The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1910-02-04
f e A r
By GUY DE MAUPAssANT
Copyright, by Short Stories Co., Ltd.)

NopylISIt, ny SnO
Dinner ended, we assembled on
deck. Before us stretched the Med
lterranean. without ripple, envel-
oped IN the soft light of the moon. One
nisnty snip cast large serpent of
DICK, smoke on star sprinkled sky,
ana tEo white water, agitated by the
quick movement of our heavy boat,
loamsa and frothed, created so many
i'ghts that one would have said the
sea was Oh fire. We were there, six
VI ,elgSt OF Observation-Disclosures
eyes turned toward distant Africa,
"hltner We were bound.
The commander, who smoked a
cigar In our midst, took up the con-
versation begun at dinner.
YES he said. 81 experienced fear
mat day. My ship was tossed about
SIN hours with a rock in her belly
Happily we were rescued towards
evening by an English coal ship which
sighted u.s."
At thls point large man, with a
oronzed. serious face spoke for the
itst time. He was one of those men
VINO gives the impression Of having
odliled through immense and unknown
countries, III the midst of unceasing
oangers, and whose tranquil eyes
seem to hold in their depths some
'nills Oh the strange sights they have
seen. man imbued with courage.
You say. commander, that you felt
lear? do not believe it. You mis-.
use the word. An energetic man never
experiences fear in the face of i'm
medlate danger. He is troubled, ex-
cited, worried; but fear, that.is quite
another thing"
Inc commander replied, laugh
ingly:
Nevertheless, promise you was
afraid"
The bronze-faced man said, slowly:
Let me explain myself. Fear (and
the most courageous man can expe.
rlence lt) is something horrible, ter.
rlble sensation, a decomposition OF
the soul. spasm in the thought and
IN the heart. even the remembrance
OF which causes agonizing shivers. But
thls never happens to the brave, eth
er IN attack Tr in the face of inev
| liable death, or in the presence OF
any real tangible known danger. II
| only happens under certain abnormal
| conditions. Real fear is something
ike Renaissance of old fantastic
| terrors. A man who believes in spir
its and who tmagines he sees ghost
IN the night must feel fear in all its
horrors. felt fear in the middle
OF the day about ten years ago. fell
the erect Of it last winter, one De
cember night. have often fought.
have been les. for dead by robbers
| was condemned as a rebel and wa!
pitched, into the sea in China. Eaci
time thought myself lost. accept
ed my fate without trouble, withou
regret. But fear is another thing.
had presentiment of it in Africa
Yet Africa is the daughter of thu
north. There the sun disperses hang
ing shadows like mist. Notice vel
this. Messieurs. To the orientals Xix,
counts as nothing. They are imme
diately resigned in case of danger
Panics are common, but fear is un
known. Well, here is what happene,
\ 10 me in Africa. Il was crossing tn
desert south of Onargla 1t is one O
the strangest countries in the world
You know the appearance of tn
shores Of sand along the boundles
sea. Picture to yourself the sea IL
self changed into sand, and imagin
a silent storm of waves of sand an
yellow dust. These waves are a
high as mountains, uneven, rising Ii
just as the waves of the sea. but
hundred times larger
I'VE were two friends travelling te
gether followed by Arabs and fou
camels, with their drivers We n
longer spoke, overcome by the hea
and fatigue and parched with thirs
as the desert. Suddenly one of GU
men broke into horrible cry. w
stopped, and stood petrified, surprise
by the inexplicable phenomenon, we
known to the travellers of that hop.
less country.
Somewhere near us, in an u,
known direction, we heard the bea
ing of a drum-the mysterious dru1
of the hills. The sound was sometime
clear and loud, sometimes weak an
halting-then again beginning to bes
Enthusiastically The Arabs, terrific,
looked at each other then one sal
in Arabian Death is upon u.s. Su,
denly my comrade, my friend, alrnos
, my brother, fell from his horse, hi
head sank in his chest and his bod
became rigid. That dayI knew VIII,
, it meant to fear-I have even had
greater experience of it since"
The commander interrupted
Pardon me, monsieur, but the drum
: what was it,"
The traveller answered: II do n,
know--no one knows. Travellers al
often surprised by the strange SCUM
they attribute it to the echo, exa
yeratcd, multiplied, swelled by IL
valleys of the sand hills, and cause
nv particles of sand striking violent
against species of dried grass, f,
1t has always been noticed that th
phenomenon takes place in the neig
borhood of this little plant-burnt /
the sun and hard like parchmen
~ will tell you my other occasie
for fear. 1t happened last winter
forest in the north of France Mig
fell on us two hours earlier than usu;
The sky looked black and angry.
mad a peasant for my guide; he wake
reside me along little path und
the grooming swinging pines. VI