The Young Moor.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 153, 9 February 1872, Page 6

The Young Moor.

A Merchant of Tripoli, named Yezid,was- ... ■> travelling to Egypt. With hira were his wife and three children, and two other merchants. They rode upon camels, and camels bore their merchandise. In their way they were to cross the - Lybian Desert, their business being below tlie tropic. " ; At the close of a hot, sultry day,' worn, weary, and athirst, the party reached the small oasis of lieuon, which was nearly in ' mid-desert. There they found water for themselves and camels, and an ample place for repose. The tents were pitched, and the beasts secured in their feeding places, and after this the evening meal was prepared.., " * Yezid had gathered his family about ' him and read a chapter from the Koran, i ; and his wife and youngest child had re-'I tired for the night. He sat, with : his two . .elder boys, discussing sonie mercantile s matters, when the tramp of horses' feet -- ; was heard upon the sand. Starting quickly up, he hastened to the door of his tent, and looked forth upon the desert. * - -' ! " What is it father ?" asked the eldest . son, who had also arisen. ; - 5 -" ' "There comes a band of horsemen,"! re- ' " turned the merchant, pointing off to the , westward. ' '' * ■ o; £ s tjiey ( are.of the wild Tibj boris, too/' • the ? son ; rejoined—rthe dim * -inooidight revealing tbe quant garb ot the ' coming party! ";We are.in danger." ; . . Yezid at once sprang from his tent and aroused the other merchants, ;but he was * too late..: The Tibbons came dashing up, "" "eight in number, with the pale moonbeams reflected from ; their bright scimifers. 1 , r Malek, the youngest child of Yezid, , heard the loud din, and in sudden alarm: : he left his cmch, and crept out beneath- ."- the back of the tent. How' long the noise

lasted ere lie awoke he knew not, nor did , . lie have time for thought, for hardly had ! he/reached the open space when he saw aomemen unfastening the camels. He •-stopped only to see that they wer« of; one of the tribes of the Tibbons, and then lie

crept back into the tent for the purpo'se of

giving the alarm. He searched for his ' father, but could not find him. He th>n "went out by the front way, and was - just ' in time to see the Tibbons driving off the' ' ' : " \C. ; , ..The boy—hk was only fourteen—would - have given some alarm, but at that mo- " ment'his eye rested upon a prostrate form close by his feet. He stooped down, and . .turned the pale, cold face of his elder bi'o- . .jjier to the moonlight. His hand touched ; something warm upon his brother's shoulder—he looked—'twas blood. .... "Father ! father !" the boy cried.

But no father answered him. Then he arose, and found another prostrate form. He bent over it. and saw that it was the body of his other brother. At a short distance another form lay—his mother. 1 • : He

found his father, too, and thW two other

merchants—but dead—all dead! The r 'ii Tißbojas bad murdered-them 'evei'y one, tend carried off everything of value savfc the tent's.' ' r -' : ; oi:.> ilo : u L

A Poor Malek wept and tore his hair, and'

rent his garments inHwain. The boy moved to the side of his dej&l mother, and kissed her. He did the same started up and clasped his hands again. This time a fierce fire burned in his eyej snd his fine form was sternly erect. " The Tibbon chieftain hath done it.' Malek alone, of all his family, is left to tell Shall he tell, that he fled from before the face of the rmirderer, or shall he tell how he deed? Father —smother—brothers—you shall be revenged.if Malek lives !'a ;a i

With, a narrow tent spade wiiicli had been left behind, Malek dug the graves of his : friends. He was many hours.in: the work—the sun arose and set-again ere it was done. ' Then the lad lay down beneath the old tent and slept a]one. In the morning Malek arose, and having bowed himself upon the graves he . had made, he darkened his skin with some berries which he found at hand, and Mien he gathered up some provisions, such as he could find,, and filled a leathern bottle with water. To follow the. track of . the murderers over the sand was easy enough; for there had been no wind to fill them

up. For three days the- boy followed the trail, and when he awoke on the- morning of the fourth, he saw village ahead,

