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

force into the stroke drove the rowels
home again. My poor mare groaned with
the pain of it and leaped like wounded
deer Two or three more such springs, my
Fatimal For Gods sake on, speed thy ut
most, or we are lostl The long Arabian
spurs, which are never used save in the
crisis of distress, dug deep into her again
and again, and again and again she gave
that pitiful groan and that desperate
bound
Horses love company, particularly when
they have been trained to military service
To my CONSERVATION, L saw the runaway
make for the two Bendouins The next
instant he was between them, and then.
each leaning inward, clutched at the trail
ing bride My heart stopped, as / expected
TO see him go on his launches. But either
ihe movement frightened him into an un-
expected dash, or they were clumsy, for.
with a mighty jump and a wild tossing of
the name, he rushed clear of them and
came careering on alone
With reeling sensation of hope and
despair turned and made at him. Then,
giving my rein to Tabal, got my feet out
Of the stirrups and crouching on the top of
the saddle prepared for spring On came
the runaway on the right. In another mo-
ment he was alongside, but too far OF.
Tabal pulled his rein, aad the two animals
nearly collided. Then with gasp as If
/ had plunged headlong into water flung
myself from my perch, clutching desper-
ately at the strange horse He SHE'D, and
fell short, just managing to find the POM
mel with my left hand.
The hold was perilously slender, but
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-
ance so that with the mighty speed I
bounded like ball. Ii gave me my op-
portunity. Finding myself well in the air,
| concentrated all my strength, drawing
fiercely with the left hand. The lax mus
cles turned to steel in the moment of SUI
preme need. l 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 and
nearly blind from excitement and exhaus-
ton. lay half across the horses back.
Then, with such an effort MS n 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 IL n yell of rage
went mp close behind, and another spea~,
less true in aim than the first, whizzed past
and buried itself in the sand
For the next five minutes l flew I'm in
slant expectation q death. Crouching
with the long spurs deep in my horses sides,
and my heart afraid 90 beat, pelted on. IL
was bound for bound of pursued and pur-
suers, race as of hounds painting at the
heels of n stag that just managed TO keep
tongues length in front. But woe betide
the quarry i'm case OF mishap or mistakei
Had anything gone wrong with me, had
my girth broken or my horse stumbled or
slipped or slackened pace for so 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
I saw nothing but n jumbled, feverish
vision OF the low craned head OF the horse.
flying name and pair of reaching fore
feet that never seemed 10 touch the grosnd.
but In my ears was n noise that told me
death was riding hard at my back.
The spume flakes few up from my horses
mouth. wetting my face, and ] could feel
the increasing heave Of his flanks. Now and
then. too, bad a glimpse Of red eye and
nostril like "a pit full OF blood II was
sheer cruelty to goad him on. But what