Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-17

short minutes hour was an eternity.
With stoical resolution, though anything
but stoical Indifference, / tried to sit stock
still, imagining the while a hundred lev
eled spears at my side ready to be plunged
into me at my first movement. The ordeal
kept every nerve aquiver, every sense in
6utter of dread.
The disciples of Zeus have a pretty doc
trine about arming 1.-THE obdurate beast
with stubborn patience. as with triple
steel" hope they are able to do it in cru
cial emergencies. To me, seek it as ]
might, the stubborn patience would not
come. In vain / pricked the will, in vain
recalled lofty maXims about the duty of
bearing pain heroically. 1t is glorious to
shine as a hero, but at times exceedingly
difficult. ! cannot be of the godlike race,
for the harder l strove for fortitude the
faster my power Of endurance ebbed.
Istarted and fidgeted, listened, held my
breath, shivered, shrank together and per
spired; the air was full of ominous sounds,
and horrible Shiny things seemed to ~be
crawling over me. At last the agony of
blind suspense became insufferable Come
what might, would have my eyes free.
With rembling hands and caution
that was amazing in such burning impa-
thence, l raised the bandage and glanced
from under its edge, first on one side, then
on the other. Seeing no watcher, tore the
cloth off and got to my feet, looking round
with more care and elaboration. Not a
soul was about. l was alone.
There was just light enough to enable me
to discern was in the middle of wild
desolation of gorges and piled up cliffs,
rising in the dim distance to what appeared
to be range of mountains More for vari-
ety's sake than from any definite object l
took up my pipes and began to walk for
ward from the sea. But some falls and
frequent trippings with sudden glimpses
of a yawning world of blackness at my
very feet made it plain that to proceed in
such chaos of crags and clefts was to risk
my neck at every step. Weary, faint and
in no heart to face unknown dangers, sat
down again, my back against big stone,
to reflect on the new turn affairs had taken.
Hunger fell upon me with the fierceness
of beast of prey. Most people suppose
have felt sharp craving in their stomach,
but mine was an acute pain that soon be-
came a maddening anguish. You are to
remember that had eaten nothing that
day, that / was active and had the edged
appetite that comes with a full recovery
from sickness when nature is squirting to
make up for lost time. Yet all l could do
was to tighten my waist belt and think
yearningly of the hard tack of the Bird of
sumptuousness of home. Let me tell you
that they who dine on such fare are not
likely to die of repletion. The sting of the
sword or the bullet is keen, but give it to
me before the inappeasable pang Of starva-
ton.
The stars began to como out presently,
very large and lustrous and suppose, to the
proper eye, full of poetry. By and by a sill
very lightness fell on the landscape, and a
SI>,>.x ~
phire sky, revealing the haggard dreariuess
of the scene as clearly as if the time were
monday.
l got to my feet, and some strange birds
that had their dwelling among the fast
nesses of this desert flocked about me in
evident curiosity, then flew away, scream
ing at my invasion of their retreat. No
other living cre&ture did see or hear. Too
weak and drowsy to make any effort for
succor, l crawled into shady spot beneath
the ledge of great rock, and in spite Of
trouble and pain soon fell asleep.
i awoke near the dawn chilled to the
marrow-for the dewy night air in these
parts is sharp-and fallen together like an
empty sack. The pain of my stomach was
excruciating, being for all the world like
living, consuming flame in my inside. To
the fortunes of hunger, too, was now added
that of thirst, and in all the black riven
wilderness there was not drop of water.
Nor, what was equally disheartening, was
sign of human abode or occupation any
where to be seen. The temptation was
strong to lie down and rest, but as that
would be madness if ! wanted to save my
life staggered on once more, ignorant of
my direction and in the last ebb of hope.
Weary hours passed-hours full of indie
scribable anguish of mind and body-with-
l>riD Crip pbpar ~ Sn1ona Tho
out, a huge white hot furnace enveloped in
a pale haze of its own heat. The earth |
blistered and cracked under my eyes; the |
rocks We're scorChing; it seemed as if fire |
and famine were blackening the land to-
gether. A slight wind blew. but it was
the breath of the crater or sulphur pit let |
loose to destroy.
Gasping to suffocation and dreading sun
stroke, hid in a deep cleft Here / lay |
awhile in shade, but very soon the sun
smote in upon me till the walls were like |
glowing iron. Crawling out, sought an
other refuge, which in turn became an |
oven, forcing me to change. And so for |
the best part of that day l went from place |
to place among the rocks, seeking shade |
and all the while getting fainter and more |
parched from want of food and water.
Late in the afternoon | resumed my |
march in sheer desperation. But it was Woe |
full, heartbreaking work. l had got past the |
stage of acute pain from hunger, but the |
thirst was worse agony than ever. For |
tunately the hot noXious wind had fallen |
about noon so that | breathed more freely, |
but it was still the struggle of dying man. |
And indeed if relief did not come quickly |
should soon cease to be in need of it.
By degrees the country grew less barren |
and forbidding. Grass began to appear at |
first in scanty brown patches, but gradual
ly getting greener and more plentiful. This |
heartensd me n Bit and ere long to my in
finite joy came upon man herding flock
of goats in a little valley that nestled among
the cliffs
He was nightly astonished at seeing
me, and his demeanor at first was none too
friendly. But my wretched condition must |
have touched him, for when came totter
ing and rolling down the slope to where he
stood, he stepped forward to meet me with
words of plying inquiry. | saluted briefly |
and appealed to him in heavens name to
let me have drink or l should die. In an
instant the Christian soul was vigorously |
milking his best goat. l watched till the
pail was half full of the frothing creamy
milk; then unable to forbear l snatched it
from him and drank till choked. After
shaking myself had some dates from his
own wallet and felt wondrously revived.
and Tor his charity he had as grateful
thanks as ever came from the heart of man.
When we came to talk, told him only
such parts Of my story as l thought he
could understand. He was greatly amazed,
breaking out into frequent CALCULATIONS at
the relation of Abram ben Aden's treach-
cry and the pillaging Of the pirates.
And what is to become of thees" he asked
suddenly.
"Only God knows that" answered, but
ing me to the nearest town may perhaps
find way of returning to my own coun-
try"
This he gladly did, but before he would
consent to my departure had to take some