The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-11-14
the same hot and atiiling formation, the
smell OF dust and leather, the same bolt

like rush OF the enemy, the same pre-
sure on the wea kest side Of tho square
tho few minutes OF desperate hanl.tt
hand scullle, and then the Rilence OF til
desert, broken only by tho yells OF thos
whom the handful OF cavalry attempte
to pursue. They had grown careless
. The camel.guna spoke at intervals, an
/. the square slouched forward amid th
protests Of the camels. Then came til
attack OF three thousand men who ha
, not learned from books that II Ia i'm
possible for troops in close order 4
attack against bteech.loading fro. !
few dropping ahots heralded thel
approach, and A few horacmen led
but the bulk OF tho force was make,
humanity, mad with rage, and arme,
with tho spear and tho sword. Tho IN
stinct Of the desert, where there il al
ways much war, told them that the RICH
flank OF the square was the weakest, 10
they swung clear OF the front. tn,
| camel.guns sheled them az they passed
and opened for an instant lanes through
their midst, most like thoae quick clos
ing vistas III n Kentish hop garden, seer
when tho train races by ut full speed
and the infantry FIRE, held till the op
perfume moment, dropped them It
close.packea hundreds. No civilizet
troops In the world could have endured
the hell through which they came, The
living leaping high to avoid tho dead
clutching ut their heels, the wounded
cnrsiDg and staggering forward till they
fell-a torrent black as the sliding water
above q mill.dam-full on tho right flank
Of tho square. Then the line OF the
dusty troops and the faint blue desert
sky overhead went out in rolling smoke.
and the little stoneson the heated ground
and the tinder.dry clumps OF scrub be-
came matters Of surprising interest. for
measured their agonized retreat and re-
coyery by these things, counting me-
chemically and hewiug their way
back TO chosen pebble and branch.
There was no semblance OF
any concerted fighting. For aught the
men knew, the enemy might be Mt
tempting all four sides OF the square at
once. Their business was to destroy
what lay in front Of them, to bayonet in
the back those who passed over them,
and, dying, to drag down The slayer hi
he could be Knocked on the head by
some avenging gun.butt. Dick waited
quietly with Iorpenhow and q young
doctor TIL the stress became unendur.
able. There was no hope Of attending
to the wounded till tho attack WAS re-.
pulsed, so tho three moved forward
gingerly towards the weakest side. There
was q rush from without, the short
houyh.hough Of tho stabbing spears, and u
man on horse, followed by thirty or
fo,ty others, dashed through, yelling
and hacking. The right flank OF the
square sucked in after them, and the
other sides sent help. The wounded,
who knew that they had but few
hours more to live. caught at the
enemy's feet and brought /, them down.
or, staggering to discarded rifle, fred
tlindly into the seuille that ragged in the
centre OF the square. Dick was conscious
that somebody had cut him violently
across his helmet, that he had fired bis
revolver into black foam. hecked face
which forthwith ceased to bear any re-
semblance to lace, and that Torpen.
how had gone down under m Arab
whom he had tried to "coilar low" and
was turning over and over with his cap.
tive, feeling for the mans eyes. The
doctor was jabbing at venture with a
tayonet, and helmetless soldier was
firing over Dicks shoulder. The flying
grains OF powder stung his cheek. 1t
was TO Torpenhow that Dick turned by
instinct. The representative OF the
Central Southern Syndicate bad shaken
himself clear Of his enemy, and rose,
wiping his thumb on his trousers. The1
Arab, both bands to his forehead.
screamed aloud, then snatched up his
spear and rushed at Torpenhow, who
was painting under shelter OF Dicks re.
volver. Dick fired twice, and the man
dropped Imply. His upturned face
lacked one eye. The musketry fire re-
doubled, but cheers mingled with It.
The rush had failed, and tho enemy
were lying. II the heart OF the square
were shambles, the ground beyond was
q butchers shop. Dick thrust his way
forward between the maddened men.
The remnant of the enemy were retir.
ing, and the few-the very few-Eng!ish
calvary were riding down the lagaarGs. |
Beyond the lines Of the dead, n broad |
blood.stained Arab spear cast aside in |
the retreat lay across u stump OF scrub,
and beyond this against the illimitable
dark levels OF the desert. The sun |
caught the steel and turned it into say.
age red diak. Some one behind him
was saying, "Ah, get away, you brute!"
Dick raised his revolver and pointed |
toward the desert. His eye was held by |
the red splash in the distance, and the |
clamor about him seemed to die down
to q very PARKWAY whisper, like the |
whisper Of level sea. There was the
revolver and the red light, and the voice
Of some one soaring something away,
exactly as had fallen somewhere before,
probably in a past life. Dick waited
Tor what should happen afterwards.
Something seemed to crack inside his
head, and for IN instant he stood in the
dark,-a darkness that stung. He fired
ut random, and the bullet went out
across the desert as he muttered. "Spoilt
my aim. There aren't any more cart
ridges. We shall have to run home."'
He put his hand to Lis head and brought
it away covered with blood.
'Oid man, you're cut rather badly"
said Torpenhow. II owe you some
thing for this business. Thanks. Stand
up! say, you can't be i'll here"
Dick had fallen stiiiiy on Torpenhow's
shoulder, and mu,tering something
about aiming low and to the left. Then
he eank to the ground and was silent.
Torpenhow dragged him Off to doctor
and sat down to work up his account Of
what he was pleased to call "a sangnin-
airy battle, in which our arms had ac-
quilted themselves" etc. z
All that night, when the troops were
encamped by the whale boats, a black
figure danced in the strong moonlight
on the sand bar and shouted that TX har.
toum the accursed one was dead,--was
dead,-was dead, -that two steamers
were rock.staked on the Nile outside the.
city, and that OF ali their crews there re-
NAMED not. one; and khartoum was
dead, was dead, was dead. q ;.SFs'
But Torpenhow took no heed. He
was watching Dick, who was calling
aloud to the reatless Nile for Maisie,E
and again Maisiel. &. Id, H. ID, 3Ss5
Behold a phenomenon" said Tor.
penhow, rearranging the blanket. "Here
Ia man, presumably human, who men.