Show 4 0 I Yellow Men Sleep Sleek By Br JEREMY LANE Copyright by the Century Company r CHAPTER XIII 16 16 The Ape Repays When he wakened some time later his lils his first link of consciousness was that tha t the fire altar was out th the air changing and he knew without without looking lo that Helen was no longer on the other side of the wall The same green twilight suffused the top of ot the tunnel He Ile recalled recalled re re- r called as from months ago how th the e party part of dwarfs had drawn rawn aside to permit him to pass on Into this maze below the palace Con wondered vaguely If 11 the whole world were hone honeycombed combed Then he lie managed to torise torise torise rise and his feet at first filst were like diving weights Nothing less than his Intensity of emotion lifted him up the notched barrier again His arms were shaking his e eyes es dim Again the greenish glow glowIn In his face The chamber was empty now save for Cor one drugged mandarin lying full length In his blue robe robe- one gaunt arm touching the floor The altar was dead and only an nn oppressive feeling In the lie air remained of the k koresh resh The wooden door at nt the further side was not quite closed She had come down to this pit of royal Iniquity because he was making her lier unhappy Con knew this She had come to dream In under under un un- der fingers from the yellow bowl Yet he was not so fatuous as to believe that It could b be her first t communion with tire the darker gods In fact the dais here resembled that In the throne- throne room room room-n a permanent affair Con was sick at h heart art Heedless of the sleeping Chinese he drew himself up and across across the wall The exertion seemed to bring back his Imis strength The space at nt the roof of the t tunnel was small He lIe slid through and dropped down on the other side near the altar The yellow rellow bowl too was gone The bowl of jade gave gaye an opalescent light close up Itself adream a adream adream dream with the ceaseless dry pouring of the gas Con gl glanced at the prone I figure figure figure-a a face of smooth putty putt no eyes a white mouth nerveless It was vas the Ule symbol of all that ailed J Tau Kuan Kunn Levington grasped the Iron ring In the door and pulled back Softly It swung sitting to him him with a a agush gush of of better air from the black passage beyond The darkness was damp and thick hick He moved Into It and the door closed after him He stumbled upon tipon the he lowest step of ot a stairway The Tile stones were wet and worn A feeling of oil was about the place He began begano to o carefully taking no reckon reckon- Ing ng Nothing mattered but this this Inner draw the great grent master passion Per Ier Perhaps haps if his brain had been clearer he would have ha questioned himself perhaps per per- haps laps held back from this rashness But Buthe Buthe he ho was burning Inside He lost count of or the ascending steps He had no thought nought of bravery Presently another door at the top tOj another Iron ring More important than any material surroundings was the fact that he was making her unhappy At first he hadl hadt had l t r r a i iy y 1 1 e 0 I r r a Helen He Whispered Helen Wake Up They Are Giving You Death felt secret exultation because of the confession It measured the measured the possibility ity of power for tor him It meant h he be could make a difference From that vantage his fate had quickly led him to the reverse side of It It her side the side the pain the unc uncertainty the new giddy whirlpool of tier her h r eighteenth year Levington Lev ington plucked the second Iron ring and Instantly knew wh where re he was A corridor before hIm a window opened out and the shade of oak trees with their brushing leaves No one appeared In the ills corridor outside outside out out- side the apartment of the time princess lIe He realized with a n shock that the shaft of the mines a mile to eastward He i had groped a n while underground I Now In the upper passage lingered the perfume of the procession that had passed Con Imagined the borne hammocks hammocks hammocks ham ham- mocks with the silken sleeping burdens burdens bur bur- dens especially one He Ho moved Into the hall keeping close to the Inner wall He came to the familiar door There was no time tune to knock The was still there With a n little cry of dismay the servant of th the princess arched his back buck and ran for for- f forward r. r ward quite hideous In haste and hate Levington stopped him and picked up the knife that fell feU from the yellow hand There was further brief business business busi busi- n ness ness ss of wadding the mouth of old I Fu u Ah All and securing his hla enraged members Then the white man his heart pounding pound- pound lug ing ran to the raised couch She was there He closed his e eyes es a moment because of her loveliness lo his own relief relief relief re re- lief and the strange hurt Her face held the calm caIro of that shadow of sable wings s Con knew kne the satiny black beneath beneath be be- neath her eyes In fact the yellow ellow bowl had been left here within her reach when she wakened ETh bent over and stared Into her face Helen he whispered Helen wake up I They are giving you death I do not mean to make you unhappy Do not sleep It Is poison polson you must riot not I I