New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-24

| | readily accepted the Generals suggestion uldu
| should accompany his force a. VCluhlcer' ana
| see some sport of a more exciting kind. com
mon risk, even when comparatively lh"lghlUcaH',
| incllncs men 10 reader coIdIally toward thc
companions they may shortly be going To lose,
and was soon on excellent terms WIN tic othcF
| officers who pleasant set OF fellows as
pencd till were across the enemy lIOh"er
and the force cnconped one nlght undci Il
brilliant moon on q hill overlooking thlchIy
wooded valley.
Il was strolling round the camp with a cigar,
when | was Joined by one Of the younger Olhcers,
who, not being on duty, was refreshing himself
after the days march III the same way, ana we
| continued our walk together. We stopped 70 al
mire the view at point where we could look
down on the valley. and presently we fell into an
argument as to whether Il bright surface "hlcl
caught the moonlight in glaze oil the wO9o
| below was water or "A smooth slab Of rock. IL
happened that my companion particularly prldco
days before had won a snal bet from me on te
subject J. 100, thought that l had good eyes,
and. feeling sure That he was wrong Ill lbs con-
tention that lie could detect gentle ripple on
tie surface in dispute, ] offered him second bcV
| that it rock. and proposed to settle the qn'e-
tiOn by myself going down TO the spot; lie ac-
ccpted my bet. and as he was not at llbeTlN u
| lcaVe camp, | gayy started down the hull alone,
telling him with laugh to have the stakes ready
| 10y the time | returned, and never for moment
| sGpposing that | was running any IlSk III 'ie
| affair.
Il rapidly made my way down over the snort
| grass Of the hillside, and, marking Inc alectloh
! darkness of the wood the caNernous depth OF
| whose shadows was enhanced by an occasional
| Stint of mOOnshne. | am not naturally super
Sttious. 1 have no particular aversion TO md
| night grayeyards or haunted rooms, but must
! confess | felt an uncommOnlN dl>a@TCcaDc 1cellhs
! of something like dread when | got inside tlitt
wood Everything was absolutely dead and still
Not the fainteSt rustic of a leaf. not the crlck
of an insect, nor muTmur of water. but dense am
awful blackness! 1t excited my nerves al
most imagined ! saw black shapes moving under
thc trees, though it was quite impossible that any
thing not luminous shonld show against sdch an
! inkY back ground. | felt my way cautiously, sloP-
! ping constantly TO hear if any thing was moving
near me. What cracks the twigs under my iceI
! gave. What a resembling crash rcverbcratcd IN
the gloomy shades when my foot set loose stone
rolling. Nv nerve gone, ana felt horribly
uncomfortable. | would gladly have pad my
bet TO he back again in camp, but VAS bo9hd 10
/ 90 through with my search now thai ! hal once
! begun, and | should make myalf butt ior me
Wit of the regiment if turned back halfway to
confess myself scared by the dark. NIer a
! longer time and with more difficulty than hn,I
! anticipated | reached the Sab of iOck, Tor such
| it proved 10 be- Here was clear Of the trees, ana
| ! stood for, few moments in the bright moon-
/ light. that my friend above, who knew
! would he watching for me To emerge from me
shadow might see that il was not water on when
l stood. Then turned and struck out energcu-
cally for the camp.
Il had not, however, pushed my way far
through the underground when | was ul.ped mp
suddenly by what | at first took to be some stout
! crccpcr or protrudine root | fell forward on my
! hands and had not time TO get on my feet AGAIN
! before ! learned that il was no accident when
bad overthrow me. Before had time to ohcr
the least resistance. or even Ia utter shout lor
help, | felt myself seized round the neck Dy "a
! grip like wise: a few seconds more, and ! was
gagged bound and carried OIL through the iorc't'
Quickly. but in silence. Us soon as suushhnt
astonishmcnt left room for any other sensation,
fclt paro>ysm of rage, as well against my own
folly in running into such Il trap against my
| sudden as>ailants, whom | Cursed none tie less
heartily for my inability 10 utter sound Inc
fuiility of passion under the CIRCUMSTANCES
gradually subdued me, If not 10 philosophlc iorti-
tude at least IL sufficient calmness 10 speculate
on my probable fate and on the chances OF escape
For some time | seemed 10 be borne down hhi
and over IRREGULAR ground: then must have
emerged from the jungl" on Il more even ground.
