The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1905-01-06

watcn and then, pulling his coat collar
up TO shield his neck from the solar
heat. crossed the interval between the
hut and the tower.
-Four thousand feet" he murmured
Decidedly in As hours we ought to
reach the water-bearing strata"
BY turning a lever he reversed the
electric apparatus rapidly and the drum
began to wind the wire rope When it
was full another was deftly substituted,
and after that a third. Then the ma
chinery stopped and the heavy metal
drill emerged from the black depths OF
the well. bringing with It a volume Of
dark earth, which tumbling down n
trough prepared for its reception.
poured over the tawny desert sand.
1t was a curious contrast Of hues.
The engineer fingered the soil. It
was loose and friable He smelled It
and even tasted it.
"We have not yet reached the belt
Of clay which confines the subterranean
reservoirs" he said.
Once more, with a humming sound,
the drill vanished into the depths, the
wire rope ratified furiously as It un-
wound, and then the apparatus re-
sumed its work.
"Cllnk-clank! Clink-clank,"
When the sun declined It was OBJ
scured by a curious mouse-colored
cloud rising from the west
Can It be a thunderstorm? asked
Littlefeld.
Worse" answered the chief; 1T is
sand-storm, the terrible simeon. l
fear we are in great danger"
With incredible swiftness the Devil
Of the Sahara" advanced Where the
three men stood a deathlike stiffness
prevailed. The outlines OF the tower
seemed drawn In sepia on a BACKGROUND
OF fiery orange. Long. snaky fingers
Of smoke came reaching out over the
sky. wriggling fantastically.
Then a wall Of gray mist came sweep
ing over the desert, and the awe-strik-
en- beholders saw the sand caught up
in vast, whirllng columns. A dull,
booming sound, like that Of breakers
on hidden reefs, smote upon their ears
Inside and close the doorl" shouted
Belleau. The engineers hastened into
the hut and secured the door.
In a moment, II seemed, the storm
was upon them. The atmosphere be-
came black as midnight A sonorous
hum, like the diapason Of some mighty
cathedral organ, filled all the dome Of
heaven. There were sounds Of titanic
buffetings and demoniac yells. II was
as II all the ancient fiends Of the
Sahara had gathered to oyerwhelm
its presumptuous invaders. Had not
the hut been strongly bolted together
It would have been torn to pieces The
fiery particles hissed against its iron
sides like a discharge Of shot Sand
sifted through the cracks until the
three men, their heads wrapped in
cloths, were almost stified.
For a moment II seemed as though
they were to be buried deep in a liv-
ing grave. Then, as quickly as It
came, the simoom fed away, and the
sun, now red as blood, threw its level
beams across the plain. The drilling
apparatus was not injured. It's dell
cate machinery was so protected that
~ ropd ootf11 vOf mach
Then a terrible discovery was made.
Colet, his throat burning with thirst,
approached the tank which contained
their supply Of water. He found the
tap open and the tank empty.
The lad gave a cry. His companions
rushed to the spot. "All gone
wasted!" he moaned.
1t was true. Not a drop remained.
When the pile Of supplies had fallen
over, the tap had been knocked open
and the thirsty sand had drunk the
precious liquid.
'If the train doesn't get here
tomorrow we shall be in a fix" OBJ
served the assistant engineer.
Belleau shook his head. THE sand
storm has blocked the rails" he said.
mo engine can pass until the plows
have made a path for it. That will
take many hours, and a man cannot
live many hours in the Sahara without
water"
LET US walk to the next station"
suggested Colet.
1t is 200 miles. II one Of us tried 1t
be would perish before he had accom-
plIshed one quarter Of the distance"
replied the gray chief. His eyes turned
toward the drill.
There is one hope, thenl" cried the
American, following the direction Of
the gaze. 'If the drill reaches the
water-bearing levels in time we shall
be saved"
The old engineer bowed his head ST.
Iently.
"Clink -clankl Clink-clank!"
The long night had dragged away
and the garish sun shot into view once
more. The three men, haggard, gasp
ing, with parched throats, avoided
meeting one another's gaze. The drill
bad gnawed its way deeper into the
bowels of the earth, but there were no
signs OF water. The frightful agonies 4
Of prolonged thirst had set in. The
victims neglected to note the passage
of time. but lay in a sort of stupor.
At intervals the chief tested the bor-
lngs. 1T will soon be over, one way
or the other" he whispered to his as
sistant.
Towards the middle OF the afternoon |
Colet collapsed with all the symptoms |
OF violent sunstroke. His face be-
came almost black. His pulse beat fu-
riously. 'Waterl" he muttered, with
tracked lips. His companions turned
away. Then followed delirium. He
of running streams and /