The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1906-01-25
CHAPTER XVI.
The StranGe HOrSeman.

i L AS NSlS- NV ~
that worry you"
CHAPTER XVI.
The Strange Horseman.
At this moment the guard came
near to the place where his mistress
sat, his horse having moved of his own
accord. and as she turned towards him
he spoke to her:
"My dear good lady, they lie to you
when they tell you that they mean you
no harm. I have heard them talk and
I know their plans. We are all to be
sold into slavery in the kingdom be-
yond the Syrian desert!" 10y.
Mercy" cried ulin, turning pale as
death and clasping her hands in agony.
so, my dream! my dream!"
e"Easy, fair lady" said Al Abb2s,
~This black rascal knows not what
he. says. I allowed him to speak SO
that / might see how his mind ran"
at is false" exclaimed Shubal. i
heard them lay the plan. You, my
mistress, are to be sold for a"
The guards speech was stopped by
two of the robbers, who threw him
back upon his horse, and stopped ms
mouth with their hands.
"Sir robber," cried Ulin, stretching
her hands out towards him, deceive
me no more. I think my poor slave
has told me the truth"
"a pest upon the slave, lady! His
tongue shall come out by the roots IL
he speaks again without my leave.
Stick to your saddle, and keep up
your courage"
AS the Arab spoke he leaped upon
the back Of his horse. and ere the prin-
cess could ask another question, the
party was upon the move, the order OF
ARRANGEMENTS being the same as be-
fore.
I'VE are not going towards the
Pharphar," said Ulin.
.No," replied Abba. eve are go
ing the other way"
.sThen Shubal told us the truth
"Alas, dear mistress, I dare not
say"
"But you think 500"
IT cannot deny 1t.
"And you thought SO before you
heard Shubal speak,
ri feared something of the kind"
All Abbas overheard the girls as they
thus conversed,. and he was presently
by their side.
Lady Ulin,'' he said, and he spoke
sternly and sharply; you are now on
the move, and when you stop again it
will be far away from Damascus. 7
owe something to the officers of that
city, and 1 will repay a part of the
debt by taking you away from them.
You are to go just as far as I please
to take you; and the more quie ly
you 20 the better it will be for you;
so you had better begin to accommo-
date yourself to. the circumstances"
He rode back to his place and Ulin
grasped the bow of, her. saddle for sup
port.
Courage said Abba, riding as near
as she could. There may be some
way to escape. The good spirits will
desert u.s."
The princess heard the words, and
they had a marked effect upon her.
She had naturally a strong RESOLUTION,
and when she was once resolved to
bear up, her strength wassnot long
in coming to her assistance. On the
present occasion she knew that. she
mad heard the worst. In fact, she had
reason to believe that her ,captor
meant for her the most dreadful fate
TO which one in her station could be
subject. For a while she was COM
pletely stunned by the fearful blow;
but as she came ito reason with her
self, she saw that her only hope wa
in escape. The Arabs were low. bru-
tai and sordid, and would sell her
for gold. She could read in their
evil faces that they were snot to be
touched by sympathy. What then
could she do? She must get away
from them. And If this was to be
done she must summon all her ener-
gies to the work.
But. alas! the case looked hopeless
enough: what could two weak girls
do against such odds? Only some in
terposition beyond their W efforts
could save them. So, after all, if help
was to come. 1t must come from some
unknown source. And could such help
be found? If fervent prayers could
be answered, and if the most holy need
could be met; it might be hoped for.
At the end of some two or three
hours the party came to a thick grove
of palms; near which was a spring,
and here they stopped just long
enough to water the horses. They
had started on again, and were at
some little distance from the grove,
when n of the Arabs who rode in the
rear, came forward and Informed his
leader that a horseman was following
them. Al Abbas looked back and saw
that the stranger was a black, and
that he rode a swift and powerful
horse.