Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-03-11


minute, but being greatly hustled and buff
feted aud feeling faint besides, tottered
TO secluded corner, where / sank with =
reeling sensation on the deck. Huddled
there pretty much like bundle Of discard
ed clothes, / mopped my face and tried to
discover the sources Of the many streams
Of blood that seemed to oozo and trickle
all over my body. There was perhaps no
great effort made 70 stanch the flow, for
was far enough gone TO be careless. What
did It matteri Might ! not quietly pant
out my life there and bedone with IL? And
even while the thought was in my mind
the brightness Of the sun was suddenly
overcast a. by the duskiness Of death, and
the elamor Of the robbers died away in my
cara.
/ suppose must have been some time In
this state Of collapse when the brig grated
barshly on the bottom, careened slightly,
lurohed and lay oyes, fast aground. Tho
queer grating sensation, as OF the pricking
OF million small fms, aroused me, and
staggered half awake to my feet, The first
thing | saw was Abram b1u Alden being
hauled dripping by two men into boat.
rubbed my eyes, wondering how he came
TO be In need Of help or to have companions
to render H. aud finding no answer called
NAN ~ tuhkAAf a. NGhAAs AAtAl1A w nIb .
the mntter thcrein
He heard and looked up. At sight Of mo
the fire OF hell sprang anew into his black
eyes and his thin features gathered in
vengeful scowl, Then my wandering wits
began to return bringing a remembrance
OF what had happened.
should have fallen into the sea but for
the support Of the bulwark. In a digging
turmoil Of feelings laid hold with trem-
bling hands to keep myself up, my eyes
fast ON the distorted face Of Abram ben
Alden.
"Godl man, are ye much hurtf" asked,
scarcely knowing what / said. "Were a
pair OF fools" | added, laughing aud cry
ing together.
But either he did not hear me or he was
beyond speech, for he only cast a look AS II
to say he wished he had my heart out, and
slipped into the boat, which hid him from
my view.
/ was fain to sit down again, my back
propped against the vessels side, and
breathe myself The comnotion Of spirit
brought fresh gush of blood, which
bathed back and chest IN q warm stream
Yet what had just seen occupied me more
than my wounds. Indeed, forgetting both
them aud the evil storm cloud on Abram
ben Aden's cuunteunnCc felt only an all
pervading joy at seeing him alive again
For now, being past thoughts OF vengeance
and much too weak TO have heart for
slaughter, / realized in some measure what
disquieting thing 1t is to face the great
last reckoning with the blood Of fellow
creature on your head.
l hoped that the man whom had so
lately and 60 desperately striven to kill
N.rN.N L. N..t.
And l sure ! should have smiled namely.
who knows but may have beamed in vel.
come, II he had suddenly appeared, sword
in hand, and intimated that my time wns
come. No doubt my mood of Christian
meckness and charity was due to the cir.
cumstauce that nature was perilously near
yielding in any case 1 suspect the worst
OF US nre pious when lacking the pith to
be anything else.
Revlying q little presently, began to
think OF my own life (sinoe no one else
seemed to desire it specially Just them and
eyerted all my surgical skill land ingenuity
They were not much. and they were left
unaided Lying there in the midst Of a
crowd, no one inquired about my hurts; no
one offered help; no one, in fact. cared a
straw whether lived or died The plum
dcring went on with much noise and not a
little Qunrreling, and il the plunderers
came near it was only TO curse at me for
being In The way.
Perhaps they could not hayo adopted
morc elective me0us OF dispelling my
lcthargy. There are times when Il kick,
literal or metaphorical is the very best
tonic that can be administered. The rough
behavior OF the pirates priclled me to a Wig
oruus self interest that no process OF sooth-
4 ffft
savage ohths and slvager looks were to my
| spirit what the grindstone is TO the knife
they turned listlessnoss and dizziness TO an
activity that had an edge Of anger and
| some possibility OF retaliation The lrst
result Of this new found energy was the
thought that to crouch there and bleed to
death was most assuredly not the part OF a
nun. So watching my opportunity, for the
! compsnionway was mostly blocked with
thieves, went below TO finish my dressing.
Fortunately my wounds. though making
40 CORY II show, were neither deep nor dan
gerous, Bui it was wonderful in how many
| points Abram ben Alden had touched me-
more wonderful still that having succeeded
so far he had not succeeded farther
Returning on deck presently, swathed In
| handkerchiefs and stray pieces OF cloth, and
strengthened by % grains OF Mr. Watson's
| quininc, discovered we were within
| sight of land. A stretch OF shallow, blue.
| grcen water ran away to a sandy beach that
/ ended abruptly in iron cliffs, which sug-
gested hardness and barrenness beyond.
what ia the landf" asked one OF the
eorsairs pointing shoreward
Thou shalt know soon enough" he
pnarled. and concluding that perhaps the
fellow was right put no more questions
Meanwhile the unloading Of the brig
went on apace. A score OF small boats lay
round her to receive the pluuder, and some
30 or 20 men swore on her decks aud raw
| aged her hold They quarreled incessant-
| ~, shouting, pushing, kicking, brandish.
] ing knives and cutlasses and pouring out
curdling maledictions and threats that to a
Less feryid race could mean nothing short
OF an instant intention To reyel in blood,
but never staying the main operations to
settle personal disputes
Islam has a Koran which straitly forbids
thieving, yet tho Arab Is by instinct and
example a thief. a plttern Of piety when
there happens TO be no chance Of profitable
roguery, saiutly In his ohsoryances OF pre-
scribed cercmonials inside a mosque or
when he has leisure for prayers outside. a
loud t,lker about the duty o. obedience to
God and the prophet, he is the very flower
OF brigands and bandits when he can 20
curcly lay hands on another mans goods.
Nor does he heed discipline moro than re-
ligiOn, for whatever Difference he may pro-
0 = Ia aa.HfH.