Newspaper Page Text
By JOHN A. STEUART. [Copyright, 1803, by John Alexander Steuart^ smau Ebings ave momentous in decisive moments, and sometimes weakness is i al vation. As the quivering grasp relaxed I gradually sank lower and lower, till kali my length trailed on the ground. Two or three more little slips and my en emies could work their will. Thedarknes ; and dizziness ol death were already npo:'. me when my knee strack some protuber ance so that with the mighty speed I bounded like a kill. It pave me my op portunity. Finding myself well in the air, I concentrated all my strength, drawing fiercely with the left hand. The las mus cles turned to steel in the moment of su preme need. 1 rose on that terrille pull. Then quicker th:m thought the girth was let go and tho right hand shot across tho saddle. The hooked fingers caught som> thing, and the next moment, wriggling and nearly blind from excitement and exhaus tion. I lay half across the horse's back. Then, with such an effort asa man makes for his life, I wriggled farther lip, and be fore I knew it was in the saddle and reach ing for the rein. As I got it a yell of rage went up close behind, and another spca**, less true in aim than the first, whizzed past and buried itself in the sand. For tho next five minutes I flew ki in stant expectation of death. Crouch! ig with the long spurs deep ia my horse's sid .-s. and my heart afraid to boat, I pelted on. lt was bound for bound of pursued and pur suers, a race as of hounds pam h:g the heels of a stap that just managed to keep a tongue's length in front. Cat woe betide the quarry in cast- <.? mishap or mistake! Had anything gone wrong with me, had my girth broken or my horse stumbled or slipped or slackened pace for so muchas the tenth part of a second, my blood had been poured out on the desert. Whither I was going, or whether there were many or few about, I could not tell. I saw nothing but a jumbled, feverish vision of the low craned head of the horse, a flying mane and a pair of reaching fore feet that never seemed to touch the ground, but in my ears was a noise that told me death was riding hard at my back. The spume flakes flew up from my horse's mouth, wetting my face, and I could feel the increasing heave of his flanks. Now and then, too, I had a glimpse of a red eye and a nostril like "a pit full of blood." It was sheer cruelty to goad him on. But wurt were considerations of cruelty to one w* .h three fiends stretching within three Tar's for his life? I was cruel as cruel could b ., plying the lout: sharp spurs as fast and 03 hard as heel could drive them, in spite of the groanings and shakings of my victim. So great was the strain of terror that it may well be imagined no fresh alarm could affect me. Vet when a vicious cry went up, as it appeared, at my very ear, betoken ing as I fancied the triumph of lise Bedou ins, I shut my e yes with a creeping, shud dering horror that made mo give a little scream. I rode in darkness for what seemed an endless time, momentarily expecting the thrust of cold steel in the small of tho back. As it did not cumc I ventured to open my eyes, but nothing could have induced me to look behind. It was now high noon and the sun aa in candescent globs-- overhead. There may have been clouds in the sky, but assuredly there was neither shadow nor breath of moving air on the earth. I stewed in my soaked clothes as if dis! '.? lng over a slow fire ?ind gasped and wheezed like an ast h matic shut up ia aa oven, for thequivr ing, simmering heat not only broiled the body, but was as a stinging acid in the eyes and nostrils and as burning fumss in the lungs. All at onco there came a sharp puff of wind, not sweet and refreshing, hut charged with more poisons than ever chemist cLwamed of. Looking upward 11 aw a great glare in the sky, as it were the reflection of some vast conflagration, and even as I looked the glare swiftly deepened, till it appeared the heavens themselves were ja fire. Then the fiery redness was suddenly overcast, and a dull, coppery hue took its place, this yielding in turn, and ven-quick ly, to a deep purple, and that again to an ominous black. All the while tho wind came in spurts of even greater force and longer duration. I was wondering what all this might mean, when there burst upon my ear a great, prolonged roar, as of a mighty flood lashed to fury, and turning to the right hand quarter I saw a portentous black cloud rushing toward me with in conceivable velocity. The look showed me, too, that I was riding alone. The Bedouins had abandoned the chase and were now tearing off in auothe-r din . a ak get h er. I had not taken in the situation when I was enveloped in darkness and gasping as if a bottlo of volatile salts had been pressed tomynrse. At the same time the wind nearly tore me from my S( at, an 1 th >ugh I could see nothing I felt that my horse had turned tail to the blast and was drifting like a ship in a gale or cattle ia a driving highland snowstorm. I hugged his neck, and my mantle liew over my head. Well for me it did, for this was the dreaded simoon before which all Arabia falls down and covers its face as close as cloth Will roll. I lay unable to breathe a:.d ia e x quisite torture, my horse scuddling before tho tempest. Ile stumbled often and would have lain down but that I kept the 6purs to him. Had he had Lis will, in less than half a minute we should both have been buried beneath a wreath of sand to lie there until the winds ct me again to un earth our bleaching skele; ns. The storm passed on li ito a solid wall, and as if by magic the atmosphere cleared, though I could still see the black line of the whirlwind far ahead. I looked eagerly about for company, but found myself com pletely aloue. No Bedouins in pursuit, no Bedouins in sight, nor indeed any living thing. The simooa had given me my life, but it left me desolate. Dismounting and looping the bridle over my arm, I walked a little bit, shaking loads of sand tar.m the folds of my dress. My