Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-06-13
AT TL0YE'SC COMMAND
By JOHN A. STEUART.
copyright, 1898, by John Alexander steuartl

copyright, 1895, by John Alexander Steuart.l
"a l1UUIe later the oraer Ior acJlon MADE
the blood tinSle in our veins. Half OF us
were to 60 to the foot Of the gorge and half
to the head so that the pilgrimage migb5
be harassed simultaneously in front and
rear, and so the reader induced to relin-
uuish a part of their abounding riches
The response was as prompt as might be
expected of men whose notion OF heaven IS
eternal plundering. Almost before the
words of command were out OF the mes
senger's mouth we were gathering oft at a
breakneck pace into sunless chasms and
by beetling archways and up and down
dizzy sleeps that only robbers with no souls
to save would have faced. Tabal and |
were of those who went to the foot, and
fervently we prayed the pilgrims might
have good courage and firearms for dis
tressed strangers.
In the course of racking ride we came
often into violent contact, and IN one OF
the collisions, while pretending vehement
anger at the rough usage, managed to get
word in Tabals ear.
"Whatever happens, let us stick to each
other" said in quick aside. "Our sig
nal for the dash is when we see Baruk and
Rance descending among the rocks"
"Never leech clung as will cling to
thee" answered Tabal And then he began
to abuse his horse for the son of a mule
that couldn't keep his feet in plain road.
And the Bedouins, being closely occupied,
saw or suspected nothing.
Reaching the bottom too soon, we had to
wait behind bluff. The tail of the cara
van still wriggled outside the mouth of the
pass, and it would be folly to attack till it
had disappeared after the body. While
waiting, Ibrahim, our captain, gave his in
structions briefly and pointedly. We were
to rush the camelmen, throw them into
utter confusion, seize as many laden ami
mails as we could lay hands on, and make
=. off with them to the rear as fast as steel
could urge them. Such as ITere free would
protect the others, but as many as could
were to pounce on some piece OF property.
In short, our business was more to plllage
than to fight, and, if the pilgrims were not
unreasonable, not man of them need lose
his life.
With beating hearts and burning i'm
patience, we kept still till the tail should
have wriggled itself into the mountain
cleft. AS if to try our self control, our
watchers were constantly reporting that
the crucial moment bad come, and then JIM
mediately contradicting themselves to re-
affirm their first intelligence the next min
ute. This went on until we were in fever
and ready to rush from cur concealment at
all hazards. AS for Tabal and me, if you
have ever laid in wait with the merest
chance between life and death and fran
tic desire to try it, you will understand
our feelings. Being apart, we could not SO
much as exchange whisper, and all we
had to restrain and encourage US were the
muttered curses and comments of our COM
rades.. Once horse of keen scent neighed,
and Ibrahim nearly felled the brute, think
ing we were betrayed, but the tail contin-
ned to wriggle slowly on, and we breathed
again. Then word came that the last man
was within the pass. The next moment
we were in the open and galloping furiously
to the attack.