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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wheel O' Fortune, by Louis Tracy
+
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+Title: The Wheel O' Fortune
+
+Author: Louis Tracy
+
+Release Date: July, 2005  [EBook #8596]
+[This file was first posted on July 26, 2003]
+
+Edition: 10
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: US-ASCII
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE WHEEL O' FORTUNE ***
+
+
+
+
+E-text prepared by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon, Charles Kirschner,
+Charles Franks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+THE WHEEL O' FORTUNE
+
+BY
+
+LOUIS TRACY
+
+Author of "The Wings of the Morning," "The Pillar of Light,"
+"The Captain of the Kansas" etc.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+JAMES MONTGOMERY FLAGG
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+     CHAPTER I. WHEREIN FORTUNE TURNS HER WHEEL
+    CHAPTER II. THE COMPACT
+   CHAPTER III. A CHANGE OF SKY, BUT NOT OF HABIT
+    CHAPTER IV. VON KERBER EXPLAINS
+     CHAPTER V. MISS FENSHAWE SEEKS AN ALLY
+    CHAPTER VI. AT THE PORTAL
+   CHAPTER VII. MRS. HAXTON RECEIVES A SHOCK
+  CHAPTER VIII. MASSOWAH ASSERTS ITSELF
+    CHAPTER IX. A GALLOP IN THE DARK
+     CHAPTER X. THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
+    CHAPTER XI. A WOMAN INTERVENES
+   CHAPTER XII. STUMP DEPENDS ON OBSERVATION
+  CHAPTER XIII. THE SIGN IN THE SKY
+   CHAPTER XIV. WHEREIN A BISHARIN CAMEL BECOMES USEFUL
+    CHAPTER XV. THE DESERT AWAKES
+   CHAPTER XVI. A FLIGHT--AND A FIGHT
+  CHAPTER XVII. HOW THREE ROADS LED IN ONE DIRECTION
+ CHAPTER XVIII. THE FINDING OF THE TREASURE
+
+
+
+
+        LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+"By the Prophet!" he exclaimed, "I am overjoyed at seeing you"
+ "I don't want your charity, I want work!"
+ "Let your prisoner go, Mr. King"
+ "Good morning, Mr. King," she cried
+ "You need no promise from me, Miss Fenshawe"
+ The Arab appraised Royson with critical eye
+ He did not dare meet the glance suddenly turned upon him
+ "Go, Dick, but come back to me in safety"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+
+WHEREIN FORTUNE TURNS HER WHEEL
+
+At ten o'clock on a morning in October--a dazzling, sunlit morning
+after hours of wind-lashed rain--a young man hurried out of Victoria
+Station and dodged the traffic and the mud-pools on his way towards
+Victoria Street. Suddenly he was brought to a stand by an unusual
+spectacle. A procession of the "unemployed" was sauntering out of
+Vauxhall Bridge Road into the more important street. Being men of
+leisure, the processionists moved slowly. The more alert pedestrian who
+had just emerged from the station did not grumble at the delay--he even
+turned it to advantage by rolling and lighting a cigarette. The ragged
+regiment filed past, a soiled, frayed, hopeless-looking gang. Three
+hundred men had gathered on the south side of the river, and were
+marching to join other contingents on the Thames Embankment, whence
+some thousands of them would be shepherded by policemen up
+Northumberland Avenue, across Trafalgar Square, and so, by way of Lower
+Regent Street and Piccadilly, to Hyde Park, where they would hoarsely
+cheer every demagogue who blamed the Government for their miseries.
+
+London, like Richard Royson, would stand on the pavement and watch
+them. Like him, it would drop a few coins into the collecting boxes
+rattled under its nose, and grin at the absurd figure cut by a very fat
+man who waddled notably, among his leaner brethren, for hunger and
+substance are not often found so strangely allied. But, having salved
+its conscience by giving, and gratified its sarcastic humor by
+laughing, London took thought, perhaps, when it read the strange device
+on the banner carried by this Vauxhall contingent. "Curse your charity
+--we want work," said the white letters, staring threateningly out of a
+wide strip of red cotton. There was a brutal force in the phrase. It
+was Socialism in a tabloid. Many a looker-on, whose lot was nigh as
+desperate as that of the demonstrators, felt that it struck him between
+the eyes.
+
+It had some such effect on Royson. Rather abruptly he turned away, and
+reached the less crowded Buckingham Palace Road. His face was darkened
+by a frown, though his blue eyes had a glint of humor in them. The
+legend on the banner had annoyed him. Its blatant message had
+penetrated the armor of youth, high spirits, and abounding good health.
+It expressed his own case, with a crude vigor. The "unemployed" genius
+who railed at society in that virile line must have felt as he, Dick
+Royson, had begun to feel during the past fortnight, and the knowledge
+that this was so was exceedingly distasteful. It was monstrous that he
+should rate himself on a par with those slouching wastrels. The mere
+notion brought its own confutation. Twenty-four years of age, well
+educated, a gentleman by birth and breeding, an athlete who stood six
+feet two inches high in his stockings, the gulf was wide, indeed,
+between him and the charity-cursers who had taken his money. Yet--the
+words stuck....
+
+Evidently, he was fated to be a sight-seer that morning. When he
+entered Buckingham Palace Road, the strains of martial music banished
+the gaunt specter called into being by the red cotton banner. A
+policeman, more cheerful and spry than his comrades who marshaled the
+procession shuffling towards Westminster, strode to the center of the
+busy crossing, and cast an alert eye on the converging lines of
+traffic. Another section of the ever-ready London crowd lined up on the
+curb. Nursemaids, bound for the parks, wheeled their perambulators into
+strategic positions, thus commanding a clear view and blocking the edge
+of the pavement. Drivers of omnibuses, without waiting for the lifted
+hand of authority, halted in Lower Grosvenor Gardens and Victoria
+Street. Cabs going to the station, presumably carrying fares to whom
+time meant lost trains, spurted to cross a road which would soon be
+barred. And small boys gathered from all quarters in amazing profusion.
+In a word, the Coldstream Guards were coming from Chelsea Barracks to
+do duty at St. James's, coming, too, in the approved manner of the
+Guards, with lively drumming and clash of cymbals, while brass and
+reeds sang some jaunty melody of the hour.
+
+The passing of a regimental band has whisked many a youngster out of
+staid Britain into the far lands, the lilt and swing of soldiers on the
+march have a glamour all the more profound because it is evanescent.
+That man must indeed be careworn who would resist it. Certainly, the
+broad-shouldered young giant who had been momentarily troubled by the
+white-red ghost of poverty was not so minded. He could see easily, over
+the heads of the people standing on the edge of the pavement, so he did
+not press to the front among the rabble, but stood apart, with his back
+against a shop window. Thus, he was free to move to right or left as he
+chose. That was a slight thing in itself, an unconscious trick of
+aloofness--perhaps an inherited trait of occupying his own territory,
+so to speak. But it is these slight things which reveal character. They
+oft-times influence human lives, too; and no man ever extricated
+himself more promptly from the humdrum of moneyless existence in London
+than did Richard Royson that day by placing the width of the sidewalk
+between himself and the unbroken row of spectators. Of course, he knew
+nothing of that at the moment. His objective was an appointment at
+eleven' o'clock in the neighborhood of Charing Cross, and, now that he
+was given the excuse, he meant to march along the Mall behind the
+Guards. Meanwhile, he watched their advance.
+
+Above the tall bearskins and glittering bayonets he caught the flourish
+of energetic drumsticks. The big drum gave forth its clamor with
+window-shaking insistence; it seemed to be the summons of power that
+all else should stand aside. On they came, these spruce Guards, each
+man a marching machine, trained to strut and pose exactly as his
+fellows. There was a sense of omnipotence in their rhythmic movement.
+And they all had the grand manner--from the elegant captain in command
+down to the smallest drummer-boy. Although the sun was shining brightly
+now, the earlier rain and hint of winter in the air had clothed all
+ranks in dark gray great-coats and brown leggings. Hence, to the
+untrained glance, they were singularly alike. Officers, sergeants,
+privates and bandsmen might have been cast in molds, after the style of
+toy soldiers. There were exceptions, of course, just as the fat man
+achieved distinction among the unemployed. The crimson sashes of the
+officers, the drum-major, with his twirling staff, the white apron of
+the big drummer, drew the eye. A slim subaltern, carrying the
+regimental color, held pride of place in the picture. The rich hues of
+the silk lent a barbaric splendor to his sober trappings. And he took
+himself seriously. A good-looking lad, with smooth contours not yet
+hardened to the military type, his face had in it a set gravity which
+proclaimed that he would bear that flag whithersoever his country's
+need demanded. And it was good to see him so intent on the mere charge
+of it in transit between Chelsea Barracks and the Guard-room at St.
+James's Palace. That argued earnestness, an excellent thing, even in
+the Household Brigade.
