St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-03-11
iards who treated captiyes SO hardly, SO

had to use the long, Spanish blade tt
help him in walking. At last even tina
became an circumference and he would
have cast it away, only the knot had be-
come twisted and would only take lit
tie time 10 undo, 50 he kept it out of in.
dolence and cbbing wits. Here and there
came harder surface which was restful
to the feet, and then he would sink for
a space and try to hope he might get
across this place; then he went on and
on, with the glare in his eyes from below
and a hot, gray sky overhead.
The sun heated his wet rags; they be.
came burning moist; they blistered his
back, sore already from the payment of
yesterdays forced labor in the fortress
he had to turn round at times and give
bis back a relief by be- z roasted in
| front.
At last the whole place swan round
him, there came moments when he
seemed treading over crimson waste
under vermlion sky, and with the first
pains of thirst deadening the ache of
hunger he lay down in the shadow of the
first rock he reached There he stayed
till no shadow was left, shrinking away
from the hot, encroaching yellow till he
was at last covered by it, then rose again
and plodded along through the scorch-
ing hours with burnt feet in his cracking
old shoes.
His wits were all ablur, but his bodily
senses felt that the whole land lay on a
vast upward slope, continual gentle
pressure back, as it were, to each toll
some step he took. In the late afternoon
he felt slight pulling tendency, sign
that he was on an imperceptible descent;
then came a delicate long pleat in the
sand, the ascent began again, and he
fell stupidity down, with some indistinct
fancy of staying there till nothing was
left of him but bones baked, dusty
bones. But when his face touched the
hot sand he got up again and trod on.
He had no fear of pursuit now, for he
was in the Thirst Land no man entered
to return. The Spaniards had spoken of
it, and they had let him 90 into it,
knowing it was but taking the labor of
his destruction off their own hands. He
could imagine them consoling them
selves for the loss of the horse and officer
by telling again the tales of the desert;
how to 60 into it for an hour was to be
lost, and to be lost was to wander round
on ones steps, which meant death finally.
Then he resolved to lie down and bear
his pains as valiant man might, till
night should come and he could follow
one of the stars. BY this time little
shadow lay at his feet, there was a rock
not far away, and he went and lay down
there, trying to be sensible and steady
headed. He was glad he kept the sword
now, because if his miscrc5 became toe
sore he had with it way to cut them;
sleep was denied him by the keen thirst
that baked his tongue into wood, but it
was much to escape the red hot fingers
of the sun.
AS he lay there with his battered old
hat over his face the stiffness came terri !
bly, on him at times. lie thought he
heard distant voices calling, and fancied
some foe had crept up to the other side !
of the stone and was stealing round on
him-thcn it seemed to him as if he was
lying on English sand and the sea was
foaming round Plymouth breakwatcr |
hard by-then he raised his hat for the |
fortieth time to think for the fortieth |
time of this great Thirst Land, before his
ightheadedness began once more, to-
gcthcr with the burning ache for water
in every tlcsl-atom.
The shadow heightened, the sand in it !
cooled, the relief was grateful, though |
small. Later Oh the sun went down, Il
ed globe in a purple haze; the stars APP
oeared, and he followed one for long
lime till he got among rocks and bruised
lis body against them in the dark. 1t
vas of no use going on till moonrisc; he
ay there on the stony floor, and his thirst
Kept him from feeling the hardness of it
for while.
At last he could bear it no longer, but
osc and ran on, then presently struck
sainst one of the stones anl fell,
TUNED, as he had fallen before out in
he sand tracks. Still the man was not
eaten. When he had recovered he
,ipcd his heavy eye, with the back
his hand and felt his way
long through that rocky maze,
,pping his sword on each side
nd following the pa sagcs, holding on
} his star with all the bulldog instinct
t his race. At last the moon came out
ad lit the pls'n, showing it mounting
p and up in long, slow slope till the
yc lost it in darkness. but covered 50
II with stones, stones, stones, like the
ravcyard Of the whole human race. So
C went on, rafting his tongue about in
is arid mouth, wondering why he did
OF lie down and die at once, why he ,,
id not at once fall down Oh his blade .
nd end his portion of life, yet persevcr-
lg all the time, no unworthy man of his
countryside and yoeman name. He had
o visions now. in the night; they were
served for the treachcrous day, when
lc guiding stars should be hidden. {
So through the long hours he travelled, $
nd at last shufflcd out into places where {
lie stones, that dreadful multitude all ,
sactly alike, stood in groups only. The t
loon sped on her course, and the ground 7
ndcrfcot sent a ring from his stccl-statf ,
it was rock +
Then the stones ceased altogether and {
series of low ridges came; they taxed c
is shaky legs and arms to their full, low ,
lough they were, so that he lay down to !
st on each as he got upon it. Then he |
me to the long ridge, highest of all a
lis huge inclined land, and saw its edge |
hiding away to right, to left, for miles a
the hard moonlight, and the rock floor l.
oping downward far below him, for /
lies and miles more Il
Looking behind, the sight Of the fear t.
Il maze of wilderness he had wonder t.
lily come through filled him with terror, a
I'd he fled away from it, down and on, "
lly to fall again like a child Then for e
While his tortured frame could carry s.
m no more; there he lay, dcliriously 81
about streams, and lakes, and 81