Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-17

of the Koran, and in his tent spent the re-
mainder of the night.
For me- therefore the miracle had occurred
after all; but the other three poor wretcheS
were not SO fortunate With dawn came the
calling of the faithful to attend the first prayer
and the blowing of a Sleeps horn that was the
signal for the soldiers to prepare the con-
demned men for execution. Despairing and
haggard, they were marched toward the scat
fold between six guards.
The great dark curtain of the sky had light
ened In the East when they reached the SCAT
fold, and there the executioners stood notion
less, waiting for the prince to give the order
as soon as the sun rose. He and his star were
mounted, and thousands of spectators gath
cred to witness the spectacle, jeering and gliding
at the condemned.
From silver-grey the vast arena Of sky and
sand turned first violet and then crimson,
tinging the faces and robes Of executioners
and prisoners alike.
All at once there shot above the horizon
the dazzling golden rim Of the sun, and .
sudden hush descended upon the multitude.
In the midst of the silence Prince Sefedin gave
the signal. The last despairing Allah Akbarl"
rang out. and soon all was over. Three bodies
hung in a row-and it was only by the grace Of
God that mine did not make fourth!
The three men were left hanging on the
Scaffold all day, an object lesson to other
would-be traitors; then the bodies were dragged
by camels a few miles out of camp and left
to the tender mercies OF the jackals and vul-
lures. And again thought with shudder
that one Of those corpSes might have been
mine.
THE Turk who had been the means of my
salvation departed, and I was transferred
from the Koran readers tent to in which
four Italian prisoners were living together.
Their names were Hubertus Bereta. young
soldier; Ponce Gerard and Buona Cosa, who
had been captured by the Arabs when building
a flour MILL and Bonano. their mechanic.
Bereta and Bonano, decided, were not bad
pair, but soon summed up Gerard and Buona
CoSa selfish and overbearing fellows. They
traded on their superior position in life, and
Gerard at once gave me orders to get up early
every morning and, taking turns with Bereta,
accompany the Arab soldiers into the desert
to seek fuel demurred, but he promised me
that if did this, and thus relieved him and
Cosa, he would pay me 1000 lire when we
gained our freedom.
1--WE big house of IA rooms in Tripoh, you
know" he added, land you shall stay with me
a guest until we can fit you out to start on
your travels again.
This sounded very nice but could not help
remembering that had been promised that
Prince Sefeoin would recompense me-and he
had nearly rewarded me with death! However,
I took the chance, and every alternate day.
turn and turn about with Bereta, got up at
am and with two soldiers and two camels went
out into the desert to collect load Of shrub
wood, returning to camp in the evening tired
and hungry.
Food was not very pentful-juSt pound of
crude barley flour for each man, which We
cooked together in one pot, sometimes making
bread Fresh meat we got only when a camel
died The day that Bereta took his turn had
to help dig WELL and it struck me that when
I was with the Arabs had nothing to do but
eat and sleep, while with my own