an unusual exhibition the troops were drawn up in a hollow square and the look of on every face showed that something unusual was about to occur a dead silence prevailed for some seconds and then there emerged from a military prison near by a small file of soldiers guarding a man and marching him at a toward the main body the man under guard was dressed in clothing the coat of which was of military cut and color he was evidently in great disgrace for he was hurried along in and about by his escort those behind him carrying their close to his legs it was now evident that the soldiers were drawn up for no other reason than to witness this spectacle the drums began to beat a tune to which the kept time twice was he marched around the square and then the that was with him halted in front of the chief officers of the military bodies present a man in the uniform of a general stepped forward and in a very haughty and severe tone addressed some remarks to the prisoner for such he undoubtedly was my to the parties was not so great that i could hear distinctly what was said but i gathered that the prisoner was a sentence for some of rules and that this public disgrace was part of the penalty that had been pronounced upon him at the end of his the officer deliberately cut the military buttons from the coat worn by the other evidently that he was from wearing those of the service he had then the man was marched back into his jail the band struck up a lively tune and the soldiers were soon out of sight much impressed with the entire affair i could not take my eyes from the disgraced prisoner it struck me that he bore his position with extraordinary fortitude considering the trying circumstances of the case there was nothing of the look in his face nothing in fact but determination and courage by this i do not mean either he marched to the step set for him by the drums as if il were the thing to do knowing that any other course would be met with the treatment out of he listened respectfully to the insulting words ot the officer while a thousand of what were probably his old comrades looked on when all was over he obeyed the order to return to the place of his just as it seemed to me he would have marched to the knife of a had that been the destiny in store for him during the major portion of his march the eyes of the prisoner were fixed on the ground on the way back to the jail however he looked about him like one who knows his present trial is nearly ended and allows his eyes to assume their natural position i was so situated on the outskirts of the crowd that i could now see him plainly the impression i had formed of his being above the ordinary soldier in intellectual was strengthened as he passed near me his gaze met mine i suppose my face reflected the sympathy i felt perhaps the only sentiment of the kind in all that throng either civil or military the prisoner had but a of a second to return my look but in that brief moment he had shot a glance of gratitude that moved me to the utmost when he had passed i turned away with more than a suspicion of moisture in my eyes i wanted to ask the history of this man for it interested me greatly but i could not bring myself to do so i dreaded too much the possibility of hearing that he had done something which would lower him beyond repair in my estimation his pathetic figure and proud face had made an impression on my rather susceptible imagination that i did not wish i decided that it was better to retain this picturesque figure in my memory in and about to have it and by such an as truth for the next three months i wandered over and more and more with the of the climate and the people especially do i love the race whose sons combine the stature of the north american indian with the gentleness of the and the intelligence of the at i never tired of the where the dancing girls of that desert tribe which has furnished entertainment of this sort for centuries sway their bodies to the music of weird instruments wholly in form and tone one of the dancers a creature of sixteen or who combined in her pretty face the attributes of the and the european the latter slightly and bore in her eyes a trace of some ancient of blood was as pretty as any piece of ware i met her in the market place one morning with a baby in her arms even prettier than herself which it took but a glance to see was her own sen fire f i asked and she answered with all imaginable le from all these pleasures i tore myself as spring approached though the delicious climate had not yet begun to be warm returning to i spent a few days in trying for the last time to learn something new about miss s stay there but without avail and to cap the climax i finally received a letter from the lady herself in which the irony was too evident to be mis taken she had learned of my visit to this part of africa and had guessed that it might not be out of with a desire to penetrate the she had guarded so well the letter had made the rounds having been forwarded a dozen times and the envelope was well covered with miss had learned of my whereabouts from a newspaper paragraph confound the who wrote it 