which lay at the foot of rugged mount ains. He pushed on, and at. the first hut. lie • stopped and asked for food. • An old woman, named Noona,-owned the place, and ' she admitted tue applicant-at once: Malek told her he', was from the mountains, and that his parents were dead. She took pity, and offered him a home if, he would be a son to her.- ; She had lost all her children, and'was alone. : The Moorish boy readily accepted her offer, and from that time he had a home. •As soon as Malek- dared question Noona he-found > that -the < chief of the place was named Ben Zama, and that he was a rob,-, ber, by profession. In time, the boy learned all he could wish to know, and a part of it he-learned from the chieftain's own lips. ■ Ben Zama and seven ofj his. chosen followers were the men who had 'murdered his family. He made sure of this—lie knew every man —and then lie turned his thoughts and energies in another direction. J He began to wander among the mountains, and at length he found the place he j sought. It was where a narrow shelf of rock, ran round- analmost.- perpendicular mountain side, and overlooked a frightful chasm, along the far-off bottom of which dashed and roared a swift white torrent. Day after day he made his way to that' giddy height, and there worked right i bravely.- > • i . - . ; , ■ This shelf,'which seemed to be'midway up\t^e w 'steep"mountain's side, led from a ragged pathway which: only the wild gazelle had trodden before. - It was not over! six feet wide at the^commencement, -and * then led for some distance in a circuitous ! way, but when it became straight it widened to a broadJnolined .plane, This plane descended at such: an ,angle that, no man could have held himself on it, and at' a ! 'distance of twentyyards it endett abruptly, leaving a broad chasm open at its foot. Some convulsion of nature seemed to have split and operied at this point, for at the distance'of a few yards i£commenced again, and led off around mountain on a plane. But the chasm had been opened clear to the roaring torrent in the dim deep distance. •; The side of the mountain had : been wholly cleft in twain,- 1 so that between the two ends of the shelf there was a yawning gulf. • Malek got long, strong vines, and havingl secured them to the rock above, he let himself down the inclined'plane. Tli&i he brought long, dry sticks, and laid them , carefully over tlie. chasm, and when he had. framed a groundwork thus,' <lie: brought : grass-and twigs, and broad flakes of light moss. At times lielet himself down upon the sweeping plane, and at others he ascended the mountain.by-.another way, and worked upon the opposite side. ' Months had'passcd since the boy Moor commenced his work. It had been a work of great moment—of great magnitude—a work which few strong men would have dared to commence alone. But the boy had done it. iOne'inorning- Betf Zama sa't in-his tent, and: with him' were the seven men who

had helped to murder the Moorish merchants. While > they conversed,/-Noona's boy entered their presence. He had waited over a week to find these; eight men together. " "What now ?." asked Ben Zama, half angrily. The ,boy drew a piece of yellow metal from his bosom—a piece, which heihad obtained from, that very room a m6ni.li before and handed il-to the chief.- " What is that Ben-Zama ?" • This! cried the Tibbon,- starting. " Tis gold I pure gold I Whence came i it P"- , " From* the mountains:" • "Ha ! The mountains ?" Yes, valiant chieftain. I found it in a bed,-where is a wonderful mine." " You did ?" ",Yes. But the way is difficult" of access." : - ' .v. " ever mind. 'Tis gold! Lead me' there." . . Aye -lead us .there:! , cried fche.others; Ben Zama dared-..not object' to hiV followers coming with .him, '. and .ere lon aMalek was' leading the way over the rough path of the mountains, i At the end of three hours they came to the shelf upon the steep mountain side ; but as the boy went boldly on tile men did' t not hesitate. When Malek reached ithe edge of the 'declivity,- he stopped and turned to his followers—- ■ " J,'o you see that bed of moss and gravel ?" lie asked, pointing down to the strange work he had done. - "Yes, we see it; but how do we reach it ?"

" Why, it is easy to slide down to it. All you have to do is to settle down and start. If ou'll stop when you reach the. bottom !" " And.the gold—-is it there?" "Follow ine, and look for yourself.; Here—so—now come on.'/-

As the boy spoke he settled to a stoop-' in op posture, and .balanced himself ;for the slide. The greed j 1 - men followed his example. The shelf was wide here, apd they had room to start nearly together. Malek went on ahead—down—down—down 7- but with a keen eye and. a steady nerve:- • At the edge of'themo'ss his right foot touched the end of a concealed-stick—his form assumed an upright position, and with one flying leap, his left foot just touching a firmer spot in the centre of the moss, he reached the opposite rock. And' there he turned, as' quick as thought, and snatched away the stout cross stick upon winch:he had stepped.

f HemembtT the Oasis of Xiebon and the Moorish, merchants," he shouted, at the top of his voice. ; .

Hie boy caught, the quick, frightened look of ■ Ben Zama—he heard the fearful ■cry of terror —and on the next instant the chiefcain was at the edge of the precipice. He gave one more wild cry—made a:;desperate plunge for the spot- where the boy avenger stood. He touched the baseless fabric, and in a moment more he was lost to sight., The others comprehended .-their dreadful fate now. They threw themselves upon their backs, and pressed'their liands upon the rocks ; but the smooth surface afforded them, no holding place. Down: they,.-: went — f dow-n down —down—thd voice of the young executioner sounding still in their ears. ■ 1 \ "■ .n>;

cry a cry of death.—-came up from the depths of the chasm— and in a few moments more > nought was heard save the dull roar of the..distant torrent as it bore upon its loaming bosoni the forms of eight dead men. - -i -

" I buried six. beneath the sands of the desert. I have buried eight here !. Father —mother—brothers—.you are avenged I" 1 Koona . never saw - her adopted son again 1 ; • • • <