The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-09-22
A Drop of Water.

The foremost of the Arabs stumbled
suddenly, and pitched heavily forward
upon the sand. His companion, who had
been following closely in his footsteps.
across the fat expanse Of desertOQ.i.
stopped, hesitated, looked abstractediy
across the fat expanse of desert, and
then began feverishiy to unfasten the
leather water bottle from the girdle of the
PROSTATE man. He held it up, shook it
slightly, and listened. There was not
sound. Cautiously he tipped the bottle
more and more, until it was completely
| inverted; but not a drop of the precious
| liquid greeted his red, restless eyes.
He put his hand TO his breast, and
drew forth similar bottle from the folds
Of his long, flowing robe. Yes, thanks
be TO Allah! there were still a few swal-
lows left; and a rasping laugh came from
his blistering throat as he shook the bot
tie and listened TO the life-giving gurgle
/ Within. Then he raised IT to his lips.
An instant later and 1t was snatched VI
| olently from his hands, several drops OF
its precious contents splashing out upon
the thirsty sand, where 1t was immediate
ly swallowed up. With cry more nearly
like that of a despairing animal than
human sound, he sprang upon his COM
panion, bearing him heavily backward TO
the ground; and In the shock of the fall
the bottle slipped from the others hand
and rolled some distance away, where 1t
lay waverins and distorted by the intense
heat. Both Saw what had happened; and
filed simultaneously with a nameless
dread that it might be lost to both of
| them, lay still for a brief second and
watched 1t.
Then the struggle began again. Over
and over the brown figures rolled, the
| hot sand burning like fire wherever 1t
came in contact with the naked skin,
and their breath coming in quick gaspS
from between their cracked and swollen
lips. The intense physical strain was
plainly telling upon their strength; and
seemingly urged by common impulse,
they paused a moment, each retaining
his hold upon the others body. The wind
shifted the finely powdered sand and
drove it persistently into eyes and open
mouths. The heat became unendurable;
better to die fighting than to die slowly
roasted to death by the blistering sun,
and that with water almost within their
reach.
Again in the blind fury of their strug-
giles the distance was slowly widening be-
tween them and the half-emptied bottle
so that when, in another minute or so,
they paused again, it lay several yards
away and was already beginning to parch
and crack in the frightful heat that pour
ed down upon it. A harsh, rafting sound
broke the fascinating stiffness. The legs
of one of the Arabs jerked convulsively
once or twice, the muscles of his neck
twitched slightly, and slowly rolling over
upon his back, he shuddered and lay still.
The other man struggled painfully to his
knees. He looked wonderingly at the
dead form beside him for an instant, and
then burst into a hoarse peal of laughter
that Jared appallingly upon the solitude
OF the place and hushed him instantly
In the mad terror of delirium that now
settled down upon him he began slowly
fighting his way across the waste of sand
that separated him from water and a few
more hours of life. 1t was last supreme
effort to shake off the already tightening
grasp upon his throat. His eyes were
red and bloodshot, and from between the
tightly-drawn lips his dust-laden tongue
lolled horribly Once he looked back, but
what he saw there only urged him to
fiercer effort, and with almost superhu-
man endurance he dragged himself inch
by inch on towards the goal. A few sec
onds, that seemed an eternity to him, and
frenzy of delight he seized and raised
the bottle to his lips, only to fling It away
again with a bitter curse; for even In that
short time the fierce heat had done its
work; and through the half-opened seams
drop by drop the water had leaked out
and vanished deep into the hot sands.
The grasp on his throat tightened; ne
tried to cry out, but his swollen tongue
seemed to be choking him, and no sound
came from between his lips. The de-
lirium gained Roadway fast, and he be-
gan to dig furiousy in the loose sand
where the bottle had lain, as if he would
follow and overtake the priceless fluid
before it was lost to him forever Grad
ually the flesh was worn away from the
finger tips, leaving the bone exposed
but he seemed to take no notice, and only
dug the most desperately, on and on. I'M
I'll at last the overtaxed brain gave way,
and, like a mortally wounded squirrel,
he collapsed suddenly, and pitched limp
ly forward upon the sand
A puff of hot, suffocating air blew some
sand over him. More sand sifted into his
nostrils and trickled down into his black
ened throat. A beautifully notified liz
ard paused an instant, eyed distrustfully
the strange object in its path, and then
darted swiftly away, scattering the sand
at every step. And over all, a vast pres
ence from the world beyond, hung the
appalling stiffness of the great desert
H Webster in the Yale COurant