The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-12

were cous4uIrdeiOns or cruelty to one with
three fiends stretching within three yards
for his life9 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 a 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-
dering 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 it did not come ventured to open
my eyes, but nothing could have induced
me to look behind.
1t 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 the quiver-
ing, simmering heat not only broiled the
body, but was as "a stinging acid in the eyes
and nostrils and as burning fumes in the
lungs.
All at once there came a sharp puff OF
wind, not sweet and refreshing, but charged
with more poisons than ever chemist
dreamed of. Looking upward saw great
glare in the sky, as it were the reflection Of
some vast conhagration, and even as l
looked the glare swiftly deepened, till it
appeared the heavens themselves were on
fire. Then the fiery redness was suddenly
and dull cpnpav-vr Iua tool a.,
place, this yielding in turn, and very quick
ly, to a deep purple, and that again to an
ominous black. All the while the wind
came in spurts of even greater force and
longer duratioa. / was wondering what
all this might mean when there burst upon
my ear a great, prolonged roar, as of
mighty food lashed 10 fury, and turningto
the right hand quarter l saw portentous
black cloud rushing toward ne with in
conceivable velocity. The look showed me,
too, that | was riding alone. The Bedouns
had abandoned the chase and were now
tearing off in another direction altogether.
/ had not taken in the situation when
was enveloped in darkness and gasping as
If a bottle of volatile salts had been pressed
to my nose At the same time the wind
nearly tore me from my seat, and though /
could see nothing felt that my horse had
turned tail to the blast and was drifting
like "A ship in gale or cattle in a driving
highland snowstorm. j 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
aud covers its face as close as cloth will
roll. lay unable TO breathe and in ex-
quisite torture, my horse scuddling before
the tempest. he stumbled often aud
would have lain down but that kept the
spurs TO him. Had he had his will, in less
than half a minute we should both have
been buried beneath wreath of sand 10
lie there until the winds came again TO un-
earth our bleaching skeletons.
The storm passed on like a solid wall.
and a. if 10y magic the atmosphere cleared,
though could still see the black line Of
the whrwind far ahead. / looked eagerly
about for company, but found myself COM
pletely alone. No Bedouins i'm pursuit nu
Bedouins ia sight, nor indeed any living
thing The simeon had given me my life,
but IL left me desolate
Dismounting and looping the bride over
my arm, ! walked little bit, shaking
loads of sand from the folds Of my dress.
My right leg, however, was SO sore and
biff that | Was soon compelled 90 sit down.
though II was long time before had any
heart for surgery. When at length got
sufficient command Of my nerves TO ex-
anime the wound, found myself with an
ugly cash in the right thigh, from the
depths OF which blood still oozed. The
c.otted outer edges were fast hardening
and stiffening so that the pain grew cruelty
intense
Perhaps it was because attention was
directed 60 my hurt thaJ % became all at
once 50 sensitive, but the smallest move
ment now caused a paug that cut the
breath like stab. Besides, | was in
raging fever OF thirst. A water skin dan
gled from my saddle bow, and | reached for
Il in hope Of relief. IL was already crack
ing and shrivelins in the furnaceike heat,
but there was n chance that some Of the
precious contents might still remain. Now
that the idea Of II came TO NE my whole