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? ni-"*- ? ii nu II MU 1 i -ri 'isw ? -- i i . >v? .f W ^^^^^^^^^^ jj '^^'^^ CHAPTER XVI. A SUKPRISrXG CHANGE OF FROST. So all ruy rosy hopes were blown tc ?winds again. Fate had cat oft" the chance of escape, and I could look forn lng but immediate death. For I had h something of the portent ions mystern statecraft that make such havoc of the science of rulers and understood thai hind the personal will and indinatio Abou Kuram were reasons of such fea cogency as no prince who valued his se Ity could ignore. However friendly governor might be nt heart, he was n free agent, but merely the instrument < tyrannous system which sentenced slew with ruthless disregard of the sane of private thoughts. This was driven in upon me with s gering emphasis when the leather faced grate I had relieved of his pains, hum venturing to commend the wisdom of master's speech, enlarged on the al lute necessity of preserving the state fi foreign intrigue nt all hazards aud at wi ever cost of blood and ending up with proposition, "Let my lord decree de forthwith,and while hedispatcheth weiy ier matters I will see this rogue execute But we had both mistaken the foto Abou Kuram's character. A weak mai the slave of his office; a strong man is master and director. Perhaps it was working of humanity in his breast, r haps it was a sudden conviction of my nocence, or, what is more likely, it n havo been a prince's dislike of dict?t and interference that influenced my jud but he unexpectedly took a course of own. "Words of wisdom drop from thv moi 03 honey from a honeycomb, Alldalla! he said, with a severe look at his couns or. "Foreign intriguers and spies mi indeed be given to the fowls of the air a the beasts of the earth. It is my duty a privilege to -ruard the state. I will ta care they are not neglected. Again, bu ness, as thou well sayest, presset h hard, a in order that thou mayest give thy mind other and more important affairs I w myself execute justice on this strang Get thee forth with all haste, and thc Koor Ali, who will command next to rt self, go with him and take no rest un my army be ready for war." Thc two men bowed very low and hi tened out. He watched until they h gone, with a clamorous mob at their hee then turning to me he said briefly: "I have purposes that will astonish tl friend Abdallah. Thou shalt ride by i bridle rein, and we shall see of what sti thou art made. Nay, nay; no speeches," he saw the fullness of heart coming in my face. "Tbl- is a time for action. I Bide thon Brightest find cause to repent thy fair words, for if tl?ou shonldst pro false thou shalt die the cruelest death A dallah can deviso to atona for tins prese clemency." With that he turned abruptly to a faw lng official and said in a brusque tor "The stranger will have need of food. S thou to his wants, and thy head answer f his safe keeping." Whereupon, risii quickly, he swept majestically imo an i uer room without giving mc theopportui ty of saying a word of thanks. My first impulse was to sit down and sc aloud. It seemed that nothing else cou relieve my pent up feelings, and indeed careful observer might have noticed an ni usual moisture about the lashes, which wiped furtively while trying to jest wit my attendant. The rising sun, they say, is worshipei and certainly the favor of a prince insun many smiles and obsequious attention The demeanor of the people toward m changed as singularly as my shifting fo: tune. Those who had spat on me w it h foi imprecations but an hour before now S? luted me with loud ejaculations of friend ship and blessing. Many a man probabl would have valued the tokens of good wi) more than I did. I had been defiant to th mob in my adversity; in my triumph I hop 1 was not insolent, but assuredly I was inn mood to respond with any cordiality to th greetings of people, who, if Abou Kuram' humor had been different, would hav shouted themselves hoarse with glee at sec ingmy head slashed off my shoulders. The sight of one cager face, however among the many fawning ones gave me ; genuine thrill of pleasure. Said Achme had haunted the place all the morning liki a perturbed spirit, and now on the first op portunity he came running forward to con grat?late me on my new lease of life. I hat not much to say, but I gave the good soul'l hand a hearty Christian wring, and he die not resent it, though to shake hands witl an infidel or stranger is pollution to the or dinary Musselman. When sorrows come, says the poet, the] come not in single spies, but in battalions Once or twice in a lifetime afewbappj mortals have the sweet experience of lind lng joys, too, come trooping in companies, While my benefactor and myself were ii: converse together, to the further delight ol ns both, word came from Abou Karan that until the troops were ready I was tc be his guest or Said Achmet's, just accord ing to my fancy. Needless to say what choice I made nor how deeply grateful 1 was to Abou Kuram for this fresh sign ol his graciousness. I Said Achmet carried me off