The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1872-07-04

slowly, as if they neither knew of, nor
cared for, the dangerous character of the
locality.
Presently we saw them battering their
lazy donkeys' sides with the heels of their
bare feet, and even heard them yelling
in the usual way of the natives of that
region when urging donkey to great
er speed, an indiscretion which took us
by surprise, as both of them must have
been fully aware that it was quite
against all rules of caution to make much
noise in that neighborhood.
The sound of the human voice brought
about a slight change in the tableau
before our eyes, for, to our great excite
ment, we noticed faint commotion in
the dense tuft of bushes scarcely two
hundred yards ahead of the two travel
lers, and about hundred yards to the
left of their path.
We distinctly saw the swarthy figure
of Bedouin, as his costume denoted him
to be, mount black horse, and, rising
in the stirrups, stretch his neck, and scan
the country all round over the top of the
bushes. After remaining about half
minute in this position, he nimbly dis
mounted, and, hurriedly leading his
steed by the bride, disappeared in the
taller bushes about one hundred yards
further on.
Almost simultaneously we had the
unspeakable pleasure of spying the
smooth, boyish face of our tall young
friend W, as well as the red "tar-
bush or fez" Turkish skull-cap) of
R, the young man previously re-
ferred to as thoroughly conversant with
the Arabic language, peeping cautiously
over the bushes, not more than two hun
dred yards from the spot where the sus-
pected individual had disappeared from
our view. They appeared to be unaware
of the whereabouts of our two Arabs,
and quite unconscious of the presence of
others.
Nearer and nearer to the dangerous
spot advanced the two travellers on DON
keys back. Gladly would we have
stopped to see the vagabonds in the bush
pounce upon the two unsuspecting poor
fellows, but we had fingered too long
already on the mound, and expected
every minute to see the dance begin.
We therefore hurried down, vaulted into
the saddle, got ready for the charge, and
waited impatiently for the signal.
Ten minutes at least elapsed before
the tremendous report of two Arab pis-
tolls was heard. Like lightning we dash
ed round the corner, and headed straight
toward solitary cluster Of date-trees of
unusual height, growing on the banks
near the mouth of the River Diyala, and
visible at distance of over twenty miles
Scarcely had we made our appearance
on the open plain, when five villainous-
looking Bedouins, profusely armed and
| splendidly mounted, crashed at break
neck pace through the bushes to our left,
some three hundred yards ahead of us,
hotly pursued by our three companions,
who tried hard to make them prisoners,
and did not fire single shot at first.
The savage scoundrels uttered yell
of rage, as they spied us three dashing
down upon them from the opposite side,
and shook their long lances in defiance
upon reaching the open desert before we
could cut them off
Although they were at least three
hundred yards ahead of us, we did not
give up the hope of catching some of
them, and kept up the pursuit at rat
| tling pace for some time; but they were
too well mounted, and too familiar with
every inch of the ground over which
they sped, to allow us to run them down
SO easily.
Noticing, however, to their consterna-
ton, that we nevertheless succeeded in
almost overtaking them, they were just
about trying their usual dodge of sep
arating and dashing off in different
directions, when we gave them volley
from our revolvers, which only had the
effect of increasing the speed of their
horses, and that of their two lean gray
hounds, which latter squeezed their tails
between their legs, and made off as if
Lucifer was after them, while the bold
horsemen, naturally expecting another
volley, stopped down over the off-side of
their steeds, thereby effectually getting
out of our sight, leaving only one leg
stretched across the saddle exposed to
our view, thus making it almost appear
as if the five horses sped over the ground
without any riders at all. Never before
did witness such splendid horsemanship
as displayed by these cowardly vaga-
bonds.
But scarcely two minutes elapsed be-
fore we were gratuitously treated by them
to q second feat of horsemanship, which
far excelled the former, and filled us all
with amazement.
AS they had anticipated, we gave them
another volley, but this time also with
our rifles, as we thought them almost
beyond pistol-range. This dose proved
more effective than the first, for it
brought down the foremost horse with
tremendous crash, together with its rider
The poor animal rolled over and oyer
in the dust, while its master, who had
probably thought himself out of range
of firearms, and had made slight mis-
take by resuming his usual seat in the
saddle, was thrown at least eight yards
ahead of his horse upon the ground, and
remaining immovable, lying fiat on his
back.
Whether he was killed outright by the
terrible fall, or stunned, or whether he
was ushered into the paradise of the
Moslem by a well-aimed shot of his pur-
suers, will most likely for ever remain
mystery with the latter, for no sooner
did two of hisfollowers come up to where
he lay, when, without Stacking even for
an instant. the appalling speed of their
horses, they suddenly bent, dashing up
to the right and left-hand side of the
prostrate man, deep oyer their saddles,
and, with simultaneous herculean
grasp, raised the body of their compan-
ion entirely from the ground, deposited
him safely in to the lap of one of them,
Snaadinn m aloDo, oil fba +;p,a fhiu xuas bo