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diff --git a/old/55845-0.txt b/old/55845-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 19a6ee5..0000000 --- a/old/55845-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6165 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Boy Fortune Hunters in Egypt, by Floyd -Akers - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world 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. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - - -Title: The Boy Fortune Hunters in Egypt - - -Author: Floyd Akers - - - -Release Date: October 29, 2017 [eBook #55845] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOY FORTUNE HUNTERS IN EGYPT*** - - -E-text prepared by Mary Glenn Krause, MFR, Stephen Hutcheson, and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page -images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 55845-h.htm or 55845-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55845/55845-h/55845-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/55845/55845-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/boyfortunehunter00aker - - -Transcriber’s note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - - - - -[Illustration: Ships of the desert.] - - -THE BOY FORTUNE HUNTERS IN EGYPT - -by - -FLOYD AKERS - -Author of -“The Boy Fortune Hunters In Panama,” etc. - - - - - - -[Illustration: Publisher Logo] - -Chicago -The Reilly & Britton Co. -Chicago - - - * * * * * * - - BOYS BOOKS BY FLOYD AKERS - - The Boy Fortune Hunters in Alaska - The Boy Fortune Hunters in Panama - The Boy Fortune Hunters in Egypt - - Cloth 12 mos. Splendidly Illustrated. - Price 60 cents each. - - * * * * * * - - -Copyright 1908 -by -The Reilly & Britton Co. - - - - -LIST OF CHAPTERS - - CHAPTER PAGE - I The Runaway 9 - II Our Venture 21 - III An Obstinate Passenger 47 - IV A Riot and a Rescue 65 - V The Professor’s Secret 76 - VI The Treasure of the Ancients 92 - VII A Great Undertaking 109 - VIII Gege-Merak 119 - IX Across the Black Mountains 135 - X Deep in the Desert Sands 150 - XI Taking Chances 167 - XII Abdul Hashim Explains 183 - XIII Prisoners 204 - XIV The Well of the Scorpions 213 - XV Van Dorn Turns Traitor 222 - XVI The Mad Camel 233 - XVII Iva 242 - XVIII Ketti Proves a Friend 250 - XIX Lovelace Pasha 261 - XX The Khedive Takes the Last Trick—but One 275 - - - - - CHAPTER I. - THE RUNAWAY. - - -I was standing on the deck of the _Seagull_, looking over the rail and -peering into the moonlight that flooded the bay where we lay at anchor, -when the soft dip of an oar caught my ear. - -It was the softest dip in the world, stealthy as that of an Indian, and -in the silence that reigned aboard ship I stood motionless, listening -for a repetition of the sound. - -It came presently—the mere rustle of the drops as they slid off the -oar’s blade—and a small boat stole from the shadows astern and crept to -our side. - -I glanced along the rail and saw, a few paces away, the dim form of the -watch, alert and vigilant; but the man knew I was there, and forbore to -hail the mysterious craft below. - -At a snail’s pace the boat glided along our side until it was just -beneath me, when I could see a blot in the moonlight that resembled a -human form. Then a voice, so gentle that it scarce rose above the -breeze, called out: - -“Ahoy, mate!” - -Now I ought to explain that all this was surprising; we were a simple, -honest American merchant ship, lying in home waters and without an -element of mystery in our entire outfit. On the neighboring shore of the -harbor could be seen the skids from which the _Seagull_ had been -launched a month before, and every man and boy in Chelsea knew our -history nearly as well as we did ourselves. - -But our midnight visitor had chosen to steal upon us in a manner as -unaccountable as it was mysterious, and his hail I left unanswered while -I walked to the landing steps and descended them until I stood upon the -platform that hung just over the boat. - -And now I perceived that the tub—for it was little else—was more than -half full of water, and that the gunwale rode scarce an inch above the -smooth surface of the bay. The miserable thing was waterlogged and about -to sink, yet its occupant sat half submerged in his little pool, as -quiet and unconcerned as if no danger threatened. - -“What’s up?” I demanded, speaking rather sternly. - -The form half rose, the tub tipped and filled, and with a gentle splash -both disappeared from view and left me staring at the eddies. I was -about to call for help when the form bobbed up again and a hand shot out -and grasped a rope dangling from the landing stage. I leaned over to -assist, and the fellow scrambled up the line with remarkable agility -until I was able to seize his collar and drag him, limp and dripping, to -a place beside me. - -At this time I was just eighteen years of age and, I must confess, not -so large in size as I longed to be; but the slender, bent form of the -youth whom I had rescued was even of less stature than my own. As he -faced me in the moonlight and gave a gasp to clear the water from his -throat, I noted the thin, pinched features and the pair of large, dark -eyes that gazed with pleading earnestness into my own. - -“For Heaven’s sake, what are you up to?” I asked, impatiently; “and how -came you to be afloat in that miserable tub? It’s a wonder you didn’t -sink long before you reached our side.” - -“So it is,” he replied in a low voice. “Are you—are you Sam Steele, -sir?” - -“Yes.” - -“Ah! I hoped it would be you. Can I go aboard, sir? I want to talk to -you.” - -I could not well have refused, unless I consigned the fellow to the -waters of the bay again. Moreover, there was a touching and eager appeal -in the lad’s tones that I could not resist. I turned and climbed to the -deck, and he followed me as silently as a shadow. Then, leaning against -the rail, I inquired somewhat testily: - -“Couldn’t you wait until morning to pay me a visit? And hadn’t you -enough sense to know that old dinghy wouldn’t float?” - -“But it did float, sir, until I got here; and that answered my purpose -very well,” he replied. “I had to come at night to keep from being -discovered and recaptured.” - -“Oh! You’re a criminal, then. Eh?” - -“In a way, sir. I’m an escaped cabin-boy.” - -That made me laugh. I began to understand, and the knowledge served to -relieve the strain and dissolve the uncanny effect of the incident. An -escaped cabin-boy! Well, that was nothing very wonderful. - -“Here, come to my room and get some dry togs,” I said, turning abruptly -to the gangway. The lad followed and we passed silently through the -after-cabin, past the door of Uncle Naboth’s quarters—whence issued a -series of stentorian snores—and so into my own spacious stateroom, where -I lighted a lamp and carefully closed the door. - -“Now, then,” I exclaimed, pulling some of my old clothes from a locker, -“slip on this toggery at once, so your teeth will stop chattering.” - -He discarded his dripping garments and replaced them with my dry flannel -shirt and blue trousers, my thick socks and low shoes. I picked up his -own ragged clothes and with a snort of contempt for their bedraggled and -threadbare condition tossed them out of the window into the sea. - -“Oh!” he exclaimed, and clutched at his breast. - -“What’s the matter?” I asked. - -“Nothing. I thought at first you had thrown away mother’s picture; but -it’s here, all right,” and he patted his breast tenderly. - -“Hungry?” I inquired. - -“Yes, sir.” He gave a shiver, as if he had just remembered this -condition; and I brought some biscuits and a tin of sardines from my -cupboard and placed them before him. - -The boy ate ravenously, washing down the food with a draught of water -from the bottle in the rack. I waited for him to finish before I -questioned him. Then, motioning him to a seat on my bunk, for he seemed -weak and still trembled a bit, I said: - -“Now, tell me your story.” - -“I’m a Texan,” he replied, slowly, “and used to live in Galveston. My -folks are dead and an uncle took care of me until a year ago, when he -was shot in a riot. I didn’t mind that; he was never very good to me; -but when he was gone I had no home at all. So I shipped as a cabin-boy -aboard the _Gonzales_, a tobacco sloop plying between Galveston and Key -West, for I always loved the sea and this was the best berth I could -get. The Captain, Jose Marrow, is half Mexican and the cruelest man in -the world. He whipped me when he was drunk, and abused and cuffed me -when sober, and many a time I hoped he would kill me instead of keeping -up the tortures I suffered. Finally he came up here with a cargo, and -day before yesterday, just as he had unloaded and was about to sail -again, he sent me ashore on an errand. Of course I skipped. I ran along -the bay and hid in a lumber shed, from the top of which I could watch -the _Gonzales_. She didn’t sail, because old Marrow was bound to have me -back, I guess; so I had to lay low, and all the time I was sure he’d -find me in the end and get me back. The sloop’s in the bay yet, sir, -only about a quarter of a mile away.” - -“Well?” - -“Well, last evening a couple of men came to sort some of the timbers, -and I lay hid on top the pile and listened to their talk. They spoke of -the _Seagull_, and how it was to sail far away into the Mediterranean, -and was the best built ship that ever left this port.” - -“That’s true enough, my lad.” - -“And they said Cap’n Steele was the best man to work for in the merchant -service, and his son, Sam Steele—that’s you, sir—was bound to make as -good a sailor as his dad, and had been in some queer adventures already, -and was sure to find more of them before he was much older.” - -I had to smile at that evident “taffy,” and my smile left the boy -embarrassed. He hesitated a moment, and then continued: - -“To a poor devil like me, sir, such a tale made me believe this ship a -floating paradise. I’ve heard of captains who are not as cruel as old -Marrow; so when the men had gone I decided to get to you in some way and -beg you to take me aboard. You see, the Mexican is waiting to hunt me -down, and I’d die sooner than go back to his terrible ship. If you’ll -take me with you, Mr. Steele, I’ll be faithful and true, and work like a -nigger for you. If you won’t, why, just say the word, and I’ll jump -overboard again.” - -“Can you swim?” - -“No.” - -I thought a moment. - -“What’s your name?” I asked, finally. - -“Joe Herring.” - -“Well, Joe, you’re asking something unusual, I must say. I’m not the -captain of the _Seagull_, but merely purser, or to be more exact the -secretary to Mr. Perkins, the supercargo. I own a share in the ship, to -be sure, and purchased it with money I made myself; but that fact -doesn’t count when we’re at sea, and Captain Steele is the last man in -the world to harbor a runaway member of the crew of a friendly ship. -Indeed, your old master came aboard us this morning, to inquire about -you, and I heard my father say that if he set eyes on you anywhere he’d -let Captain Marrow know. As he never breaks his word this promise is to -be depended upon. Do you see, now, what a fix you’re in?” - -“I do, sir.” - -His voice was low and despondent and he seemed to shrink back in his -seat into an attitude hopeless and helpless. - -I looked at the boy more closely, and the appeal in his pinched -features, that had struck me at the first glance on the landing stage, -became more impressive than ever. - -“How old are you, Joe?” - -“Fifteen, sir.” - -He was tall, but miserably thin. His brown hair, now wet and clinging -about his face, curled naturally and was thick and of fine texture, -while his dark eyes were handsome enough to be set in the face of a -girl. This, with a certain manly dignity that shone through his pitiful -expression, decided me to befriend the lad, and I had an inspiration -even in that first hour of meeting that Joe Herring would prove a loyal -follower and a faithful friend. - -“We sail at ten o’clock, and it’s now past midnight,” I remarked, -thoughtfully. - -“Yes, sir; I’ll go any time you say.” - -“But you can’t swim, Joe.” - -“Never mind. Don’t let me be a bother to you. You’ll want to turn in,” -casting a wistful look around my pleasant room, “and so I’ll find my way -on deck and you needn’t give me another thought.” - -“Very good,” said I, nodding. “I think I’ll turn in this minute.” - -He rose up, slowly. - -“Just climb into that upper berth, Joe, and go to sleep. There’ll be -work for you tomorrow, and you’ll need to get rested.” - -He stared into my smiling face a moment with a startled look that soon -became radiant. Then he broke down and cried like a baby. - -“Here, no snivelling!” I growled, savagely. “Pile into that berth; but -see you get your shoes off, first.” - -He obeyed, still blubbering but evidently struggling to restrain his -sobs. Indeed, his privations of the past two days, half starved and -hunted like a dog, had completely unnerved the poor fellow. When he had -tumbled into the berth I locked the door, put out the light, and rolled -myself in my own blanket. - -A few moments later I heard Joe stirring. He leaned over the edge of the -bunk and murmured: - -“God bless you, Sam Steele! I’ll never forget, sir, the way you——” - -“Oh, shut up and go to sleep, Joe,” I cried. “You’ve kept me awake long -enough already.” - -“Yes, sir.” And after that he was silent. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - OUR VENTURE. - - -Those who were present at the launching of our beautiful new _Seagull_ -were unanimous in declaring her the trimmest, daintiest, most graceful -craft that had ever yet floated in the waters of old Chelsea bay. Her -color was pure white, her brass work brilliant as gold. She was yacht -built, on the lines of the fast express boats, and no expense had been -spared in her construction or fittings. - -My father, Captain Steele, one of the ablest and best known sailors on -the Atlantic coast, had personally supervised the building of the -_Seagull_ and watched every step of progress and inspected every bit of -timber, steel, or brass, so that nothing might be slighted in any way. -She was one hundred and eighty-seven feet in length, with a thirty-six -foot beam and a depth of twenty-one feet, and her net tonnage was close -to fourteen hundred. We had her schooner rigged, because Captain Steele -believed in sailing and had designed his ship for a merchantman of the -highest class, but of the old school. - -Uncle Naboth and I, who were also part owners of the ship—the firm being -Steele, Perkins & Steele—had begged earnestly to convert her into a -modern steamer; but my father angrily resented the suggestion. - -“Her name’s the _Seagull_,” he declared, “an’ a seagull without wings -’ud be a doggone jack-rabbit; so wings she mus’ have, my lads, ef Dick -Steele’s goin’ to sail her.” - -We had really put a fortune into the craft, and Uncle Naboth—a shrewd -old trader who marked the world as it moved and tried to keep pace with -it—was as anxious to have the ship modern in every respect as I was. So -we stood stubbornly side by side and argued with the Captain until he -finally granted a partial concession to our wishes and consented to our -installing an auxiliary equipment of a screw propeller driven by -powerful engines, with the express understanding that they must only be -used in case of emergency. - -“It’s a rank waste o’ money, an’ takes up vallyble room,” he growled; -“but ef so be you ain’t satisfied with decent spars an’ riggin,’ why, -git your blarsted ol’ machinery aboard—an’ be hanged to ye both!” - -This consent was obtained soon after my return from Panama, but Uncle -Naboth and I had ordered the engines months previously, having been -determined to install them from the day the _Seagull_ was first planned; -so no time was lost in getting them placed. - -You will know the _Seagull_ more intimately as my story progresses, so I -will avoid a detailed description of it just now, merely adding that the -ship was at once the envy and admiration of all beholders and the pride -and joy of her three owners. - -My father had sailed for forty years and had at one time lost his right -leg in a shipwreck, so that he stumped around with a cork substitute. -But he was as energetic and active as in his youth, and his vast -experience fully justified his reputation as one of the ablest and -shrewdest seamen in the merchant service. Indeed, Captain Steele was -universally known and respected, and I had good reason to be proud of -the bluff old salt who owned me as his son. He had prejudices, it is -true, acquired through many strange adventures at sea and in foreign -parts; but his heart was simple and frank as that of a child, and we who -knew him best and loved him well had little fear of his stubborn -temperament. - -Naboth Perkins, my dead mother’s brother, was also a remarkable man in -his way. He knew the sea as well as did my father, but prided himself on -the fact that he “couldn’t navigate a ferry-boat,” having always sailed -as supercargo and devoted his talents to trading. He had been one of my -earliest and most faithful friends, and although I was still a mere boy -at the time the _Seagull_ was launched, I had encountered some unusual -adventures in company with quaint, honest Uncle Naboth, and won certain -bits of prize money that had proved the foundation of our fortunes. - -These prize-winnings, converted into hard cash, had furnished the funds -for building our new ship, in which we purposed beginning a -conservative, staid career as American merchantmen, leaving adventures -behind us and confining ourselves to carrying from port to port such -merchandise as might be consigned to our care. You will hear how well -our modest intention was fulfilled. - -The huge proportions and staunch construction of the _Seagull_ would -enable her to sail in any known sea with perfect safety, and long before -she was completed we were besieged with proposals from shippers anxious -to secure our services. - -Uncle Naboth, who handled all such matters for our firm, finally -contracted with a big Germantown manufacturer of “Oriental” rugs to -carry a load of bales to Syria, consigned to merchants there who would -distribute them throughout Persia, Turkey and Egypt, to be sold to -American and European tourists and carried to their homes as treasures -of Oriental looms. - -It was not so much the liberal payment we received as the fact that the -long voyage to the Syrian port would give us an opportunity of testing -the performances of the _Seagull_ that induced Mr. Perkins to accept the -contract and undertake the lengthy voyage. - -“If she skims the Atlantic an’ the Mediterranean all right,” said he, -“the boat’ll weather any sea on earth; so we may as well find out at the -start what she’s good for. ’Sides that, we’re gittin’ a thunderin’ price -fer cartin’ them rags to Syria, an’ so the deal seems a good one all -’round.” - -My father gravely approved the transaction. He also was eager to test -the powers of our beautiful new ship, and this would not be his first -voyage to the Orient, by any means. So the papers were made out and -signed and as soon as our last fittings and furnishings were installed -and our crew aboard we were to voyage down the coast in sunny September -weather and anchor in the Chesapeake, there to load our cargo. - -Our ship’s company had been carefully selected, for the fame of my -father’s new vessel and the popularity of the Captain himself attracted -to us the best seamen available; so we had the satisfaction of signing a -splendid company of experienced men. In addition to these sailors we -shipped a first and second engineer, clever young fellows that became -instantly unpopular with my father, who glared at the poor “mechanics” -as if he considered them interlopers, if not rank traitors. Some of the -seamen, it was arranged, would act as stokers if the engines were called -into requisition, so with the addition of a couple of oilers who were -also carpenter’s assistants we were satisfied we might at any time steam -or sail, as the occasion demanded. - -I am sure Captain Steele had already acknowledged in his heart that we -were justified in equipping the _Seagull_ with engines, since any old -salt fully realizes the horror of being becalmed and knows the loss such -a misfortune is sure to entail in time, wages, and grub. But he would -not admit it. Instead, he persisted in playing the part of a much -injured and greatly scandalized seaman. It would be time enough to “take -water” when the value of the propeller was fully proved. - -Ned Britton was Captain’s Mate, of course. Ned had sailed with my father -for years; he had also sailed two exciting voyages with Uncle Naboth and -me, and we all admired and respected this strong, gallant fellow as much -as we had come to trust in his ability. - -Two other curious characters were established fixtures of any craft that -the firm of Steele, Perkins & Steele might own. These were two stalwart -black men named Nux and Bryonia, South Sea Islanders whom Uncle Naboth -had rescued from death years before and attached to his service. Since -then they had become my own trusted friends, and more than once had I -owed my life to their intelligence and faithfulness. Bryonia, or Bry, as -we called him, was a famous cook, and always had charge of our ship’s -galley. With Bry aboard we were never in want of a substantial, well -cooked meal; for, as Uncle Naboth was wont to declare: “Thet Bry could -take a rope’s end an’ a bit o’ tarpaulin an’ make a Paris tubble-de-hoot -out’n ’em.” - -Nux was cabin steward and looked after our comforts aft with a deftness -and skill that were wholly admirable. These blacks were both of them -shrewd, loyal, and brave, and we knew we might always depend upon their -fidelity. - -On the morning following my adoption of Joe Herring I left the runaway -locked up in my stateroom and went on deck to watch the final -preparations for our departure. A fair breeze swept down the bay, so at -ten o’clock we hoisted anchor, spread our main and foresails and, slowly -gathering way, the _Seagull_ slipped through the water on her maiden -trip amid the shouts of hundreds who stood on the shore to watch and bid -us God speed. - -We fired a shot from our small howitzer as a parting salute to our -friends, dipped our pennants in gallant fashion, showed our heels, and -sped away so swiftly that the harbor was soon left far behind. - -We passed the old _Gonzales_ soon after leaving our anchorage. It was -still waiting to recapture its absconding cabin-boy, though why Captain -Marrow should attach so much importance to the youth I could not then -understand. - -As soon as we were well at sea I liberated Joe and told him he was to be -my special servant and assistant, but must also help Nux to look after -the cabin during his spare time—which was likely to be plentiful enough. -Knowing that the sooner I established the lad’s footing aboard the -easier it would be for us both, I sent him on an errand that would take -him past my father’s station on the deck. His sharp eye encountered the -boy at once, as I had expected, and he promptly roared out an order for -him to halt. - -Joe stopped and saluted respectfully. He was looking cheery and bright -this morning; indeed, a different boy from the one I had pulled from the -sinking dinghy the night before. Life bore a new aspect for Joe and his -heart was light as a feather. He looked honest and wholesome enough in -the fresh blue suit I had given him, and he had been duly warned that -his only remaining danger lay in not winning the countenance of the -skipper. - -“Who are you? ’N’ where ’n’ thunder’d you come from?” demanded Captain -Steele. - -“Joe Herring, sir. Master Sam’s assistant, sir,” answered the boy, in -his quiet tones. - -“Assistant! Bungs an’ barnacles! Assistant to Sam! What doin’? Loafin’ -an’ a-killin’ time?” - -“I beg to refer you to Master Sam, sir,” was the composed answer, -although from where I watched the scene I could see that Joe was badly -frightened. - -“What Sam needs is suthin’ to do, more ’n a grub-devourin’ assistant,” -pursued my father, sternly. “Look here; did my son lug you aboard?” - -“He did, sir,” replied Joe, truthfully. - -“Send him to me, then,” ordered my father. - -I stepped forward at once, saluting the Captain with my usual deference. -When we were at sea I had been taught to put by the fact that this was -my father, bearing in mind only the immediate fact that he was my -commander. Still, in my capacity as secretary to Uncle Naboth I was in a -measure independent of ship’s discipline. - -“What tricks are you up to now, Sam?” demanded the Captain, scowling at -me. - -“Father, this boy was the runaway from the _Gonzales_, whom Captain -Marrow has been seeking so earnestly. He was so abused by the dirty -Mexican that he would rather die than return to his slavery. So he threw -himself on my mercy, and knowing he would surely be retaken if I left -him ashore, I brought the lad with us. Don’t blame him, sir. I’ll take -all the responsibility.” - -The Captain stared at me a moment. - -“See that you do, then,” he grumbled. “Sam, it’s a illegal an’ -unperfessional act to harbor a runaway.” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Usually no good ever comes of it.” - -“He’s an honest lad, sir.” - -The Captain eyed him closely. - -“It’s no affair o’ mine,” he muttered, half turning away. “The boy -belongs now to the Perkins outfit, mind you. I’ll have no runaways ner -stowaways in my crew.” - -I knew then the battle was won, and that my father would refuse to -surrender Joe to his old captain under any circumstances. The “Perkins -outfit,” so sneeringly referred to, meant Uncle Naboth and myself, and -although it was evident the mission of the _Seagull_ was dependent on -the “Perkins outfit” to manage and arrange its commerce in a profitable -manner, it pleased my father to denominate us landlubbers and consider -us of “no ’count” in the sailing of the ship. - -Uncle Naboth wasn’t aboard yet. He had gone by rail some days before to -Philadelphia to attend to the business of our cargo, and it was not -until we anchored in the placid waters of the Chesapeake that my uncle -appeared, smiling and cheery as ever. - -Mr. Perkins was short and stout, with a round, chubby face, smoothly -shaven, and a circle of iron-gray locks around his bald head. His eyes -were small, light blue and twinkling; his expression simple and -childlike; his speech inelegant and with a humorous twist that rendered -him an agreeable companion. But as a trader Naboth Perkins was famed far -and wide; his shrewdness was proverbial; his talent for bargaining -fairly marvelous; his honesty undisputed. I have heard merchants say it -was a pleasure to pay Mr. Perkins his demands, even though they could -procure the same service elsewhere at less cost. For he was square as a -die, faithful to the smallest detail, and his word was absolutely to be -relied upon. The little old gentleman was known as a money-maker, and -had been the partner of my father, his brother-in-law, for many years. - -Such a character could not fail to be eccentric, and Uncle Naboth’s ways -were at time puzzling; but I knew he was devoted to me, since he had -proved this quality many times; and I naturally regarded my whimsical -uncle with great affection. - -When Mr. Perkins came aboard he announced that the bales of rugs were -all on the dock and ready to load without delay. I was much interested -in our queer cargo, for it seemed strange to me that Americans should -ship “Oriental” rugs to the Orient, to be purchased there by Americans -and brought back home again. But Uncle Naboth, who had been through the -mills at Germantown, explained the matter very clearly. - -“You see,” he said, “there ain’t enough genooine Oriental rugs left to -supply the demand, now thet they’ve got to be sich a fad with rich -people. When the Orient was fust diskivered there was a good many rugs -there, but it had took years to make each one of ’em, an’ some was so -old they had holes wore in ’em; but that made ’em the more vallyble -’cause it proved they was antiques. They picked ’em up fast, an’ the -Orientals was glad to sell ’em an’ say nothin’. Ev’ry tourist thet goes -to the East wants to buy rugs to send home, an’ he’ll pay ’most any -price that’s asked fer rare ol’ patterns an’ dim, washed-out colors. Ef -there’s a few holes, badly mended, so much the better, fer they proves -the rugs is old. So the clever Easterners an’ the cleverer Yankees hit -on a scheme to supply the demand, an’ here in Germantown they makes -thousands of rare ol’ Oriental rugs every year. They buy a few genooine -ones to copy the patterns from, an’ they weave ’em by machinery. Then -the new rugs is put into a machine that beats dust an’ dirt into ’em an’ -beats it out again, till the new, fresh colors gits old an’ faded. After -this they’re run through a rubbin’ machine that wears ’em down some an’ -makes a few holes, here an’ there; an’ then the menders take ’em an’ -darn the holes. In about a day’s time one o’ them rugs goes through -about as much wear an’ tear by machinery as it would get in centuries of -use; an’ fer my part I can’t tell the diff’rence atween a genooine -Oriental an’ a imitation one. We’ve got a whole cargo to take to Syria, -an’ in a few months they’ll mostly come back agin, an’ be laid on the -floors of our millionaires. Queer traffic, ain’t it, Sam? But if you -stops to think, there’s been enough Oriental rugs carted out’n the -Orient, in the last hundred years, to carpet most of Asia an’ Africa -with; so it stands to reason they ain’t all the real thing. If it wasn’t -fer Yankee ingenooity an’ Oriental trickery the supply’d been exhausted -years ago, an’ our people’d hev to carpet their floors with honest, -fresh rugs instead o’ these machine worn imitations. That would break -their hearts, wouldn’t it?” - -But Uncle Naboth had arranged also to carry another queer line of -merchandise on our voyage, consisting of several large cases consigned -by a Connecticut manufacturer. These contained imitations of ancient -Egyptian scarabs (a sort of mud beetle considered sacred by the old -sun-worshippers), and a collection of funeral figures, tiny household -gods and other articles supposed to be found only in the tombs of the -primitive kings and nobles of Egypt. - -“The Egyptian gov’ment,” explained Uncle Naboth, “won’t let any more -genooine relics be taken out’n the country, ’cause they wants ’em all -fer the Cairo Museum; so the Yankees hev come to the front agin, an’ -made mud relics by the bushel, so’s the eager tourists can buy what they -wants to bring home an’ prove they’ve been there. These cases o’ goods -is consigned to merchants in Luxor, a little town up the Nile, an’ I’ve -agreed to run over to Alexandria, after we’ve unloaded our Syrian rugs, -an’ dump the rubbish on the dock there. There ain’t many cases of it, -but the profits is so big that we get well paid for the job.” - -“But how did these wares get to Philadelphia from Connecticut?” asked my -father. - -“Oh, I’ve been correspondin’ with ol’ Ackley, the Yankee that makes ’em, -fer some time,” said my uncle, “but I couldn’t tell how much room the -rugs would take up until I got here. When I found I could stow the -Egyptian rubbish, I telegraphed to Ackley an’ the consignment got here -by freight yesterday. But that ain’t the worst of it, partners.” - -“What is the worst?” I inquired. - -“Why, the Yankee manufacturer has sent me his beloved son, with a letter -askin’ me to carry him with us to Egypt, so’s he can study the country -an’ find out what ancient relics they need supplied in large quantities, -an’ collect from the dealers fer this first batch.” - -“We don’t take passengers,” said my father, sharply. - -“So I said; but the young duffer is here, an’ won’t take no fer an -answer. He says he’s willin to pay fer his passage, an’ his dad wants -him to keep an eye on them precious modern antiquities as we’re to -carry. So I’ve put the case up to you, an’ you can decide it.” - -“It’s none o’ my business, Naboth,” said my father, turning away with a -frown; “I don’t like passengers, but you an’ Sam can do as you please. -Only, if you take him, keep him out o’ my way.” - -Uncle winked at me, and I knew the passenger would be booked. - -Work of loading the cargo progressed rapidly, and in two days the bales -of rugs were all aboard and carefully stowed in our dry and ample hold. -Then the Yankee antiques for Egypt appeared for loading, and with them -came a youth whose appearance caused me to smile involuntarily. - -“Archibald Ackley, Jr., Middletown, Conn.,” his cards read. He was a -stocky, well built fellow about seventeen years of age, although he -evidently wished to appear much older. He had sharp gray eyes, lanky -hair of light tow color, immense hands and feet, a swaggering gait, and -a style of dress gay enough to rival the plumage of a bird-of-paradise. - -Archibald’s features might have been handsome originally, but a swiftly -pitched base-ball had once ruthlessly pushed his generous nose against -his left cheek, and there it had remained. - -The youth sported a heavy watchchain that was palpably plated, a big -“diamond” on his cravat that perhaps came from the famous “Barrios -mines,” of New York, and his fingers were loaded with rings of vast -proportions set with doubtful gems. It may be Mr. Ackley, Jr., imagined -himself an exquisite, and sought to impress people by a display of -wealth that may have cost him or his father several dollars; but, as I -said, my first glimpse of his gorgeous person caused me to smile—an -impertinence I quickly tried to repress. - -Mr. Perkins and I considered carefully the young man’s request for a -passage to Egypt, and as we had ample accommodations we decided to take -him along; but when he came for his answer and I caught sight of him for -the first time, I almost regretted our decision. - -Uncle Naboth, however, seemed not to be disagreeably impressed. He shook -the boy’s hand—it was a “flipper,” all right—with cordial greeting and -said to him: - -“Very good, Archie, my lad; we’ve talked it over an’ you can go ’long ef -so be you want to. But remember this is a merchantman, an’ no passenger -ship, an’ make up your mind to abide by Cap’n Steele’s rules an’ -reggleations.” - -“That’s fair,” said the boy, evidently pleased. “I’m not likely to -bother any one. All I want is a berth to sleep in and three square meals -a day. How’s the feed?” - -“Why, we have hearty appetites, ourselves, my lad, an’ there’s no call -for you to starve as I knows on,” with a wink at me. “You’ll eat at our -table an’ have the best the ship affords.” - -“That’s what I want,” said Archie, nodding his bullet head; “there’s -nothing too good for me. What’s the price for the passage?” - -I told him. - -“That’s a pretty steep figure,” he rejoined, uneasily. “I can take an -ocean liner for about the same cost.” - -“It is your privilege, sir,” I said, stiffly. “We don’t want passengers; -so we don’t want you. But Mr. Perkins is disposed to accommodate you -because your father is one of our shippers. Go or stay, as you like; but -make up your mind quickly, for we sail at seven.” - -He scowled first at me and then at uncle; but presently he grinned. - -“I haven’t a choice,” said he, carelessly. “Pop’s paying the shot, for -he wants me to keep an eye on the scarabs and things and see the goods -safe landed and the money collected for them. They’re shipped to a lot -of dirty Arabs who can’t be trusted. So here’s your money, and I’ll mail -the receipt for the passage to Pop before we skate away, so he’ll know -it’s you who are robbing him instead of me.” - -I felt like punching the cad’s nose, but Uncle Naboth laughed good -naturedly and nodded approval. - -“That’s businesslike an’ to the point,” said he. “Take the money, Sam, -and give our passenger the proper receipt.” - -I did so, and Archibald Ackley, Jr., stalked away down the dock to fetch -his baggage from the hotel. - -To my surprise the _Gonzales_ made the harbor that afternoon and -anchored alongside us. I promptly hid the trembling Joe in my cabin and -locked him up; it proved a wise action because Captain Marrow lost no -time in boarding us and asking for an interview with Captain Steele. - -This made me nervous, for I knew my father would not lie under any -circumstances, and I dreaded the result of the ugly Mexican’s visit. So -I stood beside my father to make every possible endeavor to save my -protege from recapture. - -“Cap’n Steele, sir, where’s my cabin-boy?” asked Marrow, gruffly, as he -came up and touched his cap. - -My father looked him over with grave attention. - -“Cap’n Marrow,” he replied, sternly, “where’s that calf that broke out’n -my ten-acre lot three year ago come next Sunday?” - -Marrow muttered a curse and glared at us evilly. - -“I happen to know, Steele, that my boy Joe, who was tryin’ to vamoose, -stole a rotten dinghy an’ rowed out to the _Seagull_ the night afore you -sailed. Ain’t thet so?” - -“Mebbe,” said my father. - -“Then I demand him in the name o’ the law, an’ I’ll hold you here in the -bay till you give me back the stolen goods,” continued Marrow, savagely. - -“Ned,” said my father, turning quietly to his brawny mate, “show Cap’n -Marrow over the side, an’ if he’s too slow in goin’, toss him -overboard.” - -“Aye, aye, sir,” returned Ned, pleasantly. - -“I’ll hev the law, remember! You can’t sail from the harbor till you’ve -given up my property!” roared the exasperated Mexican. - -“Mebbe,” repeated my father, again, as he turned indifferently away. - -But I saw trouble brewing and resolved to head it off. - -“Captain Marrow,” I said, politely, with a motion to Ned to delay his -intention, for the mate’s hand was lifted to seize the fellow in his -terrible grip, “please allow me to explain this case. A boy—perhaps it -was your runaway—did indeed board us at Chelsea, as you say; but my -father, Captain Steele, did not discover his presence until we were at -sea. Then we were obliged to carry him on here, where he was put upon -the dock. I assure you I saw him bolt for the land as fast as he could -go.” - -This was true in fact, as I had sent Joe on an errand. I did not relate, -of course, that the boy had quickly returned, but my tale seemed to -impress Marrow and explain why Captain Steele had so recklessly sneered -at his demands, as if wilfully defying the marine law. “If you make -haste, sir,” I continued, very courteously, “you may still be able to -lay hands on the boy, who I am sure has no money to take him any -distance from Philadelphia.” - -Marrow looked at me shrewdly. - -“Did Joe say anything about me, or about money?” he asked. - -“Not a word, sir,” answering the last question. “But I advise you to -make haste. And you must forgive Captain Steele for his abrupt answers, -caused by what he considered the insolence of your demand and the -knowledge that you are in the wrong in threatening to hold his ship. You -know, sir, it would cost you heavily to do this, when the court found -you were unable to prove your case.” - -This argument decided the man. He swore a nasty oath and stamped his -foot in futile rage; but he at once left the ship to be rowed ashore, -and that was the last we saw of him. - -Still I wondered at his interest in the miserable, half starved boy he -had so wickedly abused; and I wondered at his strange question about -money. There must be some mystery about Joe. - -At seven o’clock, all being snugly stowed and the last of our fresh -provisions taken aboard, we hoisted anchor and headed out toward the -mouth of the bay. Our passenger had settled himself in a spare cabin an -hour before, having brought with him two huge “telescopes” that appeared -to contain all his belongings. - -I did not let Joe out of his confinement until about midnight, and when -from the swish of the water against our sides I knew we had reached the -open sea. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - AN OBSTINATE PASSENGER. - - -It is useless to relate the unimportant incidents of our voyage to -Gibraltar and up the Mediterranean. The _Seagull_ behaved beautifully in -both good and bad weather, amply fulfilling our most ardent -expectations. It is true the voyage was unnecessarily long, since with -our powerful engines we could have cut down our time to less than -one-half; but we were obliged to concede this to Captain Steele’s -prejudice in favor of sailing, and the breeze held so steady and -persistent that we cut the waves like a clipper and made a most -remarkable sailing record for the voyage. - -It was not until we passed Sicily that the _Seagull_ was required to -prove her staunchness. The waves at the lower end of the Mediterranean -were wilder than any I had ever before encountered, but our beauty rode -them like a swan and never a seam spread nor a beam so much as creaked. - -The voyage, however, served to make us better acquainted with both our -boy passenger and my boy assistant—the rich man’s son and the runaway -Joseph—though this acquaintance was not ripened without some interesting -experiences. - -A more willing or grateful follower no one could have than Joe Herring. -The kindly treatment accorded him was in such sharp contrast to the -dog’s life he had led aboard the _Gonzales_ that he was anxious to show -his appreciation on every possible occasion. His dark eyes followed me -affectionately wherever I went, and he would leap quickly to anticipate -my every order. Also he liked to serve Uncle Naboth and my father, and -proved so considerate of their wishes and comforts that he soon won -their hearts completely. Nor was Joe so frail as he seemed at first -glance. His muscles were hard as iron and on occasion his thin frame -developed remarkable strength. This he proved conclusively within the -first week of the voyage, as you shall hear. - -Our young passenger, whose imposing name we had quickly shortened to -plain “Archie,” seemed likely to cause us unsuspected trouble. He at -once developed two bad habits. The first was to sit on deck, lolling in -a folding deck chair he had brought aboard, and play distressing tunes -upon a harmonica—which he termed a “mouth-organ.” The lad must have had -a most powerful inherent love for music to enable him to listen to his -own awful strains; but it was clear his musical talent was not -developed, or at least not properly educated to any artistic degree. - -The first morning out the Captain, forced to listen to this “music,” -scowled and muttered under his breath but forbore to interfere with the -passenger’s evident enjoyment of his own performance. The second morning -he yelled at Archie to “shut up!” but the boy calmly disregarded the -order. The third morning my father stumped over to where I sat and -ordered me to take away Archie’s “blamed ol’ jew’s-harp” and fling it -overboard. - -I had myself been considerably annoyed by the wretched music, so I -obeyed so far as to stroll over to our passenger and ask him to kindly -discontinue his performance. - -He looked up resentfully. - -“This is the passenger’s deck, ain’t it?” he demanded. - -“We have no passenger’s deck; but we allow you to sit here,” I replied. - -“Then leave me alone, and mind your own business,” he retorted. “I’m a -free born American citizen, and I’ve paid my passage and can do as I -please.” - -“But you can’t annoy everybody with that beastly music while you’re -aboard the _Seagull_,” I answered, rather nettled at his attitude. “We -also have rights, sir, and they must be considered.” - -“I’ve paid for mine,” he said. “You get out, Sam Steele. I know what I’m -doing,” and he commenced to play again. - -I looked at him reflectively. Just how to handle such a situation -puzzled me. But Joe stood just behind and had heard all. With a bound of -amazing quickness he was upon the unprepared Archie, seized the -mouth-organ from his grasp and flung the instrument of torture far over -the side. - -“Beg your pardon, sir, I’m sure,” he said, with a grin. - -Archie whistled softly and looked his assailant over. He rose slowly -from his chair and, still whistling, began to unbutton his coat and take -it off. He folded it neatly, laid it in the chair, removed his linen -cuffs and placed them beside his coat, and proceeded deliberately to -roll up his sleeves. - -The youth’s intentions were so obvious that I was about to order Joe to -go below, as his slight figure seemed no match for the burly Archie, -when a pleading look in the boy’s eyes restrained me. - -Uncle Naboth and Ned Britton, who had been promenading the deck near, -had noted the incident and now paused to see its outcome. Some of the -sailors also were interested, from their distant posts, while my father -stood on the bridge and looked at our little group with an amused smile -lighting his rugged face. - -Altogether it would not do to retreat in face of the coming fray, or to -interfere with the logical outcome of Joe’s rash act. The Yankee boy’s -face was white and set, and his soft whistle only rendered his -bull-headed determination to exact revenge the more impressive. - -Having rolled up his sleeves, doubled his great fists and swung his arms -once or twice to ease his muscles, Archie advanced steadily upon poor -Joe, who stood listlessly with his hands thrust in his coat pockets and -his head and shoulders bent slightly forward, in his accustomed pose. - -“That mouth-organ cost two dollars,” said Archie, grimly, “and you don’t -look as if you’re worth two cents. So I’ll just take it out o’ your -hide, my son, to teach you a lesson.” - -With that he paused and swung his right fist upward, and Joe, roused to -action at last, gave a sudden bound. My eye could scarcely follow him as -he leapt at Archie, embracing him and clinging to his antagonist like a -vise. To my astonishment, the bulky Yankee swung around, tottered and -fell heavily upon his back, with Joe kneeling triumphant upon his -breast. - -We all gave an admiring cheer, for we could not help it, and at the -sound Joe arose and stood in his place again, meekly as before. - -Archie got up more slowly, feeling the back of his head, which had -whacked against the deck. He made a sudden rush and a lunge with his -fist that might have settled Joe had he not dodged and closed again on -his adversary with the same lightning tactics he had at first employed. -They fell in a heap, and although Archie tried to keep Joe hugged to his -breast the latter slid away like an eel and a moment after was on his -feet and had assumed his careless, waiting pose. - -When the Yankee got up this time he was again softly whistling. Without -a glance at his late antagonist he deliberately rolled down his sleeves, -attached his cuffs and resumed his coat. Then he walked over to Joe and -with a smile that showed more good nature than chagrin he held out his -bulky hand. - -“Shake, sonny,” said he. “You’re good stuff, and I forgive you -everything. Let’s be chums, Joe. If I could have landed on your jaw I’d -have mashed you like a turnip; but you wouldn’t let me, and so I’m bound -to give in gracefully.” - -That speech was the best thing the boy had done, and my original dislike -for him began to evaporate. Joe shook the proffered hand cordially, and -my father, who had come down to join our group, gave Archie an admiring -buffet on the shoulder and said: “You’ll do, my lad.” - -But after all Joe was the hero of the occasion, and we all loved him for -the clever and skillful fight he had put up. Archie was an expert boxer, -as we afterward discovered, but Joe’s talent for wrestling gave him a -decided advantage in a rough-and-tumble encounter. - -At luncheon we were all in a hearty good humor, but imagine my dismay to -hear shortly afterward the strains of a mouth-organ coming from the -deck! I ran up at once, and there sat Master Archie in his chair, -blowing furiously into an instrument fully three inches longer than the -one Joe had tossed overboard. - -I laughed; I could not help it; and even my father’s face wore an amused -smile. Joe looked at me inquiringly, but I shook my head and retreated -to my cabin. Such a queer condition of mutiny deserved careful thought. - -But, as I said, Archie had another bad habit. He smoked cigarettes in -his stateroom, which was against our most positive rules. The first time -we observed from the deck thin smoke curling through the open window of -Archie’s cabin, a hasty investigation was made and the cause speedily -discovered. The boy was lying in his berth, reading a novel and coolly -puffing his cigarette. - -Uncle Naboth sent for the passenger and gravely informed him he’d have -to quit smoking cigarettes in his cabin. - -“On deck it don’t matter so much,” added my uncle, “though a decent pipe -is a more manly smoke, to my notion. But we’ve put a furtun’ into our -new ship, an’ can’t afford to take chances of burnin’ her up on the -first voyage. Cigarettes are dangerous. If you throw a lighted stub into -a corner we may go up in smoke and perhaps lose many vallyble human -lives. So we can’t allow it, young man. Smoke yer paper cigars on deck, -ef ye want to; but don’t light another in yer cabin.” - -Archie made no promise. He listened to my uncle’s lecture, and walked -away without a word. - -An hour later I saw smoke coming through the window again, and peering -through the aperture discovered Archie lying in his bunk, calmly -smoking. The boy was exasperatingly stubborn. I called black Nux and -gave him an order. With a pleased grin the South Sea Islander brought a -length of fire hose, attached it to a plug in the sruppers and carried -the nozzle to Archie’s window. Presently we heard a yell as the powerful -stream struck the smoker and completely deluged him. He leapt from his -berth, only to be struck full in the face by the water from the hose, -which sent him reeling against the door. I shut off the water, and Nux, -kneeling at the low window, looked down on the discomfitted Archie and -exclaimed: - -“Goodness sake, Mars Ackley! were dat on’y you-uns? Thought it were a -fire, sure thing. Beg pard’n, Mars Ackley!” - -After the boy changed his drenched clothing for dry he came on deck and -stalked around in silent anger while Nux went to the cabin and cleared -it of the water and wet bedding. I wondered if the lesson would be -effective, but could not judge a nature that was so unlike any I had -ever before encountered. - -Bye-and-bye Archie calmed down sufficiently to drop into his deck chair -and begin playing his mouth-organ. He wailed out the most distressing -attempts at tunes for an entire hour, eyeing defiantly any who chanced -to look toward him; but we took care not to pay the slightest attention -to his impertinence. Joe came to me once with a pleading look in his -eye, but I shook my head sternly. The sailors were evidently amused by -our little comedy forward, for I could see them exchanging smiles now -and then when a screech more blood-curdling than usual came from the -mouth-organ. - -Archie tired himself out in time and went below. He closed and locked -his window and began again to smoke in his cabin. In half an hour the -smoke was so thick in the little room that we could see nothing but its -gray clouds through the thick pane. - -The set frown upon my father’s face told me trouble was brewing for our -passenger, but as yet the Captain forbore to interfere. Uncle Naboth -came to me indignant and angry and demanded to know what should be done -to the “young pig” whose actions were so insolent and annoying. - -“Let me think,” I replied, gravely. “We must certainly conquer young -Ackley in some way, even if we have to toss him overboard; but I hope it -will not come to that.” - -“Then think quick an’ to the point, Sam,” rejoined my uncle; “for I’m -jest achin’ to wollop the fool wi’ a cat-o’-nine-tails.” - -At dinner Archie joined our table, silent but with a sneering and -triumphant look upon his face. He was not handsome at any time, but just -now his damaged face was positively disagreeable to behold. It occurred -to me that the trouble with the young fellow was that he had not been -taught to obey, and doubtless he imagined we were his enemies because we -were endeavoring to prevent him from doing exactly what he wanted to. -His idea of being a “free-born American citizen” was to be able to -override the rights and privileges of others, and the sooner he got that -notion out of his head the better it would be for him. - -Archie was a deliberate eater and remained at the table with a sort of -bravado because we took not the slightest notice of him. So I left him -finishing his meal when I went on deck. - -A few minutes afterward, however, he came bounding up the companionway -with a white face and rushed up to where Uncle Naboth and I were -standing. - -“I’ve been robbed!” he cried, shaking his big fist at me. “My cabin’s -been entered by a thief, and I’ll have the law on you all if you don’t -restore my property!” - -“What have you lost?” I inquired. - -“You know well enough, Sam Steele. I’ve lost all my cigarettes—ev’ry box -of ’em!—and my four mouth-organs, too. They picked the lock on my door, -and opened my telescopes, and stole my property.” - -“How’s this, Sam?” inquired Uncle Naboth, his eyes twinkling. - -“I don’t know, sir,” I answered, greatly surprised. “There are no -duplicate keys to the cabin doors, and Ackley had his in his pocket, I -suppose.” - -“They picked the lock, I tell you, and the locks on both my traveling -cases,” declared the boy, in a rage; “and you must be a fine bunch of -practiced thieves, because they were all locked again after the goods -were stolen.” - -“How about your window?” I asked. - -“I left it bolted on the inside. No one could enter that way.” - -“Did you lose anything except the cigarettes and the mouth-organs?” I -continued, beginning to be greatly amused. - -“No; but those things are my property, and you or your people have -stolen them. Look here, Sam Steele,” he added, coming close and shaking -his fist threateningly; “either you return my property in double quick -time or I’ll take it out of your hide. Just make your choice, for I mean -business.” - -I think he saw that I was not afraid of him, but I chose to ignore his -challenge. I was neither as clever a wrestler as Joe Herring nor as -expert with my fists as Archie Ackley; so it would be folly for me to -undertake a personal encounter. But I said, quietly enough: - -“You are getting insolent, my lad, and insolence I will not stand for. -Unless you control your temper I will order you to the ship’s lockup, -and there you shall stay until we drop anchor again.” - -He gazed into my face long and steadily, and then began to whistle -softly as he turned and walked away. But a few moments later he returned -and said: - -“Who’s going to make good my loss?” - -“Send me your bill,” replied Uncle Naboth. “I’ll pay it.” - -“I think Joe stole the things,” continued Archie. - -I called Joe to us. - -“Did you enter Ackley’s cabin and take his cigarettes and mouth-organs?” -Uncle Naboth inquired. - -“No,” said Joe, looking at Archie and laughing at his angry expression. - -“Do you know who did it?” persisted my Uncle. - -“No,” said Joe, again. - -“He’s lying!” cried Archie, indignantly. - -“Are you lying, Joe?” I asked, gently. - -“Yes, sir,” returned Joe, touching his cap. - -“Then tell the truth,” said I. - -“I won’t, sir,” replied the boy, firmly. “If you question me, I’m bound -to lie; so it will be better to let me alone.” - -This answer surprised and annoyed me, but Uncle Naboth laughed aloud, -and to my astonishment Archie frankly joined him, without a trace of his -recent ill-nature. - -“Just as I thought,” he observed. “You’re a slick one, Joe.” - -“I try to do my duty,” answered Joe, modestly. - -“Bring me your bill, young feller,” said Uncle Naboth, “and I’ll cash it -in a jiffy—an’ with joy, too. I don’t see jest how Joe managed the -affair, but he’s saved us all a lot of trouble, an’ I’m much obleeged to -him, fer my part.” And the old gentleman walked away with a cheerful -nod. - -“Uncle’s right,” I said to Archie. “You wouldn’t be reasonable, you -know, and we were simply obliged to maintain our ship’s discipline. So, -if your offending goods hadn’t been abstracted so cleverly, there would -have been open war by another day and our side was the strongest.” - -Archie nodded forgivingly toward Joe. - -“Perhaps it was best,” he admitted, with more generosity than I had -expected from him. “You see, Steele, I won’t be bulldozed or browbeaten -by a lot of cheap skates who happen to own a ship, for I’m an -independent American citizen. So I had to hold out as long as I could.” - -“You were wrong in that,” I remarked. - -“Right or wrong, I’ll hold my own.” - -“That’s a bad philosophy, Archie. When you took passage aboard this ship -you made yourself subject to our rules and regulations, and in all -honesty you’re bound to abide by them. A true American shows his -independence best by upholding the laws of his country.” - -“That’s rot,” growled Archie, but Joe and I both laughed at him because -he could find nothing better to say. When he returned to his deck chair -the passenger’s face bore its normal expression of placid good nature. -It was evident he prided himself on the fact that he had not “given in” -of his own accord, and perhaps he was glad that the force of -circumstances alone had conquered his stubborn temper. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A RIOT AND A RESCUE. - - -After that we had little trouble with Archie Ackley, although in many -ways the stubborn nature of the boy was unpleasantly evident. In his -better moods he was an agreeable companion, but neither Joe nor I, the -only two other boys aboard, sought his society more than was necessary. -My uncle and the Captain both declared there was a heap of good in the -lad, and a few such lessons as the one he had received would make a man -of him. - -Joe I found a treasure in many ways, and always a faithful friend. Since -that first night when he had come aboard he had nothing to tell of his -past history or experiences; but his nature was quick and observant and -I could see he had picked up somewhere a considerable fund of worldly -knowledge which he could draw upon as occasion offered. - -My father, Uncle Naboth, and I were all three delighted with the -_Seagull’s_ sailing performances, though secretly I longed to discover -how she would behave under steam, since her propeller had never been in -use since the day it was given a brief trial test in Chelsea Bay. -Tomlinson, the engineer, assured me we could make from sixteen to -eighteen knots when the engines were working, and the man was naturally -as impatient as I was to test their full powers. Still, we realized that -we must wait, and Captain Steele was so delighted with the superb -sailing qualities of the ship that even I had not the heart to suggest -supplanting his white wings with black smoke from our funnels. - -In due time we crossed the stormy Mediterranean and reached in safety -our Syrian port, where we unloaded the rugs and delivered them in good -condition to the consignees. We sailed along the coast, past Port Said, -and finally came to the Bay of Alexandria, where we were to unload -Ackley’s cases of “modern antiques” and get rid of our passenger. - -It was a new experience to me to find myself on the historic shores of -Egypt, anchored before the famous city founded by Alexander the Great. I -begged Uncle Naboth to take me ashore; overhearing my request Archie -Ackley invited us all—with an air of great condescension—to dine with -him at the Royal Khedivial Hotel. - -My father refused. He was too fond of the _Seagull_ to leave her alone -in a foreign port; but Ned Britton took his place, and the four of -us—Archie, Uncle Naboth, the Mate and I—followed by our faithful blacks, -Nux and Bryonia, disembarked on the quay and walked up the long, -foreign-looking streets to the big hotel. - -It was a queer sensation to find ourselves moving amidst a throng of -long-robed turbaned Arabs; fez-topped Turks, with Frenchmen, and -Syrians; gray-bearded, stooping Jews; blind beggars; red-coated English -soldiers, and shrinking, veiled Moslem women. - -“What a mess of foreigners,” cried Archie, and Uncle Naboth, with a -laugh, reminded him that we were the foreigners and this curiously mixed -crowd, the natives. - -We dined in sumptuous style at the handsome hotel, for Archie proved a -liberal host and feasted us royally. It was late at night when we -retraced our steps toward the quay; but the streets of the city were -still thronged with people, many of whom were sitting at little tables -placed on the sidewalks, where they smoked and drank Turkish coffee and -chatted together in a very babel of tongues. - -As we left the heart of Alexandria and drew near to the water-front the -streets became more deserted and the lights were fewer and dimmer. There -were still straggling groups here and there, and suddenly, as we turned -a corner, we observed a commotion just ahead of us and heard a terrified -voice cry out: - -“Help—Americans—help!” - -Ned Britton gave a bound and was in the thick of the melée at once. -Archie was only a step behind him and I saw his big fists swinging right -and left in fast and furious fashion, while Joe ducked his head and -tossed a tall Arab over his shoulder with marvelous ease. Nux and -Bryonia took a hand, and while none of our party was armed, the free use -of their terrible fists wrought such havoc among the long-gowned Arabs -that the result of the skirmish was not long in doubt. Like a mist they -faded away and escaped into the night, leaving a little man wriggling -and moaning upon the ground as if in deathly agony. I held fast to my -left arm, which had been slashed by a knife and was bleeding profusely, -while I stared around in surprise at our easy victory. Uncle Naboth had -not taken part in the fray, but now appeared seated calmly upon the -prostrate form of the Arab whom Joe had vanquished, and his two hundred -and odd pounds rendered the prisoner fairly secure. - -Our blacks raised the little man to his feet, where he ceased squirming -but stood weakly leaning against Nux and trembling like a leaf. - -“Are you hurt, sir?” asked Ned. - -The stranger shook his head. It was so dark in this spot that we could -not distinguish his features very clearly. - -“I—I think not,” he gasped. “But they nearly had me, that time. If you -hadn’t come up as you did, I—I——” - -He broke off abruptly and leaned over to peer at the Arab Uncle Naboth -was sitting upon. - -“That’s him! That’s Abdul Hashim himself! Kill him—kill him quick, some -one!” he yelled, in a sudden frenzy. - -The cry seemed to rouse the Arab to life. Like an eel he twisted, and -Uncle Naboth slid off his back and bumped upon the sidewalk. The next -moment we Americans were alone, for Abdul Hashim had saved his bacon by -vanishing instantly. - -“Oh, why—_why_ did you let him go?” wailed the little man, covering his -face with his hands. “He’ll get me again, some day—he’s sure to get me -again!” - -“Never mind that,” said Ned, gruffly, for we were all disgusted at this -exhibition of the fellow’s unmanly weakness. “You can thank God you’re -out of his clutches this time.” - -“I do, sir—I do, indeed!” was the reply. “But don’t leave me just now, I -beg of you.” - -We looked at Uncle Naboth for advice. Bry had slit my sleeve with his -pocketknife and was binding a handkerchief tightly around my wound, for -he was something of a surgeon as well as a cook. - -“We’re going aboard our ship,” said my uncle, shortly. “You’re welcome -to come along, my man, an’ stay till mornin’.” - -The stranger accepted the invitation with alacrity and we started again -for the quay, which was reached without farther incident. Our boat was -waiting and we were soon rowed where the _Seagull_ was anchored and -climbed aboard. - -Under the clear light of the cabin lamp we looked at the person we had -rescued with natural curiosity, to find a slender man, with stooping -shoulders, a red Van Dyke beard, bald head and small eyes covered with -big spectacles. He was about forty years of age, wore European clothes -somewhat threadbare and faded in color, and his general appearance was -one of seedy respectability. - -“Gentlemen,” said he, sitting in an easy chair and facing the attentive -group before him, “I am Professor Peter Pericles Van Dorn, of the -University of Milwaukee.” - -I had never heard of such a university; but then, Milwaukee is a good -way inland. Neither had any of us before heard the name so unctuously -announced; though we were too polite to say so, and merely nodded. - -“It will please me,” continued the Professor, “to be informed of your -station and the business that has brought you to Egypt.” - -My uncle laughed and looked at me quizzically, as if inviting me to -satisfy the stranger. Captain Steele scowled, resenting the implied -impertinence. The only others present were Archie and Ned Britton. - -I told Van Dorn we were a merchant ship from Boston, and had casually -touched at the port of Alexandria to unload some wares belonging to Mr. -Ackley, who was going to ship his property to Luxor and deliver it to -merchants there. - -“What sort of wares?” demanded the stranger. - -“Scarabs, funeral figures, and copies of antique jewelry,” replied -Archie, a bit uneasily. - -“The curse of the country,” snapped the little man, scornfully. “There -ought to be a law to prevent such rubbish being shipped into -Egypt—except,” pausing to continue with a touch of bitterness, “that -there are too many laws in this beastly country already.” - -“The poor tourists must have scarabs to take home with them,” said -Archie, with a grin. “About fifteen thousand travelers come to Egypt -every year, and your Khedive won’t let any genuine scarabs leave Egypt.” - -“Don’t call him _my_ Khedive, sir!” cried the little professor. “I -detest—I _hate_ the government here, and everything connected with it. -But you are not interested in that. Gentlemen,” assuming a pompous tone, -“I am glad to meet you. You have arrived in the very nick of time to -save me from assassination, or at least from utter failure in my great -work. I am sure it was an All-wise Providence that directed you to stop -at Alexandria.” - -“Disguised as old Ackley’s mud scarabs,” added my uncle, dryly. - -“And what are your future plans?” inquired the Professor, eagerly. - -“To return to America at once,” I replied. - -“No! A thousand times no!” shouted little Van Dorn, banging his fist on -the table, “I charter you from this minute. I engage this ship—at your -own price—to transport me and my treasure to New York!” - -“Treasure!” we exclaimed, incredulously. - -The Professor glanced around and lowered his voice. - -“The greatest treasure, gentlemen, that has ever been discovered in -Egypt. I have found the place where the priests of Karnak and Luxor hid -their vast wealth at the invasion of Cambyses the Persian.” - -He paused impressively. My father looked at his watch and Uncle Naboth -yawned. For myself, I should have liked to hear more, but my wound was -paining me and Bry awaited my coming to dress it properly. So I said to -our guest: - -“If you please, Professor, we will hear your story in the morning. It is -now late, and we are all longing for our berths. So we will bid you -good-night and wish you pleasant dreams.” - -He glared at me indignantly. - -“Can you sleep after what I have told you?” he demanded. - -“I hope so, sir,” I replied, and turned away to call Joe to show the man -to his room. He made no farther protest, but going away and looking -rather thoughtful. - -Bry found that the knife had merely inflicted a flesh wound on my arm, -and promised it would give me little trouble. The bleeding had stopped, -so my black surgeon washed the cut thoroughly, bandaged and plastered it -quite professionally, and sent me to bed to sleep soundly until morning. - -Really, I forgot all about the Professor, who looked the part of a -savant much better than he acted it, it seemed to me. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - THE PROFESSOR’S SECRET. - - -At breakfast Professor Van Dorn was silent and preöccupied, and as soon -as the meal was over asked for a private interview with the person in -authority aboard the _Seagull_. We went to the Captain’s room, a large -cabin where all could be comfortably seated. None of us had much -confidence in the stranger’s romantic assertions of the night before, -but we were all curious to know what tale the man had to relate, and -were disposed to listen. Archie’s eyes bunged out so far from his round -face that I took pity on the boy and asked him to join us. Ned Britton -came, too, for he had been present at Van Dorn’s rescue and we trusted -him implicitly. - -When we were seated and the Professor had assured himself we could not -be overheard, he at once asked permission to relate the business that -had brought him to Egypt and the strange experiences he had encountered -here. We told him to fire away and we would hear his story. - -“Gentlemen,” said he, “you must know that I hold the honorable chair of -Egyptology in my university. Since my youth I have studied arduously the -history of this most ancient people, from whom sprung the modern -civilization of which we boast today.” He spoke pedantically, and I -began to think he might be a real professor, after all. “To perfect my -studies my college generously sent me here, three years ago, and soon -after my arrival I became acquainted with Professor John Lovelace, whose -famous works on ancient Egypt you have doubtless read.” - -We had not read them, but we let the assertion pass. - -“Over here,” continued the narrator, “he was usually called Lovelace -Pasha, but he was not entitled to the distinction except in the -imagination of the natives, who had a high respect for his intelligence -and industry. At the time we met Lovelace he was searching diligently -but secretly for a vast treasure, and he took me into his confidence and -engaged me to assist him. You must know that in the sixth century before -Christ Egypt was at its height of wealth and greatness; and the most -important treasures were at that time in the possession of the priests -of the great temple of Karnak. They consisted of wonderful gems, -countless jewels and ornaments of gold and silver and, above all, a -library of papyrus rolls relating the history of Egypt during that now -unknown period between the sixth and twelfth dynasties. - -“At this time, when the Egyptians had grown as proud and insolent as -they were wealthy, that terrible Persian, Cambyses, invaded the country -with a conquering host and steadily advanced up the Nile toward Karnak -and Thebes, laying waste the country as he came and despoiling the -temples of their wealth. The legends say that the priests of Karnak, -terror stricken, threw all their treasure into the Sacred Lake which -adjoins their temple, in order to keep it from falling into the hands of -the invader; and, as the lake is bottomless, the treasure has never yet -been recovered. - -“Now, sirs, Professor Lovelace, a shrewd and far-seeing man, doubted the -truth of this story. It was an undeniable fact that the great treasure -of Karnak was hidden somewhere by the priests, and that Cambyses put all -the holy men to the sword because they would not reveal their secret. -Also it is historical that the treasure has not since been discovered, -and that the conqueror was unable to lay hands upon it after all his -efforts to do so. During the centuries that have passed the Sacred Lake -has been dragged many times, with the hope of finding the immense wealth -of Karnak; but it is now known that the quicksands at the bottom of the -lake would have swallowed it up instantly, so naturally all these -attempts have proved absolute failures. - -“My friend Lovelace, pondering on this queer story, came to believe that -the wily priests had never thrown their treasure into the lake at all. -No one knew better than they that to place it there was to lose it -forever; furthermore, the most valuable part of the treasure consisted -of the historic papyri—the bark rolls on which the ancient Egyptians -inscribed their records. To place these in water would be to destroy -them; thus the falsity of the tale was evident. It was clear, my friend -decided, that the priests had hidden the treasure somewhere in the -desert, near Karnak, where the shifting sands would leave no evidence of -the place to betray it to the keen eyes of the Persian. But they spread -the report that it had been cast into the lake, so if any traitor might -be among the people the truth would not be revealed. - -“Since Cambyses put every priest of Karnak to death, in his unreasoning -anger, there was none to recover the treasure when the Persian was gone -home again, from which Professor Lovelace conjectured that it still lay -secure in its original hiding-place. - -“But where was that hiding place? That was the question to be solved. -For years he sought in the desert without success but with rare -patience, and at just about the time I arrived in Egypt he obtained a -clue to guide him. - -“On one of the ruined temple walls, hidden away in an unimportant -corner, is carved a diagram which to an ordinary observer appeared to -mean nothing at all. But Lovelace studied it and came to the conclusion -that the diagram described the spot where the treasure was hidden. There -was a picture of a high arch, called in Egypt a pylon; and through this -picture, from one corner diagonally across to another corner, a line was -chiseled. This line extended far beyond the pylon, past a group of three -pictured palm trees, and then ended in a cross. Do you follow me, -gentlemen?” with an eager, nervous glance into our faces. - -Uncle Naboth nodded, but he looked bewildered. Archie’s face wore a -perfectly blank expression. My father was smoking placidly and looking -out of the cabin window. Said I: - -“We are not very familiar with Egyptian history, Professor; but I think -we catch the drift of your story. Pay out the cable, sir, and we’ll -grasp what we can of it.” - -He seemed relieved, saying: - -“Very well, my boy. Egyptian history is very fascinating, but this is -neither the time nor the place for me to instruct you in it. Still, it -is necessary that you understand something of the importance of the -proposition I am going to make you, and I will be as clear as possible -in my descriptions. The arch, or pylon, referred to in the picture, had -three square towers, to distinguish it from many others, and after -searching long among the ruins of Karnak, which cover many acres, -Lovelace Pasha and I found one which, though partly demolished, still -had one of the characteristic towers left, with traces of the others. -Taking these as our guide we drew an imaginary line from corner to -corner, as in the diagram, and taking our compass we started out to -follow this imaginary line across the desert. Three miles away we found, -to our great joy, the group of palms, very ancient, without doubt, but -still standing, and near to these was a small oasis watered by a tiny -spring. - -“The question now remaining was, how far beyond the three palms was the -point marked on the diagram by the cross—the point where the treasure -had been buried? We were obliged to work very cautiously, for at this -oasis lived a small but fierce tribe of desert Arabs having for their -sheik, or ruler, one Abdul Hashim—the same devil who nearly murdered me -last night. The Arabs were curious to know what we were after, for they -are great thieves and often steal the contents of an ancient tomb after -some lucky excavator has discovered it. So we kept our secret from them, -until finally they became so angry that they would have driven us away -from their neighborhood had not Professor Lovelace secured an order from -the Khedive granting him the privilege of excavating and exploring in -certain sections of the desert for relics of Egypt’s ancient -civilization. The Khedive will always grant these licenses, permitting -the explorer to work at his own expense in the interests of science; but -when a discovery has been made the laws oblige us to give or sell -everything to the National Museum at Cairo, where they pay only the most -insignificant prices because there is no other legal way in which one -may dispose of ancient treasure or relics. - -“But that absurd law did not concern us at the time; what we were eager -for was to discover the hidden treasure of Karnak, and to avoid the -hostile Arabs we worked mostly during the clear moonlit nights, when all -the tribe were asleep. We had sand-augers made, with which we burrowed -into the sand to the foundation of rock underneath, striving to find -some obstruction to indicate where the treasure was buried. By means of -our compass we were enabled to follow a straight line, and we worked -slowly and carefully for a distance of five miles beyond the oasis, and -then back again, without any definite result. Sometimes we would strike -an obstruction and dig down only to find a point of rock or a loose -boulder, and the task seemed to me, after a few months, to be endless -and impracticable. But Lovelace would not give up. He was positive he -was on the right track, and when I declared I had had enough of the job -and was going back to Cairo, he became suspicious of me, and threatened -to kill me if I deserted him. - -“This was my first suspicion that his mind had become unbalanced. - -“‘You know too much, Van Dorn, to be permitted to go away and blab my -secrets to others,’ he said. I assured him I should keep a closed mouth, -but the fellow was so crazy over his idea that he would not trust me. He -was a big man, determined and masterful, and I had to obey him whether I -wanted to or not. I stuck to the search, though I became afraid of my -companion. - -“Well, sirs, not to bother you with details which are to you -unimportant, I will say that finally, after more than two years of -patient search, we chanced upon the treasure. My auger one day stuck in -the sand and could not be withdrawn. Digging down we found that the -point had plunged into a bronze ring and become fast. Lovelace gave a -howl of joy at sight of the ring, for he knew then that our search was -ended. - -“It was after midnight, with bright stars shining down to light us as we -worked. We cleared away the sand to the depth of more than four feet, -and found the ring, duly attached to a large block of granite that -rested on the rock foundation.” - -“Is there a layer of rock under the desert sands, then?” I inquired. - -“Yes; in this section of the country,” was the answer. “Archeologists -will tell you that originally the earth was covered by a vast table-land -of solid rock such as we now call sandstone. The erosion of wind and -weather caused bits of this rock to crumble. The simoons caught them and -whirled them around, breaking off other particles of rock and crumbling -them into sand. As ages passed the sand increased in volume, until now -the desert is covered with it to a depth of from two to six feet, and -sometimes even more. Often the winds blow this sand into billows, -leaving the bare table-land of rock to be seen stretching for miles and -miles. - -“But to return to my story. The block of granite was heavy, measuring -three by six feet on the surface and being more than two feet in -thickness. Three bronze rings were imbedded in it, but pry and lift as -we would we could not budge the huge stone an inch. It was evident that -we must have help, so we covered up the stone again, marked the spot -carefully, and went back to the Arab village. - -“Next morning Lovelace bargained with the sheik, Abdul Hashim, for the -use of two of his men to assist us. Also we were obliged to send to -Luxor for four stout staves to use as levers. You may well imagine that -all this excited the wonder of the Arabs, and I doubted if Lovelace -would be able to keep his secret from them. However, he appeared to -attach no importance to this danger, and the next evening we set out for -our buried stone, accompanied by our assistants bearing the oaken -staves. We quickly dug away the sand and cleared the stone, and then we -four used the levers together and by straining our muscles to the utmost -managed to lift the huge slab of granite until it stood on edge. - -“Underneath was a rock cavity, carefully chiseled out by hand, and at -first we saw only a mass of dried reeds brought from the Nile bank. -Removing these we came upon heavy layers of rotted cloth, of the kind -that was once used in Egypt for wrapping mummies. But after this padding -was dragged away the treasure became visible and Lovelace’s hands shook -with excitement while he examined it. First there were many rolls of -papyrus, carefully swathed in bandages; then several Canopic jars of -pure gold, each containing quarts of wonderful pearls, rubies and -emeralds; and finally a vast collection of wrought jewelry, gold and -silver ornaments, some packed in rude wooden boxes which were old and -falling to decay and others scattered loosely over them and filling -every crevice. - -“Lovelace said not a word while we were examining this vast treasure, -the most remarkable collection that has come down to us from antiquity. -His face was white and set and except for the trembling of his hands he -kept himself under perfect control. The eyes of the Arabs, however, -glittered with cupidity, and I caught them exchanging significant -glances. - -“The Professor took a couple of handfuls of rubies and pearls and thrust -them carelessly into his pockets. He selected a few golden ornaments of -exquisite workmanship, and replaced all the rest of the treasure, with -its padding, in the rock cavity. When this had been done he commanded us -to replace the granite slab, which we did, tipping it forward so that it -again covered the orifice. Our next task was to fill in the sand, and as -a light breeze was blowing we knew that in an hour the desert would show -no marks of the excavation we had so recently made. The levers we left -lying beside the granite slab, buried deep in the sand. - -“Lovelace now motioned the Arabs to return toward their village, and -they set out eagerly enough, we following close behind them. But after -we had proceeded a few hundred yards Lovelace Pasha drew his revolver -and calmly shot both men dead. - -“‘Now, Van Dorn,’ he said to me, ‘help me to bury this carrion.’ - -“Horrified as I was at the murderous act I hastened to obey, for there -was something strange about the Professor that night—a steely, cruel -gleam in his usually kindly eyes—that recalled my former suspicions and -made me fear that his great discovery had actually driven him mad. - -“Silently we dug away the sand where the men had fallen and covered them -up, smoothing the surface afterward as well as we were able. We -proceeded to the village. - -“‘Where are my children?’ demanded the sheik, sternly. - -“‘Gone away on a far errand,’ said Lovelace. - -“It was true enough, but Abdul Hashim was dissatisfied and suspicious. -We slept late the next morning, and meantime the sheik had sent spies -upon our trail. The jackals had dug up the bodies of the murdered Arabs -and had half devoured them when their comrades reached the spot. - -“It was open war between the tribe and us. We occupied a small stone -house at the edge of the village. It had but one door and no windows, -being merely a bare room thatched with palm leaves. When we heard the -tribe running toward us with wild cries we knew the climax had arrived. -Lovelace stood in the doorway and kept the Arabs at bay with his -revolvers, but he did not know how long he would be able to hold out. He -gave me the gems and gold ornaments and told me to escape and make my -way to Luxor for help. I was instructed to put the treasure into the -bank, gather a rescue party, and return as speedily as possible. Luxor -was distant only four miles across the desert. - -“While the Arabs were watching in front of the house I stood on the -Professor’s shoulders, broke through the thatch at the rear, and dropped -from the top of the stone wall to the sands beneath. While he returned -to the entrance to distract their attention by a shot, I darted away -toward Luxor and was soon safe from pursuit, even had I chanced to be -observed. - -“I performed my errand quickly and returned with a detachment of mounted -police lent me by the governor of the city, for Professor Lovelace was a -well-known explorer and under the protection of the Khedive. We arrived -too late. I found only the Professor’s dead body, terribly mutilated by -the knives of the Arabs. They had tricked him in some way during my -absence, and so obtained their revenge. - -“Abdul Hashim calmly told the officers that Lovelace Pasha had gone mad, -and was slain by them in self-defense. He pointed to two dead men and -several wounded to prove the truth of his assertion. I told another -story, as you may imagine, but with no hint of the treasure. Shortly -afterward I had the satisfaction of inducing the governor to raze Abdul -Hashim’s village to the ground, so that not one of the rude stones -remained upon another, while the tribe was driven farther into the -desert to seek new quarters. - -“Fortunately I had not banked the sample treasure we had taken, not -wishing to delay my friend’s rescue, so that now I found myself the sole -possessor of any knowledge relating to the great discovery. It has -remained my personal secret until this hour, when I have confided it to -you, gentlemen, in order to induce you to assist me.” - -He paused, as if the tale was ended, and for a time we, his listeners, -remained silent and thoughtful. The story had impressed me, for one, -greatly, and it had seemed to ring true until he came to that row with -the Arabs. There were some unlikely statements about the death of -Lovelace and Van Dorn’s peculiar escape from the village, but I -reflected that my ignorance of the ways of this people might well -account for any seeming improbabilities that lurked in the story. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - THE TREASURE OF THE ANCIENTS. - - -Uncle Naboth was the first to speak. - -“Tell me, sir,” said he, “why you have selected us to receive your -confidence.” - -“I had two reasons,” replied Van Dorn. “One is that I am afraid. I left -Luxor and traveled to Cairo, trying to think of a way to secure the -treasure for myself. At Cairo I was shot at from a window and narrowly -escaped death. I came on here to Alexandria, as secretly as I could. -Last night I was set upon by a band of Arabs, among whom I recognized -the terrible Abdul Hashim. Had you not appeared at the same instant I -would certainly have been killed. It seems as if Providence had decreed -that we should meet. You have a swift vessel, bound for America, and I -have a great treasure to be secured and transported home. Assist me in -this emergency and your reward shall be greater than you could gain from -a dozen voyages.” - -“This treasure,” said my father, slowly and reflectively, “belongs to -the Egyptian government, accordin’ to your own say-so.” - -“Oh, no!” cried Van Dorn. - -“I take it that way, from your statement.” - -“I said the present laws of Egypt, enacted a few years ago, forbade any -relic of the old civilization to be taken out of the country. The Museum -will buy all my treasure, and give me an insignificant sum not at all -commensurate with its value; but what right has the Khedive to claim -what I have worked so hard to secure? In America the gems alone will -sell for millions.” - -“But this is an Egyptian treasure,” I said. “The laws seem to me to be -just. What right have you, a foreigner, to remove this great wealth from -the country?” - -“The right of discovery,” retorted the little Professor, promptly, with -an energetic bob of his head. “Who is the Khedive of Egypt? A Turk. A -foreigner like myself, if you please, who rules here as a dependant of -Turkey, and pays the Sultan eleven millions a year in tribute—a sum he -wrings from the remnant of the true Egyptians, and from the Arab and -other native population, by means of excessive taxes. This treasure once -belonged to Egypt, we will admit, and it was buried by the Egyptian -priests to save it from just such invaders as these Turks. But Egyptians -no longer rule Egypt, nor ever will again; so that in simple justice -this treasure belongs solely to its discoverer rather than to the -usurper in the land where it lies buried.” - -“Still,” said Uncle Naboth, “we have this government to reckon with. -Morally, you may be entitled to the treasure, but legally the decrees of -the Khedive are inviolable. Eh? If we attempt to run away with this ’ere -treasure, an’ get caught, we can be punished as common thieves.” - -“But we shall not be caught!” cried the Professor. “Mark you, no one in -Egypt suspects the existence of this treasure, so to take it will be -robbing no one—not even the Khedive.” - -“Doesn’t Abdul Hashim suspect it?” I inquired. - -“Yes; perhaps I should make an exception of Abdul Hashim; but his -information is at present confined to mere guessing, and he is too wily -and covetous ever to tell his suspicions to a government official. What -he wants is to get the treasure for himself, and the real battle, if we -meet opposition, will be between Abdul Hashim and us. We ought to have -killed him last night, when we had the chance; but unfortunately the dog -made his escape.” - -“He’s a dangerous enemy,” observed Ned Britton. - -“Only to the unarmed and helpless,” quickly replied the Professor. “A -half dozen Americans could defy his entire tribe. And it is possible we -shall get a chance to kill him before he makes more trouble.” - -“You speak of murder very easily,” said my father. - -“It is not murder to kill an Arab,” protested the Professor. “They are -but heathen men, wicked and cruel, and so numerous that a few of them -sent to perdition will never be missed. The English here have no more -hesitation in killing an Arab than in scotching a poisonous snake, and -the authorities seldom inquire into the manner of his death. As long as -the government remains in ignorance of my secret we are safe from -interference, except through this wild and worthless tribe led by Abdul -Hashim, and brave Americans have no cause to fear him. Moreover, there -is the treasure itself to be considered. Is it not worth while to risk -something to secure an immense fortune?” - -“What proof have you,” asked Uncle Naboth, “of the existence of this -treasure?” - -Van Dorn hesitated a moment, then unbuttoned his vest and took from -around his waist a leathern belt. This he laid carefully upon the table, -and opening its folds drew out a number of brilliant rubies. - -“Here is my proof,” said he, offering the gems for inspection. “They are -a part of the treasure Lovelace took on that terrible night I have -described to you.” - -We examined them. They were large and brilliant, but cut into squares -and oblongs, triangles and octagons, with smooth flat surfaces. - -“These may be glass,” remarked Uncle Naboth, musingly. - -“I am a lapidary,” said the Professor, his voice slightly trembling with -indignation. “I assure you they are the most splendid rubies in the -known world. Here are pearls. Even your ignorance will acknowledge their -genuineness.” - -He produced, as he spoke, several superb pearls, as large as peas and -tinted in exquisite rose colors. - -“Ah,” exclaimed Mr. Perkins, “I know pearls, all right; for I have -traded for years with the Philippine pearl fishers. You are a strange -man, Professor Van Dorn, to wish to risk your life for more of this -plunder. Here is a fortune in itself.” - -Van Dorn shrugged his stooped shoulders, his red beard bristling with -scorn. - -“Would you, then, advise me to allow the treasure of Karnak to remain -another two thousand years buried in the sands of the desert?” he asked. -“Are your big speculators in America satisfied to acquire a million, or -do they every one labor like slaves to make their million into a -billion? Men are satisfied with many things in this age, but never are -they satisfied with wealth. The more we have the more we strive to -obtain. But here—look at these ornaments. Can modern goldsmiths match -them?” - -He drew out a golden necklace of magnificent workmanship, quaint in -design and wrought with a delicacy and skill that were wonderful. A -bracelet, two rings, and a diadem set with amethysts were also exhibited -to our admiring eyes. - -“These,” said the Professor, “you must admit are both antique and -valuable; yet they are a mere sample of the immense treasure I have -discovered. There is enough, as I have told you, to make us all wealthy, -and I am willing to divide liberally in order to obtain your assistance. -But I shall not urge you. If you are too stupid or cowardly to accept my -offer, keep my secret and go about your business. No harm is done. There -will be thousands willing to undertake the adventure.” - -He put the jewels and ornaments back into the belt and buckled it around -his waist, hiding it again underneath his vest. He leaned back in his -chair, lighted a cigarette, and glanced at our grave faces inquiringly. - -“Be good enough to go on deck for a time, Professor,” said my father. -“We will talk the matter over among ourselves before venturing to give -you an answer.” - -He rose without protest and retired, and at once we began an earnest -discussion of the proposal. The first point to settle was the legality -of the thing, and it seemed to us the Professor was right in his -contention that the present powers in Egypt, which had acquired the -country by wars of conquest, had no more moral right to claim the buried -treasure of the ancient priests of Karnak than had its recent -discoverers. The old religion based on the worship of Isis and Osiris -had disappeared from the earth and its votaries were long since dead or -dispersed. The hidden treasure, formerly the property of this religious -body, had now no legal claimants and belonged to whomsoever had the -fortune to find it and the courage to seize and hold it. That the -Khedive had made laws forbidding anyone to remove ancient treasure from -Egypt did not affect us in the least. We were free Americans and in no -way under the dominion of the Turks who had conquered Egypt. They might -exact tribute from this land and establish the claim of might to -whatever wealth the country contained; but it was our privilege to evade -this might if we chose to. There are true Egyptians yet living in Egypt, -but they are poor-spirited folk and are largely outnumbered by the -Arabs, Turks and other foreigners, so that the control of their native -land is doubtless lost to them forever. - -Having thus satisfied our consciences that we were justified in -undertaking an adventure to secure this wealth, we faced the -consequences of failure or discovery. There was nothing to demand our -immediate return to America, and the time required by the undertaking -was therefore available. But the _Seagull_ represented a fortune to us, -and we hesitated to jeopardize her safety. According to international -treaty we were not safe from seizure in case the ship violated the laws -of Egypt; but there was a strong probability that the worst fate liable -to overtake us, if discovered, would be the confiscation of the -treasure. The Khedive would hesitate to involve his country in a dispute -with the United States by resorting to extreme measures. We were taking -a chance, of course; but the game seemed well worth the chance, and none -can expect to win who hesitates to risk a stake. - -Having disposed of governmental interference we faced the question of a -war with Abdul Hashim and his tribe, and decided to contest the Arab’s -claim—which was not in any way equal to that of the Professor, according -to the story he had told us. We had before this encountered some -desperate adventures in strange lands and were not disposed to shrink -from a skirmish with these lawless Arabs, if they forced it upon us. -There remained, then, but two points to be settled: the best way to get -the treasure aboard ship, and our share in the division, once we had -safely transported it to America. - -We recalled the Professor and asked him for his plans and proposals. He -was a queer little fellow, this Van Dorn; half coward and half bully; -but there was no doubt the man possessed a share of shrewd intelligence. - -“If we undertake to go up the Nile, past Cairo and Assuit,” he said, -“and try to bring the treasure back to Alexandria, the chances are that -we should never succeed. This is the most populous portion of Egypt, and -government spies and the mounted police are everywhere. Had this been my -plan I should not have appealed to you to assist me. Your claim to -become my allies lies in the fact that you have a swift ship unknown in -these waters, a brave crew, and the American love for adventure. But the -ship is the most important possession of all.” - -“You don’t expect us to sail up the Nile, do you?” I asked, impatiently. - -“No, that is impossible,” was his quiet reply. “From here to Luxor is -seven hundred miles; but the Arabian Gulf, in the Red Sea, is only -ninety miles from where the treasure is hidden. You will take your ship -to Port Said, through the Suez Canal, and so down the Gulf to the small -and unimportant town of Koser, where there is a good harbor. Here we -shall hire camels which will take us in four days across the Arabian -desert to the treasure, which we shall load upon the camels and bring -back with us to the ship. We shall not appear at Karnak or Luxor at all, -you see, and shall encounter only the desert Bedouins, who are quite -friendly to Europeans. Nor need we even approach the ruins of Abdul -Hashim’s village. I know how to find the spot where the treasure lies, -and in that lonely place there will be none to spy upon us.” - -“But how shall we find our way across the desert?” asked Uncle Naboth. - -“Why, there still exists an ancient caravan route from Koser to Luxor,” -the Professor returned, “and we shall be able to secure guides who know -every step of the way. It will be a tedious journey; four days to go and -four to return; but, as I have said, the reward will be ample for such -insignificant hardships.” - -“Your plan seems safe and practical,” observed my uncle. “I like the -idea. But now, Van Dorn, we must come to the most important point of -all. What do you offer us in return for the use of our ship, for our -services and for the expenses of the undertaking?” - -“I will give you ten rubies and ten pearls,” said he. “They are of such -size and purity that you can easily sell them for ten thousand dollars. -That is an ample reward, it seems to me.” - -I laughed, and the others—even to Archie—smiled as if amused. The little -Professor had spoken with an air of great condescension, as if -conferring upon us a rare favor. - -“How much treasure is there?” asked my father. - -“That will not matter to you,” retorted Van Dorn. “I will give you the -pearls and the rubies now, before we start. They shall be your wage. -Afterward, all the treasure we secure shall be my own exclusive -property.” - -Uncle Naboth yawned—it was a habit he had when bored—and my father -slowly arose and stumped from the room. - -“When will you go ashore, Professor?” I asked. - -“What do you mean by that question?” he demanded, his face nearly as red -as his beard. - -“Only that we intend to sail on our return voyage at sundown, and -probably you are not quite ready to go to America in our company. One of -the boats will land you on the quay whenever you please to go.” - -He looked at me intently, his face now turned chalky white. - -“Come, Archie,” said I, cheerily, “let’s go and see about unloading your -boxes.” - -“Stay!” cried Van Dorn, suddenly. “What do you people demand?” - -“We? Oh, sir, we make no demands at all. Your proposition was, as you -doubtless well knew, one it would be impossible for us to accept. But we -shall keep your secret, never fear, and the best proof is that we are -off for America. You are at liberty to go ashore and negotiate with -others.” - -“And be murdered by Abdul Hashim,” he added, bitterly. - -“Ah; that is your affair,” I replied, indifferently. - -I went on deck with Archie and directed the men in getting the Ackley -cases hoisted from the hold and swung aboard a small lighter, which -landed them safely on the quay. I intended to send the boy’s two big -telescopes with the goods, but Archie objected. - -“Wait a bit,” he whispered to me, soberly. “I haven’t yet decided to go -ashore.” - -“Not to deliver your father’s goods to the merchants at Luxor?” I asked, -with a smile. - -“No. See here, Sam; I’m in on this deal,” he announced, earnestly. “If -you fellows go fortune-hunting you must take me along.” - -“Oh, you want a share, do you?” I said, sarcastically. - -“I won’t refuse a small slice, Sam; but for the most I’m after is the -fun. This is the biggest deal I ever heard of, and it promises a lot of -sport before you’re through with it. Let me in, will you?” he added, -pleadingly. - -“I’m willing, Archie. But it’s likely we can’t come to terms with the -Professor. He don’t want to divvy fair, you see.” - -The little man was now walking disconsolately about the deck. Apparently -he was in a state of deep dejection. - -I went with Archie to the quay, where he paid the import duties on his -father’s wares and arranged to have them forwarded by the railway to -Luxor, where they were consigned to himself. - -“You see, we don’t know these Greek and Syrian merchants,” he explained, -“and we can’t trust dealers in humbug goods. That’s why father wanted me -to come along. I’m to collect for the stuff when I deliver it, and also -take orders for anything more they want us to manufacture.” - -“But don’t you intend to travel with the goods?” I asked. - -“No. They can wait at Luxor for me until we’ve decided what to do about -the Professor’s treasure. According to his story it lies buried only a -few miles from Luxor, so I may be able to attend to both errands at the -same time.” - -Ah; if we only knew what this plan was destined to cost us! - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - A GREAT UNDERTAKING. - - -As Archie and I returned along the quay from the custom house, to regain -our boat, I noticed standing upon the edge of the dock the solitary but -impressive figure of an Arab. - -He was fully six feet tall and splendidly formed. His dirty white -burnous was wrapped around him in a way to emphasize the dignity of his -pose, and his handsome countenance was calm and impassive. From beneath -the ample folds of a black and yellow turban two wide dark eyes were set -on a point of vision across the bay, and following his gaze I saw that -it was directed toward the _Seagull_ lying at her anchorage. These eyes, -accustomed to the distances of the desert, might be stronger than my -own, yet I myself found that I could discern dark forms moving about -upon our deck, and one in especial—was it the Professor?