Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1894-05-02
upour me unrew myselr OH the ground ano

apouu me Jnrew myseIr on the ground anu
slept the sweet sleep of the weary.
It seemed I had not lain five minutes
when the kettledrums were beating the
reveille. The gray dawn was only begin
ming to glimmer, but already the camel
men were quurreling with their grunting
beasts and our bakers were busy with the
glutinous compound they called bread We
hastily swallowed some mouthfuls Of it
straight off the burning Goals, with few
dates and drink of musty water apiece,
and were off again.
For awhile the air was deliciously cool
and refreshing, and the glories of the open
ing day in the lone wilderness as the sun
broke through his curtain of white mist
were such as man beholds with awe and
remembers with reverence. But the blaz-
ing orb soon turned the dewy freshness to
a sweltering, blistering heat that was try
ing to the nerves and temper Of men toll
ing through shifting sands and conical trl-
null of volcanic Stag. Yet no man COM
planned, only as we mopped our streaming
faces the conversation Jagged, and here and
there man gave low involuntary moan.
Save such intermittent noises and the
dreary, monotonous sift, sift, sift, of anil
mails feet in the sand there was not q
sound. When the sun mounts in his might
desert travellers are apt to fall silent.
Toward noon, when we had almost
reached the point of utter dissolution, we
gained the crest Of low ridge, whence
looking to the northwest we saw what
evoked cry of gladness from nearly every
throat in the company. 1t was an oasis, a
tiny spot of green with clump of trees in
the midst, shining like an emerald in O
broad drab setting. We knew there was q
well there, and Tabal, with the privilege Of
guide, suggested we should halt and re-
plenish our water skins. But Abou Kuram
answered curtly that we were not yet in
need of water; that the time for rest had
not come, and that in forced marches men
had to think more of speed than of comfort.
There was general look of disappoint-
ment at this speech, which urged Tabal to
appeal again and to advance reasons for
"When I desire thy counsel, will tell
thee" returned Abou Kuram shortly.
"Look thou to the way and leave the rest
to me. And methinks thou hadst better
mend thy pace"
After this no man burst speak, and keen
as was the disappointment there was no
murmuring- the men sat little moe
grimly and prodded little more viciously
with their riding sticks. AS we passed,
many man turned with yearning eyes to
the verdurous spot, thinking perhaps he
should be dead ere another came in sight
If the forenoon had been hot, the after.
noon had IN atmosphere of living fire Yet
we toiled on, dissolving and open mouthed,
and wondering how long we could stand
the burning lances ofthe sun.
l speak of The rank and file. As for Abou
Kuram, he seemed to be oblivious of heat or
thirst or fatigue. How l envied himI
While my mouth was cracking he was evi.
IDENTIFY as cool and moist as a ripe pear.
Koor Ali, who rode beside me, must have
noticed the painful twitching OF my lips,
for looking in my face with an expression
of concern he asked if was thirsty.
"As dry as baked BRICK" croaked.
Koor Ais son, Ahmed, lad about my
own age, rode beside us, and on bearing my
raven voice burst into fit of laughter.
"What art thou laughing at, Ahmed"
demanded Abou kuram, turning slightly
in his saddle. Ahmed pointed to ME.
1.-THE stranger croaketh with thirst" he
said, "ere we are half way over the desert"
I tried to explain but failed; my mouth
was MS Il rusty machine that had not moved
for century.
'Give him thy water skin, Koor Ali,'
said Abou Kuram, "lest he faint. 1t were
i'll to die in the desert" he added, smiling
at me.
The water was dingy and beginning to
smell badly, but just then n stagnant pool
would have been sweet, and ] took huge
gulp. Taking another, held it in my
mouth for a minute, then squirted it out,
sending it, as if by pure accident. over the
sprightly Ahmed. \
by my faith, like not to be spat on by
an infdel," he cried, grasping his spear as
if to have at me.
The laugh was now on my side, though l
perceived the danger of indulging in it.
"'Twas but an accident" said apollo
getically. "Yet it Is good and willeeal
thee"
tried to propitiate him by handing him
his father water skin to drink, but hedis
dainfully declined.
may. am not babe like thee" he
said. 'Thou shouldst have brought thy
mother with thee" and he tossed his head
as if he were safe from the weakness of
thirst in desert land.
Three mortal hours Of painting toll and
dripping sweat had yet to pass ere Abou
Kuram ordered halt, and then it was but
to dismount, swallow a mouthful of dry
dates and foul lukewarm water and scram-
BILE into the saddle again. Through the
broiling afternoon we stewed and gasped
and pushed on, fainting, never drawing rein
till sundown, when we stopped for pray
ers and the evening meal. had scarcely
eaten when was asleep on the sand, and
my eyes appeared to have just closed when
those abominable drums were beating the
order to mount and march again. Words
cannot tell how sore and tired I was or
how longed to lie down and be at peace
The feeling was as if some one had poup1
ed me limp and nature was slowly stiffen-
ing up again with the joints all out Of
place and every muscle and ngament
stretched beyond endurance. But as the
Arabs said nothing of fatigue would have
cut my tongue out rather than complain.
Five days we painted on through scorch-
ing sands under a flaming sky, and five
nights the bright Arabian moon Lighted us
on our trackless, hurrying march. BY the
third day man and beast were showing de-
cided signs of exhaustion. Caulels fell and
were left to die, sometimes with their bur
dens Oh them. The horses Jagged with low
heads and protruding tongues, and men
dropped suddenly from their saddles with
strange sterterous noises and lay as sense
less as logs. Two went raving mad, one Of
them succeeding in killing another and
himself ere his comrades could overpower
him. Hollow graves, which the jackals
and hyenas could reopen with scratch Of
the paw, were scooped out for the dead and
Eheir camels given to others.
The young soldiers shook and looked
anxious, for sudden death and unceremo-
nious burial are disconcerting to juvenile
nerves. The old ones clinched their teeth,
growing that war and the desert were not
for children, and Abou Kuram, self pos.
sessed, but trife grimmer than at start.
ing, spoke roughly about the delays So
the oavalcade toiled YEARLY on, yearning
SO fervently for rest that it forgot glory,
vet stolidly enduring the harShness of fate