The Tragedy of the Korosko

ds turning to right and left in a mincing, self-conscious fashion. Most of them were beautiful creatures, true Arabian trotters, with the slim limbs and finely

utburst as quite natural, and regarded him now as the most dangerous and enterprising of their captives. His hands were therefore tied together with a plaited camel-halter, but the others, including the dragoman and the two wounded blacks, were allowed to mount without any precaution against their escape, save that which was afforded by the slowness of t

the heat and flies, becoming peevish at small discomforts. Headingly had been hypercritical over the tints of Nature. They could not forget his own tint as he lay with his cheek upon the black stone. Sadie had chattered about tailor-made dresses and Parisian chiffons. Now she was clinging, half-crazy, to the pommel of a wooden saddle, with suicide rising as a red star of hope in her mind. Humanity, reason, argument-all were gone, and there remained the brutal humiliation of force. And all the time, down there by the second rocky point, their steamer was waiting for them-their sa

sessed the rude discipline which their work demanded. A mile ahead, and far out on either flank, rode their scouts, dipping and rising among the yellow sand-hills. Ali Wad Ibrahim headed the caravan, and his short, sturdy lieutenant brought up the rea

steps will be taken in the proper quarter to set the matter right. I am convinced that we shall be subjected to nothin

is surely some wrecker angel which can only gather her best treasures in moments of disaster. For here were all these worldlings going to their doom, and already frivolity and selfishness had passed away from them, and each was thinking and grieving only for the ot

hispered. "We may be separated soon, so

!" wailed

that infernal Mansoor

but it might. We must b

determine to get rid of

ams shu

y day. I could stand it if it was only myself. But Sadie-I am clean crazed when I think of her. There'

camel up against hers. "Don't miss your grip of it. There! Now hide

e rode with her thoughts in a whirl. Could this indeed be she, Eliza Adams, of Boston, whose narrow, happy life had oscillated between the comfortable house in Commonwealth Avenue and the Tremont Presbyterian Church? Here she was, hunched upon a camel, with her hand u

s own convictions. "Besides, we are still dose to Egypt, far away from the Dervish country. There i

words. "We're all in God's hands, and surely He won't be cruel to us. It is easy to talk about trustin

a touch of colour, and brought a light into his brown ox-eyes. He had always seemed a somewhat gross and vulgar person to his fellow-travellers. Now, this bitter healing draught of sorrow had transformed him. He was purified, spiritualised, exalted. He had become so calmly strong that he made the others feel stronger as they looked upon him. He spoke of life and of death, of the present, and their hopes of the future; and the black cloud of their misery began

low sand, and the great plain shimmered and glowed until they felt as if they were riding over a cooling sheet of molten metal. Their lips were parched and dried, and their tongues like tags of lea

she does not get water

there nothing

hat of his Arab comrades, and Stephens ventured to touch his elbow and to point to his water-skin, and then to the exhausted lady. The negro shook his head brusquely, but at the same

Tilly,"

?" asked Col

, sinking his voice as if he wish

el shook

h strain. I don't know wh

icks Pasha," th

him out," said Cochrane to Belmont. "Do you think that he mean

ring his own words coming back to him. "Aiwa!

n get to Egyptian Artillery. He has served in the Egyptian Artillery under Bimbashi Mortimer. He was

eived a reply, but two of the Arabs closed up,

than for the Khalifa. I don't know that he can do us any good, but I've been in worse holes than this, and come

matter out in his slo

k," said he. "They would become alarmed aboa

lunch hour. I remember saying that when I came bac

f my wife. She would insist upon an immediate alarm being given. Suppose they started back at two-thirty, they should

them a

d pick up the tracks by six o'clock. After that it is a clear race. We are only four

ot forget that these people have a trick of murdering their prisoners when they see that there is a chance of a rescue. See here, Belmont, in case you get back and I

o the hand of Mr. Stephens, and Miss Adams had moistened her lips with it. Even the few drops had given her renewed