—was leaning -quietly over the side nearest the quay. - -The Arab did not notice Archie or me, so I had a chance to examine him -critically. He was not old—perhaps thirty-five—and his unshaven face was -a light tan in color. As we rowed out to the ship his eyes at last fell -upon us, and I thought that he watched us intently until we were well -aboard. From the deck I could still see his stalwart, motionless figure -standing erect in the same position; and perhaps the Professor saw him, -too, for he came toward me with an uneasy expression upon his face and -requested another interview with my father, Uncle Naboth, and myself. - -I summoned Ned Britton, Archie, and Joe, as well, and presently we all -assembled in my father’s cabin. - -“I have been thinking over this proposal,” began Van Dorn, “and have -concluded that my first offer was not liberal enough, in the -circumstances. To be frank with you,” his little, ferret eyes were -anything but frank, just then, “the treasure is useless to me without -your assistance in obtaining and transporting it to a place of safety. -So I am willing to meet your views in the matter of a division of the -spoils.” - -We regarded him silently, and after a moment he added: “What do you -think would be just, or satisfactory?” - -My uncle answered. He was an experienced trader. - -“According to your own story, sir,” said he, “you are not the original -discoverer of this treasure. Professor Lovelace worked several years in -tracing it, and finally succeeded because he had found an obscure -diagram engraved on the ruined walls of a temple. He hired you to assist -him. Tell us, then, what share of the plunder did he promise you?” - -The Professor hesitated, but thinking to deceive us, though his manner -assured us he was lying, he said boldly: - -“I was to have one-half. But of course after Lovelace was murdered the -whole belonged to me.” - -“Was there any compact to that effect?” I asked. - -“Not exactly. But it is reasonable and just, is it not?” - -“Had Lovelace no heirs—no family?” - -“None whatever.” - -Said Uncle Naboth, with his usual deliberation: - -“If you were to receive one-half the treasure from Lovelace, in return -for your assistance, we will make the same contract with you in return -for ours. Lovelace seemed to think it was worth that much, and we will -abide by his judgment.” - -Van Dorn turned red. There was no escape from the toils he had cast -about himself by his foolish statement. He looked thoughtfully out of -the window, and following his gaze I saw the solitary Arab still -standing on the quay with his face set in our direction. - -A scarcely perceptible tremor seemed to pass over the Professor’s slight -frame. He turned to us with a new animation in his face. - -“Professor Lovelace reserved for himself the collection of papyrus -rolls,” said he, in a brisk tone. “I will do the same. These writings -would be of no value to you, in any event. All of the jewels, ornaments, -or other treasure than the papyri, I will agree to divide with you -equally.” - -“Very good,” said Uncle Naboth, with a nod. “It is our agreement. Write -it down, Sam, and all these witnesses shall sign the document.” - -I brought paper and pens and began to draw up the agreement. Presently I -paused. - -“In case of your death, Professor, I suppose you are willing all the -treasure should belong to us, since that was your own claim when -Lovelace died?” - -He grew a little pale as he answered: “Do you want to put that in the -paper?” - -“Yes, if you please.” - -“Will you agree, on your part, to protect me from harm in all possible -ways, to guard my life as completely as you do your own lives?” - -“Certainly.” - -“Then include it in the contract. It would be a terrible thing to die -just when all this treasure is fairly in my grasp; but if I lose my life -in the venture there is no one to inherit my possessions.” - -As I resumed my writing Uncle Naboth remarked: - -“We’ll look after you, sir, never fear. Sam only means to cover any -possible mishaps, and I guess he’s right. But we’ll be satisfied with a -fair division, and intend to do our duty by you if it costs us our lives -to protect you.” - -When the contract was ready the Professor signed it without a word of -protest, and after the witnesses had attached their signatures the -little man went on deck and left us alone. - -“He means treachery,” remarked my father, coolly. - -Uncle nodded. - -“Quite possible, Dick; but it will be our business to watch him. His -story is true, because he has the evidence to prove it, and I’ve no -doubt he’ll lead us straight to the treasure. But what his game is -afterwards, I can’t imagine.” - -After that we sat silent for a time. - -“Uncle,” said I, happening to think of the thing, “Archie wants to go -along with us.” - -Mr. Perkins scratched his head reflectively. - -“What share does he want?” he asked. - -I turned to Archie for the reply. - -“If I’m any help to you, you can give me whatever you please,” said the -boy. “I want to see the fun, mostly; but I’ll not refuse any reward I’m -able to earn.” - -“That’s fair and square,” said Uncle Naboth. “You’re welcome to come -along.” - -“Now, then,” proclaimed my father, “we’ve got to talk to the men. That’s -your job, Sam—you’ve got the gift of palaver. The enterprise is -irreg’lar an’ some dangerous, an’ our lads must be told jest what -they’re expected to do.” - -We went on deck and piped all hands aft for a conference. - -As clearly as I was able I related to the crew the story Van Dorn had -told us, and his proposal to us to assist him in getting the treasure. -The only points I concealed were the location of the hoard and its -probable value. - -“If you will join us in this adventure,” I added, “we promise every man -three times his regular pay, and in case we get the treasure one-tenth -of our share also be divided equally among you. We don’t expect much -trouble, yet there may be a scrimmage or so with the Arabs before we get -done. Any of you who fear this danger or don’t like the job we’ve -undertaken, will be left at Port Said until we return, and we shall -think none the worse of those men, who will simply forfeit their prize -money. Now, lads, what do you say?” - -There wasn’t a dissenting voice among them. They were Americans. Many -had sailed with us before, and all were picked men who had proved -themselves honest and trustworthy. My father had indeed chosen his crew -with care and judgment, and I think we were not much surprised that from -Ned Britton down to the meanest sailor all were eager to undertake the -venture. - -We cleared the port, sailed down to Port Said, and paid our fee to be -passed through the Suez Canal to the Gulf of Arabia—no insignificant -sum, by the way, but an incidental expense of the enterprise. The -Professor had sadly informed us that he had no ready money to meet any -of these emergencies; therefore we undertook to pay all expenses. - -Our last view of the quay at Alexandria showed the strange Arab still at -his post, motionless and staring calmly after us. I noticed that Van -Dorn heaved a sigh of relief when we drew away from the harbor and the -solitary watcher had faded slowly from our sight. - -We were obliged to lie for four days at Port Said before our turn came -to enter the canal, for several big liners of the East India Company and -many packets of many nations were before us. Having our own engines we -did not require a tug, and after a seemingly interminable period, -although the distance is only one hundred miles, we emerged from the -canal at Suez and Port Ibrahim and found the broad waters of the Red Sea -lying before us. - -Heading southward we found fair breezes that wafted us at a good speed -along the two hundred and fifty miles of barren coast between Suez and -Koser. The Arabian desert, bleak and covered in places with bare -mountains, was in sight on our right all the way, and the few small -villages we passed did not seem inviting. - -At length, on the evening of the 12th of February, we anchored in the -little harbor of Koser, and although the natives came flocking around us -in their miserable fishing boats, offering fruit for sale and doubtless -wondering what chance had led so strange and trim a craft as the -_Seagull_ to their forsaken port, we made no attempt to land or -communicate with them until the next morning. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - GEGE-MERAK. - - -After breakfast Uncle Naboth, the Professor, and I rowed ashore and -landed on the primitive wooden quay, whence we proceeded to the town—a -group of mud dwellings, palm thatched, standing on a small eminence near -the bay. At the left of the town were several large storehouses -belonging to the government, where tithes of grain were kept. - -A silent but observant group of natives met us on shore and accompanied -us up the path to one of the principal houses, where Van Dorn, who -understood Arabic, informed us the sheik and cadi awaited our coming. - -After a brief delay we were ushered into a low but spacious room where -the light was so dim that at first I could see nothing. Presently, -however, my eyes grew accustomed to the gloom and I made out a big, -whiskered Arab sitting cross-legged on a mat and surrounded by a group -of friends and advisors. - -To my relief they spoke English; brokenly, yet sufficiently well to be -understood; and the sheik in most polite phrases begged to know why we -had honored his poor village by a visit. - -The Professor explained that our vessel was bound for India, but that -some of our party had an errand at Luxor and we wished to secure a -guide, an armed escort, and some good camels, to form a caravan to cross -the desert and return. The ship would wait in the harbor until we had -accomplished our journey. - -They listened to this story respectfully. We were Americans, they -judged. Only Americans in Egypt were credited with doing unusual things. -An Englishman or other foreigner would have taken the railway to Luxor -by way of Cairo. - -But they had no desire to grumble at our strange whim. To keep the ship -in their harbor a week longer would mean more or less patronage of the -village bazar as well as harbor fees for the sheik. The caravan across -the desert would mean good earnings for many worthy citizens, no doubt. - -But just here they seemed to scent difficulties. The Arabs talked -together earnestly in their own language, and the Professor explained to -us in an anxious voice that guides were scarce in Koser just then. The -best, a famous Arab Bedouin, had gone west to the mines on a three -weeks’ journey. Another had just departed to take a party to Kift. The -third and last one available was lying ill with a fever. There was no -trouble about camels; the sheik had himself several superior animals to -offer, and a neighbor chief of the Bega Bedouins owned a splendid drove -and could furnish any number required. But the guide was lacking, and a -guide was absolutely necessary; for the desert was trackless and -infested by _haramyeh_, or robbers. - -That seemed to settle the matter, to the great grief of the sheik; but -the little Professor protested most vigorously that he had to go, and -that a way must be found to secure for us a competent guide. Extra money -would be available in the emergency, he added, and the hint set the -dirty bearded Arabs conferring again. They talked in Arabic, and I heard -the name of Gege-Merak[1] mentioned several times. The Professor, -listening intently, told me this was the Bega chief who owned the -camels. Gege-Merak had once been the most famous guide on the desert, -but he was now old, and had retired from active life years ago. Still, -if there was plenty of money to tempt him, he might be induced -personally to lead us to Luxor and back. - -The discussion resulted in a messenger being dispatched to Gege-Merak, -who lived a day’s journey in the desert, to propose our offer and bring -back the chief’s reply. There would be nine of our own party, and we -desired an escort of six armed natives, besides the guide. - -The delay was inevitable, and we waited as patiently as we could for the -messenger’s return. That evening we entertained the sheik and his chief -men at dinner aboard the ship, and before they returned to the shore -they vowed undying friendship for us all, including Nux and Bryonia. My -father’s cork leg especially won their admiration and respect, and they -declared he must be a very great and famous Captain in his own country -to be entrusted with the command of so noble and so beautiful a ship. We -told them he was. The Professor added that next to the President himself -all Americans revered Captain Steele, who had won many battles fighting -against his country’s enemies. I was amused at this absurd description, -but it afterward served us a good turn, and perhaps preserved our lives. - -The next day we visited the bazar, where unimportant articles were -offered for sale, and as the sheik was himself the principal owner we -purchased considerable rubbish that we had no use for, just to keep the -rascals good natured. - -On the third day, at about sunset, the messenger returned, and to our -surprise he was accompanied by a train of fifteen camels—all fine, -strong specimens of these desert steeds. - -He had brought bad news for the sheik, though. Gege-Merak had consented -to guide the strangers in person, but he would supply all the camels, -tents, and blankets himself, and receive all the hire for them. -Moreover, the armed escort must be all from his own tribe; no dog of an -Arab should have anything to do with his caravan. - -The sheik frowned, cursed the impudent Bega, and swore he would not -allow his dear friends, the Americans, to fall into Gege-Merak’s power. - -Uncle Naboth and I went out and examined the escort. They were handsome, -well-formed fellows, with good features and dark, bronze hued -complexions. Their limbs were slender and almost delicately formed, yet -promised strength and agility. I decided at once that these men looked -less like robbers than the stealthy-eyed, sly-moving Arabs of the -village. - -The Ababdeh—for the Bega warriors belonged to this caste—sat their -camels stolidly and in silence, awaiting the acceptance or rejection of -the offer of their chieftain. They were dressed in coarse woolen robes -colored in brilliant native hues, but they wore no head covering except -their luxuriant, bushy hair, which formed a perfect cloud around their -faces and seemed to me nearly a foot in thickness. In their girdles were -short knives and each man carried slung across his back a long, slender -rifle with an elaborately engraved silver stock. - -My uncle agreed with me that the escort looked manly and brave. We -concluded there was a way to satisfy the sheik, so we went back to him -and offered to pay a liberal sum for his permission to engage -Gege-Merak. He graciously consented, although he warned us that the -desert Bega were not the safest people in the world to intrust with our -lives and that only the fear of consequences would prevent the Ababdeh -chief from murdering us and rifling our bodies. - -The Professor, however, had no such fears. He confided to us his opinion -that we were fortunate in having no Arabs in our party. In case we -chanced to encounter Abdul Hashim, the Bega would be more likely to -prove faithful than would the Koser Arabs. All Arabs hate Christians in -their hearts, added the Professor, and most of the desert tribes, who -had existed in Egypt long before the Arabs overran the country, hated -the Mussulmans as much as the latter hated the Christians. The Ababdeh -tribes were natural thieves; he could not deny that; but he had reason -to hope for our safe return from our adventure. - -For my part I pinned my faith to our stalwart escort of American -sailors, thinking in my pride and ignorance that any one of them would -be worth six Bega or Arabs if it came to a fight, and forgetting that -the desert is a prison to those who do not know its trackless wilds. - -Desiring as little delay as possible we loaded the camels that evening -with provisions from our ship and the light baggage, taking no more of -the latter than was absolutely necessary. Bryonia, who was going with -the party, insisted on carrying certain pots and pans with which to -provide proper meals while en route, and these the Bega looked upon with -absolute disdain. But I was glad to see our cook’s provision for our -comfort, since we were to be gone eight or nine days at the least. - -Next morning we mounted the camels and set out. After some careful -figuring we had organized our party as follows: The Professor first, of -course; then Uncle Naboth, Archie Ackley, Joe, and myself. My father -made some objection to three boys joining the party, but it was an -adventure in which any boy would be eager to participate, and Joe begged -so hard to go along and was so devoted to me personally that I argued -the matter until Captain Steele gave in and consented. My father thought -he could not ride a camel in comfort because of his cork leg, so he -remained aboard to look after the ship. He let Ned Britton join us, -though, and three sailors, all loyal fellows and splendid specimens of -American manhood. This completed our party of nine. We were all armed -with revolvers and repeating rifles, and felt that in case of attack or -interference we could give a good account of ourselves. - -The weather was warm at this season, but when we started, soon after -dawn, a gentle breeze was coming over the desert and we set out in good -spirits in spite of the fact that the motion of the camels caused us to -sway awkwardly in our tall saddles. We should get used to this motion in -time, the Professor assured us; but at first it jolted us terribly. - -It seemed as if the entire population of the village had assembled to -see us start, and from their looks they evidently considered us little -less than madmen. The sheik wished us a safe journey and promised in the -hearing of the Bega to avenge us in case we met with treachery; but at -the same time, he told the Professor privately, he refused to guarantee -our savage escort in any particular. - -Bidding my father and the crew of the _Seagull_ a cheery farewell, we -left Koser and began our journey across the desert. - -The Ababdeh were silent fellows, but when I questioned them I found that -at least two of their number understood and spoke English fairly well. -They did not waste words in expressing themselves, but seemed -intelligent and respectful in their demeanor toward us. - -Our progress the first day was slow, for the way was across heavy sands -that tired the camels to walk upon. We made a halt for luncheon and at -about sundown reached the encampment of the Bega chief, Gege-Merak. It -was situated on a tiny oasis of the desert, which boasted a well of good -water and a group of a dozen tall spreading date-palms. Under the palms -were set the chief houses of the village, made of mud and thatched with -palm leaves; but the huts of the people extended also out upon the -desert, on all sides of the oasis. These mainly consisted of low walls -of mud roofed with squares of canvas, and none save the house of the -chieftain was high enough for a man to stand upright within it. - -[Illustration: The village in the oasis.] - -I was surprised at the number of this isolated tribe of Bega, and it was -a wonder to me how they all managed to subsist. They had many goats and -camels and a small herd of buffalo-cows—too many, seemingly, to crop the -scant herbage of the oasis; but there was no attempt at agriculture that -I could discover. - -We halted before the house of the chief, and after conferring together -our escort conducted my uncle, the Professor, and myself into the -building. We found ourselves in a large, cool room, lighted and aired by -open spaces between the top of the walls and the roof. At the rear was a -dark passage, doubtless leading into other apartments, but the -appearance of the interior was extremely primitive and unattractive. - -Upon a rush mat at one side of the room sat a young girl, her slender -form graceful and upright, her dark eyes fixed curiously upon us. She -seemed about fifteen years of age, but may have been two or three years -younger, for the women of these desert gypsies mature early in life. Her -hair, unlike that of the other Bega we had seen, was not bushy and -cloudlike, but its luxuriant tresses were heavily plaited into several -braids, two hanging in front over either shoulder and two others -dropping behind her back. On her arms or ankles were broad bands or -bracelets of silver, some of them set with odd stones of strange colors -and shapes. Golden bangles—perhaps Persian or Arabian coins—were strung -together on wires and woven into the braids of her hair. She wore a robe -of some thin, strong material which was striped in alternate bands of -scarlet and green—a robe more becoming than its description sounds, I -think—and across her rounded shoulders was folded a Syrian scarf covered -with rich embroidery. - -The girl was undeniably handsome. She would have been conspicuous by -reason of her beauty in any civilized community. Here, surrounded by a -barbaric desert tribe, she seemed a veritable daughter of Venus. - -I could not stare long at this gracious sight, for beside the girl sat, -or rather squatted, a personage whose powerful individuality compelled -attention. - -Gege-Merak—for I did not doubt I beheld the chief—was a withered, -wrinkled old man scarce five feet in height when standing upright, a -veritable dwarf among his handsome, well formed subjects. One eye—the -right one—was gone, and across the sightless cavity and reaching from -his cheek to his forehead, was a broad, livid scar as from the slash of -a knife or a sword-cut. The other eye, small and glittering, regarded us -with a glare as disconcerting as that of a snake, it being set in his -face deep amid the folds of wrinkled flesh. His chin protruded and his -thin lips were closed together in a straight line, while his bushy hair -was snow-white in color, denoting great age. - -I own I was amazed to find the famous chief so different from his -people; and when I realized that we had voluntarily put our lives into -the keeping of this old, evil-featured Bega, I began to suspect there -was a foundation for the Arab sheik’s persistent croak of danger. Still, -as Gege-Merak sat huddled upon his mat, motionless save for that roving, -terrible eye, it occurred to me that he was too old and feeble to lead -the caravan himself, as he had sent word to us that he would do, and -without doubt would delegate the task to some other. - -At our entrance the warriors knelt to their chief and crouched -subserviently their foreheads to the mat; but afterward they stood erect -in a group at one side. They neither saluted nor appeared to notice the -girl at all. - -“So,” said Gege-Merak, in a quiet voice and speaking excellent English. -“Here are the travelers who wish to be led to Luxor. What is your errand -there?” - -He looked from one to another of us, and I took upon myself to answer -him, as the Professor seemed to hesitate. - -“Sir, that is our business alone,” I declared, stiffly. “All that we -require from you is your camels, your warriors to guard us, and a -guide.” - -“I am rebuked, Effendi,” said he, fixing his small eye upon me with a -penetrating gaze, but exhibiting no humility in his tones. After a -slight pause: “Do you agree to my price in return for the service you -require?” - -“Yes; you are to receive one hundred English pounds.” - -“In advance,” he added, softly. - -“One-half in advance,” said I. “The remainder when we have returned in -safety.” - -“Let me see the money.” - -I produced a bag containing fifty gold pounds, and stooping down counted -them out upon the mat before him. He watched me silently. - -“Now I will see the other fifty,” he said. - -I began to dislike the chief; but now the Professor said, somewhat to my -surprise. - -“Pay him the full amount, Mr. Steele; it will be better that way.” - -“Why?” I asked, turning to him rather angrily. - -“Because the great chief is suspicious of our honesty, and we want him -to believe we are honest. Also because Gege-Merak’s word is sacred, and -he will be faithful when he is paid. For a third reason, it will be just -as well for you not to carry that gold across the desert and back again, -when the chief is able to put it away in a safe place before we begin -the journey.” - -Gege-Merak listened carefully and it was evident he approved this -argument. But he said nothing and merely looked at me inquiringly. - -Of course, if the natives would prove faithful, the Professor’s plan of -advance payment was best. After a look toward Uncle Naboth, which he -answered with a nod, I drew out another fifty pounds and counted it upon -the mat beside the first. - -“Now, Gege-Merak,” said I, “you are paid in full.” - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - ACROSS THE BLACK MOUNTAINS. - - -The cruel little eye of the chief twinkled brightly at sight of all this -golden display, but he made no motion to gather it up. Instead, he -turned his keen glance first upon me and then upon the others of our -party, as if striving to gauge our thoughts, and read our secret -characters. - -“I will see the other Americans,” he finally said. - -The Professor summoned Ned Britton, Archie, Joe, Bry, and the sailors, -and soon they all stood wonderingly before the Bega chief. He examined -each one with silent interest, down to the smallest item of attire. He -nodded and asked them to again withdraw. - -“Effendi,” said he, addressing me when the others were gone, “you are -deceiving me in regard to your errand. Your party is strong and heavily -armed. You ask me for brave warriors to assist you, and for my own -services as guide. All this is not usual with peaceful traders or -travelers who wish to cross the desert to Luxor on an errand of simple -business. Another thing. You willingly pay me a big price—more than my -service is really worth. Again, you ask for two extra camels, bearing -empty saddle-bags. Therefore you have a secret intention you do not -reveal to me. The little red-beard’s eyes are bright with fever. You all -expect trouble. You may get me mixed with your trouble, so that the -authorities will imprison me and scatter my tribe. I am a good subject -of the mighty Sultan and our father the Khedive. Therefore I refuse the -compact. Take your gold, Effendi, and return to Koser.” - -This speech of the wily chief fairly took away my breath. Uncle Naboth -seemed disappointed, and the Professor trembled nervously. I am sure our -various emotions were clearly apparent to Gege-Merak, for his roving eye -bore an expression of grim amusement. - -It was the Professor who finally answered. He knew the covert -disposition of these strange people better than we did. - -“See, then, my brother, how much we trust in your friendship and -honesty,” said he. “Our errand is indeed twofold, as you have wisely -suspected. One part is to permit the young effendi, Archie Ackley, whom -you have just seen, to collect pay for his wares from certain merchants -in Luxor. The second part of our errand is to permit me to secure some -property belonging to me which I left concealed in a part of the desert -near Karnak. Our bargain with you is to guide and escort us safely to -these places and enable us to bring back to our ship at Koser the -property I have mentioned and young Ackley’s payments from the -merchants. For our purpose of transportation the two extra camels will -be sufficient. But we shall have no trouble with the authorities, -because we intend to commit no crime and break no law of the land. I -will not conceal from you the fact that I am at enmity with a miserable -Arab sheik named Abdul Hashim, who lives upon the desert near Luxor and -who might try to prevent me from securing my property if he knew I had -come for it. He does not suspect my journey at present, and I hope to -avoid him altogether, since he is just now under the displeasure of the -Khedive’s police, which has destroyed his village and scattered his -lawless band. But we must go armed in case the Arab dares to molest us, -and part of your liberal payment is to fight well for us if there should -be need. Also, bands of robbers infest the desert, and we do not wish to -be robbed on our journey. So we take all needful precautions. Is the -great and wise chief, my brother, now satisfied?” - -Gege-Merak was silent for a time, thoughtfully studying the mat at his -feet. Then he replied: - -“I know Abdul Hashim. He is a jackal. I know the police have destroyed -his village, as you truly say; but he is rebuilding it. Abdul Hashim has -powerful friends, and he will fight his foes in spite of our father the -Khedive. If I accept your offer I may lose many camels and men. Also I -make a foe forever of Abdul Hashim and his tribe. No; I will not -consent; the hundred gold pounds is not enough.” - -He had caught us fairly. I saw plainly enough that we must either -abandon the adventure altogether or consent to be robbed at the start by -this grasping Bega. The Professor asked permission for us to withdraw -and consult together, and we went into the open air to hold a -conference. - -Uncle Naboth asked the Professor how much he judged the treasure to be -worth. We had already invested a considerable sum in the speculation and -were about to risk our lives as well. - -Van Dorn could only estimate the amount of the treasure, of which he had -obtained merely a glimpse. But he thought its total value could not -possibly equal less than five hundred thousand pounds, or two and a half -million dollars in American money. It was well worth doubling the -chief’s bribe, he urged, and we all were loth to retreat on the eve of -our adventure. We decided to win Gege-Merak’s support at all hazards, -and presently stood again in the presence of the chief. - -He sat just as we had left him, with the beautiful, statuesque girl at -his side, and the money still spread before him on the mat. - -“Brother,” said the Professor, “we have counselled together and decided -that your demands are not unfriendly. For your powerful support, for the -risk you take and the assurance that you will stand by us bravely and -faithfully, we will double the price first agreed upon. Twenty pounds -more we will give you now. It is all the remaining money we brought with -us. But upon our return to the ship we will give you eighty pounds in -addition, making two hundred pounds in all. Does this satisfy you?” - -“No,” was the quiet answer. “Give me the twenty pounds and your writing -to pay me one hundred and eighty pounds more on our return to the ship -and I shall be content. If any of my men are killed in fighting I will -say nothing. If any of your party is killed you shall not blame me in -any way. Make a writing as I have said and I will be true to you. This -is my last word.” - -I groaned in spirit at the necessity, but I tore a leaf from my notebook -and with my fountain pen wrote the agreement. Uncle Naboth and the -Professor added their signatures to mine. It was a great sum in Egypt, -this fifteen hundred dollars, and we had promised not to hold Gege-Merak -responsible if any of us lost our lives in the venture. But the -Professor assured us we had won a powerful ally and that the investment -was warranted by our necessity. - -I gave the Bega chief the paper, which I felt sure he could not read, -and counted out our remaining twenty pounds upon the mat. Thereupon he -spoke to the girl in his native tongue, for the Bega have a language of -their own, although they usually speak a hybrid Arabic. She leaned -forward, calmly gathered up the money in her scarf, arose and left the -room by the dark passage. She was tall for her age and moved with grace -and dignity. - -“At daybreak,” said Gege-Merak, “the caravan will be ready to start. I -shall go with you. To-night my brothers will sleep in a house prepared -for you. Ketti will lead you to it.” - -The young warrior who had guided us to the village from Koser now came -forward and bowed to us respectfully. We nodded farewell to the chief -and followed Ketti to a large house of one bare room, where our entire -party shortly assembled. Bry had already brought out his pots and pans -and soon a good supper was ready for us. Appetites are keen upon the -desert, and the evening was already well advanced when we had finished -the repast. Soon after, tired by our first day of camel riding, we -rolled ourselves in our blankets and fell asleep. - -I was roused even before daybreak by the noise and shouting in the -village. Every inhabitant seemed astir and in a state of wild -excitement, yet there was nothing for our party to do but fold our -blankets and eat the breakfast our black cook quickly served us. At -first we stumbled around blindly in the gloom, but gradually the sky -grew lighter, until suddenly the first red beams of the sun shot over -the edge of the desert. Beside the well and just in front of the chief’s -house the camels were assembled, all bridled and saddled and ready for -the journey. We took the beasts assigned us and mounted to our places -while the obedient creatures knelt to receive their burdens. The entire -population of the village stood around, silent now, but observant, to -watch the start. - -When we were ready I noticed that two of the camels still knelt awaiting -their riders. They bore gorgeous trappings, the saddles being studded -with brass and silver ornaments. The delay was brief, for soon the -little old chief came from his house, followed by the girl we had seen -the night before. - -I had wondered how Gege-Merak, who had seemed to be nothing more than a -withered, dried-up mummy, could by any possibility be able to lead the -caravan in person; but now, to my surprise, he advanced with swift -steps, agile and light as the tread of a panther, and seated himself -upon his kneeling camel. His one bright eye roved over the assembled -villagers, who all prostrated themselves an instant before resuming -their former upright positions. The chief was clad in the same bright -colored burnous he had worn the night before. An old-fashioned pistol -was stuck in his sash and at his side hung a Turkish cimetar with a -jeweled handle. When his camel had risen to its feet Gege-Merak made a -brief speech to the villagers and gave the signal to start. - -The girl, meantime, had quietly mounted the other camel and taken her -place beside the chief. No one saluted her or seemed to notice her -presence, yet to me she was scarcely less interesting than her aged -companion. The Bega women were numerous in the village, were generally -good looking and bold in their demeanor, yet the warriors seemed to make -a point of disregarding them altogether, as if the sex was wholly -unworthy of masculine attention. It seemed to be a Bega characteristic -and partly explained why the chief’s companion was so generally ignored, -but I was curious to know something of the girl who was to accompany us. -So as we rode slowly away from the oasis I asked Ketti, who was near me, -who she was. - -“Gege-Merak’s grandchild,” was the answer, and I thought the young -warrior’s eyes rested for an instant upon the young girl with a gleam of -admiration. - -“Will she succeed the chief, when he dies?” I inquired. - -“No, Effendi. Iva is but a woman. Only a man becomes chief of a Bega -tribe.” - -“I see. In our country, Ketti, a woman is considered equal to a man.” - -He made no reply to the observation and after a moment I continued: - -“Tell me, then, why does Iva ride with us on this journey?” - -He frowned, glancing around sharply to see that we were not overheard. -But we had ridden quite out of earshot. - -“Effendi, we speak little of such matters, but it is the superstition of -Gege-Merak. He believes that he will live as long as his grandchild -lives, but no longer. If she dies, then he will die. Allah has decreed -it. For this reason the chief does not dare to leave her behind, lest -some harm happen to her.” - -I laughed at this explanation, but the warrior’s face was grave. He was -by far the handsomest and most intelligent of our escort, and his -dignified and straightforward expression attracted me toward him. - -“Always the chief does not treat Iva well,” he added, as if to himself, -as he glanced again to where the oddly mated couple rode at the head of -the caravan. “Her health he guards, because he is selfish; but he makes -the girl his slave.” - -It occurred to me I had been right in guessing that the young man -entertained a tender feeling toward Iva. But I could scarcely blame him. -She was very attractive—for a Bega. - -We made toward a dim ridge of mountains that showed at the southeast and -during the day drew gradually nearer to them. At night we encamped in -the foothills. The rocks were bare and of a black color, and the -surrounding landscape was wholly uninviting. Just beyond us the hills -grew to mountains, which formed a seemingly endless range. - -“Do we climb those peaks?” I asked the chief, as our followers prepared -the camp. - -“There are passes between them, which we follow for two days,” he -answered, briefly. Ketti told me they were the Hammemat Mountains, -composed of a hard, dark stone called breccia, and that the ancient -Egyptians had quarries here, using the stone to form their statues from. - -From this first night the native and American camps were separate. The -Begas pitched low tents for our use, but on their side only one tent, -for the use of Iva, was set up. The men, including the aged chief, when -they slept simply rolled themselves in their _abayeh_ or ragged blankets -and lay down upon the sand. - -Bryonia, having brought a couple of sacks of charcoal from Koser to use -for fuel, managed to cook us a good supper. The Bega did no cooking, but -satisfied their hunger with hard bread and dried goat’s flesh, washed -down with a swallow or two of tepid water. We invited Gege-Merak and Iva -to join us at our meal, but the chief curtly refused. - -“I eat with my people,” he said. - -This action seemed to worry the Professor and his face grew anxious and -thoughtful. - -“If Gege-Merak had broken bread with us, or eaten of our salt,” he -remarked, “we might have depended upon his faithfulness at all times. It -is a rather suspicious circumstance, to my mind, that he refuses to join -us.” - -“I don’t trust him at all,” said I. - -“Nor do I,” added Uncle Naboth. “Seemed to me, first time I spotted the -rascal, that he was playin’ a deep game. Don’t you think it was foolish, -Professor, to pay him all that money?” - -“Not at all. If we had refused to pay it he might have robbed us of it -on the journey. Now he knows he can get nothing more from us until we -return to the ship. That will be our salvation, I imagine. To get the -balance of his payment he’ll be sure to return.” - -“But he doesn’t agree to bring us all back with him,” observed Archie, -musingly. “He’ll be entitled to the money, just the same, if a few of us -are killed.” - -“That matter,” said Ned Britton, grimly, “we must attend to ourselves. -There are nine o’ us to six o’ them copperheads, for the girl don’t -count. So I guess they’ll think twice afore they attacks us.” - -“I don’t fear any open rupture,” replied Van Dorn, with a moody glance -toward the Bega camp. “What we must guard against is treachery. If the -chief had eaten with us I should have feared nothing; but I know the -ways of these Begas, and it will be best for us to set a guard every -night while we sleep.” - -“Why, there’s nothing to murder us for at present,” I objected. “When we -get the treasure, if we ever do, it will be another matter. Just now—” - -“Jest now,” interrupted Uncle Naboth, “we’ll keep on the safe side and -take the Perfessor’s hint. Snakes is snakes, an’ you can’t tell when -they’re a-goin’ to strike. Let’s set a watch nights, from now on.” - -The suggestion was a reasonable one, and we determined to follow it. