names
of those who had been slain by their
enemies. A white man had killed
three of the twenty warriors. He was
a prisoner now with Tlaoga. They
bad put out his eyes so that he could
not see. They had built a Are around
htm In which It had been their Inten
tion to see hlra die. Rut In the last
moment when the flames were scorch
ing him Tlaoga had pulled the blueing
fuel away with his own hands In order
that the people of Chenufslo could
witness his wrlthlngs at the Are
stake.
After this one might have thought
that mad men and women and not a
grief-stricken people filled Chenufslo.
For hours the lament of the women
did not die out. Still Tolnette saw no
tears. Her horror Increased ss she
observed the preparations fr ven
geance; the rigging of a hole and the
setting In It of a tall stake, all by
women's hands; the gathering of pitchy
fuel by little children and their moth
ers; the transformation of friends she
had known Into fiends whose eyes
filled with hatred when they looked at
her. She tried to hide from these
things In their home and to keep
Jeems with her. Shlndus came to
them. He had a command from
Tlaoga for Jeems. It was that Jeems
should go to the village of Kanestlo
seventy miles distant and bear news
of a war party from that town. Shln
das gave him the message and saw
that he deported with It lie was no
longer a brother. He disclosed no
sign of pleasure when he learned that
Tolnette was Jeems' wife. Mary
Daghlen found blm so grimly changed
that he frightened her.
Tolnette remained alone. No one
came to see her except Wood Pigeon,
and the afternoon following the day
of Shlndas' arrival the child ran In
with wide eyes to toll her that Tlaoga
' was approaching. They were standing
at the head of the watting lines when
Tlaoga and the remuant of his band
came over the hill and across the
fields. Shindns had sold there w as to
be no physical demonstration against
the prisoner, who was to be kept
strong for torture at the stake. Tol
nette shivered. It was a different
homecoming this time. The people
were like tigers holding their pssslona
In leash. There was something de
moniac In the faces of the children.
Even the eyes of trose whose loved
one had escaped dentil held only the
deep-seated fire of hatred. Tlaoga
came. His face was like a mask of
rock as he passed so near that Tol
nette might have touched him. The
prisoner followed. His clothes were
torn from the upper part of his body.
He was a powerfully built ninn with
great hands and wide shoulders. On
each side of him walked a war: lor, for
he was blind and needed guidance.
Ills empty eye sockets, hidden by
drooping lids, gave to his round red
face the appearance of one walking
In a ghastly sleep. let he was not
overcome by the enormity of the
catastrophe which bad befallen him,
nor did he betray fear of what lay
ahead. He sensed the presence of the
people and held his head high as If
trying to see them. It was a bald
head.
Tolnette swayed backward and
struggled In a moment of darkness to
keep herself from falling.
The prisoner wus Hepsibah Adams.
CHAPTER XI
No one but Wood Pigeon observed
the falntness which came over Tol
nette. Some force had drnwn a smoth
ering curtain about her making It dif
ficult to see or breathe. When the
shock passed, they were standing alone
with the mob closing In behind Tlaoga
and his single captive. Its pent-up
emotion burst loose In a pandemonium,
and amid the excitement Tolnette
went back to the cabin which Jeema
had built near Tlaoga's tepee.
At first she had regretted the ab
sence of Jeems, but now she was glad
he was gone, for the Increasing tumult
In the village, the chanting of death
songs by the women, the screaming of
children, and the yelling of savage
who were working themselves Into a
freniy of rage about the fire which
would soon receive Its victim terrified
her with the growing conviction that
nothing could save bis nncle. If Jeems
had been there, she knew he would
not have seen Hepsibah Adams put to
death without a struggle fatal to him
self. This thought, together with the
reflection that It was a fortunate
chance which had sent him away,
strengthened her determination to help
Hepsibah, and she watched with Wood
Pigeon until she saw the chief enter
his tepee. Then she hurried to him,
with Wood Pigeon and Odd following
her.
Tlaoga's greeting held no promise.
The Seneca folded his arms scross hla
breast and regarded her calmly, re
vealing no gentle aspect as he spoke
a few words In acknowledgment of
her visit That his prisoner bore the
same relationship to Jeems which he
bore to Shlndas and that the man
about to die was loved by Silver
Heels brought no surprise or hesita
tion to his face. He waited patiently
for her to finish, then shook his head
and pointed through the door to the
shadows gathering In the path of the
setting sun. He stated coldly that the
prisoner must die. His people de
manded that the spirit of the white
man who had slain three of his war
riors be destroyed In flames. They
would wait until It was dark, which
was the tribal custom. Then the pris
oner would be brought from the tepee
In which he was lying bound, and the
fire would be lighted.