+
+Royson was amusing himself with the contrast between the two types of
+banner-bearers he had gazed at in the short space of five minutes--he
+was specially tickled by the fact that the Guards, also, were under
+police protection--when he became aware that the features of the color-
+lieutenant were familiar to him. A man in uniform, with forehead and
+chin partly hidden by warlike gear, cannot be recognized easily, if
+there be any initial doubt as to his identity. To determine the matter,
+Royson, instead of following in the rear as he had intended, stepped
+out brightly and placed himself somewhat ahead of the officer. He was
+near the drums before he could make sure that he was actually within a
+few yards of a former classmate. The knowledge brought a rush of blood
+to his face. Though glad enough to see unexpectedly one who had been a
+school friend, it was not in human nature that the marked difference
+between their present social positions should not be bitter to him.
+Here was "Jack" marching down the middle of the road in the panoply of
+the Guards, while "Dick" his superior during six long years at Rugby,
+was hurrying along the pavement, perhaps nearing the brink of that gulf
+already reached by the Vauxhall processionists.
+
+So Dick Royson's placid temper was again ruffled, and he might have
+said nasty things about Fate had not that erratic dame suddenly
+thought, fit to alter his fortunes. As the street narrowed between
+lofty buildings, so did the blaring thunder of the music increase. The
+mob closed in on the soldiers' heels; the whole roadway was packed with
+moving men. A somber flood of humanity--topped by the drumsticks, the
+flag, the glistening bayonets and the bearskins--it seemingly engulfed
+all else in its path. The sparkle of the band, intensified by the
+quick, measured tramp of the soldiers, aroused a furtive enthusiasm.
+Old men, bearded and bent, men whom one would never suspect of having
+borne arms, straightened themselves, stood to attention, and saluted
+the swaying flag. Callow youths, hooligans, round-shouldered slouchers
+at the best, made shift to lift their heads and keep step. And the
+torrent caught the human flotsam of the pavement in its onward swirl.
+If Royson had not utilized that clear space lower down the street, it
+would have demanded the exercise of sheer force to reach the van of the
+dense gathering of nondescripts now following the drum.
+
+Nevertheless, a clearance was made, and speedily, with the startling
+suddenness of a summer whirlwind. A pair of horses, attached to an open
+carriage, were drawn up in a by-street until the Guards had passed. So
+far as Royson was concerned, they were on the opposite side of the
+road, with their heads towards him. But he happened to be looking that
+way, because his old-time companion, the Hon. John Paton Seymour, was
+in the direct line of sight, and his unusual stature enabled him to see
+that both horses reared simultaneously. They took the coachman by
+surprise, and their downward plunge dragged him headlong from the box.
+Instantly there was a panic among the mob. It melted away from the
+clatter of frenzied hoofs as though a live shell had burst in the
+locality. Two staccato syllables from the officer in command stopped
+the music and brought the Guards to a halt. The horses dashed madly
+forward, barely missing the color and its escort. A ready-witted
+sergeant grabbed at the loose reins flapping in the air, but they
+eluded him with a snake-like twist. The next wild leap brought the
+carriage pole against a lamp-post, and both were broken. Then one of
+the animals stumbled, half turned, backed, and locked the front wheels.
+A lady, the sole occupant, was discarding some heavy wraps which
+impeded her movements, evidently meaning to spring into the road, but
+she was given no time. The near hind wheel was already off the ground.
+In another second the carriage must be overturned, had not Royson,
+brought by chance to the right place, seized the off wheel and the back
+of the hood, and bodily lifted the rear part of the victoria into
+momentary safety. It was a fine display of physical strength, and quick
+judgment. He literally threw the vehicle a distance of several feet.
+But that was not all. He saw his opportunity, caught the reins, and
+took such a pull at the terrified horses that a policeman and a soldier
+were able to get hold of their heads. The coachman, who had fallen
+clear, now ran up. With him came a gentleman in a fur coat. Royson was
+about to turn and find out what had become of the lady, when some one
+said quietly:
+
+"Well saved, King Dick!"
+
+It was the Hon. John Seymour who spoke. Rigid as a statue, and almost
+as helpless, he was standing in the middle of the road, with his left
+hand holding the flag and a drawn sword in his right. Yet a school
+nickname bridged five years so rapidly that the man who had just been
+reviling Fate smiled at the picturesque officer of the Guards in the
+old, tolerant way, the way in which the hero of the eleven or fifteen
+permits his worshipers to applaud.
+
+But this mutual recognition went no further. The Guards must on to St.
+James's. Some incomprehensible growls set them in motion again, the
+drum banged with new zest, and the street gradually emptied, leaving
+only a few curious gapers to surround the damaged victoria and the
+trembling horses. The fresh outburst of music brought renewed prancing,
+but the pair were in hand now, for Royson held the reins, and the mud-
+bedaubed coachman was ready to twist their heads off in his wrath.
+
+"Don't know what took 'em," he was gasping to the policeman. "Never
+knew 'em be'ave like this afore. Quiet as sheep, they are, as a ryule."
+
+"Too fat," explained the unemotional constable. "Give 'em more work an'
+less corn. Wot's your name an' address? There's this 'ere lamp-post to
+pay for. Cavalry charges in Buckingham Palace Road cost a bit."
+
+An appreciative audience grinned at the official humor. But Royson was
+listening to the somewhat lively conversation taking place behind him.
+
+"Are you injured in any way?" cried the gentleman in the far coat,
+obviously addressing the lady in the victoria. The too accurate cadence
+in his words bespoke the foreigner, the man who has what is called "a
+perfect command" of English.
+
+"Not in the least, thank you," was the answer. The voice was clear,
+musical, well-bred, and decidedly chilling. The two concluding words
+really meant "no thanks to you," The lady was, however, quite self-
+possessed, and, as a consequence, polite.
+
+"But why in the world did you not jump out when I shouted to you?"
+demanded the man.
+
+"Because you threw your half of the rug over my feet, and thus hindered
+me."
+
+"Did I? Ach, Gott! Do you think I deserted you, then?"
+
+"No, no, I did not mean that, Baron von Kerber. The affair was an
+accident, and you naturally thought I would follow your example, I did
+try, twice, to spring clear, but I lost my balance each time. We have
+no cause to blame one another. My view is that Spong was caught
+napping. Instead of arguing about things we might have done, we really
+ought to thank this gentleman, who prevented any further developments
+in some wonderful way not quite known to me yet."
+
+The lady was talking herself into less caustic mood. Perhaps she had
+not expected the Baron to shine in an emergency. Her calmness seemed to
+irritate him, though he was most anxious to put himself right with her.
+
+"My object in jumping out so quickly was to run to the horses' heads,"
+he said. "Unfortunately, I tripped and nearly fell. But why sit there?
+We must take a hansom. Or perhaps you would prefer to go by train?"
+
+"Oh, a cab, by all means."
+
+The horses were now standing so quietly that Royson handed the reins to
+the coachman, who was examining the traces. Then he was able to turn
+and look at the lady. He saw that she was young and pretty, but the
+heavy furs she wore half concealed her face, and the fact that his own
+garments were frayed, while his hands and overcoat were plastered with
+mud off the wheels, did not help to dissipate a certain embarrassment
+that gripped him, for he was a shy man where women were concerned. She,
+too, faltered a little, and the reason was made plain by her words.
+
+"I do not know how to thank you," she said, and he became aware that
+she had wonderful brown eyes. "I think--you saved my life. Indeed, I am
+sure you did. Will you--call--at an address that I will give you? Mr.
+Fenshawe will be most anxious to--to--acknowledge your services."
+
+"Oh, pray leave that to me, Miss Fenshawe," broke in the Baron, whose
+fluent English had a slight lisp. "Here is my card," he went on
+rapidly, looking at Royson with calm assurance. "Come and see me this
+evening, at seven o'clock, and I will make it worth your while."
+
+A glance at Royson's clothes told him enough, as he thought, to
+appraise the value of the assistance given. And he had no idea that his
+fair companion had really been in such grave danger. He believed that
+the shattering of the pole against the lamp standard had stopped the
+bolting horses, and that the tall young man now surveying him with a
+measuring eye had merely succeeded in catching the reins.
+
+Royson lifted his hat to the lady, who had alighted, and was daintily
+gathering her skirts out of the mud.
+
+"I am glad to have been able to help you, madam," he said. He would
+have gone without another word had not von Kerber touched his arm.
+
+"You have not taken my card," said the man imperiously.
+
+Some mischievous impulse, born of the turbulent emotions momentarily
+quelled by the flurry of the carriage accident, conquered Royson's
+better instincts. Though the Baron, was tall, he towered above him. And
+he hardly realized the harshness, the vexed contempt, of his muttered
+reply:
+
+"I don't want your charity, I want work."
+
+At once he was conscious of his mistake. He had sunk voluntarily to the
+level of the Vauxhall paraders. He had even stolen their thunder. A
+twinge of self-denunciation drove the anger from his frowning eyes. And
+the Baron again thought he read his man correctly.
+
+"Even so," he said, in a low tone, "take my card. I can find you work,
+of the right sort, for one who has brains and pluck, yes?"
