Produced by Al Haines
Author of "Leonie of the Jungle"
Copyright, 1920
By THE MACAULAY COMPANY
Jill looked at the East!
At her feet sat huddled groups of women, just bundles of black robes,some with discs about their necks, some with chains or golden crescentsupon the forehead, all wearing the burko [yashmak or face veil]covering the entire face with the exception of the eyes, and held inposition between the eyebrows by the quaint tube-shaped selva,fastening it to the tarhah, the flowing black veil which nearlytouches the ground behind, covers the head, and pulled down to theeyebrows leaves just the beautiful dark eyes to be seen, glancing uptimidly—in this case—at the golden-haired, blue-eyed girl above them.
Men of different classes stood around, or squatted on their heels uponthe ground, all in flowing robes of different colouring and variousstages of cleanliness, some with heads covered in turbans, some withthe tarboosh, others with the kahleelyah or head handkerchief, allchattering with the exception of the higher classes and the Bedouins,the latter clothed in white, with the distinctive thong of camel's hairwound about the head covering, arms folded and face passively serene,looking as though they had stepped right out of the Old Testament on tothe fly-ridden, sunbaked station of Ismailiah; whilst vendors of cakes,sticky, melting sweets, and small oranges, wandered in and out of thecrowd screaming their wares. Shouts of laughter drew Jill's attentionto the other side of the station, where, with terms of endearment mixedwith blood-curdling threats, a detachment of British soldiers gettingready to start en route for Suez were urging, coaxing, striving to makethat most obstinate of animals, the camel, get to its feet some timebefore midnight.
From them she looked at a group of native dwellings made of sunbakedclay. Small square buildings, looking in the distance like out-houses,with scarcely perceptible windows, and flat roofs given over topoultry. Near them the patient bullock did its monotonous round,drawing the precious water from the well with which to moisten the aridlittle patch of earth from which the fellah extracts the so very littlenecessary to him in his life.
A clump of slender palms, like forgotten scaffolding, stood out clearagainst the intense blue of the sky; the desert, that wonderfulmagnetic plain, stretched away in mile upon mile of yellow nothingness,until as minute as flies on a yellow floor, growing more distinct atevery step, with solemn and exceeding great dignity stalked a string ofcamels, each animal fastened by a rope to the saddle of the one infront, each apparently unconscious of its seemingly overwhelmingburden, as with heads swaying slightly f