The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-03-16
THE BOY AvENGER.
gY NUGLAUs FORESTER

wife and three children, and two other
merchants They rode upon camels, and
camels bore their merchandise. In their
way they were to cross the Lybian Desert,
their business being below the tropics.
At the close Of hot, sultry daY, weary
and athirst, the party reached the small
oasis of Lebon, which was nearly in mid
desert. There they found water for them
selves and camels, and an ample place for
repose. The tents were pitched, and the
beasts secured in their feeding-place and
after this their evening meal was prepared.
Yezid had gathered his family about him
and read chapter from the Koran, and
his wife and youngest child had retired for
the night. He sat, with his two elder
boys, discussing some mercantile matters,
when the tramp of horses feet was heard
upon the sand. Starting quickly up, he
hastened to the door Of his tent, and look
ed forth upon the desert.
'What is it father r asked the eldest
son, who had also arisen.
There comes a band of horsemen," re-
turned the merchant pointing off to the
westward.
Aye and they are Of the wild IibLous
too" the son rejomed the dim moonlight
revealing the quaint garb Of the coming
party.
"We are in danger.
Yezid at once sprang from his tent and
aroused the other merchants, but he was
too late. The Tibbous, eight in number,
came dashing up, when the pale moon
beams reflected from their bright cimetars.
Mulek. the youngest child of Yezid,
heard the loud din, and in sudden alarm
he left his couch, and crept out beneath
the back of the tent. How long the noise
lasted ere he awoke, he knew not, nor did
he have time for thought, for hardly had
he reached the open space when he saw
some men unfastening the camels. He
stopped only To see that they were one of
the tribes of the Tibbous, and then he
crept back into the tent for the purpose Of
giving the alarm. He searched for his
father, but could not find him. He then
went went out by the front way, and was
Just in season to see the Tibbous driving
off the camels.
The boy-he was only fourteen-would
have given some alarm, but at that moment
his eyes rested on a prostrate form close by
his feet. He stopped down and turned the
pale, cold face of his elder brother to the
moonlight. His hand touched something
warm upon l is brothers shoulder. He
looked-it was blood
Father father - the boy cried.
But no father answered him. Then he
arose, and found another PROSTATE form.
He bent over it, and found that it was the
body of his other brother-and this one
was dead, too. At a short distance another
form lay-a female-his mother. He
found his father, too, and the other two
merchants, dead-all dead The
TibbOus had murdered them every one,
and carried off everything Of value save
the tents.
Poor Mulek wept and tore his hair, and
rents his garments in twain. He had loved
his parents and his brothers, and he was
frantic now. When he had become weak
from excessive grief, he threw himself
upon the blood-stained grass, and there he
lay for hours among the dead, with the
moonbeams resting upon his pale cheek
and glistening upon his tears.
Finally the boy started to his feet, and
gazed once more about him. For long
while he stood thus, and he raised his
cIA8peu nAnQs tOW1rQ9 heaven.
"a poor child is left alone upon the wide
desert. His life has been made dark in
early morn, and all he loved have been
stricken down in death. My mother,
where art thoul My father, where art
thoul Ny brothers-oh what hath be-
fallen YET The chief Of the Tibbous hath
been here with his men, and this is the
work of their hands :"
Having spoken this in a mournful, i'm
passioned strain, the boy moved to the side
Of his dead mother and kissed her. He did
the same to his father and brothers, and
then he started up and clasped his hands
again. This time q fierce fire burned in his
eye, and his fine form was sternly erect.
''The TibbOu chieftain hath done it.
Mulek alone, Of all his family, is left to
tell the story. Shall he tell that he fed
from before the face of the murderer, or
shall he tell how he revenged the dead
Observation-Disclosures shall be
revenged if Mulek lives"
With a narrow tent-spade which had
been left behind, Mulek digged the graves
Of his friends. He was many hours in the
work the sun arose and set ere it was
done. But the last prayer from the boys
lips was said at length, and the sand
smoothed over the last resting places of all
that was mortal of his friends. Then the
lad lay down beneath the old tent, and
slept alone.
In the morning Mulek arose, and having
bowed himself upon the graves he had
made, and said his prayers, he prepared
for the task before him. First he darkened
his skin with some berries which he found
at hand, and then gathered up such provi-
sions As he could find and filed leathern
bottle with water. To follow the track Of
the murderers over the sand was easy
enough, for there had been no wind to fill
them mp.
For three days the boy followed the trail,
and when he swoke on the morning Of the
fourth he saw q small village ahead, which
lay at the foot of the rugged mountains
He pushed on, and at the first hut he stop
ped and asked for food. An old woman
named Noona owned the place, and
she admitted the applicant ut once. Mulek
told her he was from the mountains, and
that his parents were dead. She took pity
On him, and offered him q home, If he
would be q son TO her. She had lost all her
children and was alone.
The Moorish boy readily accepted her Of
fer, and from that time had. home. Old
NOona protected him, and claimed him as
her own; and when people asked her
whence the child came, she said, He il
my dead sisters child, and he found his
way to my hut"
Az soon 40 Mulek dared question Noona,
he began to gain light. He found that the
chief Of the place was named Ben-zama
and that he was q robber by profession. In