The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-06
By II. COMM DOILE
Copyright by Mcclure, Phillips & Company
THE THREE CORRESPONDENTS g.

which might save him. and then, with: 4
a jerk which nearly snapped his loins,
he was thrown forward again. But
the camel was on its legs now, and the
young pressman was safely seated
upon one of the fliers of the desert. 1t
was as gentle as 1t was swift. and 1t
stood oscillating its long neck and gaz-
Ing round with it's large brown eyes,
while Anerley coiled his legs round the
stick which Abbas had handed up to
him. There were two bride cords,
one from the nostril and one from the
neck, but he remembered that Scott
had said that it was the servants and
not the house bell which had to be
pulled, so he kept his grasp upon the
lower. Then he touched the long, vi
brating neck with his stick, and In an
instant Abbas' farewell seemed to
come from far behind him. and the
black rocks and yellow sand were
OF his aching head, Anerley could have
crieG out for pure physical Joy as the
swift creature beneath him flew along
with him thru that cool, invigorating
air, with. the virile north wind sooth-
ing his pringling face.
He had looked at his watch, and
now he made a swift calculation Of
o
when he had left the camp. Over
broken ground it was impossible that
he could hope to do more than seven
miles an hour-less on bad parts, more
on the smooth. His recollection Of
the track was that there were few
lucky then If he reached Sarras any
where from II to 1. Then the mes
sage took good two hours to go thru.
for they had to be transcribed at
Cairo. At the best he could only hope
to have told his story in Fleet street
at 2 or 3 in the morning. 1t was pos
sible that he might manage it, but
against him. About 8 the morning
edition would be made up, and his
chance was gone forever. The one
thing clear was that only the first man
at the wires would have any chance at
ALL and Anerley meant to be first IL
hard riding could do it. So he tapped
away at the bird like neck, and the
creatures long, loose limbs went fast
er and faster at every tap. Where
the rocky spurs ran down to the river,
horses would have to go round, while
camels might get across. SO that Amer
upon his companions.
About 2 in the morning an enorrn-
Gus dispatch had come at last to an
end, and the weary operator at Sarras
| had opened the door, and was lighting
| his pipe in the cool, fresh air, when he
saw a camel plump down in the dust,
and aman, who seemed to be in the last
stage Of drunkenness, came rolling
| toward him.
Whats the time ?" he cried. in a
voice which appeared to be the only
sober thing about him.
| It was on the clerks lips to say that
it was time that the questioner WAS in
| his bed, but it is not safe upon a cam
paign to be ironical at the expense OF
khaki-clad men. He contented him
| self therefore with the bald statement
that it was after.2.
But no retort that he could have de-
vised could have had a more crush
ing effect. The voice turned drunken
also, and the man caught at the door
post to uphold him.
Two O'clock! I'm done after al1!'
said he. His, head was tied up in, a
bloody handkerchief, his face was
crimson, and: he, stood with his legs
crooked as II the ptth had all gone Out
Of his back. The clerk began to real:
ize that something out of the ordinary
was in the wind.
How long does it take to get a wire
to London?"
about two hours"
! and It's two now. 1T could not. gel
it there before FOUR
Before three"
-Four" &zz
mo, three
i But you said two hours
i EYES, but there's more than ar
hours difference in Longitude"
"By heaven, I'll do it yeti cried An.
erley, and staggering to a packing
case, he began the dictation Of his IA
nous dispatch.
And so it came about that the Ca
zette had a long column, with head
lines like an epitaph when the sheet!
Of the Intelligence and the Courier
were as blank as the faces of thei1
: editors. And so, too, it happened tina
, when two weary men, upon two foun