," said she. "I guess they have a working religion of their own

nce. He had seen the death of t

ide them into a better p

ly singled out for a

capable Of glorying in the chance of evangelising Khartoum, and turning Omdu

e?" said Sadie. "You remember that temple that

ast experience of their lives, so vast was the change, so new and so overpowering the thoughts which had come between. They rode

ng dragged along to the feet of the great king-how dejected they looked among the warriors who led them? Who could-who could hav

ster said just now, that we are all right there in the hollow

the lawyer's pocket, for it had not been worth the

g almost due west. I suppose they feared pursuit if they kept too near the Nile bank. There is a caravan route, I remember, which runs parallel to the river, about seventy miles inland. If we continue in this direction fo

and he gabbled, gabbled, gabbled as he rode. Kindly mother Nature! she will not let her children be mishandled too far. "This is too much," she says; "this wounded leg, these crusted lips, this anxious, weary mind. Come away for a time, until your body becomes more habitable." And so she coax

tural thing. One of them rode forward and spoke with the Emir. When he returned he said something to his comrades, one of whom closed in upon ea

lt presently, Belmo

ive us some water. We

Bimbashi when we got him back into Egypt. I think he's willing enough

othing else in front of them! Behind lay the black jagged rocks through which they had passed with orange slopes of sand, and then far away a thin line of green to mark the course of the river. How cool and beautiful that green looked in the stark, abominable wilderness! On one side they could see the high rock-the accursed rock which had tempted them to their ruin. On the other the river curved, and the sun gleamed upon the water. Oh, that liquid gleam, and the insurgent animal cravings, the brutal primitive longings, which for the instant t

some landmark. Then, with a satisfied grunt, the chief's camel had seemed to break short off at its knees, and then at its hocks, going down in three curious, broken-jointed jerks until its stomach was stretched upon the ground. As each succeeding camel reached the spot it lay down also, until they were all stretched in one long line. The riders spra

and looking thoughtfully at them out of his dark, sinister eyes. Miss Adams saw with a shudder that it was always upon Sadie that his gaze was fixed. Then, seeing their distress, he gave an order, and a negro brought a wate

ntial manner; but a glare from the Colonel's eyes struck the words from h

herwise," he wailed, "with

throat if we all see Egypt again," growl

lmont. "But for our own sakes we oug

ave nothing to do w

hrugged his shoulders. Privations had made him irritable, and he had to bite his lip to k

t, looking at the dragoman with an ey

er you should have it, but that he is himself short in supply. He said that to-morrow we

how long we

said, and then forwa

vel by moonlight better and faster than in the day-time. He knew that it was the custom at Halfa to keep at least a squadron of them all ready to start at any instant. He had dined at the mess, and the officers had told him how quickly they could take the field. They had shown him the water-tanks and the food b

an Arab hanging on to each of his wrists. His face was purple with rage and excitement, and he tugged and bent and writhed in his furious effort

and the Negro's great black paw flew up to his neck and tore his shirt down to the waist. And at the sound of that r-r-rip, and at the abhorrent touch of those coarse fingers, this man about town, this finished product of the nineteenth century, dropped his life-traditions and became a savage facing a savage. His face flushed, his lips curled back, he chattered his teeth like an ape, and his eyes-those indolent eyes which had always twinkled so placidly-were gorged and frantic. He threw himself upon the negro, and struck him again and again, feebly but viciously, in his broad, black face. He hit like a girl, round arm, with an open palm. The man winced away for an instant, appalled by this sudden blaze of passion. Then with an impati

hey should lose next of that frieze of light-hearted riders who had stood out so clearly against the blue morning sky, when viewed

the black eastern hills through which they had passed. Belmont followed his gaze, and, yes-yes-there was something moving there! He saw the twinkle of metal, and the sudden gleam and flutter of some white garment. A Dervish vedette upon the flank turned his camel twice round as a danger signal, and discharged his rifle in t

trained his eyes to catch sight of these new-comers. "I do believe that it is our own p

ng from under his thick brows. "They are here a long two hours before we could h

ivent les Anglais!" yelled the excited Frenchman, as the head

eye? and I'll take the big nigger, if I can get my arms round him. Stephens, you must do what you can. You, Fardet, comprenez vous? Il est necessaire to plug these Johnnies before they can hurt us. You, d

some joke which those busy little cell-workers had come across in their repairs. His fat face was wreathed and creased with merriment. But the others, how sick, how

rst one-not more than thirty-but dressed in the same red headgear and patched jibbehs. One of them carried a small white banner with a scarlet text scrawled across it. But there was something there which drew the eyes and the tho

in the middle of them?"

dams! Surely

lt to catch a glimpse of it. And then suddenly, as the two

white

mer has b

that sounded high

d, "keep your heart up! I'm