The Great Hiding Place by Denzit C Read online

  with the sunlight and her eyes searching my camp and watched beside the little fires.

  face. I knew the moment had come to speak.

  During the days that followed Gaer seldom

  I seized her hands.

  spoke, but in the evenings he was more

  “I shall bring the rose back,” I heard

  congenial. I found that he was somewhat of a myself saying. “And when I do—”

  philosopher.

  Suddenly she turned. I followed her

  “You know, Hunter,” he began one

  gaze. Gaer was approaching us. I let go her evening after supper, “the desert is a great hands and they fell limply at her side. A smile place for a man to examine himself. There is trembled on her lips as Gaer came up and she nothing to disturb him. He can pull himself to bid him good morning. He looked at her for a pieces, bit by bit. There is no hurry and no one

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  to look on. If he won’t do it, the desert will—

  had reached a ridge of mountains. When we

  that is, if he stays long enough.

  returned to the camp at dusk the camels and

  “A man’s in a sort of crucible out here.

  the Arabs had disappeared.

  We have been moving for days. We have seen

  They had left food and water beside a

  practically nothing but sand; yet we have little fire. Gaer looked at me hard and the passed many places where only a little muscles in his face twitched; then he muttered scratching beneath the surface will reveal something in Arabic.

  things—skeletons and such like.

  “What the devil’s the meaning of

  “The desert is something like the heart

  this’” I blurted out.

  of a man. Things are hidden; evil deed, the

  “The fidelity of some Arabs is

  bodies of men, visions, dreams, hates, loves, remarkable,” was all he said.

  and things in mirage. The wind of the night He walked off north, examining the

  sweeps and the sand hides. But in the day

  surface of the sand. In a few minute he

  another wind comes, the simoom, sometimes

  returned.

  called by the Arabs the wind of desolation, the

  “It’s no use trying to catch them.

  covering of the sand is torn away and the

  Hunter.” He spoke in a slow, calm way. “The skeletons of things long since dead are camels went off at the gallop. They are revealed.”

  probably beyond the mountains by now. We

  Night after night I listened to his can make Riyat in about ten days, walking all ramblings. When he was not talking about the day, and we stand a chance of being picked up Arab and the desert he was asking questions by a caravan.”

  about England.

  He bent down and examined the food

  Two days later we reached an and the water.

  encampment of Bedouin Arabs. I saw that

  “There is only enough food and water

  they were extremely friendly toward Gaer, but for six days, Hunter, for the two of us. That looked at me with suspicion. We spent a night means a gallon of water a day between us.”

  with them, Gaer talked around their camp-fire

  “But what’s the meaning of them

  long into the night. They listened with rapt leaving us like this?” I broke in. “We were attention to all he said, but I could not paying them well, and I thought you said that understand a single word. He spoke in Arabic.

  the camels were yours?”

  The following evening he came into

  “It’s one of those things that happen in

  my tent as I was about to retire.

  the desert, Hunter,” he replied in a cold

  “This must belong to you,” he said,

  matter-of-fact way. “Arabs are men, after all, handing me a piece of paper. “One of our men just like you and I; and you can never tell found it near the watch-fire.”

  what is hidden inside.”

  I saw what it was at once—the little

  He was taking the whole affair much

  map about David Castle.

  more calmly than I was. His calm set me

  “Yes,” I heard myself saying, “it must

  thinking that perhaps it was not as serious as I have dropped from my pocket.”

  anticipated.

  I wondered it he had studied it or seen

  After four days, however, I changed

  what was written on the back. He left my tent my mind. Gaer started each day with a joke

  without another word, and his face betrayed and a laugh, and carried most of the food and nothing.

  the water. He was more cheerful during those Three days later we camped early in

  four days and talked more than he had ever

  the afternoon to go out and shoot game. We

  done since I met him. He would trudge on in

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  his easy, swinging way, telling me to keep in went on looking for him until the Arabs heard his shadow, laughing and joking like a big kid.

  of it. Some of them loved David Castle.”

  He kept me constantly wondering and

  He paused, shifted his position and

  listening so that I forgot my sore feet, sore went on again.

  eyes, and blistered skin.

  “Did you hear me, Hunter?—the great

  In the evenings he told me Arab hiding place of deeds and of the bodies of fairytales till I dropped wearily to sleep.

  men. You came to look for David Castle. You Twice the sun came up and glared at

  might have told me in the beginning. You

  us; that was all that marked two days.

  have wasted my time. I might have known that I had thrown away my burnoose. My

  no one would want to go to Riyat except to

  tunic was open at the throat. I staggered beside look for David Castle. I may as well tell you Gaer. I had to stop him talking because his right now, Hunter, that David Castle will

  voice hurt my head. At night I shivered and he never be found. He disappeared fifteen years wrapped his burnoose about me. He nursed

  ago into the great hiding place—only the

  me like a child. I was beginning to see the Arabs know where, and it would be dangerous end. Against the brazen sky the warning had to ask them. Even I would not dare to do that.”

  come. A vulture followed us in his weary

  I glared at the man. He had known for

  flight.

  days the quest of this journey, ever since he In the next two days I began to had brought me the little map that had fallen understand something of Gaer’s physique. from my pocket. He had known that I would Death stared at me all around, but from his fail and now gloated over it. Of what interest massive frame—life! I was envious. We was David Castle to him? I was sure now that divided the bread and the water. Twice he had I disliked the man, and yet why had he treated put his portion of bread inside his abeyah and me so well since we had been left to walk.

  left the water in the canteen.

