FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   >>  
ral African wilds. For a minute there was a mad vortex of rushing figures, rifle-butts rising and falling, spearheads gleaming and darting among the rolling dust cloud. Then the bugle rang out once more, the Egyptians fell back and formed up with the quick precision of highly disciplined troops, and there in the centre, each upon his sheepskin, lay the gallant barbarian and his raiders. The nineteenth century had been revenged upon the seventh. The three women had stared horror-stricken and yet fascinated at the stirring scene before them. Now Sadie and her aunt were sobbing together. The Colonel had turned to them with some cheering words when his eyes fell upon the face of Mrs. Belmont. It was as white and set as if it were carved from ivory, and her large grey eyes were fixed as if she were in a trance. "Good Heavens, Mrs. Belmont, what _is_ the matter?" he cried. For answer she pointed out over the desert. Far away, miles on the other side of the scene of the fight, a small body of men were riding towards them. "By Jove, yes; there's some one there. Who can it be?" They were all straining their eyes, but the distance was so great that they could only be sure that they were camel-men and about a dozen in number. "It's those devils who were left behind in the palm grove," said Cochrane. "There's no one else it can be. One consolation, they can't get away again. They've walked right into the lion's mouth." But Mrs. Belmont was still gazing with the same fixed intensity and the same ivory face. Now, with a wild shriek of joy, she threw her two hands into the air. "It's they!" she screamed. "They are saved! It's they, Colonel, it's they! O Miss Adams, Miss Adams, it is they!" She capered about on the top of the hill with wild eyes like an excited child. Her companions would not believe her, for they could see nothing, but there are moments when our mortal senses are more acute than those who have never put their whole heart and soul into them can ever realise. Mrs. Belmont had already run down the rocky path, on the way to her camel, before they could distinguish that which had long before carried its glad message to her. In the van of the approaching party, three white dots shimmered in the sun, and they could only come from the three European hats. The riders were travelling swiftly, and by the time their comrades had started to meet them they could plainly see that it was indeed Belmont, Fardet, and S
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   >>  



Top keywords:
Belmont
 

Colonel

 

Cochrane

 

walked

 

screamed

 
gazing
 
intensity
 

consolation

 
shriek
 

capered


approaching

 

shimmered

 
message
 

distinguish

 
carried
 

European

 
started
 
plainly
 

Fardet

 

comrades


riders

 

travelling

 

swiftly

 

moments

 

mortal

 

excited

 

companions

 

senses

 

realise

 

centre


troops

 
sheepskin
 

disciplined

 

highly

 

formed

 
precision
 

gallant

 
barbarian
 

stared

 
horror

stricken
 

seventh

 
revenged
 
raiders
 

nineteenth

 

century

 
Egyptians
 

figures

 
rushing
 

rising