+
+The continental trick of ending with an implied question lent a subtle
+meaning to his utterance, and he helped it with covert glance and sour
+smile. Thus might Caesar Borgia ask some minion if he could use a
+dagger. But Royson was too humiliated by his blunder to pay heed to
+hidden meanings. He grasped the card in his muddied fingers, and looked
+towards Miss Fenshawe, who was now patting one of the horses. Her
+aristocratic aloofness was doubly galling. She, too, had heard what he
+said, and was ready to classify him with the common herd. And, indeed,
+he had deserved it. He was wholly amazed by his own churlish outburst.
+Not yet did he realize that Fate had taken his affairs in hand, and
+that each step he took, each syllable he uttered in that memorable
+hour, were part and parcel of the new order of events in his life.
+
+Quite crestfallen, he hurried away. He found himself inside the gates
+of the park before he took note of direction. Then he went to the edge
+of the lake, wetted his handkerchief, and rubbed off the worst of the
+mud-stains. While engaged in this task he calmed down sufficiently to
+laugh, not with any great degree of mirth, it is true, but with a grain
+of comfort at the recollection of Seymour's eulogy.
+
+"King Dick!" he growled. "Times have changed since last I heard that
+name. By gad, five years can work wonders."
+
+And, indeed, so can five seconds, when wonders are working, but the
+crass ignorance of humanity oft prevents the operation being seen. Be
+that as it may, Royson discovered that it was nearly eleven o'clock
+before he had cleaned his soiled clothes sufficiently to render himself
+presentable. As he set out once more for his rendezvous, he heard the
+band playing the old Guard back to quarters. The soldiers came down the
+Mall, but he followed the side of the lake, crossed the Horse-guards
+Parade, and reached the office for which he was bound at ten minutes
+past eleven. He had applied for a secretaryship, a post in which "a
+thorough knowledge of French" was essential, and he was received by a
+pompous, flabby little man, with side whiskers, for whom he conceived a
+violent dislike the moment he set eyes on him. Apparently, the feeling
+was mutual. Dick Royson was far too distinguished looking to suit the
+requirements of the podgy member for a county constituency, a
+legislator who hoped to score in Parliament by getting the Yellow Books
+of the French Chamber translated for his benefit.
+
+"You are late, Mr. Royson," began the important one.
+
+"Yes," said Dick.
+
+"Punctuality--"
+
+"Exactly, but I was mixed up in a slight mishap to a carriage."
+
+"As I was about to remark," said the M.P., in his most impressive
+manner, "punctuality in business is a _sine qua non_. I have already
+appointed another secretary."
+
+"Poor devil!" said Dick.
+
+"How dare you, sir, speak to me in that manner?"
+
+"I was thinking of him. I don't know him, but, having seen you, I am
+sorry for him."
+
+"You impudent rascal--"
+
+But Royson had fled. Out in the street, he looked up at the sky. "Is
+there a new moon?" he asked himself, gravely. "Am I cracked? Why did I
+pitch into that chap? If I'm not careful, I shall get myself into
+trouble to-day. I wonder if Jack Seymour will lend me enough to take me
+to South Africa? They say that war is brewing there. That is what I
+want--gore, bomb-shells, more gore. If I stay in London--"
+
+Then he encountered a procession coming up Northumberland Avenue.
+Police, mounted and on foot, headed it. Behind marched the unemployed,
+thousands of them.
+
+"If I stay in London," he continued, quite seriously, "I shall pick out
+a beefy policeman and fight him. Then I shall get locked up, and my
+name will be in the papers, and my uncle will see it, and have a fit,
+and die. I don't want my uncle to have a fit, and die, or I shall feel
+that I am responsible for his death. So I must emigrate."
+
+Suddenly he recalled the words and manner of the Baron von Kerber. They
+came to him with the vividness of a new impression. He sought for the
+card in his pocket. "Baron Franz von Kerber, 118, Queen's Gate, W.," it
+read.
+
+"Sounds like an Austrian name," he reflected. "But the girl was
+English, a thoroughbred, too. What was it he said? 'Work of the right
+sort, for a man with brains and pluck.' Well, I shall give this joker a
+call. If he wants me to tackle anything short of crime, I'm his man.
+Failing him, I shall see Jack to-morrow, when he is off duty."
+
+A red banner was staggering up Northumberland Avenue, and he caught a
+glimpse of a fat man in the midst of the lean ones.
+
+"Oh, dash those fellows, they give me the hump," he growled, and he
+turned his back on them a second time. But no military pomp or startled
+horses offered new adventure that day. He wandered about the streets,
+ate a slow luncheon, counted his money, seventeen shillings all told,
+went into the British Museum, and dawdled through its galleries until
+he was turned out. Then he bought a newspaper, drank some tea, and
+examined the shipping advertisements.
+
+His mind was fixed on South Africa. Somehow, it never occurred to him
+that the fur-clothed Baron might find him suitable employment.
+Nevertheless, he went to 118, Queen's Gate, at seven o'clock. The
+footman who opened the door, seemed to be expecting him.
+
+"Mr. King?" said the man.
+
+This struck Royson as distinctly amusing.
+
+"Something like that," he answered, but the footman had the face of a
+waxen image.
+
+"This way, Mr. King."
+
+And Royson followed him up a wide staircase, marveling at the aptness
+of the name.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+
+THE COMPACT
+
+The Baron Franz von Kerber was in evening dress. He was engrossed in
+the examination of a faded, or discolored, document when Royson was
+shown into an apartment, nominally the drawing-room, which the present
+tenant had converted into a spacious study. An immense map of the Red
+Sea littoral, drawn and colored by hand, hung on one of the walls;
+there were several chart cases piled on a table; and a goodly number of
+books, mainly ancient tomes, were arranged on shelves or stacked on
+floor and chairs. This was the room of a worker. Von Kerber's elegant
+exterior was given a new element of importance by his surroundings.
+
+That was as much as Royson could note before the Baron looked up from
+the letter he was reading. It demanded close scrutiny, because it was
+written in Persi-Arabic.
+
+"Ah, glad to see you, Mr. King," he said affably. "Sit there," and he
+pointed to an empty chair. Dick knew that this seat in particular was
+selected because it would place him directly in front of a cluster of
+electric lights. He waited until the door was closed.
+
+"By the way," he said, "why do you call me 'King'? That is not my name,
+but it is rather extraordinary that you should have hit on it, because
+it is part of a nickname I had at school."
+
+He was fully at ease now. Poverty and anxiety can throw even a Napoleon
+out of gear, but Richard Royson was hard as granite in some ways, and
+the mere decision to go to South Africa had driven the day's
+distempered broodings from his mind.
+
+"I thought I heard the officer who spoke to you in Buckingham Palace
+Road address you as King," explained von Kerber.
+
+"Yes, that is true," admitted Royson. He felt that it would savor of
+the ridiculous, in his present circumstances, were he to state his
+nickname in full and explain the significance of it. In fact, he was
+resolved to accept the five-pound note which the Baron would probably
+offer him, and be thankful for it. Hence, the pseudonym rather soothed
+his pride.
+
+Von Kerber placed the Arabic scrawl under a paperweight. He was a man
+who plumed himself on a gift of accurate divination. Such a belief is
+fatal. For the third time that day, he misunderstood the Englishman's
+hesitancy.
+
+"What's in a name?" he quoted, smilingly. "Suppose I continue to call
+you King? It is short, and easily remembered, and your English names
+puzzle me more than your language, which is difficult enough, yes?"
+
+"Then we can leave it at that," agreed Royson.
+
+"I thought so. Well, to come to business. What can you do?"
+
+"It would be better, perhaps, if you told me what you want me to do."
+
+"Can you ride?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Have you ever been to sea?"
+
+Royson pricked up his ears at this. "The sea!" suggested undreamed-of
+possibilities. And von Kerber certainly had the actor's facial art of
+conveying much more than the mere purport of his words. The map, the
+charts, assumed a new meaning. Were they scenic accessories? Had this
+foreigner taken the whim to send him abroad on some mission? He decided
+to be less curt in his statements.
+
+"If I simply answered your question I should be compelled to say 'No,'"
+he replied. "So far as my actual sea-going is concerned, it has
+consisted of trips across the Channel when I was a boy. Yet I am a fair
+sailor. I can handle a small yacht better than most men of my age. My
+experience is confined to a lake, but it is complete in that small way.
+And I taught myself the rudiments of navigation as a pastime."
+
+"Ah!"
+
+The Baron expressed both surprise and gratification by the
+monosyllable. Royson was weighing his companion closely now, and he
+came to the conclusion, that there were qualities in that tall, thin,
+somewhat effeminate personality which he had not detected during their
+brief meeting of the morning. Von Kerber was good-looking, with
+something of the dignity and a good deal of the aspect of a bird of
+prey. His slender frame was well-knit. His sinuous hands hinted at
+unexpected strength. Were Royson told that his possible employer was a
+master of the rapier he would have credited it. And the Baron, for his
+part, was rapidly changing the first-formed estimate of his guest.