right leg, however, was so sore aad stiff that I was soon compelled tosit down, though it was a long time before I had any heart for surgery. When tit length I got sufficient command of my nerves to ex amine the wound, I found myself with aa ugly gash ia the right thigh, from the depths of which blood si ?fl oo;:ed. The clotted outer edges were fast hardening and stiffening so that the pain grew cruelly intense. Perhaps it was because attention was directed to my hurt that it became all at once so sensitive, but the smallest move ment now cat:-vd a pang that cut the breath like a stab. Besides, I was in a raging fever of thirst. A water skin dan gled from my raddle bovr, and I reached for it in hope of relief. It waa already crack ing aad shriveling ia the furnacelike heat, but there was a chance that some of the precious conteats might still remain. Now that tho idea of it came to mo my whole being called out vehemently for a mouth ful of water as the sole hope of life. Noth lng else could save me. Eagerly pushing the dented sides of the skin apart, I looked in. The dazzled eyes saw only a vacant blackness. Merciful heaven, it could not be that the skin .vas empty. I peered deeper and deeper. My vision must be at fault, for if I did not ?ree water I certainly smelled it. Thrusting ir. my hand I brought oat a ha, id ful of mud, the refuse of some well trampled foul ness by struggling, peri.-hing mea and beasts. The skin dropped from my nerve less fingers, and the cozy sediment came dribbling out. Before I knew v. hat 1 was about I was sucking it for dear ike, but it stank so poisonously that I bad to spit it out immediately. Yet moisture of Gny - ?rt was too precious to be wasted, so I empt ie 1 the trickling inireupon my baking wound, rubbing it in with my finger as a smi : rubs his tar into tho divided f?cese ?fe sheep. I cannot say that the applic ia the least assuaged the pain. Aud the disap pointment of finding thu skin ( '; an added poignancy to the t inflamed throat and lip;. Ohl f ra '. drop, just one drop of clear, i tm 'tc ease that fiery torture. Worldsi would I hav ?ivenfi r so : tu ? lirj lies on the x."Lid of a d (sj at daw im? worlds upon worlds could a >t have pur chased it there. I bandaged tho wound-that is to say, 1 bound it roughly with a ra : I ?rn from my long Arab shirt. But what mattered it whether it waa attended to or not? Why defer paying a debt that is exacted of ali Eleni' would it nofUe bist to "let deaUi distrain at once, aud have done with "this fever called living?" Utterly worn otu with fatigue and fright and excitement, I was tired of being the sport of destiny. To think of triumphing over her was a fool's thought. No niau Jual done it. Xo man would or could doit. Why should 1 pro long u bootless strife? The cry of the sick heart was t he cry of the ancient Celt: "How evil was the lot allotted to Llywarch the night when he was brought forth! Sor rows without cud and no deliverance from his burden." . No deliverance from his burden! That was the sentence of old; it was the sentence still. A galling struggle tragically relieved by momentary illusions of hope and happi ness, endless humiliations, crushing defeat and at hist inevitable death. Yet it was hard to die: hard to think calmly of our*-? own bones being picked by those vultures which were already hovering above me bi anticipation of a corpse to feed on. I was not yet philosopher enough for that. Crouching on the sand, my head sank deep between my knees in an agony of despair. The sun beat down as if the heav ens were a vault of fire, and millions of quivering arrows seemed to dart along my spine. It was rapidly driving me crazy. I was going mad with the consciousness-of the calamity full upon me. Merciful God, I was to die a raving maniac in thc burn* fag wilderness! The thought thrilled for an instant in the brain, making me shiver as with a sudden chill, and then came a strange calm. That at least could he pre vented. Drawing my sword, 1 felt its edge, thinking of .Saul and his armor bearer. The blade was of Puni asens steel and as keen as a razer. A moment's courage and all would be over; so sharp an instrument could cause little pain, nothing to what I was already suffering. . I learned then that a man may take his own life smiling. I turned the edge in ward towan" the throat, glad that I had found such easy means of escape. A mo ment's courage, I kept saying to myself no more; then everlasting relief. The edge touched the bare skin, and I leaped to my feet screamL g with unutterable horror. Xo, no, I could not do that; the canon of the Almighty was clean against self slaughter. Shaking like a leaf in the gale, I fell prostrate on my face.and prayed for strengt h and pardon. CHAPTER XXL DESPAIR AND HOPE. Getting back to my crouching posture, 1 threw my mantle over my head as a kind of a screen, but while it mitigated tbe blaze of the sun it smothered me. Casting it off, I rose, still trembling violently, and looked about vaguely, I think, expecting aid. Xot a living ching was in sight or sound. II limittibly to every point spread the gray waste of burningsand, hot as the marl that scorched the feet of satan in his defiant and impious journey. Above was a ball of living lire, below an arid, lifeless plain radiating a blinding, choking heat like an infinite limekiln, naught else to be seen save far away to the v est dim, pale peaks that might be the thin veil of dissolving clouds. I tried to walk by way of diversion, but reeled and staggered so that I was fain to sit down again. Perceiving that my horse now cast a shadow, I crept into it, and huddled there with drooping bead and an aching heart, thought bitterly of what might have been but for my own pervers At that mc mer'', the heather about Kil gour was in full bloom, making the aira distilled essence of honey,and the bees, wi;ii the drowsy song that had so often beena soothing melody in my ears, were thriftily preparing for whiter, and shep herds were whistling