Where Terror Lurked by Perley Poore Sheehan

-"SHAMBALLAH!" It was a whisper that Shattuck had heard a thousand times, always with some hint of mystery and dread about it, ever since Michmander, the Afghan, had first led him into forbidden territory. Here on the face of the desert it was absolutely dark. All that could be seen of the earth was the floating blackness of the surrounding dunes. Yet the stars shone--they shone with a sort of blinding light. They dazzled the eyes. The earth absorbed this light like black velvet. No wonder that the desert people gave this whole country the go-by. "Shamballah!" That was Juma's whisper now.

Shattuck also had seen that quavering shaft of green light over the contour of the nearest dune. He put out his hand in the darkness and touched Juma to let him know that he had heard and seen. He needed no such contact to let him know that Champela, his only other companion on this crazy adventure, had also seen and heard.