with as proud a heart as if I were the greatest man in thc land and treated me with a tenderness that mere greatness could never have evoked. Indeed if I had been his own son risen from the dead he could not have been more lav ish of the caressing attentions in word and act that the tremulous affection of an old man delights in or evinced a livelier regret at the parting that was near. For the most part of three happy days I wau with him, listening to wondrous tales of the diabolical prowess of the man on the black horse from Tabal, or discussing the prospects of tho campaign with him, or drinking in the wise and varied discourse of my host himself as we sat inhaling fra grant essences in the shade of his garden palms. How Lar off all that is now, and how strangely tinged with mystic hues! Said Achmet has long since gone to his account I And on his crave, with sinning eyes. Thc Syrian stars look down, but tho memory cf his benign refuge re mains with me as a beautiful dream of a day spent on an nzure sommer isle after escape from devastating tempests. The preparations at the castle went on "with more bustle than speed, for it ap peared to be the determined object of every man to get into his fellow's way and thwart him in his work. The scene was one of constant confusion and uproar. Night and day the hubbub went on, waxing ever louder and shriller, till it seemed like pan demonium come again, but at length order ,began to rise out of chaos, and even the novice mind could see that the preparations were really going on. Men came hurrying in from outlying dis tricts, horses and camels were got ready, swords, spears and matchlocks were fur bished up, ammunition was laid out, water skins ' *re filled, provisions were loaded on snapping, grunting pack camels-a hun dred pounds to every beast-and all the while the soldiers badgered, shouted, jested and blasphemed in a way that might have moved tho envy of any Christian army in the world. On the morning of thc fourth day a mes senger came to me brea! bless, saying that Abou Kuram was seated in the audience court and wished to see me at once J hur ried off, Said Achmet accompanying, in soma excitement, fearing that li n-.-; and in triguers had been at their loathsome work nnd had succeeded in turning him against ma But I was quicl: ly reassured, for when ? entered his presence with palpitating heart and hesitating step he beckoned me to him with a gracious smile, bade a cush ion be placed for me, and proceeded to in qnire iu his most affable tones, and asl thought, with covert glances at Abdallah, who sat close by, about my health and wei fara. ICopyright, 1893, ty John Alexander Steuart! mme, percnance, nangetn Heavy upon thee," he said. "But thou shalt soon have sport enough. Ere the sun go down again we shall be on the march to meet Yumen Yusel and his helper satan. We shall see how thou canst sheathe thy sword in flesh. 'Tis a merry game, and methinks there will be plenty of it going." J And then in the hearing of all he re peated that 1 was to ride by his bridle in the character of physician and personal at tendant, and that I was to be mounted on a favorite mare from his own stable. Ab dallah sat looking on the ground with a clouded brow and compressed lips, but dared not speak a word. The crowd gaped and beamed on me as one basking in the favors of an all powerful prince, though doubtless puzzled hythe change of senti ment that conferred on me my distinctions. [An Arab can confer no more signal honor thau to present a guest wit h a horse of high pedigree. A wife from his harem isasmall thing in comparison.J "Thou wilt find the little Fatima of the purest Kohlani breed," he went on, ad dressing me, "in shape and spirit un equaled outside my royal stables. In her veins is the unadulterated blood of the prophet's own mare. In fleetness as the deer, in courage as the lion, in gentleness as the lamb, in beauty as the gazelle, in in telligence as the serpent, she will be to thee both companion and protector, obeying thy wishes ere thou hast time to express them. She will carry thee bravely to victory or fly with thee swifter than the wind in defeat. She will nurse thee when thou art sick, re joice with thee when thou art glad. She will be thy lover and thy slave. See thou prove worthy of her. And now there is but one thing more; wheu thou seest the sun looking for bis bed in the west, como hither and thou shalt find her ready for thee." He waved his hand to signify the audi ence was at an end, and rising passed into the interior of t he castle. "Verily the great Abou Kuram hath shown thee favor beyond example," re marked Said Achmet as we returned for a little to his home. "I think thou hast thy fair face to thank. The truth of nature will overturn many lies. As for the enter prise on which thou goest it accordcth well with thy adventurous spirit. The scent of danger is to thee as thc scent cf prey to the lion. Thy gladness is shining in thine eyes. I would I could see thee again." "And may I not return to Marabel in tri ampli?" I