+
+"Pray forgive me if I seem to intrude on your personal affairs," he
+said; "but, taking your own words, you are--how do you say it--
+_schlimm--aux abois_--"
+
+"Hard up. Yes."
+
+"What? You speak German, or is it French?"
+
+"German, a little. I am understandable in French."
+
+"Ah."
+
+Again von Kerber paused. Royson smiled. Had he striven to mislead the
+other man as to his character he could not have succeeded so admirably.
+And the Baron read the smile according to his own diagnosis. He was
+sure that this well-educated, gentlemanly, yet morose-mannered young
+Englishman was under a cloud--that he had broken his country's laws,
+and been broken himself in the process. And von Kerber was searching
+for men of that stamp. They would do things that others, who pinned
+their faith to testimonials, certificates, and similar vouchers of
+repute, might shy at.
+
+"I think you are one to be trusted?" he went on.
+
+"I am glad you think that."
+
+"Yes. I soon make up my mind. And to-day you acted as one man among a
+thousand. Miss Fenshawe, the lady in the carriage, enlightened me
+afterwards. I saw only part of your fine behavior. You were quick and
+fearless. Those are the qualities I seek, but I demand obedience, too,
+and a still tongue, yes?"
+
+"I would not betray a man who trusted me," said Dick. "If I disagreed
+with you I would leave you. I fell out with the son of my last
+employer, so I left him, a fortnight ago. Yet I have kept my reasons to
+myself."
+
+The memory of that falling out was yet vivid. He had filled the
+position of foreign correspondence clerk to an export firm in the city.
+One evening, returning late to the office, he surprised the typist, a
+rather pretty girl, in tears. She blurted out some broken words which
+led him to interview the young gentleman who represented the budding
+talent of the house; and the result was lamentable. The senior partner
+dismissed him next day, telling him he was lucky he had escaped arrest
+for a murderous assault, and, as for the girl, she was like the rest of
+her class, anxious only to inveigle a rich young fool into marriage.
+The point of view of both father and son was novel to Royson, and their
+ethics were vile, but he gave the girl, who was sent away at the same
+time, half of the six pounds he had in his pocket, and wished he had
+used his fist instead of his open hand on the junior partner's face.
+
+This, of course, had singularly little bearing on his declaration to
+von Kerber, who metaphorically stuck his talons into that portion of
+Royson's utterance which interested him. He bent across the table,
+leaning on his curved fingers, spread apart, like claws.
+
+"Ah," he said slowly. "That is good. You would not betray a man who
+trusted you. You mean that?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"Very well, then. I offer you the position of second mate on my yacht,
+the _Aphrodite_. She is a sailing vessel, with auxiliary steam, a
+seaworthy craft, of two hundred and eighty tons. I pay well, but I ask
+good service. The salary is L20 per month, all found. The captain, two
+officers, and fourteen men receive ten per cent of the gross profits of
+a certain undertaking--the gross profits, remember--divided in
+proportion to their wages. If successful, your share, small though it
+sounds, will be large enough to make you a comparatively rich man. Do
+you accept, yes?"
+
+Dick Royson felt his heart thumping against his ribs. "Why, of course,
+I accept," he cried. "But your terms are so generous, to a man without
+a profession, that I must ask you one thing? Is the affair such as an
+honest man can take part in?"
+
+"It is. No one can cavil at its honesty. Yet we may encounter
+difficulties. There may be fighting, not against a government, but to
+defend our--our gains--from those who would rob us."
+
+"I'm with you, heart and soul," cried Royson, stirred out of his
+enforced calmness. "Indeed, I am exceedingly obliged to you. I am at a
+loss to account for my amazing good luck."
+
+The Baron snapped his fingers with a fine air. "Good luck!" he
+exclaimed. "There is no such thing. A man with intelligence and nerve
+grasps the opportunity when it presents itself. You took it this
+morning. You may say that you might not have been given the chance.
+Nonsense, my dear Mr. King! Missing that, you would have found another.
+Let me tell you that I have created a place for you on the ship's roll.
+You took my fancy. I had already secured my crew. They are all
+Englishmen--stupid fellows, some of them, but trustworthy. You are a
+trustworthy race, yes?"
+
+"That is our repute. I have met exceptions."
+
+"Oh, as for that, every man has his price. That is why I pay well. Now,
+I am going out to dine. The _Aphrodite_ sails this week. You. will sign
+an agreement, yes?"
+
+"Delighted," said Dick, though bitter experience had taught him that
+von Kerber's last question might reveal some disagreeable feature
+hitherto unseen, just as the sting of the scorpion lies in its tail.
+
+The Baron handed him a printed document.
+
+"Read that," he said. "You need have no fear of legal quibbles. It
+contains nothing unreasonable, but I insist on its observance in letter
+and spirit."
+
+Certainly, no unfair demand was made by the brief contract which Royson
+glanced at. He noticed that the _Aphrodite_ was described as "owned by
+Hiram Fenshawe, Esq., of Chalfount Manor, Dorset, and Emperor's Gate,
+London, W.," while Baron Franz von Kerber figured as "controller and
+head of the expedition." The agreement was to hold good for six months,
+with an option, "vesting solely in the said Baron Franz von Kerber," to
+extend it, month by month, for another equal period. There were blanks
+for dates and figures--, and one unusual clause read:
+
+"The undersigned hereby promises not to divulge the vessel's
+destination or mission, should either, or both, become known to him;
+not to give any information which may lead to inquiry being made by
+others as to her destination or mission, and not to make any statement,
+in any form whatsoever, as to the success or otherwise of the voyage at
+its conclusion, unless at the request of the said Baron Franz von
+Kerber. The penalty for any infringement of this clause, of which Baron
+Franz von Kerber shall be the judge, shall be dismissal, without any
+indemnity or payment of the special bonus hereinafter recited."
+
+Then followed the salary clause, and a stipulation as to the ten per
+cent share of the gross profits. The Baron's promises could not have
+been phrased in more straightforward style.
+
+"Give me a pen," said Royson, placing the paper on a blotting pad.
+
+There was an unconscious masterfulness in his voice and manner which
+seemed to startle von Kerber. In very truth, the younger man was
+overjoyed at the astounding turn taken by his fortunes. The restraint
+he had imposed on himself earlier was gone. He wanted to wring the
+Baron's hand and hail him as his best friend. Perhaps the other deemed
+this attitude a trifle too free and easy in view of the relations that
+would exist between them in the near future.
+
+"You will find a pen on the ink-stand," said he, quietly, stooping,
+over some papers on a corner of the table. Then he added, apparently as
+an afterthought:
+
+"Don't forget your name, Mr. King."
+
+The hint brought Royson back to earth. He signed "Richard King," dried
+the ink carefully, and marveled a little at his re-christening and its
+sequel.
+
+"When and where shall I report myself for duty, sir?" he asked.
+
+Von Kerber looked up. His tone grew affable again, and Dick had learnt
+already that it is a token of weakness when a man insists on his own
+predominance.
+
+"First let me fill in a date and the amount of your salary." The Baron
+completed and signed a duplicate. "Get that stamped at Somerset House,
+in case of accident," he continued, "I might have been killed this very
+day, you know. One of my servants will witness both documents. Before
+he comes in, put this envelope in your pocket. It contains half of your
+first month's salary in advance, and you will find in it a card with
+the address of a firm of clothiers, who will supply your outfit free of
+charge. Call on them early to-morrow, as the time is short, and you are
+pretty long, yes? Report yourself to the same people at four o'clock on
+Wednesday afternoon. They will have your baggage ready, and give you
+full directions. From that moment you are in my service. And now, the
+order is silence, yes?"
+
+While the Baron was speaking he touched an electric bell. The waxen-
+faced man-servant appeared, laboriously wrote "William Jenkins" where
+he was bid, and escorted Royson to the door. The Baron merely nodded
+when Dick said "Good night, sir." He had picked up an opera hat and
+overcoat from a chair, but was bestowing a hasty farewell glance on the
+Persi-Arabic letter.
+
+A closed carriage and pair of horses were standing in front of the
+house, and Royson recognized the coachman. It was that same Spong who
+had groveled in the mud of Buckingham Palace Road nine hours ago. And
+the man knew him again, for he raised his whip in a deferential salute.
+
+"Not much damage done this morning?" cried Dick.
+
+"No, sir. I drove 'em home afterwards, broken pole an' all," said
+Spong.
+
+"That's not the same pair, is it?"
+
+"No, sir. This lot is theayter, the bays is park."
+
+So Mr. Hiram Fenshawe, whoever he was, owned the yacht, and ran at
+least two fine equipages from his town house. He must be a wealthy man.
+Was he the father of that patrician maid whose gratitude had not stood
+the strain of Royson's gruffness? Or, it might be, her brother, seeing
+that he was associated with von Kerber in some unusual enterprise? What
+was it? he wondered. "There may be fighting," said von Kerber. Dick was
+glad of that. He had taken a solemn vow to his dying mother that he
+would not become a soldier, and the dear lady died happy in the belief
+that she had snatched her son from the war-dragon which had bereft her
+of a husband. The vow lay heavy on the boy's heart daring many a year,
+for he was a born man-at-arms, but he had kept it, and meant to keep
+it, though not exactly according to the tenets of William Penn.