If It were her desire, she might talk
with Jeems' uncle, Tlaoga said. He
was looking Into the twilight when he
made this concession. The Indian
women at the farther end of the vil
lage were chanting more loudly as
darkness came on.
Tlaoga spoke again.
She must hurry. It was growing
late. The captive was In Ah De Bali's
Tricky Criminals Keep
Crowing a beurd, dyeing the hair,
and staining the face and hands with
a mixture of butternut oil, nutgall,
and permanganate of potash, are old
time dodges that have often been very
useful to the hunted man. Stained with
the above mixture, a fair skinned man
becomes as swarthy as a Spaniard or
Italian; It once made a burglar "on
the ran" so confident that he actually
had the audacity to sell Ice cream
wlUiln a stone's throw of Scotland
Yard. Perhaps the most recent dodge
for criminals who are anxious to give
a wide berth to the police Is going
on the sick list. Hospital authorities
In London and the provinces are much
perturbed by this new and deplorable
form of trickery. At one London hos
pital the suspicions of the doctors
were aroused by the arrival In the
course of one week of several Individ
WNU Strvlc.
tepee, near the river, and the Tall
Man and Shlndas were guarding him.
, He watched her depart with Wood
Pigeon and Odd. Then she might have
seen a change In hlra, a change which
came when he knew he was alone.
Tolnette was breathless when she
came to Ah De Bah' home, which the
hunter had set apart from the others.
The Tall Man stood motionless before
the door with a rifle In the crook of
his arm, and Shlndas sat on the gronnd
near him. Both saw her coming. Rh
paused a few paces from them with
her mind struggling against a chnx
of uncertainty and dread. What could
she say to Hepsibah Adam? How
could she help him when Tlaoga and
Shlndas and Ah De Pah were eager
for his death?
Shlndas spoke a word to the Tall
Man and advanced toward her. He
seemed to have expected her, and
pointed to the tepee. Ah De Bah did
not look at her as she entered. Neither
appeared to notice Wood Pigeon or
the dog.
She found
like a dead
earth at his
conscious of
touched him.
cords nt his
Hepsibah stretched out
man, and knelt on the
side. He was scarcely
her presence until she
She felt the buckskin
wrists; then her hand
found his sightless face.
Pending low over the doomed man
she w hispered :
"Hepsibah Hepsibah Adams I am
Toinette Tonteur."
Shlndas waited with Ah De Bah as
the gloom thickened about them.
After a time, they saw Wood Pigeon
going toward the circle of fires. Shln
das stopped her, and In answer to bis
question she told him Tolnette wss
weeping beside the white man and
that the dog was with her.
A fresn outcry told them that at
last the time had come, and Ah De
Pah went to the tepee and held back
the flap. He spoke to Tolnette, call
ing her Sol Yan Makwun. There was
no snswer. He spoke again and en
tered After a brief Interval, his
voice rose In a demand for Shlndas,
and the young Seneca answered It
Ah De Bah was hunting like an ani
mal In the blackness. The tepee was
empty. Tolnette and Hepsibah Adams
were gone.
Shlndas did not speak. There wss
no light to reveal his face as he went
to the edge of the river and aaw that
a canoe was gone. He granted his
wonder when the Tall Man Joined him.
The canoe had been launched within
fifty paces of them, snd they had not
heard a sound. Words of self abase
ment Ml from Ah De Pah's lips. He
and Shlndas were like two children,
and every man and woman In Chenuf
slo would tannt them because of the
ease with which the escape had been
made. But the missing canoe could
not be far dlstnnt. The fugitive, one
of them blind, could not possibly suc
ceed In their flight. The night would
see the white man given to the stake,
and now that Silver Heels had proved
herself a serpent in the tribe and a
traitor to Tlaoga, she would probably
die with hlra.
Ah De Bah mad queer sounds
In his chest as they ran to Tlaoga
and the expectant peopl with him.
He was not as calm as Shlndas
when they arrived. It was Shln
das who. announced the deception of
the stranger whom they had accepted
as the true spirit of Hot Tan Makwum.
