Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-06-12

DlS llllSldke llSli gums die loo SioSS W
gether. At all events, there's no one around
them now
DICK, in watching the battery, had for the
l. moment lost sight of the white riders;
but now, warned by the shouts that sud-
denly arose everywhere, he saw that they
had reformed and were charging, although
with a less solid front than in the first wild
onrush. Neither rifle fire nor shrapnel kept
them from coming on. Desperately they
drove downward on the stream and then.
showing Encouragement, narrowed down to
blunt apex which suddenly drove its horses
forward toward the guns of the ford. Kaid
Clarke, recognizing a crisis, leaped toward
the edge of the bluff and ran downward,
thrusting men right and left, to gain the inn
mediate scene of action. For one instant
Dick hesitated, and then, mad with battle
lust, plunged after him. Down by the guns,
guarding the ford, were the choicest of the
Marrakesh men. Into the ford, regardless
of their own dropping men, plunged the
mountain riders. Dick had no well defined
idea of what happened.
For an interminable time the battle seemed
raging backward and forward over narrow
space Once Buhammei's men were on top
of the battery and for an instant had pos
session of the guns He heard the Kaid
shouting fierce orders and felt his own throat
hoarse before he realized that he too had
been yelling at the top of his voice. 1t had
become hand to hand conflict. He fought
his way through to the nearest gun and saw
that shell was in it, but that the breech was
not closed. He damned it shut and was at
tempting to discharge it, when something
rushed upon him, almost throwing him to
the ground A fierce tribesman, with a
broken simitar, was in the act of striking
hn f1pav, 9 Ct TO md
fro for moment, and then succeeded in
dragging pistol from his holster. He had
no knowledge of firing, but rather felt a
curious interest in the way the savage face
before him suddenly distorted into a look of
agony and slipped backward and that limp
body fell across the gun itself. He remem-
bered discharging the gun; but to save his
life could not explain why, in that moment
of frenzy, he took up the cry of those around
him and shouted "Bismalldh, Allah 7Oahid.
He was not aware that he himself had turned
the tide of battle and repulsed the charge un-
til the Kaid beat him enthusiastically on the
back and shouted in his ear:
Gods! What did l tell you? A man at
my back! Give it to them!" and was gone
again.
He discovered after awhile that the stream
before him was nearly damned with dead
and dying men; that all around him was ter
rible proof of the fray, and that the men of
Marrakesh still held the ford. Buhammei's
men had been repulsed and in wild disorder
were riding backward to safety. 1t was as
if he had been absorbed in a terrible dream
in which for untold ages he had fired gun,
reloaded and fired, reloaded and fired, paus-
ing to take mechanical aim at intervals, but
always chained to the gun.
Now, relaxed and drenched with perspira-
ton, bloodstained from a slight wound on
his face, and exhausted, he leaned back
against the long gray barrel of the piece. 1t
was hot to his touch.
Men from the other guns, fierce and dark
skinned, bearing marks of battle and some
of them stanching their wounds, rushed up
to him. One of them, whom he now recalled
as the Captain of the battery, threw his arms
round his neck and called him brother, then
backing off, addressed the Others, saying
He is one of us! Great is the Prophet!
The Nazarin has found the light. Did he
not shout, In the name of God, there is but
one God!' as he fired his gum"
Dick broke away from the friendly mani
festations and started toward the hill. Climb
ing up its steep shoulder, he nearly collided
with Sid Suleyman, who was plunging down.