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diff --git a/old/54540-0.txt b/old/54540-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 59e7b30..0000000 --- a/old/54540-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6953 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Daughters of Destiny, by L. Frank Baum - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Daughters of Destiny - -Author: L. Frank Baum - -Release Date: April 12, 2017 [EBook #54540] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAUGHTERS OF DESTINY *** - - - - -Produced by Mary Glenn Krause, Chuck Greif, MFR, The -University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - - - - - - Daughters of Destiny - - [Illustration: AHMED KHAN TO THE RESCUE.] - - - - - DAUGHTERS - - _of_ - - DESTINY - - BY - - SCHUYLER STAUNTON - - AUTHOR OF “THE FATE OF A CROWN” - - The Reilly & Britton Co. - - Chicago - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1906 - BY - THE REILLY & BRITTON CO. - - - - - LIST OF CHAPTERS - - -BOOK I--THE MAN - -CHAPTER PAGE - -I PRINCE KASAM OF BALUCHISTAN 11 - -II THE AMERICAN COMMISSION 20 - -III THE PERSIAN PHYSICIAN 41 - -IV THE DAUGHTER OF THE VIZIER 49 - -V THE PERIL OF BURAH KHAN 61 - -VI THE MAN OF DESTINY 71 - -VII DIRRAG 83 - -VIII A WOMAN’S WAY 111 - -IX THE SIXTH DAY 119 - -X AHMED KHAN 130 - - -BOOK II--THE WOMAN - -XI CAPTURE OF DAVID THE JEW 151 - -XII THE GIRL ON THE DIVAN 172 - -XIII A WILD WOOING 189 - -XIV THE VEILED WOMAN 206 - -XV SALAMAN 215 - -XVI THE ABDUCTION 224 - -XVII DAVID SELLS AN IMPORTANT SECRET 230 - -XVIII THE VIZIER OPENS THE GATE 246 - -XIX IN THE GARDEN OF AGAHR 262 - -XX THE GIRL IN THE HAREM 270 - -XXI THE CHAMBER OF DEATH 284 - -XXII BY THE HAND OF ALLAH 288 - -XXIII THE VENGEANCE OF MAIE 298 - -XXIV THE SPIRIT OF UNREST 301 - -XXV KASAM KHAN 308 - -XXVI HER SERENE HIGHNESS THE KHANUM 317 - - - - - BOOK I - - THE MAN - - - - -CHAPTER I - -PRINCE KASAM OF BALUCHISTAN - - -“What country did you say, Prince?” - -“Baluchistan, my lord.” - -The great financier lay back in his chair and a slight smile flickered -over his stern features. Then he removed his eye-glasses and twirled -them thoughtfully around his finger as he addressed the young man -opposite. - -“I remember,” said he, “that when I attended school as a boy one of my -chiefest trials in geography was to learn how to bound Baluchistan.” - -“Ah, do not say that, sir,” exclaimed Prince Kasam, eagerly. “It is a -customary thing, whenever my country is mentioned, for an Englishman to -refer to his geography. I have borne the slight with rare patience, Lord -Marvale, since first I came, a boy, to London; but permit me to say -that I expected _you_ to be better informed.” - -“But, why?” asked the nobleman, raising his brows at the retort. - -“Because Baluchistan is a great country, sir. You might drop all of -England upon one of its plains--and have some trouble to find it again.” - -Lord Marvale’s eyes twinkled. - -“And how about London?” he asked. “You have many such cities, I -suppose?” - -“There is but one London, my lord,” answered the young man composedly; -“and, to be frank with you, there are few clusters of houses in my -country that are worthy the name of cities. We Baluchi are a wild race, -as yet untamed by the influence of your western civilization, and those -who wander in desert and plain far exceed in numbers the dwellers in -towns.” - -“I am not so ignorant as you may suppose,” declared Lord Marvale; “for -it is a part of my business training to acquire information concerning -all countries of the world, however remote and barbaric they may be. For -instance, I know that your country is ruled by the Khan of Kelat, and -that the English have established a protectorate over it.” - -“Kelat!” cried the other, a touch of scorn in his tone; “that, sir, is -not Baluchistan at all. It is the country of the Brahoes, a weak and -cowardly race that is distinct from the Baluchi, my own people. Small -wonder they need the English to protect them! But Kelat, although placed -in Baluchistan by your map-makers, is another country altogether, and -the unconquered Baluchi owe no allegiance to any nation in the world.” - -For a time the financier sat silently in his chair. Then he asked: - -“You have lived here since childhood, Prince?” - -“Since eight years of age, my lord.” - -“Why were you educated in London, if your people dislike Europeans?” - -“For political reasons, sir. I am the sole legitimate descendant of -seven generations of Khans of Mekran--rulers of all Baluchistan. But in -my grandsire’s time our throne was usurped by Keedar Khan, a fierce -tribesman who carried all before his mighty sword. His son, Burah Khan, -now an old man and in bad health, at present rules at Mekran. Therefore -I was sent by my kinsmen, who are yet powerful and loyal to our family, -to London, that I might escape assassination at the hands of the -usurpers.” - -“I see; you hope to succeed Burah Khan.” - -“That is my ambition. All that stands in my way is a son of the khan, -who, however, has been confined in a Sunnite monastery since youth and -is reported to be more fitted to become a priest than a ruler of men.” - -“Well?” - -“My lord, I desire your coöperation and assistance. Twice have I -secretly revisited Baluchistan, where my uncle is vizier to the present -khan. The adherents to my cause are many. We have no money, but possess -vast store of rare jewels, and much gold and silver plate hoarded for -centuries--since the day when Alexander’s army, marching through our -land, was forced to abandon and cast aside much of its burden of -plunder. If we can convert this treasure into money it is our intention -to hire an army of Afghan mercenaries to assist us and with their aid to -rise at the death of Burah Khan, which cannot be long delayed, and again -seize the throne that by right belongs to me. You, my lord, are noted -for your shrewdness in financing great affairs. Here is one of magnitude -in which you may profit largely. Will you aid me?” - -The man appealed to was, through long experience, a competent judge of -human nature, and while Kasam spoke he studied the young Oriental -critically. - -The prince was of medium height, full faced and broad shouldered. His -beard was clipped in modern fashion, and he wore a conventional frock -coat. But his swarthy skin and glittering dark eyes proclaimed his -Eastern origin, and for head-dress he wore the turban of his tribe, -twisted gracefully but with studied care into that particular fold which -to an Oriental declared as plainly as the written page of a book the -wearer’s nationality and tribe and degree. To the Westerner a turban -means nothing more than a head-covering; to the Oriental it is eloquent -of detail. In the manner of fold, the size, the color and the material -of which it is composed, he reads clearly the wearer’s caste and -condition in life, and accords him the exact respect that is his due. - -Aside from the turban, Kasam wore the tribal sash over his shoulder, -thus combining the apparel of the orient with that of the Occident in a -picturesque and most effective manner. - -The expression of his face was animated and winning; he gesticulated -freely, but with grace; the words that flowed from his full red lips -were fervent, but well chosen. - -Prince Kasam spoke fluent English. His handsome countenance glowed with -the eager enthusiasm of youth, with the conscious pride of high station, -of powerful friends and of a just cause. - -Lord Marvale was impressed. - -“Come to me in three days,” said the banker. “I will make enquiries and -take counsel with my colleagues. Then I shall be able to consider your -proposal with more intelligence.” - -Three days later a long conference was held in Lord Marvale’s office, -during which Prince Kasam related with clearness yet characteristic -Eastern loquaciousness the details of a carefully planned conspiracy to -replace him upon the throne of his ancestors. The plot seemed both -simple and practical, and Lord Marvale was by no means averse to -acquiring the rare treasure of ancient plate and the rich oriental -jewels that the adherents of Prince Kasam were anxious to exchange for -English money and support. - -It was not the only conference before the bargain was finally struck, -but Kasam’s proposals met with no serious opposition and it was arranged -that he should secretly return to Baluchistan, get together the -treasure, and bring it with him to London, where Lord Marvale would -convert it into money and also negotiate with the Afghans for an army of -mercenaries. The countenance and moral support of the English government -the banker could safely pledge. - -It did not occur to Kasam that time might become a powerful factor in -his future plans, and that all this detail would require considerable -time to consummate. He had worn out many years of tedious waiting in -London, and really thought events were beginning to move swiftly. But -when he received a message stating that Burah Khan was failing fast and -urging him to hasten home, he realized that in order to accomplish his -purposes he must lose no single moment in delay. Therefore he hurried to -Lord Marvale with the information that he would return at once to -Baluchistan. - -“Good!” exclaimed the banker. “Your decision will relieve me of a slight -embarrassment and enable me, through your courtesy, to serve an -influential friend.” - -“That will please me very much,” said Kasam. - -“There has arrived in London a party of American capitalists -representing a great New York syndicate, and our minister in Washington -has given their chief a letter to me, asking me to arrange for the safe -conduct of the party through Baluchistan.” - -“Baluchistan! My own country? Why, my lord, few Englishmen have ever -approached its borders, and never an American--so far as I know. What -can induce them to visit Baluchistan?” - -“I understand it is a matter of some railway enterprise or other. These -Americans penetrate into the most outlandish and unfrequented places, -and no one ever pays much attention to their wanderings. But the -minister’s letter asks me to supply them with a guide. What do you say, -Prince, to undertaking the task yourself? It will enable you to return -to Mekran incognito, as the conductor of a party of wealthy and -influential Americans; and, as you are not likely to be recognized, you -may accomplish your task of collecting the treasure more safely than if -you travelled alone.” - -“That is true,” answered the young man, thoughtfully; and after a -moment’s reflection he added: “Very well; inform your Americans that I -will guide them to Baluchistan--even to the walls of Mekran--and no one -can do it more safely or swiftly than I.” - - - - -CHAPTER II - -THE AMERICAN COMMISSION - - -When the American Construction Syndicate, of New York and Chicago, -conceived the idea of laying a railway across Baluchistan, through the -Alexandrian Pass and so into the Lower Indies--thus connecting Asia and -Europe by the shortest possible route--it was regarded as a bold -undertaking even for this gigantic corporation. But the Syndicate -scorned the imputation that any undertaking might be too hazardous or -difficult for it to accomplish; so, when the route was proposed and its -advantages understood, the railway was as good as built, in the minds of -the directors. - -There were preliminaries, of course. A commission must be sent to -Baluchistan to secure right of way. And the route must be surveyed. But -these were mere matters of detail. Already the Syndicate had built a -road across the Balkans; even now it was laying rails in Turkestan. And -this Baluchistan route was but a part of a great system wisely and -cleverly projected. - -The Alexandrian Pass was the same that nearly proved fatal to Alexander -the Great on the occasion of his invasion of India. Since then little -had been heard of it. But doubtless the Pass was still there, and had -been waiting all these years for some one to utilize it. It was part of -the domain of the Khan of Mekran, who also ruled the greater part of -Baluchistan. - -The directors had the histories consulted. Baluchistan seemed -practically unknown to history. There were no books of travel in -Baluchistan. Strange! The country was there--very big on the maps--and -some one ought to know something about it. But no one apparently did. - -Well, the Commission would discover all there was to know, and a -semi-barbarous country would be easy to deal with. - -Next the Commission itself was considered, and Colonel Piedmont Moore -was selected as its chief. Colonel Moore was one of the Syndicate’s -largest stockholders and most respected officers, and the gentleman -himself directed the selection of the chief, because he had decided to -get away from the office for a time and travel, his health having become -undermined by too close attention to business. - -Dr. Warner, his intimate friend, had repeatedly counselled him to break -away from work and take better care of himself. Travel was what he -needed--travel in such remote lands that no temptation would exist to -return to New York to “see how the Syndicate was getting on.” - -When the Baluchistan Commission was first spoken of the Colonel -mentioned it to his old friend, who was also a stockholder in the -concern, the doctor having grown wealthy and retired from active -practice several years before. - -“Just the thing!” declared the old gentleman. “A trip to Baluchistan -would probably set you on your feet again. Let me see--where is it? -Somewhere in South America, isn’t it?” - -“No; I believe it’s in Asia,” returned the Colonel, gravely. “And that -is a long distance to journey alone.” - -“Why, bless your soul! I’ll go with you,” declared Dr. Warner, -cheerfully. “I’ve intended to do a bit of travelling myself, as soon as -I got around to it; and Baluchistan has a fine climate, I’m sure.” - -“No one seems to know much about it,” answered the Colonel. - -“All the better! Why, we’ll be explorers. We’ll find out all about -Darkest Baluchistan, and perhaps write a book on our discoveries. We’ll -combine business and pleasure. I’m in the Syndicate. Have me appointed -as your second on the Commission, and the Syndicate shall pay our -expenses.” - -So the plans were made, and afterward amplified to include the Colonel’s -son, Mr. Allison Moore, as official surveyor. Not that Allison Moore was -an especially practical or proficient man in his profession--indeed, the -directors feared just the contrary was true--but this was going to be a -sort of family party, and the Colonel was a person absolutely to be -depended upon. He was willing to vouch for his son, and that settled -the matter. - -In fact, the Colonel was glad to have Allison with him on this trip. -Glad to have the young man under his eye, for one thing, and glad of an -opportunity to advance his son professionally. For Allison seemed to -have some difficulty in getting the right sort of a start, even though -he had spent years in making the attempt. - -At first the young man declined to go to Baluchistan, and there were -angry words between father and son. But Dr. Warner acted as peacemaker -and Allison finally consented to go provided his father would pay -certain debts he had accumulated and make him an allowance in addition -to his salary from the syndicate. It was the first salary he had ever -received, and although the syndicate thought it liberal enough, it -seemed absurdly small to a gentleman of Allison’s requirements. - -All this having been pleasantly settled, the doctor proposed taking -along his daughter Bessie, who had been pleading to go ever since the -trip was suggested. - -At first the Colonel demurred. - -“It’s a business expedition,” said he. - -“Business and pleasure,” amended the doctor, promptly. - -“And I don’t know what sort of country we’re going to. It may not be -pleasant for ladies.” - -“We’ll make it pleasant for them. Better take Janet with you, Colonel, -and we’ll induce Aunt Lucy to go along as chaperon.” - -“She wouldn’t consider such a trip an instant.” - -“Who wouldn’t?” - -“Janet.” - -“Ask her about it.” - -So the Colonel mentioned it at dinner, in a casual way, and Miss Janet -Moore at first opened her beautiful dark eyes in surprise, then -considered the matter silently for a half hour, and at dessert decided -she would go. - -The Colonel was pleased. It was difficult to interest Janet in anything, -and if the Baluchistan trip would draw her out of her dreamy lassitude -and awaken in her something of her old bright self, why, the syndicate -be thanked for conceiving the idea of a Commission! - -The old gentleman tolerated his son as a cross to be borne with -Christian resignation: he was devoted to his beautiful daughter. - -Janet Moore in face and form represented that type of American girl -which has come to be acknowledged in all countries the ideal of womanly -grace and loveliness. The delicate contour of her features did not -destroy nor even abate their unmistakable strength and dignity. The -well-opened eyes were clear as a mountain pool, yet penetrating and -often discomfiting in their steadiness; the mouth was wide, yet sweet -and essentially feminine; the chin, held high and firm, was alluringly -curved and dimpled, displaying beneath it a throat so rarely perfect -that only in the Sicilian Aphrodite has sculptor ever equalled it. Her -head was poised in queenly fashion upon a form so lithe and rounded that -Diana might well have envied it, and while Janet’s expression at all -times bore a trace of sadness, a half smile always lingered upon her -lips--a smile so pathetic in its appeal that one who loved her would be -far less sympathetically affected by a flood of tears. The girl had -suffered a terrible disappointment seven years before. The man she loved -had been proven an arrant scoundrel. He had forged her father’s name; -been guilty of crime and ingratitude; worse than all else, he had run -away to escape punishment. It had been clearly proven against Herbert -Osborne, yet Janet, by a strange caprice, would never accept the proof. -She had a distinctly feminine idea that in spite of everything Herbert -was incapable of crime or any sort of dishonesty. And, knowing full well -that she stood alone in her belief, the girl proudly suffered in -silence. - -There was more to Janet’s old romance than anyone ever dreamed; but -whatever the girl’s secret might be, she kept all details safely locked -within her own bosom. - -The Colonel was surprised that his daughter should so readily agree to -undertake a tedious and perhaps uninteresting journey to a far-away -country; but he was nevertheless delighted. The change would assuredly -do her good, and Bessie Warner was just the jolly companion she needed -to waken her into new life. - -So the doctor was informed that the two girls would accompany the -Commission, and Bessie at once set out to interview her Aunt Lucy and -persuade that very accommodating lady to go with them as chaperon. Aunt -Lucy was without a single tie to keep her in New York, and she was so -accustomed to being dragged here and there by her energetic niece that -she never stopped to enquire where Baluchistan was or how they were -expected to get there. In her mild and pleasant little voice she -remarked: - -“Very well, dear. When do we start?” - -“Oh, I’ll send you word, auntie. And thank you very much for being so -nice.” - -“We’ll be back by Thanksgiving, I suppose?” - -“I hardly know, dear. It’s a business trip of papa’s, and of course the -length of our stay depends entirely upon him and the Colonel, who is -some way interested in the matter. By the way, it’s called a Commission, -and we’ll be very important travellers, I assure you! Good bye, auntie, -dear!” - -Then she hurried away; for that suggestion of returning by Thanksgiving -day, scarcely a month distant, showed her how little Aunt Lucy really -knew of the far journey she had so recklessly undertaken. - -So this was the personnel of the famous Commission that was to invade -Baluchistan and secure from the Khan of Mekran a right of way for a -railroad through the Alexandrian Pass: Col. Piedmont Moore, Chief; Dr. -Luther Warner, Assistant; Allison Moore, Civil Engineer; Janet Moore and -Bessie Warner, chaperoned by Mrs. Lucy Higgins, Accessories and -Appendages. - -The Commission crossed the ocean in safety; it reached London without -incident worthy of record, and there the Chief endeavored to secure some -definite knowledge of Baluchistan. - -Not until he had presented the British minister’s letter to Lord Marvale -did the Colonel meet with any good fortune in his quest. Then the -atmosphere of doubt and uncertainty suddenly cleared, for a real Baluch -of Baluchistan was then in London and could be secured to pilot the -Americans to their destination. - -To be sure this native--Kasam Ullah Raab by name--was uncommunicative at -first regarding the character of the Khan of Mekran or the probability -of the Syndicate’s being able to negotiate for a right of way through -his country; and, indeed, the Baluch could be induced to commit himself -neither to criticism nor encouragement of the plan. But, after all, it -was not to be supposed that much information of value could be secured -from a mere guide. The main point to be considered just then was how to -journey to Mekran with comfort and despatch, and incidentally the -accomplishments and attainments of the guide himself. - -Kasam’s charming manners and frank, handsome countenance soon won the -confidence of the entire party. Even Allison Moore did not withhold his -admiration for the “gentlemanly barbarian,” as Aunt Lucy called him, -and the young ladies felt entirely at ease in his company. - -“Really,” said Bessie, “our Kasam is quite a superior personage, for a -guide.” - -And the prince overheard the remark and smiled. - -During the journey the guide proved very thoughtful and gallant toward -the young ladies, and with the friendly familiarity common to Americans -they made Kasam one of themselves and treated him with frank -consideration. It was perhaps natural that the prince should respond by -openly confiding to them his rank and ambition, thus explaining his -reason for journeying with them in the humble capacity of guide. Before -they had reached Quettah the entire party knew every detail of Kasam’s -history, and canvassed his prospect of becoming khan as eagerly as they -did the details of their own vast enterprise. Indeed, the Colonel was -quick to recognize the advantage the Commission would acquire by being -on friendly terms with the future Khan of Mekran, and since Burah Khan -was old and suffered from many wounds received in many battles, the -chances were strongly in favor of the young prince being soon called to -the throne. - -“My uncle is vizier to the usurper,” said Kasam, “and I will secure, -through him, an interview for you with Burah Khan. Also my uncle shall -extend to your party his good offices. He is the leader of the party -which is plotting to restore to me the throne of my ancestors, and is -therefore entirely devoted to my interests. Of course you will -understand that I dare not publicly announce my presence in Mekran; -therefore I will guide you as a hired servant, and so escape notice. -Only my uncle Agahr and two of the sirdars--or leaders of the -tribes--are acquainted with my person or know who I really am. But the -spies of the Khan are everywhere, as I have discovered during my former -secret visits to Mekran, and it is best for me to avoid them at this -juncture.” - -All this was intensely interesting to every member of the Commission, -and it is no wonder Bessie smiled upon the handsome guide who possessed -so romantic a story. But Bessie’s brightest smiles seemed less desirable -to Kasam than one sympathetic look from Janet’s Moore’s serious dark -eyes. - -The evident adoration with which the “foreign prince,” as she called -him, came to regard Miss Moore was a source of much uneasiness to Aunt -Lucy; but Janet did not seem to notice it, and the young man was ever -most humble and discreet while in her presence. In fact, there was -nothing in the prince’s behavior that the gentle old lady might complain -of openly. Yet she had her own suspicions, clinched by experienced -observation, of the foreigner’s intentions, and determined to keep a -sharp lookout in the interests of her charge. Soon they would enter a -barbarous country where this handsome prince would be more powerful than -the great Commission itself. And then? - -At Quettah they secured camels and formed a caravan to cross the corner -of the Gedrasian Desert and so journey on to Mekran; but there was more -or less grumbling when this necessity was disclosed. Allison Moore, who -had behaved fairly well so far, flatly declined to go further toward the -wild and unknown country they had come so far to visit. The inn at -Quettah was fairly good. He would stay there. Vainly his father stormed -and argued, alternately; he even threatened to cut his son off with a -dime--the nearest approach to the legendary shilling he could think of; -but Allison proved stubborn. Having once declared his intention, he -answered nothing to the demands of his father or the pleadings of Dr. -Warner. He smoked his pipe, stared straight ahead and would not budge an -inch from Quettah. - -“I’ll wait here till you come back,” he said, sullenly. “If you ever -do.” - -This was the first disagreeable incident of the journey. Even Bessie was -depressed by Allison’s inference that they were involved in a dangerous -enterprise. As for Aunt Lucy, she suddenly conceived an idea that the -band of Afghans Kasam had employed to accompany the caravan were nothing -more than desperate bandits, who would carry the Commission into the -mountains and either murder every individual outright or hold them for -an impossible ransom. - -Kasam’s earnest protestations finally disabused the minds of the ladies -of all impressions of danger. It was true that in Baluchistan they might -meet with lawless bands of Baluchi; but their caravan was too well -guarded to be interfered with. They were supplied with fleet saddle -horses and fleeter dromedaries; the twenty Afghans were bold and -fearless and would fight for them unto death. Really, they had nothing -at all to fear. - -So at last they started, an imposing cavalcade, for the Khan’s -dominions, leaving Allison in the doorway of the inn smoking his -everlasting pipe and staring sullenly after them. The ladies rode -dromedaries, and found them less uncomfortable than they had at first -feared they would be. The Colonel did not seem to mind his son’s -desertion, for Kasam had whispered in his ear an amusing plan to conquer -the young surveyor’s obstinacy. - -An hour later one of the prince’s Afghans, selected because he spoke -the English language, returned from the caravan to warn Allison that he -was in grave danger. The night before a plot had been overheard to -murder and rob the young man as soon as his friends had departed. - -“If you shoot well and are quick with the knife,” added the Afghan, -coolly, “you may succeed in preserving your life till our return. His -Highness the Prince sent me to advise you to fight to the last, for -these scoundrels of Quettah have no mercy on foreigners.” - -Then Allison stared again, rather blankly this time, and the next moment -requested the Afghan to secure him a horse. - -Kasam was assuring the Colonel for the twentieth time that his son would -soon rejoin them when Allison and the Afghan rode up at a gallop and -attached themselves without a word to the cavalcade. And the Colonel was -undecided whether most to commend the guide’s cunning or his son’s -cautiousness. - -This portion of their journey was greatly enjoyed by all members of the -party. The doctor declared he felt more than ever like an explorer, and -the Colonel silently speculated on all that might be gained by opening -this unknown territory to the world by means of the railway. The -distinct novelty of their present mode of progression was delightful to -the ladies, and Aunt Lucy decided she much preferred a camel to an -automobile. Even Janet’s pale cheeks gathered a tint from the desert -air, and despite the uncertainties of their pilgrimage the entire party -retained to a wonderful degree their cheerfulness and good nature. - -At the end of four days they halted in a small village where Kasam -intended them to rest while he alone went forward to Mekran to obtain -their passports. For they were now upon the edge of the Khan’s -dominions, and without Burah’s protection the party was liable to -interference by some wandering tribe of Baluchi. - -The accommodations they were able to secure in this unfrequented village -were none of the best, and Allison began to grumble anew, thereby -bringing upon himself a stern rebuke from the guide, who frankly -informed the young man that he was making his friends uncomfortable when -nothing could be gained by protesting. - -“You cannot go back, and you dare not go forward without passports,” -said Kasam. “Therefore, if you possess any gentlemanly instincts at all, -you will endeavor to encourage the ladies and your father, instead of -adding to their annoyance. When one travels, one must be a philosopher.” - -“You are impertinent,” returned Allison, scowling. - -“If I yielded to my earnest desire,” said the prince, “I would ask my -men to flog you into a decent frame of mind. If I find, when I return, -that you have been disagreeable, perhaps I shall punish you in that way. -It may be well for you to remember that we are no longer in Europe.” - -The young man made no reply, but Kasam remembered the vengeful look that -flashed from his eyes. - -Heretofore the prince had worn the European frock coat; now he assumed -the white burnous of his countrymen. When he came to bid adieu to his -employers before starting for Mekran, Bessie declared that their guide -looked more handsome and distinguished than ever--“just like that famous -picture of the Son of the Desert, you know.” - -Kasam was about to mount his horse--a splendid Arabian he had purchased -in the village--when a tall Baluch who was riding by cast a shrewd -glance into the young man’s face, sharply reined in his stallion, and -placed a thumb against his forehead, bowing low. - -Kasam’s brown face went ashen grey. He gazed steadily into the -stranger’s eyes. - -“You are bound for Mekran, my prince?” asked the tall Baluch, in the -native tongue. - -“I ride at once.” - -“Make all haste possible. Burah Khan is dying.” - -“Dying? Blessed Allah!” cried Kasam, striking his forehead in despair. -“Burah Khan dying, and our plans still incomplete! I have waited too -long.” - -“Perhaps not,” retorted the other, significantly. “It is a lingering -disease, and you may yet get to Mekran in time.” - -“In time? In time for what?” asked Kasam. - -“To strike!” - -Kasam stared at him. The tall Baluch smiled and shook the rein over his -horse’s ears. - -“I am of the tribe of Raab, my prince. May Allah guide you to success.” - -Kasam did not reply. His head rested against the arched neck of his -horse, and his form shook with a slight nervous tremor. But next moment -he stood erect. The dazed look inspired by the bitter news he had heard -was giving way to his old eager, cheery expression. - -“All is not lost!” he said, speaking aloud. “Fate knocks, and I will -throw open the door. Allah grant that Burah Khan lives until I reach -Mekran!” - -He sprang to the saddle, put spurs to his steed and dashed away at full -speed into the desert. - -“I hope,” said the Colonel, looking after him anxiously, “that nothing -has gone wrong.” - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE PERSIAN PHYSICIAN - - -Burah Khan, known as the Lion of Mekran, Headsman of the Nine Tribes of -Baluchi and Defender of the Faith, was, without doubt, a very sick man. - -He lay upon a divan in the courtyard of his palace, propped with silken -cushions redolent of the odors of musk. The waters of the fountain that -splashed at his side were also scented with musk, and the heavy and -stifling perfume permeated the entire atmosphere of the court. At the -head of the divan sat a girl, indolently waving a fan above the head of -the Khan. Not far from his feet a white-bearded man squatted upon a rug -and eyed the sick one with curious intentness. This was Agahr, the -vizier. Behind him sat a group of officers and sirdars, silently -watching the scene. - -Burah Khan, despite his sad condition, was fully clothed in his -customary regalia. He wore a waistcoat of dingy white plush upon which -were sewn enough rubies to have ransomed a kingdom. His yellow satin -trousers were soiled and crumpled. The long outer robe was of faded -rose-color and had nine stars, formed of clustered diamonds, down the -front. The deep collar was stiff with masses of the same precious gems. -The entire dress seemed as tawdry as a circus costume at the end of the -season; but it was of enormous value, and the Khan, with oriental love -of magnificence, clung to it even as he lay upon his death-bed. - -He was a notable character, this Burah Khan, son of the terrible Keedar -Khan who had conquered all of Baluchistan and ruled it with a rod of -iron. Burah had inherited with the throne the fierce hatred with which -his father was ever regarded; yet he had not only held every province -secure, but had won the respect and fear of all his people. The thirty -years of his rule had not been void of wars and bloodshed, yet at the -head of his nine Baluch tribes the Khan had swept aside all opposition -and won for himself the title of “The Lion of Mekran,” Mekran being his -dwelling-place when not in the saddle. - -Today, gaunt and haggard, he lay gasping upon his divan. His fingers -opened and closed convulsively in the meshes of his iron-gray beard; his -drooping eyelids were sunk in deep sockets. The pallor of death showed -through his swarthy skin. To Agahr and the silent group behind him it -seemed that the Khan was conquered at last. - -The sick one moved restlessly and raised his hand. - -“Has--has--he come?” he asked, speaking the words with much difficulty. - -Agahr leaned forward, without rising, and answered his master with -composure: - -“Not yet, lord.” - -It was a question often repeated and as often answered with the same -words. - -A moan came from the Khan. The vizier noted the patient’s restlessness -and made a sign with his hand. At once the curtains of the rear entrance -were swept aside and a troop of girls entered. They were robed in -white; vines of the mountain iral were twined in their hair; in their -hands were bellalas. The girls danced. A tall Arab with immense hoops of -gold in his ears beat a tambo to mark the time, and the bellalas chimed -a tinkling chorus. - -The eyes of the Khan never opened, but he made an impatient gesture and -moaned again. The intent Agahr noted this and at his command the noise -of the tambo ceased and the girls withdrew. Evidently the Khan could no -longer be amused in this fashion. - -For a brief space of time the courtyard again became silent. Then, so -suddenly that a thrill crept over the watchers, a tall imposing figure -glided to the side of the divan and cast a shadow over the face of the -sick man. - -Burah Khan moved, opened his eyes and fixed his gaze eagerly upon the -new arrival. The vizier arose quickly and approached the couch, bowing -low and looking into the calm countenance of the stranger with -undisguised anxiety. The group of minor officials also looked their -interest, and the girl forgot to wave her fan while she examined the -person of the man so long awaited. - -“The great physician is here, my master,” whispered the vizier. But -Burah Khan did not heed him. An expression of relief had come to his -pinched features, and his eyes were fixed earnestly upon the face bent -above him, as if he would read his fate in the countenance of the famous -Persian who had been brought all the way from Kelat to minister to his -imperative needs. - -The physician raised the sick man’s eyelids and glanced beneath them. He -placed his right hand under the Khan’s head and at the same time pressed -an ear to his chest. It seemed enough. He stood erect, with folded arms, -bending a searching yet kindly gaze upon the face upturned to his. - -“Tell me!” pleaded the Khan, feebly. - -The Persian gave a quick glance around. Then he answered: - -“They listen.” - -“Let them hear,” said the Khan, raising himself with an effort upon his -elbow. “They--are all--friends.” - -A queer look came over the stranger’s face. But he said, in a calm -voice: - -“The sickness is fatal. You will die.” - -For a moment the Lion of Mekran returned the other’s gaze steadily. Then -he lay back upon his pillows and sighed. - -Agahr, who eyed his master as if fascinated, heaved an echoing sigh, and -the group of officials exchanged looks of consternation. - -“When?” asked the Khan, his voice now strong and clear, his eyes on the -impassive face before him. - -“A day--an hour,” replied the Persian, slowly. “It is Death’s secret.” - -For a few moments the silence was unbroken save for the splash of the -fountain as its perfumed spray fell into the marble basin. Then the Khan -again aroused himself. - -“Can you hold Death at bay--for a time?” he asked. - -“How long?” - -“Speak, Agahr!” turning to his vizier. “How long to get my son here--to -assemble the Sirdars of the Nine Tribes?” - -Agahr was trembling visibly. He clasped and unclasped his thin hands -nervously and glanced first at his master and then at the physician. - -“Speak!” said the latter, sternly. - -“To the monastery of Takkatu is three days’ journey--three days, at -least,” he said, hesitatingly. “And for Prince Ahmed to return will -require three more. Seven days--a week--with fast riding.” - -“Then,” said the Khan, calmly, “they must ride fast.” He turned to the -Persian. “Can you fight Death so long?” - -The Persian nodded. The pluck of Burah Khan aroused his admiration. - -“I will fight Death so long,” said he, gravely. - -“And the sirdars?” asked the sick man, once more turning to his vizier. - -“They can be assembled in five days,” answered Agahr, after a moment’s -reflection. “Three are already here.” - -“Good!” declared the Khan. “Let Dirrag ride within the hour.” - -“For the sirdars?” - -“For Ahmed.” - -He fell back again, and a man rose from the group behind Agahr and with -an obeisance toward the divan glided swiftly from the courtyard. - -The physician, noting the action, turned to the vizier. - -“Dirrag?” he enquired. - -“Dirrag,” responded the other, mechanically. - -The Persian gave his patient a sharp scrutiny, and drawing a phial from -his bosom placed it to the now colorless lips of the Khan. - -“Clear the place,” he commanded Agahr, and without awaiting a response -himself stepped quickly through the outer arch. - -Outside Dirrag was mounting a strong Arabian mare. The Persian arrested -him with a gesture. - -“The Prince must be here in six days,” he said, in a low but commanding -voice. “Six days, or--” - -“I understand,” said Dirrag, and put spurs to the mare. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE DAUGHTER OF THE VIZIER - - -Upon a stone gallery overlooking the courtyard of a handsome dwelling -not far from the palace of the khan reclined a girl, beautiful with that -mysterious Eastern beauty that has been for ages the despair of poets -and artists and which attains its full charm only in the Orient. She was -scarcely seventeen years of age, yet her rounded outlines, her graceful -poise, her sedate demeanor, all proclaimed her a maiden on the verge of -womanhood. Her eyes, round and soft as those of a fawn, were absolutely -inscrutable; her features in repose held the immutable expression of the -Sphynx. When she smiled sunbeams danced in her eyes and a girlish dimple -showed in her chin. But she rarely smiled. The composed, serious, -languorous expression dominated her exquisite face. - -The girl was richly dressed. Her silken gown was of finest texture; -pearls of rare size were twined in her dark hair; a golden serpent whose -every scale was a lustrous diamond spanned her waist; upon her breast -glittered a solitary blood-red ruby of historic fame, known in song and -story for generations. - -For this maiden was Maie, only daughter of Agahr, Grand Vizier to the -Lion of Mekran and to his father before him--the terrible Keedar Khan. - -Next to Burah himself in rank, virtually directing all the civic affairs -of the nation, responsible to none save his stern master, Agahr was -indeed a personage of vast importance in the realm. The sirdars of the -nine fighting tribes of Baluchi, the main support of the Khan, might -look upon the vizier scornfully; but they obeyed his laws and avoided -any interference with his civic functions. - -Maie was the daughter of Agahr’s old age, his only companion and his -constant delight. To her he confided many of the problems that from time -to time confronted him, and often a quiet word from the girl’s lips -showed him the matter in a new light and guided him in his actions. The -old man had discovered a store of common sense in the dainty head of his -daughter; the inscrutable velvet eyes were wells of wisdom from which he -drew solace and counsel in all difficulties. - -On the evening of this eventful day came Agahr to the gallery where his -daughter reclined. And as he sat beside her she turned her eyes upon his -face and seemed to read it clearly. - -“The Khan is worse,” said she, quietly. - -“He is dying,” answered the vizier. “The Persian physician has come from -Kelat, and he says there is no hope.” - -“We shall be making history soon,” remarked the girl, in soft tones. -“The Khan will pass away, and Kasam is here.” - -The vizier moved uneasily on his seat. - -“Kasam is here; yes,” said he. “But no one knows the secret save us. No -one knows who our Kasam is.” - -“They will know soon,” returned the girl in a calm, expressionless -voice. “Our cousin Kasam is rightful heir to the throne--when the -Lion’s eyes are closed in death.” - -“You forget that Burah Khan has also a son,” said the old man, harshly. -“Even now Dirrag is riding full speed to the Sunnite monastery at -Takkatu to bring hither the Prince Ahmed.” - -“That he may be acknowledged successor to the throne by the assembled -sirdars of the Nine Tribes?” - -“Yes.” - -“But the Khan is dying. The Prince cannot arrive in time.” - -“Perhaps not. Yet that accursed Persian has promised to prolong the -Khan’s life for seven days. If he succeeds--” - -The girl bent forward suddenly. - -“He must not succeed!” she exclaimed, in a clear voice. - -Agahr shrank from the intentness of her gaze. - -“Hear me!” she continued. “Kasam is our kinsman; the throne is his by -right. Most of our citizens and many of the members of the Nine Tribes -secretly favor his claim. A crisis approaches, and we must take -advantage of it. The Lion of Mekran must not live seven days. If his son -Ahmed, who has been secluded for twenty years in a monastery, and is -said to be devoted to Allah, is not here to be recognized as the -successor to the throne, the people will acclaim Kasam their khan. It is -all very simple, my father. The Lion of Mekran must not live seven -days!” - -“What, plotting again, cousin?” cried a cheery voice behind them. Agahr -gave a sudden start and wheeled around with a frown, meeting the smiling -face of Prince Kasam, but the girl moved not even an eyelid. - -“Pardon me, uncle, for startling you,” said the young man, coming -forward and taking a seat beside the vizier. “I arrived in time to hear -cousin Maie doom Burah Kahn to an early death, as if the dark angel -fought on our side. What a wonderful little conspirator you are, my -Maie!” - -She looked into his face thoughtfully not caring to acknowledge the -compliment of his words or the ardor of his gaze. But Agahr said, -gruffly: - -“The conspiracies of women cost many men their heads.” - -“Very true, uncle,” replied Kasam, becoming grave. “But we are in sore -straights, and a little plotting may not come amiss. If the son of the -old Lion--who, by the way, is also my cousin--is acknowledged by the -sirdars, he is liable to make a change in his officers. We may lose our -vizier, and with the office more than half our power with the people. In -that event I can never become kahn.” - -“The son of Burah must be a weakling and a dreamer,” said the girl, -thoughtfully. “What can be expected of one who for twenty years has -associated with monks and priests?” - -“Twenty years?” exclaimed Kasam; “then my cousin Ahmed must be nearly -thirty years of age.” - -“And a recluse,” added Maie, quietly. “You, Prince, are not yet -twenty-five, and you have lived in the world. We need not, I am sure, -fear the gentle son of Burah--even though he be acknowledged by his -father and the sirdars of the tribes.” - -“Which will surely happen if the Khan lives seven days. Is it not so? -But if Allah calls him sooner, and my friends are loyal--why, then, I -may become khan myself, and much trouble spared. The English have an -injunction to ‘strike while the iron is hot.’ We may safely apply it to -ourselves.” - -Maie glanced at her father, and there was a glint of triumph in the dark -eyes. - -“It is what I have said,” she murmured. “The Lion of Mekran must not -live seven days.” - -“Do you know, fair one,” remarked Kasam, lightly, “that only yesterday I -bewailed the approaching fate of the usurper, and longed to have him -live until we could secure England’s support?” - -“England!” she cried, scornfully. “What is that far-away nation to our -Baluchistan? It is _here_ that history will be made.” - -Kasam laughed merrily. - -“What a logical little head you have, cousin!” he answered, laying his -hand upon her own, caressingly. “To us, indeed, Baluchistan is the -world. And England’s help is far away from us in this crisis. Tell me, -Maie, what is your counsel?” - -“It is your duty, Prince, to prevent Burah Khan from living until his -son arrives to be acknowledged his successor.” - -Kasam’s face became suddenly grave. - -“_My_ duty, cousin?” he replied. “It is no man’s duty to murder, even to -become khan. But perhaps I misunderstood your words. I am practically a -stranger in my own land, and can do little to further my own interests, -which naturally include the interests of my friends. If Burah Khan fails -to live until his son’s arrival it will be through the will of Allah, -and by no act of mine.” - -“You are a coward,” said the girl, scornfully. - -“Yes,” he answered, coldly; “I am afraid to become a murderer.” - -“Peace, both of you!” commanded the vizier, angrily. “You are like a -pair of children. Do you think that I, who have been Burah’s faithful -officer for thirty years, would countenance treachery or foul play while -he lies upon his death-bed? I long to see Prince Kasam seated upon the -throne, but it must be through honest diplomacy, and by no assassin’s -stroke.” - -“Right, my uncle!” cried Kasam, seizing the vizier’s hand in a hearty -clasp. “Otherwise, were I khan, you should be no officer of mine.” - -Agahr and his daughter exchanged a quick glance, and the girl said, -languidly: - -“I was doubtless wrong, urged on by the intensity of my feeling and my -loyalty to the Tribe of Raab. But a woman’s way is, I think, more direct -and effective than a man’s.” - -“Even if less honest, cousin?” retorted the young man, playfully -pinching her cheek. “Let us bide our time and trust to the will of -Allah. This evening I must set out on my return to Quanam. What answer -shall I take to my foreign friends who await me?” - -“Tell me, Kasam; why do they wish to cross our territory--to visit our -villages and spy upon our people?” asked Agahr suspiciously. - -“It is as I told you, my uncle. They are people of great wealth, from -the far western country of America, and it is their custom to penetrate -to every part of the world and lay rails of iron over which chariots may -swiftly speed. We have no such rails in Baluchistan.” - -“Nor do we desire them,” returned the vizier, brusquely. - -“But they would bring to us all the merchandise of that wonderful -western world. They would bring us wealth in exchange for our own -products,” said Kasam, eagerly. - -“And they would bring hundreds of infidels to trick and rob us. I know -of these railways,” declared the vizier. - -“I also,” answered Kasam, lightly. “I have been educated in Europe, and -know well the benefits of western civilization.” - -“But the Baluchi do not. Our own high and advanced civilization is -enough for us.” - -The young man smiled. - -“It is not worth an argument now,” he remarked. “The present mission of -this party of infidels is to examine our country and consider whether a -railway across it would be profitable. All that I now require is a -passport and safe conduct for them. It will benefit our cause, as well, -for only as the guide to these foreigners dared I return to my native -land. If I am permitted to depart tonight with the passport I can easily -return in time for the crisis that approaches. Then perhaps our American -friends will be of service to us, for no one will suspect their guide of -being the exiled heir to the throne.” - -The vizier hesitated. - -“But the railway--” - -“Bother the railway!” interrupted Kasam, impatiently. “That is a matter -of the future, a matter for the new khan and his vizier to decide upon, -whoever they may chance to be.” - -“Here is the passport,” said Agahr, reluctantly drawing a parchment from -his breast. “Burah Khan was too sick to be bothered with the request of -the infidels, so I made out the paper and signed it by virtue of my -office.” - -“Ah, and affixed the great seal, I perceive,” added Kasam, taking the -document. “I thank you, uncle Agahr. We shall get along famously -together--when I am khan.” - -He bade them adieu the next moment, embracing the vizier and kissing his -cousin’s hand with a gallantry that brought a slight flush to the girl’s -cheeks. And soon they heard the quick beat of his horse’s hoofs as he -rode away. - -Maie and her father looked into each other’s eyes. Presently the old man -spoke, slowly and thoughtfully. - -“You will share his throne, my child.” - -The girl nodded and fanned herself. - -“The life in Europe has made Kasam foolish,” said she. Then, leaning -forward and regarding the vizier earnestly, she added in a whisper: - -“Nevertheless, Burah Khan must not live seven days!” - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE PERIL OF BURAH KHAN - - -Three days had passed. The khan remained sunk in a stupor caused by the -medicines administered by the Persian physician, who hovered constantly -around the bedside of his patient. Burah now lay in a well aired, high -vaulted chamber. The musk-scented cushions had been ostracised, the -dancing girls dismissed. Quiet reigned throughout the vast palace. - -Occasionally Agahr would thrust his head through the curtains draping -the entrance, as if seeking to know that all was well; but the Persian -merely gave him a reassuring nod and motioned him away. - -This summary banishment did not please the vizier. His daughter had -assisted him in forming several plans of great political import, and the -conduct of the foreign physician prevented their being carried to a -successful issue. - -Thus Agahr, appearing again at the entrance, beckoned with imperative -gesture the Persian to join him; and, after a careful inspection of his -patient, lying peaceful and unconscious, the physician obeyed. - -Together they paced up and down the deserted marble passage, the -Persian’s quick eye never leaving the entrance to the khan’s chamber, -while Agahr plied him with eager questions concerning his master’s -condition. - -“He will live until his son, the Prince Ahmed, arrives,” said the other, -calmly. “He will remain unconscious, but he will live.” - -“And then?” asked the vizier, anxiously. - -“Then I will awaken him. He will have full command of all his faculties -for a brief period--and then he will pass away quickly.” - -Agahr sighed. - -“Is it not possible for him to pass away during this stupor?” he -enquired. - -“Yes, it is possible,” answered the Persian. “But I believe I can -prevent that. My task requires constant vigilance: that is why I dare -not leave the Khan’s chamber.” - -“I will send a man to relieve you,” said the vizier. “You can instruct -him in his duties and he will be faithful.” - -“No,” returned the Persian. - -An awkward silence followed. Then Agahr stopped suddenly and said: - -“I will be frank with you. The son of Burah Khan is not the rightful -heir to the throne of Mekran. It is the exiled Prince Kasam, from whose -grandsire Keedar Khan by right of sword wrested all Baluchistan. -Therefore it is best for the country that Burah does not live until his -son arrives.” - -He paused, wiping the perspiration from his brow and glancing half -fearfully into the grave face of the physician. The latter nodded. - -“I understand,” said he. - -Agahr became reassured. - -“The ancestors of Prince Kasam,” he continued, earnestly, “ruled the -land for nine generations. Then the Baluchi rebelled and put their -Headsman, the fierce Keedar Khan, upon the throne his own brother was -forced to vacate. I being at the time vizier, remained Keedar’s vizier, -as I have remained vizier to his son. By means of wars and bloodshed -these terrible men have for forty-six years dominated all Baluchistan. -It is now time, in the interest of justice and humanity, that the -rightful heir should recover the throne.” - -“Did not Prince Kasam’s ancestors conquer this country with the aid of -the Afghans, and put to death every member of the then reigning family?” -asked the Persian. - -“It is a matter of history,” said Agahr, proudly. “They were my -ancestors, these bold conquerors, as well as the ancestors of Prince -Kasam.” - -“Yet Keedar Khan made you his vizier, and his son retained you?” - -“Yes; and I have been faithful.” - -“But now, it seems to me, you are speaking treason,” said the physician. - -“Not so,” declared the vizier, indignantly. “Burah Khan, by your own -showing, is virtually dead at this moment. I owe no allegiance to his -son, whom I have never seen.” - -“How is that?” asked the physician, in surprise. - -“When Ahmed was a child his father, fearing a revolt and that his boy -might fall by an assassin’s knife, placed him in the Sunnite monastery -at Takkatu for safe keeping. There he has remained ever since. It will -be necessary for Burah Khan to officially acknowledge him before the -chiefs of the Nine Tribes and to appoint him his own successor, before -Ahmed can legally occupy the throne. If this is not done the people, who -are weary of the rule of these tyrants, will acclaim Kasam as khan.” - -“But Prince Ahmed will arrive, and be acknowledged. Burah Khan has so -willed it, and he is still the master.” - -Agahr faced the Persian with an angry frown. - -“Do you refuse to assist us?” he asked, sharply. - -“I refuse to betray the man whose life I have promised to preserve -until his son arrives,” declared the physician. - -“But you are a stranger--a Persian.” - -“Even so.” - -“And you expect a reward, or you would not have hastened to Mekran when -summoned by the Khan. Name your price. I will double it, and you shall -depart this very night.” - -The Persian smiled. - -“Here, and throughout the world,” said he, “the strongest argument is -the clink of gold. Listen well, your Excellency. I have promised Burah -Khan life for seven days. I shall keep my promise. Then, if the Prince -does not come, I can do no more.” - -The vizier started. - -“If the Prince does not come?” he repeated, thoughtfully. - -“To be sure.” - -“Ah! I had not thought of that!” exclaimed the old man. - -“It is the only thing I fear,” said the other, with exasperating -coolness; “but I rely upon Dirrag. If you are able to delay him you -will doubtless win the throne for Prince Kasam.” - -Before the mocking tones had died away the physician disappeared behind -the draperies of the khan’s chamber, and the vizier, controlling his -anger and chagrin as best he might, walked away to concoct further -plans. - -The woman who brought the Persian his evening meal became confused under -his sharp scrutiny and started to retire hurriedly. He arrested her with -a stern command, saying: - -“Sit here and taste of the dish you have brought.” - -Then she began to tremble. - -“Master, I dare not!” she wailed. - -“Very well. Take away this food and bring me eggs boiled in the shell.” - -The physician was bending over the couch of the khan when one of the -under cooks entered silently with the eggs. The man was of the Brahoe -caste, small and wiry. He placed the eggs upon the table and eyed for a -time the back of the tall Persian, who seemed intent upon his patient. -But a moment later he suddenly straightened, threw back his hand and -caught the wrist of the Brahoe in a firm grasp. - -A dagger fell upon the rug, and the man shrank back shuddering before -the gleaming eyes of the physician. - -An instant they remained motionless. Then, releasing his prisoner, the -physician picked up the dagger, placed it within his own bosom and -seated himself quietly at the table. One of the eggs he cast aside; -there was a tiny pin-hole through the shell. The others he ate with his -usual composure. As he raised a cup of water to his lips the Brahoe, who -had watched him with amazement, suddenly stretched out his hand in -warning. - -“Wait! it is poisoned,” he whispered. “I will bring you more.” - -Swiftly he glided away and presently returned with a fresh bowl of clear -water. - -The physician drank without hesitation. - -“You may go,” said he, setting down the bowl. - -“Master,” said the man, “be warned. You are surrounded by dangers. But -you are brave, and I am your servant henceforth. Eat hereafter only the -food I bring you.” - -The Persian nodded and gave the Brahoe a smile. Still the man hesitated, -peering cautiously about as if suspecting listeners. Finally he came -nearer and said in a low voice: - -“I do not know all; your foes are cunning and powerful. But the old khan -is not to live the seven days. And life is lightly esteemed in -Mekran--if it stands in the way of a purpose. Do not sleep tonight.” - -“I never sleep,” returned the Persian, looking upon the man curiously. - -Indeed, the critical condition of Burah Khan seemed to require his -constant attention. The strange physician watched the silent form -carefully throughout the night, and only once noted a slight movement of -the draperies that guarded the entrance to the chamber. - -At daybreak he drew the curtains of the windows to let in the light, and -turned about in time to dash his heel upon the head of a small but -venomous serpent that was poised to strike him with its fangs. Some one -had placed it in the room during the night--a messenger of death to -either the Khan or his physician, it mattered little which. - -The Persian stared at the writhing snake a moment and made a gesture of -impatience. - -“It is only the fourth day,” he muttered. “I wonder where Dirrag is.” - -An hour later the woman brought in his breakfast. - -“Where is the Brahoe?” he demanded, sharply. - -“He was found dead this morning,” said the woman, shuddering. “Some -enemy, it seems, strangled him while he slept.” - -The frown upon the Persian’s brow was so fierce that the woman slipped -away in terror. - -“It is only the fourth day,” he growled again, between set teeth; “but -the Khan shall live until the seventh day--unless Dirrag comes before. I -have sworn it, and, by Allah, I will keep my oath!” - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE MAN OF DESTINY - - -A young man paced with nervous strides an open gallery of the ancient -monastery of Mehmet, set high upon the mountain peak of Takkatu. He was -tall and slender, his face worn thin by fasting and endless vigils, his -shoulders stooping, his hands so emaciated that the fingers resembled -eagles’ talons. His forehead was high and protruding; his eyes bright -and glistening; but the lower part of his face, from the small, delicate -nose to the receding chin, indicated a weak and vacillating character. - -Prone upon a narrow divan against the wall reclined another man, also -young but of stalwart, rugged frame and with calm and well-fashioned -features. His pose was absolutely without motion: not even a muscle -twitched. The dark lashes lay over his closed eyes without a tremor. - -Both wore the loose yellow gowns and high turbans of the Sunnite -novitiates, but the one who paced the marble tiles had a band of white -around his flowing sleeve--an indication of his superior degree. - -Through the open peristyle came spicy breezes from near-by Araby. The -sun cast intense shadows; a mighty stillness enveloped the monastery, as -if the world slept. - -The two novitiates were not alone. On a stone bench near the outer -arches was seated an aged priest, clothed all in pure white, whose set -face and hard, unseeing eyes indicated him wholly oblivious of his -surroundings. Neither the young men seemed to consider his presence, -although from time to time the nervous pacer would cast a swift glance -in his direction. - -Suddenly the latter paused before the divan. - -“Give me your counsel, Hafiz!” said he, addressing the prostrate form. -“Tell me what I must do.” - -The man upon the divan moved and sat up, regarding the other gravely -with clear grey eyes. - -“Well?” said he. - -“Must I submit to it?” asked the other, eagerly. “Has my father the -right to make this unreasonable, unjust, shameful demand?” - -Hafiz nodded. - -“After all these years of study and research,” continued the slender -brother, with a passionate gesture, “after a life devoted to religious -concentration, to the worship of Allah and His divine manifestations on -earth; after delving far into the inner mysteries of the Faith and -seeing the day approach when I shall become of the Imaum--after this -holy life in this holy temple must I be dragged into the coarse, -material world again? Bah! it is outrageous--impossible!” - -“Yet imperative,” added the man on the divan. - -His companion had resumed his agitated walk, but suddenly paused again -and cast a frightened look at the placid countenance turned upon him. -Then the frown faded from his own brow; his eyes softened and he said, -gently: - -“Forgive me, dear Hafiz! I am beside myself with grief. Tell me what I -must do!” - -“They have sent for you?” asked Hafiz. - -“Yes. My father, the Khan, who has forgotten me since I came here, a -little child, is now dying, and he commands my presence that I may -succeed him as ruler of the tribes of Mekran.” - -“Have you known e’er this that you were Prince of Mekran?” - -“Not till this hour, when our beloved mufti revealed to me the tidings.” - -“But _he_ knew it?” said Hafiz, with a glance toward the entranced -priest by the arch. - -“Yes; he knew it, but preserved the knowledge. It seems there was reason -for this. My father’s house has powerful enemies, who would gladly have -murdered his heir in childhood. So that no one but the Khan and his -trusted vizier knew where I have been hidden all these years. And I--I -have grown to manhood with the belief that I might devote my life to -religion; yet now, when my soul craves peace and that exaltation which -is accorded only to Allah’s chosen servants, I am rudely summoned to a -life of worldly turmoil, to take part in endless political intrigues and -brutal warfares--all of which my spirit loathes.” - -“‘Tis fate, Ahmed,” said the other, thoughtfully, “and to be borne with -the resignation our creed teaches. You are of royal birth, of an ancient -line of heaven-born rulers, and you must fulfill your destiny.” - -“Ah, now you have given me my argument,” retorted Ahmed, with a quick -smile. “I am not of an ancient line of heaven-born rulers. We are -usurpers.” - -“Yes?” - -“Yes. My grandfather, according to the tale I have just heard, was a -younger brother of the reigning khan, whom he ruthlessly slew and -supplanted. By terrible and bloody wars my grandsire Keedar conquered -the tribes that were faithful to his brother’s son, and forced them to -acknowledge and obey him. A fierce man was Keedar Khan, and always more -hated than loved. But before he died all Baluchistan rendered him -homage, and his son, my father, proved as stern and warlike as his sire. -For thirty years he has ruled with an iron hand, and is today known to -the world as the Lion of Mekran.” - -“Yet he is dying?” - -“He is dying; and he sends for me, his only child, that I may be -acknowledged his successor before the assembled sirdars of the nation.” - -“You must go.” - -“Think what that means!” - -“You will be khan.” - -“Ruler of a nation of disaffected tribes, half of whom are eager to -return to the allegiance of their rightful sovereign and who have only -been held in subjection through two generations by the might of an iron -will and the right of a gleaming sword.” - -“Who is this rightful sovereign you mention?” - -“My cousin Kasam, whom I have never heard of until this day. He has -been educated in foreign lands, I am told, to guard him from my -father--as I have been reared in this holy place to prevent my being -killed by the enemies of our house.” - -“And you would reject a throne--a throne bequeathed you by a warrior -sire--because there is a pretender to the place?” asked Hafiz, with calm -features but sparkling eyes. “It was by the sword the first royal family -reigned in Mekran; it is by the sword your family reigns. Your duty is -to your own kin. Let your strong arm maintain the power your ancestors -have won and established!” - -Ahmed shrank from the flashing eyes of his friend and spread out his -palms with a deprecating gesture. - -“I am no warrior, Hafiz. I am an humble servant of Allah. In a month I -shall be Imaum!” - -Hafiz gazed upon the slender, shrinking form of the heir of Mekran with -earnestness. Truly it seemed unwise to urge the gentle devotee to -abandon the monastery for the intrigue of a palace. He sighed, this -stalwart, broad-shouldered monk of Takkatu, and reclined anew upon the -divan. - -“I wish,” he said, regretfully, “I had been born the son of your -father.” - -For a time Ahmed resumed his fretful pacing of the gallery, and no sound -but his footsteps fell upon the ears of the three. The aged priest still -sat, immobile, at his post, and the tall monk reclined as motionless -upon his divan. - -At times Ahmed would pause and wring his thin hands, murmuring: “I -cannot! I cannot leave this holy place. In a month I shall be Imaum--a -chosen comrade of the Prophet!” - -A bell, low-toned and sweet, chimed from a neighboring spire. At the -summons the priest stirred and turned himself to the east, the -involuntary action being imitated by the younger men. Then all three -cast themselves prone upon the marble floor, while a distant voice came -softly but clearly to their ears, chanting the words: “_Allah is great. -There no god but Allah. Come ye to prayer. Come ye to security!_” - -As the tones faded away Ahmed groaned, repeating the words: “Security! -come ye to security! O Allah, help me!” - -But the others remained silent and motionless for a protracted time, and -even Ahmed ceased his muttering and succumbed to the impressiveness of -the mid-day prayer. - -Finally the priest arose and made a sign. - -“Retire, my son,” said he to Ahmed, “and compose thy soul to peace. -Allah has shown me the way.” - -The young man gave a start, his features suffused with a glow of -delight, his eyes sparkling joyfully. Then he bowed low before the mufti -and left the gallery with steady steps. - -Hafiz remained, curiously regarding the aged priest, whose lean face now -wore a look of keen intelligence. He came close to the stalwart -novitiate and fixed upon him a piercing gaze. - -“Allah is above all,” he said, “and Mahomet is the Prophet of Allah. -Next to them stands the Khan--the Protector of the Faith.” - -“It is true,” answered Hafiz. - -“Prince Kasam has been educated in London. His faith, be he still true -to Mahomet, is lax. For the glory of Allah and the protection of our -order, a true believer must rule at Mekran. The son of Burah Khan must -sit in his father’s place.” - -“It is true,” said Hafiz, again. - -“Yet our beloved brother, Ahmed, is about to become of the Imaum. His -soul is with Allah. His hand is not fitted to grasp the sword. Shall we -rob the Faith of its most earnest devotee?” - -The calm grey eyes and the glittering black ones met, and a wave of -intelligence vibrated between them. - -Hafiz made no reply in words, and the priest paused in deep thought. At -length he continued. - -“For seven years, my brother, you have been one of us, and we have -learned to love you. You came among us fresh from a life tragedy. You -suffered. Allah comforted you, and within our walls you found peace. The -sun and wind kissed your cheeks and turned them brown; your strength -increased. The purity of your soul was grateful to the Prophet, and he -granted you knowledge and understanding. But you were not destined to -become a priest, my Hafiz. Allah has chosen you for a more worldly life, -wherein you may yet render Him service by becoming a bulwark of the -Faith!” - -A smile softened the stern chin of the novitiate and lent his face a -rare sweetness. - -“I understand, O Mufti,” he answered; but there was a thrill in his -voice he could not repress. - -The priest clapped his hands and an attendant entered. - -“Send to me Dirrag the messenger,” he commanded. - -No word was spoken on the gallery until the son of Ugg appeared. - -Dirrag was still white with the dust of his swift ride across the -desert. He came in with a swinging stride, glanced with a momentary -hesitation from one to the other of the two men, and then knelt humbly -before Hafiz. - -“My lord,” said he, “your father commands your presence in Mekran. We -must ride fast if you are to find him still alive.” - -“In an hour,” answered the priest, calmly, “Prince Ahmed will be in the -saddle. I commend to your wisdom and loyalty, good Dirrag, the safety of -the heir to the throne of Mekran.