Tlaoga was coldly and terribly still.
His fsce changed before their eyes.
The furrows In It grew deeper, and It
became as bard as stone In the fields.
Then words tame weighted with the
decision of death, rising until they
swelled In a passion that was like a
fire consuming everything In It path.
He declared that his honor and the
honor of his people lay In his bands.
He called on Shlndas and Ah De Bah
to go with him to recapture the fugi
tives, for this was a duty Imposed on
him first of all. Before the night was
much older, the fire stake should have
Its triumph. He had forgotten the
blind man, for a man without eyes wss
already dead. He would give to th
flames the white girl who had be
trayed them.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Law Officers "on Edge"
uals who, according to their own story,
were In terrible pain, but whose ail
ments the medical men were quite
unable to dlugnose. The surprising
speed with which these mysterious
"patients" recovered at the end of a
few days convinced the doctor that
there was "something up." Inquiries
were made, and It was learned that
at least two of them were badly "want
ed" In connection with a motor car
theft Indon Times.
Fint Use of Telephone
On Otcober 0, 1870, the first recip
rocal conversation over a telephone
was held over an outdoor line, two
miles long, between Boston and Cam
brldgeport, Mass. On March 10, 1870,
Professor Bell had made himself
heard by Watson in another part of
the same building.
k a. m w
a: . .s
t 1 - " wVl
A Negro Family In th
(Prrrl r ( Nt!nl 0.-rphl
H.. Itr. Wiintu. I). 0 I
ONK of the most outstanding ex
plorations of recent year out
side th Polar regions was
mud rseeutly when Bertram
Thomas, British traveler, Journeyed
from south to uorta aero th Itoba el
Khali desert of southeastern Arabia,
in area never before penetrated by a
Westerner. The world's geographers
and map makers knew nothing what
ever of the Itoba 1 Khali even by re
ports from natives, for it Is doubtful
whether Arabs have been able to peue
trate the sandy wastes for many cen
turies. The central part of the desert was
found to be covered by mile upon mile
of grout sand duties, blown Into gigan
tic waves by the wind. Near the cen
ter a slzuble salt lake was discovered.
The Great Southern desert cover
approximately a'"',1) square miles of
territory. It Is a vat ellipse which Is
roughly miles across from east to
west ami fiu) miles from north to
south. This area, since the penetra
tion of Centrul Africa, the Sahara, and
central Australia, has constituted the
largest blank spot on the world's maps
outside the Ice-covered wastes near
the pole.
All around this Arabian no man's
land, the forces of civilization have
played: steamers traverse the Bed
sea, the Indian ocean, and the Persian
gulf; airplanes plying between Kgypt
and India have flown for years a few
hundred miles to the north; great pil
grim caravans and desert armies have
crossed the peninsula near Its center
but always north of the dread sandy
waste. Loosely organized political
units hem In the desert area, with
boundary lines hazy. n the north
and wet Is the territory of the great
est Afsblan state, the kingdom of
Hejat and Nejd. (in the southeast Is
Yemen. The-lladrntiuint, a narrow
costal strip under British protection,
touches the desert on the south. The
crescent-shaped, Independent state of
Oman, also a coastal territory, curves
around the eastern and southeastern
edges of the desert.
Both nature ami man have guarded
the Itoba el Khali agnlnst explorers.
Mountains rim It on the east and south
and secondary deserts hem It on the
north. Before the main part of the
Southern desert the vast waste cov
ered with sand dunes ran be reached,
a six-day Journey must be made In
the sooth and east, at least over an
llmost sterile sandstone steppe. Wa
ter supplies are hardly anywhere In
reach for a final dash Into the sandy
desert
All around the outer rim of the
desert area are tribes that have had
practlcolly no contact with outside
clvlllzntlon, and that are even Inde
pendent of control from the nearest
states. They guard thisr few wells
and water holes Jealously and In most
cases look upon travelers from the out
side world as meddlesome trespassers
meriting death.
Physical Characteristic.
In physical character, flora, and
fauna, Arabia as a whole Is more like
Africa than Asia. In shape, It Is al
most a triangle, and It runs from
northwest to southeast, between .10 de
grees and 12 degrees 45 minutes north
latitude and between 32 degrees 30
minutes and CO degrees enst longitude.
