Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-11-21
A TASTE OF BLOOD.

tie, on the Natal border, to Standerton,
and had TO ride through country oocu-
pied by the enemy. We knew from ex-
perience that the Beers had parties out
on all the roads to intercept messengers.
bat as / was pretty well acquainted
with those parts and had a good horse l
hoped TO slip through, without being
noticed, by a cross country route. had
got over more than half my journey
when, Just about dusk, saw solitary
Boer riding in the distance. He disap-
peared almost Immediately in fold in
the ground, and so, hoping that he had
not in that brief moment discovered me.
/ stood where was, behind a clump OF
rocks
NY horse and were both in need CT
rest, so as darkness came on l moved
down into a grass grown donga below
the rocks, where the horse could Craze
and whence | conld see any one APP
preaching by his being defined against
the sky line had had the misfortune
during the day to lose one of my saddle
bags, thanks to a rotten strap, and found
myself in consequence without food and
without any more ammunition than the
cartridge in my carbine and two spare
ones in my pocket, and so, for more
reasons than one, looked forward 20
getting soon to my journeys end.
AS the moon rose behind the rocks
began to think of starting on my way
again, when suddenly my nerves We're
put on the qui vive by my horse chuck
ing up his head and staring forward for
a few moments with pricked ears. Then,
without having stopped chewing, be
dropped his muzzle back into the dewy
grass and went on grazing as though
dewy grass bred no such thing as horse
sickness. Following the direction of
his stare fancied saw something NOV
ing in the shadow of the rocks, and
few seconds later the figure Of man
doomed up clear and black against the
moonlit sky, moving along the top OF
the 'kopje'' in stealthy. STOPPING po-
sition. Hat, beard and rife proclaimed
him to be a Boer. Time. locality and
posture told that he was searching for
me. Mechanically brought my carbine
to the ready. As ] did so he stopped
and slowly sank behind stone. Either
CLINT of my weapon or sound from
my horse had caught his attention. l
was in the deep shadow of All overhang-
ing rock, and my horse was behind me,
effectually concealed by a projecting
corner of the bank. never took my eye
off the spot where the enemy had disap-
peared. The minutes dragged by like
hours as | watched without seeing
sign.
Could he have slipped away from
there altogether and perhaps be creeping
down behind me somewhere? l dared
not take my gaze off the place for sim
gle moment, and the tension of waiting
gradually became almost unbearable
My heart was humping away all the
while with suppressed excitement, al
most drowning the only other sound
audible in the surrounding dead still
ness, the sound Of my horse contentedly
cropping the heritage. At last move
ment by the stone / was watching, and
saw his head rise slowly and quietly
peer about. It seemed almost like bad
dream to watch this specter SO noiseless-
ly exerting all his craft to find me in
order to take my life
How steadily he stared into my donga
with his head only just above the stonesl
But he could not see me, his eyes could
not pierce the darkness of my hiding
place.
Seeing nothing, he gradually raised
himself to gain more extended view or
to look into the ground more immedi-
ately under his position, and now saw
his head, shoulders and body clearly sill
houetted against the sky, almost under
the moon. Quickly raised my carbine
to my shoulder. The barrel shone like
bar of silver as pointed it for his head
Slowly and steadily l lowered the fore
end till the bar was diminished into a
single spark shining against the lower
part of the black figure. He never
moved, and all the while my brain kept
repeating those lines of GordOn's:
How strange that a man should miss
When his life depends on his aiml
How strange that man should miss
When his life
At the right moment hand and eye
worked mechanically in unison, and
through the roar and red blaze that fol-
lowed | had momentary vision of two
hands thrown up against the sky and
then blank darkness My horse, startled
by the report, first claimed my atten-
ton, and then. as slipped in one of my
two remaining cartridges, | wondered
what next should be done
Was the man dead or shamming? Had
he friends near who would be attracted
by the report? Should stay where I
was or make bolt? finally decided
to wait few minutes and watch.
Not a sound. Nothing moved So
carefully and quietly | crept up the
donga, and by detour made my way to
the back of the pile Of rocks A move
ment in their shadow caused me TO drop
fiat among the stones, till saw that it
was only the Beers horse quietly graz
ing out into the moonlight So the man
was still there, but was he alive and
waiting, OF was he dead and safes eau
tiously l crept nearer and nearer, with
my carbine ready. Still no sign At
last / see something. Is it branch or
crevice? It is a rifle. and its shadow
lying across the rocks. Enough Even II
alive he is in my power now. I walk
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
fW ~