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -DIRRAG - - -When Burah Khan picked Dirrag of the tribe of Ugg as his messenger to -the monastery of Takkatu, he knew his man. - -Dirrag was brother to the sirdar of his tribe, and the tribe of Ugg was -Burah Khan’s tribe, prominent above all others for having furnished two -great rulers to the nation: Keedar the Great and his warrior son the -Lion of Mekran. Well might the tribe of Ugg be proud, and well might -Dirrag be faithful to his own kin. - -The messenger was thin and wiry; he was not a tall man, but neither was -Burah Khan, for that matter. Dirrag wore a black, thick beard that -covered nearly his entire face. His eyes, as they glinted through the -thicket of whisker, were keen as a ferret’s. One of his ears had been -sliced away by a cimeter; his left hand had but one finger and the -thumb remaining; his body was seared with scars on almost every inch of -its compact surface. Dirrag was no longer ornamental--if he had ever -possessed that quality--but he was an exceedingly useful man in a -skirmish and had fought for years beside Burah himself. They knew each -other. - -When Dirrag mounted his mare at the castle gates he did not hesitate as -to his direction, but sped away toward the mountains. An ordinary -messenger would have headed due east, so as to pass around the mountain -range and reach by easy ascent the height of Takkatu. But the strange -physician had told him Prince Ahmed must be at his father’s side in six -days, and Dirrag had looked into the man’s eyes. He knew that much -depended upon his promptness in fulfilling his mission, and so he rode, -straight as the bird flies, toward Mount Takkatu. - -And he rode swiftly, hour after hour, till shadows crept over the land -and night fell. He dipped the mare’s nose into two streams between then -and daybreak, but paused only during those moments. At sunrise he -dashed up to an enclosure, drew the bridle from his panting mare, threw -it over the head of a snow-white stallion corralled near by, sprang -astride the fresh animal and was off like the wind. - -A Baluch came from a stone hut, watched the cloud of dust that marked -Dirrag’s flight and then calmly proceeded to tend and groom the weary -mare the messenger had discarded. - -“Oh, ho!” he muttered, “old Burah has the death-sickness at last, and -the young prince is sent for. May Allah rest my master’s black and -scoundrelly soul!” - -He had tended the relay for years, waiting for this hour. - -Dirrag reached the monastery in the middle of the third day after -leaving Mekran. He was obliged to curb his impatience for four tedious -hours before the return journey could be begun. But the messenger was -well ahead of his time, and provided Prince Ahmed proved a good rider -would see Mekran again before the six days allotted him had sped. - -There were good horses at the ancient monastery of Mehmet. No more -famous stable existed in all Baluchistan. Dirrag glanced with pride at -their mounts as he rode away beside his kinsman the prince. Also he -noted with satisfaction the firm and graceful seat of his companion and -his evident mastery of the splendid bay stallion he bestrode. - -Therefore the warrior smiled grimly and tossed his head. - -“Six days!” he muttered. “It is too many by one.” - -A long, swift stride the slender bays struck, and they maintained it -hour after hour without seeming to tire. Dirrag was no chatterer, and -the son of the Lion of Mekran, whom the tribesman regarded admiringly -from time to time from the corner of his eye, seemed liable to prove -equally reticent. - -The warrior had never seen his master’s son before, and had shared a -common misgiving with the Baluchi concerning the monastery-bred prince. -But his doubts were more than half relieved by his first view of the -athletic form and steady poise of his kinsman. If the priests had not -spoiled him-- But, there! time would show. At present it was enough that -the heir could ride. - -Another day arrived before Dirrag was called upon to answer a single -question. In the cool hour just before the sun arose, as they slowly -rode up an incline, resting the horses for the long canter down hill, -the prince asked: - -“In what condition did you leave Burah Khan?” - -“Your father, my prince, was near his end,” he replied, slowly. “His -illness has been long and tedious, and the Persian physician who arrived -from Kelat gave him barely seven days to live. This is the fourth day.” - -“And when shall we reach Mekran?” - -“On the morning of the sixth day--with the blessing of Allah.” - -The younger man pondered the matter long. Then he said: - -“Who recommended the Persian? Were there no physicians in Mekran?” - -“Burah beheaded his own physician three weeks ago. He has executed, -altogether, five men of medicine since this illness came upon him. The -others have fled or are in hiding. As for the Persian, I am told Agahr -the Vizier would have prevented his coming; but Melka of our tribe, who -rules the khan’s harem, rode fast to Kelat, and the Persian came.” - -“Agahr. Is he not our cousin?” - -“Your uncle, lord, thrice removed. He is own cousin to Kasam the -Pretender.” - -Another period of silence, finally broken by questions as calmly and -indifferently put. - -“This Kasam the Pretender. Is he popular in Mekran?” - -“They do not know him, any more than they know yourself. He has lived in -a far country since boyhood, and is said to be still there.” - -“But he has friends--partisans?” - -Dirrag hitched uneasily in his seat. - -“There are some, even yet, who deny the right of a son of Ugg to rule. -Old Keedar did not strike softly, and the sword of Burah was ever long -and sharp. You will have enemies, my master, when you are khan.” - -“Open enemies?” - -“And secret ones. The open enemies you need not fear.” - -At noon they entered the Gedrusian Desert, the uplands being all behind -them. - -There is little danger in this tract of waste land to those familiar -with it. Numerous pools and oases sustain the traveller of experience. -Dirrag knew every inch of the desert, and as their present route was -across but one corner of it he entered fearlessly. - -Night had fallen and the moon and stars were out when they halted the -weary horses beside a pool. Ahmed dismounted and had knelt beside the -water to drink when Dirrag suddenly grasped his shoulder and threw him -forcibly backward. He arose slowly, rearranged his burnous and cast an -enquiring look at his companion. - -“The pool is poisoned,” said Dirrag. - -Bending over, he pointed to the bottom of the shallow water, where the -moon shone on several slender twigs that were covered with a pale green -bark. - -“It is from the shushalla--the snake-tree,” he said, gruffly. “A drop of -this water will bring instant death. This is very annoying. Our pools -are never poisoned without a purpose, my master. Perhaps we are -watched.” - -“I saw a rider against the horizon, as we came up,” replied Ahmed. - -He stretched his muscular arms, yawned with weariness and lay down upon -the sand, instantly becoming motionless. It was a trick of relaxation he -had learned at the Sunnite monastery. - -Dirrag looked at him approvingly. The novitiate Hafiz had cast aside his -yellow robes with his monastic name, and now wore the simple dress of a -Baluch tribesman, without ornament or jewel of any sort. The fold of his -turban, however, proclaimed him a member of the tribe of Ugg, and the -cimeter at his side--the gift of the wily priest of Mehmet--was a weapon -of rare quality, its hilt sparkling with clustered gems. Dirrag, when he -first saw it, had made humble obeisance to the cimeter. - -The former recluse also bore a short spear, with the accompanying -shield of hammered bronze, and these completed his equipment. - -Dirrag, wondering vaguely if his young master knew how to handle his -weapons, unsheathed his own blade and, squatting at the edge of the -pool, impaled the green twigs, one after another, upon its point and -drew them from the water. When all had been thus removed he buried the -deadly branches deep in the desert sands, and then reclined beside his -master. The horses sniffed eagerly at the pool, but would not drink -until they were given permission. - -Silence fell upon the group. When three hours had passed Dirrag arose, -crept to the pool and dipped his finger in the water, tasting a drop -warily. Then he leaned over and drank, somewhat sparingly, and laid -himself down again, commending his soul to Allah. - -In another hour he sprang up, alert and brisk, and touched Ahmed’s -shoulder. - -“You may drink, master,” said he. “The pool is cleansed.” - -Five minutes later, men and horses alike refreshed, they gallopped away -through the moonlight. - -The fifth day dawned--the fifth according to Dirrag’s calendar, which -dated from the moment he had left Mekran. Ahmed had been in the saddle -thirty-six hours, with brief periods of rest. Dirrag, man of iron though -he was, began to show signs of fatigue. He was used to long riding, but -now his eyelashes seemed lead and every stroke of his horse’s hoofs -sounded in his ears like the beat of a drum. - -Soon after the sun arose they discovered a group of horsemen far across -the desert, who seemed to be riding in the same direction they were. The -horsemen were mere specks upon the sands, at first, but as the hours -passed they grew larger. - -“Travellers to Mekran,” remarked Dirrag, calmly. “The sirdars have been -assembled. Doubtless it is the party of some dignitary journeying to the -death-bed of Burah Khan.” - -“How far distant is Mekran?” asked Ahmed. - -“We shall reach it, Allah willing, by another daybreak,” replied the -warrior. “It will be the morning of the sixth day. The Persian gave me -full six days. I shall save twelve hours, and twelve hours to a dying -man is a long time.” - -There was an accent of pride in his voice. Agahr had said the journey -would require seven days with fast riding. But Agahr was a townsman; how -should he know how fast the men of Ugg can ride? - -The group of horsemen drew nearer. At noon Dirrag could see them almost -plainly enough to determine what tribe they belonged to--almost, but not -quite. Shortly afterwards, however, they whirled and rode directly -toward the two travellers, and then Dirrag straightened in his saddle, -cast the sleep from his eyes and gave a low growl. - -“They are of the Tribe of Raab--a wild and rebellious band that hates -Burah and supports the cause of Kasam the Pretender.” - -“Why are they here?” asked Ahmed. - -“To prevent our reaching Mekran I suppose. They do not want the sirdars -and your father to publicly acknowledge you the successor to the -throne.” - -“Well?” - -“It was for the same reason the pool was poisoned. Treachery first; then -the sword. Can you fight, my prince?” - -“I can try,” smiled Ahmed. “We are taught the arts of warfare in the -monastery.” - -“You surprise me. I thought the priests passed their time in the worship -of Allah.” - -“And in preparing to defend the Faith, good Dirrag. Yet I do not know -how well I can wield a cimeter in actual combat. Naked steel differs -from a wooden foil. And the men of Raab outnumber us.” - -“There are a dozen of them, at least. But you and I are of the tribe of -Ugg. If we cannot win the fight we may at least honor our kinsmen by -taking three lives to our one.” - -“It is worth the trial,” returned Ahmed, cheerfully, and he drew the -cimeter from its leathern sheath and eyed the blade curiously. - -“The spear first, my lord,” said Dirrag. “After that the sword play. -These men of Raab are not skillful, but they are brave.” And he -proceeded to instruct Ahmed in the conduct of the coming encounter. - -The horsemen were now so near that their shouts could be plainly heard. -They were racing on at full speed, waving their spears in the air as -they rode. - -“See!” exclaimed Ahmed, after a glance over his shoulder. “We are being -surrounded.” - -Dirrag looked and growled again; but there was a more cheerful note to -his voice this time. - -“A caravan!” he exclaimed. “They are yet far off, but they have -dromedaries and are swiftly approaching. If we can escape the first -attack of the assassins we may be rescued yet.” - -There was no time for further words. The fierce tribesmen of Raab were -quickly upon them, and by a concerted movement Ahmed and Dirrag whirled -their horses in opposite directions, separating as they dashed away over -the sands. This was intended to cause the band to divide, a part -following each fugitive. But, to Dirrag’s annoyance, only two came after -him, yelling and shaking their spears, indeed, but seeming not over -anxious to engage him in combat, so long as he did not rejoin Ahmed. - -It was upon the young heir of Mekran that most of the Raabites hurled -themselves, circling around him at full gallop and watching a chance to -thrust a spear into his back. - -Ahmed recognized his peril. He cast his spear at one assailant, cleft -another through turban and skull with his keen cimeter, and then, with a -word to the gallant bay of Mehmet, he raised the horse high in the air -and hurled it like a catapult at the foeman who chanced to be before -him. - -Even at the moment of impact the glittering blade whistled again through -the air and the man of Raab sprawled with his horse in the desert sands, -while Ahmed’s steed broke through the circle of his foes and bounded -away to rejoin Dirrag, who was so lost in admiration of his young -master’s prowess that he hardly looked to defend himself from his own -assailants. - -“Shall we fly?” asked Ahmed. - -“It is useless,” panted Dirrag, ranging his horse beside that of his -master, so that it faced the opposite direction. “They can outrun us -easily, for our steeds are weary. But a few more strokes like those, my -prince, and the dogs will themselves take to their heels.” - -There was no indication of this at present, however. Again the enemy -with fierce determination surrounded the two, and while each guarded the -other’s back they sat side by side and gave stroke for stroke with calm -precision. - -“Hold!” cried an eager voice, sounding above the melee. - -The men of Raab, as if fearful of being robbed of their prey, made a -sudden furious dash. At the same time a pistol shot rang out and the -leader tumbled from his saddle. The Raabites were demoralized, and fell -back. They had no fire-arms. - -“Forbear, I command you!” said the same imperative voice. “I am Prince -Kasam.” - -Yells of surprise and disappointment broke from the tribesmen. With a -sudden impulse they wheeled and galloped swiftly over the desert, while -the rescued men wearied and breathless, lowered their swords to gaze -around them in surprise. - -The caravan had come upon them unawares. Twenty stout Afghans rode back -of the young prince who had interrupted the conflict, and behind these -stood dromedaries upon whose ample backs were perched ladies in European -dress and gentlemen composedly smoking cheroots. - -“Well done, Kasam,” cried Colonel Moore, approvingly, and the ladies -waved their handkerchiefs. - -Dirrag, who had dismounted to pull a spear-head from his horse’s flank, -scowled and shrank back so that the bay’s body partly hid him. Ahmed, at -the sound of English words, drew the folds of his burnous close about -his face, so that only the grey eyes were left revealed; but he sat his -horse quietly and gave the native salute. - -“We thank Prince Kasam for our rescue,” he said in the native tongue. - -Kasam flushed and laughed good-naturedly. - -“Keep my secret, friend,” he returned. “I was, indeed, foolish to reveal -my station to that rabble yonder. But they are men of Raab, from which -tribe I am myself descended, and in the emergency it seemed the only way -to compel their obedience.” - -The other bowed coldly and turned away to watch the Afghans rifling the -bodies of the fallen. - -“Bury those fellows in the sand,” ordered Kasam, shivering as he looked -at the stark forms. “Were they not of my tribe they should feed the -jackals for so cowardly an attack. What was your quarrel, friend?” -turning again to Ahmed. - -The latter made no reply, waving a hand toward Dirrag. Whereat the -warrior, despite his repugnance, forced himself to come forward and -answer for his silent chief. - -“We are of the tribe of Ugg,” said he, briefly. - -Kasam laughed. - -“That is the usurper’s tribe,” said he; “the tribe of old Burah, who is -either dying or dead at this moment. No wonder my kinsmen assailed -you!” - -Some of the ladies and gentlemen, who had understood nothing of this -conversation, now rode forward with eager questions in English -concerning the affray and those who had been slain. Bessie screamed at -sight of the mound of sand that was being rapidly heaped over the -victims, and Aunt Lucy declared she was about to faint and would fall -off the camel. Dr. Warner, in well chosen words, denounced a country -where such murderous assaults were possible, and the Colonel regretted -they had not arrived in time to see more of the fight. Even Allison -Moore displayed considerable interest in the incident, and condemned -Kasam for interrupting what might have been “a very pretty scrap.” - -Meantime Ahmed, with muffled face, sat his horse as if turned to stone, -and Dirrag scowled more and more at the gabble of the foreigners. - -“Friend,” said Kasam, mistaking the scarred warrior for the leader of -the two, “we are riding to Mekran. If you travel our way you have -permission to attach yourselves to my caravan. It will doubtless insure -your safety.” - -To what extent Dirrag might have resented this implication that they -were unable to protect themselves is uncertain, for an ungracious reply -on his part to the kindly-meant invitation was interrupted by a -recollection of the importance of his mission and the dangers that now -menaced his young companion. - -“Prince Kasam has our thanks,” he muttered. “We journey to Mekran.” - -As the caravan started anew Janet Moore, who had remained quietly in the -background, among the baggage-men and camel-drivers, rode slowly forward -and joined the group of Americans. Whereupon Bessie laughingly -reproached her for her timidity, and began chattering an unintelligible -explanation of what had happened. - -The men of Ugg silently joined the caravan. Neither they nor their -horses seemed much the worse for the conflict, although Dirrag’s animal -had a gaping wound in the thigh that would soon become stiff and sore, -and the warrior had himself added a scratch across the forehead to his -collection of wounds. - -“Your countrymen seem to regard life very lightly, Prince,” said the -Colonel, as they rode together near the front. - -“Among themselves they have fought for centuries,” answered Kasam. “Yet -I am told that of late years, under Keedar and Burah Khan, these minor -frays have been forbidden and the combatants, if caught, severely -punished. But old Burah is as good as dead, now, and the squabbles of -the tribesmen are likely to break out afresh until I have time to -reorganize the government and pacify the country.” - -“Will you, too, be known as ‘a fighting khan,’ such as the ‘Lion of -Mekran?’” asked Bessie, looking upon the young man with admiring eyes. - -“I hope not, indeed,” he replied, laughing. “I shall try to instil -European ideas into the heads of my stupid countrymen, and teach them -the superiority of the Arts of Peace.” - -None noticed that Ahmed’s horse had gradually forged ahead until he -rode just behind the party of Americans. - -“Isn’t it queer,” remarked Miss Warner, musingly, “that the future -potentate of this big country is personally conducting us to his -capital? It was really nice of you, Prince, to return with our -passports. For a time we thought you had forsaken us, and Allison was -bent on our retracing our steps and quitting the country.” - -Kasam glanced into Janet’s grave face. - -“You need not fear my deserting you,” he said earnestly. “Indeed, had I -remained in Mekran during these days of waiting for the Khan’s death I -should have gone wild with suspense, for there is nothing that can be -done until Burah breathes his last breath. His physician, a stubborn -Persian, promised him life for seven days.” - -“Suppose the Persian fails, and you are absent?” suggested the Colonel. - -“If the Persian fails, so much the better,” returned Kasam; “for then -the monk-taught weakling son of Burah will not be acknowledged his -successor, and the title of Khan reverts to me.” - -“But if the son arrives before his father’s death?” - -It was the doctor who asked this question. - -“Then we revolt--I believe that is the plan--and drive every member of -the tribe of Ugg from Mekran. But my cousin Ahmed cannot arrive before -the seventh day, which is the day after tomorrow, and, according to my -uncle Agahr, who is clever at intrigue, it will not be possible for -Burah’s son to arrive at all.” - -“Why not?” demanded the Colonel. - -“Assassination, I suppose,” suggested the doctor. - -Kasam shrugged his shoulders. - -“I do not ask my Uncle Agahr to explain these things. Ahmed is not to be -assassinated, however; he promised me that. Otherwise, it matters little -what prevents him from reaching his father’s death-bed.” - -“What a splendid man that barbarian is!” whispered Bessie to Janet. The -latter turned slowly in her seat and gave a start of surprise, for Ahmed -rode just behind her. The look in the calm grey eyes seemed to thrill -the girl strangely, for she swayed in her saddle and might have fallen -had not the “barbarian” thrust out a strong arm and steadied her. - -“What are you doing here?” cried Kasam, angrily, in the native Baluch. -“Back to the rear, my man, where you belong!” - -Ahmed bowed gravely and retreated to where Dirrag rode. Nor did he again -venture near the front. - -“How cross you were to that handsome fellow,” said Bessie, pouting her -pretty lips. - -“Why, as for that, Miss Bessie,” returned the Prince, “I happened to -remember that I was indulging rather freely in political gossip; and -while it is impossible that he should understand English, your handsome -fellow is of the tribe of Ugg--our hereditary foes.” - -“If all the tribe of Ugg are like these two samples,” remarked the -doctor, “it may not be so easy to thrust them from your capital.” - -“They are not, I suppose. I do not remember to have seen so fine a -specimen of manhood as the tall one among the natives before. What a -pity that I know so little of my own country,” continued the young man -regretfully. “Did you notice how reverent my Afghans are toward that -little, battle-scarred warrior we rescued? He may be some man of -note--some mighty hero--for all I know. But doubtless he is a mere -quarrelsome tribesman, beneath my notice. When I am khan I shall make it -a point to study my people thoroughly, that I may better understand how -to manage them.” - -At sundown they reached the edge of the desert and came to the fertile -plains of Melin. Here camp was made and, wearied with the day’s journey, -the travellers made their repast and retired early to rest. - -“Tomorrow night we shall sleep in Mekran,” said Kasam. “I am sorry I -cannot invite you directly to the palace; but until old Burah dies I am -as much a stranger in my own country as any of you. However, my Uncle -Agahr will see that you are provided with comfortable quarters.” - -“Are there no inns in Mekran?” asked Allison. - -“Inns are plentiful, but afford only the most primitive accommodations. -We must house you in the dwelling of one of our adherents. There are -many of these, I assure you, of rank and wealth. And now, I bid you -good-night, ladies. May Allah guard your rest.” - -At the door of their tent the doctor and Colonel Moore smoked a cigar -before retiring. - -“I am sorry,” said the latter, in a low voice, “that in my ignorance of -Baluchistan I permitted the girls and Aunt Lucy to accompany us.” - -“They’ve stood the trip pretty well, so far,” replied the doctor, -carelessly. - -“Yes; but consider what a mess the country is in, politically. There’s -liable to be open warfare--perhaps a massacre--in a day or two, -according to Kasam. And the girls may--” - -“Oh, we’ll keep the girls out of danger,” declared the doctor. “I’ve no -doubt they are as safe here as at home. I will acknowledge the country -is more wild and uncivilized than I had dreamed, but we’re on a matter -of business, Colonel, and I flatter myself we have as good as -accomplished our purpose already. Kasam is sure to grant us right of way -for our railroad--when he is khan.” - -The Colonel smoked a while in silence. - -“This young man,” he remarked, at length, “seems to have little doubt of -the success of his cause. Yet from all I have picked up since we drew -near to Baluchistan, that terrible Burah Khan who is dying is absolute -master of the situation. And his son-“ - -“His son is a priest-ridden devotee of Mahomet, who knows better how to -pray than to rule a turbulent nation. Don’t worry about Kasam, my dear -Colonel. He’s sure to win out. And if he doesn’t--” - -The doctor smiled cynically. - -“What then?” - -“Why, if he doesn’t,” retorted the doctor, tossing away his cigar and -rising to retire, “the priest-bred weakling--is his name Ahmed?--will be -just the sort of ruler the Metropolitan Construction Company loves to -deal with. However the cat jumps we are sure to have the railway; so -let’s go to bed.” - -Just before daybreak the leader of the Afghans came to Kasam’s tent and -awoke him. - -“The men of Ugg are gone,” said he. - -“Never mind,” returned the Prince, sitting up to yawn. “When did they -go?” - -“Early last evening; soon after we made camp. They stole away -unobserved.” - -“It doesn’t matter in the least,” said Kasam. - -“Except that they have taken your Excellency’s black stallion, and left -in its place the wounded bay, which is too stiff to travel.” - -“Why, that was base ingratitude,” said the young man, with unconcern. “I -must punish those fellows, if ever I see them again. But it is only a -day’s journey to Mekran. I’ll ride a dromedary, good captain; and, by -the way, let us make an early start.” - -But at the same moment that Prince Kasam’s camp was awakening to -activity Ahmed and Dirrag, after a night’s hard gallop, rode through -the marble gates of Mekran. - -It was the morning of the sixth day. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -A WOMAN’S WAY - - -“And now,” the vizier had said to his daughter on the evening of the -fourth day, “let us rest content. The sirdar of the tribe of Raab--our -faithful ally Zarig--has sent a force to patrol the desert trails over -which Dirrag must pass with Ahmed on his return to Mekran. Zarig has -sworn that the son of Burah shall never reach here by the seventh day.” - -“That is good,” answered Maie, thoughtfully. “But it is not enough.” - -Agahr threw out his palms with an impulsive gesture. - -“What would you have?” he asked, impatiently. “I have suborned every -servant in the palace; I have followed every plan you have suggested; -intrigue and cunning each moment battle for our great object.” - -“Yet the Persian sits beside Burah Khan and baffles our every plot,” -replied the girl. “I will go to him myself, my father.” - -“You! Impossible.” - -“No one shall ever know but yourself, and you will guard my secret. But -see the Persian I must. Despite his pretended loyalty he is a mere -man--and surely there is a way to influence any man that lives.” - -An hour later Agahr secretly introduced Maie into the palace, and while -he himself guarded the passage leading to the chamber of Burah the girl -boldly pushed aside the draperies at the entrance and confronted the -physician. - -The Persian was standing beside the couch as she entered, and after a -glance at his visitor he quietly drew a silken coverlet over the still -form and advanced to where the girl stood awaiting him. - -“I am the daughter of the vizier,” she said, softly. - -“You are welcome,” declared the Persian; but he passed one hand over his -forehead as he spoke, and his voice sounded weary and discouraged. - -Maie threw back her veil and smiled, while the physician, leaning upon -the low table that bore the shaded lamp, gazed wonderingly at the -beautiful face revealed. - -“May I rest myself?” she asked, in her sweet voice, and without awaiting -permission she passed between the table and Burah’s couch and sank -gracefully upon a low divan. - -The Persian hesitated an instant, and cast an uneasy glance at his -patient. Then he seated himself beside the table and bowed. - -“It is the same old tale, I suppose?” he said, enquiringly. “You do not -wish the Khan to live to acknowledge his son?” - -The girl gave a little laugh. - -“It is very pleasant to find you both frank and comprehensive,” she -returned, “for now many useless words may be spared. Tell me, Persian, -why you insist upon interfering with our plans to depose the sons of Ugg -and restore the throne to the former rulers of Baluchistan? What is it -to you, a stranger, whether Burah Khan dies tonight--this very -moment--or lives to acknowledge his son two days hence?” - -“Only this,” he answered quietly. “I have given my word.” - -“Do you fear for your reputation as a skillful physician? Elai! You have -already accomplished wonders enough to make you famous. Had you not -arrived in Mekran, Burah Khan long since would have passed away.” - -“It was a draught of my own invention,” said the man, musingly. “I am -anxious to test its powers. If it will hold Death at bay for seven days -I shall have solved an important problem in medical science.” - -“But why is it necessary to test your draught on the Khan of -Baluchistan? There may be thousands of similar cases wherein the matter -of life and death is unimportant. Perhaps, in spite of your great fame, -you lack money. See!” - -With a quick gesture she arose and approached the table, emptying upon -its spread the contents of a chamois bag. Before the physician’s eyes -sparkled a score of exquisite gems--diamonds, rubies, sapphires and -emeralds of enormous value. - -He gave them but a glance and looked into the girl’s eyes. They -sparkled as brilliantly as the jewels, but were equally mystifying. What -she read in his own eyes is uncertain, but a moment later she sank at -his feet and clasped his knees in her rounded arms. - -“For the cause of science,” she murmured, looking up into his face with -a ravishing smile, “I will gladly promise the great physician ten gems, -equally as flawless and pure, for every one now before him! It is a rare -treasure, my Persian. All I ask in return is permission to attend the -Khan until morning.” - -His brow flushed, but he did not withdraw his gaze from her dark eyes. - -“Ah, do not refuse me,” she pleaded, resting her head against him so -that the fragrance of her hair saluted his nostrils like an enchanting -perfume. “It is so little for you to do, when you may ask so much in -return!” Her bosom heaved with emotion and pressed against his knee. -“You shall have a palace of your own, my friend, here in Mekran, where -you may woo Science at your will and command a thousand slaves to do -your bidding. Are we not playing for a throne? And who shall have -greater power than the man that enables the new khan to sit therein and -rule a kingdom? I am the daughter of the vizier, my Persian, and -hereafter no physician but you shall attend me.” - -She nestled closer, with a little sigh of content that seemed to -indicate the battle was won to their mutual satisfaction, and for a -moment both maintained the pose, silent and motionless. - -Suddenly the physician stood up, freeing himself from the girl’s -embrace. With an abrupt motion he swept the glittering gems into the -little bag and tossed it at the girl’s feet. Then, with folded arms, he -stood looking down at where she still crouched by the empty chair, her -lovely features convulsed with a passion terrible to witness. - -But the mood quickly passed. Her face cleared. She raised her hand and -rearranged the disordered masses of her hair, laughing the while in low -tones and lifting her eyes unabashed to the man who had repulsed her. - -The Persian shuddered. - -Slowly rising to her feet she made him a mocking bow and said, -jestingly: - -“The chisel must indeed be dull that can carve no emblem on the marble. -No man, believe me, is incorruptible; I have failed merely because I -overestimated my own powers. Well, I will go.” - -She looked around for her cloak. It lay over the divan, and she passed -the Persian as if to get it. But in the act of picking it up she paused, -straightened, and in two bounds stood beside the couch of the -unconscious khan. A dagger flashed, and once--twice--thrice she plunged -it deep into the bosom of the form hidden by the silken coverlet. Then -she turned with a laugh of triumph toward the physician, the dagger -still clasped in her jewelled fingers. - -The Persian smiled. - -Without a word he walked to the couch, and as she shrank aside he seized -the coverlet and thrust it back, revealing nothing more than a mass of -bolsters and cushions cleverly placed to outline the form of a man. - -The girl, rigid and staring, turned her eyes from the couch to the -physician. - -“Where is he?” she whispered. - -He took her wrist, fearless of the dagger she still held, and led her to -an alcove. Throwing back the curtains he allowed her to gaze upon the -still form of Burah Khan, lying peacefully beside a window through which -the moon’s rays flooded the small apartment with mellow light. - -Maie made no attempt to escape the grasp upon her wrist. She permitted -the man to lead her back to the larger room, where he wrapped the cloak -around her shoulders and placed the bag of jewels in her hand. - -A moment later she rejoined the vizier in the passage. - -“Well?” he enquired, anxiously. - -“We must pin our faith to the men of Raab,” she replied, between her set -teeth. “The Persian is not human--he is a fiend!” - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -THE SIXTH DAY - - -Dirrag led his master straight to the royal palace, reaching it just as -the first rays of the sun fell upon the city. As he arrived -unexpectedly, there was none to receive him except a few sleepy servants -and the sirdars of the tribes of Mem and Agot, who shared the watch over -the chamber of the khan. These, being loyal to the reigning house, were -overjoyed at the speedy and safe return of the messenger, and cast -curious glances at his tall companion. - -But Dirrag knew where his duty lay and did not linger an instant. He -pressed on to the khan’s own chamber, and entered without announcement, -followed closely by Ahmed. - -The Persian stood by an open window, engaged in rolling a cigarette. He -paused, motionless, as he saw Dirrag. His eye lighted with -satisfaction, and he drew a sigh of relief. - -“Back already!” he said, pleasantly. - -“As you see,” answered Dirrag, with pride. “It is the morning of the -sixth day, and I have saved twelve hours from my allotted time. And here -is Prince Ahmed, the son of Burah Khan, and heir to the Lion of -Mekran--safe and sound, although nearly as weary as I am myself.” - -A long speech for Dirrag, but warranted by the marvelous ride he had so -successfully accomplished. - -The Persian seemed not to hear it. He was staring fixedly at the tall -form of the Prince. - -“You!” he gasped, as if a great surprise overwhelmed him. - -Ahmed, with wide eyes reading the other through and through, and -seemingly filled with equal astonishment, answered steadily and briefly: - -“I am the man.” - -“I have searched for you throughout the East,” said the Physician, -recovering in a degree his composure. “And now--” - -“Now you have found me,” returned Ahmed, smiling upon the other. - -The two men clasped hands, and Dirrag, uneasily regarding the amazing -thing, shifted his booted feet back and forth with a child’s -nervousness. - -“You the son of Burah Khan!” exclaimed one. - -“You the famed physician of Persia!” said the other. - -But Dirrag did not understand. They spoke a queer language unknown to -him. - -Presently, however, the physician noted his distress and drew away from -the Prince, saying in the Baluch tongue: - -“My lord the Prince Ahmed is welcome. It is fortunate for us all that he -has arrived safely.” - -“And in time, I hope?” enquired Ahmed, eagerly. “How is my--how is Burah -Khan’s health?” - -The Persian gave a little laugh, sat down, and proceeded to light his -cigarette. - -“Burah Khan is dead,” said he. - -“Dead!” - -The physician nodded, blowing a cloud of smoke from his nostrils. -Dirrag gave a groan and sank limply into a chair. Ahmed, with a swift -glance into the Persian’s face, merely frowned and stood at attention, -as if waiting to hear more. - -“It is doubtless a great misfortune,” continued the physician, speaking -in a leisurely tone, “and I have been in a desperate quandary, having no -one in all the throng surrounding the late khan in whom I dared confide. -The vizier is a traitor, and at the head of a formidable conspiracy. The -sirdars, with one exception, are faithful; but they are warriors, and -not fitted to counsel in so delicate a matter as this. So I have watched -beside the khan’s dead body for two days and two nights, and none save -myself knew he had ceased to breathe.” - -“But, elai! did you not promise--” began Dirrag, in a boisterous tone. - -“I did,” interrupted the other, coolly. “I promised Burah Khan should -live seven days--even while I saw the death-damp upon his brow. For I -read the vizier clearly, and suspected there was a conspiracy to -supplant the dying man’s son. It mattered nothing to me except that it -gave me pleasure to try to defeat the plot old Burah was himself unable -to foil. Moreover, I had faith in a peculiar powder that has been known -to hold life within a body for many days. It seemed the game was worth -the candle, did it not? And the old khan, to my great satisfaction, did -manage to live for four days of the six required by Dirrag to make the -journey to Takkatu and back. Then he died without awakening.” - -“It is terrible,” said Dirrag, wiping the sweat from his brow. - -“Not so,” returned the physician, with an odd smile. “A man has ample -time to think when he sits by a dead body. We three are the sole owners -of the secret. Well? Shall we ring down the curtain, or go on with the -play?” - -“The play!” repeated Dirrag, vacantly. - -“It