Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1891-08-20
SOMETHING OF A NIGHT.

cSkcNioAtJ ~ 1uiS lltte WuSH TUE ODJeCt y
the chase has wronged so many Of tn,
hunters dear ones that vengeance seem
the sole thing left worth living for
Such, one July afternoon fifteen year
ago. was the condition Of affairs had t,
face.
| was in eastern Turkestan. riding to
ward the west like mad Itch was
thirty miles ahead Of me By my side
ran the Tarim, its chill waters rushing
swiftly on toward its confluence witt
the Kashgar, fifty miles behind me.
had ridden my horse since daybreak
determined to overtake the man wa:
hunting down before another Dightfall.
For three years ] had been pursuing
him, never able to get within striking
distance. Now he was less than -four
hours ahead of me, and We were in 3
land where western conventionalities
could neither prevent my vengeance MOI
punish me for it, though gave thought
to neither of these considerations then.
He was making for ITCH. where he in.
tended passing the night. 1t was my
purpose TO overtake him little beyond
Thokan, where the Tarim ran through
such dreary, deserted wastes that human
sounds seldom competed with it in the
business of awakening the echoes.
On and on sped, urging my jaded
horse far beyond its utmost powers OF
endurance, for vengeance, like all other
purely human things, takes no heed Of
what it shall destroy in prevailing.
But my hot haste thwarted itself, and
when Thokan was less than mile away
the poor beast fell under me and ex.
pired
Grown vulturelike by reason of my
awful pursuit, now that was cheated
of my prey, shrieked out my wild rage
in fierce exuberance of inarticulate
sounds, but the noise Of the river pre-
vented every syllable of if from offend
ing even the dead ears Of my horse.
Bitter as only baffied man can feel
finally shouldered my saddle bags, con.
tinuing my way to Thokan on foot.
This miserable apology for a town
iass than dnzAn shanfins--failod 90
fuLzissb me another horse at any price
Worse yet found myself compelled to
spend tho night there, as it was now
nearly sunset. and Utch. the next town
before me, was still more than twenty
Eve miles away
Far off in the west, ablack and jagged
mass against the sunset sky, lowered the
mighty submits Of the Tian Shan range,
the otherwise dazzling whiteness OF their
great snow doInes al obscured by the
twilight
Nature alone was sublime here Such
miserable human creatures as / found at
Thokan were too stolid and insensate tc
even feel curiosity at the event Of o
strangeT--a rare circumstancein Turkes.
tan.
Wretched and desperate, unable to en-
dure a thought Of food, ] stretched my.
self out upon shelf against the side oI
a mean little loft, which was to serve as
my quarters for the night.
Through an open window, straight be
fore me, could look out at the sky
above the western mountains.
Shade by shade witnessed the fading
Of The sunset colors and the end Of the
after glow, until all was as dismally
black as the sensations of baffled wretch
edness which so nearly sti1ed me-
Then the moon rose full and splendid
making night more like day than it i.
anywhere out of the east.
Instead Of cheering me, these moclzing
foods of night light angered me.
What right had sun or moon to shine
so warmly on a land which has robbed
me Of vengeance SO long delayed. just al
it was in my grasp?
! clinched my hands in silent rage
hands which wonld have been red with
human blood if my horse had not faileS
me and | had had my way
With snaillike pace the seconds crept
on into minutes and the minutes intc
hours
Not long after midnight the moon
having passed the zenith, shone into my
room, Illuminating all its varied stores
Of rubbish
At first These did not attract my atten
ton; Jut at last, almost unconsciously,
began gazing about
Here was d bunch of dried herbs, ther.
a wornout garment. yonder
Why, what was that? Something oh
scued the window shutting out the
moonlight
When my eyes were accustomed to th.
lessened light made the obstruction
out
1t was a human figure-a man.
He had clambered up there from tn,
ground-to rob me at any hazard, {,
murder me if need be; for in MS moutl
was knife whose shining blade glisteneG
IN the moonlight
Perhaps 1t was only minute, but /
seemed an aye before the sound of IN,
undisturbed breathing satisfied him tina
I was asleep, enabling him to enter tn
room unperceived.
Presently he swung his feet over th
window bench and dropped upon th
deor without a sound
Slowly be advanced until he ssood be
side me
My eyes were closed, but for all that
could Enthusiastically feel his sharp eye
peering down at me-
Slight sound as it made, heard hir
take the knife from his teeth and run hi
fingers along its edge
Then all was silence again; i could no
even hear him breathe
Probably he was wondering whethe
he had best kill me before robbing me
Whatever the cause of his deliberatio
it was niaddening. unendurable.
Finally tore open the garment owe
my heart and said:
Why don't you kili me, if you wis
4 to, and have done with itY'
With half suppressed yell Of amaze
inent the man dropped his knife an
sprang from my bedside straight on
through the window
Ny desperation had terrified my Tai
tar friend into the belief that he had al
tempted the life Of some demon
had hailed the first sight Of th
weaDoa with sort Of fierce ioy: it VA