+Somehow, his mother's beautiful face, wanly exquisite in that unearthly
+light which foreshadows the merging of time into eternity, rose before
+him now as he passed from the aristocratic dimness of Prince's Gate
+into the glare and bustle of Knightsbridge. A newsboy rushed along,
+yelling at the top of his voice. The raucous cry took shape: "Kroojer's
+reply. Lytest from Sarth Hafricar." That day's papers had spoken of
+probable war, and Royson wanted to be there. He had dreamed of doing
+some work for the press, and was a reader and writer in his spare time,
+while he kept his muscles fit by gymnastics. But those past yearnings
+were merged in his new calling. He was a sailor now, a filibuster of
+sorts. The bo's'n's whistle would take the place of the bugle-call.
+Would that have pleased his mother? Well, poor soul, she had never
+imagined that her son would be compelled to chafe his life out at a
+city desk. The very, air of London had become oppressive; the hurrying
+crowd was unsympathetic to his new-found joy of living; so, without any
+well-defined motive, he sought the ample solitude of the park.
+
+Be it noted that he usually went straight from point to point without
+regard to obstacles. Hence, in his devious wanderings of that
+remarkable day, he was departing from fixed habit, and, were he a
+student of astrology, he would assuredly have sought to ascertain what
+planets were in the ascendant at a quarter-past ten in the morning, and
+half-past seven in the evening. For he had scarcely reached the quiet
+gloom of the trees when a man, who had followed him since he quitted
+von Kerber's house, overtook him and touched his arm.
+
+"Beg pardon," said the stranger, "but are you the gentleman who called
+on Baron von Kerber half an hour ago?"
+
+"Yes." Taken unawares, Dick was thrown off his guard for the instant.
+
+"And you left his house just now?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"To prevent a mistake, may I ask your name?"
+
+"Certainly. It is Royson, Richard Royson."
+
+"And address?"
+
+A curious ring of satisfaction in the newcomer's voice carried a
+warning note with it. Dick was conscious, too, that he had departed
+from the new role assigned to him by his employer, yet it would be
+absurd to begin explaining that he was not known as Royson, but as
+King, in connection with von Kerber. The blunder annoyed him, and he
+faced his questioner squarely.
+
+"Before I give you any more information I want to know who you are," he
+said.
+
+His downright way of speaking appeared to carry conviction.
+
+"Well, Mr. Royson, I don't mind telling you that I am a private inquiry
+agent," was the ominous answer. "I am retained by a gentleman who
+brings a very serious charge against von Kerber, and, as I have reason
+to believe that you are only slightly mixed up in this affair at
+present, I am commissioned to offer you a handsome reward for any
+valuable information you may give my client or procure for him in the
+future."
+
+"Indeed!" said Dick, who was debating whether or not to knock the man
+down.
+
+"Yes. We mean business, I assure you. This is no common matter. Von
+Kerber is an Austrian, and my client is an Italian. Perhaps you know
+how they hate each other as nations, and these two have a private
+quarrel as well."
+
+"What does your employer want to find out?" asked Dick.
+
+"Well, as a start, he wants to know why von Kerber is shipping a crew
+for a yacht called the _Aphrodite_."
+
+"Then he has learned something already?"
+
+"Oh, that was too easy. Any one can pump a half-drunken sailor."
+
+The private inquiry agent spoke confidentially. He fancied he had
+secured the sort of aide he needed, a spy of superior intelligence.
+
+"Suppose I give you that first item of news, what is the figure?"
+
+"Say a fiver."
+
+"But I am almost willing to pay that much for the pleasure of spreading
+your nose over your face."
+
+There was a sudden gap between the two. Perhaps the stranger felt that
+the rawness of the atmosphere demanded brisk movement.
+
+"Oh, is that it?" snarled he.
+
+"Yes, that is it."
+
+"You had better be careful what you are doing." Dick had advanced a
+pace, but the agent sheered off twice as far, as though the air between
+them was not only cold but resilient.
+
+"I shall be quite careful. Just one small punch, say a sovereign's
+worth. Come, that is cheap enough."
+
+Then the man ran off at top speed. Royson could have caught him in a
+few strides, but he did not move. He had not meant to hit, only to
+scare, yet the incident was perplexing, and the more he pondered over
+it the less pleased he was at his own lack of finesse, as he might have
+learnt something without fear of indiscretion, seeing that he had
+nothing to tell. Nevertheless, his final decision was in favor of the
+first impulse. Von Kerber had treated him with confidence--why should
+he wish to possess any disturbing knowledge of von Kerber?
+
+But he refused to be shadowed like a thief. He stepped out, left the
+park at Stanhope Gate, jumped on to a passing omnibus, changed it for
+another in the middle of Oxford Street, and walked down. Regent Street
+with a well-founded belief that he had defeated espionage for the time.
+Thereafter, he behaved exactly like several hundred thousand young men
+In London that night. He dined, bought some cigars, rare luxuries to
+him, went to a music-hall, soon wearied of its inanities, and traveled
+by an early train to Brixton, where he rented cheap lodgings.
+
+He slept the sleep of sound digestion, which is so often confused with
+a good conscience, and rose betimes. At a city tailoring establishment
+he was measured dubiously, being far removed from stock size. But a
+principal made light of difficulties, and Royson noticed that he was to
+be supplied with riding breeches and boots in addition to a sea-faring
+kit, while a _sola topi_, or pith helmet, appeared, in the list.
+
+He asked no questions, was assured that all would be in readiness at
+four o'clock that day, and found himself turned loose again in London
+at an early hour with nothing to do. And what do you think he did? He
+caught a Mansion-House train to Victoria, waylaid the Guards a second
+time, marched with them valiantly to St. James's, and took a keen
+delight in their stately pageant. He saw his friend, Seymour, strolling
+to and fro with a brother officer in the tiny square, and watched him
+march; back to Chelsea with the relieved guard.
+
+Then, with all the zest of seeing London from a new standpoint, that of
+moneyed idleness, he strolled towards Hyde Park. He took the road known
+as the Ladies' Mile, crossed the Serpentine by the bridge, and came
+back by the Row. There, near the Albert Gate crossing, a lady had
+reined in her chestnut hunter and was talking to an old gentleman
+standing near the rails. Had Royson stared at her, he might have
+remembered the eyes, and the finely-cut contours of nose, lips and
+chin. But his acquaintance with fashionable society had been severed so
+completely that he was not aware of the new code which permits its
+votaries to stare at a pretty woman; and a riding-habit offers sharp
+contrast to a set of sables. He was passing, all unconscious of the
+interest he had aroused in the lady, when he heard her say:
+
+"Why, grandfather, there he is. Good morning, Mr. King. Mr. Fenshawe
+and I were just talking about you."
+
+Royson would have known her voice anywhere. It had the rare distinction
+of music and perfect diction. Amidst the shrill vulgarity which
+counterfeited wit in the average upper class gathering of the period
+such a voice must have sounded like the song of a robin in a crowded
+rookery.
+
+The unexpected greeting brought a rush of color to Dick's face. But
+yesterday's cloud had vanished, and his natural embarrassment was
+obviously that of a well-bred man young enough to be delighted by the
+recognition. Moreover, he was not covered with mud, nor had his
+sensibilities been jarred by standards representing the hell and heaven
+of modern existence.
+
+He lifted his hat.
+
+"I am glad to see you have experienced no ill effects from yesterday's
+shock, Miss Fenshawe," he said.
+
+"Not in the least. It was a wonderful escape. Even the victoria leaves
+hospital this afternoon, I am told."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe, whose silvery-white hair and wrinkled skin betokened an
+age that his erect, spare frame would otherwise have concealed, patted
+Royson's shoulder.
+
+"You did well, Mr. King, very well. I am much beholden to you. And I
+was pleased to hear from Baron von Kerber last night that you have
+joined our expedition."
+
+Though of middle height, Mr. Fenshawe had to raise his hand as high as
+his own forehead to reach Dick's back. His eyes were shrewd and keen,
+with the introspective look of the student. Though it was more than
+probable that he was very wealthy, judging from the meager details
+within Royson's ken, he had the semblance of a university professor
+rather than a millionaire.
+
+"I think the good fortune is wholly mine, sir," said Dick, trying to
+answer both at once, and puzzled to determine how he could repudiate
+the name which von Kerber had fastened on to him.
+
+"No, we will not put it that way," and the other seemed to sweep some
+confusing thought from before his mental vision. "Let us say that the
+reward will be commensurate with the deed. We do not forget, we
+Fenshawes, do we, Irene? Good day, Mr. King. I hope to make your better
+acquaintance. We shall see much of each other ere long."
+
+Thus dismissed, with another friendly tap on the shoulder, Royson had
+no option but to raise his hat again. He received a very gracious smile
+from Miss Fenshawe, and he left the two with a curious consciousness
+that there was at least one woman in the world who had the power to
+send his blood whirling through his veins.
