The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-02-06

Anerley took up the slip of paper /
and read:
..Merryweather obstacles stop jour
ney confer general stop nature diff
culties later stop rumors dervishes.''
This Is very condensed" said Amer
ley. with wrinkled brows.
Condensed" cried Scott. Why,
It's sinfully garrulous. If my old man
got a wire, like that his language
would track the lampshades. I'd cut /
out half this; for example, I'd have
out journey and nature and 'ru-
mors.' But my old man would make a
ten-line paragraph Of it for all that"
It's very kind of,you to teach me
all this nj,
'Well. 1t is a little unconventional,
Tor, after all, we are here to score |
over each other II we can. There are
no more eggs, and you must take it
out In jam. OF course, as Mortimer
says, such telegram as this Is Of no
Importance one way or another, ex-
cept to prove to the office that we are
in the Soudan and not at Monte Carlo.
But when 1t comes to serious work it
must be every man for himself
rs that quite necessary"
Why, Of course it is.
Il should have thought If three men
We're to combine and to share their
news, they would do better than If
they were each to act for himself, and
they would have q much pleasanter
time OF, it,
The two older men sat with their
bread and jam in their hands, and an
expression of genuine disgust upon
their faces.
1--WE are not here to have pleas
ant time" said Mortimer, with flash
thru his glasses. I'VE are here to do
our best for our papers. How can
they score over each other If we do
not do the same. If we all combine
we might as we'll amalgamate with
Reuter- at once. We have neglected
no chance"
II am not so certain of that" said
Of course, that tho horse beats a
camel on twenty miles, a camel beats
horse on thirty"
What. one Of those camels?" cried
Anerly In establishment.
The two seniors burst out laughing.
mo, no, the real high-bred trotter
the kind Of beast the dervishes ride
when they make their lightning
raids"
| Faster than galloping horse?"
well, it tires a horse down. It
| goes the same gait all the way, and
it wants neither halt nor drink, and
it takes rough ground much better
than a horse. They used to have
long distance races at Halfa, and the
CdIuel always won at
Still, we need not reproach our
selves, Scott, for we are not very like
| ly to have to carry a thirty-mile mes
| sage. They will have the field tele-
| graph next week. 'a.. 49,. -.
"Quite so. But at the present mo-
ment." 49,.
II know. my dear chap; but there
is no motion of urgency before the
house. Load baggles at o'clock; SO
h or oil
sign Of the evening pennies?'
Mortimer swept the northern hori-
zot with his binoculars. B..
mot in sight yet" ~. i:
''They are quite capable of travel
ing during the heat of the day. Just
the sort of thing ~ evening - pennies
would do, Take care of your match,
Anerly. These palm groves go up like
a powder magazine If you set them
alight. By-by." The two men crawled
under their mosquito nets and sank
| instantly into the easy sleep Of those
whose lives are spent in the open.
Young Anerly stood with his back
against palm tree and his briar be-
tween his lips, thinking over the adj
vice which he had received. After all,
they were the heads of the profession,
| these men, and it was not for him, the
| newcomer to reform their methods.
If they served their papers in this
fashion, then he must do the same.
They had at least been frank and gen.
erous in teaching him the rules of
the game. If it good enough
for them it was good enough for
| him. Anerly knocked out his ashes,
and was turning toward his couch,
when his eye caught something NOV
ling In the desert in the south.
1t was a horseman riding toward
them as swiftly as the broken ground
would permit. A messenger from the
army, thought Anerley,, and then, as
the man on the side of the head and
his chin famed into gold. There
could not be two horsemen with
boards Of such color It was Merry
!, weather, the engineer, and he was re-
turning. What on earth was he re-
see the general, and yet he was COM
; ing back with his mission unaccom-
plished. Anerley picked up Morti-
mer's binoculars, and foam-spat-
tered horse and a weary koorbash-
cracking man came cantering up the
, center Of the field.
Then as he watched them they
dipped down into a hollow and disap-
peared. He waited, glass in hand, for
their Immediate temperance. But
minute passed after minute, and there
: was no sign Of them. That narrow
l them up. And then with a curious
gulp and start he saw a little gray
cloud wreathe itself slowly from
among the rocks and drift in long
I haZy shred over the desert. In an in.
slant he had torn Scott and Mortimer
from their slumbers.
. Get up, you chaps!" he cried. 81
believe Merryweather has been shot
> by Dervishes.'
And Reuter- not here!" cried the
two veterans, exultantly clutching al
e their notebooks. "Merryweathe1
Q shot! Where? When? How?"
In few words Anerley explained
= what he had seen.
/ You heard nothing?"
e Nothing"
4 well, a shot loses itself very easil,
among rocks. BY George, look at thu
buzzards!"
). Two large brown birds were soaring
" in the deep blue heaven. As Scot
spoke they circled down and dropped
e mer, with his nose between the leave,
of his book. 'Merryweather headed
{ dervishes stop returned stop shot, mu
tilated stop raid communications.
How's that ?"
You think he was headed Off"
!! why else should he return?'
'In that case, if they were out /,
i front of him and others cut him off
e there must be several small raidin,
y parties"
II should Judge so.''
d How about the 'mutilated' p
1--WE fought against Arabs before,
e Where are you off tor"
8 "Sarras."
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