The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1903-06-18

peace naQ ever .Deeu ulduc, TIC Illus
savage as well as the most predatcr,
of the wandering tribes.
"we must ride as hard and as fast q
we can and as silently" were the onl,
words he exchanged with Rake as b
loosened his gray to a hand gallop.
The first five and twenty miles pass
ed without interruption, and the horse'
laid we'll and warmly to their work
They halted to rest and bait the. beast
IN a rocky hollow.
,"Do you ever think Of him, sir?" sail
Rake softly. with a lingering love II
his voice Is he .stroked the grays ank
tethered them.
"Of whom?"
"Of. the King. sir. If he's alive, he'I
getting a rare old horse now"
Think of him! l wish l did not
Rake"
wouldn't you like to see him again
slr?"
"What folly to ask! You know
"Yes, sir; l know" said Rake slowly
"And l know-leastways i picked II
out of IN old paper-that your elder
brother died, sir, like the old lord, and
AR. Berk's got the title"
To his bitter disappointment, .Cecils
face showed no change, no wonder.
Il have heard that" he said calmly
as calmly as though the news had no
bearing on his fortunes, but was some
strangers history.
We'll, sir, but he amt the lord.p
pleaded Rake .~passlonately. "He woni
never abe while you're living, sir"
"Oh, yes, he is. l am dead, you
know"
But he won't. sirl" reiterated Rake
You're Lord Royallieu. II ever there
was a Lord Royallleu and If ever there
will be one"
You mistake. An outlaw has no civ.
II rights and can claim none"
The man looked very wistfully at
him: all these years through lie had
never learned why his master was
thus dead" in Africa. and he had toe
loyal "A love and faith eve to ask. or
ever to doubt but that Cecil was the
wronged aud not the wrongdoer.
."You amt a outlaw, sir" he NUT
tered. "Yon could take the title Ii YOU
would"
"Oh. mol I left England under q
criminal charge. | should have to dis
prove that before I could inherit"
Rake crushed bitter oaths into NUT
tered words as he heard. You could
disprove it, sir. of course. right and
away. If you chose"
mo. or should not have come here.
Let Us leave the subject. 1t was set
tied long ago. My brother is Lord
Royallieu. l would not disturb him II
had the power. and | have not It,"
They were before long in saddle
again and off, the country growing
wilder at each stride the horses took.
ut is all alive with Arabs for the
next ten leagues" said Cecil. as he
settled himself in his saddle. 'Thcy
have come northward and been sweep
Ing the country like n locust swarm.
and we shall blunder on some of them
o n or later. Ii they cut me down.
don't wait. but slash my saber tasche
loose and ride or with It."
"All right, sir" said Rake obedi-
emily: but he thought to himself.
"Leave you alone with them demons?
Hang me II l will"
And away they went once more in
speed and In silence, the darkness of
full night closing in on them. the skies
being black with the heavy drift of ris.
Ing stormclouds. They had reached
abe center of the plain when the sound
they had long looked for rang on their
ears. piercing the heavy. breath!ess
stiffness Of the night. 1t was the Al
lah-il-Allah of their foes. the warcry
whether from long pursuit or some
near hiding place they could not tell
there broke suddenly upon them the
fury of an Arab onslaught. How they
were attacked. how they resisted. how
they struck. how they were encompass
ed, bow they thrust back those who
were hurled on them In the black night.
with the north sea wind like ice upon
their faces and the loose African soil
drifting up In clouds OF sand around
them. they could never have told. nor
how they cut their way through the
foe whose very face they scarce could
see and plunged away into the shad.
ows across the desolation OF the plain.
pursued whether by II or by a thou
sand they could not guess. for the gal
lop was noiseless on the powdered soil.
and the Arab yell of haGied passion
and slaughterous lust was half drown
cd In the rising of the winds.orm.
The first faint streak of dawn grew
gray In the EAST when Cecil felt his
charger stagger aad sway beneath him
and halt. worn out ard q~ulvering in ev-
cry slnew with fatigue. He threw
himself off the animal in tire TO save
himself from falling with It as it reel
ed and sank to the ground.
"Massena cannot stir another yard"
he said. do you think they follow us
still?" There was no reply. lie strain
ed his sight to pierce the darkness.
but he could distinguish nothing. The
gloom was still too deep. lie spoke
more loudly. Still there was no reply.
Then be raised his voice In q shout.
Ii rnnr hrouvh tho silence. and when