want you OU to live O Oh l princess there Is America America- He did not know what he was sayIng say say- saying Ing to her Her arms and shoulders were limp as ns he touched her lifted her hera a little Tittle from the lie colored cushions Without opening her eyes she smiled faintly and It maddened him to think that she was pleased with some phantasm phantasm phan phan- In a n subtler world perhaps entirely entirely en en- unaware of his own presence The deep shadows about her eyes seemed to stab him He raised her closer to him He TIe was pleading He smoothed her temples His is hands shook as he lie breathed the full story of his heart The universe was only this that that she lay faint In his arms that lint her white beauty possessed him that he could not reach her her- hera a web always ys between delicate yet unbreakable She sighed as a child who enters a n new depth of rest and It punished him She She had had not opened her eyes The leaves rustled outside the case case- ment menta From a silver vase ase on on a n white rose petals drifted down to the time rug Curtains swayed gently In In- Inthe the movement of the air Afternoon sunlight sunlight sunlight sun sun- light crossed golden through the oaks Out of the old age secrets of the heart knew the mystery of high desire a as If f a race of men stalwart tender true had gone before him lived Jived and loved loyed and perished that he might breathe the same sane air all with his princess In this hour might feel the softly rushIng rushIng rushing rush- rush Ing storm within himself and pledge his all to the lie beauty of ot one who did not speak Again he leaned over her and whispered whispered whispered whis whis- rapidly rapidly only only only the great hazards mattered Tell now Tell me tell me mcHelen's me- me Helens Helen's throat trembled beneath the smooth skin a ripple of effort but she shedid shedid shedid did not unseal her lips Con covered his eyes with his arm arms Out of t this moment of Intense quiet he heard footsteps great leaping falls He turned crouching A Nubian a giant passed his dagger stead steady as bronze his eyes ees red He rushed and Levington stepped aside Tub fray must be led awa away from Helen The negro also reckoned on this Con made sure of t the he knife he had taken talen from the servant Fu Ah who was fis still tightly bandaged 1 lying near the lie door I They faced each other The great black rushed again Levington grappled grap grap- pled parried and they swung around He could do nothing with his knife Another wild down thrust from the Nubian a n lunge with lion power In It Gray foam stood out upon the negros negro's lips A mighty hinge of ebony was clog clo clo- clo Ing ins g upon Levington who felt his legs giving way and the borrowed knife pried steadily out of his hand His head was gradually being forced back acIf ward Catlike he lie writhed loose his rl right ht arm and fla flashed hed a blow to the black neck but hut It t was like hitting a n rug The African was mouthing hot hoto ly lYe For all that life lite meant Con clung to the dagger He was lifted cle clew clell r of the floor to enable the lie black block to adjust adjust ad nd- jm just t him at lIt his leisure for the final stroke All the agony of lifes life's ed cup came to Levington as he thought of Helen lie He could see her lier Suddenly the Nubian cried out and lOd seemed to lose control lIe He dropped ln Le Levington ton who snatcher snatched the lie weapon from him lIe He was screaming and stamping Upon his shoulders clung a small white-faced white monkey his teeth holding deep eyes ees staring ou out t at noth ing lag The Infuriated black would summon sum sum- summon mon olOn the time entire palace with his howls Con drove the dagger twice below the thc ribs and the he giant toppled Into silence while the lie little beast bit and bit doubtless doubtless doubtless doubt doubt- less repaying black cruelty and white friendship at the same time Bestir turned Inquiring eyes up to Levington who lio lend had lad no time to express thanks Retaining the Nubians Nubian's weapon he led fled past the gagged and ridden fright-ridden Fu Ah Ali and out of the lie apartment dodging down the lie corridor There were running running run run- ning shuffles behind him He lie gained gained he die door to the stairway and stumbled down 4 Having entered the passage from n a known direction Con had no difficulty In continuing eastward toward the location of the air shafts His thoughts I were a riot of things beginning with their talk In the open near her mothers mother's mothers mothers mother's moth moth- ers er's gra grave graC C Almost before he lie expected expect expect- ed he saw Andrew March MarcIl who was searching for him Many were with the elder American Including the In in- How How far did you you go Far enough to hear the oak leaves blowing blo outside her window You rou cross cross no no queried the Ara Ara- blany bian hian y Yes es He lie r recounted their morning meeting his return to the mines the strange silent malice of the dwarfs who had allowed him to go on Into the fumes from the devotional what he had seen over the lie rim of the lie wall the blackness that had fallen and then the events beyond the stairs You have profaned the the holy of holies said March They have no higher religion There is