and calling from crag tops, their voici s blending in a faroff mu sic with thc barking of dogs and the bleat ing of sheep, and sparkling streams were leaping down green and purple hillsides, and overall was a soft blue sky with masses of cool white clouds. How vividly it all rose before the eye of imagination! Many and many a time in the languorous summer days I have lav< ! my bare limbs in those pellucid waters ?nd watched the flashing of silvery fia jual scale as the trout darted under hank or stone, and lain on my back in some shady place looking up at snowy fleets, touch'd with pink and rose, sailing on an inverted ocean. And to think of all that now! It was as the vision of Dives when, raising his eyes from his place of torment, he be held the felicity of Lazarus. Peace brooded like a guardian spirit over Kilgour and The Elms, amid their quiet encircling hills, and the affectionate souls lhere were the blither because they thought I was happy and prosperous. Would no sympathetic spirit tell them of my condition:-' Put their igno rance was patt of my punishment. 1 had once been in paradise, too, aud fell by rebel lion. As we mal;.: our beds, so must we lie. In the midst of my dream I remembered that my pipes and some other things I cher ish) d were with Tabal and my mare. Hut luckily all the relics of past happiness were not lost.- Undoing the folds of my dress, I drew forth my mother's Bible, and with it the two white roses (now sadly withered and crushed) that Isabel had given me. The roses I put carefully back with as tender a caress as if they were sentient beings capable of feeling affection. When I should have ceased from trou bling, they would bc found nest my heart, evidence of at hast one faith kept to the bit ter end; and, who knew, some good angel might whistler to Isabel in a dream that far oil and in his last dire extremity some body's thoughts had gone forth to her. And sometimes in the pensive gloaming, when the mind roams, she might think, in spite of the grandeur and happiness that were sure to be her lot, of one whose lonely grave she could never kuow, and whose love was r.o more than a guess to her. Pu; ile and boyish, yet strangely comforting reflections. The Bible I opened at random and, lo! there lav before mc thc woudrous story of Job: And r.ow my sou! is poured out upon rae; tlie days of affliction havo taken Lohl upon mc. So my dim eyes read. But I knew the moving drama hy heart; long ago amid happy domes;ie scenes it had been learned by my mother's side. Andi thrilled eeri ly at the thought that it was iu this scorched land where I was now lying, un der these very skies that were burning my life out, that Job had groaned in bitterness of spirit. All mankind are one in dh'tress, the Jew and the Gentile, thc civilized and the bar barian. Immediately there was established a mystic brotherhood between me and the man cf Uz. Uncounted ages had rolled by sinco Le had suffered. In thc interval things of vast and vital moment had come and goneand been forgotten, but thc trage dy cf the race went o:i. Willi a trifling outward difference, a mere matter of time and circumstance, Joh'.s casu wai; mine. Well, bis tUIIictlons were over lona ago; mine also would si xi ( ad, And sn, moral izing and turning the leaves, I came to the gracious promise: There shall i o a tabernacle f ir a shadow in the daytime Crom i !: J heat and for a place of reface and fur ?-. covert from storm aad ruin. And again: Then sholl tho lame mon leay a ian hart and the t ;n?;uo ol' the dumb Bing, for tn tho wilder ness shall waters brea!: out and btrcaroj iu ?M desert. And yet again: When thou passest through the wi.tta?, I will I e with tl co, an i thron jh the rive a cw Ehcll not overflow thee. When thou wa?liaifl through tho fire, thoa shalt not be burn :ch: wi ther shall tho Kaine Undid U:"JU thee. And once more: The Lord will he a refuge ia tirae c f 1 rGjn'tfji, IIo shall call upon rae, and I will .i-ir-njtr hiia. I will bu willi him in trouble, I n .',<!i, liver him and li luorhim. I will not lea rd-tilt nor forsake thee. It was surely enough. A prajti; ii doubting heart, and courage, .-ven m>v\ Tho courage was urgently needed i*tl sorely tried not less by pay-ital thtlitt !?/ mental iiK Every inch of my body nw*ifc burning acli'.v My wound pained moisjOM? andmore. My head throbbed I ike'* flaunt boiler, and lips and tongue wc e as ii fbt7e.ll and laid on smoldering as bes. ll<fi v, much as thc remnant of a spittle wai I-:.' to moisten them. 1 op? ned n? y monti*, r.i.?i a in: ii of blistering air went doWU ti] 11 : it, scorching my lungs to theur agett. I eli -I it, and the dry lb ?h cracked sjtac.j. the blood spurted out. Let thc maa wlj'i wi ul : feed fathisrovengc i ive hi? eMCtiw Eent out and baked alive under un Aita* ! ?un sun in thc full blaze. Tl . ?nquiOitte never invented a torture hail ?<> crnrfc? that slow process of broiling by th? fiSfr* mitigablo heavens. .My poor horse was like? i. e in a far gfl8| conditiou. The /cam was 1.? fd ba? about his mouin una 11?: uk s, Iiis nostrils were wide, dry und fiery, Lis head hung and his black swollen tongue protruded. Yet he remained us steady us a rock, sheltering me In his shadow. At intervals he turned and looked at me, aud once Le whinnied softly as if out of pure pity and comrade ship. By and by there came a change. The fluming sky was overcast, the shimmering sand turned gray, and after awhile dark clouds began to gather in the south. Then a tepid, relaxing wind blew from the same, quarter, bringing an ?lectric sultriness in place of the white heat. After a little the wind ceased and a dead calm fell. The atmosphere seemed to have suddenly grown solid aud to be weighing upon the world likcacauopy of molten lead. Breath ing hud been a difficulty before-it was a positive pain JO\V. My horse grew restive, snorting, pawing thc ground and sniffing at the far darkness, now fast spreading and deepening. All ut once out of the deathly stillness came a little