asked. "Truly thou mayst, but something tells me thou wilt not. It was pleasant to sit with thee over the evening pipe or pluck ing the ripe fruit, hearing thee talk of thy country and adventures. But tho bitter must be with the sweet All things have an end, and that which once was becomes buta dream. The time of parting is at hand, and I shall lie awake on my bed at night thinking of thc stranger who came from afar to cheer me in my solitude." "And the stranger will think of thee with gratitude," I returned. "It is all he has to oller, and thou hast it in full meas ure. Wherever he may go, whatever may be his lot, he will remember thy kindness in the day of his trouble." "It is surely enough," he answered inn low voice that had a quiver in it. "When thou returnest to thy people, tell them that beneath thc burnoose there beat human hearts. Now one last favor I ask of thee: thou art nowa man of influence: I com mend my Tabal to thy care, and the Lord prosper thee." "May my best friend forget me if I for get thy son," I replied, and he thanked me with gushing eyes. Early in the afternoon, in accordance with Abou Knram's orders, Said Achmet. Tabal and myself went to the castle, which presented a scene of frantic commo tion. Au esplanade or parade ground in front was thronged with gaunt, fierce vis aged troops, some on foot, some mounted on horses and some on dromedaries, wheel ing and plunging and rushing to and fro with maniacal yells and brandishing of weapons. On first catching sight of them through a vista of palms and tamarisks I thought that either they bad suddenly gone star.'; mad or tLaC the enemy, following up his successes in the field, had pushed on and captured the castle. It added to my amaze ment when Tabal, seeing what was goin?. on, bolted forward, shouting frantically, as though he, too, were magically bereft of his wits. Having no taste to advance among the flying spears, I was meditating flight when Said Achmet touched me reas suringly on the ann. "It is the Arz?h" [a wardonce perform ed before going to meet an enemy], he said with a smile. "They are getting up the spirit of war. Methinks it will be bad for the enemy." Whatever might be the issue, there was no denying the imposing ferocity of that wild ward an ce. Themen were armed with a variety of queer and uncouth weapons-ancient matchlocks, pistols, spears, swords, javelins and daggers, which flew and flashed pro miscuously as if a company of bedlamites had somehow possessed themselves of half a dozen armories. As soon as we were seen approaching a band of horsemen dashed to meet us, whirl ing thehr swords in the air so furiously that in spite of Said Achmet's assurance that the display was mere sport, I had an un easy suspicion that they were bent on cut ting us down by way of preliminary prac tice. But just at the crucial moment, when their lances were within a few feet of us, they wheeled with inconceivable quickness and dexterity and dashed back the way they came, yelling savagely. Two or three times *his maneuver was repeated, each time wit h a madder dash and a quicker turning, then drawing up suddenly they fnced us, salut ing with a rigid precision that was in strik ing contrast to the wild movements they had just gone through. They had scarcely turned to get back to their original positions when a great shout went up.and Abou Kuram, superbly mount ed on a gay charger, came curveting and prancing on the esplanade with drawn sword. His appearance was the signnl for anotl rmad outbreak of the entire body of troops, horse and foot. Yelling and flourishing and throwing their weapons, they circled about him rather as if he were a captive for whose blood they thirsted than a commander whom they wished to honor, while he rode quietly through the maze, sitting his high spirited horse like one born to the saddle. By and by the tumult died down, and Abott Kuram, still riding about, noticed .Said Achmet and my self. With two or three bounds of his leap ing steed he was beside us. "Here thou art," lie said, smiling down upon me. "It pleaseth me to see thee punc tually, according to thy word. Hast said farewell to thc good Said Achmet, for the time has come to mount and be o?r?" "I nm ready, my lord," I answered. "It is well, for the shadows grow long and the sun is hastening to his bed. Bring the little Fatima," he said, addressing slave. "She waiteth for her master." Accordingly a minute later my little mare, fully caparisoned, was led ambling into the parado ground. Addressing her, the slave made a pretty speech to the effect that she wa going forth to great honor with thc fair faced stranger; that she was to obey bis will, and that she would have her reward in a care that would preserve her from all ill treatment, and that she would have ('ates to eat and sweet water to drink when the perils of the desert were past. Thc intelligent brute whinnied, as if to say she perfectly understood him. Then the bridle rein was formally delivered to me, and sl.e took a step toward me, ns if acquiescing in the change of proprietorship. I