The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-12-02

j WalkoQ INTO my room anu sat De-
fore the window. 1t was one of those
cool evenings that occur in Socotra
toward the end of January. The pic
ture before me was superb, the tall
palm trees, with their graceful fronds,
dropping beside the rivulet that ran
before the door. The huts Of the
Arabs stood thickly clustered against
the base OF the hill. Our cottage was
on plateau, above which rose the
scorched peak of Ell Mussuk. / heard
the natives chanting in their village,
and suddenly / thought OF Mohammed.
He had not been to the cottage that
day. On the last occasion of his ap-
pearance Fehmet had struck him for
some delinquency. He had surmised
that Mohammed was plotting mis-
chief. and gleefully announced his In
tention Of carrying out the threat he
had made to kill him.
went to bed and for long time
heard Fehmet pacing up and down In
his laboratory, growing to himself, as
was his habit when he was excited.
Presently he went into his room and
paced there. At last heard the spring
Of his bed creak as he laid his heavy
body upon 1t. And ] slept
was awakened by fearful pam
demonium. heard shouts and curses,
and, over all, the voice OF the Egyp-
tian, bowling like demon. / sprang
out of bed, thrust on my slippers,
and ran to the door. saw Fehmet
struggling in the midst of a group Of
dusky figures. He knocked them down
like tenpins, turned, and bolted for
the laboratory. He rushed back, car
rying something in either hand. He
flung them to the ground, there came
the sound of splintering glass, and a
little cloud of dust arose. Next in
slant he fell beneath the impact OF a
blow upon the back of his head. and
at the same moment ! was seized and
overpowered.
The Arabs fastened ropes about our
bodies and dragged us up to the top
of Ell Mussuk. Bruised and bleeding.
they flung us upon the barren summit
and tied us back to back. Then the
elder of the village addressed us.
We were to DE left there, without
water, until we died Of thirst. We
were to freeze by night and burn by
day. The Feringhee would know
enough then to leave their women
alone. They would not kill us, be-
cause it was against the law of Eng
land, but they were not compelled to
bring us water.
The Arabs gathered about US, taunt-
ing and buffeting US. Why they in
cluded me In the sentence could not
understand, unless their fanaticism
famed out against me as representa-
tive of the detested foreign rule. Dur
ing the ensuing hour they inflicted on
us every abomination of insult.
Fehmet, when he had realized that
it was useless to struggle, gave them
back taunt for taunt. He was brave
IL admit that. He told them that
they would all be dead men before he
died. Had they seen the bottles he
broke? In each of them was a mill
lion gods Of pestilence. who would
carry death through Socotra.
They went away at last and Feb
met and / lay side by side. There
was no possibility of freeing our
selves, and there was nothing to do
but wait In the faint hope that the
"Nymph" would appear, learn of our
predicament, and rescue us. The
thought OF death was repugnant
enough to me, old man though / am,
but death yoked to Fehmet was re-
pulsive. shrank away from him,
and / think he understood my feel
ing. for presently he spoke to me.
1T is hard for you, Herr Won Els
mer," he said, with sheer, "but, after
all, II you had not been placed here
with me I should have killed you to-
morrow. You fool of an Englishman.
did you suppose that you could de-
-ceive me with your letters from Der,
! lin? Why, I put my scheme before
Herr Won Jagow, and he told the at
tendant to put me out Of his Office!
If kept you alive and amused my
self with you, 1t was merely because
it gratified me to do SO.
In three days more the yacht that
brought me here will return to carry
me away" he said. Il can live three
days without water, and by the end
Of that time the Socotrese will all be
dead. You, too, will be dead, OF the
pneumonia plague which is at this mo-
n1ent fastening itself upon you"
And your" questioned.
He roared his gorilla below. II
vaccinated myself this afternoon" he
answered. THE plague cannot touch
me, as it will you. for l have thou
sand million plague bacilli in my body,
which are neutralized by the virus
which / inhaled from the broken test
tubes. But you. poor wretch OF a
spy"
The night wore on. and Fehmet
tainted me at intervals. But cared
nothing for his words, nor yet for the
frost which gradually gave way, as
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