blast of wind that tossed the sand spitefully in my face and passed on with a weird, uncanny wail. Another and another followed with a low, hopeless moan as of incurable sorrow, then silence again so deep that to my beating senses it was audible. It was as if a great, invisible host were treading the loose earth and fill ing the air, an endless procession passing on into the inane. And let me tell you that the awesome sound of unshod silence is a thing to make the hair rise on the head and the flesh creep on the bones. I spoke to my horse for the suke of company, and my words were ghostly gibber. I was star tled at the sound of my own voice. The darkness was soon an inky blackness. The sullen beavens were descending, and impenetrable clouds were marshaling in forbidding ramparts along the skyline ol the south. Then a lambent fire began tc flicker about the outer edges of the dense masses, and presently there was borne tc my ears thc long roll of incipient thunder. A few minutes later big drops of rain be gan to patter on the sand, sending up vol umes of dusty ?steam. I got to my feet with joy unspeakable. Praise be to heaven, my cry for help had been heard and answered! I was saved, saved from the vultures and the heaping sands. Man is an insignificant atom in the scale of the universe, yet easily believes himself the object of a special providence. Here were the streams of water in the des ert pent for me and for me alone. I wept with awe and gratitude. The rain came thicker and faster, first a shower and then a deluge. The sun was eclipsed, and the dome overhead seemed to be cracking and rending as at the blast of the last trump. And indeed to me it was little less than a resurrection. Here was water, and water was life. The thunder roared ever nearer and louder till worlds of wrecked matter seemed to be crashing over my head. My ears were stunned by the exploding bolts, and on my face I felt the hot smack of the forked lightning that made the wilderness as asea of fire. But through it all the beneficent rain came down in sheets, drenching me not merely to the skin but to the very marrow. With! upturned face and open mouth I slaked my, baking throat, and as I drank, with ten' times the greediness of the fevered drunk ard, I could see my horse with hl? nozzle turned to the pouring skies, as if he, too, were having u saving druft. Fur into ihe night the storm boomed und poured. While it lasted I lay stretched full length on the soaking sands, slowly turning over and over so that the blessed flood might enter at every pore. It was impossible to have too much of that heav en's gift, and I would not miss a dropof it. Xor, while reveling in the shower bath, did I forget to lill my wiiterskin against future needs. Xow and again I had glimpses of crouch ing forms, with eyes that matched the lightning, ready to pounce upon me. but. somehow they never came to the spring. In the air, too, were wheeling things that would swoop down and then dart oil with a cry of disappointment at finding the expected corpse a living mau. In the early morning the storm died away, und the stars came out in a crystal line, dewy azure that as the. cool blue bosom of a summer lake. Xot daring to sleep, I lay and looked up at them, meditat ing at the marvels they must have seen in the course of the countless ages. But though my thoughts were serious enough (and with good reason) they had not the gloom of the night before. I had leisure to ponder many things be sides the stars-such as the strange fare that had led me hither, thc perils and hard ships that were past, those that might still ne to come, the late of my late companions and my own present condition. But as you may imagine the subject that was upper most in my mind was the miraculous meet ing willi Donald Gordou, for I was con vinced that the man on the black horse was none other than he. "What in the name of all the wouders had brought him to this strange quarter of the globe, and how came he to be lighting for Yumen Yusel? These were questions I could not answer; perhaps I did not try very hard to answer them, for I was oc cupiid with the cardinal fact that beyond all doubt Donald was in Arabia, that I had seen him face to face, had even spoken to him and got a hurried glance in reply. But for the sudden mishaps of war I would have declared myself to him, and he would have become my friend and protector. In thc most unexpected way my mission came near a happy accomplishment, yet, exas perating to think, had failed as utterly as if we had been as wide apart as the pole3. The total failure ou the verge of so dram atic a success was another cruel stroke of that malicious fortune that pursued me so relentlessly. But with a spark of the fire that I had thought dead I told myself that I would not be conquered. Donald Gordon was in Arabia, and 1 would find him-nay, more, would carry him triumphantly back to Scotland and his friends. As this bold, high project stirred me I had a vision of two sun em browned men in strange, outlandish garb arriving in the gloaming at The Elms, and of Isabel, after a moment's mistrust, rush ing to greet and embrace them. The delec table imagination inspired me with such heart and energy that I must have expand ed inches on the strength of it. The morning broke sweetly over the waste with a rosy flush, and a sapphire ra diance, and a balm that was as a precious cordial to mind and body. The saud spar T7ic next minute Tubal and I were hug ainu <t"d embracing, kled and gleamed like the sea, and the dis tant mountains stood out a definite blue black line against the pellucid western horizon. Revived to a fresh interest in life, I began to consider the means of escape from this wilderness, and so, having dressed my wound with wet rags, I climbed, not with out difficulty, into tlie saddle. The question was which way to turn. Eastward, north ward, southward, the unbroken expanse nf sand stretched till it melted into liquid blue spaces on the rim of tlie