The morning times., 1895-07-25
H6 Won his Bel.

| bic as for man to get from here TO
Fort ST. Denis all by himself without be-
! ing chopped into outlets by the Arabs"
We'll, l don't think that experiments
Is very likely 70 be made, for no man
alive would be such a fool as TO try it,"
The speakers were two young French
officers, who Were standing In the midst
of group of their comrades in front OF
the mess room in Fort Yictire-one of
the new military posts recently planted
along the edge of the Sahara by tue ad-
vance OF French cOnqUests.
What? When the forts are only twenty
miles apart?" cried smoOth-faced young
curnet Of light horse, who had lust come
/ out from France 10 join the garrison do
/ you mean TO tell me chat man can't even
| get over short distance ike that without
being nIurdered?''
Try 1t and see!'' answered the other,
| with significant grin
But surely II a ns- yzzre to disguise
himself carefully" suggested the suDaI-
| tern.
Disguise himself" +" echoed the elder
man, in a tone of utter contempt. why,
/ Bertrand, do you know no more OF these
I TascaIly Arabs than that? 1 tell YOU
\ no disguise upon earth would be any good
I against thenl-tney smell further than a
/ CHRISTIAN can see, I'm not very rIch myself
\ but III wager fifty napOleons any day
that no European ever goes from here %
! Fort Denis alone and reaches there alive -
Done" said a quiet voice behind him
l The speakers looked around with a start
7 and sa v that a new parsonage had sud
/ denly cOtne upon the SCene-d small, tuIu,
/ swaTthy FrenChman in civilian dress.
You must not think of it, my dear sir"
cried the young Lieutenant vino had offered
. the wager " You are our guest and we can
not let you bind yourself 10 what would
be nothing less than suicide"
] Perhaps II may not turn out to be such
terrible business after all said the
/ little man, "and in any case 1 know that
II need fear no hindrauCe from French Of
/ 1lcers inanaffair which con Germs my honor
| The last word touched all his hearers
| in the right place, and the speaker, seeing
/ its effect, hastened to add.
Il Nov / IN going straight to the Colonel
\ to ask his permission to make the attempt
J.. and 1 have not the least doubt that shall
\ get it."
And ne did get IT, sure enough. though
/ 1T was not without a severe twinge OF con,-
science that Col La grange gave b sanction.
Rash as he was, however the bold ad-
I venturcr had method in his madness. FOR
the first thing he did was TO assume an
Arab dress, knowing that however useless
such a disguise might prove at close quar-
2
yet If they saw from distance a solitary
man in native garb, they might not think
. II worth while to ride after him. they
would certainly do after European
II NGen the hour for starting came, not
F. merely the Old colonel, but every other
/ officer wEO was Z 81 actually on duty
I crowded TO the gate of the little fortress
( TO witness the departure of their adven-
{ turous guest
I can l carry any message for you TO
I Fort St DeTIS, cOlDneig' asked the latter,
turning to Col. Lagrange as CUOlly as il
/ be We're only setting out on picnic. instead
I OF ruunin risk in which the chances were
( ninety 10 one in favor OF his being killed
! Well since you will CO." rejUined ting
veteran. laughing in spite OF himself,
| you might give this paper to the command
ant and / only hope you'll survive to
. deliver it." :
There is no more grim or dreary. spec
/ taCle upon the face OF the earth except
/ perhaps the Kindred wastes OF Central
ASldl than the mighty desert that stretches
almost unbfoken from the palm groves OF
/ Egypt to the waves of the Atlantic
] To the brave Frenchman. however, this
/ visionary splendor and this weird everlast-
I ing deSolation We're alike hackneyed spec
/ tdCleS, and forward he went. without even
| troubling himself to look at them.
Ten miles of the twenty had already been
I accOmpllShed-then twelve, fourteen. fif-
4
/ his perIlouS Journey and at length. mounts
| ing the crest Of one of the long low wave<
/ ike sand ridges, he deserted far in tha
/ distance, the low, white wall Of Fort St
| Denis, with its gray tricOlOr flag OF Francs
| waving iauntiIy above it
But at the same moment he caught sight
/ OF something else which was by no means
| so SatlSfactOTy-a distant group OF white
( NANTES and glitteTing spear points and
| Arab horSeSCUming straight dOwnUpOn him
/ The fact was that the French had so
/ often employed native messengers that
every man even If he looked Ike an Arab,
/ was an object Of suspicion to these DESERT
vultUres
! But when they neaTed our hero, and saw
thathe quietlycOntinuedO on his way without
| taking any notice of them whatever, they
| began to think that they must be wrong in
| suspecting him, naturally SuppoSing thar
I his showing 50 little fear of them was q
/ proof that he could have no reason TO be
| afraid
As the six wild horSenlen closed around
I him, brandiShing their guns and spears.
! but still IN doubt whether TO attack him or
/ not, the disguised Frenchman drew him
SELF up desiantIv Indulged in series Of
| those excited geSticulatiOns which are
! characteristic of MOhammedan pilgrims,
and then called out to them fieTcely in
, fluent Arabic.
I ''BegOne, tTanSgressOrs OF the lawi a
! true believer hath no fellowship with the
sinners who violate the sacred commands
/ of the prophet
What mean yOu?" asked the nearest
/ horSenIan in a tOUe of amaZement, which
I was certainly not without reason.
What call you tAis?' Fetorted the ac-
( cuser, with a stern emphasis; and quick as
/ thought he drew forth from beneath the
/ Arabs white mantel an Uudeniable pork
/ sausage.
A yell of mingled horror and irdigna-
/ ton burst from his comrades as TIE I'M
clean flesh came to light, and their holy
/ anger broke forth anew when the reprOv-
/ ing stranger produced small flask of wine
/ from the pouch of another of the band
This was more than flesh and blood
could bear One Of the Jealous MosIem5
/ dealt heavy blow to the wretch who thus
/ defied the precepts of the holy Koran;
/ wheTeupon the fierce Arab leveled his gun
J and shot him dead on the spot, being him
/ Self instantly shot dead in turn by the
slain mans brother.
1 Meanwhile the supposed sausage eater,
| being CoarseIy reviled by two of his COM
! rades. drew his sword and mOrtally wound
ed both The next moment he went down
| before the sixth mans stroke, but in fall
ing, he avenged himself with a pistol shOb.
and a scouting party from Fort St Denis,
drawn to the spot by the firing, found all
/ six Arabs dead or dying, and the nlys.
terious traveller looking on with the quiet
! satisfaction of one watching the success
of great scientific experiment.
And who are your" asked the officer
| in command, wOnderingly, when the
! stranger told his story.
II am a conturer by trade, and nv
name is Robert Houdin,' and that name
i explained everything Albany Argus.