Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1910-02-24
a K
BY GUY DE 81 !, MA PASSANT.
Copyright; by Short, Stories Co., Ltd

Copyright by Short, Stories Co.. Ltd)s
| i Dinner ended, we :" assembled on
deck. Before us stretched the Med
| 1l1t'e.rranean, without ripple, envel-
oped In the soft light OF the moon. One
mighty ship cast a large serpent OF
l black smoke on star sprinkled sky,
ana the white water, agitated by the
QUICK movement of our heavy boat,
loaned and frothed, created SO many
lights that one would have said the
sea was on fire. W." were there, six
or eight Of MISUNDERSTANDING
eyes turned toward distant, Africa,
whittier we were bound. - "a @i'it =
III The commander, who smoked. a
cigar In our midst, took up the con-
yersation begun At dinner! %t'| 'f#
Yes he said 81 experienced fear
that day. y MY ship was tossed about
SIX hours with a rock in " her belly.
Happily We. were rescued towards
evening BY an English coal ship which
sighted u.s.. @}E2G .i.sSH&j%hsI: 49,
AT this point 1 large s m: man, With a
bronzed, serious face, spoke for the
first time. IL He was one OF those men
who gives the impression Of having
canned through immense and unknown
countries, In the midst of unceasinx
dangers. and whose tranquil eyes
seem to hold in their depths some
thing of the strange sights they have
SEEN A man imbued with courage:
You say, commander, that you felt
fear? do not believe it. You mis-
use the word. An energetic man never
experiences fear in the face of i'm!
meolate danger. He is troubled, ex-
cited worried; but fear, that is quite
another thing" *3I :;
ingly:
Nevertheless, l promise you | was
afraid" s~'
The bronze-faced man said, slowly:
Let me explain myself. Fear land
the most courageous man can expe-
rlence 1t) is something horrible, a ter
rlDle sensation, a decomposition of
the soul, a spasm in the thought and
IN the heart, even the remembrance
OF which causes agonizing shivers. But
this never happens to the brave, eth
er In attack or in the face of inev-
liable death, or in the presence of
any real tangible known danger. It
only happens under certain abnormal
conditions. Real fear is something
like "reminiscences of old fantastic
terrors A man WHO believes in spir-
Its and who imagines he sees a ghost
In the night must feel fear in all it's
horrors. felt fear in the middle
OF tsse day about ten years ago. felt
the effect of it last winter, one De-
cember night. have often fought. |
have been left for dead by robbers.
| was condemned as a rebel and was
pitched into the. sea in China Each
time l thought myself lost. I accent
ed my fate without trouble, without
regret. But fear is another thing. I
mad a presentiment of it in Africa.
yet Africa is the daughter of the
rorth. There the sun disperses hang
ing shadows like mist. Notice we'll
this, Messieurs. To the orientals like
counts as nothing. They are imme-
dlately resigned in case of danger.
Panlcs are common, but fear is un-
known. Well, here is what hammered
to me in Africa. 1 was crossing the
desert south of Onargla. It is one of
the strangest countries in the world
You know the appearance of the
shores of sand along the boundless
sea. Picture to yourself the sea it.
self changed into sand, and imagine
silent storm of waves of sand and
yellow dust. These waves are as
high as mountains, uneven, rising up
just as the waves of the sea, but a
hundred times larger. ~.. .->
I'VE were two friends travelling to-
gether followed by Arabs and four
camels, with their drivers. We no
longer spoke, overcome by the heat
and fatigue and parched with thirst
as the desert. Suddenly one of our
men broke into horrible cry. We
stopped, and stood petrifed, surprised
by the inexplicable phenomenon. we'll
known to the travellers of that hone
.'-~sSs' AA0PS
less country.
Somewhere near us, in an. un-
known direction, we heard the beat
ing of drum-the mysterious drum
of the hills. The sound was sometimes
clear and loud, sometimes weak and
halting-then again beginning to beat
Realistically. The Arabs. . terrified,
looked at each other, then one said
in Arabian Death is upon u.s. Sud.
denly my comrade, my friend. almost
my brother, fell from his horse, his
head sank in his chest and his bodv
became rigid. That dayI knew. what
it meant to fear-I have even had q
greater experience of It since"
nj The commander interrupted
Pardon me, monsieur. but the drum
what was it," #= &sS: f5ssE
i The traveller answered: Il do not
know no one knows. Travellers are
often surprised BY the. strange sonndS I
they attribute it to the echo. exap.