is all a play, my friend,” said the Persian, reassuringly, “and we, -living or dead, are expected to assume our characters to the end. So, if -an honest man is sometimes called upon to enact the part of a villain, -it is not greatly to his discredit.” - -Ahmed stepped close to the physician and his grey eyes gazed full into -the other’s brown ones. - -“If I become khan,” said he, “it will be due to your friendly offices.” - -“I acknowledge it,” the physician replied. - -“If I become khan,” persisted Ahmed, in the same level tone, “no man on -earth shall dictate my acts or cripple my power.” - -The Persian smiled, indulgently. - -“I will acknowledge that, also,” said he. - -“Then,” continued the Prince, throwing himself upon a chair, “let the -play go on!” - - * * * * * - -Great was the excitement in Mekran when the news flew from palace to -town that Dirrag had returned, bringing with him the son of the dying -khan. Maie heard it from the mouth of a slave, and after one reproachful -glance at her father sat silent and still as a graven image, while the -vizier, with pallid face and a great fear at his heart, hastened away to -the palace. - -The men of Mem and Agot guarded the gateway and jeered openly at Agahr -as he hurried through. Within the courtyard were assembled the sirdars -and chiefs of all the fighting tribes of Baluchi, waiting in grim -silence for the drama about to be enacted. They saluted the vizier. - -Agahr started to ascend the stairway leading to the gallery that gave -entrance to the khan’s chamber; but a row of hard-featured men of Ugg -forced him back. No one could be admitted until the Persian physician -gave the order. He was preparing his patient for the ceremony. - -“But I am the Khan’s vizier!” protested the old man, trembling despite -his effort at command. - -A rugged warrior faced him and bowed low. - -“In all else, master, your word is law,” said he, courteously. “But in -the chamber of death the physician rules supreme--by the grace of Allah -and the will of His Highness the Khan.” - -Agahr turned and waited with the others in silence. - -It was not long. A tall Arab slave, known as a favorite attendant of the -Lion of Mekran, appeared upon the stairs and called aloud: - -“Burah Khan, son of Keedar the Great, Headsman of the Nine Tribes of -Baluchi and Defender of the Faith, commands the Sirdars of the Nation -and the officers of his household to attend him!” - -They obeyed at once, fully conscious of the mighty import of the -message. The sirdars came first, followed by Agahr and the civil -officers and then a long train of household retainers of lesser -rank--all proceeding with dignified steps up the marble stairway, along -the gallery, and so into the spacious chamber of the Khan. - -The Arab slave, acting as major-domo, ranged them in the order of their -rank, facing the curtained alcove in which lay the body of their ruler. - -Then, as silence fell upon the throng, the curtains were drawn and those -assembled gazed upon an impressive scene. - -Upon a couch covered with costly furs reclined the Khan, his sunken -features dimly outlined in the soft light and the jewelled stars upon -his breast glinting darkly as his bosom rose and fell. Over him bent -the strange physician, administering from a golden cup the draught which -it was understood would restore the sick man to intelligence for a brief -period. But after a glance at this tableau all eyes were turned to the -upright form of a young man standing with folded arms at the head of the -couch. He was clad in a magnificent robe of purple satin richly -embroidered with pearls, and by his side hung the famous cimeter known -to every sirdar as the sword of Keedar Khan, and which had been -entrusted by Burah to the priests of the monastery for safe keeping -until Prince Ahmed should be called to Mekran. - -There was something in the majestic presence of the heir, his haughty -bearing and the look of pride in the calm grey eyes that wandered from -one to another of the faces confronting him, that sent a thrill through -all the assemblage. To some that thrill meant elation, to some fear; but -to all it brought a subtle recognition of the fact that here was the -heritage of power, that the son of Burah and grandson of Keedar was a -man to be promptly obeyed. - -The physician, passing an arm under the sick man’s head, supported him -to a sitting position, and Burah Khan, after taking his son’s right hand -in his own, began speaking to his people slowly and in low, halting -accents. - -“Here--is Prince--Ahmed, my son and rightful--heir. I, Burah Khan, -standing--in the shadow of--death, do acknowledge him to be -my--successor--to the throne of Mekran. Sirdars of the--Nine--Mighty -Tribes of the--Baluchi, do ye, also, acknowledge him--to be your--Khan -and Master--when I am gone?” - -So still was the throng that every word of the faltering voice was -distinctly heard. As it ceased the nine sirdars drew their swords and -cast them at Ahmed’s feet, crying aloud: - -“We acknowledge Ahmed to be our Khan, when Allah claims his sire, Burah -Khan.” - -Answering the shout was a sob and a sudden fall. The spectators drew -aside with significant looks as slaves carried the fainting vizier from -the chamber. Then all eyes turned again to the alcove. - -Burah lay back upon his couch with closed eyes, and Ahmed knelt beside -him. - -The physician bent over and placed an ear above the old man’s heart. -Then he stood erect and signed to the Arab to draw the curtain. - -“Burah Khan is dead,” said he, solemnly. “May Allah and the Prophet -grant him peace!” - -The curtain fell, and very humbly and reverently the assembled people -bowed their heads and crept from the chamber of death. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -AHMED KHAN - - -“Behold the walls of Mekran!” said Kasam proudly. - -They had been riding all afternoon through a beautiful and fertile -valley, rich with fields of waving grain, tracts of vegetables, -vineyards and orchards, all tended by the Kendars, Brahoes and Melinos, -for the warlike Baluchi were too dignified to till the soil. It was from -this valley that the city of Mekran derived its main sustenance and -support, and now, as they mounted a little eminence, the city itself -came into view--a huge, whitewashed stone wall above which peeped the -roofs of many dwellings, mosques and palaces. - -“The palace of the khan,” said Kasam, “is near the center, beside the -famous bubbling pools of Mekran. You may tell it by the high towers and -minarets. It is all built of marble and its gardens are more beautiful -than any in Europe.” - -“You may well be proud of this great city, which you are so soon to -rule,” observed Bessie, instantly connecting the prince with the place -of his nativity. “It is one of the prettiest sights I have ever seen.” - -“We must make this an important depot for the new railway,” said the -Colonel, with something like enthusiasm. “The whole world will come to -see Mekran when the journey can be made in Pullmans.” - -But as they drew nearer and the sun sank toward the horizon Mekran lost -much of its beauty. The whitewash of the great wall was seen to be grimy -and stained in many places, and the roofs above it showed considerable -discoloration by the weather. It was an old city, and had long since -lost the freshness of youth. Indeed, Allison took occasion to denounce, -with some contempt, a place which seemed “nearly as filthy as the people -of this beastly country themselves,” and Kasam flushed slightly with a -realization that neither Mekran nor his people could be counted quite -immaculate. - -Beneath the setting sun, however, the spires and domes glowed golden -red, and even the young engineer ceased reviling the place they had come -so far from civilization to visit. - -At dusk the caravan entered at the North Gate, and Kasam called -attention to the thickness of the wall as they rode through, and to the -picturesque watch-tower perched above the gate. Then, coming into the -light of the inner city he gave a start of surprise, for lining the -sides of the narrow street were solid ranks of Baluchi warriors, both -mounted and on foot, who stood so silently in their places that their -presence was all unsuspected until the Prince came full upon them. -Hesitating, he reigned in his horse, and at that moment the iron gates -fell with a clang behind the last of his cavalcade. - -“You are going to have a reception, Prince,” remarked Dr. Warner, who -rode near the guide. - -Kasam muttered a curse and urged forward his horse. The Baluchi -instantly closed their ranks, surrounding him with a solid phalanx. - -“Welcome to Mekran, my lord,” said a voice, and Kasam turned to find the -warrior he had rescued in the desert riding at his stirrup. There was no -mistaking Dirrag. The fresh scratch upon his brow marked his seared face -with a streak of livid red. - -“His Highness the Khan has requested your presence at the palace,” -continued the warrior, in respectful tones. - -“Me?” asked the young man, startled. - -“You are Prince Kasam, I believe.” - -“Ah, I begin to understand. You have betrayed me as a fitting return for -having saved your life. It was to be expected in a man of Ugg. But why -does old Burah demand my presence? Am I a prisoner?” - -“Burah Khan is in Paradise,” said Dirrag, gravely. - -“Dead!... And his son?” - -“Now rules as Ahmed Khan.” - -Kasam’s bronzed features drew tense. He became silent. - -As they turned a corner he noticed they had become detached from the -others of his party and were now alone. - -“Where are my companions?” he enquired, with anxiety. “I am guiding a -party of foreigners, who are strange to Mekran.” - -“They will be safely cared for,” answered Dirrag, reassuringly. - -“And my Afghans?” - -“They also. The Khan has provided for all.” - -The answers were far from satisfactory, but Kasam had perils of his own -to confront, and dismissed his American friends from his thoughts with -the belief that the new khan would not care to interfere with their -liberties. - -His own case was far more embarrassing: for the moment, at least. The -tidings of Burah’s death and his son’s succession to the sovereign -office of Khan had struck him like a blow. It was only the evening of -the sixth day, he reflected, and Agahr had not expected anything -important to happen until the seventh day, at least. How in the world -had Ahmed managed to reach Mekran from Takkatu so soon? - -Then the truth flashed upon him, and he groaned aloud. The tall Baluch -he had rescued from the men of Raab and escorted safely to the plains -of Melin was none other than Prince Ahmed himself, and Kasam’s folly in -interfering with his uncle Agahr’s plans had resulted in his own -undoing! - -They were at the palace now. - -Dirrag held Kasam’s horse while he dismounted and then escorted the -young man into the courtyard and through several winding passages. Soon -they came to a small chamber, the entrance to which was guarded by the -Arab slave Memendama, who allowed them to pass at a word from Dirrag. -Here were more attendants and slaves, richly dressed in the crimson, -white and purple of the House of Ugg. Kasam looked uneasily upon the -expressionless faces, and cast himself upon a divan to await the summons -to the Khan’s presence. It came in a few brief moments, and Dirrag led -the Prince through still another passage to a marble balcony, where two -men were seated at a small table and a third stood at the carved rail -looking into the gardens below. - -Kasam glanced at the two who were seated and failed to recognize them. -One was Merad, the Persian physician; the other the sirdar of the tribe -of Ugg. - -The man at the rail turned about, and Kasam knew him at once. He had -been Dirrag’s companion in the desert. - -“I am glad to welcome you, Prince Kasam,” said the khan, courteously. -“Pray be seated.” - -He motioned toward a chair, but Kasam stood erect. - -“Tell me first,” said he, “whether I am to consider myself a guest or a -prisoner.” - -“Surely not a prisoner, my cousin. I may use that title, may I not, -since we are related?” - -“The relation is distant,” said the other, proudly. “I am of the Tribe -of Raab, and for seven generations my ancestors ruled all Baluchistan.” - -“So I understand,” returned the Khan, dryly. “They were also my -ancestors, for the same royal blood flowed in the veins of Keedar Khan. -But why should we speak of the past? Today, by the grace of Allah, I am -myself ruler of Baluchistan.” - -“By treachery and cunning, rather than Allah’s grace,” retorted the -Prince, defiantly. “Should right and justice prevail I would myself be -sitting upon the throne of my forefathers.” - -“It is a matter of common knowledge,” answered Ahmed, quietly facing the -other and looking calmly down from his superior height into the -passionate face of the younger man, “that neither right nor justice -entitled your forefathers to rule this land. It may comfort you, cousin, -to look into the history of the Tribes, concerning which you seem to be -somewhat misinformed. But it is not worth arguing at present. What -interests us more keenly is the condition that confronts us. Through the -sad ending of Burah Khan, whose body now lies in state in the Mosque of -the Angels, I am suddenly called to the throne. Because of my -inexperience in affairs of state I shall need, as councillors and -advisors, the assistance of all those to whom the welfare of Baluchistan -is dear. Doubtless you love your country, Prince Kasam, and your -European education will have given you broad and intelligent ideas of -modern government. Therefore I value your friendship. Will you become my -vizier, and assist me to rule my people to their greatest good?” - -Kasam was astounded. The proposition, coming from one whom he had reason -to consider his greatest foe, was as unexpected as it was impossible. -Moreover, it indicated a weakness of character and lack of sound -judgment in the new ruler that both pleased and encouraged him. Ahmed -was a big and burly fellow, it was true, but he seemed as gentle as a -woman. Evidently a monastery training did not stimulate virility of -mind. - -Kasam thought rapidly during the few moments that he stood with downcast -eyes before Ahmed Khan, and his conclusions determined him upon his -course of action. Then, remembering they were not alone, he glanced -toward the table and encountered the physician’s mocking gaze. If Ahmed -was weak, here at least was a strong man. Indignant and alarmed at what -he read in the dark eyes he turned to Abdul, the Sirdar of Ugg, for -reassurance. That white-haired dignitary sat with composed and placid -countenance quietly regarding the khan, whose words and actions alone -seemed to afford him interest. - -“What if I refuse?” asked Kasam, sharply, turning again to Ahmed. - -“Then you will grieve me.” - -The Prince smiled contemptuously. - -“But you will put me in prison, or assassinate me?” - -“Why should I?” - -“Because, if you cannot induce me to serve you, it will be wise to get -me out of your way.” - -“I cannot believe that,” returned Ahmed, gently. “The conspiracy of your -uncle, Agahr, to place you upon my throne is well known to me, yet I -have not even reproached him for his apparent disloyalty. I can -understand that the heir of former khans would strive to regain his lost -heritage, and your ambition seems to me a natural one. But I am here, -and shall remain. Your adherents are weak and impotent. You could not be -khan unless they were stronger than my own. Because I appreciate your -disappointment I offer you the highest office within my gift. Be my -vizier; trust me as I trust you, and let us be friends.” - -“I refuse!” - -“Then you may go free, to act as you deem best.” - -“Free! I may go free?” - -“Assuredly. I owe you that courtesy, even did I fear you, for having -assisted me in the desert. My act may not balance accounts, but it will -be an earnest of my gratitude.” - -“Let us cry quits,” said Kasam, eagerly, “and start a new score. For I -warn you, Ahmed Khan, that from this day I will oppose you with all my -might.” - -Ahmed bowed. His face showed neither disappointment nor surprise, and as -if he considered the interview at an end he turned again toward the -railing, looking down into the flower beds and shrubbery. - -Kasam hesitated, glancing at the other silent witness of the scene. The -Persian was industriously rolling a cigarette. Dirrag stood with legs -astride, evidently admiring his boots. But the sirdar, Abdul, seemed -annoyed, and said to the Khan: - -“The man openly threatens your Highness. We are not sure of his -tribesmen of Raab. Would it not be well to take some action in this -matter?” - -“Let him go,” replied the Khan, without turning. - -Kasam flushed at the tone of indifference. It seemed to him that he was -being treated like a child. - -“The sirdar is old and wise,” he exclaimed, angrily, “and the Khan of -Mekran is young and foolish. Elai! the die is cast. I will go.” - -With this he strode from the room, and none hindered. The slaves and -attendants in the outer chamber made no interference with his retreat. -Although he had a vague fear that the Khan’s words were insincere he -traversed the halls, passed through the courtyard, and so left the -palace. - -A solitary attendant was leading his horse back and forth, as if -awaiting him. Kasam was amused. The Khan needed a few lessons from his -warlike sirdars if he wished to remain secure in his throne. The Prince -mounted his horse and, filled with exultant thoughts, galloped away to -the house of Agahr the Vizier. - -Night had fallen by this time, and as Kasam approached he found Agahr’s -house dark and silent. The lamp that usually swung in the archway was -unlighted; there were no slaves at the door. Kasam was seized with -sudden misgivings. What if, in spite of Ahmed’s assurances, the plotting -vizier had fallen under the new khan’s displeasure? Much depended upon -Agahr, for all of Kasam’s interests were in his keeping. Scarce a day -had passed since Ahmed Khan had come into power; but much may happen in -a day; indeed, much had happened, as he was soon to discover. - -Answering his imperative summons a slave cautiously unbolted the door -and, after a stealthy inspection of the visitor, admitted him with -alacrity. - -“Is my uncle here?” demanded Kasam. - -The slave nodded, caught up a torch and turned to lead the way down a -passage. - -The Prince followed. - -Suddenly a drapery was pushed aside and he entered a room brilliantly -lighted. Agahr sat upon a divan, and beside him, her fair face scarcely -concealed by her veil, was Maie. Facing them in a close drawn circle -were Zarig, the Sirdar of Raab, a lean priest in a coarse woollen robe, -and several men with restless faces that proved to be strangers to -Kasam. - -All were silent, even when the Prince, finding all eyes turned upon him, -slapped his chest rather theatrically and exclaimed: “I am here!” - -Maie twisted the rings upon her slender fingers; the vizier nodded -gravely to his nephew and stroked his gray beard; the sirdar sprang to -his feet and strode back and forth in the narrow confines of the room, -pausing anon to cast a shrewd glance into Kasam’s puzzled face. The -others merely exchanged nods of understanding, save the priest, who -frowned and fixed his eyes upon the floor. - -At length the vizier broke the embarrassing silence. - -“This,” said he, waving a listless hand toward the new arrival, “is -Kasam of Raab.” - -“Welcome!” said the sirdar, laconically, and resumed his stride. Without -rising the others turned to bow gravely, but seemed to display little -real interest. - -Although at first both hurt and annoyed by the nonchalence of those -assembled, the young prince was quick to decide that the conspirators -were doubtless overwhelmed by the sudden death of Burah and the -accession of his son Ahmed. It should be his part to instil new courage -into their timid hearts. - -“I have just come from an interview with the young khan,” he said, -seating himself in the sirdar’s vacant chair and looking around the -circle to note the effect of his announcement. - -The company did not seem especially impressed. Perhaps, he reflected, -they were aware that Dirrag had taken him to the palace directly on his -arrival. - -“Ahmed Khan,” continued Kasam, “has offered to make me his vizier.” - -Ah, they were eager enough now. Every eye was turned curiously upon the -young man. - -“I refused,” said Kasam, proudly. “I defied him to his very face, and -bade him beware my power.” - -Agahr drew a sigh of relief, and Maie smiled. The sirdar, who had paused -again, renewed his pacing. - -“Friends,” cried Kasam, “the die is cast. From this day I will fight -Ahmed Khan for the throne of Mekran. Never will I rest until the usurper -is conquered and I am master of all Baluchistan.” - -“A noble ambition,” said the sirdar, nodding approval. - -“You have my best wishes, cousin,” added Maie, sweetly. - -“But forbear, I pray you, my good Kasam, from telling me of your future -plans,” spoke Agahr, adjusting his robe carefully. “His Highness the -Khan has also accorded me an interview, and offered to retain me as his -vizier in case you refused the office. Therefore--” - -“And you accepted?” asked the young man, indignantly. - -Agahr frowned. - -“I have filled the office for forty-six years,” said he; “and surely -none is better fitted than I for the place. Moreover, his Highness hath -promised to increase my honors and reduce my labors, and since I grow -old in serving the nation this consideration pleases me and renders me -content.” - -“Yet you would serve a trickster--a weak, priest-ridden -impostor--instead of me, your kinsman and a Prince of Raab?” - -“The man you call weak,” said Agahr, composedly, “has proven himself -strong. In ruling Baluchistan from the throne of Mekran he will be -masterful, energetic and supreme. Within his veins flows the blood of -two mighty khans whom all the nation feared--as they will come to fear -him. Had we considered Ahmed to be really weak, my Kasam, your cause -would have prospered and gained adherents; but to oppose the new khan -would be as foolish as it would prove vain. Already he has seized every -thread of power in an iron grasp.” - -The company doubtless approved this speech, for all except the sirdar -nodded wisely and sighed. But Zarig stopped abruptly and gave the Prince -a keen look. - -“You are trapped,” said he, harshly; “trapped by friends and foes alike. -What will you do, Prince Kasam?” - -“Fight!” answered the young man, stoutly. “Even if I stand alone I will -defy the son of Burah Khan. But I will not stand alone. England, the -greatest of all nations, will support my cause, and Afghanistan will -lend an army to fight for my standard. Before I have done with Ahmed -Khan I will pull down the walls of Mekran about his ears.” - -Maie smiled again, and the lean priest laughed outright. But Zarig -strode forward and grasped Kasam’s hand. - -“Words--all words!” he cried. “Yet the spirit is the spirit of -conquerors, and you may count the tribe of Raab upon your side. Too long -have I and my people bowed down to the men of Ugg. We are but one tribe -of nine, but we have more wealth than all the others combined, and -enough courage to match any force the young khan may send against us. -Come, Kasam of Raab; let us leave these cowardly croakers to sun -themselves in the favor of the usurper. It is our part to sound the -battle-cry!” - -Having delivered this bombastic speech the sirdar left the room, -followed closely by Kasam, and in the stillness that followed their -departure Maie, still smiling, bent forward and whispered: - -“Words--all words!” - - - - - BOOK II - - THE WOMAN - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -CAPTURE OF DAVID THE JEW - - -“Now, girls, I want you to tell me what we’re going to do,” said Aunt -Lucy, looking over her spectacles at Janet and Bessie, while her needle -continued to ply in a jerky fashion. “Your father, Janet Moore, says he -is waiting here in Mekran to get an audience with the high jumboree of -this forsaken country about that nonsensical railroad; and _your_ -father, Bessie Warner, says we are staying here because we can’t get -away. Now, I want to know what it all means.” - -They were sitting in the cool and spacious upper chamber of a square -white house which had been mysteriously placed at the disposal of the -Americans the evening of their arrival in Mekran. It was comfortably -furnished, with no less than a dozen native servants to wait upon them, -their meals being bountiful and prepared with exact regularity. But no -one about them had any knowledge of the English language, nor did any -person in authority appear whom they might question by signs or -otherwise. It almost seemed as if they had been established in this -place by some fairy godmother who had then gone away and forgotten all -about them. Their personal baggage had arrived with them, but there were -no stables connected with the mansion and their entire caravan had -disappeared. - -“I think,” said Janet, answering their chaperon, “that we are all as -much puzzled as you are, Aunt Lucy.” - -“Puzzled!” exclaimed the old lady, indignantly; “why should we be -puzzled? Aren’t we free American citizens, and haven’t we enough money -to pay our way back to New York if we want to go?” - -“It isn’t that, dear,” said Bessie, soothingly. “We have both the -financial means and the inclination to leave Mekran. But Kasam seems to -have wholly deserted us, and we don’t know what has become of our horses -and dromedaries and tents and other things. Even the Afghans who were -employed to guard us have disappeared.” - -“I always had my suspicions of that Kasam,” declared the old lady with a -toss of her head; “and he turned out exactly as I thought he would. He’s -stolen the whole caravan, under our very noses, and he’d have stolen -you, too, Janet Moore, if I hadn’t kept an eye on him. Stolen you and -put you into some harem or other, and dressed you in pink silk bloomers -and a yellow crepe veil, like those creatures we saw passing the house -the other day in stretchers.” - -Janet smiled, and Bessie burst into merry laughter. - -“Oh, Auntie! those were not stretchers,” she protested. “They were -palanquins. And didn’t the girls look lovely, nestled among their -cushions!” - -“Don’t mention the hussies, Bessie. It’s an outrage to parade such -frightful depravity in the public streets.” - -“You know, dear,” said Janet, softly, “that it is the custom in these -Eastern countries to veil all females from the eyes of men, which are -thought to defile the purity of young girls and married women alike. It -seems to me a pretty thought, however misapplied, according reverence -and sacredness to our sex that is in strong contrast to the bold freedom -of more civilized communities.” - -“But the harems are dens of iniquity,” declared Aunt Lucy, sternly. - -“The harems are simply the quarters set aside for the women of the -native households,” replied Janet, “and they contain the mothers and -daughters of families as well as the wives. Of course only the wealthier -natives can afford harems, which are naturally more or less luxurious. -But even the lower classes require their women to be veiled when in -public.” - -“Swathed, you mean,” snapped the elder lady. “Bandaged up to the eyes -like mummies. You needn’t talk to me about harems, Janet Moore; I know -very well they’re not respectable, and so do you. Did you ever hear of a -harem in America? We wouldn’t allow such things a minute! And do you -mean to say these miserable Baluchi are not all Mormons?” - -“They’re Mahomedans, Auntie--or Sunnites, which is very much the same -thing,” remarked Bessie, “but if you mean that they have a plurality of -wives, it’s a thing that can’t be proved, for Kasam says that even the -law is powerless to invade the sanctity of the harem.” - -“Sanctity!” with a scornful snort. “And don’t quote that young man--that -caravan stealer--to me. What has all this to do with our imprisonment, -I’d like to know? And what’s going to be the end of it all? I’ve had -enough of this place.” - -“We’ve all had enough of it,” said a gloomy voice, and Allison entered -and threw himself into a chair. - -“Is there anything new, Allison?” asked Janet, looking at her brother -anxiously. - -“Not that I know of,” he replied. “I’ve been roaming through the streets -trying to find some one that can speak English; but they’re all dummies -in Mekran, so far as we’re concerned. One fellow I met had a fine black -horse--the most glorious Arabian I have seen--and he led it with a rag -twisted around its neck. I offered him a whole pocketful of -twenty-dollar gold pieces, but, by Jove! he just glanced at the money -and shook his head. The American eagle doesn’t seem to be of much -account in this neck-of-the-woods.” - -“Where is papa?” asked Janet. - -“Engaged in writing an official communication to the Khan, I suppose, on -the engraved letter-head of the Commission. I believe he has left seven -of these already at the royal palace.” - -“Don’t they pay any attention to them?” asked Bessie. - -“Why should they? No one in this enlightened town can speak or read -English, now that Kasam has gone.” - -“Where do you suppose Kasam has gone to?” - -“Can’t say, I’m sure. Run away with our animals, I guess. I always had a -suspicion your lovely prince was no better than a horse-thief.” - -“Nonsense!” said Bessie, indignantly. “I’m sure Kasam is not responsible -for our present difficulties. It’s that horrid Ahmed Khan, who got the -start of Kasam while he was escorting us, and robbed him of his -kingdom.” - -Allison’s laugh sounded rather disagreeable. - -“I can’t understand,” said he, “how any decent American girl can go into -raptures over a brown-skinned Oriental, with treacherous eyes and a -beastly temper. Kasam’s no better than the rest of his tribe, and as for -being khan, I don’t believe he ever had a ghost of a show. The last we -saw of him he was being escorted by the khan’s guard to the palace--like -a common criminal. Probably he’s been in prison for the last three -weeks.” - -“If that’s the case how could he steal our caravan?” demanded Bessie, -triumphantly. - -“Don’t ask so many questions, Bess. We’re an ignorant lot of duffers, -I’ll admit, but the fact remains that Kasam is either a jail-bird or a -horse-thief. You can take your choice.” - -“Do you know whose house this is, and who is entertaining us in this -sumptuous way?” asked Janet, curiously. - -“Haven’t the faintest idea. This is certainly the land of mystery. We -don’t owe it to Kasam, you may be sure, for he had no idea when we -entered the town where he was going to lodge us. And it can’t be the -mighty Khan, for he won’t see us or have anything to do with the -Commission or its members. Possibly it’s that uncle whom Kasam used to -talk about, the vizier, or something of that sort. If we could only find -anyone to talk with we might discover the clue to the puzzle.” - -“In the meantime we’re no better than prisoners,” said Aunt Lucy, -snappishly. “There’s nothing to see if we go out and nothing to do if we -stay in, and we’re cut off from all the news of the world. We don’t even -know who’s been elected President of the United States, and we can’t ask -a single question because nobody understands us. If you men had any -gumption at all you’d hustle around and find out why we are treated in -this impertinent manner. One thing’s certain; unless something is done -mighty soon I, for one, mean to quit the Commission and go back -home--even if I have to walk and pay my own expenses!” - -As the good lady paused in her speech a distant noise of drums and bells -was heard, accompanied by the low rumble of a multitude of voices. The -sounds gradually grew nearer, and Allison stepped out upon a balcony to -see what caused it. Janet and Bessie followed him, but Aunt Lucy had -aroused herself to such a pitch of indignation that she remained seated -in her chair, busily endeavoring to mend the rents in her travelling -skirt, caused during the stress of the long journey to Mekran, and -refused to even look at “the heathens.” - -A procession turned the corner of the street and approached at a slow -pace, while the inhabitants of the neighboring houses flocked out upon -the balconies and roofs to watch it pass. First came a dozen Baluch -warriors, the royal colors proclaiming them members of the tribe of Ugg. -They were superbly mounted and seemed to be picked men. Following them -were three dromedaries, gaily caparisoned. Two were ridden by native -officers, but on the third was seated a man dressed simply in a black -flowing robe confined at the waist with a silver girdle. He wore upon -his head a round black cap, being shielded from the sun by a square of -green silk, supported by four slender rods attached to his dromedary’s -saddle. - -“It is the Persian! It is the great physician!” murmured the people, as -this rare personage gazed about him and with dignified bows returned the -greetings. - -All in Mekran had heard the wondrous story of this mystic who had caused -Burah Khan to live six days longer than the fates had decreed, and all -united in honoring him. - -Surging on either side of the dromedaries came a rabble beating upon -gongs and jingling bells while they shouted extravagant compliments to -Merad the Persian. - -The remainder of the procession consisted of fifty tribesmen, fully -armed and wearing the colors of the khan. Several heavily laden camels -at the end implied that the caravan was setting upon a long journey. - -As the Persian came opposite the house of the Americans the physician -turned his dark eyes for a moment upon the balcony, and they met those -of Allison. - -“Good God!” cried the young man, starting back as if in terror. At the -same time Janet gave a low moan and sank fainting into Bessie’s arms. - -“What is it? What has happened?” asked the girl, in frightened tones. -“Aunt Lucy, come and help me! Janet has fainted.” - -While they carried her into the room and fussed over her, as women will -on such occasions, Allison turned and rushed down into the street. He -was not long in overtaking the dromedaries, and, running beside them, he -shouted: - -“Wait, doctor! Let me speak to you a moment!” - -The Persian was bowing in the direction of a balcony on the opposite -side of the street, and seemed not to hear the young American. But -Allison was desperate. - -“Wait--wait!” he cried again, and turned to seize the camel’s bridle. - -Then the physician slowly turned his head and gazed curiously down upon -the man. - -“I must speak with you,” said Allison, tugging at the bridle. - -The Persian seemed puzzled but smiled indulgently and glanced toward his -attendants. Instantly a big Baluch rode forward and grasped Allison by -his collar, thrusting him back into the crowd. - -The procession moved on, the honored Persian again bowing to right and -left and wholly indifferent to the cries the American sent after him. -When the last pack animal had passed, Allison’s guard released him; but -the engineer followed with dogged steps until the caravan had reached -the iron gateway and passed through without halting, the noisy rabble -shouting enthusiastic farewells as it disappeared. Then silent and -thoughtful, Allison returned to the house. - -“Without doubt I have been mistaken,” he mused; “and yet it seems -strange that the world should contain two men whose features are -identically the same--and both of them physicians, too. In New York -Osborne passed for an East Indian, and this man is a Persian. If they -were the same surely he would have recognized me, if only to curse me as -he did at home in the old days.” - -He found Janet not only recovered but laughing gaily at what she called -her “foolish weakness.” Somehow it jarred upon Allison to hear his -melancholy sister laughing, to note the sparkle in her eyes and the -flush that for the first time in years mantled her fair cheeks. He had -no difficulty in accounting for all this, yet when she cast an eager, -enquiring look at her brother he took a certain satisfaction in -answering it with a scowl and a shake of his head. - -“I followed