Los Angeles herald., 1906-11-18
4 /A7ZEWGIH| 2RACGED
AZTJEZF LLS, AM C.V ZI1A
Bank ZAI R4NZZNVC
AMOWC THE GRASS

az TINS point the self willed stream has SCOOP
tI gu new channel along the southern bank
tnus widening itself into broad, shallow la,
@ e@pactced m Tbitfbn bntba, TO an appearance the least
tne hour 1 together without the slightest dam
ser. put there are those among the spectators
Tho T think otherwise: The gray -moustached
SUs?aek StUssSk above mentioned seeing me heading
stTaignt across the river, calls out, warningly:
Take care, fatherl There's a mighty uelv
current IN the middle there. You'd better
not try it." 'o''eA
But his warning was not needed. Away [
70 over the smooth surface as if the words
had never been uttered while the Russian sol,
diers, clustering along the bank, silently await
the result. ""''
This is not long declaring itself There is
nothihg IN the world more thoroughly decep-
sftera siYe unan central Asian river, which las
aIterward learned, when crossing the Zer-Af
SIM, near Samarcand) may waste itself in half
! score OF different channels, and vet retain
strength enough in each of them to shake the
| strongest wagon like child's rattle
For about half the distance | literally oct
along swlmmlngly, and then a sudden shock.
IKE push from the hand of giant. fore,
warns me of what is to come
Deeper and deeper grows the water: strong
ahd stronger presses the stream. Foot
hold there is none, and even if there were .
1t could avail little against the rush of cnr
rent winch seems sufficient to carry awav n
mouse, while the mass of green leaves crown
ntS, ny ene opposite Dank suddenly appears ter
ribly long way off.
Not without hard struggle. and more than
one narrow escape of being sWept down al
together do at length drag myself un on tn
the, pank, and lie painting upon the grass.
er shore. WIG VIZ
But now comes the question, how on earth
am TO get back again? and very serious
question 1t ls Seven or eight days of living
~aouoled ~ up IN wagon, knees and nose to,
getner, on short allowance of food, and a ten
minutes snatch of sleep now and then are
not the best preparations for struoele With
one OF the strongest currents in Central Asia.
and 1t now begins to be evident enough that
even should l escape being drowned outright.
neSe Seanu anon very good chance of bruisng Sc
we're enough to cripple memo light matter
IN TINS desolate region, where sick man NAV
look IN vain for either shelter or assistance
10 sit still in the face of such possibilities
IS out OF the question, and almost before /
more. :" oAoe
And now comes the hardest part of the
work. Foam all around me. binding spray in
my my eyes, the banks seeming to race past me
ed i limbs ie %ovpg wSSgF 'yei 6ear stands still my stn
with every stroke, while, each time that I
look up, the distant bank, with its smooth
green turf, and its CHEEKY camp-fires and IT,
anxious crowd of white-frocked watchers.
seems farther off than ever.
Then comes sudden shock followed bv +h,,
sick. DIZZY feeling Of one sorely wounded. A
me full on the forehead, and stunned bv Sv't6s tbe
blow drift helplessly down the RUSHING y,,a,' .e
"Fsather, father! little this way and you're ,fn
1t is the old Cossacks voice. and instinct
lively make last effort to obey him. Tbe
rush of the current seems suddenly 70 obata.
feel ground under my feet once more: a ana
the next moment three or four of the soldiers
dash into the shallow water divided by lone
sandbank just at this point and drag me bods
lily to land. But my exultation is materially
damped by the uncompromising verdict which
reaches my ear at that moment.
"Well, l thought all along that fellow was
fool-and now m sure of it,"