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - DEEP IN THE DESERT SANDS. - - -The second day’s journey was through wild passes of the Hammemat, among -which we might easily have become bewildered and lost our way had not -Gege-Merak’s knowledge of the mountains enabled him to guide us -accurately. We passed an old Egyptian mine and, soon after, the quarries -which they had abandoned centuries ago, and at evening came to the -famous well of Bir-Hammemat, the curb of which is sixteen feet in -diameter. Here we made our camp, and so wild was the spot that we kept a -constant though secret watch throughout the night. The Bega, however, -seemed to harbor no thoughts of treachery, and although they made their -camp on the opposite side of the well from our own they neither by look -nor action gave us cause to suspect their loyalty. - -We emerged among the foothills on the third day, and before noon passed -a landmark in the way of an old Roman well, now dry and abandoned. It -had once been a large cavity, walled up with huge layers of stone, and I -imagined it must originally have been very deep, too, for even yet the -rubbish in its bottom was a good fifteen feet from the curb. I glanced -at the place carelessly enough as we passed, never dreaming of the -tragedy soon to be enacted there. - -Pushing on at excellent speed we mounted more rocky hills, here composed -of yellow and red Nubian sandstone and granite. Just at sundown we -reached the Pass of Mutrok without incident. - -The Professor was excellently satisfied with our progress. - -“Four hours across the desert from here,” he told us at supper, “lies -the small village of Laketa, which is but four hours more from Luxor. -The treasure lies some two hours’ journey from Laketa, toward Karnak, -and my plan is to halt at the village, when we reach it, and leave our -native escort there. I can guide you myself from Laketa, so only the -Americans shall go to the place where the treasure lies hid. We shall -take with us the two extra camels, and when we rejoin the Bega we must -keep these camels constantly with our party, and refuse to tell the -chief or any of his followers what load they bear. This is a necessary -precaution, I assure you. So far our journey has been uneventful, but -once we have secured the treasure we must exercise exceptional caution -and vigilance until we get it safely aboard the ship.” - -This was good and timely advice, we well knew, and Van Dorn’s plan -seemed practical enough. Before leaving the ship our sailmaker had -prepared several large canvas bags for holding the treasure, and the -Professor had brought along a supply of sealing-wax with which to seal -up the treasure in the bags until it was delivered on board the ship and -could be appraised and divided between us. According to his recollection -of the cavity and its size Van Dorn judged that two camels would be -ample to transport all its contents. - -During this third day the Bega had seemed to regard us with less -friendly glances than before, and just as we dismounted at the camp an -unpleasant incident occurred that for a time promised open rupture -between us. - -One of the camels having gone lame during the afternoon, Iva had been -transferred from her own beast to that of the chief, riding behind whom -she finished the journey in no very comfortable manner. The girl, proud -and reserved, speaking seldom and then only in monosyllables, seemed -wholly out of place in this caravan of men, and we realized that the -chief’s absurd superstition about her was responsible for much of her -sullen behavior. - -Iva had ridden in a cramped position until her limbs were numbed, and as -she slid off the kneeling camel she stumbled and fell awkwardly against -the chief. In sudden rage Gege-Merak turned and struck her a blow on the -side of her head, and the next instant he found himself tumbling -headlong to the earth. For Archie had happened to stand near, and seeing -the outrageous act had bowled over the great Gege-Merak as coolly as if -he had been a school-boy. - -Even before the chief could rise the Bega had sprung at us with drawn -knives and leveled pistols; but Gege-Merak, hearing their shout of rage, -rolled over and held up an arm in warning. They slunk back, then, while -Ketti assisted the ancient chief to his feet. He was unhurt, for his -mummified little form was tough as leather. Neither had Iva been much -injured by the blow she had received, for she stood by quiet and -submissive to all appearances. But I had caught a fierce gleam in her -dark eyes that proved she secretly resented her brutal treatment. The -sharp edge of one of her clumsy ear ornaments had cut her cheek, and two -or three tiny drops of blood trickled down her face; but this was -unimportant. She well knew Gege-Merak would take good care not to -seriously endanger her health or life, even in a fit of temper, as long -as his superstition regarding her held sway. But a kick, a blow, or a -bitter epithet was often her portion. - -This was not the end of the incident. After supper and during the brief -Egyptian twilight Ketti came to us with a message from the chief. He -asked us to kill Archie before morning and expose his body to be torn -and devoured by the jackals, that the insult to Gege-Merak’s dignity be -avenged. - -We greeted the request with a roar of laughter, and Archie declared he -would run across and punch the old fellow’s nose for his impudence. -Ketti, who was less a barbarian than any of his tribe, in our opinion, -was still too dense to understand our answer until we said frankly that -we fully approved what Archie had done and had no intention of punishing -him. - -“Then,” said the messenger, “you must deliver him to our chief, who will -satisfy his vengeance according to our customs.” - -“See here, Ketti,” I replied; “you’re a good fellow, and I’ll explain to -you our position. The poorest American is of higher rank than the most -important Bega that lives, and your Gege-Merak is merely our servant, -having accepted our pay. Aside from that, we Americans won’t allow any -woman of any race to be abused in our presence, and you might tell your -wicked old chief that if he dares to touch the girl again while in our -company, we’ll tie him up and horsewhip him.” - -Ketti listened to this speech with keen interest. Perhaps he secretly -approved our stand, for his expression was thoughtful rather than angry. - -“Do not send this message by me, Effendi,” said he, in a low voice. “It -will mean to fight, and that must not be—for we are friends.” - -“Are we, Ketti?” I inquired, doubtfully. - -“I am your friend,” answered the warrior, evasively. “But our chief is -proud, for he is the father of all the Bega of Egypt, our tribe being -the head tribe of our people, and the Arabs and Turks have taught us -that the whites are but dogs, and have no rank. It will make danger for -you to defy Gege-Merak tonight. Tell him you will punish the Archie-boy -when you reach your ship, in your own way, which is to cut him in pieces -and feed him to the fishes; once we knew a ship-sailor who did that and -the promise will make Gege-Merak content.” - -“Very well, Ketti,” broke in the Professor, nervously; “deliver that or -any other message you like, and we’ll remember your friendship when we -get back to Koser. Say anything to your chief that will restore peace -between us, for we must remain friends.” - -Ketti nodded understandingly and returned to his people. Doubtless he -promised the old ruffian that we would take ample vengeance upon our -companion, for we could hear his voice declaiming loudly our reply -before all the tribesmen. Gege-Merak’s dignity was thus restored at -little expense to us, and we heard no more of the matter. The incident, -however, showed us that we stood in a delicate position and that our -protective escort might at any moment become our most vindictive enemy. - -Next morning we slept late and resumed our journey at leisure. The -Professor told the chief that we should not require his escort beyond -the village of Laketa. He might remain there with his band and rest -until we were ready to begin the return journey, probably upon the -following day. Gege-Merak listened quietly and made no comment beyond -saying that his people were our servants and that to hear was to obey—an -Oriental figure of speech that meant nothing at all. - -After leaving the mountains a series of low bleak hills had been -encountered, and about the middle of this forenoon we reached the ruins -of the old Roman hydrauma, or caravan station, long since abandoned. -Three miles farther brought us within sight of Laketa, a small group of -mud huts occupying an oasis which boasted two small wells and five palm -trees. - -We were at the village before noon, and found ourselves greeted by a -dozen Bisharin, men, women, and children. They were small, skinny -people, naked except for a loin cloth, and having bushy hair saturated -with foul smelling grease. The Bisharin claim kinship to the Bega -nation, but are much inferior in physique or intelligence to the Ababdeh -who formed our escort. They are great thieves, as are all these gypsy -Bedouins, but, too cowardly to fight in the open, they prefer to creep -upon their victims unobserved and stick a knife or short spear into -their backs. - -These natives of Laketa, however, lived so near to Luxor and -civilization that they had lost much of their native fierceness and were -a cowed and humble group. They welcomed Gege-Merak joyously, knowing him -as a great chief; but they stood more in awe of us than they did of -their visiting allies. The Professor assured us that we had nothing to -fear from them. He had often been to this village with Lovelace, during -the time they were engaged upon their tedious search for the treasure, -and the Bisharin knew him and treated the little “red-beard” with -profound respect. - -We made our camp beside one of the wells, while our escort encamped -beside the other, situated on the opposite side of the group of huts. -During the afternoon we rested from the fatigue of our journey and -perfected our plans, canvassing all matters of detail in the presence of -our entire party, so that every man, even to black Bry, might understand -exactly what our intentions were and what work would probably be -required of them. - -We informed Gege-Merak that we should ride that evening to a place near -Luxor, where the Professor would gather his belongings and pack them on -the two extra camels. Most of us would return during the night or at -daybreak; all would again be assembled at the oasis by noon, when the -return journey would be begun. We should camp the next night at our old -station in the mountain pass, which could easily be reached before dark. - -It was all simple and easily understood, and the chief appeared to be -satisfied with the arrangement. We had an early supper and at sundown -our band of Americans departed, taking the direction of Luxor and using -as a landmark the low hill called Tel-Ambra, lying southward of the -village. The Bega gathered in a silent group to watch us move slowly -over the desert, but night soon fell and they must have shortly lost -sight of us in the gloom. - -The Professor knew this territory by heart. There was no moon, and even -the stars lacked their usual brilliance because of fleecy clouds that -moved swiftly across the sky—an unusual sight in Egypt. Such clouds, -when they appear, contain no moisture, but are what are called “smoke -clouds.” There was plenty of light to guide us, however, so the -Professor was sure of his route. - -In an hour and a half we passed around the base of Tel-Ambra, which is a -barren rock cropping out of the desert, some twenty feet in its highest -part and about half a mile in circumference. Skirting this rock we -turned abruptly to the north, altering our course decidedly, for our -first direction was only undertaken to deceive the Bega. - -Thirty minutes of this northerly course brought us in sight of a group -of three straggling palms which showed like black streaks against the -sky; but now the Professor called a sudden halt, and I could hear him -storming and cursing in low but tense tones as he sat his camel and -glanced around him observantly. - -“What’s wrong, sir?” I asked, coming to his side. - -“That scoundrelly Arab, Abdul Hashim, has rebuilt his village,” he -answered, with evident chagrin. “The police tore down every wall and -scattered the stones far and wide; but here they are piled up again to -form houses, and even the roofs of some are newly thatched.” - -He pointed away to the left, and the stars being bright at the time I -had no trouble in perceiving that we had halted a few hundred yards from -a native village. But it was black and seemed deserted. - -“What does it matter?” I asked, impatiently. “We can surely keep away -from Abdul Hashim and his people until morning, and by that time we -ought to have gained possession of the treasure.” - -The Professor shook his head, doubtfully; but he gave the command to -march and we hurried away from this dangerous vicinity and approached -the group of palms. The feet of the camels made no noise on the desert -sands and our people were all too anxious and intent upon the adventure -to speak unnecessarily; so like shadows we passed through the shifting -and ghostly light that reached us from the stars, and soon gained our -destination. - -I had often wondered, in thinking upon the subject, how the Professor -would be again enabled to locate with any degree of accuracy the buried -treasure, situated as it was in a barren spot where the sand drove over -it with every breeze. So now I watched him curiously as he dismounted at -the palms and, drawing a line from one of the trees to another, seemed -to pick out a star straight ahead to guide him and began pacing his way -regularly over the desert. He gained an absolute regularity of pace in -an amusing and ingenious, yet simple manner, attaching a cord from one -of his ankles to the other, after carefully measuring its length. -Consequently all his paces were mathematically equal, or could vary but -slightly. - -The rest of us followed him silently. I tried at first to count the -number of paces, but from my high seat presently lost track of the -count. But I had no idea it would matter to us; we should never be -likely to visit this weird spot a second time. - -At last the Professor came to a sudden halt and held up his hand. We -leaped from our camels without waiting for them to kneel and two of our -sailors promptly produced shovels from their panniers and began to dig -in the spot the Professor indicated. They worked with steady industry, -you may be sure, and we took turns relieving them at the task, for -shoveling sand is by no means an easy job. - -After going a certain depth without finding the granite slab we began -making our pit wider, and within an hour a shovel wielded by Bryonia -bounded back with a metallic sound that told us the search had finally -been successful. - -While the men quickly cleared away the remaining sand, disclosing three -bronze rings imbedded in an oblong slab of granite, I could not help -marveling at the Professor’s cleverness in locating the spot so -accurately after several weeks of absence. - -“It is a matter of simple mathematics,” he explained, while he watched -the sand fly with eager eyes. “The only thing that could interfere with -my calculations would be the removal of the palm trees. But I did not -fear that, as they are centuries old.” - -The big stone was now cleared of sand. The three sailors and Ned Britton -stooped and put their shoulders to the slab, raising the ponderous -weight slowly but surely until it stood upright on its edge. Then the -Professor knelt down and with nervous haste threw out the padding of -dried rushes and the thick layers of rotted mummy cloth that covered the -contents of the vault. - -Now, more gently, he began removing a number of bandaged cylinders, -something like eighteen inches long and six inches in diameter. These, I -supposed, were the rolls of papyrus bark that told the history of that -dark period of Egypt between the Sixth and Twelfth Dynasties. From the -tenderness with which Van Dorn handled these rolls—which he rewrapped in -new canvas, sealed securely and then handed to Ned to be placed in one -of the panniers—I had no doubt he considered them the most valuable and -important part of the treasure. There were sixteen rolls; all of them, -according to our bargain, Van Dorn’s personal property. After these had -been cared for the Professor threw aside another layer of bandages and -then, at last, the more tangible wealth of the powerful priests of -Karnak was revealed to our wondering eyes. - -Under the dim stars we could see the sparkle of many rich jewels and the -gleam of a vast store of golden vases, exquisitely worked; of many -chains, bracelets and other ornaments; of pearls and precious stones. -Indeed, the pit seemed full of the queer and valuable things. - -Van Dorn did not pause an instant to admire this gorgeous sight. He took -one of the canvas sacks which Ned handed him and began filling it with -the jewels. It was difficult to see just what they were, but the -Professor took all that came to his hand and soon had filled the sack. -He tied its mouth securely and brought out his sealing wax. When he -lighted a match to melt the wax its rays illumined the pit, and I drew a -deep breath of wonder at the splendor that met my eyes. - -“Ah; treasure!” said a soft voice beside me. - -Startled, we all sprang up at the words and found squatting beside the -pit the form of the withered Bega chief, Gege-Merak. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - TAKING CHANCES. - - -The Professor gave a cry of positive terror, and before it was well out -of his throat Ned Britton had made a leap and pinioned the chief to the -ground with the weight of his huge form. - -We were all greatly startled; and dismayed, as well, for it seemed that -in spite of all our precautions Gege-Merak had spied upon us and the -secret of the treasure now extended to him—the most uncomfortable -confederate, from our standpoint, we could possibly have gained. Already -an enemy, and more powerful in this country, his own, than we were; -animated by the unscrupulous cupidity of his race and reckless—as his -people are—of any consequences that follow lawless acts, Gege-Merak was -the last person we would have chosen to share our important secret. The -worst feature of the whole matter was that we ourselves were defying the -laws of Egypt in stealthily removing this vast hoard, hidden by Egyptian -priests long before the present rulers had ever set foot in the land. If -the government suspected our act we should all be summarily imprisoned. - -No doubt the Bega chief knew very well our predicament, and that we -could not appeal to the authorities whatever injury he might inflict -upon us; so he would be inclined to fight us for the possession of the -treasure, if any dependence could be placed upon the native character. -If we tried to compromise, then a large share of our find must go to -Gege-Merak; but he was not likely to be satisfied with a little. - -These thoughts doubtless flashed across every mind in the pause that -followed Ned’s capture of the spy. I know, anyway, that they passed -rapidly through my own mind, and appalled me. - -Two of the sailors had sprung forward to assist the mate, and now they -produced several lengths of cord from their pockets—every sailor carries -such things—and the chief was soon fast bound and laid upon the sand a -few paces away. One of the sailors was left sitting beside him as a -guard. - -While the Professor nervously continued to fill the canvas bags from the -pit and to seal each one securely, we counselled together in whispers as -to the best method of dealing with Gege-Merak. The sailors and Bryonia -loaded the sacks into the panniers of the camels, which were strongly -woven of rushes, as fast as they were filled and sealed, and still the -pit seemed to contain as many jewels and precious stones as had been -removed. We began to tremble with a realization of the hugeness of the -treasure, and to understand that in spite of our ample provision to -carry it, some must be left behind. But that meant turning it over to -the chief, who now knew its location, unless—— - -“Gege-Merak must die!” growled the little Professor, through his teeth. -His face was pale and his eyes were glittering with excitement. - -Some of us breathed deeply; but none made reply in words. I dreaded the -necessity as much as any one could, but saw clearly that the chief’s -death was inevitable. It meant not only our protection, but perhaps our -salvation. We were now burdened with too vast a store of wealth to be -safe on the desert for a single moment, if Gege-Merak was to be at large -to dog our steps. - -We now implored the Professor to return the papyrus rolls to the cavity -and take instead more of the treasure; but Van Dorn obstinately refused. - -“It is my own share, and you have agreed I should take it,” said he. -“There are millions in gold and precious gems, besides; isn’t that -enough to satisfy you?” - -“But this may be our last chance at the treasure,” replied Uncle Naboth, -anxiously. - -The Professor gave him a queer look. It seemed defiant and half -threatening, but a moment later he dropped his head to resume his work. - -“That’s nonsense,” he snapped, wrathfully. “The stuff has lain here for -ages, and what we now leave will remain in safety until we can come -again—unless we give Gege-Merak a chance to grab it. We mustn’t do that, -gentlemen. If the chief lives he will never allow us to reach the ship -again; you may be sure of that. We’ve had evidence already of his -grasping disposition. It’s our lives against his, now, and we must not -hesitate to save ourselves.” - -“Bring the chief here, Cunningham,” called Uncle Naboth, peering through -the gloom where our sailor sat upon the sand guarding his prisoner. - -Cunningham did not move, and Uncle Naboth called again. Then Joe ran -across to him, bent over, and gave a cry that raised us all to our feet -in an instant. - -“The man’s dead!” he shouted. “Gege-Merak is gone!” - -It was true enough. The wily chief had managed to slip his bonds and -plunge a knife to the heart of his unsuspecting guard before he crawled -away into the night and escaped. - -We were horrified at the disaster. Our fears had now become realities, -and as we looked gravely into one another’s eyes under the dim stars we -realized that our lives were in deadly peril. - -“You’re a lot of clods—of duffers—of fools!” screamed the Professor, -stamping the ground in furious rage. “You deserve to die for being so -clumsy; you deserve to lose the treasure you are not clever enough to -guard! Bah! to think I have leagued myself with idiots!” - -Archie grabbed him by the shoulder and gave him a good shaking. - -“Shut up, you red-whiskered ape!” he said, menacingly. “Keep a civil -tongue in your head, or I’ll skin you alive!” - -We were all irritated and unnerved, and I tried to quiet both Archie and -Van Dorn, and to bring them to a more reasonable frame of mind. - -“It’s no use crying over spilt milk,” said I. “Let’s face the peril like -men, and do our best to get the treasure safely to the ship. Even if -Gege-Merak gets the rest, we have a fortune already.” - -“He’ll get that, too,” groaned the Professor. “The chief has more -cunning than the whole crowd of you.” - -The two camels were now heavily loaded with the sealed canvas sacks -containing the treasure and the library of historic papyri. We next -strapped the four panniers to the two beasts—one on either side of each -camel—and Van Dorn with the remainder of his wax smeared the buckles so -that if the panniers were opened or tampered with we should speedily -know the fact. He did not trust us wholly, it seemed, nor did we fully -trust him. The man had been acting ugly of late, and the fact that we -had no chance to examine any of the treasure we had so quickly thrust -into the sacks made it necessary that the seals remain intact until we -could open them in safety and in each other’s presence. - -Having now secured all of the ancient deposit of wealth that we could -carry, we held a solemn conference to determine our future movements. -The Professor, who had calmed down somewhat but was still sullen, -admitted that with proper caution we might find our way back to Koser -over the same route by which we had come. The only puzzling part of the -trail was that which lay through the intricate passes of the Hammemat -mountains, and we were willing to chance finding the right path because -we had no option but to undertake the risk. From being our guide -Gege-Merak had now become our most dreaded foe. We were better armed -than the chief’s band, and outnumbered it, although three of our party -were only boys. Aside from an ambush or an unexpected addition to the -chief’s party we might hope to hold our own against him in a declared -warfare. - -If we could have started at once on our return journey our chances of -reaching the _Seagull_ in safety might have been better; but it was -necessary for Archie to visit Luxor and deliver his father’s goods to -the merchants who had ordered them, and to receive payment on delivery. -This necessitated a delay which could not be avoided even under the -present trying circumstances. - -Van Dorn assured us that by morning we could plainly see the outlines of -Karnak and Luxor across the desert, and he said the journey could be -made in three hours. If Archie started at daybreak he could reach Luxor -in time for breakfast and by concluding his business as soon as possible -ought to be able to rejoin our party by noon. - -But Archie did not relish going alone upon this mission, and I had grown -to like the young fellow so well that I offered to accompany him. It was -decided all of us should move around the base of Tel-Ambra, after -concealing every trace of our visit to the pit, and there encamp to -await our return from Luxor. - -We had to bury poor Cunningham in the sand; but we dug him a deep grave -and wrapped him in two blankets in lieu of a proper coffin. The stone -having been dropped to cover the cavity and the sand piled in and -smoothed above it, we marched across to Tel-Ambra and came to a halt -well on the other side of it. Here we speedily made camp and appointed -Bryonia and Ned Britton to watch while we lay down to sleep. - -I was so excited by the occurrences of the night that I could not -compose myself to slumber for some time, but lay awake and watched Van -Dorn, who, also restless, paced up and down in the sands apparently in -deep thought. He had grown moody and unsociable, and since his violent -exhibition of temper I had come to dislike him more than ever. - -When dawn came creeping over the desert I sprang up and aroused Archie. -The others were mostly awake, I found, and while we munched a little -food Joe came to me and begged to travel to Luxor in our company. - -Ned Britton, who had now assumed military command of our party, thought -there would be no greater danger to the others and more safety to Archie -and me if Joe accompanied us; so Uncle Naboth’s consent was obtained and -we three mounted our camels and set off at a brisk pace toward Luxor, -the outlines of which city the Professor pointed out. - -The morning air of the desert was crisp and invigorating, and so fresh -were our camels that in two and a half hours we reached the Karnak road -and soon after clattered into the streets of Luxor. - -It is an odd town, a mingling of the modern and ancient. On the bank of -the Nile stands the ruin of the great temple so famous in history, its -many rows of lotus-capped columns rising toward the sky in magnificent -array. Beside the monster temple is a litter of mud huts; across the way -is the wall surrounding the fine modern Hotel Luxor, and against this -wall on all sides are rows of booths occupied by the Greek, Syrian, and -Arab merchants as bazars. - -When we arrived and inquired for the merchants with whom Archie was to -deal, we found their shops still closed; so we entered the grounds of -the hotel, left our camels at the stables, hired a dray to fetch -Archie’s boxes from the railway station, and then treated ourselves to a -good breakfast served in civilized fashion. By the time it was finished -the boxes were waiting in a cart outside, and the merchants, we found, -had arrived at their shops and were anxious to examine the goods. - -We realized the necessity of making haste and so accepted the invitation -of a Syrian dealer to open our boxes in a big vacant room back of his -bazar. We admitted only the two men who had ordered the goods, although -a group of curious natives wished to enter with us, and soon Archie, -Joe, and I had the cases open and the goods spread out for examination. - -The Syrian and his fellow merchant, a gray-bearded Greek, gravely -inspected and approved the clever imitations of ancient scarabs, charms, -figures, urns, and the like, that had been “made in America” to deceive -American tourists in Egypt; but when Archie demanded to be paid the -price agreed upon they both demurred, claiming the trinkets were not -worth the sum asked. - -Archie was indignant and threatened to box up the goods again and ship -them to Cairo; and then began the inevitable bargaining that is so -tedious but necessary in dealing with the Egyptians. - -While my friend, who proved no unskillful bargainer, was engaged in this -occupation I chanced to glance toward the one dirty window in the place -and saw a man standing outside who instantly riveted my attention. He -was tall and stately, with a calm, handsome face and steady eyes, and -while he gazed in upon us it suddenly flashed across me that I had seen -this Arab before—standing on the quay at Alexandria and staring at the -_Seagull_ as we had sailed out of the harbor. - -Yes; it was indeed Abdul Hashim, the Professor’s most bitter enemy; and -as this fact was revealed to me I remembered the peril of our friends -awaiting us on the desert and turned impatiently to Archie to ask him to -hasten. - -As I spoke the eyes of the Arab outside turned toward mine and, perhaps -seeing my glance of recognition, he turned and disappeared. - -“Archie,” I said in a low voice, “for heaven’s sake end this squabbling. -Too much depends on our prompt return to quarrel over a few beastly -piasters.” - -He seemed to realize this, for he quickly closed with the offers of the -merchants and they paid him the sum he had agreed to take in English -bank notes and gold. While the money was being counted out I saw Abdul -Hashim again at the window, his greedy eyes feasting upon the money; and -this made me more nervous than before. I quickly made my way outside and -moved around to the window, but the Arab had disappeared and I failed to -find him in any of the neighboring streets. - -I told Archie and Joe of my discovery, and that Abdul Hashim had seen us -receive the money. The tale alarmed my friends, but after a moment’s -thought Archie decided what to do. We went at once to Cook’s banking -office, which was in the hotel building, and there Archie exchanged his -gold and notes for a draft on the bank’s American correspondents, for -the full amount. The paper he placed in his stocking, flat on the sole -of his foot, and then he drew on his boot with a sigh of relief. - -“If it is stolen,” said he, “no one can cash it but my father; but I’d -like to see the Arab or Bega clever enough to find the draft where I’ve -hidden it. Come on, boys; we’re free now; so let’s hurry back to our -party and the treasure.” - -The camels had been watered and fed by the hotel attendants, and we -hastened to mount them and start on our return journey. As we left the -town it was a little after eleven o’clock, for much valuable time had -been consumed in settling Archie’s business. - -“But it’s what I came to Egypt for,” said he, “and father would be wild -if I neglected the business he sent me on, even to get a share of that -treasure. As it is I’m afraid he’ll think me a poor hand at a bargain, -to take less than was agreed upon.” - -“There’s no trusting to the word of these native merchants,” I remarked, -as we sped away over the sands. “How much did you manage to get for that -rubbish, Archie?” - -“About twenty-five hundred dollars. But I ought to have had three -thousand.” - -“And what did it cost to make the stuff?” I inquired, curiously. - -“Oh, the material is mostly mud, you know; but the molds and the -workmanship are expensive. With the freight and my own expenses added, -the finished product cost us nearly nine hundred dollars.” - -“Not a bad deal, then,” said I, with a laugh. “Your father will find -himself a bit richer, anyhow.” - -“But think of what those rascally merchants will make!” he exclaimed -indignantly. “The scarabs, which cost them about half a cent each, -they’ll sell for twenty piasters—and that’s a whole dollar!” - -“Say, boys,” observed Joe, quietly, “we’re being followed.” - -We turned quickly in our saddles at this startling news, and a glance -told us Joe was right. Coming toward us in a cloud of dust, from the -direction of Luxor, were several camels and donkeys. Already they were -near enough for us to see that they were ridden by a band of Arabs, who -were urging the animals to their best speed. - -We pricked up our camels with the sharpened sticks provided for that -purpose, and with groans of protest the supple beasts threw out their -hoofs and fairly flew over the sands. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - ABDUL HASHIM EXPLAINS. - - -Far ahead we could see the outlines of Tel-Ambra standing clear against -the blue sky, and toward this we headed, for our friends would be there -awaiting us. - -Our pursuers also redoubled their pace, and it became a set race in -which only the endurance of our animals was of importance. The camels we -rode were among the best of Gege-Merak’s herd, and we saw with -satisfaction that they could easily keep the distance between ourselves -and the Arabs. - -Gradually the mound grew nearer and we strained our eyes to discover -Uncle Naboth and his party, who should be near its base. Perhaps they -were on the other side, and had not observed our approach. The quick -pace was beginning to tell on our camels, which all breathed heavily; -but on we dashed at full speed, for the remaining distance was short. - -We reached the base of the hill, skirted it without slacking rein, and -then with a sense of dismay realized that we were alone upon the -desert—save for that grim and relentless band following in our wake. - -Uncle Naboth, the Professor, Ned Britton, the sailors and Bry—even the -camels with the treasure—had all been swallowed up by the mysterious -waste of sands. - -And now we three boys, left to our fate, must show the mettle we were -made of. We halted our panting camels, backed them against a rocky cliff -of Tel-Ambra, and hastily unslung our repeating rifles. - -“Don’t let us be captured without a struggle, boys,” I exclaimed. - -“We’ll fight while there’s a bullet left or a breath in us,” responded -Archie, promptly. - -“All right, fellows, if you say so,” said Joe, strapping on his -cartridge belt; “but it seems to me you’re making a mistake.” - -“How so?” I asked, rather indignantly. - -“Look at them,” said Joe. The Arabs had halted just out of range, but we -could count their numbers now. “There are about twenty of the rascals, -and they’re all armed. We can’t hope to beat them in a fight. We can -kill a few, of course, but they’ll down us in the end. And what then? -Why, they’ll be mad as hornets, and want revenge. It’s natural. But as -it now stands we are not the enemies of these heathens, as I can see, -having had no dealings with them. I understand they want to rob us, for -they think we’ve got the money those merchants paid Archie—that beast -Abdul Hashim is at the head of them. But if we submit quietly to being -searched they won’t find any money and they’ll scarcely dare kill us for -disappointing them.” - -“I don’t know about that,” said Archie, eyeing the foe fiercely. “I’ve -heard Van Dorn say these Arabs will kill a Christian as calmly as -they’ll eat a dinner. They think a good Mahommedan will gain paradise by -killing an infidel dog. And besides that, if they try to rob us and then -let us go our ways, they’ll be afraid we will make trouble for them with -the police. No, Joe; it’s robbery they mean first, and murder afterward; -you can rely upon that.” - -“Maybe so, sir,” answered Joe. “But I was just looking for our one -chance. To fight means sure death; to give in quietly means a hope for -life—not a great hope, sir, but one just big enough to hang your hat on. -If you say fight, I’m with you. If you say be foxy and try diplomacy, -I’ll like it better.” - -“Humph!” said I, partly convinced. “Perhaps Joe’s right.” - -“I’m sure he is,” responded Archie, frankly. “But I hate to see those -beggars down us so easily.” - -“Discretion is the better part of valor,” I quoted, pompously; yet I -longed to fight, too. - -“We aren’t giving in, fellows,” declared Joe; “we’re just playing our -best cards in the game, and it isn’t our fault if we don’t hold all -trumps. Come on; don’t let’s act like cowards, or even whipped curs. -Let’s go to meet them—and, say, put up your rifles. We won’t show any -force, but try to smile and look pleasant.” - -The Arabs had been conversing together, evidently trying to decide how -to attack us. They knew if they came within range of our rifles some of -them would be shot down, and since they now had us safely snared they -might take time to figure out the problem. - -Had there been any hope of our overtaking our friends I should have -advised keeping the Arabs at bay as long as possible. But as far as the -eye could reach, in every direction, the desert was deserted save by the -two groups at Tel-Ambra. What, I questioned, anxiously, could have -induced my uncle and Ned Britton to desert us? Such an act was wholly -unlike them, and there must indeed have been a powerful reason behind -it. At present it was all a profound mystery to us, and we had no time -to make an attempt to unravel the web. - -Thinking Joe’s counsel good, in the circumstances, we started our camels -and advanced leisurely toward the Arabs. They were startled at first, -expecting a fight; then, as they saw our rifles slung over our -shoulders, they became puzzled by our audacity and amazed at our -boldness. But they stood in a motionless group awaiting our approach, -and as we drew near to them I, being slightly in advance of the other -two, said in a voice which I strove to render calm: - -“Good day, gentlemen. Can you tell us the way to the village of Laketa? -I’m afraid we’ve missed the trail.” - -The Arabs looked at us stupidly a moment, and then Abdul Hashim spurred -his donkey—a strong, thin limbed beast—toward me and touched his turban. -His gesture indicated respect, but his steady eyes were as unfathomable -as a pool at midnight. - -“The blessing of Allah be thine, Effendi,” said he. “What is your errand -at Laketa?” - -“To rejoin the rest of our party,” I answered confidently. - -“Ah, yes; your party from the ship, with the red-bearded jackal Van Dorn -at their head,” he said, with a flash of resentment as he mentioned the -Professor. - -“You are wrong in one thing,” said I, calmly. “Naboth Perkins, my uncle, -heads the party.” - -“Why try to deceive us, Effendi?” asked Abdul Hashim, in a sterner tone. -“You take me for a fool, it seems; and a fool I am not. You would not be -here—you could not be here—unless led by the red-beard, who is a dog and -a traitor to his masters.” - -“I don’t answer for Van Dorn,” I replied, with a shrug. “It seems you -know the Professor, and don’t like him; but I’m sure that is none of our -business. All we ask of you is the favor of a courteous direction to -Laketa. If you will not give this, we must proceed without it, and find -the place the best way we can.” - -I had observed that as we conversed the band of Arabs had crept around -our group, slowly encircling us in all directions, so that now they -fairly hemmed us in. Also their long rifles were in their hands and -their belts were stuck full of pistols and knives. The party had been -formed for warfare, without a doubt. - -Although noting all this I endeavored to appear unconcerned as I awaited -the sheik’s reply. - -The latter smiled rather grimly and said: - -“We will indeed be your guides, young sirs; but not to Laketa. Forgive -me if I ask for your companionship until you have told us all I wish to -know.” - -“And what is that, Abdul Hashim?” I asked boldly. - -“You know my name?” - -“Of course. We knocked you down that evening we rescued Van Dorn from -your clutches in Alexandria, and he told us your history. The Professor -wanted us to kill you; but we refused. Perhaps you remember that?” - -“I remember that I owe my life to my own skill, and not to your mercy.” -He expressed himself in excellent English, for an Arab. But the English -have occupied Egypt for so long that nearly all the natives have learned -to speak or at least understand our language. - -“You have not told me what it is that you wish to know,” I said, -impatiently. - -He looked me over with a thoughtful expression and proceeded to examine -each of my comrades, in turn. Then he said, abruptly: - -“You will come to my village.” - -At once the Arabs began to move forward, and we, being surrounded, were -forced to accompany them. They were an evil appearing lot, dirty and -hungry looking, and I did not doubt that any one of them would murder us -with much satisfaction, merely for the pleasure of killing. - -As for Abdul Hashim himself, I began to perceive he was a character, and -one worth studying in other circumstances. Never have I seen more -handsome features on any man, but they were as immobile as if carved -from marble. Any expression you might read showed in his eyes, which he -could not control so well as he did his face. Usually they were calm as -those of the sphinx, but at times they flashed evilly—nay, even with a -gleam of madness in them—and always they were cruel and terrible in -their aspect. In civilized countries a man like this would be greatly -dreaded; here he was an insignificant sheik, with a handful of followers -too degraded to be of any importance. - -We passed around Tel-Ambra to the left and headed for the small group of -rude stone huts which the Professor had sighted the night before and had -aroused in him such violent emotions. The place was not far distant from -the three ancient palms, and as we rode along I glanced over the desert -to try to discover the spot where the treasure was hid; but the endless, -undulating sands refused to reveal their secret. Indeed, the brisk -morning breeze appeared to have smoothed away every trace of our night’s -work. - -Abdul Hashim said little until we reached his village, which had hastily -been rebuilt after the police had demolished it. Even before then it -must have been a miserable affair; now it was scarce worthy the name of -village, or suitable for mortal habitation. Doubtless the only object of -a settlement at this place was to waylay travelers who crossed the -desert from the Red Sea, and I could conjecture without much chance of -going wrong that robbery had been the only means of livelihood for its -inhabitants. - -Entering a narrow street we were told to dismount in front of the most -important hovel the place contained. We obeyed because we could not well -do otherwise. Abdul Hashim personally ushered us into the dwelling, and -as we entered the Arabs slily cut the straps of our rifles and took the -weapons from us. We dared not resent this insult, but though we made no -protest in words we were angry enough when we turned to face the sheik, -who alone had entered with us. - -The room consisted of four bare stone walls of uneven height, only a -portion of the inclosed space being roofed or thatched with palm -branches. Slabs and blocks of stone lay around in all directions, as if -the work of restoring the walls was still incomplete. In one corner a -black goat with a white spot over one eye lay asleep in the shade, and a -rude bed of palm leaves stood underneath the thatch. - -“Now,” began our captor, in a brusk tone, “let us come to an -understanding, if you will. You _gidân_[2] must tell me all that I wish -to know, or I will put you to sleep forever. But first I will tell you -what I already know. It is this: The red-bearded jackal you call Van -Dorn was formerly the slave of a wise explorer named Lovelace Pasha, who -was my friend. Lovelace Pasha sought for buried treasure in the desert, -and I gave him my assistance in return for his promise to give me and my -people a share of the treasure, if he found where it lay. This Lovelace -was a real effendi—a gentleman—and always to Abdul Hashim a true friend. - -“One night he found the treasure, and with him at the time were two of -my tribe—one being my own brother—and the slave Van Dorn. Lovelace Pasha -took a few jewels and started to return to my village, but the discovery -had driven Van Dorn mad. He shot my men and killed them, and would have -shot Lovelace Pasha had he not caught and held the red-beard and -wrenched the pistol from his grasp. So my friend bound Van Dorn with -ropes and brought him to my village, with the sad news of the crime he -had committed. Also Lovelace Pasha showed me the jewels which he had -taken, and said there was much treasure to divide and that I should have -my share according to the compact, as I had been faithful to him. - -“My people, _gidân_, do not take vengeance upon those whom Allah has -smitten with madness; so we did no harm to Van Dorn. Lovelace Pasha -declared the fellow was without mind or reason, but offered to care for -him until the morning, as he did not fear him. So he took him into his -house and my village went to sleep. - -“In the morning we found that another great crime had been committed. -Van Dorn had broken his bonds, stabbed Lovelace Pasha to the heart, -robbed him of the jewels, and escaped to Luxor. With him he carried the -secret of where the treasure lay hid, and too late we gained the -knowledge that the red-beard was not mad, as one without reason, but -merely mad to gain all the treasure for himself and willing to kill and -defy all who stood in the way of his gaining the vast store his master -had discovered. For, mark the cunning of the miserable thief, Effendi: -this Van Dorn told the police that I and my people had murdered the -great Lovelace Pasha, and the governor, believing him, sent a strong -force to my village and destroyed it, declaring me and all my tribe -outlaws. - -“Thus did the jackal add to his crimes and prove he was not afflicted of -Allah, but by the devil of the Christians. And, tell me, would a -Christian, even, love him after this? - -“I followed him secretly to Alexandria and with some friends to assist -me was about to capture Van Dorn and make him lead us where the treasure -is hid, when he cried out in fear and your party came to his rescue. -Again he escaped me, for you took him aboard your ship and sailed away. -I watched you, and feared that my revenge and the secret of the treasure -were both lost to me. Then I remembered the jackal’s slyness, and knew -that some time he would return to secure the wealth that was hid in the -sands near to my village. So I came home to watch for him, yet I did not -expect him to act so soon. In Luxor I saw you and recognized the fact -that you belonged to the ship in which Van Dorn had sailed away. They -told me you had ridden your camels in from the desert, therefore I knew -you had followed the trail from the Red Sea. It was all plain enough, -with a little thought. I got my men together and followed you, as you -know.” - -The sheik paused. He had spoken earnestly and well, and his story -bewildered us because we had until now believed in the plausible tale -the Professor had told us. If Abdul Hashim’s relation was true the -little Professor was indeed a diabolical scoundrel; and I had a secret -conviction that a part of it, at least, was to be believed rather than -Van Dorn’s version. But was not Abdul Hashim also a scoundrel and thief? -You had but to look at the fellow to doubt that there was an honest hair -in his head. Privately I decided that neither was entitled to any share -of Lovelace’s find; but however the original discoverer had been done to -death a bitter feud had undoubtedly sprung up between Van Dorn and the -Arab—both eager to profit by Lovelace Pasha’s murder. - -“Tell me,” resumed the sheik, abruptly, “where is your ship—at Koser?” - -I nodded. - -“And you came over the caravan route through the mountains?” - -I nodded again. - -“Perhaps, then, you know when the jackal will try to secure the -treasure?” the sheik continued, eyeing me intently. - -I decided there was little harm in being frank with the man. He knew -there was a treasure and that Van Dorn was after it and would not rest -till he got it. So it would avail us nothing to lie, and I hoped our -final safety might result from being frank and truthful. - -“Van Dorn has already secured the treasure,” I answered. - -For the first time the passionate heart of the man conquered his -impassive frame. He gave a start of dismay and his face was for an -instant contorted with fear and anger. But presently he controlled -himself with a great effort and asked: - -“When was this, Effendi?” - -“Last night.” - -“Were you with him?” - -“Yes.” - -“Where, then, is the robber now?” - -“I do not know. We went to Luxor on business and our party was to wait -for us at Tel-Ambra. When we arrived they were gone.” - -I had reminded him of something. He looked at Archie and said: - -“You received some money at Luxor. This is a dangerous place, so I will -myself take care of your money until you are in safety, or rejoin your -friends. Give it to me.” - -Archie grinned. - -“Why, you’re as big a thief as Van Dorn,” he answered, easily. “But I’ve -fooled you, my good Arab. The money is now in Cook’s bank at Luxor, and -I don’t believe they’ll give it up if you go and ask them.” - -The Arab frowned; but perhaps he remembered there was more important -game to be bagged, for he said no more about Archie’s money, to the -boy’s great relief. - -“Did the jackal secure much treasure?” he inquired, turning to me with a -trace of eagerness in his voice. - -“Quite a lot. Enough to load two camels,” I replied. - -“And did any remain after that?” - -“Plenty, as far as I could judge.” - -“Where is the place?” - -“I could not find it again if I tried; nor could my companions. Van Dorn -did not tell us how to get to it. He led us there at night, and it is -still his secret as far as we are concerned.” - -After this Abdul Hashim began to pace nervously up and down the room, -the floor of which was hard earth. Suddenly he paused. - -“How many people came with you from Koser?” he demanded. - -I was glad he asked the question that way, for it gave me an opportunity -to answer truthfully and still mislead him. - -“Gege-Merak, who guided us, had an escort of six Bega warriors; in our -party were nine—fifteen in all,” said I. - -“Gege-Merak!” he exclaimed, in an annoyed tone, and resumed his pacing. -Evidently the news did not please him. - -I acknowledge that I hardly knew how to conduct myself in so strange an -emergency. The question was whether to try to make an ally of the sheik -or to defy him. It naturally worried me to be separated from my uncle -and his party of Americans, of whose fate I now stood in doubt. The -treasure I believed to be seriously threatened by Gege-Merak, who had so -inopportunely discovered our secret, and the chief would have no -hesitation in murdering us all if he found an opportunity. With Abdul -Hashim on our side we might successfully defy Gege-Merak, yet to set the -Arab on the trail meant sure death to the Professor and a loss of much -of the treasure, since the sheik would be sure to put forward his claim -for a division, under the alleged compact existing between himself and -Lovelace. - -Truly we Americans were in double peril, from the Bega chief on one side -and the Arab sheik on the other; and how we might extricate ourselves -from the difficulties that beset us was a difficult problem. If we three -boys were again with Ned and Uncle Naboth we could assist them to fight -it out, but our loss must have weakened them greatly, and alone we three -were well nigh powerless. - -“Fifteen,” repeated Abdul Hashim, musingly; “fifteen. Are you Americans -true men?” he then inquired, with an appearance of earnestness. - -“True as steel,” I said. - -“Will they deliver Van Dorn to my vengeance?” - -The question amused me. - -“No, sheik; they will be true to Van Dorn, who has been true to them. -They do not know the story you have just told me, and have no grievance -against the man.” - -“But when they learn the truth will they deliver him up?” he persisted. - -“I think not. My uncle would take an American’s word in preference to -that of an Arab.” - -“I must fight,” said Abdul Hashim, as if to himself. “But not openly. I -must meet treachery with treachery. Very good.” - -He stopped and looked at us with composure, as if he had settled all -difficulties in his own mind and outlined a plan of action. - -“I shall yet secure my treasure and my revenge,” he continued, and then -bowed low to us and left the room. The bow was a mockery, and we felt -less assurance in the sheik’s absence than when we faced him. - -But here we were, prisoners of an unscrupulous and lawless Arab, and -realizing that any present attempt to escape would be useless, we sat -down upon the palm branches to await the next act in the drama. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - PRISONERS. - - -The situation was not long in developing. A tall, dirty Arab came in -with some coarse food, which we ate because it was now the middle of the -afternoon and our long ride had made us hungry. - -Scarcely had we finished the meal when more Arabs came to lead us from -our quarters. We found six camels saddled and kneeling in the village -street. Three were our own, and with them were three others that seemed -equally good—doubtless the pick of Abdul Hashim’s animals. - -The sheik and two stalwart Arabs stood beside the beasts and, as we -approached, Abdul Hashim tersely commanded us to mount. We obeyed, -selecting our own camels; I ventured to ask if we could not have our -rifles, which I saw the sheik and his two men holding. The result was -that he not only refused my request, but ordered us carefully searched, -and so our knives and revolvers were taken away. These the three coolly -appropriated and we were compelled to mount. - -Slowly we rode away from the village toward the spot where the three -aged palms reared their fronded heads above the sands. Somewhere near -their roots there must have been moisture, which welled up from below, -but never reached the surface of the desert. It is the only way to -account for the life of these trees amid the sandy waste, whereon -nothing else was able to grow. Often you meet with such phenomena in -tropical climes—vegetation existing seemingly without moisture—but there -must be a rational explanation of these remarkable occurrences. - -Abdul Hashim seemed moody, and a frown darkened his handsome bronzed -features. When we arrived at the palms he turned to us and said: - -“I have decided to give you a full hour in which to discover the -location of the treasure. To deny that you know where it lies is -useless, for if you fail to find it you will all three die here. I will -not be burdened with prisoners, and I dare not set you free; so you may -preserve your lives but in one way, by finding the treasure.” - -This foolish speech made me very indignant with the fellow and -discovered the sheik in an altogether new character. - -“You must think we are a bunch of idiots!” I exclaimed, angrily. “If you -dare not set us at liberty now, you surely would not dare do so after we -had found the treasure for you.” - -“You may as well kill us now, without farther trouble,” added Archie, -gloomily. - -“But that would be awkward for Abdul Hashim,” observed Joe, with a quiet -smile. “Have we not warned the Cadi[3] at Luxor that we saw the sheik at -the window of the bazar, and that we feared mischief at his hands? And -did not the Cadi promise us that if harm came to us he would take -vengeance on Abdul Hashim?” - -I looked at Joe admiringly. It was all pure invention, but I could see -that the remark impressed the sheik and caused him to waver in his -purpose. - -“The death of Abdul Hashim won’t help us after we are murdered,” -remarked Archie, with a grin of appreciation. - -“But it will be a satisfaction, nevertheless, to our friends,” I added, -attempting indifference. - -Now, the desert Arab is perhaps the most lawless creature on earth, -except the desert Bega; but also he has a most wholesome fear of the -authorities. The Egyptian mounted police is considered the finest and -ablest body of the kind in existence, and its officers are merciless in -hunting down the offenders of the law. So the Arab covers his crimes as -much as possible, not being wholly deterred from them by the police, but -striving in stealthy ways to escape discovery. Joe’s argument was, -therefore, the most forcible one we could have advanced to safeguard our -lives, and we were glad to see that it made our captor thoughtful. It -might not serve, after all, if the sheik saw any particular object in -killing us off, but until he did the thought of punishment evidently -deterred him from harming us. - -He tried another argument. - -“Come,” said he, assuming a soft, caressing tone, “there is much -treasure left, you say, and we will divide it equally. Or we will make -it in quarters—I am not greedy, and a quarter is enough for one poor -Arab like me, who only wants money to rebuild his village. And afterward -I will escort you and your prize safely to Koser, or to Cairo, as you -may prefer. All will be well with us, and we shall part friends. Is it -agreed, then?” - -He was not at all clever, this big and handsome bandit. No wonder the -Professor found it easy to fool him. - -For answer I shook my head. - -“What you ask is impossible,” I said, truly. “Van Dorn has guarded his -secret well, for only he knows where to unearth the treasure.” - -“Then,” declared the sheik, with an abrupt change in tone, “I must have -Van Dorn. Come; let us ride on.” - -“Do you expect to capture Van Dorn’s party with three men?” inquired -Archie, maliciously. - -“No; I will tell you my plan. I intend to make a compact with -Gege-Merak, if I can overtake him,” was the calm answer. “Together we -will get the treasure that has been already taken and what still -remains. We have only to wrest the secret from the red-bearded jackal, -and kill him. Then we will divide the spoils and each go our own way. It -is simple and easy enough to do, is it not?” - -It seemed to me rather difficult, but I said nothing. Knowing more of -the situation than Abdul Hashim did, I realized that the Bega chief was -already our secret enemy and would doubtless be glad to form an alliance -with the Arab, although the Bega professed to despise the Bedouins who -shared the desert with them. I pinned my faith to Ned Britton, our -stalwart sailors, and Bry, and to the cleverness of the Professor. Abdul -Hashim would find some opposition in carrying out his “easy and simple” -plans. - -The camels were now sent forward at a swift pace and soon we reached the -miserable oasis of Laketa. There we learned that all the men of the -village—some half dozen—had joined Gege-Merak’s party and gone into the -mountains. The party of Americans had followed in pursuit an hour later, -said an old woman who spoke English imperfectly. - -“Why pursuit?” I asked in wonder, when the sheik, at this information, -turned to me with a triumphant leer. - -That, however, the ignorant creature could not explain, either in her -native dialect or in English. We only knew that friends and foes had -disappeared into the foothills several hours before, and it puzzled me -greatly to understand why Uncle Naboth had left us three boys to our -fate and started in pursuit of the Bega chief. The only plausible -explanation was that the Professor wanted to kill Gege-Merak before he -could betray the secret of the treasure and set the authorities at Koser -upon us; but even then it was unlikely that my uncle would consent to -abandon me and my companions for the sake of the treasure or to obey Van -Dorn’s whim. It was not like the faithful old fellow, who had stood by -me in many a former emergency. - -Abdul Hashim did not delay at the village, but pushed on hastily, late -as it was. We three boys were ordered to ride ahead, and our captors -followed with rifles ready to shoot if we dared swerve from the path. -Neither could we outdistance them, for their camels were as swift as our -own and more obedient to their control. So we were as much prisoners as -if bound and manacled. - -The twilight is brief in Egypt, so soon after the setting of the sun we -were obliged to make a halt. We had now reached the old abandoned well -of the Romans, and beside it we made our camp. - -First of all the Arabs tethered the camels; then calmly proceeded to -bind us in an original manner. Our legs were tied from ankles to knees, -and a rope was placed around each of our necks, looping us together and -connecting us in one string with the most powerful of the two Arabs who -accompanied the sheik. We were given food and a swallow of tepid water -each, and afterward our wrists were firmly tied behind us. Trussed up -like so many mummies, we were commanded to lie down and sleep! - -Strange to say, we did sleep—not comfortably, perhaps, but from extreme -fatigue; for the hard riding of the day had thoroughly exhausted us. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - THE WELL OF THE SCORPIONS. - - -Next morning I awoke at early dawn to see Abdul Hashim standing by the -curb of the abandoned well and looking into its depths thoughtfully. His -men joined him a moment later, and they conversed together in low tones -in Arabic. Several times I heard the word “akareb” mentioned, which I -knew to signify scorpions, and at times they would cast a pebble into -the well and then peer after it curiously. - -At first I could not imagine what the fellows were up to. I knew -scorpions were thick in these foothills, and remembered that my friend -Ketti had warned me of them as we passed through; but why should the -Arabs be so interested in the fact that there were numbers of these -vermin at the bottom of the abandoned well? - -The sheik soon solved the mystery, to my great horror. He came to us and -kicked us in turn, bidding us harshly to rise. - -Something in the man’s eyes warned me of grave danger. His mood had -changed over night and instead of the thin mask of friendliness there -was now a wicked look on his finely cut features that I was positive -meant our imminent destruction—if he could accomplish it. - -I slowly and with effort struggled to my feet, as did Archie and Joe. I -braced myself for the final struggle. - -“If I am to reach Gege-Merak I can carry you with me no longer,” -announced the sheik, in a surly tone. “Therefore you will have the -misfortune to fall into the well here, and if your bones are ever found -no one can blame me for your death.” - -“The well is full of scorpions, boys,” I said to my companions. “The -sheik means to murder us.” - -Archie shuddered, Joe remaining strangely silent. - -“It isn’t a pleasant fate, Abdul Hashim,” I continued, turning to face -the scowling Arab. “Why don’t you shoot us down, and make an end of it?” - -“Ah, I fear your friend, the Cadi,” he responded, with a guttural laugh. -“My plan is safe for me, and as sure for yourselves. There shall be no -bullet holes in your flesh to trap me; there shall be no bonds around -you to prove foul play if you are discovered in the well before the -scorpions have picked your bones clean. Now, then, Hassan—get to work!” -he added, turning with a gesture of command to his tall follower. - -Hassan proceeded to free Joe from his bonds—he was first at hand—and the -others at the same time began to untie our cords. - -“I will give you a chance to fight the scorpions,” said the sheik, -grimly; but that was the biggest mistake he ever made. He should not -have risked loosening our bonds. He took us for mere boys, but forgot -that even a boy, if he is an American and desperate, will fight to the -last for life and liberty. - -The tall one pushed Joe toward the edge of the well and was about to -thrust him over the brink when the boy, who had seemed dazed and inert, -suddenly stooped and grasped the Arab’s legs. It was the old trick that -had once before astonished us. There was a brief struggle and then the -man rose into the air, his arms extended and swinging in space, and -plunged head foremost into the pit. His cry of terror, as he fell, was -bloodcurdling, and Abdul Hashim gave an answering yell and sprang toward -Joe with a knife glittering in his upraised hand. - -Swift as an arrow the boy darted under his arm and ran where a rifle -leaned against the rock. I saw him swing around and fire point blank at -the sheik, who was not three paces away—but I had business of my own to -attend to. For the burly Arab who had partly unfastened my bonds now -clutched me by the throat and threw me to the ground, where he knelt on -my chest and drew his pistol from his belt. Just as he fired the weapon -was thrust aside and Archie’s big fist crashed into the fellow’s face -and knocked him flat beside me. - -“All right, Sam; you can get up now,” said the Yankee, cheerfully. “The -war’s over.” - -He cut my remaining bonds with a knife; half conscious of what had -happened, I sat up and looked around. - -Joe was seated on a rock bandaging his leg with a handkerchief. - -“What is it?” I asked. - -“Only a scratch,” he replied. “Abdul Hashim’s knife grazed me as he -fell.” - -The sheik was lying motionless upon his face. Archie turned him over and -the dark eyes stared steadfastly at the sun, without blinking. I found -myself trembling as with an ague. - -“It’s dreadful, boys!” I gasped, appalled by what we had done. - -“So it is,” answered Joe, nodding; “but it was our lives against theirs, -Sam, and——” - -He paused abruptly, glaring at something behind me. Archie screamed a -warning and I sprang to my feet to find that the third Arab had -recovered consciousness and was about to plunge a knife into my back. - -I caught his wrist and struggled to hold the keen blade away from me, -but the fellow was strong as an ox and mad with rage. Archie came to the -rescue and dealt him a couple of stinging blows, so that he dropped the -knife and caught us both in a fierce embrace, crushing the two of us -against his breast while he dragged us nearer to the well. - -I realized his intention and screamed and struggled without avail. -Nearer and nearer to the scorpion pit we were dragged until all three of -us, a writhing mass of flesh and muscle, were tottering on the brink. - -[Illustration: The fight at the scorpion pit.] - -Suddenly a pistol shot cracked—seemingly close to my ear—and the Arab’s -head dropped. He gave us one final, spasmodic hug, and partly relaxed -his grasp. I felt that we were all three reeling into the awful depths -below, when my hair was clutched and I was torn from that terrible -embrace and hurled to the earth. It was Joe who had saved me, and from -where I lay I saw him straining to save Archie also from falling into -the well. The Arab was either dead or desperately wounded, but with his -final instinct of enmity he clung to Archie on one side while Joe -dragged at him from the other. - -The Arab’s body, however, was hanging over the pit, and its weight would -soon draw my struggling, desperate friends after it unless prompt help -was rendered them. I again leaped up and, half dazed as I was, clung -frantically to Joe, and my added weight gave us the victory. For the -Arab’s grasp slackened and his body slowly collapsed and fell with a -thud to the bottom of the pit, while we three, clinging together and -panting from our efforts, staggered away to sink weakly upon the ground. - -It had all happened in half the time it takes to tell it, and for a -moment the sudden revulsion from impending death to absolute freedom was -more than we could comprehend. A little time ago we were being dragged -by our terrible captors to the scorpion pit, there to meet a frightful -death, and now two of our assailants were themselves in the pit, while -the third lay motionless before us! - -“How did it happen?” I asked myself, greatly bewildered; and then I -remembered how Joe’s trick at wrestling had tumbled the first man into -the well; how Joe had seized the rifle and shot Abdul Hashim; how Joe -had vanquished the last Arab by a pistol shot as Archie and I struggled -with him for dear life. - -Joe? Yes; Joe had done all this. The quiet, slender lad I had once -befriended through pity had now saved us all three from an awful fate, -and by his extraordinary pluck and quick wit had proved himself a hero -indeed. - -Joe sat before me in an inert heap, breathing fast after his amazing -efforts. Silently I reached out and grasped both his hands in mine, -pressing them with gratitude too deep for words. Archie awoke from his -stupefied abstraction and shook our deliverer’s hands warmly in his big -paws. But he too forbore to speak. Words are poor things, and—Joe -understood, I’m sure. - -Finally we grew calm enough to resume conversation and to inquire what -it was best we should do next. I was for taking the three best camels -and pushing on toward Koser, hoping to find the pass through the -mountains and regain the ship. My friends thought the plan as safe and -practical as any. So I arose, rather unsteadily, for my nerves were -still on edge, and searched the saddle-bags for food, having had no -breakfast. I found plenty of dates, banyans and dried goat’s flesh, and -we each took a portion of these and began to eat. - -Presently Archie crawled to the edge of the well and leaning over looked -in. I saw his face blanch and a look of horror come to his eyes, but -neither Joe nor I asked a single question as our comrade hastily drew -back and came to our side. Nor have I questioned him since. Whatever the -Yankee boy saw in that gloomy pit he has never cared to speak of. - -We were about to mount our animals, having recovered our rifles and some -of our other weapons, when the quick tread of approaching camels reached -our ears. Unnerved by our recent experience, our first impulse was to -grasp our rifles and leap behind a sheltering rock, from which refuge we -might determine whether friends or foes were drawing near. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - VAN DORN TURNS TRAITOR. - - -The tread of the camels sounded ahead of us from up the trail, and soon -we were reassured by a loud voice speaking in hearty American fashion. -Shortly after there moved into our line of vision Uncle Naboth and Ned -Britton, riding side by side, while after them came Bryonia and the -sailors from the _Seagull_. - -With a shout of joy, we leaped from our concealment, and my uncle fairly -tumbled off his tall camel in his eagerness to embrace me. It was indeed -a joyful reunion, and for a while no questions were asked on either -side, the satisfaction of knowing we were all safe and reunited being -enough for us. - -But soon the silent form of Abdul Hashim stretched upon the ground -attracted attention, and Uncle Naboth leaned over it and asked in a -hushed voice: - -“Who killed him, Sam?” - -“Joe, uncle; and by killing him saved all our lives.” As quickly and in -as few words as possible, I related the tragic scene just enacted. - -But the relation of Abdul Hashim’s enmity reminded me to ask a question, -in turn. - -“Where is the Professor, uncle?” - -“And where’s the treasure?” demanded Archie, almost in the same breath. - -Uncle Naboth frowned and looked glum, and Ned swore a deep oath in -sailor fashion. - -“The Perfessor, Sam, is a infernal scoundrel!” my uncle answered. - -I glanced at the dead Arab. Was his story indeed true, I wondered, and -had Van Dorn wronged Abdul Hashim even as the sheik had declared? If so, -much might be forgiven the Arab. - -“Let us admit the Professor is a scoundrel,” I remarked, “for such a -statement does not surprise me. But that does not account for his -absence.” - -“Yes; it does,” retorted Uncle Naboth; “an’ it ’counts for our runnin’ -away and leavin’ you boys in the lurch. Almost it accounts for your all -bein’ killed—which you would ’a’ been, lads, if it hadn’t been fer Joe.” -Here he glanced affectionately at our hero, who grew red and -embarrassed. - -“True enough, uncle,” I said. “Tell us about it, please.” - -“It were this way, Sam,” he began, seating himself upon a stone and -mopping his brow with his red silk handkerchief, for it was hot up here -among the rocks and Mr. Perkins was round and chubby. “You boys hadn’t -more’n started for Luxor yesterday mornin’ before that blasted -Gege-Merak come a-ridin’ up with his band an’ all the scoundrelly -niggers in the village. They halted a little way off, for we showed -fight an’ they was summat afraid of us. But that little dried-up -one-eyed chief was game to come on alone, an’ as soon as he was in -speakin’ distance he begun jabberin’ away in Arabia to the Perfessor. -Van Dorn answered back, for he can talk Arabia well enough himself, an’ -so they jabbered together for a time. I asked ’em to speak so’s we could -understand, for ol’ Gege can talk English if he wants to, as you know; -but the Perfessor told me not to interfere. - -“‘You leave me to deal with him,’ says he, ‘an’ I’ll negotiate this -business all right. P’raps,’ says he, ‘the Bega will keep our secret, -after all, an’ not want a share o’ the plunder, either. He ain’t lookin’ -for trouble,’ says the Perfessor. - -“So I said nothin’ more, an’ they talked an’ jabbered a long while. Then -on a suddint Van Dorn turns an’ says: ‘The chief thinks some o’ you -understan’ Arabia, the langwidge as we’re speakin’, an’ he suspicions -we’re a-trappin’ him.’ - -“‘We’re all honest English,’ says I, ’an’ I’m glad to say we don’t know -a word of Arabia. What does he want, anyhow?’ - -“The Perfessor looked hard at Gege, but ol’ one-eye wouldn’t talk -English. ‘Come,’ says the Perfessor, ‘state your terms.’ But still Gege -was silent as a clam. - -“‘I guess,’ says the Perfessor, ‘you all better draw aside an’ leave me -to dicker with the chief. Draw back a little,’ says he, motionin’ to us. - -“Well, you know, Sam, we’d come to rely a good deal on Van Dorn. He’d -led us straight to the treasure, as he’d said he would, an’ he’d sealed -it all up accordin’ to agreement until we could get it aboard ship an’ -divide it proper. An’ we knew we’d have a hard time gettin’ back to -Koser if we had to fight Gege an’ his niggers all the way. So we thought -if Van Dorn could settle the trouble in his own fashion we’d give him -every chance to do so. Leastwise, that’s what I thought, for I told the -boys to ride off a little way, out o’ earshot. We did that, leavin’ the -Perfessor an’ the chief together, and leavin’—that’s where we blundered, -my lad—leavin’ the two camels with the treasure with ’em. But we hadn’t -a thought of treachery until ol’ Gege raised his arm an’ the whole troop -o’ niggers come rushin’ forward. They surrounded the Perfessor an’ the -camels, fired a few shots at us, an’ then turned an’ rode as fast as -they could for the village. - -“Ned an’ I didn’t know what to do for a minute. The Perfessor was -escapin’ as lively as the rest, leadin’ one treasure camel, while ol’ -Gege led the other; so we knew well enough he’d put up the job on us an’ -made a dicker with Gege to rob us of our share. - -“‘The boys won’t be back till afternoon, so let’s foller the thieves an’ -fight it out,’ says Ned. That struck me as sensible, so after ’em we -went, not meanin’ at the time to desert you, but tryin’ to save the -treasure we had earned an’ to balk the plans of that dum-sizzled -Perfessor.” - -“You did quite right, uncle,” said I. “I don’t blame you a bit. Well?” - -“Well, lad, they didn’t stop at the village, as we expected, but kep’ -right on. Also we kep’ right on. Whenever we got too close they’d turn -an’ shoot at us, but they never hit anything, an’ we didn’t dare shoot -much ourselves for fear o’ killin’ the girl, who was ridin’ her camel -jest beside the chief an’ the Perfessor.” - -“Iva?” - -“Yes. She’s a pretty girl, Sam, and ain’t to blame in this matter, as I -can see; so we hated to harm her. Another thing, we ain’t so used to -shootin’ folks for a bit o’ money as these Arabs is. So all day we -chased ol’ Gege through the hills, an’ towards dark we were a long way -ahead o’ here, past the next stretch o’ desert beyond, and well into the -black mountains. Then, to our surprise, instead o’ keepin’ in the trail, -the chief and his party turned aside into a narrer path an’ rode plumb -into a blind ravine, where they made camp. - -“I couldn’t understan’ the whys an’ wherefores of this, at first, but -Ned an’ I figgered out that the foxey ol’ chief, or the Perfessor, or -both, didn’t care to get any nearer to Koser with that treasure while we -were hot on their track. They mean to stop in that canyon until they can -get rid o’ us, some way or ’nuther; for to let us chase ’em into the -settlement, or to get there first an’ warn the police, would mean that -they’d have to give up the boodle, sure thing, an’ p’raps render an -account for killin’ poor Cunningham. - -“We watched the mouth of that ravine all night, but couldn’t get any -nearer the thieves ’cause one man, well armed, can stand in that narrer -place between the rocks an’ keep off an army. This mornin’ we decided -we’d go back an’ find you boys, for you’ve been on my mind a good deal -an’ I’ve worried about you. So I’m mighty glad to find you so soon, safe -an’ well.” - -This story was as perplexing as it was interesting. I tried to -understand the policy of the Professor’s strange desertion. - -“Why, uncle, do you think Van Dorn preferred to deal with the Bega chief -rather than remain faithful to us?” - -“There’s several things to explain it, Sam. Ol’ Gege knew the secret, -first an’ foremost, an’ the Perfessor reckoned we could never get to -Koser alive an’ with the treasure as long as the chief was agin us an’ -hankerin’ to get his fists on them jewels an’ things. Van Dorn had -agreed to give us half of all the treasure, exceptin’ the rolls of -writin’, an’ if he stuck to his bargain with us ol’ Gege might capture -the outfit, bein’ stronger than we are an’ knowin’ the country better. -On the contrary, if Van Dorn deserted an’ went over to the chief, he -could make the same terms with him an’ stand a better chance of gettin’ -out safe. Mebbe he’s got a plan to return for the rest of the treasure, -an’ mebbe his idea is to take it to Luxor, so’s to keep out of our way. -Anyhow, the Perfessor’s a low-down villain, Sam, an’ he’s tryin’ to -feather his own nest at our expense. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if -he’s plottin’ right now how to kill us all, so’s to make himself safe. -You see, he an’ Gege has that paper, signed by us, sayin’ we don’t hold -anyone responsible if we’re killed in this adventure. That was a great -mistake, Sam; we hadn’t ought to ’a’ signed it, at all.” - -“But Van Dorn wouldn’t dare go to the ship and face my father,” said I. - -“Of course not. His plan would be to find some other vessel to carry his -plunder away from Egypt. He’s cunning as a weasel, that Perfessor, an’ -vile as a skunk.” - -I thought it a good time to relate to our friends the story of Van -Dorn’s treachery to Lovelace Pasha, as told us by the Arab sheik; and -they all agreed that Abdul Hashim’s version was likely to be true, and -that the “red-beard” had been a scoundrel from the beginning of his -connection with the affair, plotting to get the treasure away from both -the explorer and the sheik, in case it was discovered. We were sorry -Abdul Hashim had been killed, but his cold-blooded attempt to murder us -had led to his own undoing, and he was now out of the running for good -and all. The Arab might have possessed some manly instincts, and perhaps -was a better man than Van Dorn, if the two could be compared; but his -hatred of the white infidels made him as dangerous as the other, and we -felt that one desperate enemy, at least, had been removed from our path. - -“I wish he could have lived long enough to meet the Professor once -more,” said I, with a sigh; “but fate has robbed the poor devil of even -his revenge.” - -We buried him among the rocks, to keep the jackals from preying upon his -body, and mounted our camels to ride toward the place where Gege-Merak -was encamped. - -There was little need of haste now. The chief did not wish to escape us, -it seemed, any more than we wished him to escape. The treasure was a -magnet that drew both parties toward it irresistibly, and in order to -possess it we must isolate ourselves in these mountains until we had -fought the matter out and one side or the other became the victor. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - THE MAD CAMEL. - - -Beyond the old Roman well, which had this morning witnessed so strange a -tragedy, there lay, as you will remember, a stretch of sandy desert some -five miles in extent, beyond which rose the black breccia cliffs of the -Hammemat Mountains. It was in a rift of these cliffs that Gege-Merak had -established himself. - -We were proceeding leisurely across the sands and had come near enough -to the edge of the mountain to note well its defiles, when our attention -was arrested by a strange occurrence. A camel came racing at full speed -from the hill path and dashed out upon the flat desert where we rode. -For a short distance the beast made straight toward us, and we could see -a rider clinging to its back—a huddled up figure dressed in a green and -scarlet robe. - -“It’s Iva!” cried Archie, astonished; and at the same moment the dress -also enabled me to recognize the chief’s granddaughter. - -Even as my friend spoke, the camel swerved and commenced running in a -circle, scattering the sand in clouds as it bounded along in great -leaps. The girl huddled lower, clinging desperately to her seat as the -seemingly infuriated beast continued on its wild career. - -“Why, the camel’s mad!” I exclaimed, remembering the tales of mad camels -I had heard related, and seeing in the animal’s erratic actions the -solution of the mystery. - -There was no doubt of it now. The huge beast ran here and there in an -aimless manner, never slacking its terrific speed, but darting first -this way and then that, and finally renewing the circular course that -was the clearest proof of its crazed condition. - -Our party had halted involuntarily to watch the strange scene, but I -felt that the girl was in serious danger and urged my camel forward -without any clear idea of how I could render her assistance. In a moment -I found that Archie and Joe had both joined me; pricking our animals to -a faster pace we rode straight for the place where the mad camel was -performing his capricious pranks. - -Suddenly the beast stopped—so abruptly that Iva flew over its head and -landed in the sand twenty feet or more away. She seemed unhurt by the -fall, for instantly she was on her feet and, picking up her skirt, ran -toward us with the speed of a deer. At the same time the mad brute’s eye -caught the flash of her gaudy robe and, with a loud bellow, he darted -after her flying figure. - -For a second my heart was in my throat. Then I jabbed the pointed stick -into the flank of my camel and shouted: - -“Quick, boys—keep close together and run the beast down!” - -It was a desperate act, but Iva’s peril was imminent. Even the lion in -his jungle is not more terrible to face than a mad camel, and in a few -moments the girl might have been trampled into a shapeless mass by the -feet of the frenzied animal. - -Riding so close together that the flanks of the three camels touched, we -dashed swiftly on. Iva saw us, and, almost as we were upon her, turned -and darted to one side. Her camel had also marked us, but with elevated -head and flashing eyes, its hoofs spreading in the air as it bounded -along, it made no attempt to pause. Next moment we came together and -struck with the force of a catapult, the impact being so great that I -sailed skyward and alighted—fortunately on my feet—several yards away. -Archie and Joe also took croppers, and as soon as we recovered ourselves -we looked toward the camels. They were all in a bunch at first. The mad -one was down, and also one of the others, while the remaining two were -stamping on them with terrific blows from their powerful feet. - -It was a camel fight then, sure enough, for it is the instinct of these -creatures to destroy one of its kind if it becomes crazed and runs -amuck; and Archie’s camel, having tumbled down, would have suffered -severely from the indiscriminate attack of its companions had it not -found a chance to rise and join them against the real offender. - -When, finally, the mad one lay crushed and motionless upon the sands, -the others quieted down and stood meekly awaiting us to come and remount -them. - -Meantime Ned Britton, who followed close behind us, had leaped down and -caught up the terrified girl, and when I looked to see what had become -of her I found her seated upon Ned’s steed with our big mate beside her, -while he strove to quiet her fears and agitation by smoothing her hair -with his rough hand. - -Heretofore Iva had been sullen and silent, keeping by the side of the -old chief, her grandfather, like a shadow and seeming to lack any -interest in her surroundings. But now, as we gathered around her with -sympathetic faces, she became animated and frank, thanking us very -sweetly and with evident gratitude for coming to her rescue. - -“But how did it happen, Iva?” I asked. “Why did you leave Gege-Merak?” - -She drew back with a sober look; then, impulsively, she said: - -“I will tell you all, for Ketti says you are honest and good, and I know -my grandfather to be cruel and wicked.” - -The speech astonished us, but the girl continued, quickly: - -“Ketti has quarreled with his chief, and he is in disgrace—Ketti, who -will be chief after my grandfather dies!” - -“Will he, Iva?” I asked. “Is Ketti to be the next chief?” - -“Yes; it is his right,” she answered, proudly; “and that is why -Gege-Merak hates him. But Ketti is good, and when he is chief I am to -marry him.” - -“Bravo, Iva!” cried Archie. “Ketti is the best fellow in your gang, to -my notion.” - -“I think so, too,” said I. “But go on with your story, Iva.” - -“The red-beard offered to give our chief half the treasure he has found -if Gege-Merak will kill you all. My grandfather has promised to do so, -but the men we brought from Laketa are cowards and do not dare to kill -the Americans, and we have not enough men to be sure we will beat you in -a fight. So the chief sent me back to our village to get all of the -fighting men of our tribe and bring them to join him in yonder valley.” - -“A very pretty plan,” remarked Uncle Naboth. - -“That was why Ketti quarreled,” said the girl. “He said you must not be -killed, for if we injured you the whole tribe would suffer, and perhaps -be destroyed. Ketti does not care for treasure; he says it makes our -people thieves and jackals; and he wants to live honestly and in peace, -as our forefathers did. There was another thing, too, Effendi. The chief -also plots to kill Red-beard, now that he is in our power, and to keep -to himself all the treasure. Ketti told my grandfather that was not -right, for we had given Red-beard our word, and the word of a Bega chief -should be an honest word, and never false.” - -“It won’t hurt the Perfessor to kill him,” observed Uncle Naboth -reflectively. “The dum-sizzled scoundrel deserves several kinds of -deaths, as a matter of justice.” - -Iva did not know how to take this speech, but, after looking at my uncle -in grave protest, she continued: - -“So Ketti was disgraced—he, the bravest of our tribe!—and the chief, my -grandfather, commanded me to ride to the village for our warriors, -because I could not fight if you attacked him, and I knew well the way. -He made me take Sekkat, our swiftest camel, although Sekkat has been -acting strangely for two days. There is Sekkat,” she continued, pointing -to the crushed remains of the beast that had so nearly destroyed her. -“No sooner had I ridden out of the valley where the camp is than I -understood that Sekkat was mad. I tried to turn him, and he rushed down -the path and out upon the desert. The rest of my story you know, -Effendi, and I thank you again for saving my life. Ketti also will thank -you,” she continued, with a proud look at us. - -“But Ketti is disgraced,” I said, smiling. - -Her eyes flashed at this and her brow grew dark and fierce. - -“Not for long will Ketti bow to any man’s anger!” she cried. Looking -about us with an air imperious as that of any queen, she added: “Come -with me, brave Amêrikâni! I will show you how to save both Ketti and -yourselves, even as you have saved me. More; you shall save Red-beard -and his treasure, too.” - -That last promise was not necessary, but we accepted it with the rest, -and that right joyously, as you may imagine. - -“What is your plan, Iva?” I asked, as we once more put our camels in -motion and rode toward the black cliffs of the mountain. - -“Wait; you will see,” she replied, setting her lips firmly together. So -much were we impressed by this girl’s courage and frankly avowed -friendship that we followed her lead blindly, questioning her no more. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII. - IVA. - - -It soon became evident to us that Iva knew this country intimately. She -abandoned the clearly outlined entrance to the pass through which we had -come on our way from Koser, and led us around to the less promising -cliffs at the left. An hour’s ride brought us to a ravine we had not -before noticed, and silently we entered this and rode among boulders and -loose stones until the steep rocky sides closed in on us and we could -proceed no farther. Then we dismounted and picketed our camels. Taking -only our rifles and ammunition with us, we followed the Bega girl up a -dizzy and difficult path that one would have judged, at first sight, it -was impossible to scale. But Iva, mounting light as an antelope, seemed -sure of her way, and where she went we could not well hesitate to -follow. - -The perilous climb brought us to the top of the cliff—a rocky ridge, -narrow and uneven, with peaks here and there that shot their points -still farther toward the sky. Presently the girl paused and looked over -the edge, and dropped lightly into a pocket-like hollow of the inner -cliff—a place that reminded me of an upper box in a theatre. - -Here, quite protected from observation, we could look down upon the -ravine in which Gege-Merak and his men were encamped. Just beyond the -pass we could see the two tall warriors who were guarding its entrance, -so we had approached the ravine from the rear. - -The cunning old chief had chosen his retreat well. On all sides were -smooth walls of black breccia, where not even a mountain goat could have -found a foothold. Only at the entrance was there any cleft that allowed -one to enter or leave the place. The camels stood grouped at one end, -and the four panniers containing the treasure of the priests of Karnak -had been piled upon a rocky table and were guarded by one of -Gege-Merak’s own men. The ravine was perhaps eighty feet wide by some -three hundred feet long, and several of the low, spreading Bedouin tents -had been pitched just underneath the hollow wherein we lay. - -The chief and all his company, except the guards I have mentioned, must -have been congregated under these tents when we arrived at our point of -observation, and for more than an hour we lay there patiently attentive -without seeing any evidence of life in the camp below. We supposed that -Iva’s adventure was unknown to them, shut in as they were, and doubtless -the chief believed her even then to be speeding toward his village to -bring back reinforcements of fighting men. - -But Gege-Merak had no intention of remaining idle in the meantime, as we -were soon to observe. For at last the Bega began to stream out of the -chief’s tent, and among them came Van Dorn, his arms bound close to his -sides and a big warrior now leading, now pushing him along. - -The Professor seemed weak and unnerved, for he stumbled among the loose -stones that littered the way and would have fallen more than once had -not his guard steadied him. His head was bare and his clothing torn in -many places. Doubtless the fellow had struggled desperately before he -had finally been secured. - -They led Van Dorn to the end of the ravine opposite us and placed him -with his back against the rock. The Bega and the Bisharin from Laketa, -all animated and talking eagerly in their native tongue, formed a group -fifty yards away. Prominent amongst them we could see the dwarfed, -withered form of the aged chief, and the stalwart, towering figure of -Ketti. - -Gege-Merak gave an order and a man stepped forward and leveled his rifle -at the Professor. Before he could fire, Van Dorn shrieked in terror and -dropped to the ground. They raised him again, cuffing and shaking him -until once more he stood upright. Yet he trembled visibly. Again the -Bega warrior raised his rifle, but, answering the victim’s pitiful -screams, Ketti now sprang before the man and wrenched away his weapon, -protesting so loudly that his voice reached even to our high nest on the -cliff against the deed the chief had ordered. - -Gege-Merak fairly danced with rage at this defiance. He gave a command -which at first his men seemed reluctant to execute, but finally two of -them approached Ketti, seized him and drew him away, binding his arms to -his sides. Iva was frantic at this act, and we had to warn her several -times to be quiet or we should surely be discovered by those below. - -It was while I was busy soothing Iva that I heard a shot and a cry of -agony, and turned in time to see Van Dorn fall flat upon his face. Poor -fellow, the treasure had cost him his life. However treacherous he had -been in his dealings with Lovelace, with Abdul Hashim and with us, his -final alliance with old Gege-Merak had brought him into contact with a -nature as unscrupulous as his own, and the barbaric chief had evened up -all scores by robbing the man of his ill-gotten wealth and his life at -once. - -But it seemed that Gege-Merak’s vengeance was not yet complete, and we -could see from the tense and strained attitudes of the warriors that Van -Dorn’s death was but an incident in the drama. If, indeed, the chief had -cause to hate Ketti, that young man’s rash interference with his -commands had given Gege-Merak the chance, perhaps long desired, to -punish him. It may be he lived in fear of the handsome fellow who was -destined to succeed him at his death, for Ketti’s popularity with the -tribe was indisputable. Anyway, his orders, now given in a firm, loud -voice, seemed instantly to seal the fate of Iva’s lover. - -Bound and helpless as he was, the young man was led to the spot where -Van Dorn had stood and set with his back against the wall of rock. But -there was no craven spirit in the victim this time. Proudly the warrior -stood facing his chief, his pose erect, his dark eyes calmly regarding -his destroyer and a slight smile of scorn curling his lips. - -Gege-Merak shouted his commands, but not a tribesman moved to obey. -Softly Iva reached out her hand and grasped my repeating rifle, and I -let her take it. She knelt before me, her brown face rigid, her eyes -dark with horror, and rested the barrel on the ledge of rock before her. -I saw Uncle Naboth and Ned glance at each other significantly; but they -made no move to interfere. - -Again and again the chief shouted his orders, waving his arms -imperiously and stamping his foot in rage; but the Bega stood stolid and -unyielding, and their Bisharin allies shrank back and huddled in a -frightened group in the rear. - -Gege-Merak himself snatched a rifle from a warrior’s hand and swinging -around leveled it full at Ketti. At the same instant Iva’s rifle cracked -beside me and I saw the aged chief totter, drop his weapon and sink -slowly to the earth. A shout went up from the assembled group below, and -with one impulse they turned their eyes toward us. - -And now the girl sprang upon the dizzy ledge and stood where all might -see her figure clearly outlined against the sky. High above her head she -held the rifle that had slain her wicked grandsire, and as the Bega -recognized her they shouted again—joyfully this time—and waved their -hands to her in full approval of her act. - -I own I was horrified for a moment, remembering the ties of blood -between Iva and Gege-Merak; but she was a wild, half-civilized child of -the desert, and to her simple mind her lover’s life must be preserved at -any cost. - -All was eager animation in the ravine. Ketti’s bonds were quickly -removed, and the big fellow waved his thanks to the sweetheart whose -courage had saved him. - -“Come,” said Iva, calmly, as she stepped down to a safer position beside -us. “There are only friends in Ketti’s tribe now; let us go to him.” - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - KETTI PROVES A FRIEND. - - -As hastily as might be we groped our way down the dangerous pathway to -the ground below the cliffs. There we regained our camels and made for -the desert, around the spur of the mountain, and so up the regular trail -to the mouth of the ravine. - -Ketti was eagerly awaiting us, and as she saw him Iva quickly rode -forward and threw herself from her camel to crouch with bowed head -before the new chief. - -Coming to her side, Ketti raised her gently and, while we watched with -curiosity from one side and the assembled Bega watched from the other, -the young warrior gravely placed one hand beneath Iva’s chin, palm -upward, and the other hand upon her head, palm down. - -This, we learned afterward, was the betrothal ceremony of the Bega. When -a young man chose his bride he went to her and took her chin and head -between his palms, and thus made claim to her for all time. None other -dared afterward make advances to the girl, under penalty of incurring -her affianced youth’s anger. Indeed, I was told this was frequently the -only ceremony performed at all, whether of betrothal or marriage, by -many of the tribes, although there was a form of native wedding that -included various and lengthy rites and involved much feasting and -dancing. - -The girl, it seems to me, has not a fair chance in this custom, for she -is not allowed to refuse a man who so salutes her. It is true a brother -or father may challenge a presumptuous warrior and fight him to the -death, but the girl herself is helpless. - -I am sure Ketti and Iva had an elaborate wedding ceremony thereafter; -but that is not a part of my story, from which I fear I have digressed. - -Feeling quite safe with the friendly Ketti, we had no hesitation in -following him and his band into the ravine, where we dismounted and went -at once to examine the body of Van Dorn. He was quite dead, having been -shot through the heart, and Ned Britton lifted him and bore him to one -of the low tents, of which Ketti willingly gave us the use. Gege-Merak’s -body still lay upon its face where it had fallen, and to my surprise -none of the natives touched it or even so much as glanced toward it, so -far as I could see. - -In the tent, Ned and one of the sailors searched Van Dorn’s clothing and -removed from it the leathern belt, his rings and watch and a small -note-book. Last they found, sewn into the lining of his well-worn coat, -a package, rather bulky, though flat, covered with goat-skin, tied and -sewn securely and carefully sealed. These things I took possession of, -and Uncle Naboth and I went to see Ketti to get permission to bury the -body. - -We found the young chief seated on a rock beside Iva, with whom he was -conversing most earnestly. He smiled at us as we came up, and said: - -“We have made changes, Effendi. I am now chief.” - -“So I understand, Ketti,” I answered, “and I’m glad of it. We are -friends with the Bega now, are we not?” - -“We are friends,” he announced, gravely. “Gege-Merak was bad, and had no -love for you. He loved treasure better, and killed the Red-beard to get -it all. But Ketti does not want his brothers’ wealth. It is enough that -you have paid the Bega to guide and protect you.” - -“Do you mean that you will return to us the treasure?” I asked, striving -to conceal my astonishment. - -“It is not Ketti’s. It was not Gege-Merak’s. It is yours,” he said, -simply. “My tribe shall not rob, nor shall they slay their friends. -While I am chief, the Bega who call me master must be honest and good, -and keep the laws the great Khedive has made. Is it not so, Iva?” - -“It is the only way for our tribe to prosper and grow in strength,” she -answered, soberly. “Under our great and good Chief Ketti we will be rich -and strong, and our father the Khedive will call us good children.” - -“You shall say, when you return to Koser,” continued Ketti, regarding us -earnestly, “that my tribe was true and honest, and touched not one jewel -of your treasure. You will say that we guided you straight and protected -you from enemies and thieves and earned your money well. Is it so, -Effendi?” - -“We will say that, Ketti,” I replied. - -“But there are also things which you will not say, Effendi,” he -continued, with a note of anxiety in his voice. - -“And what are they, my friend?” - -“You will not say my people killed the Red-beard; for you do not know -what killed him. You will not say where he is gone, for that you do not -know. Is not the land broad for men to wander in? And if any asks you -about Gege-Merak you will be sorrowful and tell how he died in the -desert, being old and feeble, and you will say that Ketti succeeded him -as chief of the tribe. Then you will mount the great ship that awaits -you and sail away.” - -I began to understand. Ketti intended to make a bargain with us. He -feared the consequences of the murder of Van Dorn and did not want the -fact that Iva had shot her grandfather known. If we would promise to be -discreet in these matters he would restore to us the treasure, which he -considered another element of danger to him, not realizing that we were -slyly removing it in defiance of the Khedive’s orders. Had he known -that—but, fortunately, he did not know it. - -“It shall be as you say, Chief Ketti,” I returned; “for we wish you and -Iva only happiness, and to tell some things might cause you trouble. If -your father the Khedive asks us of your service, we will say you are a -good chief, and faithful.” - -That pleased him greatly. - -“The treasure is untouched,” said he. “Not a seal is broken. It awaits -your orders, Effendi.” - -Willingly he gave us permission to bury the Professor among the rocks, -which we did during the afternoon. When we returned to the ravine from -this labor we were surprised to notice that in our absence the natives -had gathered several heaps of stones, which were piled in the form of a -wide circle around Gege-Merak’s body. But the body itself had not been -disturbed, and the Bega were now lounging in various parts of the ravine -and conversing together in their customary indifferent manner. - -Ketti came to us with the information that we should start at dawn next -morning for Koser, which he hoped to reach in two days’ fast riding. - -“But what will you do with Gege-Merak?” I inquired. - -“His ceremony of entombment will be held this evening, Effendi. Your -people will be welcome to watch the solemn rites,” he added. - -We had supper and awaited with curiosity to witness the proposed -ceremony; but the natives were in no hurry, and showed no activity until -the stars were bright in the sky. - -At a word from Ketti, every Bega and Bisharin sprang up and stood in a -circle around the dead chief’s body. Beginning a low chant they now -commenced to move slowly around Gege-Merak, keeping step to the chant -and bending in lithe, rhythmic attitudes characteristic of the Eastern -dances. And ever the chorus grew louder and faster until it became a -roar and at last a wild shout. Also the excitement of the warriors -increased until presently they were dancing with frenzied leaps. - -Suddenly, as they circled round just beside the piles of rock, each man -seized a stone from the nearest heap and hurled it at the dead body. -From the next pile he grabbed another stone, until the missiles were -raining upon Gege-Merak’s prostrate form from every direction. As the -dance reached its climax of animation and the shower of rock continued, -the old chief’s body began to disappear from sight, until he was covered -up entirely and entombed in a mound of stone several feet in height. - -It was a shocking sight, and seemed to us extremely brutal; but Iva, who -stood by our side, calmly declared it was the custom of her people, and -that a chief was highly honored who was thus buried by his people where -he fell or expired. The chant, she told us, was a relation of his -virtues and his mighty deeds on earth. - -If a chief dies or is killed on the desert, his people cast sand upon -him, in like manner, and afterward weight the mound with rocks; and, as -his body is never moved from the spot where he expired, they take down -his tent or house after the funeral and set up the habitation in another -place, leaving his burial mound stationary. - -The wild chant rang in my ears long after the grim ceremony was -completed and the camp had become quiet for the night. We Americans -slept uneasily through the next few hours and at dawn awoke to eat a -hasty breakfast and mount our camels. - -The panniers were replaced on the two extra animals by Ned and Bryonia, -who now took charge of the treasure. We were pleased to observe the -truth of Ketti’s statement that the wax upon the buckles of the panniers -had not been tampered with and was still intact. - -The Bisharin left us here and went away to their village, and without -incident we traversed the trail back to Koser, which we reached, weary -but exultant, at the close of the second day. - -My father and a number of sailors, apprised by a swift messenger of our -coming, were at the wooden dock to meet us, and we unstrapped the four -treasure-laden panniers from the saddles of the camels and sent them on -board by a boat commanded by Ned in person. - -Captain Steel produced the hundred and eighty pounds due to Ketti for -his services, according to the contract we had made with Gege-Merak, and -I asked that an extra gold piece be given to each of the Bega warriors, -which was willingly agreed to since we had been successful in our quest. -It made the simple fellows very happy indeed. - -After consulting with Uncle Naboth and gaining his consent, I opened the -Professor’s leathern belt and took from it the prettiest jewel it -contained, a diadem of yellow gold set with clusters of pearls and -sapphires. This I presented to Iva as a wedding present from her -American friends, and the beautiful girl was proud indeed of the gift, -as well she might be. Once, perhaps, it had adorned the brow of some -famous Egyptian queen, and though it might now appear incongruous upon -the person of a poor Bega woman, we were so grateful to Iva for the -service she had rendered us that we thought it none too good to express -our appreciation. - -We parted from Ketti and his people in the mostly friendly manner, and -he returned that night to his village in the desert. - -It was not so easy to get rid of the bearded Arab sheik of Koser, who -was curious to know what we had brought from Luxor and what adventures -we had met on the way. It was strange, he added, that the Bega had -brought us safe back again; it was not like that clever, evil old -Gege-Merak. Fortunately no one had told him of the old chief’s death, or -he would have been still more curious. - -But we refused to satisfy the fellow’s desire to gossip and kept our -mouths fast shut when he was around. Also we refused his polite offers -of entertainment and to his disgust hoisted sail early the next morning -and head up the gulf toward Port Ibrahim. - -Now that we had the treasure safe aboard, every moment we delayed was -fraught with danger, and the doubtful friendship of this sheik of Koser -was no longer of any value to us. