Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-01-22

eaten When was asleep on Jle SAND, ana
my eyes appt AIRED to have just closed when
those abominable drums We're beating the
order to mount and march again. Words
cannot tell how sore and tired 1 was or
how / l0nged TO lie down and be at peace
The feeling was as if some one had pound
ed me limp and nature was slowly stiffen-
ing up again with the joints all out of
place and every muscle and ligament
stretched beyond endurance. But as the
Arabs said nothing of fatigue Iwould have
cut my tongue out rather than complain.
Five days we painted ON through scorch-
ing sands under flaming sky, and five
nights the bright Arabian moon lighted us
on our trackless, hurrying march. By the
third day man and beast We're showing de-
cided signs OF exhaustion. Camels fell and
were left to die, sometimes with their bur
dens on them. The horses Jagged with low
heads and protruding tongues, and men
dropped suddenly from their saddles with
strange sterterouS noises and lay as sense
less as logs. Two went raving mad, one of
them succeeding in killing another and
himself ere his comrades could overpower
him. Hollow graves, which the jackals
and hyenas could reopen with a scratch of
the paw, were scooped out for the dead and
their camels given to others
The young soldiers shook and looked
anxious, for sudden death and unceremo-
NOUS burial are disconcerting to juvenile
nerves. The old ones clinched their teeth,
growing that war and the desert were not
for children, and Abou Kuram, self pos
sesscd, but trifle grimmer than at start
ing, spoke roughly about the delays. So
the cavalcade toiled YEARLY on, yearning
so fervently for rest that it forgot glory,
yet stolidly enduring the harshness of fate.
But indeed an Arab is wildcat in vital
ity, and more than a wildcat in the capac-
ity to bear pain uncomplainingly. We
pressed silently ahead, counting the beads
of sweat as they rolled down and wonder
ing how many of us the desert would swal-
low ere we got chance of taking it out of
the enemy.
At last we left the sands for alkaline
lands scantily clothed with hard, sour
grass and sapless diminutive shrubs, and
gradually ascending to range of noun
tains that crossed our line of advance north
and south. 1t was somewhere within those
ramparts that we expected to find Amood
Sim and his discounted army. Being now
close upon the scene of the late battle, we
had to exercise double vigilance, for Yumen
Yusel would naturally be on the lookout
to prevent aid from reaching the man
whom he wished to destroy utterly. Near
ly all the cooking was done by day, so that
there might be no fires at night to indicate
our presence and position, and when we lay
down to rest the number of sentinels was
increased. But we reached the foothills
without molestatiOn and far from sorry
that we were likely to be able to pick our
selves together before fighting.
AS it would be at once extremely danger
Gus, extremely difficult and tedious to take
the whole body of troops to the rendezvous
appointed by Amood Sim, Abou Kuram
decided to send Koor Ali forward with an
escort to ascertain whether it would not be
possible to effect Il junction of the two
armies outside the mountains. 1t was near
sunset when we arrived at our halting
place, and as soon rs the moon rose kOor
Ali and his little band set forth, Tabal still
leading
According to the guide we might expect
them back at the latest by noon next day.
Noon came, however, without bringing
them. The afternoon wore slowly on, dark
ness fell, prayers were said and supper was
eaten, and still no Koor Ali. AbOu Kuram
was getting impatient. After forced
march across the desert, it was cXasper-
ating to be kept waiting at this stage. The
camp lay down to sleep, moon and stars
kept their vigil. morning broke and still
no tidings of the absent ones. Abou
Kuram strutted Sullcnly about the camp,
recalling his stock of Arabian oaths. Noon
came again, and again sunset, supper and
PRAYERS, vet there was no sign of koOr Ali
and his escort.
l am afraid Abou kuram went through
his devotions with u preoccupied, inatJen-
tive mind that evening. At any ratath
first thing he did after turning his face from
Mecca was to pour flood of objurgations
on Amood Sim, on Koor Ali, on Tabal and
/ l. i D,,A Al,oE Il x,o%
bring them, and once more the camp lay
down to rest. The commander, however,
did not lie down. Long after his men were
snoring at the sky watched his dark and
solitary figure moving to and fro in angry,
uneasy expectancy.
There shall be reckoning for this" l
heard him mutter once. Woe betide the
man who causeth this delay"
He was still walking about when l fell
asleep.
was enjoying happy dream, when all
at once in the black darkness l was reused
by the crackle of firearms and the shrill
voices of excited men.
The enemy, the enemy" they shouted
as l sprang up, rubbing my eyes. The
devil on the black horse with 10000 demons
at his back" And then all along our front
there was a momentary line of leaping fire
which showed our scurrying men confused
ly trying to get into fighting order To our
great surprise there came no response to
our vOlley, nor could we hear any move
ment outside our own lines, though we
hearkerfed with ears that would have heard
the stealthy tread of the panther.
1.-The enemy has rum" said some one ex-
ultingly.' Our fire has given him fleet
feet to make Off" And just then, as if in
answer to this boast, there was the vicious
ping of flying lead in the air, and some of
our men dropped screaming to the earth.
We delivered another volley blindly into
the darkness, then waited for the return
fire, but it did not come.
Savage at the double disgrace of being
fooled and taken unawareS, AbOu kuram
ordered Il sOrtio, but the party had not gone
20 yards when another shower of bullets
fell upon us from the opposite direction. The
foe was running round us, pcppcrinG us at
his will. 4 second sortie party was in
stantly sent ont, but like the first it came
back without making any discovery. Only
some said they had seen a terrible appari-
ton on a black horse of gigantic size, and
that stecd and rider breathed blue flame.
So the army stood there, nervously han
ding its matchlocks and supplicating the
protection of the prophet. The prophet
was evidently gracious, for there were no
more of those ugly surprises that night.
The foe, content with a moderate amount
of fun, had gone off to chuckle over his
success and get up his courage for a big
fight.
Abou Kuram knew it was coming. He
knew, too, that the enemy, flushed with
success, would be exceedingly tough to
deal with, and the knowledge incensed
him afresh against his ally for being SO dill