The Argosy, Vol. XXV, No. 3 — page 84: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

468 THE ARGOSY. more than half blind slave boy. There was a moveless shape half buried in the drifting mound before’him. I uncovered it, amazed to find that it was a Nubian sheik lying upon his face, quite dead. ‘‘ When the slave realized the presence of another human being, he fell groveling at my feet as if I had been an angel come from Heaven. His mouth and tongue were swollen with fever, and I pressed the canteen to ‘his lips, but he could not drink. He was chattering wildly in a language I did not understand, raving, and more than half demented. The sheik had been robbed of everything worth carrying away, the scoundrels leaving him only his burnouse afid a small skin of water which was already flat and dried into a chip. ‘The poor traveler must have died from exhaustion, for there were no wounds upon his person save a few scratches on the wrist where the slave boy had tried to suck a drop of blood from his dead master to keep himself from perishing. As the slave was more used to the tortures of the desert, naturally the sheik succumbed first. ‘“ Meeting with such companions in misery, for a little time I almost forgot my own perils and suffering. Slowly the slave lad revived under my simple ministrations. ‘Then I got somewhat of his story. The sheik’s caravan had successfully resisted attack upon the march, but the two had become separated from the company, and being overtaken, were robbed and left to die. All this had taken place more than three days since; and the slave had kept up the lonely and maddening vigil by his dead master with almost sublime heroism. Knowing that my comrades would soon be retreat- ing to recover me dead or alive, as soon as the slave was able to walk we took the burnouse from the dead sheik and started back toward the trail. The way was very difficult and-slow, and I was compelled almost to carry the emaciated lad bodily. On we plodded till the darkness settled about us, and then making ourselves as comfortable as possible, we lay down side by side and watched out the night. ‘The next morning, although the slave boy was in much better physical condition, I felt that I myself was fast succumbing. I arose once or twice and tried to make a little circle over the sand mounds to get my bearings, but soon gave upthe enigma. I figured matters out with the calculation of a physician. I had water enough to last us another day, or, for myself alone, two days. I almost wished I had not happened upon the slave now, for it might be that my own life would be sacrificed in this deed of charity. Then I drove the selfish thought from my heart. If one perished, we should both perish. He had been a godsend, giving me companionship, and how did I not know that he had not saved me from something worse than death—from madness. With brotherly care I divided the water drop by drop—water more precious than blood. ‘The slave was grateful—pitifully so at what he perceived to be my sacrifice. When he saw that I was going to pieces, however, he not only refused to lap up these precious drops of salvation, but actually thrust out his arms to me with the offer of his own blood to save me. This touched me very deeply. I had opened my canteen and saved his life for a little while, and now he was ready to open his veins to save mine ! ‘On the morning of the second day I gave up hope, and began a Gomichbooks:co i "|