Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1915-04-16

barked; then he was off again close to
his masters heels and not too soon.
He did not know the blow that struck
Sabron, but he saw him fall, and b e
and there came into his canine heart
some knowledge of the Importance of
his day. He had raced himself weary.
Every bone in his little body ached
with fatigue.
Sabron lay his length on the bed Of
a dried-up river, one of those phantom
like channels of a desert stream whose
course runs watery only certain times
of the year. Sabron, wounded in the
abdomen, lay on his side. Pitchoune
smelled him from head to foot, ad-
dressed himself to his restoration In
his own way. He licked his face and
hands and ears, sat sentinel at the be-
loved head where the forehead was
covered with sweat and blood. He
barked feverishly aid to his attentive
ears there came no answer whatso-
ever, either from the c.nded man in
the bed of the African river or from
the silent plains.
Sabron was deserted. He had fallen
and not beer missed and his regiment,
routed by the Arabs, had been driven
into retreat. Finally the little dog.
who knew by instinct that life re-
NAMED in his masters body. set him
self at work vigorously to awaken a
sign of life. He attacked Sabron's
shoulder as though It were a prey; he
worried him, barked in his ear, struck
him lightly with his paw. and finally.
awakening to dreadful pain, to fever
and to isolation, awakening perhaps
to the battle for life, to the attentions
of his friend, the spahi opened his
eyes.
Sabron's wound was serious, but his
body was vigorous, strong and healthy,
and his mind more SO. There was a
film over 1t just now. He raised him.
self with great effort, and in a moment
realized where he was and that to
linger there was a horrible death. On
each side of the river rose an inclined
bank, not very high and thickly grown
with mimosa bush. This meant to him
that beyond it and probably within
easy reach, there would be shade from
the intense and dreadful glare beat
ing down upon him, with death in
every ray. He groaned and Pitchoune's
voice answered him. Sabron paid nc
attention to his dog. did not even call
his name. His mind, accustomed to
quick decisions and to a matter-of-fact
consideration of life, instantly took its
proper course. He must get out of the
river bed or die there. rot there.
What there was before him to dc
was so ~stupendous an undertaking thai
it made him almost unconscious of the
pain in his loins. He could not stand
could not thoroughly raise himself;
but by great and painful effort, bleed
ing at every move, he could crawl; he
did so, and the sun beat down upor
him. Pitchoune walked by his side
whining, talking to him, encouragin1
him, and the spahi, ashen pale, hi:
bright gray uniform ripped and stained
all alone in the desert, with deatf
above him and death On every hand
crawled, dragged. hitched along out o
the river to the bank. cheered, en-
couraged by his little dog.
For a drop of water he would have
given-oh, what had he to give? FoI
a little shade he would have given
about all he had to give had beer
given to his duty in this engagement
which could never bring him glory, O
distinction or any o The worl
not a very glorious affair. He wa
simply an officer who fell doing hi
daily work.
P~itchoune barked and cried out t
him: COURAGE"
Il shall die here at the foot of tn
mimosa," Sabron thought; and hi
hands hardly had the courage o
strength to grasp the first bushes b.
which he meant ia pull himself up OF
the bank. The little dog was close t
him, leaping, springing near him, an
Sabron did not know how tired an,
thirsty and exhausted his brave littl
companion was. or that perhaps il
that heroic little body there was a
much of a soldiers soul as in his owl
human form.
The sun was so hot that it SCENE
to sing in the bushes. Its torrid feve
struck IN his brown, struck on hi
chest; why did it not kill him? H
was not ven delirious, and yet tn
bushes sang dry and cracking. Wha
was their melody? He knew it. Jus
one melody haunted him always, an
now he knew the words: they were