Triumph of Civilization

News dispatches solemnly reported an Arab tale of a boy who lived with a herd of gazelles in the Syrian desert. He browsed and watered with them, sped over the sand with them when they fled the hunter. In fact, he ran at a speed of no less than 50 m.p.h.* for several miles before a jeepload of hunters finally overhauled him and took him into camp. Skeptical Americans, who had been raised on such fare from P. T. Barnum to Johnny ("Tarzan") Weissmuller, heard and grinned.

Last week they got the rest of the story: Syria's Gazelle Boy had been committed to a lunatic asylum, was there lapping water from a spring and placidly grazing on the lawn. With the story went a picture of the boy (see cut). He was a lean, trim youngster, apparently used to wearing clothes (his arms were tanned, his body fairly white), obviously in need of a haircut and a bath--and perhaps a new pressagent.

*Gunder Haegg's average speed ' in his best (4:01.4) mile: 14.9 m.p.h.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.