him,” said he, “and managed to speak to him. We were both -mistaken, Janet. It is a stranger--some notable the people seem to know -well, and call by the name of Merad.” - -“Merad?” - -“Yes. He has started upon a journey across the plains--returning to his -home, I think.” - -To his surprise Janet smiled and began twisting up her disordered hair. - -“Very well, dear,” she answered, carelessly, and as if dismissing the -subject from her mind as unimportant she turned to renew her -conversation with Bessie. - -Suddenly a scuffle was heard in the passage. - -“I’ve got him! I’ve got him!” called the voice of Dr. Warner; and then -the draperies were pulled aside and the Colonel and the doctor rushed -into the room dragging between them a nondescript form from which came -yells of protest in a high minor key. - -“We’ve got him!” shouted the Colonel, triumphantly, as the prisoner was -dumped in the center of the room. - -“Land of mercy! What _have_ you got?” demanded Aunt Lucy, glaring upon -the strange object with amazement. - -The doctor drew out his handkerchief and mopped his forehead vigorously. - -“He speaks English!” he answered, impressively, waving the handkerchief -in the direction of the limp captive. - -Janet laughed, almost hysterically; but the others stared with marked -interest at the man who could speak English. - -He was exceedingly short in stature, and likewise exceedingly squat and -round of form. His head was entirely bald except for a bushy lock upon -the very top, but a long beard, tangled, unkempt and grizzled, reached -nearly to his middle. His cheeks were fat, his eyes small and beady, and -his nose so curved that its point was perpetually lost in the flowing -beard. For costume the man wore a gown of red and white quilted silk -that Aunt Lucy afterward declared reminded her of a bath robe, except -that no word signifying “bath” could ever be properly applied to either -the robe or the wearer. There were sandals upon his grimy feet and a -leathern pouch hung at his girdle. - -“Wherever in the world did you get him?” asked Bessie, drawing a long -breath. - -“Energy and enterprise will accomplish anything,” replied the doctor, -proudly. “The Colonel and I went to the booths this morning to search -for tobacco. All the shops in this infernal town are mere booths, you -know, and all are located against the inner side of the city wall. Until -today we had never visited any of these places except the nearest ones, -for they all look alike. But good tobacco is a scarce article in Mekran, -and we kept circling around the wall until we came to one dirty little -hole where this man sat. To our surprise and joy he answered us in -English. We fell on his neck--I believe the Colonel kissed him--and then -we seized him and brought him here.” - -“I do not remember kissing him,” retorted the Colonel, with twinkling -eyes. “It must have been the doctor.” - -“Oh, Luther!” said Aunt Lucy, horrified. “How could you ever do it?” - -“He speaks English,” replied the doctor. “We’ve adopted him.” - -A whine came from the prostrate victim. - -“What’s his name?” asked Allison. - -“Hi, there. What’s your name?” questioned the doctor, stirring the -bundle with his foot. - -“Davit, goot Excellency,” came the meek reply. - -“Stand up, David, so we can get a good look at you,” said the Colonel. - -So David rolled over and with some difficulty scrambled to his feet. -Miss Warner began to giggle, and Janet laughed outright. Even Aunt Lucy -allowed a grim smile to rest upon her wrinkled features. - -“Who are you, David?” enquired the doctor. - -“I iss merchant, most Excellency. Chew merchant.” - -“Where did you learn English?” - -“From mine fadder, who vas a Cherman merchant unt lived in Kelat.” - -“Who taught him English?” - -David looked reproachful. - -“He knew it, most High Excellency. Mine fadder could shbeak anyt’ing -efferyvhere.” - -“Except the truth, I suppose. Tell me, David; are you rich?” - -The Jew cast a frightened look around him. - -“All I haf in de vorlt,” he moaned, “iss in my pouch. If you rob de -pouch I am nodding any more whateffer!” - -The Colonel with a sudden motion grasped the pouch and jerked it free -from the girdle. Then, while David wept real tears of anguish, his -tormentor emptied the contents of the pouch upon the table. These -consisted of a miscellaneous collection of native coins of very little -value. - -“Really, you are very poor, David,” the Colonel remarked. - -“I am vorse, goot Excellency,” he replied, encouraged by the tone. “Who -iss so misserable ass Davit? Who iss so poor, so frientless, so -efferyt’ing? I shall go dead!” - -“Don’t do that, David. If a man is poor, he should strive to get rich. -Watch me,” and the Colonel took a handful of gold from his pocket and -threw it into the pouch, afterward adding the former insignificant -contents. The injunction to watch this proceeding was wholly -unnecessary. David’s eyes sparkled like diamonds and he trembled with -eagerness while the Colonel carefully tied the mouth of the pouch. -Then, tossing the bag from hand to hand so that it jingled merrily, he -said: - -“This is real wealth, David--good yellow gold. And it shall all be -yours, with an equal sum added to it, if you consent to serve us -faithfully.” - -David fell upon his knees and waved his short arms frantically toward -the pouch. - -“I vill do anyt’ing, great Excellency! I vill be serfant--I vill be -slafe! Yes, I vill be brudder to you all!” - -“Very good,” returned the Colonel. He walked to a massive cabinet, -elaborately carved, that was built into the wall of the room. Unlocking -a drawer he tossed the pouch within and then carefully relocked it and -placed the key in his own pocket. - -There was a look of despair on David’s face. He still knelt upon the -floor, his arms rigidly outstretched toward the cabinet. - -“Now, David,” continued the Colonel, calmly, while the others looked on, -much amused, “you must not forget that you are going to be very rich, -and that all this money--doubled, and perhaps tripled--will be yours as -soon as you have earned it. And you are going to earn it by speaking -English, and translating our speech to natives, and by doing exactly -what we tell you to do, at all times and under all circumstances. But if -you deceive me--if you prove unfaithful in any way--you will never see -your pouch again.” - -“I vill shpik Engliss all day! I vill do anyt’ing!” protested David. - -“Once,” said the doctor, “a man proved faithless to us. And what do you -suppose happened to him, David? Well, you couldn’t guess. I skinned him -very carefully and stuffed him with sawdust, and now he sits on a shelf -in my home with a lovely smile on his face and two glass eyes that all -observers consider very beautiful.” - -David groaned. - -“I am true man, most Excellency! I half neffer deceive. I neffer _can_ -deceive! - -“We shall trust you,” said the doctor, gravely. “I feel quite certain -you will never deserve to be stuffed with sawdust.” - -“How absurd!” ejaculated Aunt Lucy. “Do give him a bath and some decent -clothes, and stop bothering him. If we’ve got to have the fellow around -let’s make him respectable.” - -“That is a task that can only be performed outwardly,” returned the -doctor, imperturbably. “But even that is worthy of consideration. Come, -Allison, let us see what can be done toward the renovation of David.” - -As the shuffling form of “the man who could speak English” disappeared -through the archway, Aunt Lucy, who had been shrewdly studying his face, -remarked oracularly: - -“He’s playing possum. You mark my words, that Jew’s no fool. If he was, -he wouldn’t be a Jew.” - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -THE GIRL ON THE DIVAN. - - -“Now this,” said the Colonel, “is to be a council of war. We are in -grave difficulties, and may as well look the matter straight in the -face.” - -The little band of Americans seemed all to agree with him, for it was -with fitting gravity that they turned their eyes upon the leader of the -Commission--all except Aunt Lucy, whose wondering gaze was full upon -little David, resplendent in his new costume. David’s outer robe was -orange and white, and his inner garb brilliant green. An orange turban -was twisted around his bald head and orange hose covered his stubby -legs. This gorgeousness was due to a whim of the doctor, and it appeared -to be eminently satisfactory to David. A native barber had trimmed and -curled his straggling beard and the Jew had been scrubbed and scented -so thoroughly that he had a fresh and wholesome look which was in strong -contrast to his former unkempt condition. - -“If he is to be our emissary and interpreter,” the doctor had said, “he -must be made worthy of the great Commission, and in this barbarous -country color is everything.” - -“Then,” replied Aunt Lucy, “David is everything. He reminds me of a -brass band on parade.” - -David was now present at the council, seated between the Colonel and the -doctor. - -“In the first place,” resumed the leader, “we must acknowledge that we -are virtually prisoners in this town, possessing no means in the way of -animals or attendants of getting away. David has talked with the -servants in this house and has discovered that we are guests of his -Highness the Khan, who has ordered us supplied with every comfort that -can be procured. Why the khan has taken an interest in our affairs--we -being entire strangers to him--is a deep mystery. Unless he feels that -he owes us some compensation for having driven Kasam out of Mekran.” - -“Did he drive Kasam out?” asked Bessie. - -“I understand from David that there is room for but one on the throne, -and Ahmed Khan naturally prefers to sit there himself. So our friend -Kasam made tracks and left us to shift for ourselves. All of the tribe -of Raab, a powerful clan in Baluchistan, have deserted Ahmed and joined -Kasam, who is in open revolt.” - -“Would it not be safer for us to leave here and join Prince Kasam?” -enquired Bessie. - -“Why, I’m inclined to think, from the gossip David has picked up, that -Kasam’s cause is a forlorn one, and that he’s not particularly safe -himself. Ahmed Khan may wake up some day and poke him with a sharp -stick. Moreover, there’s no disguising the fact that when our guide left -Mekran and set up in business for himself he deliberately robbed us of -the beasts we had bought and paid for with our own money, besides -carrying off our Afghans, whose pay was fortunately in arrears. The -Prince couldn’t well have treated us with less consideration, and in -strong contrast with his actions Ahmed Khan has come to the front like a -man and taken care of us. Let’s pin our faith to Ahmed Khan.” - -“Cannot we induce Ahmed to supply us with a caravan?” asked Allison. - -“That’s the point. That is, it’s one point. We mustn’t lose sight of the -fact that we came here to get a right of way for the railroad. The first -concession to get from the Khan is the right of way. The means to -journey back to the railway at Quettah is the second consideration, -although no less important. These things being accomplished, we will -have performed our duty to the Syndicate and to ourselves.” - -“When will they be accomplished?” enquired Aunt Lucy, in brisk, -matter-of-fact tones. - -“Ahem! That I cannot say, to a day, my dear Mrs. Higgins. The fact is, -I’ve sent David twice to the Khan, with demands in writing for an -interview. But David can’t get within a mile of the Khan, -notwithstanding his impressive costume--which cost eight fillibees, -native money.” - -“The Khan,” added the doctor musingly, “is quite an exclusive personage. -His Highness’ guards have threatened to tattoo our dear David unless he -ceases to bother them.” - -David groaned, thereby concurring in this statement. - -“Then what is to be done?” asked Janet, who had displayed a lively -interest in her father’s discourse. - -The Colonel shook his head, rather despondently. - -“What do you suggest, David?” asked the doctor. - -David had been earnestly regarding the cabinet in which his gold was -stored. Now, however, being addressed, he reluctantly withdrew his eyes -from the vicinity of his treasure, heaved a deep sigh as if awakening -from a happy dream, and said: - -“Vy nod try de vizier?” - -“What vizier?” - -“De grant vizier, Agahr. He iss de biggest man here ven der Khan he iss -somevhere else.” - -“That seems a practical hint,” said the Colonel. “I’ll write a new -letter, addressed to the vizier.” - -David turned uneasily in his seat. - -“Letters, most Excellency, iss a bad vay. Noboddy takes letters to Agahr -de vizier. Dey go talk mit Agahr.” - -“Will he see people?” - -“Vy nod? He iss vizier.” - -“Then one of us had best go and interview him, and take David along for -interpreter,” decided the Colonel promptly. - -“He speaks such lovely English!” added Aunt Lucy, with a toss of her -head. - -“The vizier won’t hear his English,” said the doctor, “and I suspect -David’s native dialect is somewhat clearer and more comprehensive. -Otherwise he’d have been murdered long ago. Now then, who’ll tackle the -vizier?” - -“I’ll go,” replied Allison, to the surprise of all. “I’m tired of -hanging around doing nothing, and this mission promises a bit of -excitement.” - -“Very good,” said his father, pleased at the remark. “Be firm with him, -Allison. Insist upon his securing an interview for me with the Khan, -and also tell the vizier we want a caravan to take us to Quettah. Let -him understand we have plenty of money to pay for what we require.” - -“I’ll do the best I can,” said Allison. “Come, David.” - - * * * * * - -Agahr had just awakened from his afternoon siesta and was sitting with -Maie in a cool, darkened room. Both the vizier and his daughter were in -a happy mood. - -“There has been a more agreeable atmosphere at the palace since the -Persian physician went away,” said the old man. “The fellow had a -suspicious manner of looking at me, as if he knew all my secret thoughts -and intended to betray them.” - -“I hate the man!” exclaimed Maie, with a shiver of her rounded -shoulders. - -“And I,” answered Agahr. “But he is gone. Let us hope he will never -return.” - -“Yet the Khan liked him?” said the girl, enquiringly. - -“They were old friends, although their ages differ so widely; and there -is a secret between them, of some sort. The physician, who dominated -everyone else, was very gentle with Ahmed.” - -“That was his cunning,” declared Maie. “It is not wise to attempt to -rule Ahmed Khan.” She broke off suddenly, and nestling closer to Agahr -upon the divan she asked, in soft accents: “Do you think he is attracted -toward me, my father?” - -“He has eyes for no one else when you are by,” returned the vizier, -fondly caressing the girl’s hand. “But that is not strange, my Maie. You -are more beautiful than the houris of Paradise.” - -She sighed, very gently, as if the tribute was sweet. - -“And how does Ahmed Khan spend his days?” she enquired. “Do the dancing -girls still amuse him?” - -“He has sent all the dancing girls away,” was the reply, “and every -inmate of Burah’s harem, both young and old, has been conveyed by Melka -to the Castle of Ugg, far away in the South country.” - -“I wonder why?” said the girl, thoughtfully. “Perhaps, having been a -priest so long, he does not care for women.” - -Agahr smiled. - -“Then why is he improving and beautifying the harem? he asked. - -“Is he?” she cried, starting up. - -“The apartments of the women were turned over to an army of workmen a -week ago. In another week the harem will be beautiful beyond compare. -And the gardens and Court of the Maidens are being made magnificent with -rare plants and exquisite flowers. That is not an indication, my beauty, -that the Khan does not care for women.” - -“True,” she returned, and sat as if lost in thought. Then she asked: - -“What woman, besides myself, has the Khan looked kindly upon?” - -“None,” answered the vizier, without hesitation. “It was only this -morning he spoke to me of you, asking how many summers you had seen and -saying you were rarely beautiful.” - -She smiled contentedly. - -“How wise we were, oh my father, to abandon the cause of the Pretender -and ally ourselves with Ahmed Khan.” - -“Kasam is too weak and unreliable to become a leader of men,” returned -the vizier, calmly. - -“Yet for years--while Burah Khan grew aged--I imagined I should become -the queen of Kasam’s harem, and plotted shrewdly to place him upon the -throne. Is it not amusing, my father, to remember that I learned to -speak the awkward English tongue, just because Kasam had lived in -England and spoke that language?” - -“It was time wasted,” said the vizier. “But that reminds me that those -American travellers are still in Mekran. I wonder why the Khan is -keeping them.” - -Maie started. - -“Are there not women among them?” she asked. - -“Two or three of the party are women.” - -“Are they beautiful?” - -Agahr laughed, and pinched her cheek. - -“There are no beautiful women but ours,” he returned, “and of them you -are the queen, my Maie! However, jealous one, the Khan has never looked -upon these foreign women, nor does he care to.” - -“Then why does he keep the Americans here? Will he permit them to build -their railway?” - -“Indeed, no,” said the vizier. “He agrees with me that a railway would -ruin our country. But why he will neither see the Americans nor permit -them to depart from Mekran is really a mystery.” - -“Ah, I must discover it!” the girl exclaimed, earnestly. “When a thing -is not understood it is dangerous. And it is well to beware of all -women, even though they be foreigners and ugly of form and feature. I -can manage any man who lives, my father, be he khan or vizier,” with a -smile into his face; “but even the far-seeing Prophet failed to -understand my sex aright.” - -“I have put a spy in the household of the Americans,” said Agahr. - -“Whom?” - -“David the Jew.” - -“David is clever,” said Maie, thoughtfully. “But will he be faithful? -Gold is his only master.” - -“I have promised, if David is faithful, to purchase from him those -wonderful African pearls--at his own price. That will make him rich, -and the pearls will be your bridal gift, my daughter.” - -She clasped her hands, ecstatically. - -“And the great diamond that David brought from Algiers? What of that?” - -“The Khan himself has purchased it, by my advice.” - -“Then it shall be mine!” she whispered. “You have done well, my father. -How long has David been with the Americans?” - -“Three days. I expect him here, presently, for the foreigners begin to -grow impatient of restraint, and I have told David to let me quiet them -with promises.” - -“Question the Jew closely when he comes, concerning the Americans. I -must know more of them, and we must watch them closely.” - -The vizier arose, arranged his robe, and with slow steps left the room -to cross a passage that admitted him to the apartment wherein he was -wont to receive visitors on affairs of state. The fringe of the drapery -caught as he threw it back, and hung partially open behind him; but -neither he nor Maie, who still reclined upon her divan, noted this. - -Scarcely was Agahr seated in his great velvet-lined chair of state when -a slave entered to announce the arrival of David and the young American, -who desired an audience. - -The vizier hesitated, in deep thought, mindful of Maie’s injunctions. -Finally he said to the slave: - -“Admit David the Jew to my presence; but tell him the American must wait -in the outer chamber until he is summoned.” - -So presently little David entered the room, drawing the draperies -closely behind him and then turning to bow cringingly before the vizier. - -Allison waited impatiently. Why should Agahr wish to speak with David in -secret? It looked decidedly suspicious, thought the young man, and after -a few moments he arose and glanced down the passage. He seemed to be -entirely alone, and the heavy rugs would deaden any sound of footsteps. - -Stealthily he made his way down the passage toward the crimson draperies -that had fallen behind David’s pudgy form. On his way he passed an -entrance on the opposite side, to which the curtain hung half open, -displaying the dim interior of the room. And then he paused as if -fascinated, his eyes fixed upon the most exquisite picture he had ever -beheld. - -Maie lay carelessly stretched upon the divan, her robe thrown back, her -arms crossed behind her head and the outlines of her rounded limbs -showing daintily through the folds of soft mulle that enveloped them. -Her eyes, languid and dark, gazed full into those of the intruder, and -as she noted his enraptured face she smiled in a way that instantly -robbed Allison of all caution or even a realization of his delicate -position in this household. In two strides he was by her side, kneeling -at the divan and clasping the unresisting hands of the girl in both his -own. - -“Oh, my darling!” he whispered, looking deep into the lustrous eyes, -“how very, very beautiful you are!” - -Such sincere tribute was beyond Maie’s power to resist. The little head -might be full of ambitions, schemes and intrigues, yet there was room -for a vivid appreciation of man’s adoration, and this abrupt method of -wooing was sure to appeal to her Eastern imagination. She sighed, -forgetful of all save the handsome face bent over her, and only the -sound of her father’s stern voice coming from the opposite chamber had -power to recall her to the present. - -“You must go, my American,” she said, in clear English, “or you will be -discovered.” - -“Ah, you speak my language?” said Allison, in delight; “then you will -understand me, sweet one, when I tell you how lovely you are--how -passionately I adore you!” - -He clasped his arms around her and drew her so close that her bosom -rested against his own. The red lips were nearer now--so near that he -kissed them again and again, in a very abandon of ecstatic joy. - -“They will find you,” said Maie, softly. “And they will kill you.” - -“What does it matter?” he rejoined, recklessly. “One moment such as this -is worth a hundred deaths!” - -With a sudden movement she freed herself from his embrace and sat up, -facing him. - -“Take this key,” she whispered, drawing it from her bosom, where it was -secured by a silken thread. “It unlocks the Gate of the Griffins, at the -end of our garden. Meet me there tonight--an hour before midnight--and -take care you are seen by no prying eye. And now, go--and go quickly!” - -She broke the thread and handed him a tiny silver key, which he thrust -into his pocket. - -“One kiss, sweetheart,” he begged; “just one more to comfort me until--” - -“Go, or all is lost,” she answered, almost fiercely, and seizing his arm -she dragged him to another doorway and thrust him from the room with a -force her slender form did not seem to warrant. - -It was time. Allison heard footsteps and voices, and staggering through -an ante-room he barely had time to reach the outer chamber and throw -himself into a chair when David and a slave entered. - -“Hiss goot Excellency, de vizier, vill see you,” said David, looking -with open surprise into Allison’s flushed and excited face. - -“I must have fallen asleep, David,” said the American, reaching out his -arms as if to stretch them, “for I dreamed I was in Paradise, and you -were imploring the Prophet to pardon my sins.” - -David grinned, and turned to lead him to the vizier. But the Jew’s keen -eyes had made a hasty survey of the room, and noted a curtain swaying -gently where no breeze could ever have reached it. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -A WILD WOOING - - -“Well?” asked the Colonel; “what luck?” - -“None at all,” growled Allison. “The vizier is as tricky and sly as his -master. He assumed a dignified and benevolent air, was very sorry we -were discontented, but can do nothing to help us.” - -“How about horses?” - -“The vizier states it is an ecclesiastical command that no beasts of -burden shall be sold to an infidel, under pain of death. His Highness -the Khan regrets it; His Excellency the Vizier regrets it. You are -referred to Aboullah O’Brien, Grand Mufti of the Mosque of the Angels, -who issued the order to the faithful.” - -“It iss Aboullah Beyren,” corrected David, meekly. - -“How long has this order been in effect?” enquired the doctor. - -“Since the day we arrived. It was not aimed at us, by any means. It was -a coincidence.” - -“That looks bad,” said the Colonel gravely. “How about my interview with -the Khan?” - -“The vizier will intercede for you. He will go down on his knees to His -Supreme Mightiness; he will implore the Star of the Heavens to see you. -But he doubts if we ever get within earshot of the Glorious and -Magnificent Defender of the Faith, who is otherwise known as Ahmed Khan. -It seems he has other fish to fry, and is busy getting them ready. We -can do nothing with the scoundrelly vizier, I am certain.” - -“Then we must depend upon David to get me an audience with the Khan. -Americans are not accustomed to fail in what they undertake. See here, -David,” turning to that worthy merchant; “can’t you bribe your way into -the royal palace?” - -“I will try, most Excellency,” answered David, eagerly. “But de bribe -must be great moneys--grant moneys--many golt fillibees! Unt I promise -nodding. Maybe I see de Khan; maybe nod. Who can tell?” - -“It sounds like a risky investment, David,” remarked the doctor. “We’ll -take time to think it over.” - -They thought of many things, in the days that followed, but could arrive -at no plan that promised to provide a caravan or give them an -opportunity to negotiate with the Khan concerning the new railway. - -The Colonel went personally to the palace one day, taking along the -trembling David as interpreter. The official who met him at the entrance -listened to him respectfully, but assured him that no message from an -infidel could be carried to the Khan. Hints of money had no effect. It -would cost him his head to disturb the Khan on such an errand. - -Under these unfortunate conditions the Colonel began to be worried, and -even the doctor lost much of his habitual cheerfulness. Aunt Lucy vowed -vengeance upon every barbarian in Baluchistan, and promised the United -States would wipe this miserable country off the map as soon as she -returned and reported their treatment to her friend the senator. - -But Allison, to the wonder of all, stopped grumbling and bore his -imprisonment with rare fortitude and good nature. Janet also grew -brighter and merrier day by day--a circumstance that did much toward -reconciling her father to their enforced stay in Mekran. Bessie, always -philosophic and gay, made no complaint of any sort. And so the days -passed swiftly away and as yet brought no change in the fortunes of the -stranded Commission. - -One evening David came in greatly excited. A messenger had arrived from -the Khan. Although that haughty potentate still ignored the Commission -he had placed two saddle horses from his own stables at the disposal of -the young ladies. If they would ride at daybreak on the following -morning--that hour being the most cool and delightful of the day--the -Khan would send a competent guard to protect them. His Most Serene and -Magnificent Highness offered this courtesy in order to relieve the -monotony of the young ladies’ stay in his capital. He made no mention of -the other members of the party, who might exist as monotonously as ever. -And the messenger awaited an answer. - -This was, indeed, a startling proposition. Eastern women did not ride, -yet the Khan seemed to know that nothing could be more acceptable to -American girls than a dash across country on the back of a spirited -horse. They were very glad to accept the favor, and the Colonel hoped it -might lead in some way to more friendly relations between them and the -ruler of Mekran, and perhaps result in the interview he so ardently -desired. - -“But who’s going to chaperon them?” enquired Aunt Lucy. “It seems I’m -not invited.” - -The Colonel thought the khan’s guard would be sufficient. - -“But it’s a heathen country, and they’ll have to bandage their faces,” -declared the old lady. - -“We’ll wear veils until we are out of Mekran,” said Bessie. “Then there -will be no masculine eyes to see us, and we’ll take them off.” - -So at daybreak Janet and Bessie were ready for their ride, and soon a -grizzled Baluch warrior rode up to the house leading two magnificent -bays from the famous stables of Mehmet. The one that Janet rode was the -very animal that had carried Ahmed on his swift journey from the -monastery, and Bessie’s horse was but little inferior. - -The warrior saluted and assisted the ladies to mount. It was Dirrag. He -led them through the streets, around the palace enclosure and out at the -south gate. A beautiful country lay spread before them, and as the keen -morning air saluted their nostrils, brightened their eyes and flushed -their cheeks, the girls dashed away at a canter with Dirrag silently -following a few paces behind. - -After their long confinement within the walls of a city dwelling this -free, invigorating exercise was a great delight to the two girls, and -they enjoyed the ride thoroughly. Passing through the city on their -return they closely veiled their faces, yet were evidently objects of -curiosity to those of the natives who were abroad so early. - -Dirrag held the stirrups for them to dismount and then silently touched -his cap and led the horses back to the khan’s stables. But next morning -he was again at their door with the mounts, and their ride became a -daily event to the girls. - -Dirrag knew no English, but Janet and Bessie had come to understand many -of the Baluch words--a dialect evidently founded upon Arabic--and could -even speak a few simple sentences, learned by contact with the native -servants and somewhat puzzling explanations from David. So the silence -of their first rides began to be broken by laconic observations on the -part of the battered old warrior, who seemed not to object to acting as -escort to the charming infidel women. Occasionally they passed the house -of Agahr the Vizier and Maie, who was informed of all that occurred in -the capital, watched from her latticed window the graceful forms of the -American girls riding by and on several occasions when they neglected -to arrange their veils caught glimpses of their fair faces. - -It was enough to set the vizier’s daughter wild with envy and chagrin. -Why should the Khan favor these outcasts-these women of another world? -Was it for them the harem was being prepared, despite her father’s -protestation that Ahmed had never seen the foreign women nor ever would -see them? The girl well knew that their beauty could in no way compare -with her own in the eyes of any true Baluch. The Americans were deformed -by being laced and belted at the waist and wearing heavy, close-fitting -draperies that must not only be uncomfortable but were decidedly ugly in -appearance. But Maie could not deny they sat their horses gracefully and -with rare self-possession, and men have queer ideas of beauty. Perhaps -Ahmed Khan might admire the novelty of their white faces, their queerly -arranged hair and the pink finger nails that lacked any trace of the -beautifying henna. - -Maie was jealous, and with good reason. She had abandoned her handsome -cousin Kasam for the more powerful and scarcely less handsome Ahmed -Khan, and if fate destined her to lose them both she was surely to be -pitied. - -But her father declared he had no such fears. Ahmed was difficult to -understand, it was true; but Ahmed was a man, and he had seen and -admired Maie. Was he not beautifying his harem? and what place could -these stiff Americans have amid the luxuries of the perfumed baths, the -gardens of the Court of the Maidens, or the musk-scented cushions of the -oriental divans? It would be as absurd as putting a frog in the jar -devoted to gold-fish. Add to this argument the fact that Maie was the -most beautiful maiden the world had ever known, and none but a fool -could fail to read the lines of destiny. - -One morning Dirrag turned to the west, and led his fair companions -across the valley and up the curve of the long hill that enclosed it. -The country was more wild and unsettled here than at the south or east, -and when finally they mounted the brow of the hill and gazed down into -the next valley Dirrag pointed out a cluster of white dots showing far -away against the green of the fertile plains. - -“Kasam,” said he. - -The girls looked with eager interest. - -“Is it a camp?” asked Bessie, twisting her tongue into the Baluch -dialect. - -Dirrag seemed to understand. - -“Kasam is a rebel,” he said, looking calmly at the tents. “Many traitors -to our great khan have joined him. His army grows daily. It will be -battle, some day, and Kasam and his host will disappear like snow before -the sun.” - -“Has the Khan also an army?” asked Janet. - -Dirrag smiled, proudly. - -“The warriors of Mekran are as numerous as the leaves in the forest. Our -mighty khan does not mind Kasam, for the buzzing of a bee against the -window-pane is not annoying. But when the time comes he will crush the -rebel in a day.” - -“That may not be so easy,” exclaimed Bessie, while her eyes sparkled -indignantly. “Prince Kasam is no child I’ll bet he knows very well what -he’s about!” - -Dirrag shrugged his shoulders. He did not understand, for in her -excitement she spoke in English. But other ears heard the words, and a -young man rode out from a clump of trees that had concealed him and -advanced toward the ladies with a bow and a smile. - -It was Kasam himself, mounted upon a magnificent gelding that was black -as night. He wore a native costume, sparkling with jewels, and looked as -handsome and manly as any prince in a fairy tale. - -Dirrag, frowning and alert, drew his terrible curved cimeter and -prepared to defend his charges. But the girls were pleased at the -encounter, and Bessie managed to cry out in Baluch: “Don’t strike, -Dirrag! It is Prince Kasam.” - -“Good reason to strike,” growled the warrior; but he stood at attention, -awaiting the outcome of the adventure and admiring secretly the enemy’s -boldness. - -“I thank you, fair ladies, for your protection,” said Kasam, speaking -gaily and in English. “Not that I particularly fear your doughty -champion, but because it affords me the opportunity I have longed for to -talk frankly with you, and explain why I seemingly abandoned you on the -eve of your arrival in Mekran.” - -“And also why you carried away our entire caravan,” added Janet, -severely. - -Kasam laughed. - -“All is fair in love and war,” he rejoined. “You did not need the -caravan any longer, and I needed it badly. It was natural I should take -advantage of your good nature and my own necessities. Look!” pointing -proudly to the plain below; “it is the encampment of my army--the host -that is to win for me the throne of Mekran!” - -“Are our horses and dromedaries there? And our escort of Afghans?” asked -Janet. - -“All are there. For the money loss you have sustained I can easily -recompense you. As for my own desertion, I agreed to guide your party to -Mekran, and I kept my promise. Really, I cannot see that you have just -cause for complaint.” - -“We have no way to leave the city,” replied Janet. “Your act has made -us prisoners in Mekran.” - -“That was part of my plan,” declared the young man, eyeing the girl with -open admiration. “I do not want you to leave Mekran until I am khan.” - -“Why?” she asked. - -He hesitated, and glanced at Dirrag. - -“Let us ride on,” he said, “and, if you will kindly pace beside me, Miss -Janet, I will confide to your ears alone my hopes and ambitions.” - -He reached out and caught the rein of her bridle, drawing the horse -beside his own, and then he rode slowly down the hill toward the city. -Dirrag, puzzled by the action and marvelling that the Prince should -venture so near the khan’s headquarters, followed a few paces behind -Kasam, with Bessie at his side. The girl’s face had flushed red at -Kasam’s evident preference for her friend, and her lips were pressed -ominously together. She nodded approval as she saw that the warrior -beside her still held his drawn cimeter tightly clasped in his hand, for -the stern look upon his grim features boded no good to the rebel -prince. - -For a few paces Kasam rode in silence; then, glancing behind to make -sure they were not overheard, he said: - -“Miss Moore--Janet! the conditions that surround me oblige me to be -frank with you, and to discard all foolish formalities. Although I have -been educated in London you must not forget I am a native Baluch, and -that we of the East are children of impulse, obeying the dictates of our -hearts spontaneously and scorning that cold formality so much affected -by your race. I have neither the time nor the opportunity to woo you in -the dignified Western fashion. But I love you; and, after all, that is -enough for a man to say!” - -“Prince Kasam!” - -“Since you must hear me, pray rob your voice of its scorn, my love. Be -sweet and fond as a woman should. Let your real soul peep out of your -beautiful eyes--let your heart bound wild and free in unison with my -own. We are man and woman, fitted to sweet communion one with the other -and destined to be happy in the passionate union of our lives.” His -voice was broken and excited; his eyes sparkled with fierce intensity; -the conventionality of the Western civilization he had once known was -all forgotten. “I love you--I adore you, my Janet! And I am a -prince--soon to be Khan of all this great land. Speak to me, dear one! -Promise to leave all else and cling to me alone--to follow my fortunes -until I can place you in the palace where you shall be queen!” - -“You have taken me by surprise, Prince Kasam,” said Janet, gravely. “I -am sorry you have spoken in this way.” - -“And why?” he cried. “Can love be denied when it clamors at the door of -an eager heart? Why should I not love you? Why should you not accept my -love?” - -She looked into his animated face and smiled sadly. - -“Because I do not belong to myself,” she answered, trying hard, as a -true woman will, to soften the blow. “Can I give you what another claims -as his right?” - -She should have said more, or not so much; but she did not know the -Baluch temper. - -He drew a quick breath at her words and reined his horse to a sudden -halt. Her own horse stopped at the same time, and for one long moment -Kasam gazed steadily into the fair face she turned pleadingly upon him. - -With an exclamation and a passionate gesture he spurred forward. The -black gelding was off like the wind across the plain, and Janet was left -to stare wonderingly after him. - -Dirrag swore heartily; but the native oaths, lacking translation, did -not offend the ears of the American girls. The warrior dared not leave -his companions to pursue the prince, who circled around and made -straight for the hillside in the direction of his encampment. - -An embarrassing silence fell upon the three as they again rode forward. -Dirrag was plainly suspicious of Janet’s secret conference with the -rebel, and Bessie’s sweet face was masked with a grieved and despondent -expression that was new to it. - -But Janet was too preoccupied to notice her friend’s distress, nor did -she deign to explain, even with a word, her strange interview with -Kasam. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV - -THE VEILED WOMAN. - - -“What does it mean?” demanded Maie, stamping her small foot in passion. -“Tell me at once, my father--what does it mean?” - -The vizier sat doubled up in his chair a picture of abject humiliation -and despair. His chin lay inert against his chest; the white beard -streamed to his waist, where long and bony fingers clutched it and -dragged at the meshes nervously; his eyes refused to meet the glowing -orbs his incensed daughter turned upon him like searchlights baring the -soul. - -“Will you speak?” she asked, scornfully. “Will you speak, most sublime -and magnificent Vizier--if only to proclaim yourself an ass?” - -“Have peace--have peace!” muttered Agahr, moving uneasily. “How was I -to know that Merad the Persian would return?” - -“Oh trusting and childlike servant--thou one innocent in all the world -of guile!” - -“Ahmed tells no one of his plans,” the vizier went on, heedless of her -jibes; “nor can I be expected to probe the secret thoughts of the Khan. -When Merad departed there was no hint of his mission or that he expected -soon to return. My spy waits in Ahmed’s private chamber; my spy serves -his every meal; my spy listens to the secret conferences he holds with -sirdars and officers of the household. If the Khan sneezes, I know it; -if he stirs abroad my eyes follow his every step. But his thoughts, -being known only to himself and to Allah, baffle my efforts, and the -jargon he speaks to the foreign physician is a language none else can -understand.” - -Maie clutched at her silken scarf and rent its folds in twain, twisting -and tearing the tender fabric until its threads lay scattered in all -directions. - -“I hate him! I have hated him from the first,” she said. “Aye, even as I -clasped his clammy form in my arms, and knew that water rather than -blood flowed in his veins, I loathed the man and guessed he would strive -to ruin me!” - -“You did this?” asked the vizier, sternly. “You clasped the Persian in -your arms--a man so old that he might call you daughter? You played the -wanton with this stranger?” - -“Even so,” she answered, mockingly. “I would have sacrificed anything, -at that time, to have cut old Burah’s thread of life. But, elai! your -cold Persian would not respond. He spurned me from him. I was very safe -in his presence, my father.” - -Agahr’s brows did not unbend. He eyed his daughter with a look of -smouldering fury. - -“Hear me, Maie,” he commanded; “you are the child of my heart, my best -beloved. With you I have plotted and intrigued until my very soul is -stained with evil in the Prophet’s sight; but all for your future glory -and pride, and with no thought of my own advantage. But if you disregard -your own purity, if I find that you give yourself to strange men or -humble me in the sight of Allah, I swear to kill you as quickly as I -would a dog of an infidel! Aye, my own slaves shall cut you down like a -noxious weed.” - -She laughed then, showing her dimples and her pearl-like teeth; but the -laugh rang hard in Agahr’s ears. - -“What man has knowledge to teach a woman?” she asked, with a careless -gesture. “Is your wisdom so little, my father, that you judge me lacking -in worldly cunning? Bah! have comfort, then! Never can you plot so well -for Maie as Maie can plot for herself. And when I fall the heavens shall -follow in my wake. Enough of this. We face a real trouble. The Persian -has returned to Mekran, bearing in a splendid palanquin a woman veiled -and closely guarded, who is received into the harem of the khan after he -had embraced her form in the sight of many servants. In this we read my -own rejection, the failure of all our clever plotting. The harem, then, -was not made beautiful for me, but for this strange woman whom the -Persian brings to warm the cold heart of Ahmed Khan. Is she beautiful? -Is she young and winning? Has she charms to delight the senses? Then why -should she be chosen before me--the daughter you yourself have declared -to be incomparable? Answer, you man of spies--spies so impotent that -they cannot penetrate the secrets of the harem!” - -“It is all a deep mystery, my Maie,” sighed the vizier, solemnly -stroking his beard. “But let us not be disheartened. There is room in -the khan’s harem for more than one woman.” - -“Unless Maie is first, there is no room for her in any man’s harem,” she -retorted, proudly. “Have done, my father, with thoughts of Ahmed Khan. -Our Kasam is assembling an army. Perhaps it is not too late to bargain -with him for our support.” - -“Not long ago,” said the vizier, slowly, “we rejected Kasam.” - -“The more reason that he will be eager to make a compact with us. We can -open to him the gates of Mekran.” - -“A day or two ago,” continued the vizier, “the Prince came out from his -camp and met the American women who ride with Dirrag each morning. He -conversed long and tenderly with the dark haired one. My spy saw all -from a thicket on the hillside.” - -Maie’s dainty face became grave and thoughtful. - -“It is difficult to estimate the power of these American women,” she -said, after a pause. “Only yesterday I feared they might win the favor -of Ahmed Khan; yet it seems I was wrong, for another has been received -into his harem. Kasam’s interest in them may be equally unimportant. He -saw many such creatures in England, and cared nothing for them. Besides, -he has a throne to win, and with it he may have--” - -She stopped abruptly, and rising from her cushions approached a large -mirror, where she examined her reflection with much care. Then she -returned slowly to her divan. - -“You are right, my father: no woman that I have ever beheld can compare -with me in beauty of form or face--in grace or in womanly loveliness. -The Americans could not amuse Kasam as I can. Let us think of them no -longer, but send messages at once to the camp of the Prince. Without -doubt he will accept our terms eagerly.” - -“I will do as you wish,” returned the vizier, but with evident -reluctance. “There is little doubt we can do better with Kasam than with -the Khan, but by allying ourselves with the rebel we place our own necks -in danger. I wish the Prince had a share of Ahmed’s compelling will and -cool judgment. When the armies meet Kasam may not win the battle.” - -“But the armies must not meet!” returned the girl. “With our aid Kasam -can accomplish his ends by strategy. In battle the khan would crush him -to the earth, but in cunning our Prince will prove the victor. Select -your messenger with care--one whose death will not cause you to mourn, -for we must trust no one with our secret. When he is ready to depart I -will give him instructions.” - -“It shall be done,” said the vizier. - -“And now it grows late, and I will retire.” - -She made him a dutiful obeisance and left the room to go to her -apartment. - -An hour later, while the vizier slumbered, Maie stole away to the end of -the garden and by the Gate of the Griffins came upon Allison, who -clasped her fondly in his arms. - -Next day David brought to the house of Colonel Moore the gossip of the -city, telling of the return of Merad the Persian. The physician had been -to Quettah for the most beautiful woman in the world, whom he had -purchased for the price of ten thousand fillibees to grace the harem of -the young khan. - -The ladies received this wonderful tale with various comments. Aunt Lucy -was very indignant that any female, however depraved, should be bought -and sold like so many goods and chattels. Bessie wondered if the girl -was really beautiful, and whether she was proud to have brought so large -a sum of money. Janet said nothing, but listened with downcast eyes and -flushed cheeks. - -Somewhere or other Allison had also heard this gossip, and he took -pains to quietly impress his sister with the fact that the incident -fully proved them to have been mistaken in thinking they recognized the -Persian on the day he had left Mekran. - -“The doctor we knew in New York was an impertinent meddler,” he said, -when they could not be overheard; “but he wasn’t the man to purchase -women for the harem of a barbarian, you may be sure. We probably had our -scare for nothing.” - -“Scare?” she exclaimed. “What do you mean, Allison? Why should you fear -to meet--” - -“Hush!” he interrupted, nervously glancing around. “They may hear you; -and it isn’t best, on your own account, to mention that name. I didn’t -mean that we need fear to meet him, but that he would be afraid to meet -us. Is it not so?” - -“You are talking riddles,” she answered, coldly, and left the room to -avoid discussing the matter further. - - - - -CHAPTER XV - -SALAMAN - - -A solitary camel came into Mekran by the north gate, driven by a lean -Baluch in a soiled yellow burnous and bearing upon its back a palanquin -with curtains of faded silk. It ambled through the streets and knelt at -the portals of the khan’s palace, where the curtains were drawn and an -aged priest cautiously descended. - -Before the entrance was drawn up a company of warriors of the Tribe of -Agot, who solemnly saluted the new arrival and pressed backward that he -might pass within. - -The priest paused to note their splendid dress and brightly polished -weapons, eyeing them with the simplicity of a child viewing his first -pageant. His countenance was strangely sweet and guileless, although not -lacking in dignity, and his white garb was of spotless purity. But -above his breast--the focus of every eye of the true believer--hung -suspended a jewelled star that proclaimed him the Grand Mufti of the -Sunnite faith. No wonder the awed warriors pressed backward before the -great Salaman, who had come all the way from his retreat at Takkatu to -visit their khan. - -Passing through the courtyard and up the marble stairway the venerable -priest stopped often to mark the luxurious furnishings of the palace. -The building itself was scarcely equal to his own monastery, but the -splendor of its fittings was in strong contrast with the simplicity to -which he was accustomed. The slave Memendama preceded him, pausing at -every turn to salam before his master’s guest. - -The ante-rooms were filled with sirdars and captains of the tribes, all -resplendent in attire, as befitted the courtiers of a great khan. Within -one alcove sat Agahr the Vizier, in deep converse with a group of -greybeards who were evidently officers of rank. These also rose to bow -before the priest, and Salaman stopped to read the vizier’s countenance -with curious intentness. When he had passed Agahr looked after him with -a troubled face, and the others, exchanging significant glances, left -him and walked away. - -At last Memendama stopped beside a portiere which he drew aside to allow -the priest to enter. It was the private apartment of the khan. - -Salaman, stepping within the small room, gave a shrewd glance around and -allowed the semblance of a smile to flit across his grave features. The -place was well lighted with high windows, although the afternoon already -waned, but the walls and floor were bare and the furniture almost severe -in character. Beside a wooden bench knelt the Khan, his head resting -upon his outstretched arms and his body without motion. - -The priest’s glance was almost tender as he softly crossed the chamber -and seated himself within the embrasure of a window. The silence -remained unbroken. - -After a time the Khan moved and raised his head, fixing his eyes upon -the white-robed priest. There was no start of surprise in his gaze. Very -gently he arose, knelt again before Salaman and kissed with humility the -hem of the priestly robe. - -“You are here, my father,” he said, “and I am grateful.” - -The priest laid his hand upon the bowed head. - -“All is well, my son,” he answered. “Allah and the Prophet have given -you guidance, and your days are righteous.” He paused a moment and then -added: “We are pleased with Ahmed Khan.” - -Again there followed a period of prolonged silence. - -Then the young man asked: - -“You know of my troubles, father?” - -“Yes, dear Hafiz. The American girl is here in Mekran.” - -“Is it not strange that she has come from across the world to the one -place where I have found refuge?” - -“The ways of Allah are good ways,” responded the priest, “and He holds -the strands of fate in relentless hands. Your life is just beginning, -my Hafiz.” - -An eager look sprang to the young man’s eyes. He searched the calm -countenance of Salaman as if he feared it might belie the speaker’s -words. - -“Do you bid me hope, my master?” he asked, in trembling tones. - -A change came over the priest’s face. His eyes seemed masked with a -delicate film that gave them far-seeing power. The lines of the aged -features grew tense and hard, as if deprived of all nervous volition. -His head fell slowly forward until the white beard swept to his knees -and lay upon them like a drift of snow. - -Hafiz drew back, clasping his knees with his hands and looking up at the -entranced mufti with expectant gaze. - -“The deeds of men bear fruit,” said the voice of the priest, sounding -cold and unreal in the intense stillness, “and the sun of Allah’s will -ripens it all together and brings it from many parts to be heaped within -one measure. The harvest is near, my son. Events will crowd one another -like waves lapping the pool’s edge, and from the midst of strife and -bloodshed I see you rising calm and serene, with the mark of our -gracious Prophet upon your brow.... The Voice of Allah whispers in my -ears ... and all is well!” - -Silence followed, and neither moved. A shadow crept over the windows, -slowly dimming the light. An hour passed, and another. The room was dark -now, and scarcely could the Khan discern the form of the priest seated -before him. Blackness fell, and the stillness of death remained. From a -neighboring minaret the hours chimed sweetly but all unheeded. - -Then came a gleam of silver, striking aslant the priest’s face and -crossing the room like a solid bar, its end melting against the further -wall. The bar grew and spread as the moon rose higher, and soon the -entire room was flooded with a mellow light that rendered every object -distinctly visible. - -As if the radiance brought life in its dancing beams the aged mufti -breathed again and moved slightly in his seat. Hafiz, alert to mark the -change, softly arose and went to an alcove, returning with a tray upon -which was arranged a simple repast. This he placed upon a tabaret beside -Salaman and then brought a bowl of water and a towel, bathing the hands -and face of his master with a touch as tender as that of a woman. The -priest’s expression was normal now, but very thoughtful. He ate -sparingly of the food, and afterward the Khan also tasted the dish. - -Then Hafiz, having carried away the tray, lighted a small lamp, green -shaded, and both men approached the table and sat beside it. - -“May I ask of Ahmed, my father?” - -“He is now of the Imaum, well favored of the Prophet, his comrade, and -happy in pursuit of a divine solution of the mysteries.” - -“Here his gentle soul would have been cankered with misery.” - -The priest nodded. Hafiz, after a hesitating look into the other’s face -continued: - -“I have placed a woman in my harem, father.” - -A smile reassured him. - -“All is known to me, my son,” came the calm reply. “But I must speak -with you concerning the Vision with which Allah has just favored me. -Your vizier is not a true man, dear Hafiz.” - -“I have feared as much, my father, though striving to win him to me by -many favors.” - -“He plots for your destruction, urged to treachery by a maiden very -beautiful to mortal eyes, but equally repulsive to the all-wise Allah.” - -“It is his daughter,” said the Khan, musingly. - -“I have seen a man riding from Agahr the vizier to the camp of Kasam. -Listen well, my son, for the Vision was given me that you might have -knowledge.” - -In low tones Salaman now described the scenes he had witnessed in his -trance, and the Khan attended gravely to each word of the recital, -frowning at times, then smiling, and at the last giving a shudder of -horror as the catastrophy was unfolded. - -Afterward he sat long in deep thought, exclaiming at last, with a sigh -of regret: - -“These are evil days, my father!” - -But the priest’s face shone calm and bright. - -“No man knows content,” he answered, “who has never faced despair. The -blessed Allah gives us night that we may welcome the dawn.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVI - -THE ABDUCTION - - -Janet and Bessie had continued their morning rides with Dirrag, -notwithstanding the unpleasant meeting with Prince Kasam, which, -although duly reported by the warrior to the Khan, had not been deemed -of sufficient importance to interrupt their pleasure. - -But since then Dirrag had led them through the valley to the south and -east, where the country was more thickly settled, and avoided riding -very far from the walls. - -However, on the morning following the arrival of the Grand Mufti Salaman -at Mekran, Bessie pleaded with Dirrag to again take them up the westward -slope, that they might once more look upon the camp of the Prince. -Dirrag hesitated at first, but finally consented and turned the horses’ -heads in that direction. The steeds of Mehmet, he reflected, were the -fleetest in the khan’s dominions, and his own trusted cimeter would be -equal to any emergency. Moreover, when a woman pleaded Dirrag’s heart -was water, and Bessie was his favorite. - -It was a beautiful morning, and the sun had just risen to cast a golden -glow over the distant plain, where the white dots appeared to their eyes -in increased numbers. - -“Kasam’s army is growing,” said Bessie. “Surely there are many more -tents than there were before.” - -“The air may be filled with vultures, yet they dare not attack a living -lion,” remarked Dirrag, quietly. - -“But why shouldn’t Kasam himself be the lion?” she retorted. “Is he so -much inferior to the mysterious Ahmed Khan?” - -“The future will decide that,” said Dirrag. “Those who know my master -have no fear of Kasam of Raab.” - -After remaining a short time to watch the picturesque scene spread out -before them they turned their horses to descend the hill. All three were -busy with their own reflections, and had nearly reached the foot of the -incline, with the walls of Mekran less than two miles away, when three -mounted men who had been concealed in a thicket dashed out and, without -warning, fell savagely upon the band. Two with drawn swords engaged -Dirrag in fierce combat, while the third, coming beside Janet, dragged -the girl from her horse, swept her across to his own saddle, and then -galloped away with his victim clasped tight in his arms. - -Bessie, reining in her horse, sat as if turned to stone, for she -recognized in the abductor of Janet their old friend Prince Kasam. - -With dull eyes and set face she followed the flight of his horse as he -bounded up the hill with his burden, nor could the growls of Dirrag, who -was engaged in beating down the swords of his assailants with mighty -strokes, distract her from the more astounding sight. - -Janet, unable to elude the fierce embrace of the man who held her, did -not waste her strength in useless struggles. But after the first -surprise of her capture had passed away she managed to find her voice, -crying out: - -“Release me, Prince Kasam!” - -“Never!” he answered, exultantly. “You are mine, now--mine forever! And -no earthly power shall ever tear you from my arms.” - -“Where are you taking me?” - -“To my tent, beloved, there to become my bride. Don’t you know that I -love you--love you--love you!” - -He repeated the words at each bound of his great black horse, pressing -her yet closer to his breast, as if a madness possessed him. - -“Never will I wed you!” gasped the frightened girl, trembling in spite -of her effort at control. “You are a coward to seize me thus, and you -are mad!” - -“Yes, mad with love,” he answered in a desperate voice. “I cannot live -without you, my Janet. Willing or unwilling, it matters not. You shall -be mine, and mine alone!” - -She turned and whispered a word in his ear. He laughed. - -“So much the better, dear one. We shall not have to wait for a ceremony. -This is not England, nor America, but wild, free Baluchistan, and I am -master of a host. You are mine--you are mine--you are mine!” - -He did not see a great bay speeding across from a neighboring grove to -intercept his path. He was kissing the girl’s hair, her neck, her -shoulders; hugging her fast in his wild embrace and blind to everything -else. - -The man upon the bay sat motionless, his huge, muscular frame bent -slightly forward to favor the flight of his steed and his eyes fastened -upon the Baluch prince and his fair burden. - -The minutes were few before the noble bay of Mehmet pressed upon the -flank of Kasam’s gelding; the abductor felt a stinging blow upon the -neck that lifted him full from his saddle and set him headlong upon the -ground; but as he fell Janet was seized in an iron grasp and torn from -his arms, being instantly transferred to a seat upon the other horse. - -The bay never paused in its rapid flight, but swerved and circled until -its head was turned toward Mekran. - -Janet, bewildered and stunned by the excitement of her adventure, for a -time lay inert within the strong arms of her rescuer. Then, slowly and -shyly, she turned her face to his, and meeting the look in his grey eyes -she smiled happily and nestled her head against the man’s broad breast. - -And it so happened that Ahmed Khan leaned over and kissed the white brow -of the American girl just as his bay bore them past the spot where -Dirrag stood with gory blade looking down upon the two motionless forms -he had slain. Bessie had tumbled from her horse and lay in a heap upon -the ground, sobbing as if her heart was broken. - -The warrior smiled significantly as he looked after the flying form of -his master. Then he turned and, not unkindly, shook the weeping girl’s -shoulder. - -“Come,” he said, “we will ride back alone to Mekran.” - - - - -CHAPTER XVII - -DAVID SELLS AN IMPORTANT SECRET - - -David brought the note, which he had received from the hands of the -khan’s Arab slave, Memendama. It was in Janet’s clear script and read as -follows: - -“Do not worry about me in any way, for I am safe and happy. Of my own -free will I have become an inmate of the harem of the Khan.” - -Aunt Lucy gave a shriek and fell over backward upon the floor, where her -heels beat a tattoo against the rug. No one paid the slightest attention -to her. The Colonel stared straight ahead with stony eyes and a look of -horror upon his face. The doctor stalked restlessly up and down the room -with his hands thrust deep in his pockets, whistling softly to himself. -Allison, stolid and unimpressed, lighted his pipe and puffed away with -supreme nonchalance. Bessie had not yet recovered from the adventure of -the morning. She lay face downward upon a divan and wept miserably. - -Under these adverse circumstances Aunt Lucy’s fainting fit vanished. She -sat up and glared wildly upon the perturbed group. - -“This,” she announced, “is the result of travelling in heathenish and -godless countries. We are ruined!” - -Her brother waved his hand impatiently, but no one answered in words. - -“And to think how that demure minx Janet has deceived me all these days -and made me believe she was respectable! Oh, it is terrible.” - -“Shut up!” said Allison, rudely. - -“You’re a beast, that’s what _you_ are!” retorted the old lady, white -with fury, “and a fit brother for your designing sister. And to think -that I’ve got myself mixed up with such a scandal. An American girl the -inmate of a harem! What will be said when this news reaches New York? -And Colonel Moore an officer of the great Metropolitan Construction -Syndicate!” - -“See here, Lucy,” warned her brother, “you keep mum until you know what -you’re talking about. Janet is as good a girl as ever breathed.” - -“Only de best gets into de khan’s harem,” remarked David, consolingly. - -Aunt Lucy turned upon him like a tigress. - -“It’s your doing, I’ll be bound,” she cried. “You’re a traitor!” - -David winced a little, and studied the pattern in the rug. - -“Now,” said the doctor, “it strikes me you’re getting nearer to the -truth, except that David is too much of a fool to be a scoundrel, and so -may escape suspicion. But I’m inclined to think there has been treachery -in some quarter, and that Janet has been forcibly seized by the Khan. I -wish there was an American or English consul in this forsaken town.” - -“Her letter says she went willingly,” snapped Aunt Lucy, and the Colonel -groaned at the suggestion. - -“It was probably written under threat of death or torture,” replied the -doctor, positively. “These Orientals are equal to any villainy. Knowing -Janet as we do, and believing in her modesty and truth, it is absurd to -interpret her letter in any other light. What do you think, Bessie?” - -The girl shook her head, wiping the tears from her reddened eyelids. - -“I don’t know, papa. There’s some dreadful mystery about it, I’m sure.” - -“The thing to do,” said Aunt Lucy, “is to appeal to Prince Kasam. I -never trusted that young man very much, but he’s been decently brought -up in a civilized country, which is more than you can say for that awful -khan. In the circumstances the Prince ought to be willing to help us -rescue Janet.” - -The Colonel stood up and brushed the gray locks from his forehead. - -“I’ll find a way to get to Kasam at once,” he said, in a harsh and -strained voice. “In which direction did you tell me, Bessie, his camp -lies?” - -She rose and walked steadily to the Colonel, putting her hands upon his -shoulders and looking full into his eyes. - -“I have not told you all the truth of what happened this morning,” she -began, bravely. “It was Kasam and his men who first attacked us, and -Kasam who bore Janet away while the others tried to kill Dirrag. -Afterward the Khan appeared and rode after them, rescuing Janet just as -they reached the top of the hill. Kasam must have been killed or -dreadfully hurt, for we did not see him again. The rest happened as I -told you. Dirrag cut down the two men and saluted the Khan as he rode by -with Janet in his arms. I must have fainted just then, for I knew -nothing of this; but Dirrag afterward assisted me to get home, and when -I wept at the capture of Janet he told me to dry my eyes, for she had -smiled when the Khan kissed her.” - -“Impossible!” cried the Colonel. - -“Dirrag is very honest,” returned Bessie, hesitatingly, “and he thinks -the Khan carried her to his harem that she might be safe from Kasam. I -will not say she did not object; but, Colonel, there has been something -strange about Janet for some time--something I could not understand.” - -“I thought she was happier,” said the Colonel, huskily; “that she was -learning to forget.” - -“She has laughed in her sleep,” continued Bessie; “she, who used to be -so sad and melancholy. And only this morning she sang an old song as we -galloped away from the town, and semed as light hearted as a child.” - -The Colonel buried his face in his hands, and a sob rose to this throat. - -“Oh, my girl--my dear little girl!” he murmured; “what can I do to save -you!” - -“Cheer up, Dad,” said Allison, brusquely. “There’s no use taking it so -hard. What does it matter whether Janet’s in a harem or anywhere else, -so long as she’s happy and content? My opinion is we’re wasting our pity -on her. She isn’t the sort to write a letter under compulsion, and you -know it as well as I do.” - -“Really,” the doctor remarked, “I can’t understand the thing at all. If -the girl had ever seen Ahmed Khan she might have fallen in love with -him. It’s common report that he’s a fine looking fellow. But until today -they were perfect strangers. H--m! Let me see. Wasn’t there some old -romance in Janet’s life--some trouble or other?” - -“Yes,” said the Colonel. “But that is past and gone--years ago. Yet she -brooded upon it, doctor, and it may have driven her mad.” - -“I’ve detected no signs of insanity in your daughter,” returned the -doctor, rather nettled at the suggestion. “But Allison is right; there’s -no use borrowing trouble over the matter until we know more. Perhaps we -shall think of some way to communicate with her, or to force the Khan to -give her up. We seem absurdly helpless in this tyrant-ridden town, -although were we in any other country on earth we might easily assemble -an army and rescue your daughter by force of arms, provided diplomacy -failed. Kasam seems as impossible as the Khan, for Bessie’s story leads -me to suspect he’s the greater scoundrel of the two.” - -David had appeared ill at ease during this conversation. Now he rose -from his seat and after a half frightened glance around announced in a -timid voice: - -“I haf a secret!” - -“Has it anything to do with Janet Moore?” asked Aunt Lucy, in her -sharpest tone. - -“It iss a fine secret,” said David, fixing his little eyes upon the -Colonel, “ant it is vort’ a t’ousand fillibees.” - -The old lady gave a snort of contempt, but the Colonel seemed -interested, and as he shrewdly examined the Jew’s face he noted great -beads of perspiration standing upon his shiny forehead--a warrant that -David, at least, was very much in earnest in his proposition. It was not -impossible David had a secret, and that he considered it a dangerous one -to disclose. - -“Will you swear that your secret is worth a thousand fillibees to me?” -he asked. - -“Sure, most Excellency--if your daughter she is vort’ so much money,” -earnestly answered the Jew. - -“She is worth more,” declared the Colonel. “Tell me what you know, and -you shall have the price you ask.” - -But David only stood still and trembled, answering not a word. - -“Bessie,” said the doctor, “take your Aunt Lucy into the next room, and -keep out of earshot. We must have a business conference with David.” - -When the women had gone the Colonel walked over to a desk and took from -a drawer a long envelope filled with English bank-notes, which he -carefully counted. They amounted to six hundred pounds. To these he -added a roll of gold and brought all the money to David, placing it upon -the table beside him. - -“There, David, are a thousand fillibees, in good English and American -money. It is yours if you can tell me how to rescue my child from the -palace of the khan.” - -David reached out his eager hands. - -“Not yet,” cautioned the Colonel, sternly. “You must first prove that -your knowledge is of value to us.” - -The man drew back, discomfited. - -“I vill nod risk mine head,” he said, doggedly, “unless I haf de -moneys. Id iss more to you dan id iss to me. Gif me de t’ousant -fillibees or I nod speak von vort!” - -The Colonel returned to the desk and brought forth a revolver. - -“You will tell me all you know,” he said, “or you will soon be a dead -man, and then you won’t care for the money. And if you do not tell me -the truth, if your secret is not worth to me this sum of money which you -have demanded, you shall never leave this room alive. On the other hand, -if you have not deceived me the money shall be yours. Take time to think -it over, David, and be sure I will keep my word.” - -David trembled anew, and cast a sly glance at the doctor, who looked as -stern and determined as his terrible friend. Because of the excitement -of the moment Allison had allowed his pipe to go out, and now sat -regarding the Jew with a cruel smile upon his handsome features. -Evidently these Americans were not to be trifled with. David looked -longingly at the money, and gave a sigh. He was fairly trapped, and he -knew it. - -“Most Excellency,” he said, mopping his brow with a dirty red cloth, -“tonight de vest gate of Mekran vill be open’t to Prince Kasam ant hiss -army. De city vill be surprised.” - -“Who will open the gate?” asked the Colonel. - -David hesitated. - -“Tell me!” - -“De vizier,” whispered the Jew, with pallid lips. - -“Well, and what then?” - -“De Khan ant hiss people vill rush out of de palace to fight; but dey -vill not be ready to fight, an’ Kasam vill cut dem down.” - -“I see. And then?” - -“Vhile de city iss in de uproar I leat you by a secret vay into de harem -of de Khan. You vill take de girl ant carry her avay.” - -“Very good. Are you sure you know this secret way, David?” - -“Sure, most Excellency. I pait a high price to find it oudt. A t’ousant -fillibees! Id iss too liddle, altogedder.” - -The Colonel took a key from his pocket, unlocked the cabinet, and drew -out David’s leathern pouch. Into this he stuffed the money--notes and -gold together--and then replaced the pouch in the cabinet, locking it -securely. - -“You will be a rich man, David, when we return from the palace,” said -he. - -David clinched his hands and an angry look flashed in his beady eyes. - -“Id iss nod right!” he protested. “You Americans do nod play de fair -way, at all. You ged my secret ant you keep my moneys.” - -“Only until we have proven you,” replied the Colonel. “If you are true, -David, you will be rich. When are the gates to be opened?” - -“Ad midnight.” - -“All the gates?” - -“Only de vest gade. De vizier, he vill trust no von bud himselfs.” - -“Then how did you know of the plot?” - -The Jew was silent. - -“It will pay you to be honest, David.” - -“De vizier musdt sent a man to de prince,” he said, reluctantly; “ant de -man he owes me two golt fillibees. He tells me hiss message to de -prince, ant I cancels de debt. _Sullah ben cairno!