STRANGE, BUT TRUE STURY UF ARABIA !
THE WISE MAN UN THE DESERT!
Here is a true story of n missionary,
an Arab sheik and his people, told re
cently by an American, a prominent
officer of the American Foreign Mis
sionary Society. It has the flavor
of the "Arabian Nights” about it.
The missionary had occasion to visit
a wild and desolate part of the coun
try. One night his eyes were glad
dened by the sight of a camp in
which he found a sheik whom he
knew, a good and kindly old man
with deep, searching eyes, silent and
thoughtful for the most part, whose
occasional utterances almost invar! ‘
ably left one thoughtful. His people
seemed wrought from different stuff—
low-browed, desperate-looking men.
given to much muttering among them
selves, with quick, .sidelong glances,
that took in much while the lips re
mained silent or moved in swift, half
whispered speech intended only for
the car of a comrade near by.
The missionary' was received cordi
ally by the sheik and made welcome.
Wearied, after many days of travel,
of the heavy leathern belt wh'ich he
wore around his waist, which contain
ed $200 or $300 in silver, the mission
ary took It off when he went to bed
and folded it under his pillow.
In^the morning when he awoke the
belt and its contents wore gone. Dis
tressed, he went to the tents of the
sheik and found the old man already
awake and sitting calmly before his
tents watch'ing the flocks at pasture.
The sheik listened to the mission
ary’s story of his loss in grave silence.
When the missionary had finished the
sheik said simply:
I "I will got your money back for you;
trust me."
I
i Then the sheik culled for all the
men of the camp to assemble. When
they were all there he told them what
had happened and called for the
thief to come forward and give up his
spoils.
He wa'ited for a full minute, but
no one stirred. His brow darkened,
i He bade them disperse, saying that in
j half an hour they must come again.
At the end of thirty minutes the
tribesmen again assembled, and again
the sheik called for the theif to give
up the silver and the leatheren belt.
For the second time, no one came
forth.
“Bring me the mule with the white
star 'in its forehead,” he ordered. And
when the mule was brought: "Fut it
in the tent yonder.” And when this
was done: “Let every man pass into
the tent, one after the other. Let
each, having entered, close the flap
behind him, and when he and the
mule are totally alone, let the man
take a firm grasp on the tale of the
mule. If the mule brays, that man
is the thief.”
One after another the men passed
into the tent, let down the flap, re
mained a moment, and then, raising
the flap, emerged. It was a strange
experience to the missionary. To
him it seemed both child'ishly ridicul
ous and indefinably solemn. Despite
his better judgment he found himself
waiting with feverish intentness for
the bray of the mule.
But the little group of trembling
candidates for the tail-grasping cere
mony thinned and thinned until the
last man had passed into the tent
and had returned, uncondemned. Then
the tribesmen looked bewildered to
ward the sheik, to see what he would
do.
It was a crucial moment. The sheik
stirred ns if from a dream, and, rais
ing his voice so all should hear, said:
"Now, let every man come to me,
in turn, and as he draws close, let
him place his hands on my face, one
on either side, and I will tell who is
the thief, since the mule will not.”
i
I The first man who came to the sheik
I knelt on the ground before him and
placed his hands on the old man's
face. The sheik instantly dealt him
a gentle blow on the shoulder, indicat
ing that he was not the guilty per
son. The others followed in the same
fashion. More than a score had pass
ed when suddenly the sheik placed
both his hands on the shoulders of
the man before him and cried out:
“This one is the thief; this one
stole the visitor’s silver."
The man trembled violently, throw
ing his hands above his white face in
supplication. The sheik shook his
head and repeated his declaration,
whereat the man fell upon his face,
groveling at the sheik’s feet, and con
fessed his guilt.
Men were sent to the hillside,whither
the guilty man directed them, and
presently the silver and the leather
belt were brought and put in the
missionary’s hands. The sheik then
bade the people disperse.
Astonished, the missionary urged
the sheik to tell him how the thing
I
had been done.
“As you are to go out from us now,” \
he said, "never to return, I will ex- I
I
plain. It is simple enough.
"Aly people must often lie governed
through their superstitions. After the !
' thief refused to confess the first time,,
during the half hour I gave him to 1
do so, I singled out the wh'ite-slurred
mule and, unseen by any, smeared
his tail with the oil of pungent herb.
When the mule was put in the tent I
ordered the men to go in and grasp
! his tail,
“Thieves are cowards, and I knew
well enough that the man who stole i
your silver would shrink from doing
what I commanded. So I directed
that the tent flap be put down.
“This left the hand concealed from
all of us. Be'ing a coward and su
perstitious, he feared that the mule j
would announce the blackness of his
heart. The guiltless ones took the
tail in their hands, but the thief, j 1
finding himself alone with the mule,; <
decided to take his chances and let |
the tail alone.
“When a man placed his hands upon I
my face 1 knew at once by the odor of ;
the herb that he had done as I had j
bade him. On the thief's hands there
was no odor of the herb, and his!
wickedness was manifest to me.
"You know now how the thief was
found, but to my people It will be a
mystery forever and will lie told of
by children yet unborn.”
