Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1912-02-28

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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'Rnurke 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 al
four-thirty in the afternoon, loafed :as
ually up the line, arriving at the term
mus after dark.
The Irishman, thoroughly tagged
but complacent in the knowledge thai
he had left both vicomte and honor
able a day behind him, kept himself
from bed by main wi1l-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 flying col
umn," calculated to move briskly from
point to point in imitation of Touar-
egg tactics, hourly putting greater
distance between itself and Its start
ing point. Moreover, the pursuit con-
templated by the adventurer was one
attended by no inconsiderable perils.
By dint of indomitable persistence,
unfagging good-nature and such in
fluerce as he could bring personally
to bear upon the authorities, O'Rourke
got what he desired-a competent
guide and two racing camels, or me-
hera, with a pack animal that would
serve their purpose.
BY dawn they were ready to start;
and so, in the level rays Of a sun that
seemed a dazzling sphere of intQler-
able light, poising itself in the eastern
rim of the world as IL undecided
whether or no to take up its flight
across the armament, the little cara
van rocked out into the fastness OF
the desert, the Irishman in the van
sitting 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
1t this way and that, 2igzagging 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 sensation of fall
ing headlong into a great pit of OBJ
livion, bottomless, eternal. Yet 1t
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 IT.
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 yawn and chatter
of teeth-for the air ws.s bitter cold.
1.-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-str. 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