The Washington times., 1903-03-15
CHAPTER XIII.
THE EXPERIMENT COMMENCES.


The Mahdist invasion was gradually
and surely spreading on all sides. The
inhabitants of the desert are very me-
thodicaI in their doings. and take time
to look before they leap; but the circle
was gradually closing in round Tehbali-
In three days all the approaches were
blocked. and camps of observation were
10 be seen posted on the surrounding
heights The peak was now completely
invested.
But our friends had not been idle All
the condensers had been taken up to the
circular passage. The connecting wires
OF the electro dynamOs were in readiness
TO be attached to the shafts moved BY
the pistons of the cylinders in the cen
ter OF each conical mirror. II only rest
ed with Norbert to order, the contact
70 be established. and in less than ten
minutes the grand experiment would
begin.
Strange to say. the young scientist
hesitated at this last moment. He
shrank from putting the final touch TO
the work he had so ardently and pa
tiently carried out. He said to himself
who knows but that after all I may
nave uldue Ul5Aaht- II Is True llaA
I have made every possible calculation.
and. as I think. have foreseen every
contingency But what II some forgot
ten detail should subvert the whole
theory. and give the lie TO all my ex-
pectations2 How could I bear 10 sec
such a humiliating and shameful end
Of all my plans. and before Gertrude,
too. who believes in me- Before the
baronet. who does not believe in me!
Before the formidable Mahdi. and in the
face Of scofing Europe herself What IL
my success should be put partial. on the
other hand. and just save my seIf-con-
coit but fail to realize the scheme in its
entirety"
Another consideration encouraged him
in his passive attitude. The moon would
not be ia perigee-that is to say. near
est 10 the earth-for another sixty
seven days. il was evident that the OK
pertinent would have a greater chance
OF success then; and prudence, there
fore. counseled delay, unless. indeed.
some unexpected turn OF events forced
him TO precipitate matters.
The unexpected soon came, however
On the sixth day after the arrival un-
der the walls OF TehbaIl OF the left wing
Of the Mahdists. who had turned aside
from the Siege OF Khartoum to assail
the peak. IL became evident that an as
sault was preparing.
Horsemen went and came from one
camp to another; tribes formed them
selves into columns: tOm-tOms resound-
cd on every side, and thousands Of
weapons cleaned in the sunshine. On
sudden one Of the columns got into
marching order and drew toward the
village OF Tehbali. now entirely desert
cd nv it's inhabitants. The other col
umns proceeded eastward and north
ward in the direction Of the peak.
There was not moment 10 be lost
in checking this movement One OF the
cannons behind a little earth mound on
the espIanade was pointed on the vii
lage. which the south column had now
almost reached.
Fire" said Norbert.
The cannon ball flew through the air
and fell. bursting behind the attacking
column 1t was not bad shot for a
FIRST attempt None of the assaflant5
was hit, but they were panic stricken
by the noise in their rear. and they fed
in disorder The other columns followed
their example
For two or three days they gave no
more sign OF life. Soon. however. they
were seen working hard at planting
cannon batteries on the adjacent
heights. and on the seventh day OF the
assault one OF these batteries opened
fire.
Not a single cannon ball so much as
touched the observatory. which stood
much higher than the guns OF the be-
siegers. But several proiectiles fell
upon the furnaces and the other build