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

of desperate hand-to-hand scuf1e, and
then the silence of the desert, broken
only by the yells of those whom
the handful of cavhlry attempted
to pursue. They had grown careless.
The camel-guns spoke at intervals, and the
square slouched forward amid the protests
of the camels. Then came the attack OF
5000 men who had not learned from books
that it is impossible for troops in close order
to attack against breech-loading fire. A few
dropping shots heralded thUir approach, and
few horsemen led, but the bulk of the
force was naked humanity. mad with rage,
and armed with the spear and the sword.
The instinct of the desert where there Is al
ways much war, told them that the right
flank of the square was the weakest, for
they swung clear of the front. The camel
guns shelled them as they passed, and
opened for an instant lanes through their
midst, most like those quick-closing vistas
in Kentish hop-garden, seen when the
train races by at iull speed; and the infantry
fire, held to the opportune moment, dropped
them in close-packed hundreds. No civil
lied troops in the world could have endured
the hell through which they came, the living
leaping high to avoid the dead clutching
at their heels, the wounded cursing and
staggering forward till they fell-a torrent
black as the sliding water above mill dam
full on the right flank of the square.
Then the line of dusty troops and the faint
blue desert sky overhead went out in rolling
smoke, and the little stones on the heated
ground and the tinder-dry clumps of scrub
became matters os SURPRISING interest. for
men measured their agonized retreat and re-
covery by these things, counting mechanl-
cally and hewing 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 attempting
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 till he could be knocked on the
head by some avenging gun-butt. Dick
waited quietly with Torpenlow and young
doctor till the stress became unbearable.
There was no hope of attending to the
wounded till the attack was repulsed, SO
the three moved forward gingerly toward
the weakest side. There WAS a rush from
without, the short hougL-hough of the
stabbing spears, and a man on horse, fol-
lowed by 80 or 40 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 fset-and brought
them down, or, staggering to discarded
rifle, fired blindly into the scuff1e that
ragged in the center of the square. Dick was
conscious that somebody had cut him vio-
lentlY across his helmet, thnt he had fired
his revolver into black, foam-fecked face
which forthwith ceased to bear any re-
semblance to face, and that Torpenhow
had gone down under an B.rab whom he
had tried to collar ~lew," and was
turning over and over with his cap
tive, feeling for the mans eyes, The doc
tor was jabbing at a venture with bayonet,
and helmetless soldier was firing over
Dicks shoulder. The flying grains of
powder stung his cheek. IS was to Torpen-
how that Dick turned by instinct. The
representative of the Central Southern
Syndicate had shaken himself clear of his
enemy, and rose, wiping his thumb on his
trousers. The Arab, both hands to his fore
head, screamed aloud, then snatched up his
spear and rushed at Torpenhow, who was
painting under shelter of Dicks revolver.
Dick fred twice, and the man dropped
Imply. His upturned face lacked one eye.
The musketry fire redoukled, but cheers
mingled with it. The rush had failed, and
the enemy were flying. Ii the heart OF the
square were shambles, the ground beyond
was butchers shop. Diek thrust his way
forward between the maddened men. The
remnant of the enemy were retiring, and the
few-the very few-Engtish cavalry were
riding down the laggards
Beyond the lines of the dead, broad
blood-stained Arab spear, cast aside in the
retreat, lay across a stump of scrub, and be-
yond this again the illin liable dark levels
of the desert. The sun caught the steel and
turned it into a savage red disk. Some one
behind him was saving, "Ah, get away, you
bruteP' 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 a very far-away 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 for what should
happen afterward. Something seemed to
crack inside his head, and for an instant he
stood in the dark-a darkness that stung.
He fired at random, and the bullet went out
across the desert as he muttered, "Spoilt my
aim. There aren't any more cartridges.
We shall have TO run home" He put his
hand to his head and brought it away cov-
cred with blood.
"Old man, you're cut rather badly" said
Torpenhow. 81 owe you something for this
business. Thanks. Stand upl I say, you
can't be i'll here"
Dick had fallen stiff1y on Torpenhow's
shoulder and was muttering something about
aiming low and to the left. Then he sank
to the ground and was silent. TorpenhoU
dragged him off to a doctor and sat down to
work up his account of what he was pleased
to call ga sanguinary battle, in which oul
arms had acquitted themselves" etc.
All that night, when the troops were en-.
camped by the whale-boats, a black figure
danced in the strong moonlight on the sanG
bar and shouted that ''Khartoum the &C
cursed one was dead-was dead-was dead
that two steamers were rock-staked on the
Nile outside the city, and that OF all theil
crews there remained not one; and Khar
toum was dead-was dead-was dead"
But Torpenhow took no heed. He wal
watching Dick, who was calling aloud tt
the restless Nile for Maisie-and agai1
Maisie!
"Behold phenomenon" said Torpenhow
rearranging the blanket. "Here is a man
presumably human, who mentions the nam,
OF one woman only. And I've seen gooc
deal of dellrium, too. Dick, here's som,
fzzy drink
"Thank you, Maisie," said Dick.
(To be continued ne1t Sunddu)
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