+
+As he walked off under the trees, the eyes of grandfather and
+granddaughter followed him.
+
+"A useful man that, for work in the desert," said Mr. Fenshawe.
+
+"Yes. Quite a Crusader in appearance," mused the girl aloud.
+
+The old man laughed noiselessly.
+
+"I find you are only half persuaded as to the peaceable nature of our
+task, Irene," he said.
+
+"I find it even more difficult to persuade you that Count von Kerber
+fears interference, grandad."
+
+"My dear child, these foreigners are all nerves. Look at me. I have
+spent twenty years of my life among the Arabs, and felt safer there
+than in a London crowd."
+
+"Yes, you dear old thing, but you are not Count von Kerber."
+
+"Nerves, Irene, nothing else. At any rate, your Mr. King should adjust
+the average in that respect. And if you begin to talk of risk I shall
+have to reconsider my decision to take you with us."
+
+The chestnut threw up his head, and pranced excitedly, having been
+warned that a gallop was imminent.
+
+"No, you don't," laughed Irene. "If we Fenshawes do not forget, we also
+stick together. By-by. See you at lunch."
+
+And she was gone, sitting her horse with the ease and sureness of one
+of those Arabs in whom her grandfather placed such confidence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+
+A CHANGE OF SKY, BUT NOT OF HABIT
+
+Royson had time and to spare for the analysis of events during the
+remainder of the day. In spite of von Kerber's repudiation of luck, he
+believed that the fickle jade sometimes favored a man, and he counted
+himself thrice fortunate in having met with an adventure leading to
+such an unforeseen opening. He realized too, that had he been better
+dressed--were his words and manners modeled on smooth convention--he
+would not have received the offer of employment on board the
+_Aphrodite_. Looked at in cold blood, there was nothing sinister in von
+Kerber's wish to keep his business affairs private. If the Baron were
+mixed up in a quarrel with some unknown Italian, his association with
+people like Mr. Fenshawe and his granddaughter supplied a valid excuse
+for observing a certain secrecy.
+
+To guess the nature of the yacht's mission was more difficult. Any
+reader of newspapers was aware that Morocco, Montenegro and Armenia,
+not to mention the political volcanoes of Finland, Poland, and Carlist
+centers in Spain, provided scope for international intrigue even in
+these prosaic days. But it was a vain thing to imagine that the
+Fenshawes would be involved in any wild-cat scheme of that sort. The
+natural sequel to this thought was--who were they? and the nearest Free
+Library answered promptly:
+
+"Fenshawe, Hiram, C.M.G., 2d Class Osmanieh Hon. Fellow of Caius
+College, Cambridge, landowner and colliery proprietor, an enthusiastic
+Egyptologist, vice-President of Upper Egypt Exploration Society; has
+devoted immense sums of money and many years of his life to Egyptian
+archaeological research. His private collection of coins, pottery,
+gold, silver and bronze ornaments, and other works of art having
+special reference to the Roman occupation of Egypt, is probably
+unequaled.... Born at Liverpool, March 20, 1830; married, June 10,
+1854. Hilda, daughter of Sir Adolphus Livingston, Nairn. Only son,
+Hildebrand, born April 27, 1856; married, December 20, 1880. Irene, 2d
+daughter of the late Dr. Alfred Stowell, LL.D., Master of Trinity Hall,
+Cambridge.... Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrand Fenshawe were lost in the wreck
+of the P. & O. liner _Bokhara_, off the Pescadores Islands, 1892,
+leaving one daughter, Irene Hildegarde, born February 11, 1882."
+
+The book supplied other details, but Royson obtained from the foregoing
+extracts a sufficiently clear idea of the identity of the two people
+whom he had encountered in the park. Of course, he set his wits to work
+instantly to construct new avenues for the promised activity of the
+_Aphrodite_, but, these imaginings being as hopelessly mistaken as are
+most other human peeps into futurity, they served only to keep him on
+tenterhooks until he revisited the outfitters' establishment. There he
+was handed the keys of two large steel trunks, canvas-covered, and
+requested to assure himself that they contained all the articles set
+forth on a list. The manager also gave him a first-class ticket for
+Marseilles, and a typewritten instruction that he was to travel by the
+nine o'clock train from Victoria that evening. On arriving at the
+French port he would find the _Aphrodite_ moored in No. 3. Basin, and
+he was requested not to wear any portion of his uniform until on board
+the yacht.
+
+The nature of the arrangements, the prodigal supply of clothing, rather
+took Dick's breath away. Even the initials, "R. K.," were painted on
+the trunks and stitched on to the canvas.
+
+"My employer seems to have done things pretty thoroughly," he could not
+help saying.
+
+The shopman dug a compliment out of the remark.
+
+"Our house has a reputation to maintain," he answered, "and Mr.
+Fenshawe is one of our best and oldest customers."
+
+There was no mention of Count von Kerber, which added a ripple to the
+wave of astonishment in Royson's breast. He took his baggage to Charing
+Cross in a cab, and deposited it there. Meanwhile, he learned from a
+further scrutiny of the list that his own few belongings were hardly
+wanted. He had not been so well equipped since he left Heidelberg to
+rush to his mother's death-bed. Nevertheless, having already gathered
+in a valise some books, photographs, letters, and other odds and ends,
+he went to Brixton to obtain them.
+
+While giving a farewell glance around his dingy room, an old envelope,
+thrown aside overnight, reminded him of a half-formed idea, which
+appealed to him strongly now that he knew his port of departure.
+
+So he wrote a short letter:
+
+Dear Mr. Forbes:
+
+"You were kind to me four years ago, as kind as Sir Henry Royson would
+permit you to be towards one who had wilfully and irreparably insulted
+him. My feelings with regard to him have undergone no change. He may be
+dead, for all I know, or care. But you, I suppose, are still the
+trusted solicitor of the Cuddesham estate, and Sir Henry Royson, if
+alive, may have remained unmarried. In that event, I am heir to a
+barren title, and it may save you some trouble if I inform you that I
+am leaving England. For reasons of no consequence, I am passing under
+the name of Richard King. If I return, or settle down in some other
+land, I will write to you, say, after the lapse of a year. Please
+regard this note as strictly private, and do not interpret it as
+foreshadowing any attempt on my part to arrive at a reconciliation with
+Sir Henry Royson."
+
+He was about to add the briefest announcement of his new career, but
+he checked himself; had not von Kerber forbidden the giving of any
+information?
+
+He signed the letter, and addressed it to the senior partner of a firm
+of solicitors in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Then, indeed, he felt that he
+had snapped the last slender link that bound him to the dull life of
+the city. Like Kent, he vowed that "freedom lies hence, and banishment
+is here." And he had always hated Brixton, which was unjust to that
+pleasant suburb, but the days of his sojourn there had been days of
+bondage.
+
+He was among the first to secure a seat in the Continental mail. Having
+registered those superb trunks through to Marseilles, and reserved a
+comfortable corner by depositing his valise there, he strolled up and
+down the platform, and quietly scrutinized his fellow passengers. So
+far as he could judge, none of the earlier arrivals were prospective
+shipmates. Two bronzed men, of free gait, with that trick of carrying
+the hands back to front which singles out the sailor from the rest of
+humanity, drew him like a lodestone. But he soon discovered that they
+were P. & O. officers, bidding farewell to a friend bound for Egypt.
+
+At last he came upon a man and a woman, a remarkable pair under any
+circumstances, but specially interesting to him, seeing that the man
+gripped an ancient carpet bag on which was pasted a label with the
+glaring superscription: "Captain John Stump, yacht _Aphrodite_,
+Marsails." The address was half written, half printed, and the quaintly
+phonetic spelling of the concluding word betrayed a rugged independence
+of thought which was certainly borne out by Captain John Stump's
+appearance. The written label might be wrong; not so that stamped by
+Neptune on a weather-beaten face and a figure like a capstan. Little
+more than five feet in height, he seemed to be quite five feet wide. If
+it be true that a poet is born, not made, Captain Stump was a master
+mariner from his cradle. Royson had never before seen such a man. Drawn
+out to Royson's stature he would yet have remained the broader of the
+two. The lady with him, evidently Mrs. Stump, was mated for him by
+happy chance. Short mean usually marry tall women, and your sons of
+Anak will select wives of fairy-like proportions. But Mrs. Stump was
+even shorter than her husband, and so plump withal, that a tape measure
+round her shoulders might have given her the prize for girth.
+
+Captain Stump was examining the interior of each carriage suspiciously
+when he set eyes on the P. & O. officers.
+
+"Port yer helium, Becky," he growled, and the two turned to the right-
+about. It happened that he entered Royson's compartment. There were not
+many first-class passengers that night, so Royson promptly took
+possession of his own corner, lit a pipe, and unobtrusively watched his
+future commander. This was not difficult, as Stump stood near the open
+door, and each word he uttered was audible.
