Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-10-03

more on the smooth. His recollection of
the track was that there were few smooth
and many bad. He would be lucky. then. If
he reached Sarras anywhere from u to /.
Then the messages took a good two hours
to go through, for they had to be tram
scribed at Cairo. At the best. he could
street at or in the morning. 1t was pos
sible that he might manage it. but the
chances seemed enormously against him.
About 3 the morning edition would be made
up, and his chance gone forever. The one
thing clear was that only the first man at
the wires would have any chance at all.
and Anerley meant to be first If hard riding
could do it, So he tapped away at the
birdlike neck. and the creatures long, loose
limbs went faster and faster at every tap.
Where the rocky spurs ran down to the
river. horses would have to go round. while
camels might get across. SO that Anerley
felt that he was always gaining upon his
companions.
But there was a price to be paid for the
feeling. He had heard of men who had
burst when on camel journeys, and he
knew that the Arabs swathe their bodies
tightly in broad cloth bandages when they
prepare for long march. Ii had seemed
unnecessary ami ridiculous when he first
began to speed over the level track, but
now, when he got on the rocky paths. he
understood what 1t meant. Never for an
Instant was he at the same angle. Back
ward. forward he swung. with tingling
jar at the end of each sway, until he
ached from his neck to his knee. 1t caught
him across the shoulders. ii caught him
DE- wn tie spine. 1t gripped him over the
loins. it marked the lower line of his ribs
with one heavy dull throb. He clutched
here and there with his hand to try and
ease the strain upon his muscles. He
drew up his knees. altered his seat and set
his teeth with grim determination to go
through with it should it kill him. His
head was splitting, his flayed face smart
ing and every joint in his body aching as If
1t were dislocated. But he forgot all that
Iru-1,4 h. ~f-sv.
heard the clinking of horses hoofs down
the track by the river. and knew that, un-
seen by them. he had already got well
abreast Of his companions. But he was
hardly half way and the time already II.
All day long the needles had been ticking
away without intermission in the little
! corrugated iron hut which served at a tele-
walls end Its packing case seats Ii was
| none the less for the moment one of the
vital spots upon the earth's surface, and
I the crisp, importunate ticking might have
| come from ths world-old clock of destiny
| Many august people had been at the other
| end of those wires, and had communed
with the moist-faced military clerk. A
French premier had demanded a pledge
| and an English marquis had passed On
| the request to the general in command,
| with question as to how 1t would affecs
the situation. Cipher kilograms had near.
ly driven the clerk out of his wits, for OF
| all crazy occupations the taking Of a
cipher message when you are without a
| key to the cipher Is the worst. Much high
| diplomacy had been going on all day in
| the innermost chambers of European chan
| cellories and the results of it had beer
| whispered into this little corrugated iron
| hut. About in the morning an enormous
| dispatch had come at last to an end, and
| the weary operator had opened the door
and was lighting his pipe in the cool. fresh
air, when he saw a camel plump down ir
the dust and q man. who seemed to be ir