Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-05-29
NO.. 131.
Gales ano skettbes.

Continued from yesterday.

There she stood in the ghOstly twilight
calm and beautiful as ever, but with
sombre light in her large dark eyes, such
rs one sees in those of the hungry tiger,
when. after long and weary circuit
through the Jungle. he sees the deer which
he has been tracking fairly within reach
at last.
''Feringhee, she said taking his hand,
''you showed me Kindness once, and an
Afghan never forgets either good or evil.
Death is waiting tor the English host, and
| have come to save YOU ere it be too late
1T is YOU. then. who have betrayed
us?" said Herbert, with an intensity of
scorn which no words can convey.
The taunt struck home. In an instant
the tender, clinging woman sprang up in
to an offended queen.
betrayed" :" echoed she tiercely. Is it
/ treachery to aid my own race against its
enemies? Why did the Feringhees come
hther to waste our valleys and burn our
homes? Why have they taken our king
away from us, and set up in his stead a
dog unworthy to tie an Afghans sandals
But woe to them But woe to them! Be
fore the full moon shall have spent her
| light, the dogs shall lick the blood of
every Feringhee in Cabul!"
Herbert shrank back appalled,, so hide
ouslv changed was that beautiful face by
passion. But this movement of aversion
checked her rage in mid-current, and the
warm, womanlv heart beneath asserted it
self once more.
do not be angry with me, she whis-
| pered, pleadingly: no one shall harm
You while live. Hear me: the English
are many and mighty. but what avails the
| tigers strength when he is once in the tolls
Every leaf on yonder hill is an Afghan
warrior. every twig loaded rifle. Es-
cape if you can; will guide you ont of
the city, and bid my friends keep you safe
till all is over. Why should you per-
ish in vain?'
As she spoke there came over her hear
ers noble face a smile of grand and COM
mandng scorn. He drew up his towering
figure to its full height, and met her be-
seeching eyes untiinchingly as he replied:
''Do vou ask me to desert my comrades
in their sorest need. just that may save
my own life? Thank you--such meanness
does not run in our blood. If we are to
die, we will die like brothers, shoulder to
shoulder, striking hard and deep to the
last. with the old English flag flying over
head :"
ne SlIl lOohtt III Hlul-d IOOk WHICH
through all the horrors that were to come,
he never forgot. Grief, anger, tenderness,
wondering admiration, We're all mingled
in the momentary flash of those marvel
Gus eyes. Then she pressed his hand pas
sonately to her lips and was gone.
Ha. What was the sudden glare that
broke out over the whole eastern side OF
the town? And what could be the mean
| Of hot I,,11 Il; g., u
sea swelling ever louder and louder, till
the ear could distinguish the sharp crackle
of musketry, the crash of falling build
ings, the camor of countless voices, and
high over all the terrible war-shout, AL
lah Akbar God is victorious.
Just at that moment four soldiers. torn
and blood-stained. came marching past
carrying II helpless, ghastly, dust-begrim-
med figure. in which even st. Clair him
self could scarcely recognize his once gay
and dandiied junior lieutenant
Its all up, old boy said the lad,
family. They have fired our quarters and
murdered poor Burnes and ever so many
more and the whole towns up to help
them. Nothing for it but to die game
Nothing, indeed" muttered Herbert.
The next moment he was fastening at
full speed toward the scene of action.
CHAP. HI.-THE VALLEY OF DEATH.
All great historical catastrophes-Ar-
mazda wrecks, London pestilences, Sara
gossa sieges, Moscow retreats-are wont
to prolong the agony which they inhict,
and to let fall their vengeance drop by
drop, instead of mercifully ending all with
one crushing blow.
So it Jared with the ill-fated invaders of
Cabul. The murder of Sir Alexander
Burnes. the nobest OF the countless mar
tyrs i'll that disastrous year, was only the
first drop Of the coming storm.
Then followed blow upon blow, the ris-
ing of the whole surrounding country,
the destruction of the reconnoitering par
ties sent out too late by the COMMANDMENTS
chief; the capture of the British stores,
which left the troops almost without food,
and at length. on the fatal lst of January
1912, the crowning madness of the CON
vention of defeat" by which the whole ar
my gave itself up to its destroyers, ac-
cepting the assurances of safe passage
homeward from the very men who had
sworn the death of every British soldier
in Cabul.
Foremost in every combat was Herbert
st. Clair, recklesslv exposing himself to
all hangers, IOT, sOlultr Us lie was 10 MS
very iinger-tips, the sight of an English
flag dishonored and an English army in
retreat, bowed him down with sense of
personal disgrace, and made him careless
of life after such humiliation.
But, to the amazement of all who wit
messed his reckless daring he came out of
every fight as scathless as he had gone
into it and the conviction gradually forced
itself upon him, with thrill of mingled
bitterness and delight, that the Afghans had
purposely spared his life, and that they
had done SO because he was the man
whom their great princes daughter Sc
cretly loved
Meanwhile the course of events went
ineXorablv on. On the fifth of January,
in the depth of the terrible Afghan Win
ter, the torlorn army-two-thirds of which
were men reared amid the burning heat
of India-tled through the gate of Cabul,
wearied, detected. hslf-starved, ill-sup-
piled with ammunition, to commence it,
long march of death.