_ id iss vell I did, -for I safe mineself moneys. Ven de man comes back he hass a fit unt -dies. De vizier he iss a cleffer excellency--bud nod so cleffer ass -Davit.” He stopped to chuckle softly and rub his hands together; but -suddenly he paused and cast a gloomy look at the cabinet. - -The Colonel tossed him the key. - -“Now you will know the money is surely yours,” he said. “Keep the key -yourself, David, for you are going to stay here with us until after -midnight. If you guide us safely to the harem you may go free. If we -find you guilty of treachery I will put a bullet through your head. But -in either event the key unlocks the cabinet and the money is now in your -possession.” - -David nodded and secreted the key in his bosom. - -“I am true man,” he muttered. “Id iss impossible for me to deceive so -great an excellency!” - -“We three,” said the doctor, “will accompany David to the harem.” - -Allison grew red and uncomfortable. - -“One of us, sir, should remain here to guard the women. Let me stay. -Surely my father and you will be able to look after David and bring -Janet home in safety.” - -“That is not a bad idea,” returned the doctor. “There will be wild times -when Kasam’s army enters the city. It will be well for you to be on hand -to protect Bessie and my sister from possible intruders.” - -This being arranged to the young man’s satisfaction the elder gentlemen -left the room to make preparations for their adventure, leaving Allison -to smoke his pipe and keep an eye upon the slippery David. - -When they were alone the Jew approached his companion and whispered: - -“Tonighdt you vill be in de garden mit de vizier’s daughter.” - -Allison’s face flushed with mingled fear and anger. - -“What do you mean by that, you scoundrel?” he exclaimed. - -“Davit knows!” chuckled the Jew, wagging his head. “Six time--sefen -time--you meet mit Maie vhen no one knows bud Davit. Tonighdt you go -again. She iss very lofely--very beaudiful! Ah, yes. Bud do nod fear. -Davit vill say nodding--if he iss vell pait.” - -“Well paid? So you intend to rob me, also, do you?” - -“I am true man, Excellency. Your fadder should know; de vizier should -know; bud Davit vill forget efferyt’ing if he hass a hundert fillibees.” - -“A hundred fillibees! I haven’t so much.” - -“Fifty, den. Fifty fillibees iss so small for so big a secret!” - -“Very well; tomorrow you shall have them,” said Allison. - -“Bud, most Excellency, suppose I shouldt remember tonighdt, ant your -fadder ant de vizier shouldt know vot Davit knows? I cannod forget de -secret unless I haf de fifty golden fillibees. I vouldt try, Excellency; -I vouldt try hard; bud I could nod--could nod forget.” - -Allison pulled at his pipe and thought it over, while the Jew stood -cringing and smiling before him. Then he drew from his pocket all the -gold and notes he could find and gave them into Davids hand. - -“You’re making money fast, you dirty pig of a Jew,” he growled. “But -watch out that you don’t lose it just as quickly. I’ll get even with you -before I’m through.” - -But David had other secrets, the thoughts of which made him accept the -young man’s threat with a good grace. With evident delight he concealed -the money in the bosom of his robe. It lay next to the hundred fillibees -which Agahr the Vizier had given him that very morning. And the key to -the cabinet was also in his possession. - -David sighed from pure happiness, and sat down upon a chair to wait for -the Colonel and the doctor. - -“De easiest t’ing in de vorlt to sell,” he murmured, contentedly, “iss -secrets!” - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII - -THE VIZIER OPENS THE GATE - - -When Agahr entered his daughter’s apartment that night the girl sat -propped with silken cushions while a female slave brushed and arranged -the folds of her glossy hair and another woman sat at her feet to anoint -them with pungent and sweet-smelling ointments. A shaded lamp of -Egyptian design swung from the ceiling and cast a rosy hue over the -group, and the air was redolent of the spicy perfumes of the East. - -Agahr stood before his daughter for a time in silence, searching her -fair and composed face with much earnestness. The soft, languorous eyes -met his own frankly and lovingly, and she smiled until the dimples -showed daintily in her pretty cheeks. - -“You are welcome, oh my father,” she tenderly exclaimed. - -He seated himself in a chair and waved the women away. - -“You are about to retire, my Maie?” he asked, when they were alone. - -“I am preparing for the night, dear one, but I shall not retire as yet. -How could I sleep with our fortunes swinging with the pendulum of fate? -This night we win or lose all.” - -He did not reply, but sat moodily studying her expression, and she moved -restlessly and turned her face slightly to the shade. - -“Yet there is small risk of failure,” she continued, after a pause. “The -Khan, secure in the strength of his loyal tribes, has neglected to -prepare for immediate battle, and Kasam’s host, once inside the gate, -will carry all before it.” - -“And then?” he asked, gravely. - -“Then Kasam will keep his promise, and make me his queen. It is the -price we demanded for giving him his throne. And, through me, my father, -you shall hereafter rule Mekran.” - -The vizier sighed and stroked his beard. - -“Are you willing to become Kasam’s queen when you know he loves the -American girl whom he attempted to carry away by force? Will you be -able, without his love, to bend him to your will?” - -Maie laughed softly, clasping her jewelled fingers behind the folds of -her hair. - -“Let him love the American girl!” she answered, a touch of scorn in her -voice. “While he dallies in her presence I will direct the affairs of -state. Listen, my father, I have never loved Kasam from the first. Nor -could that cold-eyed Ahmed Khan have ever won my heart. Yet to favor my -ambition I would have mated with either one. The fates now favor Kasam, -and if I cannot rule him through love I will rule him through cunning. -The foreign girl will not stand in my way. In the harem of a khan are -subtile poisons and daggers with needle points, and no dull-witted -Western maiden can ever hope to oppose your Maie’s intrigues.” - -Agahr stared at her as if afraid. The perfect repose of her features as -she hissed the fiendish words struck a chill to his very bones. - -“You are false as Iblis itself, my Maie,” he said. “How do I know you -will sacrifice me, also, to your great ambition?” - -“Have no fear, my father,” she returned, her low laugh rippling through -the perfumed atmosphere. “You live but to please your Maie; would she -foolishly betray her most faithful servant? We are one in all things.” - -Again he sat silent, the frown growing upon his face. Perhaps he had -begun to realize, for the first time in his life, that all this -loveliness before him breathed passion and sensuality, but no warrant of -a soul beneath its exquisite outlines. His child was beautiful, indeed; -so beautiful that he had worshipped her as an angel of paradise, sent to -comfort and console his old age. He had longed to see her acknowledged -above all women of Baluchistan as the brightest star in the harem of the -Khan himself--the greatest pride and glory a father and a true believer -could conceive. He had plotted and planned to this end without regard -or consideration for others: even with an humble subversion of self. But -she had given him nothing in return. Her very love for him was more -calculating than filial. And he knew her furtive mind so intimately that -he might well doubt her truth. - -“Since you were a child,” he said, musingly, “I have made you my -comrade; more, my confidant. You were not treated like other women of -Islam, but given the full freedom of my household. I have loaded you -with jewels, with fine cloths from the looms of Persia, of Turkey and of -China; with precious perfumes and cosmetics from Arabia. Your slaves are -the loveliest maidens of Circassia and Morocco, purchased with vast sums -to minister to your lightest whims. Even the harem of the Khan cannot -boast a greater luxury than that which surrounds you. Yet you have dared -to deceive me.” - -The last words were spoken with impetuous force, as if evoked by a -sudden thought. The lashes that veiled her eyes flickered slightly the -accusation, but she made no other movement. - -His voice grew stern. - -“Tell me, why have you favored a dog of an infidel?” - -“I, my father? I favor a dog of an infidel? Are you mad?” - -“It has come to my ears,” he said, stiffly. “The young American who came -here with Kasam.” - -Maie stared at him as if amazed, as in truth she was. Then her head fell -back and from her slender throat burst a peal of merriment that was -well-nigh irresistible. She sprang up lightly, dropping her outer robe, -and cast herself with abandon into the old man’s arms, clinging to his -neck and nestling within his lap while her laughter filled his ears like -the sweet chime of silver bells. - -“Oh, my foolish, ridiculous old father!” she cried, while kissing his -forehead and smoothing his beard over her bosom, like a mantle. “Has the -serpent of folly bitten you? What monster of Agoum put such dreadful -thoughts of your little Maie into your suspicious head? An infidel! Has -the Prophet forsaken me? Were I lacking in any modesty--which Allah -forbid!--would a daughter of Raab choose an infidel?” - -Agahr held her tight, and his heart softened. - -“The tale was brought to me, and I could not but doubt,” he said, -doggedly. “But I am very glad to find you innocent, my precious one. -Forget the words, Maie, for they were inspired by a lying tongue--one -that I will tear out by the roots at tomorrow’s sunrise!” - -He arose from his seat, clasping her in his arms like a little child, -and carried her to a divan, where he gently laid her down. Then he bent -over and kissed both her cheeks. - -“I must go now,” said he. “Midnight approaches, and I must be at the -gate to admit Kasam.” - -“You will disguise yourself?” she asked, holding one of his hands as she -gazed up at him. - -“I shall cover my head with a cloak. Beni-Bouraz is Captain of the -Guard, and he must know it is the Vizier who commands him to open. -Afterward it will not matter who recognizes me.” - -“Be careful,” she cautioned. “We must guard against treachery. Are you -sure no one knows our plot?” - -“The messenger who returned from Kasam is dead. Yamou attended to him.” - -She nodded. - -“Then go, my father; and may Allah guide your hand!” - -Slowly he turned and without further word left the room. The passage was -dark, and he stumbled along, feeling his way, until he came to the -draperies that hid his own chamber. Having thrust these aside he entered -to find the room well lighted but deserted by even his slaves. - -Thoughtfully the old vizier sat at his table and pondered well the scene -just enacted within his daughter’s boudoir. While in her presence he had -seemed convinced of her innocence; but now the old doubts assailed him -anew. - -Presently his brow cleared. He reached out his hand and touched a -soft-toned gong, and immediately the tall, dark figure of a Moor entered -and made obeisance. - -“Yamou,” said the vizier, “David the Jew was here this morning. He had a -secret to sell. He swears that my daughter meets the young American -infidel in my own garden, entering by the Gate of the Griffins.” - -The black stood as if made of stone, not a muscle of his face moving. - -“Have you known of this, Yamou?” - -“No, my master.” - -“It may not be true. David declared they will meet tonight--just before -the midnight hour. You will take three of the most trusted slaves and at -once hide yourselves in the shrubbery at the end of the garden. Remain -there until daybreak, unless the infidel should indeed come.” - -“And if he comes?” - -“Kill him, Yamou!” said the old man, with sudden passion. “And if Maie -goes to meet him kill her also. I’ll harbor no toy of an infidel dog in -my household, even though it be my own daughter!” - -Yamou bowed and touched the cimeter at his belt. - -“You shall be obeyed, my master.” - -Agahr glanced at the brutal visage of the Moor and hesitated, repenting -already his command. But Maie had protested her innocence in no -uncertain words. He would believe her. Should she prove false, the fate -that would overtake her would be her own fault, and not to be laid at -his door. But there! she was innocent, without a doubt. Her ambitions -were too great to permit her to descend to so unnatural and foolish an -intrigue. It would do no harm to wash the blemish of David’s lying tales -from his daughter’s fair name by hiding the slaves in the shrubbery. If -proof were needed, there would be the proof. - -“You may go, Yamou.” - -The slave salamed again, and noiselessly withdrew. - -Left alone, Agahr drew a black cloak over his dress, arranging the folds -to conceal his face and beard. Then he crept through an ante-room and -along a short passage to a secret door that led into a small garden. -Crossing this open space he unlocked a gate in the wall and so let -himself into a lane that ran past the grounds of his mansion. - -The streets seemed deserted and the night was very dark, for a storm was -threatening. But Agahr knew every inch of his way and without hesitation -threaded the narrow streets until he finally reached the west wall of -the city. - -Above the gate a dim light shone through the windows of the watch tower, -and the vizier mounted the steep stone steps and pushed open the door. - -Upon a bench sat two burly Baluchi, earnestly intent upon a game of -dice. At the far end of the room, half hidden by the dim shadows, lay a -dark group of slumbering guardsmen. - -“Ah-yah!” called one of the dicers, as he noted the presence of a -visitor; “what is wanted at this hour? None can pass the gate till -daybreak.” And he calmly continued to toss the cubes. - -Agahr walked up to him and threw back the folds of his cloak. - -“The vizier!” cried both men, in a breath, and rose to their feet, -saluting. - -“Yes. Open the gate for me, Beni-Bouraz. I am to meet a friend here -tonight.” - -“But, master--” - -“Silence! Do as I bid you, Captain. Open the gate.” - -The officer bowed low. Then he walked to the end of the room and kicked -two of his men. - -“Get up, you dogs. His Excellency the Vizier commands the gate to be -opened.” - -They got upon their feet, growling at the summons, and shuffled over to -the windlass. Beni-Bouraz released the bar, and the men began winding up -the huge chain that raised the gate. - -As he noted this, the vizier turned to descend. - -“Come with me, Captain,” he said to Beni; “it may be necessary to hold -the gate open for a time. I will myself give you the command to close -it.” - -The officer followed him down the stairs, and when they had disappeared -from the room a big guardsman arose from the group of sleepers and, -still muffled in his robe, followed after the captain. Also the others -arose, seemingly alert, and by the light of the torch exchanged grins -with the men at the windlass. - -When Agahr paused before the heavily-barred gate it had already ascended -toward the arch far enough to admit a horseman. Presently, with a final -creak that sounded very audible in the stillness of the night, the -windlass stopped and the gate remained poised in the archway. - -Agahr bent forward, and heard the soft pattering of horses’ feet. The -sound was repeated to the right and left, echoing far out upon the -plains as if an army was awakening to action. Then the patter broke into -a gallop, and a single horseman rode through the gate, a drawn sword -clutched in his hand. - -“Light a torch!” said the voice of Kasam. “My men cannot see this -accursed gateway.” - -Almost instantly a light flamed up behind them, and its red glow spread -outside the gate and showed the plain fairly alive with a host of -warriors. - -“Advance!” shouted Kasam, and waved his sword around his head. - -Then a strange denouement came. The immense gate, suddenly loosened from -the tower, fell with a crash, crushing beneath its weight those of the -front rank that already pressed forward to enter. A strong hand seized -the prince and dragged him from his saddle, disarming him at the same -instant. - -And then a mighty shout burst from many throats, sounding from all the -length of the great wall as well as from the horde that clamored -helplessly without. Torches flashed, tom-toms were beat with lusty -strokes and the alarm gong sent its warning tones reverberating -throughout the city. - -Agahr the Vizier was astounded. Even his sacred person had been seized -and his limbs bound fast with strong cords. It had all happened so -suddenly that the old man did not recover his wits until he heard the -cries of Kasam’s host as it retreated before the hail of missiles -descending from the wall. - -Then he turned to confront the stern features of Ahmed Khan, and dropped -his eyes before the gaze he encountered. - -Kasam, also securely bound, stood with a look of sullen rage upon his -handsome face, but proudly erect as ever. - -“I am betrayed!” he muttered. - -“I, also, Prince, was nearly betrayed,” replied the Khan, in a harsh -voice. “The fortunes of war, in this benighted country, are often nursed -by the hand of treachery. Fortunately for the safety of Mekran, I was -warned in time.” - -Kasam turned angrily upon the vizier. - -“I owe this to you, I suppose!” he said, bitterly. - -“My bonds will prove my faith,” returned Agahr, with dignity. - -The Khan raised his hand, as if to command peace. The red light of the -torch upon his face seemed to soften its sternness. - -“That your disloyal plans have come to naught,” he said, in more kindly -tones, “is due alone to the will of Allah. Come, Captain Beni-Bouraz; -you may follow me with your prisoners to the palace.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIX - -IN THE GARDEN OF AGAHR - - -When her father had left her alone Maie lay still, for a time, in deep -thought. - -“It must be,” she reflected, “that our dear David, in spite of my -bribes, has sold our secret to my father. For tonight, at least, I have -lulled his suspicions. And he will soon be at the gate to admit Kasam; -so I fear nothing. But the little David must not be able to annoy me -again.” - -With this came a thought whereat she laughed. Rising from her couch the -girl went to a tiny cabinet and cautiously unlocked it. She busied -herself there for several minutes, at times laughing softly to herself, -but with no trace of merriment in the notes. Finally she clapped her -hands to summon a maid. - -“Bring here one of the slaves,” she commanded. - -The girl withdrew, but presently returned alone. - -“There are no slaves in the house, my mistress,” she reported. - -“Indeed! My father must have taken them with him,” Maie replied. Then, -after consideration, she added: “You will do as well, Halima; nay, -perhaps better. Do you know David the Jew?” - -“Yes, my mistress.” - -“Then get your cloak and seek David out, wherever he may be. And, when -you have found him, give to him this casket, Halima, with the greetings -of the daughter of the vizier; and tell him it is a token of my faith in -him.” - -She brought from the cabinet a small box, exquisitely enamelled and -inlaid with mother-of-pearl. - -“Keep it safely concealed in your cloak, Halima. It does not lock, but -opens by pressing this spring--so!” The lid flew back, disclosing a -quantity of gold and gems and a silken purse; and after permitting the -girl to glance within she closed the cover, snapping it into place. “Now -that you have seen the contents, my child, you will not care to open it -again. Keep it well fastened until it is in David’s hands.” - -The girl promised to obey, and taking the box started at once to perform -her mission. It seemed to her a queer hour--the dead of night--to carry -a present to a Jew; but the whims of Maie were past accounting for, and -the duty of a slave was to obey without question. - -Left to herself, Maie glanced at the hour-glass and hastily caught up -the mantle which she had discarded the better to display her charms to -her father. She wound the robe carelessly about her shoulders, pressed a -panel in the wall, and gained egress by a narrow stairway to the -gardens. - -“It is very dark,” she murmured, feeling her way along a path; “but so -much the better. My Allison will not need a light to know that it is I!” - -Onward she crept, turning the angles of the hedges with unerring -instinct, until she paused beneath a group of stately siszandras where -the shadows were even deeper than elsewhere. But her eyes, growing -accustomed to the darkness, soon made out the dim outlines of a stone -bench, and she stooped and passed her hands along its length until she -discovered that it was vacant. - -“He is late,” she whispered; “or perhaps I am a moment early. He will -come soon.” - -Languidly she reclined upon the bench, her face turned toward the carved -pillars that marked the Gate of the Griffins, standing but a few paces -away like silhouettes against the murky sky. - -After a few minutes’ lapse a key clicked in a lock; a stealthy foot-fall -reached her ears, and the next moment a man knelt beside her. - -“Ah, sweet one!” he whispered, clasping his arms around her yielding -form and covering her face with kisses; “again for a few moments I may -enjoy paradise with you by my side! I have been very impatient, my Maie, -for this hour.” - -“Yet you are late, Allison.” She spoke his name tenderly, and her broken -English rendered the sibilant very charming in his ears. - -“I may be a trifle late, little one, for I met several groups of men -stealthily creeping through the darkness. I cannot understand why every -warrior in the town seems abroad at this hour of the night.” - -She sat up suddenly, clinging to him. - -“Which way did they go?” - -“To the westward, all of them,” he replied. - -Somehow the words sent a chill to her heart, for she remembered her -father’s mission to the west gate. Could their carefully guarded -conspiracy have been betrayed? She listened eagerly, but all about them -the town lay still as death. It was not yet midnight. - -Her lover’s caresses recalled her to the present. Allison had drawn her -closer beside him on the bench, and throwing back her mantle was -pressing her passionately to his heart. Unresistingly she nestled in his -arms, the dainty oriental perfumes that radiated from her body filling -his nostrils with their ravishing odors and the soft contact of her -cheek against his thrilling him with a joy akin to madness. - -Words were barren messengers of love now; only the throbbing of his -heart and her gentle sighs betrayed to the caressing breeze the fact -that the bench was occupied. - -Suddenly she shuddered, clutching at his hand so fiercely that her nails -were imbedded in his flesh. A low moan escaped her lips, and then her -grasp relaxed and she fell back limp and inert. - -Filled with a nameless horror, Allison looked up. The sky had lightened, -somewhat, permitting him to discern before them the form of a huge -black, who held within his hand a dripping sword. Even as Allison gazed -the weapon leaped back and came straight for his heart in a quick -thrust. He shrank from the point, springing sideways, but could not -wholly escape. A biting pain pierced his side. But now he was upon his -feet, one hand pressing the wound and the other holding his revolver. - -A shot rang out, followed by a scream. The black swayed and fell, but -others rushed with naked cimeters to take his place. Allison leaned -against the bench and fired again--and again--and again, a fierce joy -filling his breast at the outcries of his victims, even while the blood -surged through his brain and he felt the numbness of death creeping over -him. - -The shots from the revolver were answered by loud cries from the other -end of the garden--that nearest the house. Torches flashed, sending -gleams of light dancing over the flowers and grasses toward the silent -group beside the stone bench. Then came Dirrag, bounding over the sward -with a band of chosen warriors in his wake. - -At the ghastly tableau which the lights disclosed they paused, looking -on one another with horror in their eyes. And now the deep tones of the -gong from the west gate smote upon the air, rousing with its brazen -warning all the sleeping city. The far-away outlines of the wall sprang -into flame, while the hoarse cry of a multitude rolled grimly out upon -the midnight zephyrs. - -In the garden of Agahr a grizzled warrior bent over Allison’s -unconscious form. - -“I think, my captain, the American still lives,” he said. - -For a moment Dirrag did not reply. He was gazing sadly upon the lovely -face of Maie, whereon still lingered the traces of a happy smile. But -the dark eyes, inscrutable as ever, were wide and staring, and the -warrior leaned over and gently covered the dainty form with the folds of -her mantle. - -Then he stood up and coughed, for the night air had gotten into his -throat. - -“Come along, you dogs!” he growled. “Let us report to the Khan. The -conspirator he sent us to arrest has escaped him.” - -“And the American?” asked a man. - -“Oh, the American?” Dirrag hesitated, wondering how his master would -desire him to act. “Well, bring the infidel dog along with you,” he -said. - - - - -CHAPTER XX - -THE GIRL IN THE HAREM - - -David was in high spirits. True, these absurd Americans had virtually -made him a prisoner in their house until his services were required to -lead them to the harem of the khan; but he had been clever enough to -arrange all his plans beforehand. Now, as he sat in the dim room -awaiting the hour of action, he felt he had good reason to congratulate -himself. The service of the vizier had been especially remunerative, for -in addition to his liberal pay as a spy he had that morning received -from Maie a large sum to keep her secret, with a promise of more to -follow, and then he had secured an equal sum from Agahr for betraying -his daughter’s secret. Was that not clever? Allison, also, who now sat -opposite him silently smoking and at times stealthily glancing at his -watch, had contributed much money for the preservation of a secret that -was a secret no longer. There were three good strings to that bow, -thought David, chuckling delightedly. And now the old underground -passage into the khan’s harem, which the Jew had discovered long ago and -feared he would never have any use for, had paid him richer returns than -all else. Mentally he figured up his various accumulations, both in -money and jewels, and decided he was too rich to remain longer in -Mekran. He would return very soon to Kelat, where there was more room -for enterprise; or perhaps he would go on to Quettah, or even so far -as-- - -“Come!” said the Colonel’s voice, its stern tones interrupting David’s -meditations; “we are ready.” - -Allison gave a sigh of relief, looked at his watch for the twentieth -time, and knocked the ashes out of his pipe. He might be a trifle late, -but Maie would wait. - -“We will leave you to look after the women,” the Colonel said to his -son. “Both the doctor and I are fully armed and will be equal to any -occasion. But if David is right, and the night attack takes place on -time, I anticipate no difficulty in getting Janet away from the harem.” - -“Good luck to you,” said Allison, standing up to yawn and stretch his -limbs. - -“Have you a revolver?” asked the doctor, as his eyes wandered toward the -rooms where his daughter and his sister slept. - -“Always carry it,” said Allison. - -“Then be watchful until we return. No one knows what may happen.” - -“I’ll watch out,” said the young man, carelessly. And then, as David led -the Colonel and the doctor to the street by one door, Allison slipped -out at another and ran as speedily as possible in the direction of the -vizier’s gardens. - -David was short and fat, but he proved an agile walker, and the darkness -of the night was no hindrance to his way. He led his companions through -many black alleys, turning first one way and then another, until he -finally paused before a small stone house that stood vacant and -delapidated. Drawing a key from his pocket he unlocked the door and -drew the others into a damp and close-smelling room. - -A moment later he struck a match and lighted a candle. - -“Now ve can see vhere ve go,” he said, complacently. - -The Americans looked around them with some curiosity. Although doubtless -of considerable age the house seemed never to have been finished inside, -or even occupied as a place of abode. Bits of the building blocks were -yet scattered over the earthen floor. - -“Vonce, in de time of Keedar Khan,” said David, “a young kaid built dis -house ant made a tunnel unner de grount to de khan’s harem, vhere hiss -sveetheardt vas liffing. When she vas nod combing de vhiskers of de Khan -she vas hugging de young kaid; ant vhen she vas nod hugging him she vas -combing de Khan’s vhiskers. Id vas very nice arrangements. Bud von night -de Khan called on de female vhen he vas nod expected, ant he cut de -young kaid ant de girl both into slices before he enquired how de feller -got into de harem. Id vas all very careless of de Khan; but he had a -bad temper. So de tunnel vas neffer used again until I find it oudt a -couple year ago. I buy de place cheap because de mans vot owned it -neffer looked to find a tunnel. Ant now id iss very handy for us, ant -very cheap for a t’ousant fillibees. Come--I show you.” - -Chuckling softly, the Jew led the way through a narrow passage and down -a few steps into a sort of underground cellar at the rear. Here, in one -corner, a flagstone stood on edge, disclosing another flight of steps. -Down these David proceeded without hesitation, the Americans following -closely at his heels. Then came a damp, ill-smelling tunnel, so low that -only David could traverse it without bending down. The candle lighted -the way only a few steps in advance, and numerous rats scurried from -their path as they slowly advanced. - -It seemed like a never-ending journey; but, just as the Colonel was -about to protest, the passage suddenly widened and grew higher, and the -light of the candle fell upon a cedar panel let into the wall before -them. - -“Have you the key, David?” whispered the doctor. - -“Id iss no key; id iss a spring,” replied the Jew. “Vod time iss id -now?” - -The Colonel looked at his watch. It was nearly midnight. - -“Shall we risk entering, doctor?” he asked; “or shall we wait for the -alarm?” - -“I doubt if we could hear an alarm where we are,” was the answer. “Let -us go in.” - -David’s self-possession seemed suddenly to desert him. - -“I iss no Moslem,” said he, beginning to tremble; “but I respect de -harem. Id iss to die if one iss caught. Davit vill stay here ant vait -for you.” - -The doctor locked his fingers fast in the Jew’s collar. - -“You’ll come with us,” he declared. “Open the door, David!” - -Perhaps David did not intend to obey so readily. He had scarcely touched -his quivering forefinger to the dull metal of the spring when a sharp -click was heard and the door moved and swung outward. - -A gleam of light saluted them, half dazzling their eyes, and the group -remained motionless, staring wonderingly at the scene the open panel -disclosed. Perhaps the Colonel had expected to see in the khan’s harem a -mass of silken draperies, luxurious couches and priceless rugs, while -scowling black eunuchs guarded with their naked swords a group of -henna-dyed, be-painted and bespangled girls. Instead, he looked upon a -scene that somehow reminded him of home. The furnishings were of an -oriental character, it is true, but they were simple and in good taste, -and an undefinable air of refinement pervaded the room. - -Beside a table on which stood a bronze lamp sat a middle-aged lady with -a beautiful face and sweet gray eyes. She was robed in a conventional -European gown and seemed to be engaged, when so suddenly interrupted, in -reading a well worn copy of the New York Herald. At her feet, upon a low -stool, sat Janet, listlessly sewing upon some trifle that rested in her -lap. On the other side of the table, his dark eyes fixed upon his work, -sat the man we as yet know only as Merad, the Persian physician, busily -engaged in writing. - -At the abrupt opening of the panel, the existence of which was evidently -unknown to them, the startled group turned wondering eyes upon the -intruders, who seemed fully as astonished as themselves. - -“God bless me!” cried the Colonel, partly recovering himself and -stepping within the room. “Can it be you, Mrs. Osborne, in this -impossible place?