no end to your crimes March was smiling gravely Oddly It did not seem tc a r w S 1 1 Jw iI f R a aV V J w 1 a Y Yx x t They Faced Each Other Othe Levington that he was talking to the father of his princess March seemed to forward no such parental claim What arrangement have you ou made made here For today we are secure After that It depends upon what disposition Is made of the four who were taken talen away this morning on our account It is a gift said the sailor He lIe means our lives explained March He lIe cannot always Influence his men to think as he does They are not Inclined to make much of I American aid Will they give us up asked Con Can Today no replied the Arabian grinning In the torchlight To Con In his present mood today was forever In his health and the power pov of new he love he could not think of life coming coining to an nn end ever eyer He felt invincible To March he said Today we not only escaped from their big walls wails but fooled Cooled their wise serpent and even eyen returned to the time palace palace pal pal- ace to the apartment of their prin prin- cess The same boy mused March with something like despair In his voice the spirit that brought you up the cut In the road when the riders were coming down on us and you ou were going like that one night In Cin Things ate are just Ju t beginning said aid Con rather absently as he walked abreast of his friend while the Arabian Ara Ara- bian with the torch followed with his hobbling workers j d The latter were talking softly I What is s it they soy say Con had I turned sharply The Arab sailor ex-sailor smirked uneasIly uneasily uneasily uneas uneas- ily then said They want their four tour brothers Where are they In the city perhaps to die because you yon There was a murmur from the background as Us if It the broken bodied human creatures v kney the meaning of the h words Levington toll saw that they could scarcely be expect expected d to sacrifice four of their own to save two fugitive strangers ers I You Yon have haye more amore men here e underground under uncle underground ground than thun they number In the city said Con COIl to the foreman Yes Then iThen say to your men that tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomor tomor- row we will go and get their their- four fourr brothers No I cried the Arab Yes said Levington with assur assur- ance The seaman turned to his men with the word My God I said Andrew i March March CHAPTER XIV v The Prince Rides Out The ardors of Lf f the past day and night brought deep sleep to the two white men Ulen Con who wakened but butt once In to the night and then merely to relax Into deeper rest a again noted that the spaces In the caves were seething with little ugly men whose twisted spines bobbed In a n light that was sickish and cold The crowd seemed to grow as the hours passed as If the Innermost crevices of earth were giving up their human ants More weapons were brought to add to the rusty knives There were tubes for blowIng blowing blow blow- Ing darts containing now a long accumulation ac tic- of the dust of at peace pence In Intact fact tact the present generation could not recall a day clay of revolt In their subterranean subterranean history The Arabian sailor rushed about all this night like one possessed his old hopes Ignited Primitive military system prevailed The horde was grouped Into units unit There were lieutenants The white men when wakened would rank as colonels with no less a n person than the Arab as ns their generalissimo The miners seemed lost In a dull glow of excitement Within their lives lI nothing had occurred to Interrupt the next days day's labor The seizing of their four tour brothers had not seemed unusual but the lie effect promised an infinity of at new turns There Thele was no thought of ot sleep The Time old humors of an uprising seemed at last about to be fulfilled The hour was near their lot cast Every tortured heart was eased somewhat somewhat somewhat some some- what of Its burden of hate In the lie prospect prospect pros pros- pest of action They had never before attempted to express their loathing of ot the city of or their masters They had lead been heen born to pain toll science sl sc- si lence Home shop and grave were Vere one to them diem There were no families From some warriors warrior's house In hi the city each man-child man returned to the pits crippled forever Its spine an nn arch of horror There was seldom any way of Identifying the time broken creature of ten tenor tenor tenor or twelve All thought of parentage was lost When by chance kinship was re established ed such meeting was but a renewal of bitterness And always In the city cellars the precious store stoie of roots grew and grew On the far edges of the time state the essence of the e roots was bartered or exchanged for tor silver Alwa Always s the yellow bowl In the apartment at of the future queen was kept filled with dream potency The rhe state religion was perpetuated In the lower room which was so situated as to be symbolic of Its connection with the SO source of all nIl dreams the mines themselves Thus Chee Ming wrought upon urno the whole world the substance of ot hs meditations medi medi- the the whose thin eyelids had never been touched and soothed toothed and damned by one taint of koresh Ills His web was |