stroked ber gently as a token of good will, rubbing her face and speaking encouraging words in her ear after the Arab fashion. Having thus made an agreement, I fastened my green bag carefully to the saddle, em braced Said Achmet and mounted. "Have my words exaggerated her excel I lenee?" asked Abou Kuram eagerly,coming close to me. "Tcsy," i repnea. "my lora nas noe spoken half the truth." "And thou wilt see she is as good as she is beautiful," he said, a prophecy that was fulfilled to the uttern|P.st, as this history will show. Many who have never set eyes on him have been eloquent in the praise of the Arab horse. Poet and painter and roman cer have vied in delineating his matchless excellences, physical and mental. But it is not until you have eaten and slept and fought with him in the desert, on the bat tlefield, beside t he black tent in the green pastures, until you have been his intimate friend and comrade and learned to appreci ate his coolness and courage, his power of endurance and gentleness and intelligence and loyalty that you can know his many high qualities. Yet perhaps only a poet could describe my Fatima, for in her were surely combined the perfection of equine virtue and beauty. Never anything more lovely, more dainty and proud moved on four legs. She was neither big nor heavy, but her muscles were of whalebone and her bones of the finest tempered steel. Her limbs indeed were like wrought metal in the firmness, cleanness and grace of them, and the trunk in exquisiteness of curve and symmetry of parts was such as a sculptor may have dreamed of, but has never matched in bronze or marble. The Bum total of that animate loveliness-the silken bay coat, the softly sloping shoulders, the buoyancy of the curved back, the fiery pride of the arched neck, the full round haunches, the rich sweep of mane and tail, the sharp, daintily poised ears, the broad forehead and tho fine muzzle, and, above all, the spirit of the alert full orbed eye-is beyond the power of any artist save na ture herself, nor does nature take such pains anywhere out of Arabia. When Fatima found mein the saddle, she began to glide through the giddy maze with an ease and fluency of motion that to me was like a foretaste of heaven. I plumed myself on my horsemanship, for one of the few things I learned thoroughly as a boy was to stick on the back of anything that could take a bit between its teeth, and no doubt I had now the conceit to hold up my head as a fit rider for the noblest of steeds. But indeed an old wife could have sat that supple, mincing creature with security, though the upward glance of her eye, with I its intimation of suppressed fire, told that under different conditions she could behave in a totally different manner. I was after ward to prove how her spirit and behavior varied with varying circumstances. Presently the muezzin began to cry plaintively from the minarets, and the soldiers and citizens trooped off to the mosques to pray for pardon and victory, leaving only a few men to look after the beasts. As my company in worship would defile the sacred places of Moslem, I also remained behind. When the worshipers returned from their devotions, tho baggage camels were put into line and examined by the officers, the horses and dromedaries being made ready for their riders while the examination was proceeding. Then came supper, and in honor of the great occasion many sheep were slaughtered and roasted whole over big fires. The hissing carcasses had hardly time to take a brown crust when they were torn asunder and eaten in huge mouthfuls by a ravenous host, who washed down the burning meat with copious drafts of goat's milk. As I did not care to enter the lists in such a contest, I contented myself with a piece of doughy bread, some dates and a cup of coffee. When the meal was over, a characteristic ceremony was enacted. A calf only H few days old was led into the open space and killed with a sword, its blood being made to flow inward toward the castle. The an imal's life extinct, every man who waa to accompany the expedition stepped solemn ly over the body, which was then burned, so that no dog or other unclean beastmiglit eat any part of the flesh. This is supposed to bring good fortune, and an Arab army could not be induced to take t he field with out first observing the sacrificial rite. The calf safely cremated, the men immediately mounted their camels and horses and wheeled into line. Then Abou Kuram, go ing to the front, delivered a short oration on the glory of war and the bravery of his soldiers, which evoked uproarious applause from the flattered. Ero it died away the kettledrums were rattling and the cymbals clashing the ad vance, and amid vociferous cries of "God save Abou Kuram; God give the victory to Abou Kuram," the strangely assorted troops swung slowly into line. The huge serpentine procession wound tediously through the narrow, tortuous streets, in which two camelmen found it hard to march abreast, but its tardy collings were enlivened by the caperings and shoutings