The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-12-02
CHAPTER Xxx.
In the Atlas Foothills.

The shifts and strategies BY which
( Captain Owen Kettle made his way
from the shore Of the lagoon to the
foot OF the rock on which the castle
OF Stdi Mahommed Bergash is perched
! would, IL they could be got hold Of
make a book OF themselves.
| But, unfortunately, almost the whole
OF that piece of history depends on
the account given to me By Kettle
himself, and he has Always more OF
I an eye Tor results than Tor The details
by which they were built up.
In speaking OF the period he could
hot rise much higher than. "Oh. yes
| had pretty tough tramp OF it, or
Those argan thorns play james with
q uniform. or again, Worst thing
was, had forgotten TO take along a
cake of soap, and couldn't wash my
hands.
But, as limited, II has been possible
To pick up bits OF the thread OF his
adventures here and there from other
sources. and with these to construct
a tolerably coherent whole.
When once the boat had set him
down on the beach, he worked his
way resolutely along to the polnl
where the caravan with the women
had first debouched from the sand
Mills guided only by his sailors eye
for distance and direction. The night
was still black dark. l'ut tho riband
OF phosphorescence which marked the
edge OF the lagoon gave him a clear
outline OF the shore.
By the time he got down TO the
point opposite the rusted Norman
Towers where the track turned inland
scared moon appeared overhead
dodgiHg In and out OF racing clouds.
Dunes lay beyond the beach, some OF
bald yellow sand, some bristling with
q dry coarse grass. From among them
wandering jackal COM
planned twhen the moon shone OUT
of pains In his inside, and was an
swered by a tribal sympathizer away
up I'm the mountains beyond.
y. At The back OF the dunes came a
belt OF marsh, smelling evilly OF sui.
phuI. and stale sea salt, and fiickered
eTeE-bg- freaiss Captain Kettle mired.
lrfmscff --badfy I'm this, and being al
ways a Spruce man in his personal APP
peaFanee.- cursed his luck with point
and fuency. Not till he was halfway
sail him. The marsh had obviously
been padded over by countless foot
nien- Mould il carry camel? Not
Unless they took along a steam.crane
with them in case or trcakdowns,' he
told himself
SO, with still more hard language
he went backward over the trail. and
on the edge Of the marsh found (as
he suspected) mat the horsehoofs and
the camel-pads lad swung on at right
angles TO the n ain trail, and that the
road that inter asted him bore away
to the north and east. Il was his first
attempt at tracking, and though In
after life he came TO be almost as
good at picking TIP sign" az an Aus
tralian black, IL must be remembered
that ! am writing now OF his appren-
tice days in tie art OF adventure, and
can only depict him as the imperfect
practitioner that he then was.
81 IL was round at the back OF this
salt marsh that he came across those
argan-trees, about whose sharp bay
! onet-shaped spikes he spoke so feel.
ilngly, and here for a while Gisvoye.
OF the path was fairly simple. II
twisted and II wound often curvinV
back almost on itself. Il seemed 10
delight In going as much uphill and
uownhill as the contours OF the coun.
try would permit. II was narrow, and
II was cluttered with boulders: and.
as is the unvarying habit OF the ma.
tive African road, II had faults enough
to make the shade OF the late .Iohn
Macadam writhe II II ever blew thai
lway, and saw how the name OF road
could be disgraced.
Once a sudden rustic, and a rattle
as OF sticks clearing for action. pu
the little sailor on the hasty defense
and Winchester In hand. hn rush eC
fercely forp ard. on the old bgI errone
I Gus principle that Il is always saseI
TO attack than 20 defend. A cloud slid
Ing away from the moon, howeN er
showed him that the path was held
by nothing more formidable than a
Zig porcuplne thRt lie had disturbed
at its evening meal The b asst was a
mass OF angry bristling qui Ii. and IN
another step Captain Kettle wouiA
have stumbled on tlem and been
badly pricked. But as Il was. and the
creature showed no sign OF budRinR