Show Fiction The Sacred Dagger By y Rita YESTERDAY YESTERDAY- Anne Willard Is In Inthe Inthe inthe the depths of 01 the desert on her way to Join her par parents who are exploring the mysteries of 01 Shy-a Shy Nago The desert bus has dropped her at the proper place and out of 01 the silence a young man who saves her from the sting of 01 a desert viper I Now ow the man and woman her father has hassent hassent sent ent to meet her have arrived arrived and and the young man has gone CHAPTER 2 The man handed her a note It was in her fathers father's handwriting handwriting handwriting hand hand- writing but brief constrained and disappointing in contents She was to accept the ceremonial emblem to go ahead as planned and everything would be all allright right The telegram had been authentic authentic authentic au au- au- au then and she recalled his warning not to be alarmed at anything strange in the Na- Na garas' garas behavior They were a primitive but dependable people Yet they had come late to meet her and if it hadn't been for forthe forthe forthe the appearance of the stranger she might now be dead She looked at them and waited Are you you ready ready the man asked His voice was guttural but buthe buthe buthe he spoke the words slowly and plainly I 41 am she said and stood up They motioned her to sit down again The man placed a bundle at her feet a bundle such as she had seen American Indians carry wrapped in m a shawl and tied by the four corners He indicated indicated indicated indi indi- she was to open it it Inside she found another wrapping of striped native homespun tied In the same way Then a third and a fourth till she came to a silken cover at the sight of which they rose and stepped back cautiously cau cau- Anne paused and too looked ked up She had heard a roar that differed differed differed dif dif- dif dif- from the roar of the telegraph tele tele- graph Where Is the airplane that isto Isto is isto to take me to fathers father's camp camp They shook their heads and motioned motioned motioned mo mo- for her to go on with what she had begun Carefully she unloosened unloosened unloosened un un- un- un loosened the silken cloth There lay a fold of leather a belt a sheath She opened the flap The hilt of a dagger Her heart began to pound So this was the Na- Na gara emblem emblem-a a dagger She saw the natives were re regarding regarding regarding re- re garding her with curious half- half fearful intensity like adults watching a child open apen a beehive expecting the worst yet not in interfering in- in The thing was a gorgeous piece of workmanship gold and jade and turquoise with a figure of a aman aman aman man etched on it a green eye inthe inthe in inthe the middle of the forehead This much you could see in in the dim light Asks Her HerTo HerTo HerTo To Take fake It Take it it-in it in your hand For a moment the perturbation infected her then she grasped the hilt firmly drew the dagger from the sheath It set up a queer tingling in her hand as if like an imprisoned bird it throbbed with life She turned it over transferred it to the other hand and back again She ran her fingers along the slender bronze blade a wonderful wonder wonder- ful piece of ancient art and craftsmanship Its beauty stirred her deeply She pressed it to her breast in a little involuntary gesture gesture gesture ture of delight The pair of natives had crept closer Would you like like to to kill yourself yourself yourself your your- self with the dagger The man asked softly She stared at him No she said explosively and held the handle to her cheek Seed of your father he murmured murmured murmured mur mur- rose and waved the lantern lan lan- tern Other forms closed in about them and began lifting Annes Anne's luggage to their backs The man said Wear the dagger dag dag- ger Then she saw that three saddle horses had been brought up and opened her coat and fastened the belt around her waist The camp camp above above the cliffs said the man This place is bad And you left me to wait she reminded them indignantly They regarded her with black unfathomable eyes Strong people people people peo peo- come to no harm in bad places Who was that white man We know of no white man man manThey They were not even curious It gave her the most uncanny feeling Nothing made sense any anymore more You just went ahead doing the thing that came to hand trusting eventually to understand under under- stand Perhaps that was surrender surrender sur surrender render to Destiny The trip to the plateau above was not too difficult though the natives had refused to touch Anne with a helping hand when she mounted and dismounted from the pony She was given a clean mud hut but with a pallet in m mone one corner The woman brought her warm water to wash in then a bowl of tea and little fat cakes containing candied fruits and almonds and other her seeds she could not identify She awoke