It Is bounded on the east, south, and
west by the Persian gulf, the Arublan
sen, nnd the lied sea respectively; on
the north It Joins Syria. As Josephus
of old wrote. "Arubla Is a country that
Join on Judea." And Roman geog
raphers drew a map of Arabia that In
cluded Mesopotamia and the Syrian
desert back of Palestine.
The length of the peninsula from the
head of the Gulf of Akabnh to the
Straits of Bab-el Mandeb, near Aden,
Is about 1,300 miles; Its greatest
breadth, In Intltudn 23 degrees north,
from the Red ea const on the west to
Rns-al-IIadd on the east, Is about 1,500
miles.
A one sails along the Red sea
coast of Arubla, with the low 2,000
feet high dry and barren mountnln
lying Just back of sandy, empty strip
of country, he Is reminded of the Pa
cific side of Iwer California above
Cnpe Sun Lucas. Many small Islands,
hot and dry and uninhabited except
sr., ,
I ,
.
3.
Outskirts of Jidda, Arabia.
for half wild bands of tramp fisher
men, dot the map along this const.
One of thoe, called Pertm, near the
mouth of Bah il Matideh straits, Is oc
cupied by a British garrison.
The southeastern coast, similarly
empty and marked by sharp, Jjigged
rocks thrust up from glistening sand
beds, Is broken by several good har
bors, like that at Aden. This loiter
port Is a British possession, not unlike
Gibraltar. It Is heavily fortified and
Is the entrepot of commerce between
India and Europe.
Three Important Provinces,
Along th Red sea coast II thre
province, th most Important In
Arsbl. Yemen, the most southerly and
most populous, has many arable val
leys, producing coffee, ffgs, spices, hides,
and date. It bns two port cities.
Mocha and Hodelda. A seer province
lies north of Yemen, nnd north of
Aseer and extrndlng to the Sues canal
stretches the province of Hejaa, where
in lie the famous Moslem cities of
Mecca, and Medina.
The ancients, for convenience, or
from Inck of geographic knowledge,
divided Arubla lute three parts th
Stony, the Desert, and the Happy.
Our knowledge of Its map shows most
of Its high Interior plateau occupied
(except for Nejd province) by four
great deserts, the, Syrian, th Ncfud,
the Ahkaf. and the Itoba el Khali.
The Mahrnh and Hadramaut prov
inces, stretching for hundreds of mile
above Aden, are unmapped and prac
tically unknown.
Nejd. the great Interior provluc
north of Itoba el Khali, Is declared by
Arabs to be the birthplace of their
most cherished Institutions and tra
ditions. Nejd Is Isoluted from th
outside world by a surrounding desert
girdle.
A confusion of plant life Is spread
over Arubla' many rich wadl (vab
levs) affording much "unfinished busi
ness" for eager botanists. Besides th
friendly palm, such tree a th syca
more, almond, chestnut, pomegranate,
the "gum Arahlc." the acaclns, and
long llkt of hushes ami shrubs ar
scattered up and down tho peninsula.
Then there Is the MsamU" or oatmeal
plant of the Arabs; from It small
grain they make a porridge called
samh, the national breakfast food or
Arabia.
But, with the exception of dates,
Arabia produces few crop of any Im
portance. Good coffee, In limited
quantities, comes from Yemen. Millet,
barley, and wheat are all grown, hut
owing to drought the crop Is small and
restricted to limited nreas. Wherever
water and soil permit, such products
as rice, melons, gourds, cucumbers,
cabbage, gnrllc, and onions are raised.
The Indian fig, the banana, the
papaya (Imported from India), tho co
count, and the betel nut are also grown
In Nejd.
Crude Agriculture.
Agriculture Is crude, like that of our
old American Indians. A crooked
stick scratches the ground, and seed
Is broadcast by hand. Such arts as
fertilizing, rotating crops, pruning, and
cultivating receive cnnt considera
tion, lhind sickles are used for reap
ing; oxen trend out the groin, nnd It
Is winnowed by being thrown Into the
breeze. In brief, Arabia's agriculture
Is almost nil barely sulllclent to fur
nish a meager supply of food to the
sparse population.
A peculiarly drab-looking desert
grouse called "kata" lives on the
edges of desert wastes. When fright
ened they alight on the sand and
sprawl out to hide, their color blend
ing with the sand so perfectly as to
render them unuotlceablo to a man
standing a few yards away.
