Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-10-08
HE WON HIS BET.

"Ill wager 30 napoleons," said one of
them, "that no European ever goes from
here to Fort st. Denis alone and reaches
there alive"
"Done!" said quiet voice behind him.
The speakers looked around with start
and saw that a new parsonage had sud-
denly come upon the scene-a small, thin,
swarthy Frenchman in civilian dress.
"You must not think Of 1T, my dear
sir, cried the young lieutenant, who had
offered the wager.
"Perhaps it may not turn out to be such
a terrible business, after all, J" said the lit
tie man. tI'm going straight to the colo
mel and ask his permission to make the at
tempt, and / have not the least doubt that
shall get it,"
And he did get it, sure enough, though
it was not without severe twinge of con-
science that Colonel Lagrange gave his
sanction.
Rash as he was, however, the bold ad-
venturcr had a method in his madness,
for the first thing he did was to assume an
Arab dress, knowing that however useless
such disguise might prove at close quar-
tiers against the keen eyes of his enemies,
yet if they saw from a distance q solitary
man in native garb they might not think
1t worth while to ride after him, as they
would certainly do after European.
When the hour for starting came, not
merely the old colonel but every other
officer who was not actually on duty
crowded to the gate Of the little fortress to
witness the departure of their adventurous
guest.
'sCan carry any message for you to
Fort ST. Denis, colonel?' asked the latter,
turning to Colonel Lagrange as coolly as
II he were only setting out for picnic in
stead of running risk in which the
chances were 80 to Of his being killed.
"Well, since you will go, rejoined the
veteran, laughing in spite Of himself, "you
might give this paper to the commandant,
and only hope you'll survive to deliver
It,"
There is no more grim or dreary spectacle
upon the face of the earth, except perhaps
the kindred wastes Of central Asia, than
the mighty desert that stretches almost
unbroken from the palm groves of Egypt
to the waves of the Atlantic.
All at once, in the very midst Of the hot,
brassy glare which makes all earth and
sky seem on fire together, the palmy crests
Of long line of graceful palms are seen
standing like sentinels along the edge of
clear, still, shining lake. But it is only
that fatal mirage of the DESERT which
mocks the weary eye Of the lost wanderer,
only to add keener agony to the bitter
ness of his despair.
To the brave Frenchman, however, this
visionary splendor and this weird, ever
lasting desolation were alike hackneyed
spectaoles, and forward he went without
even. troubling himself to look at them.
Ten miles Of the 30 had already been &C.
complished, then 10, IA, Is. He had now
achieved three fourths Of his perilous jour-
ney and at length mounting the crest Of
one of the long, wavelike sand ridges, he
deserted far in the distance the low white
walls Of Fort St. Denis with its gay tri-
color flag of France waving jauntily above
It,
But at the same moment he caught sight
Of something else which was by no means
30 satisfactory distant group of white
mantles and glittering spear points and
Arab horses coming straight down upon
him.
The fact was that the French had SO Of
ten employed native messengers that every
man. even If he looked like an Arab, was
now an object Of suspicion to those desert
vultures.
But when they neared our hero and saw
that he quietly continued on his way with.
out taking any notice of them whatever
they began to think that they must be
wrong in suspecting him, naturally sup,
posing that his showing SO little fear Of
them was a proof that he could have nc
reason to be afraid.
y As the six wild horsemen closed around
him, brandishing their guns and spears,
but still in doubt whether to attack him
or not, the disguised Frenchman drew him
self up def1antly, INDUCED In a series Of
those excited gesticulations which are char
acteristic Of Mohammedan pilgrims and
thon called out to them fercely in Arabic
"Begone, transgressors of the law! A
| true believer hath no fellowship with the
sinners who violate the sacred commands
Of the prophet"
"What mean your" asked the neares,
horseman In tone of amazement, which
was certainly not without reason.
"What call you this?" retorted the &C
cuser with stern emphasis. And quick a
thought he drew forth from beneath thu
Arabs white mantle an undeniable porl
sausage
A yell of mingled horror and indigna
ton burst from his comrades as the "un
clean flesh came to light, and their hol.
anger broke forth anew when the reprov
ing stranger produced a small flask o
wine from the pouch Of another of tn
band. @
This was more than flesh and blood coult
bear. One Of the jealous Moslems dealt ,
heavy blow to the wretch who thus defle'
the precepts Of the holy Koran, whereupol
the fierce Arab leveled his gun and sho
him dead on the spot, being himself in
stantly shot dead In turn by the slail
mans brother.
Meanwhile the supposed sausage eater
being ooarsely reviled by two Of his com
rades drew his sword and MORALLY wound
: ed both. The next moment he went dow
before the sixth mans stroke, but in fall
ing he avenged himself with pistol shot
and scouting party from st. Denis
drawn to the spot by the firing, found al
the six Arabs dead or dying and the mys
terious traveller looking on with the quie
satisfaction Of one Watching the success {
great scientific experiment.
: "And who are youp' asked the officer 1
command wonderingly when the strange
, had told his story.
!. II am conjurer by trade, and my nam
y is Robert Houdin." And that name O.
= planned everything. Exchange.
!, New Women Aided by an Earthquake.
= It is not everywhere that the new WI
!, man" gets on earthquake to assist her 1
l securing her rights. In certain villae
Of Calabria the women used all to be keI
very much indoors and not permitted
I take their walks abroad as they wished.
But the other day seismic disturbant
: destroyed all the houses In the said villag'
and the Inhabitants were reduced to tai
!. ing shelter In temporarily CONSTRUCTS
i huts. Naturally the Calabrian ladies wen