Page 12 - Purple Butterfly Book 2
P. 12

Date:
 There arose one day at noon, one of those fearful burning winds which do such mischief to the traveler and his camel. The loose sand was raised like a cloud. It filled the nostrils and blinded the eyes.
The only thing to be done, was for the men to get off the backs of the camels, and lie down with their faces to the earth.
After the storm had passed, they arose to continue their journey. But the sand had been so blown as to cover the beaten track, and thus all trace of the road was lost.
The camel-drivers who led the way stood still, and said that they did not know which way to turn.
No distant rock or palm-tree was to be seen, and no one could say which was the south, towards which their faces ought to be turned.
They wandered on, now turning to the right, and now to the left; and sometimes, when they had gone some distance in one direction, retracing their steps and trying another.
The caravan made a halt, and it was now decided to journey towards the setting sun, in hopes of finding once more the right track.
Night came on, however, and they had not found it, nor had they reached any place where they could fill their water bottles, which were empty.
Once or twice, some one of the party fancied that he saw in the distance the top of a palm- tree; but no, it turned out to be but a little cloud upon the horizon.
They had not yet found the old track; neither had they supplied themselves with water to cool their parched lips.
Poor Ali suffered like the rest from terrible thirst. He drank the last drop of water from his water bottle, and thought of the morrow with fear.
He was so tired when night came, he was glad to lie down by the side of Meek-eye and go to sleep. Ali slept, but before morning, was awakened by the sound of voices.
He listened, and heard the chief driver tell one of the merchants that, if they did not find water very soon, the next day a camel must be killed, in order to get the water contained in its stomach.
This is often done in cases of great need in the desert, the stomach of the camel being so formed as to hold a great quantity of water.
Ali was not surprised to hear such a thing spoken of; but what was his distress and alarm, when he heard the merchant propose that it should be “the boy’s camel” that should be killed!
The merchant said the other camels were of too good a kind, and of too much value; while, as to this young boy, what business had he to have a camel of his own?
It would be better far, they said, for him to lose his camel than for him to die, like the rest, of thirst. And so it was decided that Meek-eye should be killed, unless water were found the next morning.
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