+
+"Don't want to berth alongside sailor-men to-night, Becky," he said,
+after sizing up Dick in a comprehensive glance. "Them's my sailin'
+orders. 'Hoist no colors,' sez he, 'until you bring to at Marseilles.'"
+
+"What's your first port of call, John?" asked his wife.
+
+"Dunno. I'll send you a wire."
+
+A pause. Then Mrs. Stump:
+
+"Will you be long in Marseilles, John?"
+
+Dick thought that this would be impossible anywhere, but Stump
+answered:
+
+"Mebbe half an hour, mebbe a week. You know all that I know, Becky."
+
+"It's funny."
+
+Captain Stump spat, and agreed that it was--emphatically funny. A
+ticket inspector approached.
+
+"Going on, sir?" he asked.
+
+"Goin' on? Of course I am. What in thunder d'ye think I'm stannin' here
+for?" demanded the captain.
+
+"But if you stand there, sir, you'll get left," said the official good-
+humoredly.
+
+"Better get in, John, an' don't argy with the gentleman," said Mrs.
+Stump.
+
+Her husband obeyed, grudgingly. The inspector examined his ticket, and
+Royson's, and locked the door.
+
+"Nice thing!" grumbled Stump. "I can't give you a good-by hug now,
+Becky."
+
+This was literally true. The captain's breadth of beam had never been
+contemplated by the designers of South-Eastern railway carriages. Even
+when the door was open, he had to enter sideways, and the brass rail
+across the window rendered it a physical impossibility to thrust head
+and shoulders outside.
+
+The shrill whistle of a guard was answered by a colleague.
+
+"Take care of yourself, John," said Becky.
+
+"No fear! And mind you wait till the 'bus stops to-night. The other
+evening--"
+
+Royson never learnt what had befallen Mrs. Stump on that other evening.
+At the moment the train began to move, he saw a man peeping into the
+carriage as if he were looking for some one. He believed it was the
+private inquiry agent whom he had shaken off so effectively in Hyde
+Park. The gloom of the station, and the fact that the man's face was in
+shadow, made him doubtful, but as the train gathered speed, the watcher
+on the platform nodded to him and smiled derisively. Captain Stump had
+quick eyes. He turned to Royson.
+
+"Beg pardon, mister, but is that a friend of yours?" he asked.
+
+"No," said Dick.
+
+"Well, he was signalin' somebody, an' it wasn't me."
+
+Then remarking that the unknown craft looked like a curiously-colored
+pirate, the captain squeezed himself into a seat. When the train ran
+into and backed out of Cannon Street, Stump was puzzled. He opened the
+carpet-bag, and drew forth a ship's compass, which he consulted. After
+a few minutes' rapid traveling his doubts seemed to subside, and he
+replaced the compass. Producing a cake of tobacco, he cut off several
+shavings with an exceedingly sharp knife, rolled them between his broad
+palms, filled a pipe, lit it, and whetted the knife on the side of his
+boot. Dick noticed that all his actions were wonderfully nimble for a
+man of his build. Any stranger who imagined that this squat Hercules
+was slow and ponderous in movement would be wofully mistaken if he
+based hostilities on that presumption.
+
+Perhaps the captain missed the companionship of the stout lady he had
+parted from at Charing Cross, or it might be that his gruffness was a
+matter of habit--at any rate, after a puff or two, he spoke to Royson
+again.
+
+"D'ye know wot time we're due at Dover?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, at 10.50."
+
+"We don't stop long there?"
+
+"No. The boat sails ten minutes later."
+
+"Good. I don't cotton on to these blessed trains. Every time they jolt
+I fancy we're on the rocks. Give me a ship, an' the steady beat of the
+screw, sez I. Then I know where I am."
+
+"I quite agree with you, captain, but you must put up with a fair spell
+of railway bumping before you reach Marseilles."
+
+Stump gave him a questioning look. Royson did not resemble the type of
+land shark with which he was familiar. Yet his eyes gleamed like those
+of a perplexed bull.
+
+"I s'pose you heard my missus an' me talking of Marseilles," he
+growled, "but how do you know I'm a captain."
+
+"It is written on your bag."
+
+"Well, my missus wrote that--"
+
+"Moreover," went on Dick, determined to break the ice, "I'm your second
+mate."
+
+"Wot?" roared Stump, leaning forward and placing a hand on each knee,
+while his fiery glance took in every detail of Royson's appearance.
+"You--my--second--mate?"
+
+The words formed a crescendo of contemptuous analysis. But Dick faced
+the storm boldly.
+
+"Yes," he said. "I don't see any harm in stating the fact, now that I
+know who you are."
+
+"Harm! Who said anything about harm? Wot sort of sailor d'ye call
+yerself? Who ever heard of a sailor in knickers?"
+
+Then it dawned on Royson that the captain's wrath was comprehensible.
+There is in every male Briton who goes abroad an ingrained instinct
+that leads him to don a costume usually associated with a Highland
+moor. Why this should be no man can tell, but nine out of ten
+Englishmen cross the Channel in sporting attire, and Royson was no
+exception to the rule. In his case a sheer revolt against the "office"
+suit had induced him to dress in clothes which recalled one glorious
+summer on the Westmoreland hills. Their incongruity did not appeal to
+him until Captain Stump forcibly drew attention thereto, and his hearty
+laugh at the way in which he was enlightened did not tend to soothe his
+skipper's indignation.
+
+"Second mate!" bellowed Stump again, calling the heavens to witness
+that there never was such another, "Where's yer ticket? Seein' is
+believin', they say. Who did you go to sea with? When did you pass?"
+
+"I have no certificate, if that is what you mean, and I have never been
+to sea," said Royson.
+
+This remark impressed Stump as an exquisite joke. His rage yielded to a
+rumble of hoarse laughter.
+
+"Lord love a duck!" he guffawed. "If only I'd ha' knowed, I could have
+told my missus. It would have cheered her up for a week. Never mind.
+We've a few minutes in Dover. I'll send her a picture postcard. It'll
+'arf tickle 'er to death."
+
+Evidently the captain meant to add certain explanatory remarks which
+would account for that Gargantuan tickling. Dick, anxious not to offend
+his future commander, smiled sheepishly, and said:
+
+"Sorry I can't supply you with a photograph."
+
+Stump's gaze rested on his stockings, loose breeches, Norfolk jacket
+and deerstalker cap.
+
+"Damme," he grinned, "it's better than a pantomime. Second mate! Is
+there any more like you on the train? P'haps that chap in the next
+caboose, in a fur coat an' top hat, is the steward. An' wot'll Tagg
+say?"
+
+"I don't know," said Dick, half inclined to resent this open scorn.
+"Who is Tagg, anyhow?"
+
+Stump instantly became silent. He seemed to remember his "sailing
+orders." He muttered something about "playin' me for a sucker," and
+shut his lips obstinately. Not another word did he utter until they
+reached Dover. He smoked furiously, gave Royson many a wrathful glance,
+but bottled up the tumultuous thoughts which troubled him. On board the
+steamer, however, curiosity conquered prudence. After surveying Dick's
+unusual proportions from several points of view, he came up and spoke
+in what he intended to be a light comedy tone.
+
+"I say, Mr. Second Mate," he said, "I don't see the Plimsoll Mark on
+the funnel. Do you?"
+
+"No, captain. I expect it has been washed off."
+
+"If I was you I'd write to the Board of Trade about it."
+
+"Best let sleeping dogs lie, captain."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because they might look for yours, and as it ought to be round your
+neck they would say you were unseaworthy."
+
+"So you know what it is, you long swab?"
+
+"Yes. Come and have a drink. That will reach your load-line all right."
+
+Royson had hit on the right method of dealing with Stump. The skipper
+promised himself some fun, and they descended to the saloon. The
+Channel was in boisterous mood, and Dick staggered once or twice in
+transit. Stump missed none of this, and became more jovial. Thus might
+one of the Hereford stots he resembled approach a green pasture.
+
+"If you ask the steward he'll bring you some belayin' tackle," he said.
+
+"I am a trifle crank just now," admitted Royson, "but when the wind
+freshens I'll take in a reef or two."
+
+Stump looked up at him.
+
+"You've put me clean, out of reckonin'. Never bin to sea, you say?
+Wot's yer name?"
+
+"King, Richard King."
+
+"Damme, I'm comin' to like you. You're a bit of a charak-ter. By the
+time the _Aphrodite_ points her nose home again I'll 'ave you licked
+into shape."
+
+They were crossing the saloon, and were sufficiently noteworthy by
+force of contrast to draw many eyes. Indeed, were Baron von Kerber on
+board, he must have been disagreeably impressed by the fact that in
+sending the short skipper and the long second mate of the _Aphrodite_
+to Marseilles in company he had supplied an unfailing means of tracking
+their movements. Of course, he was not responsible for the chance that
+threw them together, but the mere presence of two such men on the same
+vessel would be remembered quite easily by those who make it their
+business to watch trans-Channel passengers.
