Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1896-07-29

" w always picturesque.
Suddenly IN Arab boy came around
the corner, and, with salaana of the
deepest, handed some mail to Grim
shaw. Then he sauatted down on the
yeranda boards, with his great. black
eyes fixed on my companions face
waiting for further orders.
s'Your boy, captain?" ] asked.
s'Yes," replied Grimshaw, "but o
good deal more than that. I should he
buried in the Soudan now if it were
not for Ibsaham yondcr."
"Tell me- about it please. asked,
rather eagerly; for this small Arab in
the clear, white tunic, and brilliant
turban interested me nightly.
Grimshaw settled himself back In
che bungalow chair and began.
"You know, of course" be said,
"that was in Khartoum with Gordon.
I did hot regularly belong to the gen.
eraPs forces. but 1 had volunteered as
one of his aides-de- camp. Well, we
were shut up in that death trap city OF
Khartoum, surrounded upon every
side by tho forces OF the Mahdi-
myriads of fanatical Soudanese Arabs
following that high priest of blood
shed. We English were but o mere
handful of men; the auxiliary forces
were wretchedly small. Our only hope
was aid from Egypt; and, as the whole
world knows, that never came. Poor
Gordon was allowed to fall victim to
the Mahdi's sword, and most of the
garrison were slain. With the excep-
tion OF Slatin Bey, who became Mus
sulman, I think, I was the only Euro.
pean who get out of the doomed city
with my life. That did SO is due to
Ibraham.
Here the Arab boy-hearing his
name northumberland up and
smiled, showing row of teeth excep.
tionally even and white.
"A few days after we entered Khar.
toum," continued Grimshaw, II was
patrolling the town under General
Gordon's orders, when we came across
o great rabble of boys, hallooing and
shouting OF deafenipg rate. sont
an Egyptian soldier to discover the
cause, and he reported that the young
'fuzzy-wuzzies' lit is SO that Private
Atkins of Her Maiesty's troops de-
nominates the Soudanese) were 'hav-
ing fun with one OF their number. I
was then, as now, intensely interested
in native manners md customs. Hals-
ing my men, I entered ths 'olsterous
Gordon of bows "a avtermlne the rea-
eop-vt neir tumult.
SsThes little rascsls were teasing one
of their number. sTeasing, indeed,
inthis case, is too mid word. They
were beating and stoning the lad, who
lay bruised and half blinded in the
gutter. His turban was of, and his
already scant clothing had been torn
to shreds. I sprang into the middle
OF the mob and demanded the cause ol
such brutal treatment. At first they
affected not to understand my Arabic
and went on beating their victim, but
when I had soundly cufed one or two
and summoned my interpreter to my
aid, I succeeded in making them an
swer.
{" He is the rene gade's son" said 6
ringleader-tHassap, the renegade's
son. Stone him in the name of the
prophet
"Then understood. The poor
boys father had taken service with
Gordon, leaving his offspring to suffe,
all the cruelties which the Khartoum
children, egged on by their elders,
were sure to infict upon him. I lost
no time in calling up o few men and
sending that pack of youthful fanatics
to the right about. They went away,
vowing dire vengeance on the creme
gade's brat and I raised my protege
from the dust. He had tainted from
pain and loss Of blood, but one of our
surgeons soon brought him to. When
he opened his eyes and saw me he
smiled like a little coffee -colored
angel and wanted there and thon to
give me his b st salaam. OF course
made him lie down again, but he
blurted out his gratitude for preserva.
tion so vigorously that he came near
fainting again.
Next day his father, Hassau. one
of Gordon's servants, came to see him.
The two had long talk, aud finally
Hassan announced that, for his sons
sake he had decided to leave the
general and go back to his cobbler' s
stall in the bazaar. Ibrahim- for the
lad whom had helped to rescue was
the same one now sitting before you
soon recovered, thanks to his native,
tough constitution. He left my hut,
absolutely refusing to touch any OF
the money which offered him. y
"'Protector of the poor he said in
his quaint, grandlioquent eastern way,
you have saved your servants life.
Did not the mouse once repay the lion
that had been his benefactor: Lo!
am the mouse effendi; and you are the
lion. Perhaps some day may repay
you. Salaam friendp Then he backed
ont of my hut, and saw him not for
many days.
"one evening, while hurrying
through the bazaar on my way to
General Gordon's quarters, a boy
sprang out OF cobbler's stall and
handed me o tiny bundle-slipping
away into the darkness before had
time to do more than recognize him lis
Ibraham, son of Hassan. 1 carried
the bundle to tho general, and together
we undid its fastenings. Have you
ever deciphered au oriental object
letter? ! mean o letter which is not
written upon paper, but of which the
sense is conveyed by obiects--Aowers
and the like. The bundle handed me
by Ibrahim was just such o COM
munication. 1t contained q queer
collection OF articles. They were: n
piece of broken knife blade; scrap
Of green cloth two flowers (marigolds
l think) with only the heads remain
ing; q brick from the walls, and,