Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-21
THE LIONS BRIDE,
IN Hacidc,t ia Algerian Warfare

IN Incident ia Algerian Warfare.
81 tell you, my friend, that she is tn,
most bewitching woman in the old; no re
semblance TO these yellow-skinned she
Arabs, than which we have seen notbipe
else since we left Constantine A dazzling
fair complexion, and a wealth of hair of tn,
veritable Titan hue''
''NIy faithr' broke in the listener drop
ping his cigarette in paroxysm of aston
ishment, "am listening to my old friend
Armand de Lancroi, capitaine in the Chas
seurs d 'Afr1que, or to some itinerant story.
teller reciting a garbled edition of a spur.
ious Arabian Night Redhair on the head Of
an Arab chief? Armand, Armand, deal
gently with an old friend, 1 implore vou. u
"Holy blue! will you never be serious?''
returned Armand de Lancroi, impatiently
because you are but a wanderer on the
asphalt, and haunter of the Bois, do YOU
think that strange things are not found in a
strange land like this? tell you that she
is as L said Peste! my friend, do you think
there was much time for dreaming when we
only held the captured litter for about ten
minutes, until 500 yelling devils, with
sabers as sharp as razors, cut their way
through our men, and carried off the booty?
Why, had it not been for my old troop
sergeant-maior, Paul Richard, a VERT able
bourreau des cranes, who stood over me,
and warded of the blows made at me, l
should not have been able to exchange the
few words L did with her Raoul de Log
nae, you have ever had too much of the
sceptic in your nature to travel into the
land of romance"
ra1l -al 70 r ~,
in" returned de Lognac, who perceived that
his friend was getting annoyed; land what
did she say TO you-did she grant you
rendezvous"
''She did, answered de Lancroi, "and the
meeting place was a very curious one"
''Of course it was, or where would the
romance come IMP" laughed his friend. care
you bound to secrecy, or may learn the
exact spot?'
Beneath the cliff at the northeast corner
of the Castle in the Clouds in the Wady-el-
Zula," answered de Lancroi, solemnly.
''Why, my dear fellow, is not that the
very stronghold that we are now on the
march to sack, burn and destroy?' de-
manded Raoul, evidently little taken
aback
1.-The same" replied Lancroi, "and what
is more, she is the wife of the redoubted
Arab leader, Sidi-ben- Mahommed. -
''Then she is the blood-thirsty fend
known as the Bride of the Lion, whose
name is written in the annals of our re-
verses in letters of blood" cried Raoul
Armand, my friend, have nothing more to
do with her or she will lead you to destruc-
tion"
''She is very beautiful" replied de Ian
croi, "and perhaps does not deserve all the
hard things which are said about her. But
we will drop the subject until we arrive at
the Castle in the Clouds, which at the rate
the General pushes on will be very soon"
Raoul de Lognac and Armand de Lam
croi had been friends for many years, dat
ing from an intimacy at school, and reach
ing to the time when both had gone into the
world to make his way. Armand had de-
cided for military career, and Raoul had
entered into the world of politics. Dis
gusted, however, with the vacillating con-
duct of his colleagues, he had, after time,
thrown up his chances of the Presidency of
tbe Republic, and remembering that his old
out to psJ I'm visit. afs III Algeria mad gone
Armand had received him with open
arms, and as he was well looked on by the
military authorities had easily obtained
permission for his friend to accompany the |
column, which had been dispatched to pun
ish certain recalcitrant Arab chieftain,
commonly known as
''The Lion"
The French troops had made their razzia |
with inconceivable skill and rapidity. The |
Lion was fairly taken by surprise, and |
though he made several fierce dashes at the |
advancing column, vet he was slowly forced |
back by the superior discipline of the |
French, until he was compelled to seek ref |
uge in his mountain stronghold, known as
the Castle in the Clouds
Like snake the invaders encircled the |
rocky hill upon which the fortress was
perched, and, before proceeding to further |
hostilities, sent flag of truce, inviting the |
Lion to surrender and give hostages for his |
future good behavior.
a contemptuous negative was the reply, |
and the bearers of 1.-THE flag of truce, among |
which was Armand de Lancroi, congratu- |
lated themselves on having escaped with |
their lives.
The next morning the infantry moved to |
the front in order to take the place by |
storm; but the assailants were met by so |
fierce and stubborn a resistance, that. |
though fighting with all the gallantry of |
their nation, they were repulsed with great |
loss
Three times was the assault renewed, but |
each time with the same result, amid shouts |
of triumph and shower of opprobrious |
epithets hurled after the discounted |
French by the followers of the Lion.
And now a line of decentralization was |
drawn around the devoted citadel, so that
no supplies could reach it from the outside;
ana the regiment of Chasseurs d. Antique, |
to which Armand belonged, had the post be-
meath the northeast corner of the citadel,
which stood upon an ALMOST perpendicular |
rock some 40 feet above the plain.
"You see. Raoul," remarked Armand, with
q smile, "the General has enabled me to
keep my appointment by placing me almost
at the exact spot which was appointed for
our rendezvous by the fair infldel."
81 wish you would get all this nonsense
= Il