desert. To thc west alone did there appear to be any prospect of succor, RO turning my horse's head to the mountains we started on our trackless path. For hours we plodded on through billowy ridges, my horse sometimes sinking over thc fetlocks, sometimes treading firmly on the -crust und always going just as he pleased, for lie had done well enough to de serv?; a little license. It soon got very Hot again, i?nd my steaming clothes sug gested a portable vapor bath aimlessly adrift in a di cary region of sand. The steam kept it moist, though it failed to keep me cool; what was more, it did much to soothe the throbbing pulses of my wound, which, in spite of the night's soaking aud baking, had still a sharp, shooting pain if I chanced to move unwarily. But tho excruciating Stiffness that had made my leg useless on dismounting after the hunt was cone. . xacre was no sign ot nie ao??o save nere and there a fugitive jackal or hyena run ning with ils ?ead down and its tail clapped tight between its legs, or overhead a hawk or vulture sharply outlined against the sky. I judge these gentry must have hada royal feast-indeed that it would be many days ere their gorging would be ended-and I shuddered to think of the ravening that went on among the slain on the field of bat tle. It must have been near noon when I was again broiling in the glow of the vertical sun that I gave a start on descrying the tiniest black dot on the ashy waste far to southwest. It was impossible to say whether it was dead or alive, a rock, a man or a beast, but any diversion was wel come, and I made In its direction, quicken ing my pace. I had not gone far when I guessed it to be a horseman crawling toward the mountains. Putting my horse to a canter, I drew rapidly near the stran ger, but for awhile he held on his way, either as if he did not see me or were too far spent and too indifferent to deviate in his course. But at length he halted ab ruptly, then after a moment's examination came galloping to meet me. My heart beat quick with both fear and gladness. If this were a Bedouin, our meeting would be a tilt for life, and I was but ill prepared for bat tle, but if he should prove a friend-oh, joy of joys, it made me giddy to think of the bare possibility. On I galloped and on he galloped. I saw him whirling his lance, and almost uncon sciously I waved my ?wo .^tuni. Then, shouting at the pilch uf i. s voice, he put his horse to the charge. That rathei startled me, ar.d I was in two minds about turning and making off with all possible speed, but in the critical moment, when my courage had all but ebbed, I recognized a familiar face. Then I, too, shouted wild ly and my horse bounded as the spurs went into his sides. The next minute Tabal and I were hugging and embraciug like long separated brothers, both of us having leaped to the ground in order to get the closer grip. You "may lie sure we hail each a multi tude of questions to ask and answer, but before I would hear anything of Tabal's adventures since our pnrting I insisted on looking to his injury. It was bad, he said, but not deadly. Baring bis left shoulder very carefully, I found a shattered gunshot wound that gave the flesh a torn und bro ken appearance different altogether from the clean cut 1 had got. I dressed it as gently and us well as was possible with the means at my disposal, a service for which poor Tabal was infinitely grateful. "We are of different nations and reli gions, yet surely we are not strangers," he said, embracing me again. "Had I seen thee now for the first time I would have driven this lance through thee. But hence forth it will be turned against him who seeks thy hurt. Tuba!, the son of Achim t, swears it." And lie look the oath in the most solemn manner known to his race. That done, he played the surgeon to me. "Thou art lucky," exclaimed Tubal, with professional prde, when I was stripped. "By my faith, the mau who gave thee this hurt knew not his busiuaw, or thou might est cast away thy leg forever. Methinks if I had my weapon upou lum as he hail bis upou thee he would now he food for the kites and hyenas." "Ile was clumsy, Tabal," 1 said. "Clumsy," ivpeatid Tabal scornfully. "Nay, it does not half express his want of skill. Having gut hin lance upon thee, he should have ki Med thee a? dead as a roast ed kid. 1 hold the fellow in contempt.'' "Because, my ?oed friend, he did not make an end ol' one whom thou hast sworn to cherish and protect?" "Nay, nay," answered Tabal quickly, seeing whither his soldierly zeal had led him. "1 meant not that. Praise be to heaven thou art alive. 1 meant that he knew not how to drive his spear. See," and he made u thrust with his own to show how thc thing ought to be done. "Me thinks that is the way to put an enemy iuto the dust. But thou art protected of God," he added reverently, "and it m?keth me glad to be with thee. Verily I am thy servant to do as it pleaseth thee to bid me. And praise bo to God und the holy pro phet that we are not now having our bones gnawed by wild beasts. Saw you ever such a slaughter as that was? Truly 1 think the man on the black horse is none other than satan himself." For a moment I wavered whether or not I should enlighten him. Then I said very quietly, "The man cn the black horse is as much satan as thou art, my good Tabal. Listen and I will tell thee a tale," and I told him of my search for Donald Gordon and thc meeting in the battle. He listened with wide eyes and gaping mouth, thinking, I suspect, that suffering had turned my brain. "Thou art telling me one of the tales of thc magicians," he said, with something of awe in his voice and manner. "This pass eth all belief." " 'Tis us true as the Koran, Tabal," I an swered. "Look you here, before thou art many weeks older thou shult be us a brother to this dread warrior on the bluck horse." "Nay. Heaven forbid," exclaimed Tabal fervently. "I would not forego my chances of paradise for all the favors satan can be stow." His horror was so comical that I burst