Office and Residence of J. F. McAl
i lister, freighter and transfer, Elite
Baths. Phone Red 157.
—
ALASKA NOTES
(From Our Exchanges.)
William Woodsworth, representing
the Universal Film Company, is in
Cordova with his moving picture out
fit, and will take a number of motion
pictures of the industres and scenes
about town.
The Border Bine Transportation Co.
has announced that the steamer Dis
patch will he operated by the com
pany this summer on the Seattle-Ju
neau run, alternating with the steam
er Al-Kl.
The Canoe Pass Packing Company
at Cordova has let a contract to the
O. P. Graham yards at Portland, Ore.,
for 12 fishing boats, 26 feet long by
8 feet beam and equipped with gaso
line engines. The boats will cost $760
each.
The Circuit Corut of Appeals has
affirmed the decision of the Fairbanks
court in the case of J. P. Pose, sen
tenced at McNeil Island after being
convicted of statutory rape, and Pose
will bo compelled to serve out his
sentence.
As the result of the explosion of a
lamp in the postofHcc at Chena re
cently the postoffice was destroyed
together with a considerable amount
of accumulated mall. H. O. Belden
the acting postmaster, narrowly es
caped with his life.
W. G. Hunter, an old time hunter
and trapper on the Kenai Peninsula,
Is said to have been stricken with a
second attack of paralysis several
days ago and is probably dead. The
last word received was to the effect
that he had been unconscious and
had taken no food for live days.
The Cook Inlet Baseball League
was recently formed at Anchorage
composed of live teams, the Railroad
Commission, the Shamrocks, the
Turnagain Arm and the Matanusku
teams. The players will receive a
pro rata share of the proceeds of the
games after the baseball park has
been paid for.
The Territorial Legislature has re
ceived a memorial from Fairbanks
asking for relief from the territory
to enable the town to maintain their
schools at the present standard. Fair
banks will lose $15,500 per annum by
the closing of the saloons, and the
annual expenditure for schools is
about $20,000 per annum.
Work on the new Juneau school
house will commence soon. The cor
nerstone of the building will be laid
by the Masonic bodies of Juneau and
will be hollow, in which will be placed
copper cylinders containing the rolls
of the Masons, names of city officers,
school board members, coins and
copies of the daily papers.
The residents of Ophir and the Ta
kotna district have drawn up and pre
sented to the Secretary of War, Post
master General, Secretary of the In
terior, Delegate to Congress, Judge
Bunnell, Chief of the Signal Corps
and Chairman of the Alaska Hoad
Commission, a petition asking for
‘better roads and an improved mail
service.
THE FREEDOM OF THE SEA.
You dare to say with perjured lips
"We fight to make the ocean free?”
You, whose black trail of butchered
ships
I’.( strews the bed of every sea
Where German submarines have
wrought
Their horrors! Have you never
thought—
W’hat you call freedom, men call
piracy 1
Unnumbered ghosts that haunt thej
wave
Where you have murdered, cry you
down;
And seamen whom you would not
save
Weave now in weed-grown depths
a crown
Of shame for your imperious head—
A dark memorial of the dead—
Women and children whom you left
to drown.
Nay not fill thieves are set to guard
The gold, and corsairs called to keep
O'er peaceful commerce watch and
ward
And wolves to watch the helpless
sheep
Shall men and women look to thee—
Thou ruthless Old Man of the Sea—
To safeguard law and freedom on the
deep.
In nobler breeds we put our trust
The nations In whose sacred lore
T he “Ought" stands out above the
"Must”
And honor rules in peace and war
With these we hold in soul and heart
With these we choose our lot and
part
Till Liberty Is safe on sea and shore.
HENRY VAN DYKE
United States Minister at the Ha
gue, 1913-16.
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that Mrs. Wifsy is entitled to have the
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FIRE ALARM SIGNALS
12.Standard Oil Co.
IS.Carstens Cold Storage
14 .J. J. Season Co, office
15 .Headquarters Saloon
21.The Lobby
24 .Pioneers Igloo
25 .Catholic Church
31 .Polet’a residence
32 .Yorkey’s Cigar Store
41.opp. Webb’s Market
Engine House, Phone Main >7.
7 whistles water. 2 tiro out
SPRING TIME IS HERE
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We make alterations.
We do cleaning, pressing and re- 1
pairing for ladles and gentlemen.
We make suits to order.
First class workmanship, modern
i method and prompt service. i
We appreciate your patronage.
Tours to please,
NOME TAILORING CO,,
j Next door to Segerstrom & Hagen.
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on the subscription list of the Nugget
and keep posted on the war.
I— ■ -
Dream Theater
TONIGHT
A YANKEE FROM THE WEST
STAR PICTURE
4 REELS
Featuring, Miss Signe Auen
And An All Star American Cast
Repeated
FEATURE FRI. & SAT.
THE ROYAL IMPOSTER
Hand Colored Picture Oe Lux.
In 5 Parts
Adm. 25c
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“outMido” than in Nome. Buy your needs for the summer. ti1
NOW I
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been in a cold storage warehouse. I
P. A. PETERSON SHOE CO. j
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