The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-05-23
CLEFT THE GIRDLE
An English Officers Awful Eek
Perience ia the Trenches
Before SuaIxirn.

IlSbOu IdLoCu MS ilditd Wall u KcoIul0 VI
silence and looked at me intently. Then
we both dropped our cigars and rushed
out to the door of the embassy.
A gun shot, plain and unmistakable,
had echoed through the night air and
we certainly had heard a faint cry.
But in the dreary street all was quiet
and the solitary electric lamp reflected
no shadows save our own on the pave
ment of the British embassy, while the
palace across the way, with its coral
facades and massive carvedgates, showed
no signs of life.
Then o gun went off, a drum began to
rattle loudly, arms FLASHED, hurrying
footsteps echoed on the stones, and shouts
were given and answered. / listened in
specifies establishment, and then rushed
back for my cap and sword. 1t was best
to be prepared, though what possible
ground for alarm existed Icould not see.
Suakim was protected by a line of SEN
tries that extended a mile beyond the
town. No signal had come from the out
skirts, yet there was this turmoil in the
very midst of the European quarter.
AS / hurried back to the door the great
palace gates swung open, and a squad
Of Egyptian soldiers trooped out, their
swarthy faces shining under their GRIM
son caps. Close behind them, escorted
by several officers, came a tall, dignified
looking man. He was bareheaded and
held an unsheathed sword in his hand.
1 recognized him at first sight as Acli-
med Ras, the Egyptian governor of Sua-
kim. He glanced up and down the street
and then hurried across to the embassy.
"You are a British officer?" he said,
breathless with excitement.
"Capt. Dugdale, of the Ninth dragons,
at your command, your e~xcellency,"I
said briefly.
"Thank you. I am in need of your
services. An Arab prisoner, a captured
spy of the Mahdi's, has made his escape.
My stupid soldiers are to blame. The
fellow has been gone some time now, and
it is important that he be retaken, for he
has stolen valuable plans of the town and
Notifications. I fear my soldiers can do
little, but if your dragons will scour the
plain
Your e~xcellency," I interrupted,
"what you desire shall be done at once"
I mounted my horse, waved a hasty
salute and galloped off down the narrow
street, leaving Achmed Ras and Carris-
ton h~obnobbing together on the steps of
the embassy, for Carriston was the Brit
ish ambassador at Suakim. The hot
blood was coursing madly through my
veins, for had only been at Suakim a
week and the faintest touch of excite
ment was intensely welcome.
l remembered, too, having seen this
escaped Arab only q few days previous,
when he was being led captive through
the streets of the town, a great black
giant with muscular, brawny limbs and
his black locks dangling in curls down
his shoulders.
Ispurred rapidly through the town,
crossed the peninsula to the main land,
where the troops were quartered side by
side with the native population, and
soon the bugle call to arms was floating
out on the night air, and the jingling of
spurs and the trampling of hoofs was
heard on all sides. A few brief, concise
orders and we galloped out onto the desert
and scattered over the sandy plain.
Chances were in our favor, for the moon
was coming up slowly. and the enemy's
outposts, where alone the Arab would
find safety, We're at that time three miles
beyond the town.
l galloped straight across the plain,
closely attended by a solitary trooper, a
brave fellow named Tom Fraser. kept
as far as possible in the direction I judged
the fugitive had taken and I hoped to
have the pleasure of capturing him my
self, for the trampling of my horse was
muffled by the drifted sand and would
not betray my approach until l should
be close upon him.
A mile and q half from the town lay a
belt of deserted intrenchments, from
which the enemy had been driven a
month or SO previous. AS we approached
these we slackenod our speed and began
to look for a suitable crossing place.
The British shells had leveled them in
places and ono Of these points we soon
found, q break in the trench with a
gentle slope on either side. We rode
slowly down into the hollow, and as III
horses were commencing to ascend again
Fraser suddenly tugged fiercely at my
arm.
''Look, captain, look!" he whispered
excitedly, and as / followed the range of
his outstretched hand I saw a sight that
made my heart leap. Of to the south
extended the trenches in one unbroken
formation, their mounds of sand rigid
and exact, and outlined sharply in the
moonlight against the right hand wall of
earth was a swiftly moving shadow.
Even as we looked the specter vanished
round u curve, and we saw it no more.
We Numbered on in silence. / clutched
the reins tightly with one hand and with
the other l held my saber. The Arab
was unarrned and / would take hip
alive, l thought, and lead him back in
triumph to Suakim. This all passed
through my mind in an instant and then
we galloped round the curve and saw
our prey in full view before us.
He was struggling along painfully and
limping as though M leg was hurt.
The moon shone full upon him, and to
my surprise / saw that he carried q great
shield and one of those enormous double
edged swords which these Arabs use
with such terrible effect. He had doubt
less found them in the trench.