The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1878-02-14


Sure enough, there it lay, heavy bag
of dates, shaken from off some cancels
pack during the struggle. Heavy as it
was, and hard to carry, Ahmed
would fain have had it larger. 1t
was their safety from starvation. A
handful of its contents satisfied hunger,
and gave them strength to begin their
walk. What walk it YVES
Poor Mustapha lay down every half
hour from pain and weakness; the sand
was heavy, the darkness puzzled them.
When morning broke, they had not ac-
complished more than half the distance.
All through the hot daytime they lay
painting on the ground, eating now and
then a date, tormented with thirst and
heat, and, when evening came, they
dragged themselves to their feet again,
and recommended their painful journey.
Step by step, hour by hour, each harder
and longer than the last, moment by
moment they grew more feeble, less able
to bear up, till it seemed as though they
could no longer struggle on. At last,
the morning broke. Ahmed raised his
b;ood-shot eyes, seized Mustapha's arm,
and pointed. There, not hundred yards
away, was the oasis, its trees and bushes
outlined against the sky.
Poor Mustapha was 50 spent that his
father had to drag him across the short
dividing space. 1t was small oasis,
and not very fertile; its well was shallow
and scanty, but no ice-cooled sherbet
ever seemed more delicious than did its
brackish waters to the parched tongues
of the exhausted men.
All day and all night they lay under
the shadow OF the cactuses and the
acacia-trees, rousing only to drink, and
falling asleep again Immediately. Shade,
and sleep, and water seemed the only
things in the world worth having just
then.
The second day they slept less, but it
was nearly week before they could be
said to be wide awake again. Such a
pair of scare-crows as they looked
Ahmed was almost naked. The robbers
had taken part Of his clothes, and the
desert thorns the rest. Haggard, wild,
blackened by the sun, they gazed at
each other with horror; each thought,
"Do I look like that? and each tried
to hide from the other his own dismay.
They could never tell afterward how
long they remained at the oasis. 1t
seemed years, but [ suppose it could not
have been more than weeks. All day
long they looked wistfully toward the
horizon, in hopes of a caravan, but the
caravan never came. Slowly the dates
dwindled in the bag; slowly the precious
water diminished in the well; little
longer, and starvation would be upon
them. They scarcely spoke to each 9th
er these last days, but sat each by him
self in sort of dull despair. At night,
when they fell asleep, they dreamed
of food, and woke III the morning to
feel themselves still hungry. 1t was
horrible
Then came 8 morning when they rose
TO find the hard desert outline, which
they knew 50 well, vanished and gone,
and IN its stead smooth, shining lake,
fringed with trees aud dotted with
feathery, fairy islands. Sonear itseemed,
and so real, that it was as though they
beard the ripple OF the water and the
rustling of the wind In the tree boughs.
Mustapha stared as though his eyes
would burst from his head; then he gave
wild cry, and was rushing away; but
his father held him fast.
"Stay, my son Stay, Mustapha It
is no lake-it is device of Satan What
you behold is the mirage, spread by
devils for mems destruction"
"Let NE gol shrieked NInstapha,
writhing and struggling.
But, even as he strove, the soft water
outlines shifted and trembled: the lake
rose in air, melted and sailed
off into curling mists; the trees,
the whole fair picture, dis
solved, and the aforementioned
sands and black rocks took its place.
With a cry of horror, Mustapha slid
through his fathers arms to the
earth, hid his face, and cried like child.
Next morning, only one date was left
in the bag. Ahmed put it in his SON s
hand with a mournful look.
"Eat, my SOD, he said "eat, and
then we will die. Allah il Allah %
A long silence followed; there seemed
nothing more to say Suddenly, from
affair Off, came to their ears the tinkle of
3 bell.
Mustapha raised his head.
Is it the mirage again, my father %
| he asked. For it seems to me that
! hear the bell from the neck Of Solinin,
/ our camel
Eagerly they listened. Again the
bell tinkled, and, looking through
the bushes, they saw, floating towar.
them, as it seemed, the form of gigantic
camel. Soundless and still, it moved
rapidly along Behind, but much far
ther away, other forms could be seen.
still dim and indistinct, yelled by the
mist of driving sand.
Suddenly Mustapha gave a start.
s. My father" he cried, in an excited
whisper, % it is Solinlin =! do not mis-
take What other camel ever resem-
bled Solimin Do you not see lis lofty
] II IL, II
bell tlnkle as with the voice of home o.
Then, half raising himself, lie gave,
with ell the power of his voice, the well.
known call.
Solmin-for it WAS indeed he
paused as The sound caught his ears,
and snuffed the wind. Again came the
call he wheeled, plunged, threw his
rider, dashed forward, broke through the
bushes, and IN q second was on his knees
| before his old master.
" Up. up, my father there is no time
TO lose p cried Mustapha, grown stronger
IN moment, up, up for tie robbers
are close upon us ~
| In fact, wild cries and clouds of dust
| showed that the foe had taken the alarm.
| and were hurrying on. But already
Ahmed and Mustapha were mounted.
and Solinlin, like a ship at full sail, was
speeding away with them. And where
was the camel could overtake him. even
when he was loaded double? Fast and
swift ms long, swinging trot bore them
onward, and, before two hours were gone,
all traces of the pursuers had disap-
peared behind them, and they were free
| TO turn their course toward the
brown tents where rest, and food,
and welcome had waited so long for
their coming. and where, after little
time. their hardships ana sufferings
seemed to them only like q bad dream.
As fer Snlinnin be hardlr cnnld L.