in the morning with the happy thought Ill be at the dig tonight with father and mother and Philip Oliver It would be the first time she shed she'd d seen Philip since she was a little girl Hed He'd been a college boy then and could use the biggest words She wondered if 10 years had changed him much The first thing she saw when she went out was the plane An Anold Anold Anold old fashioned open cockpit affair af af- af- af fair A man in m an olive green uniform had buried his head and shoulders under the hood Its he he she thought her pulses beginning to race a little The pilots pilot's the man I talked to last night Then she noticed there was not another human being in sight nor a horse nor another hut Under the wing of the plane lay a pile of blankets and fur rugs undoubtedly his bed Hi HU she called and started toward him He pulled his head out from under the hood and jumped down and came to meet her removing his billed cap She had never seen him before He was a slender fellow with bright blue eyes and a homely weather- weather beaten face and a touch of gray at atthe the temples Im Mackey Miss Willard he called with a Montana drawl Pete Ma Mackey key Im I'm to take you to your fathers father's camp near Chuka She shook hands with him and presently asked Where are the natives natives' They left last night Funny people So So father warned me They engaged me for this job and had me fly up here two days ago to be ready when you came Kind of mysterious Anne agreed She knew the quest q of Sh Shy Shy-a a Nago was b being Ing s quiet as as s. s possible and it depended upon cooperation tion Is there another white man with you you she asked No he grinned Im my own mechanic He had an engaging grin grin She felt an immediate trust trustin in him For a moment she was tempted to tell him of her encounter encounter encounter en en- counter of the night before then refrained Ill Til make you some tea and porridge he said I didn didn't t know I was going to have to feed a alady lady Teas quite ladylike she smiled Not the way I make it he grinned All Ive I've got gots got's s 's native grub Ive I've been in the country so long Im I'm kind of used to it myself my my- self be good for me to get used to It too She wished she could ask him more about himself him him- self But she knew that Asia is dotted with white adventurers who do not talk about the past Have Difficulty Starting Motor When he finally got ready to tune up his motor it refused to togo togo go and it was noon before they started all right he said We can make it in three hours and they told me there'd be an improvised landing field at your camp i 1 Mohler Hanson The plateau they were on finally ran into a bare pinnacle- pinnacle spiked range of mountains which separated them from another desert at a much higher el elevation eleva eleva- va- va tion It was above this that Mackey spied the wreck of the blue and gold airplane Anne was in the fore cockpit He touched her shoulder and pointed They couldn't couldn t hear for the noise of the motor yet motor yet she cried aloud Theres There s someone waving to attract attract attract at at- tract our attention Mackey circled The place was level but somewhat thickly grown with desert shrubs He made a perfect landing within a afew afew afew few hundred yards of the other ship That's a plane belonging to the government of Shani Sham Lun he said and hopped out and ran to- to meet to-meet meet the other pilot A A Mongolian then thought Anne and watched them shake hands heartily before going on onto onto onto to load up with the other mans man's possessions She didn't r recognize e c cog o g n i z e the stranger until he put down his burden and lifted his face Mackey was declaring excitedly He Hes s an old friend of mine Miss Willard an American Call him Blaze He Hes He's s the luckiest guy that ever lived An oil line went bad badon badon badon on him last night and he sat down here in the dark s sa a mess but hes he's h hardly a r d l y scratched He shook his head wonderIngly How do you account for it Blaze s Surrender u r r end e r to Destiny grinned the other and looked at Anne with twinkling eyes as if waiting to see if she would acknowledge having seen him be before be- be fore That twinkle decided her added to the runaround he hed he'd d given her the night before though he had probably saved her life Perhaps now she was saving his An airplane pilot No wonder hed he'd laughed when shed she'd asked if he were a hermit Were We're glad to be able to pick you up she said Do you do this often He flushed a little I never did it before in my life and I hope I never have to again Mackey laughed This crate 11 be quite a comedown to you Blaze after that fancy little cabin job of ot yours I can stand it it the other grinned and helped stow stowaway away his luggage Anne moved over to make room for him It was a pretty tight squeeze I wonder if it |