Ragles, vultures! bustards, and vari
ous hawks, to say nothing of th
awkward old ostrich, are common
enough,
Except for the llznrd family, reptiles
are rare, end no poisonous snakes, save
the "afal" and the "ruktn," both of
the viper family, are found In all
Arabia. There are no scorpions, how
ever, and centipedes; and In old
houses on the west const n very dan
gerous spider ("Abu Hnnekln") make
life miserable for the Arab tired busl
ncfis man.
When you fee! a headache coming on,
it's time to taka Buyer Aspirin. Two
tablets will head it oil, uml you cuil
finish your slioppinii in comfort.
Umiis that nchn from sheer weari
ness. Joints sore from the lieinnlnits
of a cold. Systemic pain. The remedy
is rr.i. Hut iminediale relief is your
for the taking; a pocket tin of Bayer
Aspirin is protection from puut
wherever you (o,
(let rrul iiHpirin. Iok for Payer
on the box. Head the proven direc
tions found inside every genuine
Buyer package. They cover head
aches, colds, soro throat, toothache,
neuralgia, neuritis, sciatica, lumbago,
rheumatism, muscular tmuia, etc.
These tablets ilo not depress the
heart. They do nothing but ston tlxi
pain. 1a cry druggist has Bayer
Aspirin in (lie pocket size, nnd in
bottles. To suve money, buy the
genuine tablets by the hundred. Dou't
cxpcnmtul with imitations.
in m ii iwKi it hi n in
(I OINK OKI rKKII. tMIIMt.lltl
I V II I. if IU outfit M.l.ll
fti( hxilimt t V V S .o i lom-nl A Hhr'
mn lamiA Jtl lillli r t'os.
tf I If ' ktenns! i ii xi
r 0 (mi ui yUr-m.
M Auul tlowf oun-rii
t"Iiiuitii-ril Mub-
m mm ksn ui-ilnl like
Cft nuSM I Swprn llim.
m lOs '. aU ,l-
" " cmH.;tiAKAMLU
AU iugiat.
OUST I PAT ION
LADY AGENTS
f irry lum hmv nr4 If W nir M liitumtaikm
SAIL SIPI 4 TANK CORPORATION
Pertlwid ... 0sm
IUr Motto
Bronson Our cook I the laziest
I've ever seen!
Ill Wife-Yes, she thinks that
too ninny broth spoil the cook,
STOMACH AND
LIVER TROUBLE
pukane, ait.
"I wai lullrr
icg from itoiiui h
and livrr trouble.
My stomach
upvrt, my food
would not digMt
would sour and
come up and
eauje me autre!.
But two bottlri
of Dr. Pierc'
Golden Medical Discovery entirely
relieved me of this trouble. There is
nothing better for livrr and stomach
trouble than the 'Golden Medical lbs.
covery.' I advive otlwri to trv it."
Mrs. John Le Fcuvre, -IflJ S. Chandler
St Fluid or tablets. All druggiitt.
rrM mwtlnU ailvlr Mea nf Dr.
MW mnllrlitr. UrlU la lr. I'lrrrv'i
( Halt, llufll, ji, V, arJaalsg Barxlk-
la wrmpaar.
Leading Quailioa
Klephontdown I tell you, no on
enn fool my wife.
Ilorsefeathers Then how did you
get her!
WOMEN t watch your
BOWELS
What should women ! to keep their
towels iiwviiitf freely? A. doctor
should know the answer. That is why
pure .Syrup Pepsin is si good for
women. It just suits their delicuto
oroanism. It is I lie prescription of tin
old family doctor who lias treuted
thousands of women patients, ami
who made a special study of bowel
troubles.
It is fine for children, too. They
love its taste. Ia1 them havo it every
lime their tongues nrc coated or tlieir
skin is sallow. Dr. Caldwell's .Syrup
Pepsin is mado from fresh laxative
herbs, pure pepsin nnd other harm
less ingredients.
When you've n sick headache,
can t eat, nre bilious or sluggish;
and at the times when you are most
npt to be constipated, take Q little of
this famous prescription (all drutf
tores keep it ready in big hollies),
nnd you'll know why Dr. Caldwell's
Syrup pepsin is tho favorite luxutivo
of over a million women!
Da. W. D. Caldw m i
SYRIP PEPSIN
A Doctor's family Laxative
i
' '5.
' it