of the mob who ran in front of us and hung on our heels and, to their own immediate peril, squeezed and pressed on both sides of us. On the outskirts of the town thc people stopped, finding the pace on the open ground beyond their capacity in running; so they stood there and yelled themselves hoarse with blessings and good wishes, which we acknowledged with resounding cheers. As we deployed into open order for greater ease in marching I caught a last glimpse of Said Achmet, who stood apart, waving with his hands as if to signify he had a double interest in the receding col umn. Both Tabal and myself waved our adieu in return, and from me there went with it a heartfelt benediction. CHAPTER XVn. TIIE MARCH. The details of the march need not be nar rated at length. Our journey lay over Bcarred and blighted ground and across sandy plains and in and out among circu lar sand hills-loose, impermanent heaps, which the winds of the desert twist and curve and fling about in their wanton, lonely sport; desolate heaps that hide the bones of the perished traveler and are for ever moving their formless lips with a silent, stealthy motion to suck in and over whelm the living. No man knows the deep treachery of mother earth till he has wres tled with the noiseless forces of the desert. The pace, however, was brisk, for man and beast were fresh and eager. Indeed it was a perpetual surprise to me how the ani mals made such progress over the elusive path. The camels, swinging at a steady trot, had much the best of it, for when the hard hoof of the horse sinks and slips the elastic spongy foot of the camel spreads like a web, and he passes a3 easily and safe ly over drifting Bands as a snowshoer over smothering wreaths. It was then I* first understood how truly the camel deserves its title of tho ship of the desert, for as ships pass along their liquid way so the camel treads his unstable course over the sandy wastes. Yet the horses, too, had un common lightness and skill in making way where every step forward was a bab! step backward. To the horsemen the first sensation of a desert ride is as if he were poised on springs of ineffable delicacy, which swayed gently on the slightest pressure. Much of this luxurious ease is due to the yielding track, but something also to the springy motion of tho Arab horse. To the saddle nothing whatever is due, since it is merely pieces of the hardest wood roughly nailed and bound with thongs of rawhide. On an English horse and a macadamized road it would re duce a trooper to helplessness in au hour; and indeed with all the suppleness and softness of the true Kohlan Arab saddlery is apt to pain the inexperienced. The Arabs themselves are aware of no discomfort bo saose they are as hard as the wood they bestride. On the first night we marched steadily till set of moon, then halted for food and rest. I could not half admire the quick ness with which the fires were lighted with withered grasses and s?rubs, and the good humored alacrity of the cooks in preparing the meal. To be sure it did not call for any elaborate exercise of art, for tho rations consisted of nothing daintier than coarse flour, salt and dried dates with some pack ages of coffee. The cooks took two or three handfuls of flour apiece, poured water on it from a skin and kneaded it into a dirty dough with dirty hands. It would be pro fano in nn Arab cook to have clean hands, and so he keeps them religiously filthy, I bus giving those who eat his preparations the benefit of many unsuspected ingredi ents. The doush, which was wet perhaps half way to the center, was beaten out into thick cakes, which were laid on the glowing em bers and covered with hot ashes. They were left thus till converted into a sodden, soapy paste, then taken out and eaten as hot as they could be swallowed. I nibbled the edge of one, but finding my teeth stick in it I ate a handful of dates, took a drink of water, and then wrapping ruy. burnoose closf aoom; rac tnrew myseir cu tue "ground fi slept the sweet sleep of the weary. It seemed I had not lain five minu when the kettledrums were beating i reveille. The gray dawn was only beg nins to glimmer, but already the can: men were quarreling with their grunti beasts and our bakers were busy with 1 glutinous compound they called bread. 1 hastily swallowed somo mouthfuls of straight off the burning coals, with a f dates and a drink of musty water apie and were off again. For awhile the air was deliciously ci and refreshing, and the glories of the opi lng day in the lone wilderness as the s broke through his curtain of white m were such as a man beholds with awe a remembers with reverence. But the bl; ing orb soon turned the dewy freshness a sweltering, blistering heat that was ti ing to the nerves and temper of mente ing through shifting sands and conical 1 muli of volcanic slag. Yet no man co plained, only as wo mopped our scream! faces the conversation lagged, and here a there a man gave a low involuntary mot Save such intermittent noises and t dreary, monotonous sift, sift, sift, of