--And you, too, doctor!” - -“Why, father! How did you ever get here?” exclaimed Janet, springing up -to give him a warm embrace and a kiss. - -And then the Colonel remembered, and a frown came over his face, -succeeded by a puzzled expression. - -“Isn’t this the khan’s harem?” he asked. - -“I believe so,” returned Janet, laughing. And then Mrs. Osborne, with -old-fashioned courtesy, came forward and offered the Colonel her hand, -smiling pleasantly into his staring eyes. The man, also, rose from his -seat to shake hands with both the Colonel and the doctor, the latter -gentleman seeming to be more amused than surprised at the encounter. - -“You have taken us somewhat by surprise, but you are welcome,” said -Merad, in his deep, dignified tones, but speaking perfectly the English -language. “I can appreciate your amazement at finding us in this place, -for while we knew of your presence in Mekran, you were doubtless unaware -that Mrs. Osborne and I are guests at the khan’s palace.” - -“I--I can’t understand it!” gasped the Colonel. - -“Janet, my dear,” said Mrs. Osborne, “will you try to find chairs for -our friends?” - -“Dear me!” exclaimed the doctor, looking around him rather nervously, -“we came here to rescue Janet from the toils of an Eastern harem, and -this is the most civilized looking place I’ve found in all Baluchistan. -What does it all mean?” - -“Permit me,” said Janet, saucily, “to introduce you to the mysterious -veiled lady who was reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the -world,” and she waved a hand toward Mrs. Osborne. “I will acknowledge -that she is the most beautiful, but, daddy dear, I am myself the queen -of the harem, and His Highness the Khan’s favorite wife--being at -present the only one!” - -The Colonel’s face expressed horror and grief. - -“I--I don’t understand,” he muttered, vacantly. - -“The explanation is very simple,” replied Dr. Osborne. “My son Howard, -who was at one time your private secretary, is at present Khan of -Mekran.” - -A sudden stillness succeeded this announcement, and then a look of -comprehension stole over the Colonel’s face. He rose from his chair and -drew himself up with cold dignity. - -“Then, sir, I demand to know what my daughter is doing in the house of -the scoundrel who swindled me seven years ago? As for her statement that -she is his wife, that is, of course, a lie!” - -The Persian confronted him with folded arms, looking down upon the -Colonel from his superior height with the same intent and compelling -force in the dark eyes that had awed the native assemblage at the -death-bed of Burah Khan. - -“Howard Osborne is not a scoundrel,” he said. - -“He is worse than that!” roared the choleric colonel, now beside himself -with anger; “he is a thief, a forger and a coward. He signed my name for -twenty thousand dollars, and ran away with the money. I have never seen -his face from that day to this.” - -“It is true that my son left New York with this stigma attached to his -name,” said the other, calmly. “But he did it to save you, Piedmont -Moore, from a still greater humiliation, although I vainly pleaded with -him to consider his own family before yours.” - -“What do you mean?” demanded the Colonel, plainly staggered at this -statement. - -Merad, hesitating for the first time, glanced at his wife, who shook -her head pleadingly for him to hold his peace. But Janet sprang forward -and stood erect beside him. - -“Tell him!” she cried, defiantly. “The infamous secret has been kept too -long.” - -Then Merad spoke in a low, clear voice. - -“Your own son was the forger,” he said. - -“It’s a lie!” shouted the Colonel, shrinking back, nevertheless, from -the Persian’s calm gaze. - -“It is true. The money saved Allison from shame and exposure; so Howard -dared not force him to return it. But the bank, being the direct victim -of the forgery, placed the matter in the hands of the detective police. -The toils were closing slowly but surely around your son when Howard, -seeing no other way to save you, and tenderly loving the sister of the -real criminal, whose heart he feared would be broken at the disclosure -of her brother’s infamy, decided to save you all by acknowledging -himself the forger. It was a rash idea, hastily conceived and executed -in a panic of fear, for the detectives were close upon the trail. He -left me a note, telling me the whole truth and begging me not to betray -Allison, for he had fled the country and would never return. Well -knowing that he did not realize the consequences of his generous act, -his mother and I set out to follow him, and for seven long years we have -striven in vain to regain our lost son. I will not bore you, Colonel -Moore, with a recital of our anxieties and sufferings--borne on your -account; but I think it ill becomes you to revile the name of Howard -Osborne. Rather should you fall at his feet in gratitude for one of the -most noble and unselfish acts any man has ever performed.” - -The impressive and convincing tones carried with them the warrant of -truth. The Colonel fell back upon his chair, covering his face with his -hands, and Janet knelt beside him, her arms around his neck and her -cheek to his, striving silently to comfort him. And while they remained -thus, with little David gaping in the frame of the panel and still -holding the flickering candle above his head, the door of the apartment -suddenly opened and Ahmed Khan strode in. - -One look into the grave faces of the group before him warned the ruler -of Mekran that a crisis had arisen. Janet arose and stole swiftly to his -side, and he placed an arm around her with a reassuring smile. The -Colonel looked up, and meeting the calm grey eyes of Howard Osborne he -seemed shaken with a fury of doubt and rage. - -“It is all false!” he cried, springing to his feet. “I am being tricked -and deceived--even by my own daughter. This fellow is no Khan of Mekran, -but a fugitive from American justice, masquerading as a native of -Baluchistan. The forger of seven years ago is the impostor of today! -Come to me, Janet. That man is not worthy to touch you.” - -“Worthy or unworthy,” said the girl, clinging yet closer to the Khan, -“my place is by his side. We were married seven years ago, before he -left America. I am his wife, father!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXI - -THE CHAMBER OF DEATH - - -The silence that followed Janet’s declaration was broken by the tramp of -feet along the connecting passage, followed by an abrupt knock upon the -door. - -The Persian opened it, glanced without, and then stood aside. - -“Bring him in, Dirrag,” he said. - -Slowly the little band of warriors entered, bearing between them a limp -form which they laid gently upon a couch. - -The Colonel’s face, as his staring eyes fell upon his son, was gray and -haggard, but the old gentleman seemed to have exhausted his capacity for -being surprised. Mrs. Osborne, with a shudder and a sympathetic moan, -turned away weeping, but Janet crept close to the couch and gazed in -mingled fright and horror upon her brother’s motionless form. - -“Is he dead?” asked the Colonel, hoarsely. - -“Not yet,” replied Dr. Warner, his hand on Allison’s heart; “but he is -dying.” - -“Where did you find him, Dirrag?” asked the Khan, in a quiet voice. - -“In the vizier’s garden, your Highness. He was attacked by Agahr’s -slaves, who likewise slew their master’s own daughter, Maie.” - -The wounded man groaned, slightly moving his head. - -“Stand back, all of you!” commanded the Colonel, with a sudden accession -of his old brave spirit. And as they obeyed he himself approached the -couch, a look of stern resolution upon his face. “Allison must speak, he -must clear up this mystery before he dies.” - -The Persian motioned all the warriors save Dirrag to leave the room. -Then he drew from his robe a small phial and forced its contents between -Allison’s set lips. - -In a moment the young man groaned again, and then slowly opening his -eyes, gazed vacantly upon the group around him. - -“Allison,” said his father--firmly, but in a tone less harsh than -before--“here is Howard Osborne, whom I always have accused of forging, -seven years ago, my check for twenty thousand dollars. He claims that he -is innocent.” - -Allison moved restlessly, his eyes wandering from face to face as if in -search of some one who was not present. - -“I--I believe Howard is innocent,” he answered, with much difficulty. - -“Who was the culprit, then?” - -The wounded man stared back into his eyes, but made no reply. - -“They say you are dying, my son,” continued the old man, gently, “and if -you have done wrong--if you have ever deceived me--now is the time to -confess all, and clear the name of an innocent man.” - -Allison made a motion with his hand, wearily. - -“Where is Maie?” he asked, “and why do you keep the place so cursed -dark?” - -The doctor placed an arm under his head, raising it slightly. - -“Tell me, Allison,” pleaded the Colonel, “who forged that paper? Who was -it, my son?” - -“Why,--I did it, father.--It’s all over, now--only twenty thousand--not -worth--fussing about. Maie! Are you there, my Maie?” - -With the words he made an effort to rise, and a crimson stream gushed -from his mouth and nostrils. The doctor laid him back upon the cushions, -while the Persian sought to stay the hemorrhage with his handkerchief. -But Allison was spent. His limbs twitched nervously once or twice, and -after that he lay still. - -The harem of the Khan had become a chamber of death. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII - -BY THE HAND OF ALLAH - - -The events of this fateful night, numerous though they had been, were -not yet ended. - -Leaving the women to care for the dead man the Khan had withdrawn to his -state apartment, taking with him the Persian, Dr. Warner and Colonel -Moore, as well as David the Jew. - -“It is best that all mysteries and misunderstandings be cleared up at -once,” said the young ruler, when his guests had been seated. “The hour -is late, but I believe you will prefer not to rest until you have become -acquainted with the facts that explain my presence here as the Khan of -Mekran. But there are others in the palace who are entitled to hear the -story, and with your permission I will ask them to join us.” - -The Colonel nodded consent. He was yet too dazed by the appalling -tragedy of the hour to command more than a listless interest in these -consequent proceedings. Dr. Warner was grave and thoughtful, but seemed -to realize intuitively that fate had been kind to his old friend in -removing Allison from his life. After the first shock of grief had -passed the Colonel himself would acknowledge this. The boy had been a -thorn in his side for many years. - -“Dirrag,” said the Khan, “tell Captain Beni-Bouraz to unbind his -prisoners; and do you lead them here to me.” - -They sat in silence until the command was obeyed, and Kasam and the aged -vizier entered the room. - -The Prince carried himself rather better in misfortune than when free to -direct his own actions. He appeared composed and dignified, accepting -his fate with a stout heart and seemingly without desire to bemoan the -triumph of his enemy. Agahr’s face was sternly set. What his thoughts -might be none could tell. - -The Khan greeted his prisoners courteously, and waited until they had -seated themselves before he began to speak. - -“Gentlemen,” said he, addressing the entire group, “events have occurred -this night which render it necessary that you be made acquainted with -some portions of my life history that you are now ignorant of. A few -minutes ago Colonel Moore accused me of being an impostor, because seven -years ago he knew me in America as Howard Osborne.” - -Kasam gave a start at these words. - -“I have never believed you were a Baluch,” he said, scornfully. “You -were foisted upon us by that false mufti of Mehmet, Salaman, to further -some interest of his own.” - -“It is true that I am not the son of Burah Khan,” responded the other, -in even tones. “My father is Dr. Merad Osborne, known to the people of -Mekran as a Persian physician, and now here to verify my statement.” - -All eyes were turned upon the dark visage of the tall physician, seeking -in vain a resemblance between the two men that would lend truth to the -astonishing assertion. - -Merad smiled. - -“I will tell you my story,” he said, “and then you will understand us -better.” - -“I, for one, do not care to hear it,” exclaimed Kasam, with scarcely -suppressed eagerness. “If this man is no son of Burah Khan, he stands -before us a fraudulent usurper, and the throne of Mekran belongs to me!” - -“Not so,” answered a clear voice, speaking in English, and the -white-robed priest of Takkatu pressed through the group and stood before -the Prince. “Ahmed Khan sits upon his throne by a better right than you -can ever boast, Prince Kasam of Raab!” - -Kasam was about to retort angrily, but he marked the jewelled star upon -Salaman’s breast and controlled himself to bow low before the emblem. -England had not wholly driven out of the young Baluch’s heart the faith -of his fathers. - -“Your words are strange, my father,” he murmured, still somewhat -rebelliously. “Is not this man acknowledged to be the son of Merad?” - -“And who is Merad?” asked the priest, gravely. - -“I do not know, my father.” - -“Tell him, Merad.” - -“I am the son of Keedar Khan,” said the physician, proudly. - -A cry of surprise burst from his hearers. Even the vizier, who knew no -English, caught the name of Keedar Khan and looked upon the Persian with -curious eyes. - -“I believe,” said Kasam, brokenly, “it will be best to hear your story.” - -The priest stepped back, giving place to the physician. - -“Keedar Khan had two legitimate sons,” began Merad, “of whom I was the -younger by several years. My brother Burah was fierce and warlike, and -realizing that I might at some time stand in the way of his ambition and -so meet destruction, I fled as a youth to Teheran, where I was educated -as a physician by the aid of secret funds furnished by my father. When -Keedar died and Burah ascended the throne I wandered through many lands -until I finally came to America, where I met and loved Howard’s mother, -the daughter of a modest New York merchant named Osborne. In wedding her -I took her name, my own being difficult for the English-speaking tongue -to pronounce, and from that time I became known as Dr. Merad Osborne, a -physician fairly skilled in the science of medicines. - -“Our son grew to manhood and became the private secretary of Colonel -Moore. In appearance he favored his mother, rather than me, having her -eyes and hair as well as the sturdy physique of the Osbornes. Seven -years ago, or a little more, the catastrophy that wrecked our happiness -occurred. Howard disappeared, self-accused of forging his employer’s -name for a large amount. He left behind, for the eyes of his mother and -me alone, a confession of his innocence, together with the startling -information that he had secretly married Colonel Moore’s daughter before -the knowledge of Allison’s crime was known to him. His youth and -inexperience led him to believe that his sacrifice would shield his -wife’s brother and father from public exposure and disgrace, failing to -take into consideration the wrong done to his girl-wife and to his own -parents. - -“I at once suspected that my boy had fled to the Orient, for he had -always maintained an eager interest in my tales of Persia and -Baluchistan, and knew I was a native of this country, although he was -ignorant of the fact that he was the grandson of the great Keedar Khan. -So his mother and I left New York, searching throughout the East in a -vain endeavor to trace our lost son. At last we were reluctantly -compelled to abandon the quest, and I settled in Kelat, where my fame as -a Persian physician soon became a matter of note. - -“It was in this capacity that I was sent for to minister to my dying -brother, Burah Khan, who knew not that I was his brother. But I strove -faithfully to carry out his will, and to preserve his life until the -arrival of his heir. Then came from the monastery of Takkatu, where he -had secluded himself, my own son, appointed by the Grand Mufti of the -Sunnites to represent the successor of Burah Khan upon the throne of -Mekran. To the great priest of our Faith,” bowing low to Salaman, “no -knowledge is barred, and from Howard’s story of his father’s life the -Mufti knew the truth, and that he had a greater right, according to the -laws of the tribes, to rule this country than the son of Burah Khan, -who, also an inmate of the monastery, pleaded to be left to pursue his -sacred studies at Takkatu. - -“Of the strange coming of the Americans, through whom my son had been -exiled from the land of his birth, I need not speak. The ways of Allah -are indeed inscrutable, and Ahmed Khan has acted, during these past days -of trial, by the advice of the great Salaman himself.” - -A silence followed this terse relation, which had sufficed to explain -many things both to Kasam and to the Americans. David, also, shrinking -back into his corner, listened eagerly, wondering if there was any part -of the strange story that he could at some future time sell to his -advantage. - -“There is little that I can add,” said the Khan, musingly, “to my good -father’s words. That he has always remained a faithful Moslem you can -easily guess, and it was but natural I should embrace the creed of my -forefathers. I found much comfort in the religious seclusion of the -monastery, but it is nevertheless a great relief to me to be freed at -last from the taint of guilt that has clung to my name. The only wrong I -did in America was to secretly marry the girl I loved and then leave her -to mourn a lover whom she might well consider faithless and unworthy. My -only excuse is that I was young and impulsive, and my dear wife, who had -never ceased to have faith in my honor, has generously forgiven me the -fault.” - -As the Khan paused, Kasam the prince strode forward and held out his -hand. - -“Forgive me, my cousin,” he said, bravely, “that I have been led to -misjudge and oppose you. From this time forth Ahmed Khan shall boast no -more faithful follower than Kasam of Raab.” - -Howard pressed the proffered hand gratefully. Then he walked over to -the aged vizier, who had been a silent and puzzled witness of the scene, -and touched him gently upon his shoulder. - -“You are forgiven, and you are free, Agahr,” he said in Baluch. “Go to -your home, and may the Prophet shield your heart from the bitterness of -the blow that there awaits you.” - -Agahr looked into his eyes. - -“Is it Maie?” he whispered. - -The Khan nodded. - -“The hand of Allah,” said he in kindly tones, “spares neither the high -nor the lowly.” - -Agahr threw up his arms with a wild scream. - -“The hand of Allah!” he cried; “no, no! not that! It was the hand of him -that loved her best--the hand of her father!” - -And muffling his head in his cloak he tottered slowly from the room. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII - -THE VENGEANCE OF MAIE - - -To those who looked after Agahr with pitying eyes a slave entered, -announcing a messenger for David the Jew. - -The little man hurried away to the next chamber, where, dimly lighted by -a swinging lantern, stood the form of a girl whose face was concealed to -the eyes by the folds of a dark mantle. But the eyes were enough for -David. He knew her at once. - -“Halima!” he exclaimed. “Vy do you seek Davit?” - -The girl drew a small box from her cloak. - -“The gift of Maie,” she said. - -“Maie! Bud, dey tell me Maie iss dead.” - -“Of that I know nothing,” answered the slave girl, all unmoved. “It is -nevertheless her gift. I have been seeking you since before midnight, -and but now discovered you were at the palace. Take the casket; and, -mark me: here is the spring that opens it.” - -She drew the cloak around her again and with quiet, cat-like steps left -the room. - -David gazed after her with joy sparkling in his eyes. - -“Id iss my luck!” he muttered, hugging the casket in an ecstasy of -delight. “Id iss de luck of cleffer Davit! Efen de dead adds to my -riches. Led me see--led me see if Maie iss generous.” - -With trembling fingers he touched the spring, and as the lid flew back -he leaned over and feasted his eyes upon the gems and gold that sparkled -so beautifully in the dim light. - -Then the silken purse attracted his attention. He drew it out, loosened -the string, and thrust in his thumb and finger. - -Next moment an agonized yell rang through the palace. With a jerk that -sent the gold and jewels flying in every direction the Jew withdrew his -finger, glaring wildly at an object that curled about it and clung -fast. Then he dashed the thing to the floor, set his heel upon it and -screamed again and again in mad terror. - -The cries aroused those in the next room; the draperies were torn aside -and the Khan entered, followed by Merad, Kasam and the Americans. - -David lay writhing upon the floor, and even as they gazed upon him his -screams died away and his fat body rolled over with a last convulsive -shudder. - -“What has happened?” asked Kasam, bewildered--as, indeed, they all were. - -The physician bent over and cautiously examined the crushed thing that -had proved to be David’s bane. - -“It is a mountain scorpion,” he said, “the most venomous creature in -existence.” - -Maie’s vengeance had survived her; but perhaps it mattered little to the -dead girl that David’s punishment had been swift and sure. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV - -THE SPIRIT OF UNREST - - -Two weeks had passed since the events just narrated, and peace seemed to -have again settled over the isolated town of Mekran. Kasam remained at -the palace, declaring himself a faithful adherent of Ahmed Khan, but -although he had sent word to Zarig, the sirdar of Raab, who yet remained -encamped with his warriors in the west valley, that peace was declared, -the rebellious sirdar had refused to come into the city and make -obeisance to Ahmed of Ugg. - -All the Americans were now housed within the palace, and Aunt Lucy had -come to revise and reconstruct her opinion of that whilom den of -iniquity, the harem. But Allison’s tragic death had sobered the good -lady, as it had all of their little band, and checked for a time at -least her garrulity and desire to criticise. There was no doubt of Aunt -Lucy’s democracy, yet it was amusing to note her pride in the fact that -Janet was the wife of an Eastern potentate of the importance of Ahmed -Khan. It would be a splendid tale to carry back to New York, and she had -already decided to leave an envelope always carelessly lying upon her -table addressed to “Her Imperial Majesty the Khanum of Mekran and -Empress of Baluchistan.” It would serve to amuse visitors while she -arranged her hair at the mirror before coming down. - -Kasam’s wild passion for Janet had quickly evaporated with the news that -she was wedded to Ahmed. The young prince was greatly subdued in spirit, -and made no objections to Bessie’s kindly efforts to console him. His -position in the palace was necessarily an uncomfortable one, for he held -no clearly defined rank in the household and there was no gift within -the power of the Khan that it would be dignified in him to accept. -Reared from childhood with the ambition of sometime becoming the ruler -of Mekran by virtue of his royal blood, it was naturally difficult for -Kasam to realize that this brilliant dream was past and he must be -content to abandon it forever. - -So he wandered restlessly in the gardens, with Bessie by his side, and -accompanied the girl on long rides through the pleasant valleys, and -might have been as happy as in the old days had he allowed himself to -forget his disappointment. - -Meantime Salaman, the Grand Mufti of the realm, remained the chosen -companion of the Khan, who, notwithstanding the deference he paid to his -illustrious father, leaned more upon the aged priest than any other of -his friends. And thus it was that one bright morning they walked -together upon a high roof of the palace, where none might interrupt -their earnest communion. - -“I have thought well upon your words, my son,” said Salaman, “and -examined critically your desires, striving honestly to quell my own -inclination to oppose you. But I fear I cannot understand you wholly. -What is there in this favored country--the land of your famous -forefathers--that repels you, and inclines you to leave it?” - -Ahmed paced up and down, thoughtfully weighing his words e’er he -replied. - -“It is, as you well say, my father, a land favored of Allah; yet the -life here is the life of the lotus-eaters; or one of holy concentration; -or even of idle dreams. Time has no wings in Baluchistan. We live, and -lo, we die, while the sun shines fair as ever, the breezes rustle -through the palms, the fountains still splash in their marble basins, -and the endless chain of humanity creeps on from the cradle to the grave -with uneventful languor. As it was a hundred years ago, so it is today; -as it is now it will be found in future ages--merely Baluchistan, the -home of a million contented souls, all faithful to Allah, all -indifferent to earthly conditions outside their narrow limits.” - -“Truly, a paradise on earth!” said Salaman, nodding approval. - -“In the West,” said the Khan, a stronger note creeping into his voice, -“a spirit of unrest is ever abroad. It impels men to do and to dare, -feeding upon their brain and brawn rather than upbuilding them. They -strive--strive ever, though erring or misdirected--putting their -shoulders all together to the wheel of the juggernaut chariot of -Progress and sweating mightily that some thing may be accomplished that -was never known before. And in this they find content.” - -“Poor souls!” murmured the priest. - -“Father, I am of these--my mother’s people--rather than of those who -rest satisfied with Allah’s gifts. Here I may never be at peace. As Khan -of Mekran I would overturn all existing conditions. I would plunge my -people into reckless wars of conquest, build rails for iron chariots to -speed upon--shrieking the cry of Progress throughout the land. Merchants -from all nations would gather here to rouse the tribesmen to barter and -sale, teaching them lies and deceptions now all unknown to their simple -hearts. My father, I would be as dangerous to your people as a firebrand -in a thatch. Let me go. Send me back to that country whence I came: the -country that taught me unrest; the country where alone I shall find -employment for an earnest heart and a strong right arm! Put Kasam in my -place.” - -“It may be that you are right; that you know what is best for us all,” -replied the priest, sadly. “But you demand that I perform a difficult -task. You are Khan of Mekran, acknowledged legally by the sirdars and--” - -“Not by Burah Khan,” interrupted the other, with a smile. “It was my -faithful Dirrag who, dressed in the dead Burah’s robes, enacted the -Khan’s part and acknowledged me before the sirdars.” - -Salaman gave a sigh of regret. - -“True, dear Hafiz,” he said, unconsciously adopting the old affectionate -appellation. “But you are grandson of the great Keedar. You rule justly -and by right of inheritance. And in the beginning you accepted the -throne readily enough. What has caused your inclinations to so change?” - -“I have found a wife,” said the young man, proudly; “and she is an -American. Without her I was content to merely exist. With her by my -side I am roused to action. Hear me, father. Kasam will rule you better -than ever I could do. His heart is here--where he was born. He will -forget, as I never could do, the urgent prompting of that western -civilization we have both known. Let Kasam be khan!” - -Salaman came close to Ahmed, placed both hands upon his shoulders, and -laid his aged head against the strong young breast. - -“We have been friends, my Hafiz, and I have loved you. It grieves my -very heart to let you go. But if I can compass the thing and bring the -people to consent, it shall be according to your will. For life is -brief, as you say, and Allah waits above for us both. And wherein would -the charm of friendship lie if the selfishness of one should steal the -other’s heart’s desire?” - -For reply Ahmed gathered the speaker into his steadfast embrace; and so -they stood silent and alone upon the housetop, with Allah’s sun lovingly -caressing the brown locks of the Khan and the silvery beard of the high -priest. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV - -KASAM KHAN - - -In the great throne room of the palace at Mekran were assembled all the -dignitaries of the nation--sirdars, captains, kaids; muftis and mueddens -from the mosques; civil officers and judges from the towns; high and -lowly officials of the royal household. Even the obstinate and unbridled -Zirag had yielded to Kasam’s demand and, doubtless more through -curiosity than obedience, had left his camp to enter the city and -witness the day’s event. - -Of the nature or character of this event all were alike ignorant. They -merely knew they were commanded to assemble, and the authority of the -khan, backed by that of the Grand Mufti Salaman, ranking next to him, -was sufficient to bring them to a man at the appointed hour. - -The press was truly great, even in this spacious hall of audience. Upon -a raised dais sat Ahmed Khan, arrayed in his most magnificent robe of -state. At one side, but upon a lower platform, sat Prince Kasam, and at -the Khan’s right hand stood the Grand Mufti, wearing his decoration of -the jewelled star. - -A silence bred of intense curiosity pervaded the assemblage. Even Zarig, -who, clad in his well-worn riding dress, had pressed close to the -platform, was awed by the dignity of the proceedings and glanced -nervously from Kasam to Ahmed and then upon the stately form of the -priest. - -Presently the great Salaman stepped forward, offering a brief prayer -imploring the guidance of Moses, of Jesus, of Mahomet and of Allah the -All-Wise upon their deliberations. Then, drawing himself erect, he -addressed the people in these words: - -“My friends and brothers, it is my duty to declare to you, as -representatives of all the people, that a great wrong has been done you. -It was not an intentional wrong, nor one which, having been discovered, -may not be fully redressed; nevertheless, you must hear the truth and -act upon it as you deem just and right.” - -He paused, and a thrill of excitement swept over the throng. In all -their history no such thing as this had been known before. - -“The man who sits before you as Ahmed Khan,” resumed the priest, in a -cold voice, “came to you purporting to be the grandson of Keedar Khan -and the son of Burah Khan, and thus entitled to rule over you. He is, -indeed, the legitimate grandson of the great Keedar; but he is no son of -Burah, being the offspring of Keedar’s younger brother Merad, who fled -to Persia an exile in his youth.” - -Notwithstanding the astonishing nature of this intelligence the -assemblage maintained its silent, curious attitude. Many eyes were -turned upon the calm and dignified countenance of Ahmed Khan, but no -mark or token of unfriendliness was manifested in these glances. - -The priest continued: - -“Those among you who heard the dying Burah acknowledge this man to be -his son, before all the sirdars, will marvel that my statement can be -true. You must now know that at that time Burah had really been dead for -two days, and that another falsely took his place. It was this lawless -one who, masquerading as the khan, made the formal acknowledgment. For -this reason Ahmed has never legally been your khan. He is not your khan -now.” - -At last a murmur burst from the throng; but to the listening ears of the -priest it seemed more a sound of amazement than of protest or -indignation. Ahmed arose from the throne, drew off his splendid robe of -office and laid it over the arm of the chair, disclosing to all eyes the -simple inner garb of a tribesman of Ugg. With dignified mien he stepped -from the dais to the lower platform and held up a hand to command -silence. Instantly every voice was hushed as if by magic. - -“Brothers,” said he, “if I have wronged you I beg your forgiveness. Most -willingly I now resign the throne to which I am not entitled, and ask -you to choose for yourselves one more worthy than I to rule over you.” - -As he paused a cry arose that quickly swelled to a clamorous shout: - -“Ahmed! Give us Ahmed for our Khan! None shall rule us but Ahmed, the -grandson of Keedar Khan!” - -Salaman turned pale at this unexpected denouement, which threatened to -wreck all his plans. He strode forward and seized Ahmed’s arm, dragging -him into the background and then returning himself to confront the -multitude. - -Higher and higher the shouts arose, while the priest waved his hands to -subdue the excitement that he might again be heard. - -Zarig, scowling fiercely as the crowd pressed him against the edge of -the platform, fingered his dagger as if longing to still this unwelcome -homage to one of the hated tribe of Ugg; but so far as Salaman could -determine there were few others who did not join the enthusiastic -tribute to Ahmed. - -But gradually the dignitaries tired of their unusual demonstration, and -remembering their official characters subsided to their accustomed -calm. The priest took advantage of the first moment that he could be -plainly heard. - -“Listen well, chieftains and friends!” he cried. “It is clear to me that -your loyalty and admiration for Keedar’s grandson have clouded your -clearer judgment. Not that I denounce Ahmed as unworthy to rule, but -that before your eyes sits one entitled above all others to occupy the -throne of his forefathers--the descendant of seven generations of just -and worthy rulers of this land. Brothers, I present to you one who is a -native-born Baluch--the noblest of you all--Prince Kasam of Raab!” - -Kasam, who until now had been ignorant of the purposes of Salaman, and -was therefore as greatly astonished as any man present, obeyed the -beckoning finger of the priest and arose to face his people with that -air of proud dignity he knew so well how to assume. - -Zarig shouted his name wildly: “Kasam! Kasam Khan!” and a few others, -carried away by the priest’s words, followed the sirdar’s lead. But the -shouts for Kasam were soon drowned by more lusty acclaims for Ahmed, and -Salaman hesitated, at a loss how to act, while Kasam shrank back as if -he keenly felt the humiliation of his rejection. - -Driven to frenzy by the wild scene about him, Zarig sprang with one -bound to the platform. - -“No Ahmed Khan for me!” he shouted, and drawing a slender dagger from -his belt he threw himself upon the American with the ferocity of a -tiger. - -But Kasam was even quicker. Before the multitude realized the tragic -nature of the scene being enacted, the Prince had fallen upon his sirdar -and plunged his knife twice into Zarig’s breast. The man fell to the -floor in a death agony, dragging Ahmed with him, while above them Kasam -stood grasping the weapon that had so promptly saved the life of the man -whom his people had preferred before him. - -Then, indeed, a shout of admiration burst from the Baluchi, their -impulsive natures quick to respond to the generosity of such an act. -Ahmed, freeing himself from the dead sirdar, rose up and seizing the -royal robe he had discarded flung its brilliant folds over Kasam’s -shoulders. Then he knelt before his preserver, and Salaman, prompt to -take advantage of the diversion which was likely to turn the tide of -popular enthusiasm his way, knelt also at Kasam’s feet as if saluting -him as kahn. - -Zarig had accomplished by his mad act all that he had once longed for in -life. The cries for Kasam grew stronger and more spontaneous, and Ahmed -was able to quietly withdraw from the platform without his absence being -observed. - -Soon the people were as eager in shouting for Kasam as they had been for -Ahmed, and Salaman lost no time in completing the ceremony that -established the heir of seven generations of rulers firmly upon the -throne. - -Janet met her husband at the entrance to the harem, where he had hurried -as soon as he could escape from the hall. - -“Well, how did it end?” she asked. “They terrified me, at first, with -their cries for Ahmed Khan.” - -“They terrified me, too, sweetheart,” he answered lightly. “But my -cousin Kasam is truly made of the right stuff, and turned the tide in -the nick of time. Now then, join me--all together, dear one!--hurrah for -Kasam Khan!” - -And as their voices died away an answering shout, grave and stern, came -like an echo from the great audience chamber: - -“_Kasam Khan!_” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI - -HER SERENE HIGHNESS THE KHANUM - - -Never had a better equipped caravan left the gates of Mekran to cross -the Gedrusian Desert in the direction of Kelat and civilization. The -palanquins of the dromedaries were so comfortable that Aunt Lucy -declared she felt as if on shipboard. The horses were the finest the -famous monastery of Mehmet had ever bred; the pack animals bore tents -and material for the nightly camp that would have been worthy the great -Alexander himself, and everything that might contribute to the comfort -and even luxury of the travellers had been provided with a liberal hand. -Here were the twenty Afghans, too, glad of the chance to return to their -own country again; but of the former party some were missing and some -had been added. - -Dirrag was the guide, this time, and the faithful fellow lost no -opportunity to implore Howard Osborne to take him along to America. -“Your Highness will need a bodyguard,” he argued, “so why not take me, -whom you may trust?” - -“We don’t use body guards in America, Dirrag,” was the laughing answer. - -“But we have such things as true friends--when we can get them,” said -Janet, brightly; “so I shall insist upon having my old warrior by my -side, wherever we may go.” - -“That settles it, Dirrag,” announced the doctor; “you’re half an -American already. Heigh-ho! I wish I could go with you. But Bessie says -I must return to her just as soon as I’ve bought the new furnishings for -the palace and seen Lucy well on her way home. You may expect me to end -my days in this jumping-off place, my dear Colonel.” - -“It’s really a very fine country,” declared Aunt Lucy, with an air of -proud proprietorship; “and it’s only natural, Luther, you should wish to -live with Her Serene Highness the Khanum of Mekran and Empress of -Baluchistan, who is your only daughter and my niece.” - -“Fiddlesticks!” said the doctor, laughing. “I really believe the only -reason Lucy is anxious to get back to New York,” he remarked to Dr. and -Mrs. Osborne in a loud aside, “is to air her relationship with the -Khanum. Oh, by the way, Colonel,” turning to his old friend, “how about -that railroad?” - -“Bother the railroad!” growled the Colonel. “I’d forgotten all about -it.” - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Daughters of Destiny, by L. 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