The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1878-02-14

uo against UOEUH IN uNC minutes All
WAS over. The assallants vanished in a
cloui OF dust, aul Ahmed, who had been
struck down in the rush, recovered his
senses, a. find c9malS, baggage, belt,
money, everything gone, and Mustapha
wounded and mohonleSs ON the earth
beside him
Ahmed thought him dead. They were
aloue in the desert. hundred miles
from home without food or water, and
with graan of despair ho sat down be-
side his sons body, bowed his head, and
waited until death should come To HIM
also. An Arab believes in fate, and
gives up once for all when misfortune
occurs.
But Mustapha stirred, and Ahmed at
once sprang up. There was nothing he
could 10 for the poor boy, except 10
chaie and rub his hands bat this was
something, for presently Mustapha re-
yived enough 10 speak.
"Are they gomez" he asked.
Yes, the accurSed ones, they are
gone. with all our goods and with Soil
min! The prophets curse hight upon
them - And passing frOm despair 10
fury, Ahmed threw sand upon has head,
and tiung himself on the ground III help
less rage Mustapha joined in with
. groaus and lamentations.
When the father and son grew calmer,
they began 70 discuss the situation.
Ahmed knew Of small uufrequented
oasis, about twenty miles away. 1t was
their only N,hance OF safety, but could
they reach il?
. think | can walk. - declared Mus
tapha, tying up his wounded leG in a
fold torn from his turban. But he
limpei sadly, ands his tightly pressed
. lips showed pain as he moved. He was
faint with hunger beside. Neither OF
I the men had eaten since sunrise.
I Suddenly Mustapha uttered joyful
cry, and LITE something from the earth.
The prophet be praised y he cried.
my father, here is food. The robbers
have dropped a bag Of dates.
Sure enough, there il lay, heavy beg
VI dates, shaken of from some camels
pack during the struggle. Heavy as It
was. and hard 10 carry, Ahmed would
fain have il larger. 1t was their safety
from starvation. A handful of its con-
tents satisfied hunger, and gave them
strength 10 begin their walk. What
walk it was Poor Mus.apha lay down
every half hour from pain and weakness;
/ the sand was heavy, the darkuess puzzled
them. When morning broke, they had
not accomplished more than half the
distance. All through the hot daytime
they lay painting on the ground, eating
now and then date, tormentet with
thirst and heat; aud when evening came,
they dragged themselves 10 their feet
again, and recommended their painful
I journey. Step by step, hour by hour,
each harder and longer than the last,
moment by moment they grew more
feeble, less able 10 bear up. till Il seemed
as though they could no longer struggle
ON. At hast. tie morning broke. Ahmed
raised his biood-shut eyes, seized Mus
tapha's arm, and pointed. There, not q
hundred yards away, was the oasis, its
trees and bushes outlined against the
sky.
Poor Mustapha WIS SO spent that his
father had TO drag him across the short
dividing space. IL was small oasis,
and not very fertile; IT'S well was shall
low and scanty, but no ice-cooiei sher-
bet ever seemed more delicious thau did
its brakish waters to the parched tongues
Of the exhausted men.
All day and all night they lay under
the shadow OF the cactuses and the aca-
cia-trees, rousiug only 10 drink, and
falling asleep again Immediately. Shade,
and sleep, aud water seemed the only
things in the world worth having just
then.
The second day they slept less, but il
was nearly week before they could be
sal to be wlde-awake again. Such
pair Of scare-cruws as they looked
Ahmed was almost naked. The rob
bers hal taken part Of his clothes, and
the desert thurns the rest. Haggard,
wild. blackened by the sun, they gazed
at each other with horror; each thought,
Do look like that p and each tried to
hide from the other his own dismay.
They could never tell sfterward how
long they remained at the oasis. 1t
seemed years, but | do not suppose il
could have been more than weeks. All
day long they looked wistfuliy toward
the horizon, IN hopes OF caravan, but
the caravan never came Slowly the
dates dwindled in the bag; slowly the
precious water diminished in the we'll;
little longer and Starvation would be
upon them. They scarcely spoke to
each other those last days, but sat each
by himself in a sort Of dull despair. At
night, when they fell asleep, they
dreamed Of food, and woke in the morn
ing to feel themselves hungry. 1t was
terrible
Then came a morning when they rose
10 find the hard desert outline, which
they knew 40 well. vanished aud gone,
and in It's stead a smooth, shining lake,
friDged with trees aud dotted with
feaihery, fairy islands. So near il
seemed, and so real. that il WAS AS
though they heard the ripple OF the
water and the rustllng Of the Wind in the
ree-boughs. Mustapha stared as though
his eyes would burst from his head; then
gave a wild cry and was rushing away,
but his father held him fast
Stay. my son Stay, Mustapha it
is no lake,-it il device Of Satan.
What you behold IL the mirage. spread
by devils for mems destruction.
Let me go I" sh-ieked Mustapha,
writbing and struggling.
But even as he strove, the soft water
outlines shifted and trem led the
lake rose in AIR, melted, and sailed off
into curling mists the trees. the whole
fair picture, dissolved. and the well re
membered sands and black rocks took
it's place With a cry of horror Must
apah slid through his father arms 10 the
earth, hid his face, and cried dixie
child.
Next morning, only one date was left
in the bag. Ahmed put it in his sons
hand with mournful look.
Eat my son" he said "eat, and
then we will die. Allah il Allah p
A long silence followed; there seemed
nothing more to say Suddenly,
from alar off, came to their ears the
tinkle Of a bell.
Mustapha raised his head.
{" Is it the mirage again, my father ?"
| he asked. '' For il seems 10 me that |
hear the bell from the neck of Solimin,
our camel"
Eagerly they listened. Again the
bell tinkled. and. looking through the
bushes, they saw, floating toward them,
as it seemed, the form of q gigantic
camel. Soundless and still, it moved
rapidly along. Behind, but much fur
ther away, other forms could be seen,
still dim and indistinct, veiled by the
mist of driving sand.
Suddenly Mustapha gave start.
9My father" he cried, in an excited
whisper, "it Solimin / do not mis-
| take! What other camel ever resembled