for the pace became quicker and Smoother lbs
may have gone on for some twenty minutes or
half an hour. and then my capton came to
halt. ! was set on my lect. an" my eyes ahI
mouth released from their bandarcs. llus ch'n-e
Of condition did not, however. c"nNtc' to my
comfort or reinsurance for. while armed native
on each side held me linnly by nay pinoned
arms ii third presented a hu-c horse pistol at my
head At yards distance. For a f." insiants
endured agony Of suspense. ] lnVoluHiJr!F
shut my eyes. and waited for the bullet to crash
! through my brain
! Il have met many men who have at some
time or other looked Ceoth pretty closely in the
face, and you must often have heard il said tia;
a mans mind at such moments reviews in a flash
long periods OF past time with an almost super
natural NlNldncSs Of perception, but ] didn't feel
ANYTHING of this. | only felt that ] might be
dead in another second. and then, with de-
termination to die game which Was rather
an animal sensation than an articulatc thought
set my teeth and opened my eyes -
meet those Of my enemy. The pistol was still di-
cctcd al my head. and the grin. Indian still kept
ana, as though unwilling IT, change = dramatic
situation which interested Lin. lie still kept the
nash anu the end before my nerve should fail
At last he spoke. He spoke Il dialect which
| only imperfcctly followed but understood him
10 say that if tried 70 escape should be- eho, "a
! | lt,ir fr
reserved for a more horrible death, bur the instinct
OF sell preservation kept me passive. When AZ last
the pistol was lowered, and no longer stood in
momenary expectation Of death. | looked around
ne and perceived that ] was in the middle of
group of some half dozen Indians and ~ many
horses. On 70 one Of these latter was lined ami
secured in the saddle By lcathcrn thongs my cap
tors not choosing to give me the chanor Of ape
by leaving me The management of my horse.
After about an hours hard rdng. during which
the rapid motion and the blowing Of the cool night
air on my face and hands acted as a scdatvc on my
racked nerves, we reached the encampmcnt Of the
hostile tribe against which the expedition had
been sent cut. And now the strangcst
part of my adventures; the part which bears
on my eccentric play tonight.
Here Colonel Bradshaw paused TO stir the
! smO lldering log in the CRATE 10 bright blazr
and then, staring into the fire and keeping the
poker in his hands he leaned forward in his
chair, went on with his story, more slowly AZ
first, but with growing animation of voice. which
gradually rose TO tho clOqucnce Of excitement rs
lie seemed 10 forget his Immediate surroundings.
and 10 live once again through the distant scene
he was describing
The human brain,' he resumed, is incapa-
bic. | imagine, OF continuing to experience any
intense sensation for very long. 1t reaches the
maximum tension, and then one set OF pcrcrptivc
faculties becomes dcadcncd. The previous Incl
dents Of the night had exhausted my capacity
for fear and, as was led before the chief Of the
tribe 10 hear his decree concerning me- awaited
The decision with indifference. ! was krcnly alive
TO every detail Of my surroundings. and noted
the expression Of every face, and yet | seemed
somehow to have lost my Individuality: 10
be watching myself as an actor in scene with
which had no personal concern, but only looked
at from outside point Of view. The moon
was now hidden behind hill, but some twenty
torches lit mp the spot with their Iurid flames
The party that had caught me had obviously been
sent ont 10 recOnnOitrc the movements of tic
English force and the chief had been brguilinQ
the time Of their absence with nothing less than
Il game Of chess
| was the less surprised at the nature Of his
pastimc, as | knew that the game was widely
spread in India. and had played il with natives
myself and knew in what points their game diff
Pa.