Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-01-11
CHAPTER XIV (Continued)

The kaid gave a sharp order, and
the escort cantered up and formed
round the camels. There were twenty
five of them, all told, so that the douar
with the camel drivers and British.
number in all some five and thirty
souls.
Why are they wearing respirators"
"Twaracks," said the kaid shortly.
by your leave I'll just try an expert
ment." He put thin fingers between
his bearded lips and blew ligh
pitched whistle. It squealed out into
the night, two long blasts and short,
all on the same note; and then after
pause he blew two short blasts and
a long, half tone lower
The squadron leader Of the Twar-
acks threw up long-barreled gun. and
his men halted. The saint wheeled his
bay clear of the others. so that he was
plain mark to see, or be shot at. The
squadron leader of the black troop
gazed moment. acknowledged the
other with a gun-wave, then wheeled
his horse and galloped back into the
shadows by the way he had come, with
his horsemen thudding at his heels
Friend of yours?" asked Captain
Kettle. 49,. ~, ~
Nothing of the sort. Didn't I tell
you he was a masked Twarack? He's
pirate of the desert out yonder to
the south and east, and guess he'd
come in here to raid the raiders who
appear to be raiding your steamer.
Let's hope he'll continue to do it.
"You seem to know his helm sig
nals?"
Precisely. And may I suggest, my
good sir. that you don't know all the
international codes? You Europeans
are In the very infancy of long dis
lance signaling And even when We
others in Africa show you how to do
the trick, you don't seem able to learn.
BY jove! look out now. Here's the real
thing"
A bowling mob in white billowy
draperies poured out from behind a
shoulder of the sand hills. and the
night kindled and roared with the dis
charge of their guns. But the range
was too far for the inaccurate muzzle-
leaders to be effective. and barring a
camel slightly hit Git was not that
which carried the LADIES'. no damage
was done.
The damaged camel was allowed to
drop behind, and the others were
flogged and dagger pricked into some
thing nearly approaching speed. The
enemy were hard at work reloading;
but charging and printing musket OF
! true Moroccan build is work OF 1rt
and time, and before more than
dozen of the weapons could be hur-
riedly souibbed off against them. Cap
| tain Kettle, the saint, and Sir George
Chesterman. riding abreast, smashed
down into the middle OF the enemy.
Each did terrible work with his own
weapon. Sir George had borrowed
mace (that might we'll have been car
Red in the Crusades) from one OF the
escort, and acted and felt. to use his
own subsequent expression. like
butcher gone mad. The saint, with
reins loose. and steering the bay with
his knees, used both hands to the
inchester, and did not miss shot,
although he opened fire thirty yards
away from the line. ,u
But Captain Kettle, who rode that
ramping black stallion as sailor
rides. kept his head in this, his first
cavalry charge, and did more damage
than any Of them. He was conscious
enough of his bad horsemanship not
to risk fancy shots. He chose his man
with deliberate aim. and did not pull
trigger till his revolvers muzzle
rested on the victims clothes.
Nothing but this desperation could
have saved him from being killed. The
mongrel crew along the beach were
every man of them as brave as he;
but when they saw his pistol muzzle
set fire to jellab after jellab, they
called one to another that Shaitan
rode on the Sidis bride hand, and that
it was time to be gone.
The attackers broke through, raj
lied. and charged back again toward
the rising dawn. The camels, with legs
flying to all the compass points,
sprawled along in their midst, and the
deck houses on their backs lurched
and pitched like mark buoys in tide
way. But no sturdy wall of raiders
waited for them this time. They drove
their horses through the skirts OF a
rout. and dubbed and stabbed and
slashed at white-winged fugitives.
pull up," bawled Kettle, "and let
the rest 20. Slow down, Sir George.
Halt there, you son-of-a-saint, and give
me a chance with this devil-possessed
black horse Of yours. He's worried two
men with his teeth, and he'll eat you
next If you don't get Of range. BY
James! do you spawn Of the noun
tains hear me? Halt! Halt where you
are. And now wheel. Wheel back to
the lagoon, or I'll turn loose this horse
at you. Sir George. I'm the last man
to spoil a fight when one offers. but
we've ladies with us, and presently, II
you hammer them any more, these
jokers in the white nightgowns will
remember they're quite eight to one,
and they'll turn and eat us without
salt. Sir, shake yourself together. and
think Of your sister. and, anyway, give
me that damn club. Give it to me, I
say-Im sorry If I've hurt your wrist,
but you've offered obedience, and it's
my habit to see that orders are car
ried out. Saint. I've reloaded my gum
and if you don't whistle your men off
riding their horses over those fellows
on the ground, by the living James!
I'll empty six saddles"
Perhaps we've done enough"
pasned the burly Sir George,