The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-07-07

| ly on his sword, greeted him with a quiet smile.
 You bring us good news, I trust dispatches, ,doubtless?" said the officer; but the seaman answered.:
 "Senor, to my sorrow, 1 have no word: the gunboat Condo lies at Santa Cruz, but there are no orders for her to sail. I oan take dispatch back to Teneriffe or embark your men in the Celaje."
 Don Rosendo's face darkened and his fingers closed tightly around his sword hilt, while the captain grew red and continued, stammering:
 T am but plain man, and know lit- tie of these things, If, therefore. you desire them, such poor provisions as are in the schooner are at your com- mand"
 More than one of the Cazadores cast a wistful glance at the tall masts of the schooner, sweeping to and fro across the saffron and orange of the sunset. For a space the commandante also looked seaward in silence, his eyes l following the trembling line of ruddy 1 light across the rolling water, until he saw again in fancy his quinta in the sunny vale of Orotava. The burning sand and red dust of Africa faded 1 away. and instead the white cone of 1 the great peak of Teneriffe shone against the azure sky; while beneath | the pine woods which clothe it's slopes, Villa Orotava nestled among feathery palms, groves of orange trees and vine yards, with the odor of roses, helio- | trope and jasmine filling the scented | air-a place of wine and sunshine, wa- tered by snow-fed streams and re- 1 freshed by sparkling fountains. 1 Then rifie-butt grated on the pave ment, and the commandante was once more a soldier in the heat of the Saha- ra. Drawing up his tall figure, he l looked round at the waiting soldiers, and his voice was sharp and clear: | My children, have hidden nothing from you, for we share a common per- | il; but while stone of the fort stands
 together stay, to live or die for Spain. Now we have provisions to last until the gunboat comes. and strong walls l for shelter, 1t is not hard thing to hold out against handful of rascally Arabs. Besides, they have your com
 rades' blood on their hands," and the eyes of the famine stricken soldiers flashed as they shouted Viva la Espa- nal"
 l Next morning the Celaje, after land ing a few sacks of gofio and bacaloa
 with barrel of water, put to sea, car- rying the commentaries dispatch. The garrison, with sinking hearts, | watched her grow smaller and smaller, | until her white canvas seemed no larger than a sea-bird's wing; but 1 clenched teeth and set faces told of a | stern determination to play the man ! when the end came. Then the boat l vanished out of sight, and they were ! utterly alone once more.
 ! Slowly the weary hours dragged by 1 The sun rose higher and poured down 1 its pitiless heat at noon, then sank to- l wards the western horizon; and when at length he dipped beneath the verge, ! ocean and plain gleamed white in the 1 moonlight. Every man stood armed at his post, but the foe made no sign until l dawn next day, when long lines of \ Arabs, mounted both on camels and ! horses. were seen crossing the sand, ! some in blue tunics or haiques, while ! the fiuttering of white robes showed | that others were tribe from the inte- | rior.
 ! Then two old brass guns, cast in Se- vile two hundred years ago, with | quaint devices of lions and castles
 across the breech (for half the Spanish possessions are "defended"-save the l mark!-with antiquated weapons of 1 this pattern), were carefully loaded with old iron and loose stones, and
 1 trained to command the gate. Lieu
 tenant Carlos smiled grimly as he knelt down and sighted each gun so that the
 charge should strike the ground some
 l fifty yards from the walls.
 Soon the horsemen were lost to sight
 I among the hills; then they reappeared
 on foot, armed with their beautiful
 | Arab guns, the fine Damascus barrels
 of which are often inlaid with gold, and
 the stocks cunningly dovetailed out of ' hard wood and ivory. Where they are