The morning call., 1893-01-24

and Grant Ave-, S. F.
uTu 2t
senses felt that the whole land lay on vast
upward SLOPE continual gentle pressure
back, as it were, TO each toilsome step he
took. In the late afternoon he felt sught
pulling tendency. sign that he was on an
imperceptible descent; then came delicate
long pleat in the sand, the ascent began
again, and he fell stupidity down, with some
indistiuct fancy of staying there till moth
ing was left Of him but bones-baked, dusty
bones But when bis face touched the hot
sand he got up again and trod on. lie had
no fear of pursuit now, for he was IN the
Thirst Land no man entered TO return. The
Standards had spoken of It. and they had
let him 90 into il, knowing II was but TAX
ing the labor of his destruction off their
own hands He could imagine them con-
| soling themselves for the less OF the horse
and officer by telling again the tales of the
| desert; how to 90 into II for An hour was 10
| be lOsr and 10 be lost was TO wander round
on ones steps, which meant death hnaily.
| Then be resolved to lie down and bear his
| pains as a 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 & rock not far away, aud he
| wentand Law down there, irving to be sensi-
bic and steady-he AIDED. lie was glad he
/ kept the sword now, because If his mlseries
became too sore he had with il way 10 cut
/ them; sleep was denied him by the keen
/ thirst that baked his tongue into wood. but
/ il was much 10 escape the red-hot fingers OF
| the sun.
| As he lay there with his battered old hat
/ over his face tina stiffness came terribly on
/ him atumes. lie thought he heard distant
/ voices calling, aud fancied some foe had
/ crept I'D to the other side OF the stone and
/ was stealing round on hin-then II seemed
8 Ian, 1e1 gsa.T lea
sea was f0aming round Plymouth break
water hard by-lhen he raised his bat for
the forteth time TO think for the fortieth
time # this great Thirst Land before his
| ligbtheadedneSs began once more, together
with the burning ache for water in every
fash-a,0m.
The shadow heightened, the sand in it
cooled, tho relief was grateful, though small.
Later on the sun went down. red globe IN
purple haze; the stars appeared and he
followed one for a long time till he got
among rocks and bruised his body against
them in the dark. 1t was Of no use going on
till moOnTise; he lay there on the stony floor,
and his thirst kept bin from feeling the
hardness of it-for q while.
At last he could bear 1t no longer. but rose
and ran on, then presently struck against
one Of the stones and fell, stunned. IS he
had fallen before out in the sand tracks.
Sui the man was not beaten. When he had
recovered he wiped his heavy eyes with the
back of his hand and felt his way along
| through that rocky maze. tapping his sword
! on each side and following the passages.
holding on to his star with the bulldog in
| stinct Of his race. AT last the moon came
| out and lit the plain, showing it mounting
| up and up in long, slow slope
! till the eye lost it in darkness, but covered
| 81 far with stones. stones, stones, like the
| graveyard of the whole human race So be
| went on, rafting his tongue about in his
! arid mouth, wondering why be did not lie
! down and die at once, why he did not at
| once fall on his blade and end his portion Of
! life, vet persevering all the time, 10 IN
/ worthy man of his countryside and his
! yeomau name. He had no visions now in
! the night; they were reserved for the
treacherous day. when the guiding stars
/ should be hidden.
So through the long hours he travelled,
| aud at last shuffled out into places where
the stones, that dreadful multitude all eX-
actly alike. stood in groups only. The moon
J sped on her course. and the ground under
foot sent ring from his steel staff-it was
! rock.
Then the stones ceased altogether and a
series of low ridges came. They taxed his
| shaEy legs and arms to their full, low though
they were, so that he lay down to rest on
each as he got upon ii. Then he came to the
| long ridge highest Of all this huge inclined
| land, aud saw its edge winding away TO
right, to left, for miles in the hard moon
| light anu the LUX nuDl SlNDiDE uDN!l-
/ ward far below him for miles and miles
/ more.
| Looking behind the sight of the fearful
| maze Of wilderness he had Wonderfully came
| through filled him with terror and he fed
| away from II, down and on. only to fall
again like q child. Then for awhile his
tortured frame could carry him DO more.
! There be lay, deliri0usly mumbing about
| streams and lakes and mountains, till the
sun came and struck his bare head with its
hot rays. Still he lay there. now awake.
| and strange to say, not mad, though very
| weak, sOTely suffering ard hardly able TO
| think at all.
Indeed, lie did not think, but merely fol-
| lowed up his instinct when he crawled up
on to his feet and staggered along. swaying
one way for many PAGES. then the other.
! hanging his hands and head, moaning in
dry, broken way like cut bellows,
| yet still going on. And then his dim
| eye received refreshing mOmentary
| coolness-a plant growing green at his
| feet.
Down he sank upon it, seized It. chewed
the dusty leaves; there were little dribets
! OF earth here and there. Another bit Of
! green caught his eve; he raised his heavy
head and saw that 100 PAGES away the
| plateau on which he stood broke off sheer.
| lie had crossed the desert, for down there
| 5000 feet below, were green plains, palms
| and a river, and beyond-tbe blue Pacificl
The poor. wasted creature raised his bony,
cracked claws and guTgled with triumph.
| He had cheated the Spaniards and the
Thirst Land; hurrahl
And there were more plants nearer the
| edge; to them he fastened, with the blade
| still dragging from his wrists, to fall prone
on little group of trees and.on a huge
| puff-a0der lying almost invisible along an
| earthgrOve. Instantly the beast drew back
its head aud struck him on the bare leg /;
then fed
A rage filled him; he seized the sword in
both shaking hands, brought it down at the
marked back, missed il, fell forward. and
the steel bent and broke under him as the
enemy glided away. Bat after it be painted
with the strength of revenge; caught it up
as 1t twisted by large stone, pushed the
| stone over its neck by an effort, aud, kneel-
| ing. cut its writing body into long strips
| with the fragment of his blade. Then he
got back somehow to the green tufts, and
| while the poison worked its way TO his
| heart, sweetened his last moments Of life
with those leaves, till a stupor came over
! him and be slept with his destroyer the
sleep OF death on the border OF the Sweet
Palm Coast, as the Indians called 1t In their
| tongue.
Such. was the escape OF John Tisden.
whose bones have long become dust the
only man who ever crossed the TERRA de
Sed.-W. Delaphine Scull in Black and
| White.
The long-dlstance telephone is rapidly in
some ways superseding the telegraph In
this country.
The latest whaleback steamer. the Pills
! bury, IS lighted throughout with electricity.
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