The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-02-01

----N'AN%st
''Hc was clumsy, Tabal," I said.
| "Clumsy," repeated Tabal scornfttllv
Nay, it does not half express his want q
skill. Having got his lance upon thee, b,
should have killed thee as dead ms roast
ed kid. hold the fellow in contempt"
"Bocause, my good friend, he did moi
make an end of one whom thou hast sworI
to cherish and protects" ..
Nay, nay" answered Tahal quickly
seeing whittier his soldierly zeal had led
him. Il meant not that Praise be tc
heaven thou art alive. meant that hi
knew not how to drive his spear. See, >
and he made thrust with his own to show
how the thing ought to be done. Me
thinks that is the way to put an enemy
into the dust, But thou art protected OF
God, he added reverently land 1t maketh
me glad to he with thee. Verify am thy
servant to do as il pleaseth thee to bid me
And praise be to God and the holy pro.
| phet that we are not now having our bones
gnawed by wild beasts. Saw You ever
such slaughter as that was? Truly /
think the man on the black horse is none
| other than satan himself"
For moment | wavcred whether or not
should enlightcn him. Then said very
| quietly, "The man on the black horse is as
much satan as thou art, my good Tabal.
Listen and will tell thee tale" and told
him OF my search for Donald Gordon and
the meeting In the battle He listened with
wide eyes aud gaping mouth, thinking, I
suspect, that suffering had turned my brain.
| Thou art telling me one of the tales of
the nagieians, " he said, with something of
| awe IN his voice and manner. This ptss-
eth NIL belief"
"'ris as true as the Koran. Tabal - an.
swered. Look you here, before thou art
many weeks older thou shalt be as a brother
to this dread warrior on the black horse"
Nay. Heaven forbid " exclaimed Tabsl
ferrently. II would not forego my chances
OF paradise for all the favors satan can he
| stow"
His horror was so comical that burst
out laughing Ordinarily / might hive
answered with my life for such an insult,
such an outrage on his most sacred feel.
lngs. But happily Tabal was in n mood to
forgive much because he loved much.
\ Will put cool water on thy hurt" he
said rs tenderly as if he were treating an
aiiing and fractious child, "and on tbv
head, too, for tho sun hath made 1t hot.
Then when thou art refreshed we will talk
of our adventures since the flight aud the
simeon parted US"
HA 500 'oS anu IL was eN-
ceedingly refreshing to be bathed, for was
still more than triae feverish. But more
soothing and invigorating than the water
were the brotherly gentlcness and compass.
sion OF Tabal, who seemed to make himself
responsible for my safety and comfort
W men we came to recount our eXperi-
ences since parting l learned that he had
passed the night like myself, alone. Like
me, he had thought himself doomed. had
been saved by the rain and was lool,inr, for
human succor hen spied him. We vent
through our ptrils again as old soldiers re.
fight their battles and embraced at the
conclusion In pure oXuberance of 10y at be-
Ing together once more.
Not the least happy circumstance of our
meeting was that | got back my little
Fatima and the precious blue bag with
Duncah's pipes. To Tabal the bag was an
Object OF such intense curiosity that had
to produce the pipe5 and give him a lilt
1t scarcely rayished him, and il frightened
the horses so the pipes were put away
that might take formal possession of INV
mare. Before parting with her, however.
Tabal must needs make as fine speech to
her as ever gallant of the old school made
to his mistress, dwelling with rapturous
phrase on her beauty, her fleetness. her
docility, her intelligence and her dauntless
spirit in time of trouble, to all of which
heartily said "Amun.n
Fortunately Tabal had some dates-they
were really what were left of NV own-aud
when the ceremonious address to Fatima
was over we sduatted on the sand and ate
few. We dared not venture TO eat manv
for the store was small, and it was ex
tremely doubtful when it could be replen-
ished. To make up for the shortness OF ra-
tons, we had u double pull at the water
skins, and the cooling draft was swecter
than the choicest vintage of France.
1t was again very hot. Indeed after the
rain the heat seemed intcnser than ever
The pungent streams were triekling into
our eyes and mouths and coursing down
our backs and arms and legs as if we were
patent self moisteners that worked the
better the greater the draft Self mois-
teners we were with a vengeance, but the
moisture could not possibly last long. |
looked at the thin, brown visage of Tabal,
feeling that he must soon be converted to
pemmican, and l, too, was swiftly under
going the same process of desiccaton, A
little while and there wonld not be dIon
of liquid in our bodies
The rate at which we were dissolyinp To
hard fiber made il desirable to get Out Of
the glare of the sand as quickly as might
be. Tabal agreed with me that our best
hope lay In the hills to the west, and we
accordingly made in their direction, If
nothing better their rocks and chasms
would at least afford us shelter from the
pitiIess sun.