a: mais' feet in the sand there was not sound. When the sun mounts in his mig] desert travelers are apt to fall silent. Toward noon, when we had alm< reached the point of utter dissolution,1 gained the crest of a low ridge, whee looking to the northwest we saw wh evoked a cry of gladness from nearly eve throat in tho company. It was an oasis tiny spot of green with a clump of trees the midst, shining like an emerald in broad drab setting. Wo knew there was well there, and Tabal, with the privilege a guide, suggested we should halt and i plenish our water skins. But Abou Kura answered curtly that we were not yet need of water; that tho time for rest hi not come, and that in forced marches m had to think more of speed than of comfoi There was a general look of disappoir ment at this speech, which urged Tabal appeal again and to advance reasons f stopping. "Whep I desire thy counsel, I will t< thee," returned Abou Kuram shortl "Look thou to the way and leave the re tome. And methinks thou hadst bett mend thy pace." After this no man durst speak, and ke< as was the disappointment there was i murmuring-only the men sat a little mo grimly and prodded a little moro vicious with their riding sticks. As we passe many a man turned with yearning eyes the verdurous spot, thinking perhaps 1 should be dead ere another came in sight. If the forenoon bad been hot, the afte noon had an atmosphere of living fire. Y we toiled on, dissolvingaud open mouthe and wondering how long we could stan the burning Janees of the sun. I speak of i he rank and file. As for Abc Kuram, ho seemed to be oblivious of heat < thirst or fatigue. How I envied hie While my mouth was cracking he was cv dently as cool and moist as a ripe pea Koor Ali, who rode beside me, must hai noticed the painful twitching of my lip for looking in my face with an expressic of concern he asked if I was thirsty. "As dry as a baked brick," I croaked. Koor Ali's son, Ahmed, a lad ?ibout rn own age, rodo beside us, and on hearing rn raven voice burst into a fit of laughter. "What art thou laughing nt, Ahmed? demanded Abou Kuram, turning slight] in his saddle. Ahmed pointed to me. "The stranger croaketh with thirst," i said, "ere we are half way over the desert. I tried to explain but failed; my mout was ns a rusty machine that hud not move for n century. "Give him thy water skin, Koor Ali, said Abou Kuram, "lest he faint. It wei ill to die in the desert," he added, smilin at me. 'ibo water was dingy nnd beginning t smell badly, but just then a stagnant poe would have been sweet, and I took a hug gulp. Taking another, I held it in m mouth for a minute, then squirted it oui sending it, ns if by pure accident, over th sprightly Ahmed. "By my faith, I like not to be spat on b an infidel," ho cried, grasping his spear a if to have at me. The laugh was now on my side, though perceived the danger of indulging in it. " 'Twas but an accident," I said apole getically. "Yet it is good and wilUsor thee." I tried to propitiate him by handing hir his father's water skin to drink, but he dh dainfully declined. "Nay. I am not a babe like thee," h said. "Thou shouldst have brought th mother .with thee," and he tossed his bea as if he were safe from the weakness c thirst in a desert land. Three mortal hours of panting toil an dripping sweat bad yet to pass ere Abo' Kuram ordered a halt, and then it was bu to dismount, swallow a mouthful of dr dates and foul lukewarm water and scram ble into the saddle again. Through th broiling afternoon we stewed and gaspei and pushed on, fainting, never drawing reii till sundown, when we stopped for praj ers and the evening meal I had scarcel; eaten when I was asleep on the sand, am my eyes appeared to have just closed whei those abominable drums were beating th order to mount and march again. Word cannot tell how sore and tired I was o how I longed to lie down and be at peace The feeling was as if some one had pomrl ed me limp and nature was slowly stiffen ing up again with the joints all out o place and every muscle and llgamen stretched beyond endurance. But as th< Arabs said nothing of fatigue I would hav< cut my tongue out rather than complain. Five days we panted on through scorch lng sands under a flaming sky, and fivi nights the bright Arabian moon lighted vu on our trackless, hurrying march. By th< third day man and beast were showing de cided signs of exhaustion. Camels fell anc were left to die, sometimes with their bur dens on them. The horses lagged with low heads and protruding tongues, and mer dropped suddenly from their saddles witt strange stertorous noises and lay as sense less as logs. Two went raving mad, one ol them succeeding in killing another and himself ere his comrades could overpowei him. Hollow graves, which the jackal? and hyenas could reopen with a scratch ol the paw, were scooped out for the dead and ?heir camels given to others. The young soldiers shook and looked anxious, for sudden death and unceremo nious burial are disconcerting to juvenile nerves. The old ones clinched their teeth, growling