New-York tribune., 1903-04-13
From,

ure. but waited rather what should come The
thoughts of a man even on the brink of death
At one hand was the great river. narrowed though
! II was. still a mighty stream 1t flowed darkly
save where ripple showed steel edged In pass
which had crashed on its banks or thrust up wait
It's it CAIN 3hove the stars hung low and tbrobbed
the spendor of that alien sky was indifferent and
| ting leaves-the very sense of captivity and death
Turned my eyes to the III mishty 1t hn0ttsd tres tres
rnnf rd 10 a IN {he up ] o. Of sbad9s
Dimly near the verge Of the free space I could
see rough huts crouched there like living beasts Of
aap ~ 7,Iailv n hs red ring df the FIRE With
| CLINT of white eyeballs and teeth which seemed to
| grin always in a horrtd mock and threat.
no leaf on any tree which had Known before no
beneath neat anf water or in the he woods no no
| me- a horror of ,strangeness, suddenly through
| broke another sound the measured beating OF iron
on "a s bor ae and stcn9 "a To me t tut or VII
lage forge by the crossroad listening to the smith
pnoe 5 wonk on the TfeT h fSes e
under the gnzParting stars looked again across
| our kindly cloudei skies. The remembrance brought
| pies that could die as beftted an Enghshman and
Christian In the galley had been one OF a herd hera
a man, -,
t bag % g Knives espors sf tRs sfe and eT
| spears were tipped with rough iron. They knew.
come the sound which. had been to ne as the bells
|
ssmsa q hs chief of the Pa5Es TfssPs s a5s
and,I gripped at my senses and my courage1s5aTs
ing human eyeballs signed that my o9nqs 39 snouId
toward hut which stood alone 6eneath "a glanr Ir
Of some wild thing far in the forest; The strange-
up betwixt one Of the great fires and the opening OF
the hut; In ring ABOUT US stood the Sayases: tne
| ranent. Every face turned not to me- but to that
u I A too watched IT. and thought of some priest
with sacrifcial knife. or barbarian chief eager
huge cIarnor of drums and voices and a figure
stepped forth from the shadows into the red. out,
savage world I had endured but at that | cried
out IN sg bf fear T IN eep erp9f Of
man which stood there in that ring OF pagan folk
Of the past of that world. For the stained buff
coat be wore was such as soldiers @ s had Dope o whe9 @
loose his shoulders, after the fashion OF the
scarf on his face too was the seal of the past.
yet was IT not so much the look of age as Of youth
For moment the STRANGERS eyes met mine with
7e be safS @ OF cerenI Of madns me
Wrenching myself from oaptors, I turned and
They dragged me back to the feet Of the savage
cnt On "G him "S IN English as he bent his eyes on me
He spoke but 1t was in the barbarous tongue OF
viii two Of the Africans bent over me- and felt
ortnTe but not that It Should be thus inflicted at
the word of who might, in seeming have ridden
sounded shuddeGinE closed my syes s and felt
searching touch % OF heated efa fd sd ne born @
PAGES. and set gently down. .oo,
couch of rudely woven mating In the centre Of
the Place burned low fire reid ThSh chs scarce a
chanting. with its long. wild cadence I shiverSd
hf segbance la t9e Of the World knew HOPE and
even desire of escape. had left me. lay dumb sur
Time passed; the purple African night must have
6ed 9ssP o8n dJaHins Ana 6G ia s f9s @ forth
doom At length foot grated the dogF-5wistssd ed
eI entered tgtsd whom whom most DREADED
could feel his eyes upon me. Then he dropped
somewhat into the fire. which gave out a clear
You are English" he said softly; tell of
bss4f QUICKEN e T to the Fq5t ah Of Yet l2f
H shack P4o his wss nead StGdg sSw their of
warfare The knife was needed & see to you: r,9d Ny
him. but not many could match him there"
His brother-then, he was man like another.
who are you?'' broke forth.
ory. In a sudden wildness of words he told me Of
Iistening the giant unfr1endly forest drew away.
and the savage sounds, growl and mutter and roar,
feet the eIank Of steel rumPet FoD blaTs e. and d1 war
Of oIden o battles when he had ridden with his
Srot6eF. Prince Rupert leading on the cavs,isTs
spoke to me from the encroachng shadows was
Maurice. Prince Palatlne. Sea-SO
held-many year ago years whereof himself had
lost the count He spoke of the voyages through
always leader he SAID Land and smIIedd d jGqTpsyi2gs
mere pirates as well. venturers and broken, men.
And he spoke I, crouched IN the dark beside
of spice and palm, and OWNED the hopes where,
with the ventures had set forth and the dr1ftwood
from myself was "a that that when bpnD he made made
upon the embers. started in renewed panic at the
I27it +bat vas 1one since I cried. 'since then
Il have not lfved-I have waited he made an
swer, and I saw the unchanged youth through his
swept into sudden wreckage nigh the Indies. his
His captors haItng to traffic with the Portuguese
had borne him up the country by deserts where
so geograPhers tell US great Dragons dwell These
he had not seen, yet many beasts strange and ter
rtole and rude customs and dread. Daily. at the
ce to e have @ his heart torn forth as an oarng to
the formess Thing they worshipped. TO be thrust
to silence. But whether they guessed a princely !
willed. they rad held him rather in uncouth honor
''I captive among them. yet a king, he /
He led me TO the door. and we looked forth; two !
men set against the unappeasable, wildeTness; ,; i
stiffness that deep breath that is only known
Sky Maurice the Prince at my Side looked instead
I deem. England, the memory whereof had /
IKE leI v2fen Runert coIesNhe was leader al
wavs and 7 glad and proud 70 folow-I have but |
held the garrison-when he comes there will be /
by hit against the hour when the Cause should /
reed it He viii discover the city of which my /
people tell. many moons TO the south city with /
roofs Of gold And at last at last, the King SHAH
wonder came over me I thought on Prince
Rupert as had seen him at coUrt-a wearfed man,
Kings palace as one, who watches masque and
+ not begued r An9 nere IN nonfS ups wilderness ms
The flooded river shivered along It's length like
a wr hing snake, and a duh scent rose and hung
about US