Connecticut western news., 1890-04-23

was proper thing to do, and the sail or afterward attempted to cheer us up with the assurance that another day could not possibly pass without our be- ing picked up. Just before night he issued the rations, allowing himself what he gave us, but when darkness came heard him eating and drinking his fill. We then had about two quarts of water and seven biscuits. Henry and 1 crept forward and talked the matter over in whispers, but we had no idea of interfering. We were cowed and afraid, and the sailor had look about him which made us tremble every time he spoke to us. If our lives depended on the food and water we had with us, he was going to save his at the cost of ours. At about 10 o'clock he called us aft, gave us a par ticular star to steer by, and ordered ua not to arouse him until daybreak un- less a ship was sighted close at hand He then went forward and lay down on the spare sail, and in two minutes was sound asleep. We examined the breaker and found it empty, and there was not a single crumb left. The wretch had pinched us and made hearty meal himself. .
 As the breeze was gentle and the sea smooth it required little effort to steer the boat, and about midnight both of us fell asleep. It was sunrise when any one of the three were awakened, and it was the sound of voices which aroused us We jumped up to find ourselves in a light surf on sandy shore, with dozen Arabs pulling the boat up on the beach. As the sailor scrambled up he drew his knife and showed fight, and was promptly knocked down with blow from the barrel of long rife which one of the dusky fellows carried. Henry and l rose up and stepped ashore at their or der, and after being searched and re- lieved of our knives and trinkets were motioned to be seated on the sand. When the sailor came to after the blow he received he jumped up and attacked the man with the gun, and four or five of the natives pitched into him with knives and clubs, and he was soon so badly wounded that l have no doubt that he died within two or three hours.
 We had come ashore, as we after ward learned, about sixty miles to the west of Keslin, and the Hauramant mountains were in plain view to the north of us and about twenty miles in land. Only one of our captors was mounted. We were ordered to follow him, while the others remained be- hind, and we trotted along after his horse about three miles before coming upon the camp of his people. At the foot of long and winding valley, which was rich with grass and run ming water, there was camp or vii lage containing about 400 people. There were huts of brush and mud, tents of hides and canvas, and every thing indicated that the people had been there for some months. There were horses, cattle, sheep and goats in plenty, but no camels. A great hullabaloo was raised by our appear ance, and we were at once conducted to the tent of the chief. He came to the door, surveyed us with anything but a pleasant look, and then ordered us away. We were thirsty, hungry and weak, but got nothing moro than a drink of water before being left to our selves in an abandoned hut, and a guard with a lance stationed before the door.
 We knew that we had fallen into the hands of the Arabs, and we knew that the people along the coast had no mercy on foreigners, but as we could say nothing to console each other we stretched out on the ground and slept until aroused about noon. We were given some boiled mutton and cakes of barley, and after dinner was dis posed of we were reconducted to the tent of the chief. He had with him now a man who seemed to be trader, and who could speak and understand English fairly we'll. We told this man who and what we were, and how we came to be cast ashore, and he repeated it to the chief. The only English word the latter could use was ''dog," !" and he kept hurling that at us pretty lively. The interpreter was patient and good natured, and after we had told our story and he had consulted with the chief he said
 "I am sorry for you. He hates the English, because they once wronged him, and he is angry that your boat contained nothing. He may not put work very hard"
 In reply I told him of the financial standing of my father, and that he would be willing to pay handsome sum to ransom us, and he wrote down the address and said he would send him news as soon as he returned to Makal- la, which was 100 miles further down the coast. As soon as the interview closed we were sent out to field to tread out barley which had just been cut. The grain was laid on a bare, hard spot, and we had to kneel down and strike it with sticks. We thoughtit best to do all we could to please them, but no matter how hard we worked it was not hard enough. A man was ap- pointed as overseer, and he did little else that long afternoon but beat us. When darkness finally came and we were allowed to return to the hut we were sore and bleeding, and so tired that we fell down and went to sleep without tasting food. We were routed out at daylight, given two small barley cakes apiece, and then conducted to the same work, and when night finally came again we were so used up that we had to crawl back to our hut on hands and knees.
 Our work for the next twenty days was threshlng out grain, and how we lived through such treatment has al- ways been a wonder to me. We were half fed, continually whipped and kicked, and after the first day we were bareheaded and barefooted and obliged to hide our nakedness with two old sheepskins which left arms and legs bare. After the barley had been fin ished we were set to building mud huts, and as all the material had to be carried some distance, and as the over seer was too lazy to walk with us, he