Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1912-06-13


edge Of the desert. an immense desert
Of sand, stones and rocks Il was
really not worth while leaving the
forest 10 come upon the desert. Tired
out. flung myself down. beside the
yiscount, for ! had had eenOugh OF
looking for springs which ! could not
find.
was quite surprised--and ! said 30
20 the yiscount-that We had encoun-
tered no other dangerous animals
during the night. Usually, after the
lion came the leopard and sometimes
the buzz OF the tsetse ny. These were
easily obtained effects; and ex-
planned to M. de Chagny that Erik
initiated the roar of 4 lion on long
tabour or timbrel, with an ASS skin
at one end. & over this skin he tied
string of catgut. which was fastened
at the middle TO another similar
string passing through the whole
length Of the, tnbpur. Erik had only.
TO rub this string with q glove
smeaped with resin and. according 10
the manner in which he rubbed 1t, ne
Initiated to perfection the voice OF
the lion or the leopard, or even the
buzzing Of the tsetse ny.
The idea that Erik was probably IN
the room beside us, working his TRICK
made me suddenly resolve 20 enter
into a parley with him, for we must
obviously give up all thought OF tax
ing him by surprise. And by this
time he must be quite aware who
were the occupants Of his torture
chamber. l called him: Erik! Erik"
l shouted as loudly as Icould across
the desert, but there was no answer
to my voice. All around US lay the
ailence and the bare immensely OF
that stony desert. what was to be-
come Of us in the midst OF that awful
solitude?
We were beginning literally to die
of heat, hunger and thirst OF
thirst especially. At last, l saw M.
de Chagny raise himself on his elbow
and point to a spot on the horizon.
He had discovered an oasis!
Yes. far in the distance was an
oasis an oasis with limp1d
water, which reflected the iron trees!
Tush, it was the scene OF the
mirage. recognized 1t at
once the worst OF the three!
No one had been able to hight
against it no one !
did my utmost to keep my head ana
not to hope for water, because knew
that, il, a man hoped for water, the
water that reflected the iron tree
and If, after hoping for water, he
struck against the mirror, then there
was only one thing for him to do: TO
hang himself on the iron tree!
So l cried to M. de Chagny:
"It's the mirage! It's the
mirage! Don't believe In the
water! It's another trick OF
the mirrorsl
Then he fatty told me to shut up,
with my tricks Of the mirrors, my
springs, my revolving doors and my
palaces Of illusionsl he iapaEtly de-
clared that must be either blind or
mad to imagine that all that water
flowing over there, among those
splendid, numberless trees, was not
real water! And the desert
was real! And 30 was the
forest! :. !. And It was no use
irving to take him In ne was
an old, experienced traveller !.
he had been all over the place!
And he dragged himself along. say
ing: water! Water!"
And his mouth was open, as though
he were drinking.
And my mouth was open, too. as
though l were drinking.
For we not only saw the water. but
we heard it! We heard It
TOW. we heard 1t ripple! ... DO
YOU understand that word "rippleT'
1t is a sound which you hear
with your tongue! You put
your tongue out Of your mouth to
| listen to it better!
Lastly--and this was the most pitt
less torture of alive heard the rain
and 1t was not raining! This was an
internal invention. On l
knew well enough how Erik obtained
Il! He filed with little stones very
long and narrow box, broken up IN
side with wooden and metal projec-
lions. The stones, in falling. struck
against these projections and re-
bounded from one to another; and
the result was q series OF pattering
sounds that exactly initiated q rain
storm.
All. you should have seen Us putting
out our tongues and dragging our
1 selves toward the ripping river-bankI
Our eyes and ears were full OF water
but our tongues were hard and dry
as hornl
When we reached the mirror. M. d
Chagny licked 1t and l alsC
licked the glass.
It was burning hot!
/ Then we rolled on the door with
hoaPao cYv NJ doanafr M de- Chagny