The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1885-09-11
THE WARRIORS LAST BLOW.
A STORY OF THE FIRST AFGHAN
WAR.

David Ker, in the Young People !:
The mountains of northern Afghan.
istan are a cold aud dismal region
in inter at the best of times; but
never had they looked colder, bleak
er, and more dismal altOgetherthan
inSt about day break on chill,
dreary morning in January, 1912.
On either side OF deep, narrow,
gloomy gorge vast black precipices
rose hundreds OF feet into the air,
iiecked with streaks of gh0stly
white by the snow that had lodged
ia the cleitS aud hOllOwS. Here
aud there among the rocks the Skel
etOnS OF Il few ledtless trees looked
gauntly down upon the dreary val.
ley, which seemed as dark aud 81.
lent and lonely as the mouth of a
tomb. In the heart OF that savage
solitude it might well astOnish any
one to hear several words of Eng.
lish spoken by the voice of Il young
child.
Thee figures had Just issued
from a deep cavern, or rather cleft
In the rock, in which they seemed
to have taken shelter for The night.
The toremost--a tall, gaunt, SIN
envy Asiatic, with his shaggy Olack
hair twisted into long curls after
the BrlOoch fashion, a heavy Af-
gban jezail (ritlr) on his shoulder,
and long dagger in his Silken gir-
dle-lOOked just the man for such u
wild region; but the slight, delicate
featured English lady VINO followed
him, and the little girl whom she
led Ivy the hand, were the last peo
pie that one would have expected
to meet in the depths of this grim
Both looked pale and worn, as ii
snch rough travelling were far too |
much for their strength; aud very !
pretty sight it was to see how care
ful the fierce warrior was OF them
both, helping tue mother whenever
She stumbled among the sharp
stones, and carrying the child in
lis strong arms through the great !
NOW drifts that had swept across
he narrow break-ueck path here
md there. But all this while his
ieen black eye kept glancing back
'ver his shoulder, or looking rest.
eSSly from side to side, as il ex.
Dectiug every moment the appear
nee of an enemy.
How they came there is easily
old. They were the wife and daugh
er of Colonel HarcOurt, au Eng.
ish officer, who, having been tle-
ached to take charge of bill fort
n the British line of advance upon
)aboOl tthe Afghan capital), had
eft ibem with the main army as
eing more likely TO be safe there.
Int now the army itself, having
cen driven out OF CabOOl by the
had been attacked among
he mountains Ia its retreat toward
he frontier of India aud complete
7 destroyed. Amid the general ,
Mrs. Harcom't and her
tile Minnie bad been saved with !
reat difficulty by their friend Is ,
Iail Beg-a brave CeloOchi chief :
the English service, who was ,
Ow doing his best to bring them =
ltely to tue fort where Colonel :
arcOnrt was in command. :
But even Ismail's strong nerves :
embed as be suddenly saw far in .
Ie distance line of dark figures \
ming over the frozen hillside !,
Vift and merciless as pursuing =
olives. The Atghans were on their n
all. u
Had be been alone, tue daring T
elOOchi would have feared moth =
z, for he bad faced worse odds 4
fore now, aud IL be had to run n
r bis life, few men in those noun. II
ins could have Overtaken him.
e caught up Minnie, and STRIDE
ward through mud aud snow, 9,
nile the little girl nestled her gOl. "l
n head against bis shoulder as if 70
cling quite safe in his hands. CT
1t there WAS no one TO carry poor ed
rs. HarcOuTt, whose delicate feet II
're already sorely cut by the gi
arp stones; aud do what they of
ght, the pnrsaers gained upOn of
em, utteriug yells OF savage tri- Ia
lph, which male the lady shud- ba