Six Women

companion of the Dawn. The vault of the sky seemed arched at a great height above the earth, springing clearly, without any object to break the line from t

cry out, as his eyes turned from the level-sanded desert floor, through sunlit

ate shapes-the forms of the ibis and flamingo and crane, and other river-fowl-became visible, crowding down the dark banks, with flapping of whi

ful birds preening their plumage and calling to each other, and wonderf

rning breeze. It was a tiny naphtha launch-a horrid, fussy, smoking little thing, cutting through breeze and water, and diffusing a scent of oil and greased iron in the pure and radiant air. A white bird on the bank looked at it, and r

rn stood, erect and silent, the white-clothed figure of a boy from the Soudan. Lithe, graceful forms supported long necks and straight-featured faces, black as if carved out of smooth ebony, and contrasting strangely with the white turbans of stif

nd towards the bank, as he leant forward to stop th

houses are not, with few exceptions, higher than six feet, and there is nothing else save them and their dreary, yellow-brown, muddy monotony in the whole village: no

trike his face, like the blow of a flail, as he stepped on land. He expected the Soudanese boys to follow, as they generally did on similar excursions-one to secure the boat and sit a

go back: take them. We make much mon

glishman, vainly trying to adjust a pair of blue goggles over his eyes, smarting already in the intolerable glare from the sand, while

impassive, statuesque, wrapped i

the boat. "Me take you my house. Sister show

y handsome, though in ebony. After all, do we not think a well-carved table b

ter," he said good-humouredly; adding inwardly, "If she's

s towards the desert and the huts of Omdurman, and the h

of carriage, though she had never been taught deportment nor attended physical culture classes. Merla was beautiful, with the perfect beauty of line that belongs to her race, and possessed the straight, high forehead, the broad, calm brow that tells of its intelligence and nobility. She knew, however, nothing of her own beauty. She never cared for staring into the little squares of glass that the girls of the village would buy in

ht, there was any coin left, then her real luxury was to buy food for the poor thin camel that lay at night in the mud-yard behind their hut, and to go and feed it secretly in the starlight. And she would press her hands into the soft fur of its neck as it leant towards her, feeling that delight that springs from being kind and loving, and being loved. The law of her life was love, a law springing naturally in her mind, as the beauty and health in her bod

-struck, to the tom-toms in the distance. The music had seemed to come to her ears with a new sound. The breeze had blown from the river with a new kiss to her face. She was growing into a woman, and the sap of life

tinct, as he was young and foolish, made the Englishman drag off both goggles and solar topee for a momen

rtoum must have a guide to Kerreree. I go back to the boat: other Englishman want me. You go to

ible for her to talk to the white people, for her parents were poor and humble, and glad to make piastres in any way they could. One of her sisters was a water-carrier at the hotel in Khartoum, and she might be engaged there

. He knew the tongue well that her brothers spoke, not in any of its refinement and su

back into the dark hut behind her. After a moment she reappeared. "My

f her voice, and not feeling at all flattered

isagreeable to you. Yo

de enwrapped all her countenance, and it seemed as if she said it somewhat as a victim might say, "I am

the East, and, seeing this, the girl added, "Certainly I am wi

let a woman carry his baggage, though he hires h

gh the mud village, and then on into the silent heat of the desert beyond. Here the fury of the sun was intense. The river was out of sight, lying low between its banks. To infinite distance on every side of them stretched the plain, and the soil here was not golden sand, but curiously black, like powdered coal or lava. Not a living thing moved near them; only, far away towards the horizon, now and then passed a string of camels of some Bedouins travelling. They walked on in silence. Stanhope found the walking heavy, as

on his wrist. Stanhope's instinct was to protest at once, but there was something in the girl's earnestness and the tender interest with which she put the muslin on

ed at him suddenly; she said nothing, but the pride and joy in her eyes startled the man beside her. He could f

ad men, dead horses. This side, white

d by its cairn of black stones and rocks, surrounded by whitened bones and skulls, from the summit of which the English watched the defeat of the Khalifa's force. Stanhope cast his e

and sit down; I'm dead tired. Let's si

back against it. The girl took her place on the sand opposite him, with her feet

a minute's gazing at the rich dark beauty of th

mean for her to stand before that great black box, and have that evil black eye glare upon her for long seconds!

u?" answered Stanhope persuasively,

; it is right, if you wish

p to fix the tripod and the camera in order, and the girl sat st

your hand, so. Yes, that's right. Now, stand

ttitudes of her race are all perfect poses. And Merla stood e

nhope was some time fussing with his camera, and putting it back in its case out of the light. Then he wanted lunch, and drew forth a sandwich-case and a wine-flask. The girl would only eat

tretched himself comfortably in the shade of the rock and

m I? The white camel that lives down by the market

returned Stanhope, laughing. "And what do you think of me?" he added curiously

at all, he felt rather piqued, and took off his blue g

lord! You are like the sun when he first comes over the plain, or the m

full of soft fire: her voice was low, and quivered with enthusiasm. Stanhope flushed scarlet.

the square, backed by some date-palms, for Khartoum and the village behind it are more favoured with shade than sun-baked Omdurman. And in the centre of the square stood or sat the natives, buying and selling, chaffering and gesticulating. Some were Bishareens, with straight forms and features, and black bodies almost covered with long strings and chains of beads. They stood about gracefully to be admired, with their wooly hair fluffed out at right angles to their head, for the occa

of some substance, for he was clothed, and the camel kneeling beside him was fat and sleek, and would easily make two of the thin camels of Khartoum. Opposite him, sitt

lectively. "Still, think, my brother, a good riding camel that can be hired out to the Englishmen every day fo

stener sparkled, but he

h as a camel, and the Englis

ith a certain amount of opulent Oriental goo

he pearl, and this knife shall go with the camel, also this piece of bl

blue, Eastern steel, and having a good bone-handle, on which the fing

t the camel and the carpet may suit me, and, as you say, you need not the girl at present, I will agree, as I am

n by the full moon; disappoint me not

he other the string of the camel, and the fine beast turned its

ures still came and went, and talked and bartered, for the goods were not nearly all sold, and the heaps of fine corn were still high in many places

le, and bathed in gold; a stream of liquid gold it seemed, asleep between its deep-green b

heated air of the plain to the divine freshness by the water. Here,

a! Are you unhapp

ace, and looked at hi

the rock cannot expect the sun to s

he deep shadowed bank on to the golden surface, and was st

joy. She ran to it and clasped her hands about its velvet neck, and called to her father, as he sat smoking at the doorway

yed round the camel, "let the maiden wait to know the joy

ss than usual. "He used to be such a nice boy when he first came here," they complained amongst themselves, "but he was quite horrid to-night-he must be in love," and they