St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-08
CHAPTER xxi.
THE HOUSE AT TETUAN.


In those days the railroad did not run
from Tunls to the Moorish frontier; and to
reach Tetuan as quickly as possible the doe
tor and his companions had to embark in
one of the swifteSt boats Of the Antekirttian
iiotilla.
Before midnight Electric No. 2 had been
got ready and was on her way across the
Syrtic Sea.
On board were the doctor, Pierre, Luigi,
Point Pescade, and Cape Matifou. Pierre
was known to Sarcany, the others were not.
When they reached Tetuan they would con
suit as to their proceedings. Would it be
better to act by stratagem or force? That
would depend on Sarcany'S position in this
absolutely Moorish town, on his arrange
ments in Namir's house, and on the adj
herents he could command. Before every
thing they must get to Tetuan!
From the end of the Syrtis to the Moor
ish frontier is about two thousand five hun
bred Enthusiastically thirteen hundred
and fifty nautical miles. At full speed
Electric No. could do her twenty-seven
miles an hour. How many railway trains
there are that are not as FAST That long
steel tube. offering no resistance to the wind.
could slip through the waves without hind
rance and would reach its destination III fifty
hours.
Before daybreak the next morning the
Electric had doubled Cape Bon. Then hay
ing crossed the Gulf of Tunis it only took
her few hours to lose sight OF Point
Bizerte, La Cole, Bone, the Iron Cape
whose metallic mass is said to disturb the
compasses, the Algerian coast, Stora, Bougie.
Dellys, Algiers, Cherchell, Mostaganem.
Oran, NemOurS, then the shores of Riff, the
I'm, !, oh,
ish, and Cape Tres ForcaS. whence the con
tinent rounds off to Cape Negro-all this
panorama of the African cOaSt-line was I'M
rolled during the Goth and 21st of November
without either incident or accident Never
had the machine worked by the currents
from the accumulators had such a run. Ii
the Electric had been perceived either along
the shore or crossing the guifs from cape to
cape, there would have been kilograms as to
the appearance of phenomenal ship or per-
maps of a cetaeean of extraordinary power
that no steamer in the Mediterranean waters
had yet exceeded in speed.
About o'clock III the evening the doctor.
Pierre, Luigi. Point PescaGe and Cape
Matifou landed at the mouth of the small
river OF Tetuan, in which their rapid vessel
had dropped anchor. \ hundred wards
from the bank, in the center of small
caravanSerai, they found mules and guide
TO take them into the town, which was
about four miles distant. The price asked
was agreed to instantly, and the party set
off.
In this part of sthe Riff, Europeans, have
nothing to fear from the indigenous popu-
iation, nor even from the nomads of the dis
trict. The country is thinly peopled and
almost uncultivated. The road lays across
a plain dotted with struggling shrubs-and
it is a road made by the feet of the beasts
rather than by the hand OF man. On one
SIDE is the river with muddy banks, alive
with the croak of frogs and the chirp of
crickets, and bearing a few fishing boats
muored in the center or drawn up on the
shore. On the other side, to the right, is the
outline of the bare hills running off to join
the mountain masses of the south.
The night was magnificent. The moon
bathed the whole country in its light. Re-
tiected by the mirror of the river the moon
light seemed to soften the sharp outline of
the heights on the northern horizon. In the
distance. white and cleaning, lay the town
Oh letuan-a shining patch in the dark
clouds of mist beyond.
ne Arao did not waste much time on the
| ROAD. Twice or thrice they had to pull up
oeIoIe Isolated houses, where the window
on the SIDE not lighted by the moon threw a
yellow Deam across the shadow, and out
would come two or three Moors with a
lantern, who after hurried conference with
the guide, would let them pass.
Neither the doctor nor his communion
spoke word. Absorbed in their Thoughts.
they left the mules to follow the road which
here and there was cut through by gullies
strewed with boulders, or cumbered with
roots which they avoided with sure feet.
The largest of the mules was, however. very
often in the rear. This might have been ex-
peeted. for it bore Cape Matifou.
Its difficulties led Point Pescade to re-
fleet