The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-01-30

the earth for half a second could have
sprung astride the flying animal, but at
that fearful velocity the thing was beyond
a tigers agility. Yet il something could
not be done, and done quickly, | felt it
would be better to breathe prayer and let
the agony end.
Small things are momentous in decisive
moments, and sometimes weakness is sal
yation. As the quiyerinE grasp relaxed l
gradually sank lower and lower, till half
my length trailed on the ground.
Two or three more little slips and my en-
emies could work their will. The darkness
and dizziness of death were already upon
me when my knee struck some protuber-
nnce SO that with the mighty speed /
bounded like ball. 1t gave me my op.
portunity Finding myself we'll In the air,
i concentrated all my strength, drawing
flercely with the left hand. The lax mus
clcs turned to steel in the moment of su-
premc need. rose on that terrific pull.
Then quicker than thought the girth was
let go and the right hand shot across the
saddle. The hooked fingers caught some
thing, and the next moment, wriggling aud
nearly blind from excitement and exhaus-
tion, | lay half across the horses back.
Then, with such an effort as man makes
for his life, | wriggled farther up, and be-
fore knew it was in the saddle and reach
ing for the rein. As got it yell of rage
went up close behind, and another spear,
less true in aim than the first, whizzed past
and buried itself In the sand.
For the next five minutes / flew in in
stant expectation of death. Crouchin9
with the long gspurs deep in my horses sides,
and my heart afraid to beat, pelted on. 1t
was bound for bound of pursued and pur-
suers, a race as of hounds painting at the
heels of stag that just managed to keep
tongues length in front. But woe betde
the quarry in case Of mishap or mistake!
Had anything gone wrong with me, had
my girth broken or my horse stumbled or
slipped or slackened pace for 50 much as
the tenth part of second, my blood had
been poured out on the desert
Whittier was going or whether there
were many or few about, could not tell
l saw nothing but jumbled, feverish
vision Of the low craned head OF the horse,
flying name and pair of reaching fore
feet that never seemed to touch the ground,
but in my ears was n noise that told me
death was riding hard at my back.
The spume fakes few up from my horse's
mouth, wetting my face, and / could feel
the increasing heave of his hanks. Now and
then, too, / had "a glimpse of red eye and
a nostril like "a pit full of blood" 1t was
sheer cruelty to goad him on. But what
were considerations Of cruelty to one with
three fiends stretching within three yards
for his life? / was cruel as cruel could be,
plying the long sharp spurs as fast and as
hard as heel could drive them, in spite of
the groanings and shakings of my victim.
So great was the strain of terror that It
may well be imagined no fresh alarm could
affect me. Yet when vicious cry went
up, as it appeared, at my very ear, betoken-
ing as fancied the triumph of the Bedou-
ins, shut my eyes with creeping, shud-
dcring horror that made me give a little
scream. | rode in darkness for what seemed
an endless time, momentarily expecting
the thrust of cold steel in the small of the
back. As 1t did not come ventured to open
my eyes, but nothing could have induced
Inc to look behind.
II was now high noon and the sun an In
candescent globe overhead. There may
have been clouds in the sky, but assuredly
there was neither shadow nor breath Of
moving air on the earth. | stewed In my
soaked clothes as if dissolving over a slow
fire and gasped and wheezed like an asth-
matte shut up in an oven, for tile quiver-
ing, simmering heat not only broiled the
body, but was as n singing acid in the eyes
and nostrils and as burning fumes in the
lungs.
All at once there came sharp puff of
wind, not sweet and refreshing, but charged
with more poisOn5 than ever chemist
dreamed of. Looking upward saw great
glare in the sky, as it were the reflection Of
some vast contlagration and even as |
looked the glare swiftly deepened, till it
appeared the heavens themselves were on
fire. Then the fiery redness was suddenly
overcast, aud dull, coppery hue took its
place, this yielding in turn, and very quick
ly, to deep purple, and that again to an
ominous black. All the while the wind
came i'll spurts of even greater force and
longer duration. | was wondering what
all this might mean, when there burst upon
my ear great, prolonged roar, as Of
mighty flood lashed to fury, and turningto
the right hand quarter / saw a portentous
black cloud rushing toward me with in.
conceivable velocity. The look showed me,
too, that | was riding alone. The Bedouins
had abandoned the chase and were now
tearing off in another direction altogether.
hal not taken in the situation when
was envel0ped in darkness and gasping as
Ii bottle of volatile salts had been pressed
TO my nose. At the same time the wind
nearly tore Inc from my seat, and though |
could see nothing felt that my horse had
turned tail TO the blast and was drifting
like ship n gale or cattle in driving
snoHstorm. | hugged his neck,
and my mantle flew over my head Well
for me it did, for this was the dreaded
simeon before which all Arabia falls down
and covers its fuce as close us cloth will
roll. | lay unable to breathe and in eX-
quisite torture, my horse scuddling before
the tempest. lie stumbled often and
would have lain down but that kept the
spurs to him. Had he had his will, in less
than half minute we should both have
been buried beneath wreath of sand to
lie there until the winds came again TO un-
earth Our bleaching skeletons
The storm passed ON like solid wall,
and as il by magic the atmosphere cleared,
though could still see the black line OF
the whirlwnd far ahead. looked eagerly
about for company, but found myself com
pletcly alone No Bedouins in pursuit, nn
in sight, nor indeed any living
thing. The simeon had given me my life,
but it left me desolatc.
Dismountiug and looping the bride over
my arm, | walked little Bit, shaking
loads Of kand from the folds of my dress.
My right leg, however, was so sore and
stiff that was soon compelled to sit down,
though 1t was long lime before had any
heart for surgery. When at length got
sufficient command of my nerves to ex-
smine the wound, found myself with an
Ugly cash in the right thigh from the
iepths OF which blood still oozed Tie
'lotted outer edges We're fast hardening
md stiffening so that the pain grew cruelty
intense.
fro BE Continued