that war and the desert were not for children, and Abou Kuram, self pos sessed, but a trifle grimmer than at start ing, spoke roughly about the delays. So the cavalcade toiled drearily on, yearning so fervently for rest that it forgot glory, yet stolidly enduring tbe harshness of fata But indeed an Arab is a wildcat in vital ity, and more than a wildcat in the capac ity to bear pain uncomplainingly. We pressed silently ahead, counting the beads of sweat as they rolled down and wonder ing how many of us the desert would swal low ere we got a chance of taking it out of the enemy. At last wo left tho sands for alkaline lands scantily clothed with hard, sour grass and'sapless diminutive shrubs, and gradually ascending to a range of moun tains that crossed our line of advance north and south. It was somewhere within those ramparts that we expected to find Amood Sinn and his discomfited army. Being now close upon tho scene of the late battle, we had to exercise double vigilance, for Yumen Yusel would naturally be on the lookout to prevent aid from readhing the man whom he wished to destroy utterly. Near ly all the cooking was done by day, so that there might be no fires at night to indicate our presence and position, and when we lay down to rest the number of sentinels was increased. But we reached tho foothills without molestation and far from sorry that wo were likely to be able to pick our selves together before fighting. As it would bc nt once extremely danger ous, extremely difficult and t edious to take thc whole body of troops t o tho rendezvous appointed by Amood Sinn, Abou Kuram decided to send Koor Ali forward with an escort to ascertain whether it would not be possiblo to effect a junction of the two armies outside the mountains. It wasnear sunset when wo arrived at our halting place, and as soon na the moon rose Koor All and bis lit tlc baud set forth, Tabal still leading. According to the guide we might expect them back at the latest by noon next day. Noon came, however, without bringing them. The afternoon wore slowly on, dark ness fell, prayers were said and supper was eaten, and still no Koor Ali. Abou Kurani was getting impatient. After a forced march across the desert, it .was exasner acing to De Kept waiting ax tnm sedge: "me camp lay down to sleep, moon and stars kept their vigil, morning broke and still no tidings of the absent ones. Abou Kuram strutted sullenly about the camp*, recalling his stock of Arabian oaths. Noon came again, and again sunset, supper and prayers, yet there was no sign of Koor Ali and his escort. I am afraid Abou Kuram went through bis devotions with a preoccupied, inatten tive mind that evening. At any rate the first thing he did after turning his face from Mecca was to pour a flood of objurgations on Amood Siuu, on Koor Ali, on Tabal and all concerned with them. But that did not bring them, and once more the camp lay down to rest. The commander, however, did not lie down. Long after his men were snoring at the sky I watched his dark and solitary figure moving to and fro in angry, uneasy expectancy. "There shall be a reckoning for this," 1 heard him mutter once. "Woe betide the man who causeth this delay." He was still walking about when I fell asleep. I was enjoying a happy dream, when all at once in the black darkness I was roused by the cracklo of firearms and the shrill voices of excited men. "The enemy, the enemy," they shouted as 1 sprang up, rubbing my eyes. "The devil on the black horse with 10,000 demons at his back." And then all along our frort there was a momentary line of leaping fire which showed our scurrying men confused ly trying to get into fighting order. To our great surprise there came no response to our volley, nor could we hear any move men; outside our own lines, though we hearkened with ears that would have beard the stealthy tread of the panther. "The enemy has run," said some one ex ultingly. "Our fire has given bim fleet feet to make off." And just then, as if in answer to this boast, there was the vicious ping of flying lead in the air, and some of our men dropped screaming to the earth. We delivered another volley blindly into tho darkness, then waited for the return fire, but it did not come. Savage at the double disgrace of being fooled and taken unawares, Abou Kuram ordered a sortie, but the party had not gone 20 yards when another shower of bullets fell upon us from the opposite direction. The foe was running round us, peppering us at his will. A second sortie party was in stantly sent ?ut, but like the first it came back without making any discovery. Only some said they bail seen a terrible appari tion on a bjack horse of gigantic size, and that steed and rider breathed blue flame. So the army stood there, nervously han dling its matchlocks and supplicating the projection of the prophet. The prophet was evident ly gracious, for there were no more of those ugly surprises that night. The foe, content with a moderate amount of fun, had gone off to chuckle over his success and get np his courage for a