The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1912-03-22
cuAprFR vlI-(contInued.)

board the ship.
CHAPTER VlI.-(contnued)
Nv dawn they were ready to start;
and so. in the level rays Of sun that
seemed a dazzling sphere Of intoler-
able light. polsing itself in the eastern
rim of the world as If undecided
whether or no to take up Its hlght
across the armament, the little cara
van rocked out into the fastness OF
the desert, the Irishman in the van
sitting a blooded mehari 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, ORourke 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; If rest were
denied them presently they would
become obstinate and refuse to follow
the road.
O'Rourke closed his eyes and lost
consciousness with a sensation of fall
ing headlong into a great pit Of OBJ
liyion. bottomless, eternal. Yet II
seemed no more than 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 half
awake. When his senses cleared ir-
ritation possessed him. His guide had
been overzealous. He turned upon the
man and seized him roughly by the
arm
what the divvle" he grumbled an
. grily, between a yawn and chatter
of teeth-for the air was bitter cold.
"The moons not yet up!"
Hush, Sidi!" Something in the
guides tone stilled his wrath. "The
Touaregg are all about us. They have
been passing US throughout the
night"
"Ye 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 fve
minutes they were again moving for
ward. BY the time the silver rim OF
the moon peered over the edge Of the
east they were pelting on at full speed,
as yet, apparently, undetected by the
Touaregg.
An hour passed, and the chill in the
air became more intense; dawn was
at hand. A sense of security, Of dan
gers left behind, came to the irish
man; he began to breathe more free
w. though still the polished butt of a
repeating rifle swinging from the sad
die remained comfort to his palm.
He grew more confident, mentally at
ease. seeing the desert take shape
in the moonlight and show itself desc
late on every hand.
Even as he gained assurance from
this thought the guide turned In his
saddle and cried a warning: "The Tou-
aregg!" From that moment on both
welded merciless whips. For out OF
the moonlit wastes behind them had
shrilled voice. cruel and wild, an
nouncing discovery and the inception
Of the chase. The fugitives had need
of no sharper spur.
A rifle shot rang sharp on the echoes
of that cry, but the bullet must have
fallen far short A moment later, in
deed, they opened brisk, scattering
fire-naturally Intellectual, though the
bullets dropping right and left in the
sand proved that the chase had got
within range
Even with that warming the end
was nearer than he had dreamed OF
hoped. 1t came in twinkling and as
unexpected as a bolt out Of clear
sky: a flash Of fire ahead, spitful
snap and--pttt! song Of bullet
speeding past his head.
The guide pulled up with jerk
0Rourke, refining in desperately
swung his camel wide to avert the
threatened collision. simultaneously
the sharp "Qui vive?" Of French
sentry rang out, loud and sweet to
hear.
Thank GodI" said the adventurer
in his heart. And aloud, "Friends!"
he cried, driving past the sentry IN a
cloud of dust
BY blessed miracle the man was
quick Of wit, and swift to grasp the
situaton-of which. however, he