The Washington times., 1906-02-18
CHAPTER XXII-Continued.
SG~ -


Listen. Hes to the words of Atene,
Ere now the stranger lord, thy darling.
is prisoner in her palace. Advance,
and we destroy thee and thy little band:
but If by any miracle thou shouldst
conquer. then he dies. Get thee gone to
thy mountain fastness and the Khauia
gives thee peace, and thy people their
lives What answer 10 the words of the
Khania?''
Ayesha whispered to Oros, VINO called
aloud:
There is no answer. Go. if We love
hte, for death draws near TO YOU"
so they went fast as their swift
steeds would carry them. but for a
little while Ayesha still sat lost in
thought
Presently she turned, and through
her thin veil [ saw that her face was
white and terrible, and that the eyes
IN II gIowed like those Of u Iioness at
night. She said to me-hfssiDg the
words between her clinched teeth:
Holly, prepare thyseIf 10 look into
the mouth OF hell I desired to spare
them If L could. I swear IT. but nv
heart bids me be bold, to put off hu-
man pity, and use all my secret might
II L would see Leo living. Holly. / tell
thee they are about to murder him."
Then she cried aloud: Fear nothing
captains Ye are but Few, yet with
you goes the strength of ten thou
sand thousand. Now follow the Hesea,
and whate'er ye meet, be not dismav-
ed Repeat it to the soldiers, that
fearing nothing they follow the Hesea
through yonder host and across the
bridge and into the city of KaIoon"
So the chiefs rode hither and thither,
crying out her words. and the savage
tribesmen answered:
'Ay, we who followed through the
water will follow across the plain On
ward, hes, for darkness swallows US"
Now some orders were given, and
the companies fell into a formation
that resembled a great wedge. Ayesha
herself being its very point and apex.
for though OrOs and I rode on either
SIDE OF her, spur as we would. our
horses heads never passed her saddle
bow. In front Of that dark mass she
shone a single spot Of white-one
snowy feather on a black torrents
breast
4 screaming bugle note-and, like
giant arms, from the shelter Of some
groves OF trees, curved horns of cav
airy shot out to surround us, while the
broad bosom of the opposing army,
shtmmering with spears. rolled toward
as a wave rolls crowned with sunlit
foam, and behind it, line upon line. un-
countable, lay surging sea of men.
Our end was near We were lost. or
- It seemed.
Ayesha tore of her veil ana held if
On high, flowing from her like a pen
non, and 10! upon her brow blazed
that wide and mystic diadem OF light
which once only I had seen before.
Denser and denser grew the rushing
clouds above; brighter and brighter
cleaned the uneathly star OF light be-
meath Louder and louder beat the
SOUND of the falling hoofs of ten thou
sand horses. From the mountain peak
behind US went up sudden sheets oF
flame; 1t spouted fire as a whale .5pouts
foam.
The scene was dreadful In front.
the towers of kaloon Iurid ia a mon
strous sunset. Above, a gloom as OF
an eclipse. Around. the dsrkIing. sun
burnt plain. On it Atene's advancing
army, and our rushing wedge of horse
mer destined, it would appear, TO in
svitabIe doom.
Ayesha let fall her rein. She tossed
her arms, waving the torn white veil
&S tAOOSH IL were signal cast to
heaven
Instantly from the churning jaws of
the unholy night above belched a blaze
OE answering flame. that also wavered
like rent and shaken veil in the grasp
of a black hand of cloud
Then did Ayesha roll the thunder OF
her might upon the children of KaIoon.
Then she called, and the terror came.
such as men had never seen and per
chance never more will see Awful
bursts OF wind tore past US, lifting the
very stones and soil before them, and
with the wind vent hail and level. hiss
ing rain. made Visible by the arrows OF
perpetual lightnings that leaped down
ward from the sky and upward from the
earth.
1t was as she had warned me. 1t
was as though hell had broken loose
upon the world, Yet through that he'll
we rushed on unharmed. For always
these furies passed before US. No ar
row flew, no javelin was stained. The
Jagged hail was a herald Of our coming;