The Beaufort tribune and Port Royal commercial. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1877-1879, 1877-12-20

would be futile. There was only one
escape I turned my horses head to the
stream, then few yards off, and putting
spurs to his Hanks, leaped in, and was
soon floating down with the rapid cur
rent, which the Arabs appropriately
enough call the 'Dieer, or javelin. The
leap dislodged the faithful Hummud,
and deposited him on the bank. Mar
rowly escaping the random shots of the
Bedoains, and keeping close to the bank
for an hour and half, I was carried
down to little cane-built village. where
my horse was brought up (nothing else
could have stopped the poor wretch) by
a cluster of boats. We got on to the
bank, and were Hospitality treated !; and
I then made arrangements for trip to
Bussorah, after spending my Christmas
holiday in the Tigris.
CHRISTMAS DAY IN LAZARETTo.
In the winter of 1s3-, I had arrived
at Odessa from Asiatic Turkey. The
unlucky yellow flag, hoisted by COM
mand Of the visiting surgeon of the port
compelled the brig was in to toss about
in the roadstead for week before it was
admitted to the mole, or quarantine har-
Dor. Then / was required to send my
clothes for fumigation, and at the end
of another week the authorities per-
mitted me to land and take up my
quarters in the lazaretto for fourteen
days more, "on suspicion of plague"
Tie Odessa lazaretto is built in the
form of quadrangle. Each room is
separated from its neighbor by double
wall, between which a sentinel takes his
station to see that neighbors hold no
communication with each other. There
is q small courtyard in front of each
room, and double iron grating-one
row of grating few feet before the
other-keeps the prisoners from any per-
sonal tact with the outer world, repre-
sented by the restaurateur and his aids,
the surgeon and the chaplain. In the
room adjoining mine were confined
a Greek and young woman, who
passed portion of their time in singing
to the music of guitar and occasionally
tambourine. Much of the rest was
spent in eating, drinking and sleeping,
to Judge from the long intervals of
silence. But there were noisy episodes,
which conveyed strong proofs that the
lady could scold as well as sing, and
sometimes the quarrels rose to a terrible
pitch, thump, followed by scream,
furnishing the climax.
1t was Christmas Day. The snow fell
heavily, deadening the sound Of the
church bells, which, through broken
pane, reminded me of the holy festival.
I expected to hear my neighbors sing
hymns. My own time was devoted to
my books-the only relief to an enforced
solitude. Towards evening, while the
guard slept, I distinctly heard the voice
of the man Greek. He seemed to be
growing rather than speaking, and in
the intervals of his silence I heard the
female sob. Not very emery Christ
mas" thought I. Sometimes one
voice rose above the other-the one was
shrill, the other loud and angry. Then
there was scuffle, then all was tranquil.
Night had fallen, and I had hoped the
parties had gone to sleep. But again
the murmurs, the e1postulations, the
outbursts, disturbed my quiet. And
now the woman became voluable, and
spasmodic bursts of grief alone inter-
rupted the torrent of her eloquence.
Ever and anon the man called out what
appeared to be Silence ]" adding a few
words (none of which were distinct
enough to bs caught) in a minatory tone.
Then came another struggle, words
bitter words-stiAed cries, heavy fall,
a scream-silence again.
could not sleep what had been the
issue of the last quarrel? Had the
peace and good will taught by the Re-
deemer, whose natal day the outer
Christian world was celebrating, ulti-
mately prevailed and were the recent
illustrating the Horatian
maxim, that the falling out of levers is
the renewal of love? Or had the last
fall so stunned the feebler of the two in
dividuals as to render the revival of
either love or anger temporarily impos-
sible2
was not long in doubt. 1t was past
midnight, when / was awakened by
dolorous cries and heavy sobs, vehement
and earnest apostrophes
in the voice of the man. I knocked
loudly at the wall to suggest silence.
He evidently did not heed the knocking.
called ont in good Italian, Be quiet )
it was no avail. I reused up the guard,
and asked him what was the matter with
the gentleman. Ny custodian suggested
he was drunk. I could not, however,
diyest my mind of the idea that deed
of darkness had been perpetrated.
The night wore away. l could not
sleep. I no longer heard the voice OF
the woman-eyen the mans voice was
hushed but, instead of the usual sounds,
nv ear was aslkiled with knockings on
the floor, and noise as of saw or file
at work. When the restaurateur came
round in the morning to take orders for
breakfast, told him what I had heard,
and suggested that the lady might be
III, and need medical aid. He went next
door, but was sent away with the intima-
ton that nothing was wanted. Two or
three more days elapsed the time had
arrived for my release. On the very day,
indeed, when ] was to be emancipated
my neighbors were also to bo freed. l
heard the officers arrive next door.
Some words were uttered, followed by
an altercation then the man cried bit
terly. What could be the matter ?
More officers came the man was fet-
te, ed and taken away. Where was the
woman? He had stabbed her in his
anger and, under some abeurd notion
that her existence would be forgotten by
the authorities, he had taken up two
planks, and deposited the dead body of
the poor girl beneath them. This ex-