The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-07-02
SOMETHING OF A NIGHT,

1y u no CalLn pursuit.. Out WHICH q uu-
znan quarry is sought ones nerves are not
ailely to know much repose. and most
specially is this true when the object of
the chase has wronged so many of the
hunters dear ones that vengeance seems
the sole thing left worth living for
Such, one July afternoon fifteen years
ego. was the condition of affairs I had to
EAce.
l was in eastern Turkestan. riding to-
ward the west like mad Utch was
thirty miles ahead of me. By my side
ran the Tarim, it's chill waters rushing
swiftly on toward it's confluence with
fAs Kashgar. fifty miles behind me.
had ridden my horse since daybreak,
Aesermined to overtake the man was
Aunting 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
could neither prevent my vengeance nor
punish me for it, though gave thought
20 neither of these considerations then.
He was making for Utch- 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.
d. l. Al.
when Thokan was less than mile away
the poor beast fell under me and ex-
Tired. ."
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 inarticulate
sounds, but the noise of the river pre-
vented every syllable of it from offend
ing even the dead ears of my horse.
Bitter as only baffied man can feel
&nally shouldered my saddle bags. con-
sinuing my way to Thokan on foot
This miserable apology for a town
9ess than a dozen shanties-failed to
furnish 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
i've miles away
Far off in the west, q black and Jagged
mass against the sunset sky, lowered the
mighty SUBMITS of the Tian Shan range.
the otherwise dazzling whiteness of their
great snow domes all obscured by the
twilight
Nature alone was sublime here Such
zniserable human creatures as found at
Thokan were too stolid and insensate to
even feel curiosity at the event of a
ekEanger-a rare circumstancein in Turkes-
tap-
Wretched and desperate. unable to en-
dure a thought Of food, stretched my
self out upon shelf against the side oi
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 disnaIly
black as the sensations of baff1ed wretch
saness which SO nearly stified me.
Then the moon rose full and splendid
making night more like day than it il
anywhere out of the east.
Instead of cheering me, these mockins
Goods of night light angered me.
What right had sun or moon to shine
% warmly on a land which has robbed
.me of vengeance so long delayed, just a.
j was in my graspS
clinehed my hands in silent rage
bands which would have been red with
human blood if my horse had not failel
me and l had had my way.
With snaillike pace the seconds crep
ON into minutes and the minutes int
hours
Not long after midnight the moon
Aaving passed the zenith, shone into MI
noon, Illuminating all its varied store
81 rubbish.
At first these did not attract my atten
fion: but at last, almost unconsciously.
began gazing about
Here was bunch of dried herbs, ther
- wornout garment, yonder-
Why. what was that? Something oh
scured the window. shutting out tn
moonlight.
When my eyes were accustomed to tn
1essened light l made the obstruction
out
1t was a human fgure-a man
He.had clalnbered up there from tn
ground-to rob me at any hazard, +
murder me if need be; for in his moutl
was knife whose shining blade glistene,
in the moonlight
Perhaps it was only minute, but j
seemed an age before.the sound of m
1ndisturbed breathing satisfied him tina
was asleep, enabling him to enter tn
room unperceived-
Presently he swung his feet over tn
window bench and dropped upon tn
loor without . sound