Evening journal., 1891-08-13
SOMETHING OF A NIGHT.

1
At its best, hunting in a savage country
is no calm pursuit; but when a human
quarry is sought, ones nerves are not like
ly 70 know much repose, and most especial
ly is this true when the object of the chast
has wronged so many of the hunters deai
! ones that vengeance seems the sole think
left worth living for.
Such, one July afternoon, fifteen year
ago, was the condition of affairs had IL
face.
l was in Eastern Turkestan, ridins
toward the west like mad. Utch was thir
ty miles ahead of me. BY my side ran th,
Tarim. its chill waters rushing swiftly on
toward its confluence With che Kashgar
fifty miles behind me.
had ridden my horse since daybreak
determined to overtake the man / wM
hunting down before another nightfall
For three years l 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 land where western
iconventionalities could neither prevent my
vengeance nor punish me for it, though
gave thought 20 neither of these considera
tions then.
He was making for Itch. where ne in
tended passing the night. II was my pur
pose to overtake him a little beyond Thokan
where the Tarim ran through such dreary,
deserted wastes that human sounds seldom
competed with it in the business Of awak
ening the echoes.
On and on / sped, urging my jaded horst
far beyond its utmost powers Of endurance
for vengeance, like all other purely hu
man things, takes no heed Of what it shall
destroy in prevailing.
But my hot haste thwarted itself, ano
when Thokan was less than a mile away
the poor beast fell under me and expired.
Grown vulture like by reason Of my aw
full pursuit, now that l was cheated Of my
| prey, | shrieked out my wild rage ia .
fierce eKuberance Of inarticulate sounds
but the noise Of the river prevented every
syllable of 1t from offending even the dead
ears Of my horse.
Bitter as only baifled man can feel,
! finally shOuldered my saddle bags, continu.
ing my way to Thokan on foot
This miserable apology for town-less
4 than dozen mean shanties-failed to fur
nish me another horse at any price. Worst
yet, found myself compelled to spend th,
night there, as it was now nearly sunset
and Utch, the next town before me, wa
still more than twenty-five miles sway.
Far Off in the west, black and Jagged
mass against the sunset sky, lowered tn
mighty SUBMITS Of the Tian Shan range
the otherwise dazzling whiteness Of thei
great snow dOmes all obscured by the twi
light.
Nature alone was sublime here. Sue
miserable human creatures as found a
Thokan were too stolid and insensate {
even feel curiosity at the advent of
stranger-a rare circumstance in Turk
eStan.
Wretched and desperate, unable to en-
dure thought Of food, / stretched mysel
! out upon a shelf against the side of NEAR
little loft, which was to serve as my guar
ters for the night.
Through an open window, straight b'
fore me, / could look out at the sky abov
4 the western mountains.
Shade by shade ! witnessed the fading {
the sunset colors and the end Of the afte
, glow, until all was as dismRlly black D
the sensations Of bafiied wretohednes
q which SO nearly stiled me
5 Then the moon rose, full and splendi,
| making night more like day than It Is an
b whore out Of the east.
. Instead Of cheering me, these mockin
I floods Of night light angered me.
d What right had sun or moon to shine
warmly on a land which had robbed me
= vengeance 50 long delayed, just as it vi
:. in my grasps
/ / clenched my hands in silent rage
I hands which would have been red vii
q human blood If my horse had not fail,
h me and had had my way
With snRil-like pace the seconds crept
. into minutes and the minutes into hours
e Not long after midnight the moon, ha
r ing passed the zenith, shone into my ROOF
" illuminating all its varied stores Of RI
b bish.
- At first these did not attract my atte
tiOn; but at last, almost unconsciously
N began gazing about
10 Here was bunch Of dried herbs, there
ar wornout garment, yonder-
or Why, what was thats Something q
I'd scured the window, shutting out [
& moonlight.
n When my eyes were accustomed to {
lessened light ] made the obstruction on
ne 1t was a human figure-a man.
as He had clamhered up there from [
es ground-to rob me at any hazard, to mi
OF der me If need be; for in his mouth was
D. knife whose shining blade glistened in /
hnNtnliHlNs
al Perhaps it was only a minute, but
no seemed an age before the sound Of my |
"a disturbed breathing satisfied him that
was asleep. enabling him to enter the 70,
unperceived.
Al. Presently he swung his feet over I
nd windowbench and dropped upon the 40
NO without a sound.
M, Slowly he advanced until he stood
ch side me.
n My eyes were closed but for all tbs
NO could Enthusiastically feel his sharp e
~, peering down at me.
Slight sound as it made, heard b
take the knife from his teeth and run
m fingers along its edge.
all Then all was silence again; could
lev even hear him breathe.
Probably he was wondering whether