The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-01-29

I than was then set by Apou Ruram, and
( perhaps never were leaders, value and in
fuence more potently felt. He was here,
there and everywhere, directing, encour-
aging, hewing and cutting, and ever seek.
ing the places where perils were thickest.
My orders were to keep by his side, but
they were not easily carried out. A hun
| dred times / lost him in the tumblnp.
| whirling eddies of attack and recoil, a hun.
dred times was struck almost senseless in
the bloody crush, hundred times found
| myself clutchiug in terror at pommel and
name as the steel clashed and glanced
about me, and as often was on the point
of fainting at the sickening sight of riven
bodies, brute and human.
The reader will gather had rather lost
my head, and indeed that is feeble way OF
putting my distraction. owe it more to
the intelligence and dexterity of my little
| mare than to any effort of my own that I
was not carved to death. To this hour /
cannot imagine how l escaped where SO
many better men were biting the dust; but.
when you come to think of it, it always is
a mystery how any one ever comes alive
out of battle. Surely if anything can
make the arch enemy dance with delight IL
must be the ghastly spectacle OF frenzied
men hacking each other to pieces
By and by l began to underestimate thing
more difficult than it may seem-that the
advantage lay with us. l understood it
| from the fendish eXhilaratlon of our men,
from the short, deep coughs of satisfaction
with which they drove theirweapons home,
! and from the greater proportion of shrieks
and empty saddles among our opponents.
The discovery acted like a drug that sets
the blood on fire. To keep from going stark
mad roared myself black in the face and
rode furiously whithersoever my goaded
mare chose to carry me, sometimes among
friends, oftener among foes, and always
| with frantic desire to see my sword run
as red as the others. Nothing less than the
mercy of God brought me out of that
devils mess alive
All this while Yumen Yusel and the man
on the black horse were posted on the ridge
looking down on the battle They might
be mere spectators, indifferent to the issue.
so remote they seemed from the scene Of
anguish in which two armies were pouring
out their hearts blood. But when we be-
| gan to gain n mounted messenger came
galloping down the slope and spoke for a
| minute or so to the commander of Yumen
| lusefs troops. Whatever was his mes
| sage, it put fresh force and courage into the
men, for, getting into closer formation, thew
hurled themselves upon uswith fury thas
soon gave them back their lost ground. But
, though we yielded little our lances did
not slacken IN their work. Nay, the slicing
went on with redoubled energy and oaths
that were curdlng to hear
'floly prophet, how they flght!n cried
Amood Sim as he and Abou kuram met
for moment in the rear. mine eyes have
never beheld such slaughter. Look you
now at Isnael Numar-how he cleaveth
heads and heweth of limbs. He snail have
three more wives and present OF goid for
his valor. And look you, too, bow tine good
Koor Ali layeth about him. have been
watching him, and he slayeth like onepre-
pairing for the sacrifice. There goetn a
man severed in two, another and still an
other. Didst thou ever set the like He
maketh stepping stones to victory OF his
enemies He shall have a dozen OF my
choicest slaves. And my brother, too, hath
done marvellous execution. have seen his
blade shifting with the stroke of lightning.
lie hath left the dead in heaps behind him.
i Will bethink me what befittcth him to re.
ceiYe. Yea, and |, too, have smitten the
foe slit a fellows ribs as a cook would
cut open the ribs Of a sheep. By my faith,
1t was fine sport. -
lie stopped anu looked over the sannui
nary scene
"our men fight like lions" he said.
Then, with sudden change of tone: yet
thinkest thou they are being driven back2
Doth il appear to thee the enemy is gain
ing just u little, ever so little2 Ii we lose
ground-bnt no, changing voice and man
ner again, there they storm, home pro-
Tess koor Ali's sword is crimson an inch
deep. And there go our horsemen. Glory
to the prophet the day is ours. Yumen
Iuselss men tly-we are conQuerorst They
hyl They fiy!'
They were not flying, but their leader
had been cut down by one OF our cavalry
men, and i'll the confusion that followed
they lost ground again
Il told thee the day was ours" cried
Amood sim in n transport Of childish de-
light But he was soon singing 10 another
tune.
''See, see" he cried ere the words of re.
jocing were well out of his mouth ''IIe
cometh, he cometh-satan cometh. We are
uudone. Who can withstand him2 He
rideth like "A whirlwind and dcstroyeth as
fire. My brother, we are undone."
Abou kuram made no reply, but turned
his eyes to the dread warrior on the black
horse, who was cantering down the slope
with band of 80 men mounted on the pick
of Arabian studs. As the companv nd.
vanced it was Joined by others, till The total
must have been equal to half "a British regl-
meut.
n contingent promptly went out from
our front to meet them, koor Ali leading,
There was TO be no play this time, no
circlng and wheeling, no retiring and adj
vancing for picturesque display. Lance to
lance, body to body, the issue would be
decided, and the fittest wonld survive,
Abou kuram bit his lip with anger at
being forced to remain in charge of cow
ard in the rear and watched the momen-
tons events in which he could not particle
pate.
The enemy's cavalry came on at a round
gallop, their pennons streaming, their faces
we'll forward on their horses necis The
leader, however, sat his great black horse
erect, and held his sword at what | believe
British dragons call the slope. There was
something in his appearance that marked
him out from his fellows, and am free to
confess that, with Amood Sims whining
in my ears, a thrill of superstitious awe
passed through me at the thought that he
might not be mortal.
As soon as the level plain was gained he
waved his sword quickly in the air, aud the
great black warhorse broke from the gal
lop to the charge. We could see his fierce
leap and the responsive bound of those that
followed hard behind. Before half a dozen
horse lengths We're covered there came TO
our ears resounding double peal of Tech
bir, techbirl'' for our men, too, were riding
at the chal1e, and even from our distance
we saw how every rider, setting himself a
little forward, hugged his lance close un-
der his right arm. l watched the mutual
swoop with straning eyes and humping
heart, with cold tremors at the pit of the
and hot whirl Of the brain that