, 1891-07-23
SOMETHING OF A NIGHT.

1T its best hunting in a savage coun-
try is no calm pursuit; but when a hu-
man quarry is sought one's nerves are not
likely to know much repose, and most
especially is this true when the object Of
the chase has wronged 80 many Of the
hunters dear ones that vengeance seems
the sole thing left worth living for.
Such, n July afternoon fifteen years
ago, was the condition of affairs | had to
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 with
the Kashgar, fifty miles behind me.
had ridden my horse since daybreak,
determined to overtake the mar | was
hunting down before another nightfall.
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 a
land where western conventionalities
could neither prevent my vengeance nor
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 a 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
end fance, for vengeance, like all other
pure 7 human things, takes no heed Of
what it shall destroy in prevailing
But my hot haste thwarted itself, and
when Thokan was less than a mile away
he 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 a fierce exuberance of i~narticulate
sounds, but the noise of the river pre-
vented every syllable of it from offend
ing eve the dead ears of my horse.
Bitter as only a baff1ed man can feel !
finally shouldered my saddle bags, con.
tiuuing my way to Thokan on foot
This miserable apology for a town
less IAN a dozen shanties-failed to
fuI -Ish me another horse at any price.
Worse yet, found myself compelled to
spend the night there, as it was now
nearly sunset, and Utch, the next town
before me, was still more than twenty
five miles away.
Far off in the west, a black and Jagged
mass against the sunset sky, lowered the
mighty SUBMITS of the Tian Shan range,
the otherwise dazzling wilderness of their
nraaf Gnnyy inrnaa oil phsr,ral hr +la
twilight,
Nature alone was sublime here. Such
miserable human creatures as ! found at
Thokan were too stolid and insensate to
even feel curiosity at the event of a
stranger-a rare circumstance in Turkes-
tan.
Wretched and desperate, unable to en-
dure a thought of food, | stretched my
self ou upon r shelf against the side of
a mean little loft, which was to serve as
my quarters for the night.
Through an open window, straight be-
fore me, l 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 bafhed wretch
edness which so nearly stified me.
Then the moon rose full and splendid,
making night more like day than i. is
anywhere out Of the east.
Instead of cheering me, these mocking
floods 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 as
it was in my grasp?
clinched my hands in silent rage
hands which would nave been red with
human blood II my horse had not failed
me and | had had my way.
With snaillike pace the seconds crept
on into minutes and the minutes into
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; but at last, almost unconsciously, ]
began gazing about.
Here was a bunch of dried herbs, there
n WORKOUT garment, yonder-
Why, what was that? Something OBJ
scured the window, shutting out the
moonlight.
When my eyes were accustomed to the
lessened light | made the obstruction
out
1t was a human figure-a man. "
He had clambered up there from the
~ground-to rob me at any hazard, tc
murder me if need be; for in his mouth
was a knife whose Ginning blade glistened
in the moonlight
Perhaps it was only a minute, but il
seemed an age before the sound of my
! undisturbed breathing satisfied him tina
J was asleep, enabling him to enter tn,
I room unperceived.
Presently he swung his feet over tn,
window bench and dropped upon tn
6oor without a sound