out laughing. Ordinarily I might have answered with my life for such au insult, such an outrage on his m^st sacred feel ings. But happily Tabal was in a mood to forgive much because he loved much. "I will put cool water on thy hurt," he said as tenderly as if he were treating an ailing and fractious child, "and on thy head, too, for the sun hath made it hot. Then when thou art refreshed we will talk of our adventures since the flight and the simoon parted us." He had his way, and indeed it was ex ceedingly refreshing to be bathed, for I was still more than a trifle feverish. But more soothing and invigorating than the water were the brotherly gentleness and compas sion of Tabal, who seemed to make himself responsible for my safety and comfort. When we came to recount our experi ences since parting I learned that ho had passed the night like myself, alone. Like me, he had thought himself doomed, had been saved by the rain and was looking for human succor when I spied him. We went through our perils again as old soldiers re light their battles and embraced at the conclusion in pure exuberance of joy at be ing together once more. Not the least happy circumstance of our meeting was that I ^got buck my little Fatima and the precious blue bag with Duncan's pipes. To Tabal the bag was an object of such intense curiosity that I had to produce the pipes and give him a lilt. It scarcely ravished him, and it frightened the horses, so the pipes were put away that I might take formal possession of my mare. Before parting with her, however, Tabal must needs make as fine a speech to her as ever gallant of the old school made to his mistress, dwelling with rapturous phraso on her beauty, her fleetness, her docility, her intelligence and her dauntless spirit in time of trouble, to all of which 1 heartily said "Amen." Fortunately Tabal had some dates-they were really what were left of my own-and when the ceremonious address to Fatima was over wc squatted on the sand and ate a few. Wc dared not venture to eat many, for the store was small, and it was ex tremely doubtful when it could be replen ished. To make up for the shortness of ra tions, we had a double pull at the water skins, and the cooling draft was Bweeter than the choicest vintage of France. It was again very hot. Indeed after the rain the heat seemed intenser than ever. The pungent streams were trickling into our eyes and mouths and coursing down our backs and arms and legs as if we were patent self moisteners that worked the better the greater the draft. Self mois teners wo were with a vengeauce, but the moisturo could not possibly last long. I looked at the thin, brown visag?*of Tabal, .feeling that he must soon be converted to pemmican, and I, too, wm' swiftly under foing the same process of desiccation. A ittlo while and there would not bo a drop of liquid in our bodies. The rute ut which we were dissolving to ?iard fiber made it desirable to get out of he glare of tue sand us quickly as might be. Tubal aureed with me that our best hope lay in thc hills to the west, and we utcordiugly made in their direction. If nothing betf r, their rocks and chasms would ut least alford us shelter from the nltiloss sun. nu CONTINUED.] An elegant lino of furniture al ays on hand anti for salo at. hoi loin figures nt Ramsey ? Bland'?. Pimples, Blotches and Old Sores E?I PRICKLY ASH, POKE ROOT ~-... , . -m AND POTASSIUM GgtajTn. Walang -g and Kidney Troubles ^ Makes Marvelous Cures ?z???"lTTrT*Lr*:": -~W in Blood Poison Rheumatism and Scrofula <2S>-^ P. P. P. purifies tho blood, builds up rffjth- - tho weak and debilitated, Rives ~**T strength to weakened norves, expels da^1 ' diseasos.glvlnjr tho patient health nnd - happiness where sickness, Bloomy feelings and lassitude tlrst prevailed. <?2>-' ? ! I ll ll g~^m- For primary,socondnry and tortlnry ^LT_ syphilis, for blood poisonir.fr, mercu rial poison, malaria, dyspepsia, and rr*~r~- in all blood and skin diseases, Uko -jBL blotches, pimples, old chronic ulcers, gj?^ * tetter, scald lie..a, boilA, erysipelas, . eczema-we may say, without fear of contradiction,that P. P. P. is thebesC <??>-. blood purifier in the world,and makes A->w - positive, speedy and permanent cures O*5""T" In all cases. ?>- - ' " Ladles whose syetems are poisoned E^"T- and whoso blood is in an impure condl fvpr. tion, due to menstrnal irregularities, *^T^ aro peculiarly benefited by tho won? b2P*~-' derful tonic and blood cleansing prop ?B^- ertlesof P. P. P.-Prickly Ash, Poke Root and Potassium. ?3>- ? SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Aug. 14th, 1893. ~??Z -I can speak in the highest terms of t?aJ^ your medicine from my own personal f j?, knowledge. I was affected with heart disease, pleurisy and rheumatism for . 35 years, was treated by tho very best Physicians ana spent hundreds of dol lars, tried every known remedy with out lindi ng relief. I have only takea ono bottle of your P. P. P., and can cheerfully say lt has done mo moro good than any tb lng I have ever taken. I can recommend your medicino to all sufforers of the above diseases. MRS. M. M. YE ART. Springfield, Grcon County, Mo. ?5> CSP-. -Prickly Ash. Poke Root and Potas sium, the greatest blood purifier on earth. ABERDEEN. 