Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-09

4
the commercial traveller on the road
"My own hand" said the young man,
without looking up. Have you any to-
bacco?"
Torpenhow waited till the sketch was
finished, and when he had looked at it said,
"What's your business here?"
Nothing. There was row, so came.
| I'm supposed to be doing something down
at the painting-slips among the boats, or
else I'm in charge of the condenser on one
| of the water-ships. I've forgotten which. I"
you've cheek enough to build redoubt
WITH" said Torpenhow, and took stock of
the new acquaintance. "Do you always
draw like that?"
The young man produced more sketches.
"Row on a Chinese pig-boat," said he,
sententiously, showing them one after an
other. "Chief mate dirked by comprador.
Junk ashore off Hakodate. Somali muleteer
being fogged. Star shell bursting over
camp at Berbera. Slave dhow being chivied
round Taiurrah Bay. Soldier lying dead in
the moonlight outside Suakim-throat cut
by Fuzzies."
"H'm!' said Torpenhow, cant say 1
care for Observation-Disclosures myself, but
there's no accounting for tastes. Doing
| anything now, are you?"
mo. Amusing myself here"
| Torpenhow looked at the aching desola-
tion OF the place. "'Faith, you've queer
notions of amusement Got any money!"
Enough to 60 on with. Look here; you
want me to do war work?'
81 don't. My syndicate may, though.
You can draw more than a little, and don't
suppose you care much what you get do
you?"
'Not this time. I want my chance
| first"
Torpenhow looked at the sketches again,
and nodded. eyes, you're right to take
| your first chance when you can get it. !"
He rode away swiftly through the Gate of
the Two War-ShIps, ratified across the cause
way into town, and wired to his syndicate,
Got man here, picture-work. Good and
cheap. Shall 1 arrange? Will do letter.
press with sketches"
The mau on the redoubt sat swinging his
| legs and murmuring, 81 knew the chance
would come, sooner or later. By George
they have TO sweat for it if come through
this business alIver'
In the evening Torpenhow was able to
| announce to his friend that the Central
Southern Agency was willing to take him
on trial, paying expenses for three months.
"And, by the way, what's your name?" said
Torpenhow.
"Heldar. Do they give me free hand?"
IheY've taken you on chance. You
must justify the choice. You'd better stick
TO me. I'm going up-country with col
umn, and 1'll do what I can tor you. Give
me some of your sketches taken here, and
I'll send 'em along" To himself he said:
That's the best bargain the Central South
ern has ever made; and they got me cheapiy
enough"
So it came to pass that, after some pur-
chase of horse-fesh and arrangements finan-
cial and political, Dick was made free of the
new and honorable fraternity of war CORE
spondents. who all possess the inalienable
right of doing as much work as they can and
getting as much for it as Providence and
their owners shall please. To these things
are added in time, if the brother be worthy,
the power of glib speech that neither man
nor woman can resist when meal or a bed
is In question, the eye of horse-coper, the
skill of cook, the constitution of bull
lock, the digestion of an ostrich, and an in
finite adaptability to all circumstances. But
many die be ore they attain to this degree,
, and the past masters in the craft appear for
the most part in dress clothes when they are
in England, and thus is their glory hidden
from the multitude.
Dick followed Torpenhow wherever the
latter's fancy chose to lead him, and between
the two they managed to accomplish some
work that almost satisfied themselves. 1t
was not an easy life in any way, and under
its influence the two we're drawn very closely
together, for they ate from the same dish,
they shared the sam. water-bottle and, most
binding tie of all, their mails went off to-
gether. 1t was Dick who managed to make
gloriously drunk a telegraph clerk In
palm hut far beyond the Second Cataract,
and, while the man lay in bliss on the floor,
possessed himself of some laboriously ac-
quired exclusive information, forwarded by
a confding correspondent of an opposition
syndicate, made a careful duplicate of the
matter and brought the result to Torpen-
how, who said that "all was fair in love or
war correspondence, and built an excel
lent descriptive article from his rivals riot
GUS waste of words. 1t was Torpenhow who
but the tale of their adventures to-
gether and apart, from Phila to
the waste wilderness of Herawi and
Muella, would fill many books. They had
| been penned into a square side by side, In
| deadly fear of being shot by over-excited
soldiers; they had fought with baggage
camels in the chill dawn; they had logged
along in silence under binding sun on in
| detatigable little Egyptian horses; and they
| had houndered on the shadows of the Nile
| when the whale boat in which they had
found berth chose to smite hidden rock
and rip out half her bottom planks.
Now they were sitting on the sand bank,
| and the Whale Ooats were bringing up the
remainder of the column.
"Yes," said Torpenhow, as he put the last
rude stitches into his over-long neglected
gear, ''it has been beautiful business"
"The patch, or the campaign" said Hell
dar. "Don't think much of either, my.
self"
"You want the Euryalus brought up
above the Third Cataract, don't you? and
S1-ton guns at Jakdul? Now, I'm quite
satisfied with my breeches." He turned
round gravely to exhibit himself, after the
manner of clown.
Its very pretty. Specially the lettering
on the sack. G. B. 7. Government Bullock
Train. That's sack from India"
'It's my initials-Gilbert Belling Torpen.
how. stole the cloth on purpose. Wha
the mischief are the camel corps doing yon
der?'' Torpenhow shaded his eyes anG
looked across the scrub-strewn gravel.
A bugle blew furiously, and the men or
the bank hurried to their arms and accouter
ments.
"'Pisan soldiery surprised while bath
ing" remarked Dick calmly. "D'you re
member the picture? It's by Michae
Angelo. All beginners copy it. That scrub
alive with enemy"
The camel corps on the bank yelled to the
infantry to come to them, and a hoarst
shouting down the river showed that the re
maindcr OF the column had wind of thu
trouble and was Fastening to take share il
III