[Pythonmidi-devel] the ground,

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Uttering cries of terror and dismay, the three took to their heels and
bounded towards the wall, where a gate quickly opened to receive them, the
populace feeling sure the Tatar horde was upon them Nor was this guess so
very far wrong; for as Rob, sitting disconsolate upon the sand, raised his
eyes, he saw across the desert a dark line that marked the approach of the
invaders.<br>
Nearer and nearer they came, while Rob watched them and bemoaned the
foolish impulse that had led him to fall asleep in an unknown land where he
could so easily be overpowered and robbed of his treasures.<br>
I always suspected these electrical inventions would be my ruin some day,
he reflected, sadly; and now I'm side-tracked and left helpless in this
outlandish country, without a single hope of ever getting home again They
probably won't be able to kill me, unless they find my Garment of Repulsion
and strip that off; but I never could cross this terrible desert on foot
and, having lost my food tablets, I'd soon starve if I attempted it.<br>
Fortunately, he had eaten one of the tablets just before going to sleep, so
there was no danger of immediate starvation.<br>
But he was miserable and unhappy, and remained brooding over his cruel fate
until a sudden shout caused him to look up 14, Turk and Tatar The Tatars had
arrived, swiftly and noiselessly, and a dozen of the warriors, still
mounted, were surrounding him.<br>
His helpless condition aroused their curiosity, and while some of them
hastily cut away his bonds and raised him to his feet, other plied him with
questions in their own language.<br>
Rob shook his head to indicate that he could not understand; so they led
him to the chief--an immense, bearded representative of the tribe of
Kara-Khitai, the terrible and relentless Black Tatars of Thibet.<br>
The huge frame of this fellow was clothed in flowing robes of
cloth-of-gold, braided with jewels, and he sat majestically upon the back of
a jet-black camel, Under ordinary circumstances the stern features and
flashing black eyes of this redoubtable warrior would have struck a chill of
fear to the boy's heart; but now under the influence of the crushing
misfortunes he had experienced, he was able to gaze with indifference upon
the terrible visage of the desert chief.<br>
The Tatar seemed not to consider Rob an enemy.<br>
Instead, he looked upon him as an ally, since the Turks had bound and
robbed him Finding it impossible to converse with the chief, Rob took refuge
in the sign language.<br>
He turned his pockets wrong side out, showed the red welts left upon his
wrists by the tight cord, and then shook his fists angrily in the direction
of the town, In return the Tatar nodded gravely and issued an order to his
men.<br>
By this time the warriors were busily pitching tents before the walls of
Yarkand and making preparations for a formal siege.<br>
In obedience to the chieftain's orders, Rob was given a place within one of
the tents nearest the wall and supplied with a brace of brass-mounted
pistols and a dagger with a sharp, zigzag edge.<br>
These were evidently to assist the boy in fighting the Turks, and he was
well pleased to have them, His spirits rose considerably when he found he
had fallen among friends, although most of his new comrades had such evil
faces that it was unnecessary to put on the Character Markers to judge their
natures with a fair degree of accuracy I can't be very particular about the
company I keep, he thought, and this gang hasn't tried to murder me, as the
rascally Turks did.<br>
So for the present I'll stand in with the scowling chief and try to get a
shot at the thieves who robbed me, If our side wins I may get a chance to
recover some of my property.<br>
It's a slim chance, of course, but it's the only hope I have left.<br>
That very evening an opportunity occurred for Rob to win glory in the eyes
of his new friends.<br>
Just before sundown the gates of the city flew open and a swarm of Turks,
mounted upon fleet horses and camels, issued forth and fell upon their
enemies, The Tatars, who did not expect the sally, were scarcely able to
form an opposing rank when they found themselves engaged in a hand-to-hand
conflict, fighting desperately for their lives In such a battle, however,
the Turks were at a disadvantage, for the active Tatars slipped beneath
their horses and disabled them, bringing both the animals and their riders
to the earth.<br>
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