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - LOVELACE PASHA. - - -The treasure was taken from the panniers and, still snugly packed in the -canvas sacks which Van Dorn had so carefully sealed, carried to my -stateroom and dumped unceremoniously into a huge chest. - -After a brief conference we had decided to leave it untouched until -after we had passed through the Suez Canal and, free from the shores of -Egypt, were safe on the broad waters of the Mediterranean. Then we would -open the sacks, sort and examine the treasure, and divide it in ways -still to be agreed upon. Our contract with Van Dorn, you will remember, -gave us his share in case of his death. - -And now, while we sailed up the long branch of the Red Sea which is -called the Arabian Gulf, I examined with some curiosity the things Ned -had taken from the Professor’s dead body. - -His note book had been a sort of diary, but from it several leaves had -been torn, as if he had recorded events which he afterward feared might -compromise him, and had thus destroyed their written evidence. From what -remained I gathered that the man was no “professor” at all, but a -wandering adventurer attracted to Egypt by the recent valuable -discoveries there. Falling in with Lovelace, he had hired his services -to that savant to assist his search, and from scattered notations in the -book I formed the shrewd conclusion that the fellow had never possessed -the shadow of a claim to Lovelace’s discovery. Abdul Hashim had read his -character fairly well, and it seemed that Van Dorn had played a -desperate and murderous game to win the treasure for himself and rob, -incidentally, the real discoverer and any others who might lay claim to -a portion of the buried wealth. - -Turning from the note book, I cut the stitches of the goatskin cover of -the parcel which Van Dorn had so cleverly concealed in the lining of his -coat, and proceeded to break the seals, which I observed bore the -monogram “J. L.,” surmounted by a winged sphinx. This was not Van Dorn’s -seal, but that of Lovelace Pasha, and I judged that after the owner had -sewn and sealed the packet it had in some way come into the possession -of Van Dorn, who had never yet ventured to open it. - -At this time all of those most interested were gathered with me in the -Captain’s room: Uncle Naboth, Ned, Archie and Joe, as well as my father. -When I removed the covering a small locket dropped out, and this I -opened to glance at a sweet, womanly face that met my gaze. - -Over my shoulder came a sob and a cry and Joe seized the locket from my -hands. - -“My mother!” he said, softly, as he devoured the miniature with eager, -loving eyes. - -We looked at the boy in astonishment. - -“Your mother, Joe?” I questioned, stupidly. - -He swiftly drew from beneath his clothing the slender chain which I had -often observed he wore around his neck, and showed us a similar locket -attached to it. Opening this with trembling fingers, the boy laid the -lockets side by side, and we saw that the portraits were nearly -identical. - -“Father and I each had one,” he said, in an awed whisper; “mother has -often told me that.” - -“Did you ever know what became of your father, Joe?” I inquired. - -“No; he went away when I was a baby, and we never heard of him again. -For that reason mother was sure he was dead, for she said he loved her -and would not otherwise have deserted her.” - -“Then,” said I, softly, “you are about to discover your father, Joe; for -the man who wrote this and owned the locket could be none other.” - -“Wrote what?” asked Uncle Naboth. - -I had been hastily examining a flat book which accompanied the locket. -It had leaves of coarse paper closely covered with writing in a fine, -scholarly hand. - -“Here is a manuscript which I believe I will read aloud,” said I. “It -may be interesting to us, in view of our recent adventure, and I am sure -it will tell Joe something about his father.” - -As I spoke I turned over the pages to the end, and Uncle Naboth, peering -over my shoulder, exclaimed: - -“Why, it’s signed by John Lovelace. That must be the same Lovelace Pasha -who discovered the treasure.” - -“He was not a Pasha,” I returned, “although he was called so. He was not -even entitled to the name of Lovelace, for here he tells us who he -really was—John Herring.” - -Joe was staring intently, first at the lockets and then at me. His face -was pale and his dark eyes glowed with nervous excitement. - -“Sit down, uncle,” I said, “and let me read what is here written.” - -All now assumed attentive attitudes while I proceeded to read as -follows: - -“‘This shall be, to any who reads it after my death, my last testament -and my final behest. For some weeks I, John Herring, have feared -treachery and sudden death, although I cannot discover from what -direction the danger threatens. So I am determined to explain herein my -position in Egypt, for, being reserved by nature, I know that at present -I am a mystery to all with whom I have come into contact in this ancient -and romantic land. - -“‘I am an American, a native of Galveston, and a graduate of Harvard. -Soon after I left college my father, who was reputed a wealthy man, died -without estate, and I was thrown upon my own resources. Being little -fitted for a business career I gained scant success, except that I took -a wife to share my poverty—a gentle natured woman who gave me devotion -and love but was unable to further my fortunes because her nature was -weaker than my own. - -“‘I was led into an illegitimate venture by a friend named José Marrow, -an enterprising Mexican who owned a sloop and proposed that I join him -in smuggling laces and cigars from Mexico into the United States. We -succeeded for a time and I made considerable money. But at length I was -discovered, as was inevitable, and only saved myself from imprisonment -by sudden escape. Marrow managed to get me aboard a vessel bound for -Gibraltar and I was obliged to leave my wife and baby boy without the -comfort of a farewell, although I sent them all the money I had and my -friend Marrow promised to see they were provided for in case I was -unable to send them more before it was gone. But I thank God I have been -able to supply their wants, and each year I have sent a substantial -remittance to them through Marrow, who by good fortune was never -suspected of being implicated in the smuggling.’” - -“But we never got a dollar!” broke in Joe, indignantly. “Old Marrow must -have kept every penny of the money.” - -Without replying to this I continued to read: - -“‘Twelve years ago I made my way to Egypt, and having been a student of -Egyptology in my college days, I became much interested in the -excavations being made to secure ancient relics. Soon I was myself -successfully engaged in this search, and I have had the good fortune to -discover several important tombs of the Twenty-fourth Dynasty. - -“‘This success finally led to my undertaking a queer and seemingly -impossible search—for the treasure hidden by the High Priest Amana of -Karnak at the time of Cambyses’ invasion. I conceived the idea that the -treasure had been buried in the sands of the desert, instead of in the -Sacred Lake, according to popular tradition. For several years I -searched the desert around Karnak without result, and just as I was -beginning to despair I came upon an inscription graven upon an angle of -the ruined walls of the temple of Seti, which described—although not -accurately—the place where the treasure had been hidden. - -“‘I must explain that this treasure of Karnak is mainly a library of -papyri recounting the history of the Egyptians during the period between -the Sixth and Twelfth Dynasties. As no other records of this period -exist our historians have been in the dark concerning this broad epoch, -although we know from inscriptions found at Abydos and Edfu that the -papyrus rolls hidden by the priest of Karnak gave a full account of that -portion of Egyptian history which we have hitherto been unable to -account for. So the discovery of this library means fame and riches to -one fortunate enough to find it, and it is supposed that a store of gold -and precious jewels was buried by the priests at the same time, which -should further enrich the discoverer. - -“‘I have an explorer’s and excavator’s license granted me by the Khedive -under the name of John Lovelace, which name I assumed on coming to -Egypt, although, as I have said, my real name is John Herring. It was -necessary to cover my identity in this way to avoid extradition in case -the American customs officers discovered my retreat. But my crime was -not an important one and I believe it has long since been forgotten. - -“‘The finding of the Karnak treasure is now merely a question of time, -since I know by the secret inscription where to search for it. But I -found that I needed help, and engaged a man named Van Dorn, who has at -one time been a foreman at the workings of the Italian excavators in the -Tombs of the Kings at Thebes, to assist me. He has now been with me -nearly three years, receiving 400 piasters a month, which is equal to -about 20 American dollars. He is a faithful worker, but has a covetous -and dishonest mind, so that I suspect he will not be trustworthy in case -I discover the treasure. Unfortunately I have been obliged to intrust -him with knowledge nearly equal to my own, and the misgivings I have -expressed at the beginning of this testament are mostly due to this -man’s connection with my search. I fear the day when the treasure is at -last unearthed. - -“‘Besides Peter Van Dorn, who is to receive one thousand dollars, in -addition to his wage, if the treasure is found, I have employed members -of an Arab desert tribe led by one Abdul Hashim, which inhabits a -village near Tel-Ambra. For his services the sheik Abdul Hashim is also -to receive one thousand dollars when I find the treasure, but nothing if -I am unsuccessful. My contract with the sheik, to be exact, is for 200 -pounds Egyptian. My permit from the Khedive obliges me to sell the -papyri to the Cairo Museum for a sum not less than the total of my -expenses during the search for them, and should there be other treasure -of gold or jewels, one-half belongs to the Khedive and the other half to -me. This I write plainly to explain all just claims against the -treasure, should I succeed in finding it.’” - -Here the writing halted, but under date of January 11, 190—, it -continued as follows: - -“‘At last the search for the treasure of Karnak has been successful. -Last night Van Dorn and I located a granite slab in which are set three -bronze rings—evidence indisputable that here lies the wealth hidden -centuries ago to escape the rapacity of Cambyses. To-night we are to -take two Arabs of Abdul Hashim’s tribe to assist us in lifting the slab, -which Van Dorn and I were unable to do alone. I am eager to see what -lies beneath it. Van Dorn has been acting more suspiciously than ever -this morning, and is in a state of wild excitement. Perhaps that is -natural, and I do not see how he can rob me of either the honor of the -discovery or of the treasure itself; but I shall watch him closely. - -“‘Some months ago I wrote to José Marrow, my friend in Galveston, who -now commands a trading ship, stating that I expected shortly to find a -large treasure, and that if I succeeded I would send all of my share to -him to be applied to the education and advancement in life of my son, -who is now nearly fifteen years of age. Marrow has written me that my -wife is ill and needs more money than I have sent; but I am now sure of -being able to provide generously for my family. - -“‘If anything happens to me to prevent my carrying out this plan, I -implore whoever may come into possession of this writing as a matter of -simple humanity and justice to fulfill my wishes and send my share of -the proceeds of the treasure to Capt. José Marrow, at Galveston, Texas, -U. S. A., to be applied by him for the sole welfare of my wife and son. -And I ask his Gracious Highness, the Khedive, if by chance this should -come to his notice, to order my estate disposed of as I have said above. - -“‘I shall seal and otherwise protect this manuscript from prying eyes, -and it may be that my fears are fanciful and unfounded, and that I shall -myself have the delight of enriching my dear ones in person. I wish -nothing for myself. The honor to my name as the discoverer of the -historic papyri of Karnak will be a sufficient reward. - - “‘John Lovelace.’” - -“Humph!” said Uncle Naboth; “is that all?” - -“That is all, sir,” I answered, closing the book. “But it explains a lot -that we did not know, and transfers the ownership of the treasure from -us to Joe.” - -They all sat thoughtfully considering this for a time. Then Joe said: - -“I may have a sort of claim to my father’s share, although that is not -quite clear. But the half that was to go to the Khedive you people are -now fully entitled to.” - -“That’s a sure thing,” observed Archie, whose keen Yankee wit had -grasped the situation quicker than mine did. “But let’s consider another -thing, my friends. We agreed long ago that the hidden treasure of those -old priests belonged by right to whoever was lucky enough to grab it. It -isn’t the Khedive’s, and never has been. Lovelace—or Joe’s father—may -have made a deal with the Khedive to insure his own safety, but Lovelace -did nothing more than to locate the place where the treasure lay. He -never got his fists on it. Neither did Abdul Hashim, nor Van Dorn, nor -old Gege-Merak, although any one of ’em would have seized it if he could -and held on to it like grim death to a grasshopper. The fact is, we got -possession of the treasure ourselves, at considerable risk, and it -belongs to us except for the liens Joe’s father had on it. In my opinion -we needn’t consider the Khedive any more than the Shah of Persia or any -other hungry shark.” - -“You’re right,” said Uncle Naboth. “We’ll keep half an’ give Joe half. -That’s fair, I guess.” - -“But first,” said I, “let’s get safely away from Egypt,” and I left them -and went on deck to find we had just sighted Suez. - - - - - CHAPTER XX. - THE KHEDIVE TAKES THE LAST TRICK—BUT ONE. - - -We reached Port Said without interruption at five o’clock on a gloomy -afternoon, and my father managed to get his papers signed so he could -clear the port an hour later. - -We had used our steam to make the journey through the Canal, and so we -determined to steam for the next twelve hours, at least, in order to -show our heel to Egypt as soon as possible. - -Heading slowly down the harbor we were surprised at being hailed by a -small government launch flying the Egyptian flag, which pressed close to -our side, while an officer in uniform stood up and gesticulated wildly -toward us. - -“What’s wanted?” asked Captain Steele, leaning over the rail. - -“Stop! Wait!” cried the fat officer, brokenly. “I must come on board.” - -“Hike along, then,” called my father, but made no signal to stop the -engines. - -We were moving very slowly, for we had to steer clear of the numerous -craft anchored in the harbor, so the launch grappled our side and Ned -let down a ladder which the official clutched and swarmed overboard with -surprising agility. - -“Stop! Go back!” he shouted, as soon as he reached the deck. “This ship -is the ship _Seagull_; it is arrest—you are all arrest!” - -“What for?” demanded the Captain. - -“I have instruction from his Excellency the Minister of Finance to stop -you. You must not leave Egypt, he say. You have treasure on -board—treasure contraband to the Egyptian Government.” - -We stared at one another aghast. How in the world had this information -come to the ears of the government? and what should we do—what _could_ -we do—in this emergency? Arrest and confiscation first, and a legal -battle to follow! We shuddered even to contemplate such a difficulty. - -“Crowd on full steam, Tomlinson,” said Captain Steele to the Chief -Engineer, who stood beside him. The man saluted with a smile and retired -to obey. - -“As for you,” continued my father, turning to the officer, “I advise you -to get back to your boat in double quick time. We’ve got our papers, in -reg’lar fashion, and we’re free American citizens. You can’t arrest us a -single minute—you or your whole blamed Egyptian outfit.” - -“But I command! You are under my arrest! You are criminal!” screamed the -fat man, stubbornly. “In the name of——” - -“In the name of Sam Hill, throw the cuss overboard!” roared the Captain, -losing all patience. - -To my horror Ned promptly obeyed and the pompous official tumbled over -the rail head first and disappeared with a splash in the water below. - -Those in the launch shouted excitedly and let go our side to rescue -their superior. He bobbed up a minute later and they grabbed him with a -boat-hook and drew him, dripping and gasping, aboard their boat. - -But it was too late for them to board us again. Our propeller was by -this time whirling rapidly and churning the water into a creamy streak -in our wake. Slowly we drew away from the government boat, which puffed -after us at its best gait, the inmates shaking their fists at us -threateningly but in vain. Presently we lost sight of them altogether in -the gloom, for twilight was fast falling. - -Out into the blue waters of the great Mediterranean we sped and I for -one greeted the expanse gratefully. We had narrowly escaped a serious -disaster, for if the Khedive had once gripped our hard-won treasure we -should never have set eyes on it again. Also we might have found -ourselves and our ship hopelessly compromised in the meshes of Egyptian -law. - -We headed for the southwest point of the island of Sicily, for we dared -not undertake to pass the straits of Messina. This way would also bring -us sooner to Gibraltar, and we determined to head our course between -Tunis and Sicily, out of the beaten path of ships, and to keep away from -any port until we were afloat on the broad Atlantic. - -All night our engines throbbed powerfully and we sped swiftly on our -course. By morning we began to feel we were out of danger, and at -breakfast I decided that during the forenoon we would open the canvas -sacks and take a good look at our treasure. But while we still sat at -table the mate came down with a grave face to report that a man-o’-war -had just been sighted and was bearing down on us. - -We rushed eagerly on deck to inspect the boat through our glasses and -made her out easily enough. She was a big armored cruiser, heavily -armed, and seemed intent on heading us off. - -“But we may be more scared than hurt,” remarked my father, calmly. “All -nations have men-o’-war in these waters, and it ain’t a bit strange we -should run across one. Like as not she won’t mind us at all.” - -“But the course she’s headed won’t take her to any port in creation,” -observed Ned, shaking his head dolefully. “She’s after the _Seagull_, -sure enough.” - -It really looked that way, and we stood with bated breath and watched -the huge hulk come on. It would be folly to try to run away; still we -did not pause an instant. - -In an hour she was less than a mile to leeward, and soon we saw a puff -of smoke followed by a shot that flew singing across our bow. At the -same time she hoisted her flag peak and Ned took a look at it through -his glass. - -“Egypt,” he said, laconically, and my heart sank like a chunk of lead. - -“The jig’s up, fellows,” I said, mournfully. “Joe, my lad, you’ve been -rich for nearly a whole day. To-night you’ll be a pauper again.” - -Joe grinned, but not with a pleasant expression, and turned away to -vanish below deck. I was really sorry for the poor chap—and sorry for -ourselves, too. - -“Never mind,” said Archie, consolingly; “we’ve had a lot of fun, anyhow. -The Khedive can’t rob us of that.” - -As Captain Steele hesitated to obey the first shot a second one quickly -followed, and this came so near to piercing the hull of his beloved -_Seagull_ that my father uttered a gruff explanation and ordered Ned to -lay to. The engines were stopped and slowly we lost way and floated -quietly upon the sea, which was smooth as a mill-pond. The sky was -overcast with a mantle of solid gray and not a breath of wind was -stirring. - -Had we not been so preoccupied with other matters I am sure we would ere -this have been speculating on the queer atmospheric conditions that -prevailed, and wondering what they might portend. - -The cruiser slowed up near by and lowered a gig, which was speedily -manned. Then, being rowed with admirable precision, it shot across the -space which separated us and came alongside. We threw out a boarding -ladder and two officers climbed it and a minute later stood upon our -deck, where they inquired courteously for the Captain. They were -fine-looking fellows, middle-aged and with an air of breeding. Their -duty, whatever it might be, would doubtless be performed in a -gentlemanly manner. - -My father advanced to announce that he commanded the _Seagull_ and would -be glad to know by what authority he was arrested on the high seas. - -Said the elder of the two: “You resisted an officer of the Egyptian -government in the harbor of Port Said, and escaped. We consider you -still our prisoner, although you have fled into neutral waters.” - -“My papers are regular, sir, and you have no right to arrest me or to -fire upon my ship,” returned my father, boldly. “If you persist in your -illegal and high-handed course, sir, you will make this an international -affair,” he added. - -“There is little danger of that, Captain Steele,” answered the officer, -with a smile. “It may be we have exceeded our authority in arresting you -here; but kindly permit me to state our case. In Egypt you dug up a -treasure—an important treasure—which you are now carrying away in -defiance of our laws. We should not have permitted your ship to clear -our port, I admit, but unfortunately we did not receive the news of your -misdemeanor in time to prevent by force your escape. However, we do not -intend to be robbed. Our instructions from the Minister of War at Cairo -are positive. We are told to recover the treasure or send your ship to -the bottom of the sea—or to do both, at our discretion. The matter of -legality we will not discuss. We have the power to take this treasure if -you refuse to give it up cheerfully, and I assure you we will do so. -That is all. I await your decision, Captain.” - -Well, there was nothing for us to do but give up the treasure. If we -tried to withhold it we would lose both the treasure and the _Seagull_. -We held a short conference, however, Uncle Naboth, Ned and Archie being -present besides my father and myself. Joe was also an interested -partner, but was not on deck and we had no time to hunt him up. - -We decided there was but one way out of our difficulty. The American -government would scarcely support us in a claim for damages, under such -peculiar circumstances; and this the clever Turks knew as well as we -did. - -The thing that most amazed us was the accuracy of their information, and -we wondered who could have revealed to the government the fact that we -had secured the treasure. Abdul Hashim was dead, but some of his tribe -might have learned our secret and reported it to the authorities in -order to obtain vengeance for their sheik’s death. Or the villagers of -Laketa, who had seen the treasure in Gege-Merak’s possession, might have -disclosed the information. We did not suspect Ketti for a moment. - -Anyway, the mischief was out and it only remained for us to give up the -treasure and make our way homeward somewhat the poorer for our -unsuccessful enterprise. - -“Pardon me, gentlemen, if I ask you to make haste,” said one of the -Turkish officers, stepping to our side. “The simoon is threatening both -our ships, so we are anxious to finish our errand and be gone.” - -Indeed, the day had grown suddenly darker and the sea sighed audibly, -although it was perfectly still. My father looked anxiously at his bare -rigging and hurried away to give an order for additional security. Ned -followed him, and Uncle Naboth turned to me and said, with almost a -groan: - -“Give ’em the treasure, Sam, an’ let’s be done with the blamed Egyptians -forever.” - -I bowed to the officer. - -“If you will come below you shall have it,” I said; “but you’d better -get a couple of your men to help carry it.” - -He went to the side and shouted an order, and two of the men from the -gig sprang on deck. I took them to my stateroom, threw open the lid of -the great chest and said: - -“There, gentlemen, is the entire treasure, including the rolls of -papyrus. If you doubt that it is all here, you are welcome to search the -ship.” - -They lugged it all away and I sighed to think we had never obtained so -much as one good view of the plunder we had been at so much pains to -gain. The canvas sacks still bore the original seals which Van Dorn had -placed upon them in the desert beside the pit. - -When the last sack was in the boat they did delay to search the ship, to -my extreme disgust. But their search was hasty and perfunctory, and -after visiting the other cabins and peering into the forecastle and -galley—as if we would keep treasure hidden in such places!—they finally -got into the gig to return to their ship. I demanded a receipt, but they -refused to give one, mumbling that the threatening simoon was likely to -strike us any minute. - -And then they cast off and rowed away toward their own vessel, making -such speed as they could; but unfortunately they had delayed too long. -The simoon struck us like a blow and the _Seagull_ keeled over at a -dangerous angle and trembled through every beam. - -As I clung desperately to the rail my eyes followed the Turkish gig, and -I saw its prow rise from the water as the whirling cloud of mingled wind -and sand caught it, and dump its occupants—officers, men and all—into -the now seething flood. Yes, the treasure went, too—the priceless -historic papyri, the golden ornaments and splendid jewels of the great -priests of Karnak—all, all were swallowed up by the waters and vanished -forever from the sight of men! - -The wrecked gig was only a mass of splinters. They shot life-lines from -the deck of the cruiser and these were clutched by those of the boat’s -crew who rose again to the surface. But I cannot say how many of those -ill-fated Turks were finally rescued. For we had our own ship’s safety -to look after, and when the dreadful simoon had subsided, which it did -as suddenly as it had appeared, but after several hours of terror, the -Khedive’s man-o’-war was but a dim speck upon the horizon, and soon we -had lost sight of her altogether. - -When, the strain being at last over, we met together in the main cabin -for supper, it was a dismal enough lot of faces that surrounded the -table. Except Joe. Joe did not seem dismal at all. He smiled upon us -most cheerfully, until we all hated the boy for his good nature under -such trying circumstances. - -No one, however, cared to mention our great loss—which was in everyone’s -mind—except Archie, who growled out: - -“Why in thunder couldn’t the simoon have arrived an hour or so earlier, -before we were robbed?” - -But we chose not to heed the wail. Fate has her own way of ordaining -things. - -I rose abruptly and passed into my cabin, and to my surprise Joe -followed. As he lighted my lamp and turned up the wick so that it -illumined the room brightly, I heard him whistling softly to himself. - -The boy annoyed me, and I turned upon him rather savagely. - -“You seem quite content to have lost your inheritance,” said I; “but the -rest of us are not so well satisfied. Can’t you try to respect our -feelings?” - -He grinned at me most provokingly. - -“Strikes me we’ve got something yet to be thankful for, sir,” he -replied. “The Turks didn’t bag so much treasure as they thought they -did.” - -I stared at him with sudden interest. - -“What do you mean, Joe?” - -He stepped to my bunk and drew back the curtains. Then he threw aside -the blanket and disclosed the berth heaped full with glittering jewels -and golden ornaments that sparkled brightly under the clear rays of the -lamp. - -My cry brought the others running hastily into the room, but as their -gaze followed my own and fell upon the mass of treasure they stood mute -and still, filled with a wonder that fairly dulled their senses. - -At last Uncle Naboth tumbled into a chair and began mopping his forehead -with his red silk handkerchief, and I awoke far enough to ask, in an -awed whisper: - -“How did it happen, Joe?” - -“Why, it was dead easy, Sam,” he replied with a laugh. “As soon as that -infernal gunboat fired at us I knew something had to be done to save the -treasure. So I ran down here and ripped open the seams at the bottom of -all those canvas sacks, and dumped about three-quarters of the contents -of each one of ’em into your berth. I left some of the stuff in the ends -of the sacks that were tied and sealed, so if the Egyptians opened any -of ’em they’d think they were still loaded all the way down with -jewelry. Then I had to fill up the spaces, and that was harder than -you’d think. I first chucked in all the old bits of iron and brass I -could find in the junk-chest; but that wasn’t near enough. So I ran to -the galley and got Bry to give me a lot of potatoes and a bag of beans. -With these I filled up the treasure sacks and then sewed up all the -seams again. It took some time to do this, and the only way I could hide -the treasure was to cover it up with this blanket and draw the curtains. -Mebbe I wasn’t scared stiff when the officers came down here! But they -never thought to search the bunk in this cabin, though they went through -all the others. I’m sorry, sir, I didn’t empty the bags entirely, for -they never opened any of ’em; but I thought it was best not to take too -many chances, and I guess we’ve saved about two-thirds of all the -treasure we brought from the desert—except, of course, the rolls of -writing, and those we didn’t care so much for, anyhow.” - -By the time the boy had finished this speech he was the focus of all our -admiring eyes. - -“Don’t worry about what’s lost, Joe,” said Uncle Naboth, earnestly. -“There’s enough left to make us all rich; an’ we owe it to your pluck -and wit—an’ to nothin’ else.” - -“Three cheers for Joe!” yelled Archie, joyously. - -“Pshaw!” said Joe, flushing red, “what else was there to do?” - - -Three weeks after we anchored safely in Boston harbor, and before many -days had passed Uncle Naboth’s prediction was amply fulfilled. The -proceeds of the treasure made us all, in our humble stations, “rich,” -and Joe’s share, being so much the largest, made him very rich indeed. - - - THE END. - - - - - Footnotes - - -[1]Pronounced “Gay-gay Maw-rock.” - -[2]Boys—young men. - -[3]Judge of the court. - - - - - The Girl Graduate; Her Own Book - - - A NOVELTY EVERY GIRL WANTS - -In which to keep the happy record of her last year in school or -college—a book she will keep and prize always. - -[Illustration: _Reduced Title Page_] - -There is a place for everything dear to the girl graduate’s heart and -memory—class flower, color, yell, motto, photographs, jokes and frolics. - -Departments for social events, officers, teachers, invitations, -baccalaureate sermon, programmes, presents, press notices, class -prophecy and other “doings.” - -The Girl Graduate is equally appropriate for young misses leaving grade -and high schools and their older sisters who have “finished” at college -or boarding school. It makes a suitable present at any season of the -year. - -NINTH EDITION. Revised and improved - -Dainty designs in delicate coloring on pearl gray stationery. Cover to -match, with a trellis of rose in tints and decoration in gold. - - Decorated on Every Page. -8vo. 200 pages. Each book put up in an attractive gray box. Price $1.50. - Full leather, gold edges, De Luxe edition. Price $3.00 - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber’s note: - ---Relocated some images closer to the corresponding text. - ---Silently corrected obvious typographical errors; left non-standard - spellings and dialect unchanged. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOY FORTUNE HUNTERS IN EGYPT*** - - -******* This file should be named 55845-0.txt or 55845-0.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/5/5/8/4/55845 - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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