Evening star., 1908-01-12

Nethefsoe close upon him. Are you all
ready, Kennet? he asked. You'll have to start
back at once Here's the cabegram What time
is it now!
Ten minutes of one
The censor's office closes at four. You have
three hours and ten minutes and it's twenty three
miles. Can you do it!
Give me the message.
The despatch rider turned his horse and set out
the road for the town
Nethersole called after him. You're the first
away. Keep the lead. kennet"
Twenty three miles lay ahead of him-twenty
three miles of barren sun dried road which seemed
always near its ending and always led farther
If the town had been twenty miles distant, the
start would not have seemed SO far away, because
then he would have entered soon the nineteen
miles, whereby long gain would have been accom-
pished But there were still these three miles to
be ridden through. They were unnecessary, and
large addition.
There is vast difference between twenty-one
miles and nineteen miles, said the despatch rider.
Il don't know why, but there is.
He had started forth riding his horse at slow
trot. BY his judgment of the nature of the horse
he knew that this best.
Besides" he argued hes a little weak in the
hind hook If galoped him. he would slip and
weaken more. Then I'd lose time. Better take it
The screech of a shell, one of the last fired at
random by the enemy at the broad retreat, rushed
through the air above him and burst in wrathful
spout of dust in the road in front He passed the
last of the retiring army, the kopje on which the
naval guns stationed, bullock train plodding
through the sunlight toward the army carrying
alone.
When he dismounted at the end of two miles he
began walking with more eagerness than was his
custom, that the rens by which he led the horse
behind him grew taut and he felt the pressure on
his arm. Foot by foot he passed over the ground.
and though this walk adopted only for breath
ing spell, he knew that he always creeping
to the town The dust rose in tiny clouds
about his boots at each footstep After a time the
arm began ache from the tagging pressure against
it. Then he mounted the horse and rode at
trot
Must have gone four miles he said. In
way did it seem strange him that he spoke these
words out loud. All round him lay the far reaches
of barren land with the road leading on always on
The muscles OF his legs were held tight, that he
might conform his body to the sway OF the horses
stride. The muscles began to pain him little; but
thus he could ride his horse more steadily. BY the
half unconscious grip of his knees, the man trans
mtted to the instinct of the animal a sense OF the
insistent force which lived in his mind You're
going to do the work, and I'm going to make you
How far had he gone now? Perhaps miles
it ought to be. That left sixteen in front He
had dismounted again to walk, when he recognized
the spot where he had stopped the afternoon before
to examine of the horses hoofs Then he be-
came aware that probably for mile he had been
listening the dull and regular clicks of oosened
shoe Yes. he could move it with his fingers but he
continued walking with the rhythmic click just be-
hind him, till he came to the place where the first
water was.
out
He counted the three drinks by the swallows in
the horses throat then pulled up the strainng head
and went at that slow, persistent trot- The in
cessant sound of the dull clicks came from under
meath him He thought that they
swered with tone of mockery throb within him
self Behind his blind eye sometimes. after periods
of great toll throb pounded there an echo of the
first throbbing which woke him from unconscious
ness on the hillside dawn that time he had
failed to hold the place Then he to under.
stand that the clicks the complement of the
sound hoofbeats: By reason Of this the instinct
which had been long trained made him realize that
the time OF the real ride had begun