  That very evening at supper he had said that Night was gathering. The sun had he would eat no more bread and only drink taken his blistering hand off us and gone down once a day. I am ashamed of myself when I

  in a sullen fusion of gold. A peace came with think of his sacrifices and my evil thoughts the stars and my mind wandered. I smelt toward him.

  roses. Helen was in the garden. I saw her with The next day Gaer dragged on through

  Gaer. But he was there sitting across from me the ghastly fire and I tried to keep in his on the still warm sand.

  shadow. He was carrying the last of the bread I am sorry to say I suddenly felt a

  and water.

  dislike for the man. He was going to win his Once more the sun toppled over the


  life from the desert. I was sure of that. I was edge of the desert with a splash of amber and going to die. He was going to win Helen. I

  red. I went down with a jerk.

  was half dead already. Perhaps I was looking Gaer sat down opposite me. He looked

  at him wildly. I jumped when he spoke at me in a wondering way. His face was reminiscently.

  yellow, worn, and wasted.

  “It was the same when they sent a man

  “Hunter,” he said hoarsely, “you must

  to look for David Castle before. He was told get back to Helen. She is waiting for you. She that the Arabs called the desert the great told me to take care of you.”

  hiding place. He was given a chance to get

  “But didn’t you—” I broke in, amazed.

  out, but he wouldn’t go; said something about

  “No, not in that way,” he replied

  disgrace if he returned without Castle; and he slowly, “only in a general way. You see I

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  made up my mind some years ago about two nights.

  women. I’m undependable. Sometimes I have

  I lay down beside him. He did not

  to go into the desert. It’s a great place to hide, seem to notice. I got to thinking about him. He Hunter, from the world. And sometimes I hate had pulled me through. He had put new spirit the world, then again I want to go back and into me. The last few days he had given up his take another look.”

  bread and his water to me. Ht had taught me He stopped, noticed my intent gaze at

  many things. I was going to take his advice the canteen, and handed it to me.

  and get back.

  “Yes, you had better get your supper,”

  I was going back to Helen. Gaer was

  he muttered. “I’m not hungry, nor even making that possible. I suddenly wanted to thirsty.”

  shake his hand. I sat up and touched him. His He passed over the last piece of bread.

  eyes were still open but he did not move. I I took a greedy mouthful of water and handed bent close and peered into his face blotting out the canteen back. He screwed on the cap his vision of the moon, but his eyelids never without even wetting his lips. I broke the

  so much as flickered. His body slept but his bread and handed him half. He put it inside his eyes still stared.

  abeyah.

  I shook him. He awoke.

  “The bread and water will do for

  “What is it, man?” he mumbled, sitting

  tomorrow morning,” he said in a jerky way.

  up and staring around.

  “To-morrow evening we shall reach Riyat.”

  “You were sleeping with your eyes

  I stared at him in horror. Was the poor

  open.”

  beggar delirious with sunstroke or desert

  He looked at me queerly.

  fever? How yellow he looked!

  “You are seeing things, Hunter. Take

  “What’s that?” I jerked out.

  another pull at the canteen. Don’t give way

  “I said that we should reach Riyat to-

  now. Only another day—then Riyat.”

  morrow evening,” he replied slowly and

  “But Gaer,” I broke in, “I wanted to

  deliberately. “And to revert again to David tell you--it’s about David Castle. You’re

  Castle, you won’t find him, Hunter. Take my mistaken about me. I came to tell David Castle advice and don’t ask for him at Riyat. Arabs that a fellow called Lakeman had confessed—

  stop at nothing where a friend is concerned.

  that this Lakeman had left him a fortune!”

  Besides, you had better get back before the

  “What’s that you’re saying, Hunter?

  fever gets you. There will be a caravan going Lakeman—has—confessed?”

  to Aden, and I can get you through that way.”

  The words came in short husky gasps.

  “And

  you?”

  The man’s face took on a strange look of

  “I shall stay behind for a while.”

  apathy. Then a faint smile flickered on his The moon came up and laughed at us.

  lips. A sudden light came into his eyes and his The last four nights it had been the same. Gaer whole frame shook with an uncanny laugh.

  looked at it. His face shone like phosphorus.

  “My God! Hunter, if you had

  All at once he lay down, but his eyes still understood Arabic you would have known

  stared at the moon. He had done this the last that Doud Gaer stood for David Castle!”