The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-10-07

DOWN THE WINDING PATH THE
TRAIN WAS PICKING IT'S WAY.
to have been cut through the rugged
spurs which ran down to the river. 1t
was the bed of the old railway, long de-
StrOyed by the Arabs, but now in pro-
cess of reconstruction by the advancing
Egyptians. There was no other sign of
mans handiwork in all that desolate
scene.
It's palm trees or nothing" said
Scott.
We'll, 7 suppose we must; and yet
grudge every hour until we reach the
force up. What would our editors say
If we We're late for the action?'
MY dear chap, an old bird like you
doesn't need to be told that no sane
modern general would ever attack until
the press " up
You don't mean that" said young
Anerley. II thought we We're looked
upon as an unmitigated nuisance"
Newspaper correspondents and
travelling gentlemen, and all that tribe
of useless drones'-beng an extract
from Lord Woseley's Soldiers Pocket
Book, cried Scott. I'VE know all
about that, Anerley"-and he winked
behind his blue spectacles. IF there
We're going to be a battle We should
very soon have an escort of cavalry
to hurry us up. I've been in Is. and
never saw one where they had not ar
ranged for a reporters table"
That's very well; but the enemy
may be less considerate," said Morti-
mer..
They are not strong enough to force
q battle"
"A skirmlsh, then?'
Much more likely to be raid upon
the rear. In that case we are just
where we should be-"
so we are! What a score over
Reuters man up with the advance.
Well, Wen outspan and have our tiffin
under the palms."
There We're three of them. and they
stood for three great London dailies
Reuter- was thirty miles ahead two
evening pennies upon camels were
twenty miles behind. And among them
they represented the eyes and the ears
of the public-the great silent millions
and millions who had paid for every
thing and who waited patiently to
know the result of their outlay.
They We're remarkable men, these
body-servants of the press; two of them
already veterans in the camps, the
other setting out upon his first cam
paign, and full of difference for his IA
nous comrades.
This first one. who had just dis
mounted from his bay polo-p pony. was
Mortimer of the Intelligencer-tall
straight and hawk-faced, with kharki
tunic and riding breeches, drab putties
a scarlet cummerbund, and skin
tanned to the red of Scotch fir by
sun and wind, and mottled by the mos
quito and the sand fly. The other
small, quick, mercurial, with blue
black curling beard and hair, q fly
switch forever flicking in his left hand
was Scott of the Courier, who had
come through more dangers and
brought off more brilliant scoops than
any man In the profession, save the
condition to take the field. They were
singular contrast, Mortimer and
Scott, and 1t was i'm their differences
that the secret of their close friend
ship lay. Each dovetailed. into the
other. The strength Of each was in
the others weakness. Together they
formed perfect unit. Mortimer was
SaxUn-slow. conscientious and delib-
crate; scott was Celtic-quick. happy
the more solid, Scott the more attrac-
time. Mortimer was the deeper think
er. Scott the brighter talker BY a
curious coincidence. though each had
seen much of warfare, their campaigns
had never conceded. Together they
covered all recent military history
Scott had done Plevna, the Shipka. the
Zulus. Egypt. Suakim: Mortimer had
seen the Boer war, the Chilian, the
Bulgaria and Servian, the Gordon re-
lief. the Indian frontier, Brazilian re-
bellion and Madagascar. This intimate
personal knowledge gave peculiar
flavor to their talk. There was none of
the secondhand surmise and conjec-
ture which forms so much of our con-
versation; 1t was all concrete and final
The speaker had been there, had seen
1t. and there was an end to It,
In spite of their friendship there was
the keenest professional rivalry be-
tween the two men. Either would have
sacrificed himself to help his compar :
ion. but either would also have sacri-
feed his companion to help his paper.
Never did q jockey yearn for a winning
mount. as keenly as each of them longed
to have. a. full column in a morning edi-
tion whilst every other daily was blank.
They were perfectly frank about the
matter. Each professed himself ready
to steal a march on his neighbor, and
each recognized that the others duty
to his employer was far higher than
any personal consideration.