0.. July 21,189L. MESSES. LIPPMAN BROS., Savannah, Ga. : DEAR SIRS-I bought a bottle of ?'our P.P. P. at Hot Springs.Ark.,and t bas done me more good than three months' treatment at the Hot Springs. Rend three bottles C. O. D. Respectfully yonra JAS. M. NEWTON, Aberdeen, Brown County, 0. Capt. J. JD*. Johnston. To all whom il may concern : I here by testify to the wonderful properties of P. P. P. for eruptions of the skin. I sufferod for severai years with an un sightly and disagreeable eruption OB my face. I tried every known reme dy but In vain,until P. P. P. was used, and am now entirely cured. (Signed by) J. D. JOHNSTON. Savannah, Ga. Skin Cancer Cared. Testimony from the Mayor of Sequin,Tex. ' SEQUIN, TEX., January 14,1893. MESSRS. LIPPMAN BROS., Savannah, < Ga. : Gentlemen--I have tried your P. , P. P. for a disease of the skin, usually known as skin cancer,of thirty years' . standing, and found great relief: lt purities the blood and removes all Ir* ' rltatlon from the seat of the disease . and prevents any soreading of the sores. I have taken five or six bottles ' and feel oonfldent that another course , will effect a cure. It has also relieved me from Indigestion and stomach ' troubles. Yours truly, , CAPT. W. M. ROST, Attorney at Law. BOOK on Blood Diseoses Maned Free. . ALL DRUGGISTS SELL IT. LIPPMAN BROS.: PROPRIETORS, Idppman's Block.Savannah, Ga ' UUiUiiiUUUTC ATE NTS, For Inventions Procured by the PRESS CLAIM COMPANY, Kqu.il with the interest, of those having claims against the Gov ernment is that of TN VEKTORS, who often lose the benefit ef valua ble inventions because of the incompetency or inattention of che at torneys employed to obtain ihcir patents. Too much care cannot be exercised in employing competent and reliable solicitors' to procure patents, for the value of a patent depends greatly, if not entirely, upon the care and skill of the attorney. With the view of protecting inventors from worthless or careless attorneys, and of seeing that inventions are well protected bv valid patents, THE PRESS CLAIMS COMPANY has retained counsel expert in patent practice, and is therefore prepared toj Obtain Patents, Conduct Interferences, Make Special Examinations, Prosecute Rejected Cases, Register Trade-Marks and Copyrights, Render Opinions as to Scope and Validity of Patents, Prosecute and Defend Infringement Suits, etc_ If you have an invention on hand, send THE PRESS CLAIMS COMPANY a sketch or photograph thereof, together with abrief de scription of the important features, and you will at once be advised j as to the best course to pursue. Models are not necessary unless the invention is of a complicated nature. If others are infring ing on your rights, or if vor are charged with infringement by others, submit the matter to us for a reliable OPINION before acting on the matter. The Press Claims Company, 018 P Street, Northwest, WASHINGTON, D. C. P. 0. Box 463. JOHN.WEDDERBURN, Mana'g Att'v 03t" Cut this out and send it with your inquiry. Il"' YOU WANT INFORMATION ABOUT ADDRESS A LETTER OR POSTAL CARD TO THE PRESS CLAIMS; COMPANY, " JOHN WEDDERBURN, Hinging Attorney, I>. O. Box 46, AVASHINQTON, D. C Honorable discharged soldiers and sailors who served nineiy days, or over, in the late war, are entitled, if now partially or wholly diabled for ordinary manual labor, whether disability was caused by service or not, and regardless of their pecuniary circumstances. Widows of such soldiers and sailors are entitled (if not remarried) whether soldier's death wras due to service or not, if HOW dependent upon their own labor for support. Widows not dependent upon their own labor are entitled if the soldier's death wras due to service. Children are entitled (if under sixteen in almost all cases where, there was no widow, or she has since died or remarried. Parents are entitled if soldier left neither widow nor child.orovided soldier died in service, or from effects of service, and they are now de pendent upon their own labor for support. It makes no difference whether soldier served or died in late war or in regular army or navy. Soldiers of the late war, pensioned under one law, may apply for higher rates under other laws, without losing anv rights. Thousands of soldiers drawing from $2 to $10 per month under the old Jaw, are entitled to higher rates under new law, not only on account of disabilities for which now pensioned, but also others, whether due to service or not. Soldiers and sailors disabled in time of duty in regular army or navy since the war are also entitled, whether discharged for disability or not Survivors, and their widows, of thc Black Hawk Creek, Cherokee, and Seminole or Florida Indian Wars of 1S32 to 1842 are entitled un-1 der a recent act. Mexican War soldiers and their widows also entitled, if sixty-two years of age or disabled or dependent. Old claims completed and settlement obtained whether pension has been granted under later laws or not. Rejected claims reopened and settlement secured, if rejection improper or illegal. Certificates of service and discharge obtained for soldiers and sailois of tho late war who have lost their original papers. Send for laws and information. No charge for advice. No fee un less successful. Address, THE PRESS CLAIMS 'CO., .JO?IX WEDDEI?J?UIt^ Managing Attorney. I?. O. Box 4<;:?. WASHINGTON, 1). C WM. SCHWEIGERT Is lie Jeweller, Corner ; limul and Mcintosh Streets. Augusta, - - Gret j When you want neat, clean, and stylish, Job "Work done call at the Advertiser Job Office. Satisfaction always guaranteed Give us a' s trial order. The Wage Earner is, without doubt, the greatest benificiary of life insurance. It affords him an absolutely safe means of investing his savings and a guarantee that those de pending on his earnings will be amply provided for at his demise. Uuder the Tontine policy of the - Equitable Life he is also provided wTith ? safe guard against misfortune besides receiving a much larger amount of insurance for the same amount of premiums paid in. It is bet ter than the savings bank, better than the building association, better than government bonds. Better for the wage earner, or for anyone, than any other method ever originated. For facts and figures, address W. J. RODDEY, Manager, For the Carolinas, Rock Hill, 5. C. 21 fl ^?SPECIALISTS^ (Regralnr Graduates.) Are the lc ad Inc and most successful speclaliabi and rill eire yon help. Young and mid? die aged men. Remarkable re mis have follow ed our treatment. Many years of varied and success ful experience In the usc of cura tive method* that wc alone own and control for all dis orders of men who have weale unde veloped or dis eased organs, ot ho are suffering rom errors ol outh and excess rv ho arc nervous and Impotent, thc scorn