big fight. Abou Kuram knew it was coming. He knew, too, that the enemy, flushed with success, would be exceedingly tough to deal with, and the knowledge incensed him afresh against his ally for being so dil Koor All and his little band were at last spied cmcrglntj from a defile. atory. But intelligence was at hand. Just as the morning star was fading out of sight Koor Ali and his little band were at last spied emerging from a defile in the moun tains. Abou Kuram watched them with never a word, but his face was set, and in his heart were the elements of a fearful explosion. % As Koor Ali approached we saw that he was accompanied by a stranger of rank, whom we judged to be an emissary from Amood Sinn. At sight of him Abou Ku ram became sterner than ever. "Behold, now we shall have a 'east of words," he said to me, "and we shall be talking idly when we ought to be driving YumeD Yusel to destruction." When at length the company drew up, he received their salute coldly and listened with a mixture of scorn and haughty im patience to the florid speech which 'the en voy hastened to make. Tho many expres sions of personal good will with which the oration was interlarded he acknowledged stiffly; indeed thc responses were so unwill ingly made one with half an eye could have seen it would befar more congenial to him to draw his sword and fall furiously on this man of smiling faco and fine words than to stand and listen. Koor All, per ceiving the temper of his chief, aud well knowing what it meant, advanced with the object of making his report, and so cut short the palavering. But he had not utter ed a dozen words when Mohammed ben El dad Hassum (such was the stranger's im posing name) interrupted him. "Peradventure. I may be permitted to say to my lord's brother," said the envoy, beam lng upon Abou Kurara with a feline soft ness and craftiness of expressiou, "that as to thc delay which hath occurred the good and gallant Koor Ali and his followers, who showed the courage of lions in coming to us, are in nowise to bl?ma." "My lord ought not to trouble himself with such small matters," returned Abou Kuram, with the slightest of bows and the faintest of smiles. "They become not his rank. Besides he is weary and ncedeth rest." "I am indeed weary," responded Ben El dad with unruffled urbanity. "And it is because of that I would speak In behalf of Koor Ali, for may I never have the holy joy of sitting in the prophet's presence if he hath not driven us as if we were things of iron und steel and not men of simple flesh and blood." "It is not proper that my lord should thus add to his weariness," interrupted Abou Kuram. "Let him withdraw to my tent and have his feet washed by his serv ant's slaves and food set before bim and take the rest of which he is so much in need. Koor Ali will himself tell his story," and with an imperative manner that was not to be resisted he led Mohammed ben El dad Hassam to the retirement of the tent In a minute he was back again. "Now," he said to Koor Ali, drawing himself up with soldierly sternness, "we will hear what thou hast to say. Where fore didst thou tarry so long, and what tid ings hast thou brought?" Koor Ali gave his story briefly and clear ly. To begin with, he said, they did not find Amood Linn at the place appointed, an excursion of thc man on the black horse and his marauders havingdriven him deeper into the mountains. This change of situa tion involved an arduous search of 48 hours, nnd when at last Amood Sinn was found he was skulking among the rocks as if he were a f^x, with his army scattered he knew not whither. "His heart was as the dust under his feet," pursued Koor Ali,"and he railed up on the evil spirit on the black horse who bad come to destroy him. 1 asked him if he intended to let, Yumen Yusel harry his kingdom and carry away his horses, hin camels, his wives and his little ones, and be answered, 'If it is the will of God.' 'Nay,' I replied, 'that is but the voice of a craven fear. We are come hither to help thee with a great host, and are wo to go back because thou liest among the rocks afraid to come forth and give the enemy battle?' Where upon there were .shame and confusion ou his countenance, and he arose and said that of a surely they would fight. 'But how shall I prevail on my men,1 he asked, 'for they think these ere evil spirits leagued against them?' 'Gather them unto one place,' said I unto him, aud he sent out messengers and gathered them into one place-a great hollow in the midst of the mountains. 'Speak nui? them,' 1 said. 'Nay, it will bo better .1 thou speak unto them,' he answered, 'for they no longer heed nur wards.' UE CONTINUED.] Subscribe te the Edgefie? AD VERTISER. ? ] When you 1 want neat, clean, and < stylish, Job Work done call j at the ! Advertiser i Job Office. i Satisfaction always guaranteed Give us a trial order. c f c \ I c t 6 ? 1: t a V r o a d y h i: 8 1. ? Is It? I That the most successful busi I ness men are the strongest I believers in Life Insurance ? 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