Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1911-12-19
CHAPTER VII.

| nially between the lords or the desert,
| the Touaregg on the one hand, ana
the advance agents Of civilization, as
personifed by the reckless French
Condemned Corps and the Foreign lie.
giou on the other Year after year
military expeditions set out from the
oasis of Biskra to penetrate the Will
derness, either by caravan route TO
Timbuctoo or along the proposed
route of the Trans-Saharan Railway
to Lake Tchad; and their lines OF
march are traced In red upon the
| land.
Toward this debaiable land O'Rourke
set his face with a will, gladly; for
he loved it. He had fought over 1t
of old; in his memory its sands were
sanctified with the blood Of comrades,
men by whose side he had been proud
to fight, men of his own stamp whose
friendship he had been proud to own.
Mentally serene, if physically the re-
verse OF comfortable, O'Rourke dozed
| through the interminable twelve
hours of the journey to El-Guerrah;
arriving at which place after eight the
following morning, he transferred him.
self and his handbags (for now he
was travelling light to the connecting
train on the Biskra branch. The lat
| ter, scheduled to reach the oasis at
four-thirty in the afternoon, }oafed cas-
ually up the line, arriving at the term.
| mus after dark.
The Irishman, thoroughly tagged
| but complacent in the knowledge that
| he had left both vicomte and honor
able a day behind him, kept himself
from bed by main will-power FOR half
the night, while he made the rounds
| Of cafes and dance halls. in search Of
a trustworthy and competent guide
no easy thing to find.
The French force by then was three
| days out from the oasis, and no doubt
since 1t was technically a flying col
umn," calculated to move briskly from
point to point in imitation OF Touar-
egg tactics. hourly putting a greater
distance between itself and its start
| ing point. Moreover, the pursuit con-
| templated by tie adventurer was one
| attended by no inconsiderable perils.
| BY dint OF indomitable persistence,
unflaggirg good-nature and such in
| fiuence as he could bring personally
to bear upon the authorities. QRourke
| got what ne dcsired--a competent
| guide and two racing camels, or me-
| hera, with pack animal that Would
| serve their purpose.
BY dawn they were ready 10 start;
and so, in the level rays OF sun that
seemed dazzling sphere OF intoler-
able light, posing itself in the eastern
rim OF the world as if undecided
whether or no to take up. its flight
across the armament. the little cara
van rocked out into the fastress OF
| tie desert, the freshman in the van
sitting blooded mchari as one to the
wilderness born.
On the seventh night they bivouack-
ed hard on the heels of the flying col
umn, having for seven days pursued
it this way and that zigzagging into
the heart of the parched land.
Now, when they were come within
six hours of their goal, reluctantly
long after nightfall, O'Rourke gave
consent to halt, conceding the ne
cessity; for WEAKNESS weighed upon
their shoulders a great burden, and
| the camels had become unusually sui.
len and evil tempered: II rest were
| denied them presently they would
become obstinate and refuse to follow
! the road
O'Rourke closed his eyes and lost
| consciousness with sensation OF fall
| ing headlong into great pit OF OBJ
| livion, bottomless, eternal. Yet 1t
seemed no more than a moment ere
he was sitting up and rubbing sight
| into his eyes, shaken out OF slumber
| by his guide.
He stumbled to his feet and lurched
| toward the camels, still but hall
awake When his senses cleared If
ritation possessed him. His guide had
| been overzeaious. He turned upon the
man and seized him roughly by the
arm.
| What the divvle!" he grumbled an.
grily, between yawn and a chatter
of teeth-for the air was bitter cold.
The moons not yet up"
eHush, Sidi." Something in the
guides tone stilled his wrath "The
Touaregg are ali about us. They have
been passing us throughout the
night"
Eye knew this and did not wake
me?"
There was no need; we could not
have moved ere this without detection.
Now, they are all a-stir, and We in
the night. may pass for them-until
moon-up."
The guide turned away to rouse the
mehara. prodding them up, mutinous,
snarling and ugly. In another five
minutes they were again moving for
ward. BY the time the silver rim Of