Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-05-21
II was evident that they had called for

Woulu atCack us during the night. Just
before morning. when the camp was
wrapped in slumber and the sentinel
would likely be drowsy, | heard the
crack of a rifle. | arose at once. went
out and found the sentry lying on the
sane l aroused the camp and sent
men in different directions, while l ex-
Rmined the fallen man. He had been
shot dead.
Those whom l had sent out returned,
reporting that they had not seen a
human being. One of them had seen a
wolf, but that was all. OF course an
enemy was near, but an Arab covered
with his white barracan cannot readily
be distinguished from the sand unless
he stands against the sky line. This
he is sure not to do if he desires con-
cealment. He will lie down on the
sand n pull his barracan over his
dark body.
In the morning, having buried the
dead sentry, we proceeded on our jour
ney, re-establishing our camp in the
evening. 1 was at a loss to know
why the sentry had been shot. and
during the night, being awake, l was
thinking about what might have been
his murderer's purpose when l was
startled by another crack. l arose to
find that another sentry had been kill
ed. Again I deployed my men to hunt
for the assassin. but not a living crea-
ture was to be found. He or they had
excellent hiding ground among the
sand pillows, and the night was dark.
1t was now plain to me that the
Arabs who had visited us had done so
to discover the number Of our force.
They had decided to reduce it by pick
ing off a man every night until they
had killed so many Of us that they
would feel warranted in attacking us.
If they could appropriate an outfit it
would be a fine property for them.
I confess I was staggered by their
device. However, I set myself to meet
stratagem by stratagem. The next
night. after dark, I put a stake in the
sand and on it fixed a dummy sentry
by tying some of the fodder we carried
for our camels about it and wrapping
the whole with a barracan. Then I
dug a hole, and after warning my men
to sleep with their arms beside them
and turn out on hearing shots 1 got
into the hole with my rife, intending
to do the watching of a sentry myself.
Fortunately for my purpose there
was a moon though over it were thin
clouds. 1t enabled me to see any
ing object within a reasonable dis
lance from my camp. had been three
hours or more in my hole and was
getting cramped when / saw on the
sky line Of a sand billow some distance
from me a black spot. 1t moved slow
ly down the side of the billow toward
me and, getting into comparatively
level ground. wandered about appar-
emily without any definite purpose.
I was not long in discovering that
it was some animal of the desert in
search of food. 1t would scratch in
one place. then in another. occasionally
digging a hole. In its wandering it
was constantly drawing nearer my
camp. When it got within a couple of
hundred yards it stopped and sat ON
its launches facing the camp. At that
moment the clouds on the moon thick
ened, and I could not see the brute.
When the sky lightened again it had
disappeared.
vas thinking that it had gone away
when heard a crack and my dummy
sentry. the support of which had been
fvo1 i'm thn l0ncn ranI tnnnln1 0ynr ot
an angle of about forty degrees. |
was about to jump out of my hole and
run forward when it occurred to mt
that the animal had seen was a man
covered by the skin of a wolf: that
when the moon was darkened he had
got into q hole and shot my dummy.
Had not | better wait Il few moments
to see if he would leave his hiding
place? ! did SO. and fortunately my
men slept so soundly that they did not
interfere.
l had only to wait u few minutes
when | saw the animal walking lei
surely away. %Springing from my hole.
| ran after the beast, and when | had
got pretty near to him stopped. took
ALL III IlSu. 1 hiS" IA"L 4
had hit him. for | saw him roll over.
At the same moment one of my men
came running toward me. and he was
shortly followed by the rest. We
found an Arab in Il VOLTS skin. dead.
With my whole force l secured the
desert in a circuit of half a mile. but
found not a human or a brute being.
Doubtless confederates of the man |
had shot We're not far away, but prob
ably had scooped out the sand, got in
the depression and covered themselves.
leaving only their faces exposed.
The next night we dug holes sur
rounding our tents, and l put a man in
each hole, getting into n myself. I
knew, the Arabs stratagem having
been interfered with, they would not
be likely to continue it, but l feared
that, having reduced our force by two
men, they might think it feasible to
adopt some other ruse to get near US
without our being aware Of their APP
proach and rush us. But we passed