of their ' ^fellows and the ^contempt of their friends and cos, panions, leads a* ognnrnntco tonll patient*. If they can possibly )C restored, our own exclusive treatment .v i: I alford a care. WOSflOi*! .Don't you want to get cured of that :venU.ne?? with a treatment that you can use at tonie without Instrument?? Oar wonderful treat nent has cured others. Whynot you? Try lt. CATARRH, and diseases of the Skin, Blood, lean, Liver and Kidneys. STPHTL?S-The most rapid, safe and effective *emcdy. A complete Caro Guaranteed. SK ry Til sr. A S TS of all kinds cured where nany others have failed. I'WATtTiAL DISCHARGES promptly snrcdlnafew dava, Quick, sure and sue. Tall nciudes G?cct and uonorhoa. TRUTH AND FACTS. Wc have cured cases of Chror.Diseases tM lave failed to fret cu'od at thc bat?a of otherspecUw sis and medical Institutes. --? REMEMBER Uni there ls hop? or You. Consult no other, as you may waste valuable :lmc. Obtain our treatment at once. Beware of free and encap treatments. We give hebest and most scientific tteurmcnt arraoderatt prices-as low nu rna bc done for safe and lkiUC .reatmenc. FRES consultation at the offlceo mall. Thorough, examination and careful dlab ?osls. Ahorne ireatment cnn bogiven In amajorlty if cases. Send for Syraitom Blank No. 1 for Men; .N'O. 2 for Women : Ko. 3 for Skin Diseases. All corre ,pondcnce answered promptlv. Business strictly con Idcntlnl. Knt'ro treatment sent free from observa, .lou. liefer to our patients, banks dad hueiness mea Address or call on DR. HATHAWAY & CO., . a 1-2 South Brood S 'eel. ATLANT A j GA TOWN TOPICS, 'IliC Journal oj S.cict':, (o PAGES.) rri rn::: DAY.J KEW YORK. Is universal!/ ''eeognlzcl as the moe j ci-nplrm weokly Journal In the world. Its Saunte; ie fs" colt?tvu VJ.-; LL-T-.?T-'.IC. I* society news, tsp ,*clsl!y of th^N^-^re .:?. .)-,).> * Kew York, Boil- n, Pi.:ii.i.e.?/u:u, t._ w-A,,.., ..itu ?Ul over the wwii, li not eqUhllvd by r.:.-'i;, v . I-I-.W. Its Financial Di partirent is RUthOJIiV witta <.-i bankers and brocer>. It? '-Moir/ sb v."--n-'t-:u on current literature-bi by the ttv.".-i i-? viewers. Its "Afield and A??..-,-'- >?-, \\.? most inter ..?-tink' ppper .or ri! .?...'> .. i . yachllng, faotball, row}:?};. -<i .? -. Its "On the Turf" exetvt: : i ri -. -s ;?.i burletques. poemsnnd k/saie thc el ? )'.tt stories are ty the lest WII:I.?-UI::-'HS ti 11 A" ?.lu Rives, F. Mi rion Crn wt'r. i. Jul'Sn Ila? t! u-'.BiI? yawcatt, Gilbert l'ar!;er. Mar? J ?!:.-.-.-| ... ?"L?i li Falconer"). Barry I* In, V-'il ?-..?-> : H'iu- t'1 Kipling, Ambro*? lUerti. ? .? ...v -1 li a trifle risqu?, yet afo'ny e . .?. '?? .?..nt : a?, vr-llr, without coarseu-.-.-e >r<u.>tiitu< . ?.?Trun the J.'..<6 refined and morrl won sn. li . .;?? -.t i. .!'.? there ls each week a sup ie?. ,. rind?,m cet :?i of some man eminent, .n hs* -u. u: Hie. Tales From Town Tonics Quarterly, first dav fs T--r\ Sept: rai*?% December; ?36 pag.-, 1...... ::ain> lu cioh number, in addition ic ahurt mir > ;>oems. hui? lesques, etc., from i!>? . 1 ??roe* ( t '?i's ToMW; a complete, original p:i: :- . o? Iii? to !&?)>tgej. Ko one wno enjoy? : .. rt <*??i iietioa, would be au cnur-int '. ll *tt.sl .tt'-s to fcocd society, can alford to bc ?. !.??tl i f Ti?i-ICH ?-vci7 week. There ls so r.i^- !? <.:'. i . . fie r??idtite '.I ? and In the "Taleii," ti>u> u <....?? KU t ?crut lon to l>oiii wlU supply any fumiiy wl:h a: u.id.?ni rt uUmyof t&3 most entertaining ehararctur e?? i yt ar. RATES: Town' Topics per annoni. iK.0?. A 'rlni subscrip tion for three months, ?i 1 .OO. C-C -J. lUttvimra cotiy of "Tales" Free. Tales From Town Topics, ncr nur.iher, 50cenU. Per annum, gW.O?. Both Cluhlicd, per nnnm.-i, ?3.0t>. nnd any two previous Numbers nf " Vain.?" you m:>7 .-.prclfy FKKE. |7*Send 10 cents fer K-M::: t.- e?>| r Tow* Tories. K3.-Have you rca-.t AA??Li? itlVIih' latest and best novel, Tanis, The Sang-Digger? 12mo, cloth, gilt, unc'it front aud foot, post paid. Remit by check. P O r-*u>ucy order, postal .?otc or reg?tered letter to TOW.V TD-'li'?, 21 Went 2Jd Strvct. Xtv; York. CAN I OBTAIN A PATENT? Kora .romnt answer and on honest opinion, write to il L'N n & CO.. who have had nearly fifty years' experience in the patent business. Communica> tiona strictly confidential. A Handbook of In. formation concerning Patents and bow to ob tain them sent free. Also a catalogue of mechan ical and scientific books sent free. Patents taken through Munn & Co. receive special notice in thc scientific American, and tuns are brought widely before the public with out cost to the inventor. This snlendld paper, issued weekly, elegantly illustrated, has by far the largest ctrculatiou of any scientific work In the world. S3 a year. Sample copies sent free. Building Editioo. monthly. $2J? a ve ar. Single copies, '25 cents. Every number contains beau tiful plates, in colors, and photographs of new houses, with plans, enabling builders to show the latest designs and secure contracts. Address MUNN & CO.. NEW YOKK, BaOADWAT. CAUTICW.-ir .1 dealer offers W. I? Douglas >hooi. at a rodnce? price, or say* ho has them -without naino .?larapod on bottom, ?mt him do ven as a f ru cd. W. L. DOUGLAS C2 QUAr BEST IN 9?3 orll/EL THE WORLD. tV. I., DOUGLAS Shoes are stylish, easy fit ting, and give better satisfaction at the prices ad vertised than any other make. Try one pair and bo convinced. The stamping of w. L. Douglas* name and price on thc bottom, which guarantees thoir value, saves thousand : of dollars annually tj those w!io wear them, Dealers who push the s.ile of V.r. L. Douglas Shoes gain customers, which help's to increase the sales on their full line of good-;. "They cnn alTord to sell nt a less profit, and wc believe you can save mnncv hy huvingall your footv car o'f the dealer advertised below. Catalogue free upon application. Address, XV. !.. DOUGLAS, Brockton,Mass. Sold by J". ?VX. COBB. EDGEFIELD, S.\C. You will r.o go blind if you look at Ramsey & Bland's pplenc'id stock of bliud bridles, just received.