The Washington times., 1904-11-13
CHAPTER XXI.
Running the Gantlet.

Running the Gantlet.
do YOU know" said Prince Bardon
thoughtfully. some time later. after
putting the engines IN trim and taking
account Of assets. the further We get
on. the more convinced ] am that the
English have evacuated the north gar
risons. and the most we can hone to do
on the Alden is TO pass through the
fifth cataract"
rs IS really impossible 10 reach civil
llzatiOn in this craft?" que.ted his com
paniOn with a sinking OF the heart:
"Oh. bless youi I never believed for
a moment that we could. thought that
We might reach the government lines
provided the fuel lasted and al went
well But ! am quite sure now that the
telegraph wires between Berber and the
north arc in operation. perhaps even be-
tween Shendy and Berber and we should
certainly be destroyed in trying to pass
Abu Hamed. a full hundr-,t and fifty
miles above Berber. Now another diff
Guilty. and the gravest one" He drew
a figure on the cabin floor. North OF
US the Nile cuts the letter S. he con-
tinued, each curve Of which is NJ less
than four hundred miles long We
must traverse three Of these curves. or
more than a thousand miles, while by
taking a camel route from KhartOum
straight across the desert to Debbeh,
two hundred odd miles. the rascaIs can
intercept US. in which case we should
be annihilated by their batteries
know one thing for a certainty. Omdur-
man is up in arms by this time. and
huge reward is laid on our heads. II
We should halt here FIVE hours. l doubt
not that the Nile would be alive with
pursuers in every sort OF craft To get
by Berber under cover Of night and
then plunge through the NTH cataract
is all / can hope for AT present We
must then abandon the boat"
Dorothy drew a deep breath. 50, even
this insecure straw she had clutched at
she must soon relinquish
What them she inquired after an
instant
Il have beer thinking" said the
prince. Now we are 200 miles by river
from Cairo by the circuitous Nile,
whereas we are but 90 miles from the
Red Sea straight eastward from the
nth cataract. II by some means We
can span that 200 odd miles OF desert,
We shall reach Suakim. 1 know there
is dghting there, and that the country
is infested with nomadic bands of rob
bers a. well as dervishes: but we can
hide ourselves by day and so forward
by night It Is our only hope. II we
stand by the river route. we are lost"
Il hate to give up the snip, said
Dorothy.
But the ship has served Us well, and
let well enough alone. We will find
lonely spot. get our provisions on shore.
then scuttle the yacht. AMI trust 10
fortune"
What is that ahead?" broke in the
listener i'm sudden alarm.
Two native villages skirted the Nile
Oh either side. The alarm had been
sounded and the banks were simply
alive with people in a wild state OF
expectancy. not knowing whether 10 fire
upon the government craft or to let 1t
pass unmOlested.
What. Shendy so soon? Wen. here's
sport" The prince ran back and
smeared his face with SCOT and ashes.
pillng in the wood and throwing the
furnace drafts wide open, Keep her
headed straight down stream he COM
manded. Then he ran forward and took
M his stand under the black flag float
| ing In the bow.
Whtiever hostile demonstrations there
might have been In preparation. the
| sight of the dervish guard in full uni
/ form under the ensign of the khalifa
/ had a good effect. and a salvO OF rifles
rang out on both sides of the Nile
THANK fortune" muttered the STRAIT
cgist: the ruSe works. III give them
n return salute
What. another fight?" cried Dorothy
from her shelter
But "a sign from the prince treasured
her I'VE must disarm suspicion" he
said. Then one after another five
thunderous salutes reverberated over
the waters, and the Alden plunged on.
Il wish il might be as easy passing
1 the north garrison" said Bardon, r.
/ Joining his companion. These simple
people will be wild when they know how
easily We slipped by them under false
/ colors"
But could they have done much
harm?" was the innocent query
81 did not think SO till 1 saw two
/ Gardner guns and Krupp with ms
glass. II well managed these might
have sunk us. But that danger Is
raised, and we have a straight hun
dred and ten miles 20 Berber, which
| we will reach by midnight. II we car
steal through under the very noses OF
the enemy's guns We shall be fortunate. '
The prince returned to the engine
Presently ~ drought from the Iardel