+
+Royson gave no thought to this factor in the queer conditions then
+shaping his life. Had Stump remained taciturn, it might have occurred
+to him that they were courting observation. But it needed the exercise
+of much resourcefulness to withstand the stream of questions with which
+his commander sought to clear the mystery attached to a second mate who
+knew not the sea. Luckily, he emerged from the flood with credit; nay,
+the examiner himself was obliged at times to assume a knowledge which
+he did not possess, for, if Stump knew how to con a ship from port to
+port, Royson could give reasons for great circle sailing which left
+Stump gasping. At last, the stout captain could no longer conceal his
+amazement when Royson had recited correctly the rules of the road for
+steamships crossing:
+
+      If to my Starboard Red appear,
+      It is my duty to keep clear;
+      Act as Judgment says is proper--
+      "Port"--or "Starboard"--"Back"--or "Stop her!"
+
+      But when, upon my Port is seen
+      A steamer's Starboard light of green,
+      For me there's naught to do, but see
+      That Green to Port keeps clear of me.
+
+"Come, now," he growled, "wot's your game? D'ye mean to say you've bin
+humbuggin' me all this time?"
+
+His little eyes glared redly from underneath his shaggy eyebrows. He
+was ready to sulk again, without hope of reconciliation, so Royson
+perforce explained.
+
+"I have no objection to telling you, captain, how I came to acquire a
+good deal of unusual information about the sea, but I want to
+stipulate, once and for all, that I shall not be further questioned as
+to my past life."
+
+"Go ahead! That's fair."
+
+"Well, I have spent many a day, since I was a boy of ten until I was
+nearly twenty, sailing a schooner-rigged yacht on Windermere. My
+companion and tutor was a retired commander of the Royal Navy, and he
+amused himself by teaching me navigation. I learnt it better than any
+of the orthodox sciences I had to study at school. You see, that was my
+hobby, while a wholesome respect for my skipper led me to work hard. I
+have not forgotten what I was taught, though the only stretch of water
+I have seen during the last few years is the Thames from its bridges,
+and I honestly believe that if you will put up with my want of
+experience of the sea for a week or so, I shall be quite capable of
+doing any work you may entrust to me."
+
+"By gad!" said Stump admiringly, "you're a wonder. Come on deck. I'll
+give you a tip or two as we go into Calais."
+
+During the journey across France it was natural that Royson should take
+the lead. He spoke the language fluently, whereas Stump's vocabulary
+was limited to a few forcible expressions he had picked up from brother
+mariners. There was a break-down on the line near Dijon, which delayed
+them eight hours, and Stump might have had apoplexy were not Royson at
+hand to translate the curt explanations of railway officials. But the
+two became good friends, which was an excellent thing for Dick, and the
+latter soon discovered, to his great surprise, that Stump had never set
+eyes on the _Aphrodite_.
+
+"No," he said, when some chance remark from Royson had elicited this
+curious fact, "she's a stranger to me. Me an' Tagg--Tagg is my first
+mate, you see--had just left the _Chirria_ when she was sold to the
+Germans out of the East Indian trade, an' we was lookin' about for wot
+might turn up when the man who chartered the _Aphrodite_ put us on to
+this job. Tagg has gone ahead with most of the crew, but I had to stop
+in London a few days--to see after things a bit."
+
+Stump had really remained behind in order to buy a complete set of
+charts, but he checked his confidences at that point, nor did Royson
+endeavor to probe further into the recent history of the yacht.
+
+Instead of traversing Marseilles at night, they drove through its
+picturesque streets in broad daylight. Both Royson and the captain were
+delighted with the lines of the _Aphrodite_ when they saw her in the
+spacious dock. Her tapering bows and rakish build gave her an
+appearance of greater size than her tonnage warranted. Royson was
+sailor enough to perceive that her masts and spars were intended for
+use, and, when he reached her deck, to which much scrubbing and
+vigorous holy-stoning had given the color of new bread, he knew that
+none but men trained on a warship had coiled each rope and polished
+every inch of shining brass.
+
+And his heart sank a little then. The looks and carriage of the few
+sailors visible at the moment betokened their training. How could he
+hope to hold his own with them? The first day at sea must reveal his
+incompetence. He would be the laughing-stock of the crew.
+
+He was almost nervous when an undersized hairy personage shoved a
+grinning face up a companionway, and hailed Stump joyfully. Then the
+captain did a thing which went far to prove that true gentility is not
+a matter of deportment or mincing phrase.
+
+"Keep mum before this crowd," he muttered. "Stand by, and I'll pull you
+through."
+
+Stump extended a gigantic hand to the hairy one. "Glad to see you
+again, old Never-fail," he roared. "Let me introjuice our second mate.
+Mr. Tagg--Mr. King. An' now, Tagg, wot's for breakfast? Mr. King an'
+me can eat a Frenchman if you have nothin' tastier aboard."
+
+Royson was relieved to find that he had practically no duties to
+perform until the yacht sailed. She had been coaled and provisioned by
+a Marseilles firm of shipping agents, and only awaited telegraphic
+orders to get up steam, in case the wind were unfavorable for beating
+down the Gulf of Lions, when Mr. Fenshawe and his party arrived.
+
+Every member of the crew was of British birth, and Britons are not, as
+a rule, endowed with the gift of tongues. Hence, Royson was the only
+man on board who spoke French, and this fact led directly to his active
+participation in the second act of the drama of love and death in
+which, all unconsciously, he was playing a leading part. On the day
+after his arrival in the French port, the head partner of the firm of
+local agents came on board and explained that, by inadvertence, some
+cases of claret of inferior vintage had been substituted for the wine
+ordered. The mistake had been discovered in the counting-house, and he
+was all apologies.
+
+Royson and he chatted together while the goods were being exchanged,
+and, in the end, the polite Frenchman invited _messieurs les officiers_
+to dine with him, and visit the Palais de Glace, where some daring
+young lady was announced to do things in a motor-car, which, in
+England, are only attempted by motor omnibuses.
+
+Stump, who would not leave the yacht, permitted Tagg and Royson to
+accept the proffered civility. They passed a pleasant evening, and saw
+the female acrobat negotiate a thirty-feet jump, head downward, taken
+through space by the automobile. Then they elected to walk to No. 3.
+Basin, a distance of a mile and a half. It was about eleven o'clock and
+a fine night. The docks road, a thoroughfare cut up by railway lines
+holding long rows of empty wagons, seemed to be quite deserted. Tagg,
+who was slightly lame, though active as a cat on board ship, was not
+able to walk fast. The two discussed the performance, and other matters
+of slight interest, and they paid little heed to the movements of half
+a dozen men, who appeared from behind some coal trucks, until the
+strangers advanced towards them in a furtive and threatening way. But
+nothing happened. The prowlers sheered off as quickly as they came.
+Tagg, who had the courage which Providence sends to puny men, glanced
+up at Royson and laughed.
+
+"Your size saved us from a fight," he said. "That gang is up to
+mischief."
+
+"I wonder what they are planning," said Royson, looking back to see if
+he could distinguish any other wayfarers on the ill-lighted road.
+
+"Robbery, with murder thrown in," was Tagg's brief comment.
+
+"They had the air of expecting somebody. Did you think that? What do
+you say if we wait in the shadow a few minutes?"
+
+"Better mind our own business," said Tagg, but he did not protest
+further, and the two halted in the gloom of a huge warehouse.
+
+There was nothing visible along the straight vista of the road, but,
+after a few seconds' silence, they heard the clatter and rumble of a
+vehicle crossing a distant drawbridge.
+
+"Some skipper comin' to his ship," muttered Tagg. "It can't be ours. By
+George, if those chaps tackled him they would be sorry for themselves."
+
+"Captain Stump is a good man in a row, I take it?"
+
+"'Good' isn't the word. He's a terror. I've seen him get six of his men
+out of a San Francisco crimp's house, an' I s'pose you 'aven't bin to
+sea without knowing wot that means."
+
+"Ah!" said Royson admiringly. He had found safety many times during the
+past two days by some such brief comment. Thus did he steer clear of
+conversational rocks.
+
+The carriage drew nearer, and became dimly visible--it was one of the
+tiny voiturettes peculiar to French towns. Suddenly the listeners heard
+a shout. The horse's feet ceased their regular beat on the roadway.
+Royson began to run, but Tagg vociferated:
+
+"Wait for me, you long ijiot! If you turn up alone they'll knife you
+before you can say 'Jack Robinson.'"
+
+Dick had no intention of saying "Jack Robinson," but he moderated his
+pace, and helped Tagg over the ground by grasping his arm. They soon
+saw that two men had pulled the driver off the box, and were holding
+him down--indeed, tying him hand and foot. Royson prevented the success
+of this operation by a running kick and an upper cut which placed two
+Marseillais out of action. Then he essayed to plunge into a fearsome
+struggle that was going on inside the carriage. Frantic oaths in German
+and Italian lent peculiar significance to a flourishing of naked
+knives. But that which stirred the blood in his veins was his
+recognition of Baron von Kerber's high-pitched voice, alternately
+cursing and pleading for life to assailants who evidently meant to show
+scant mercy. One man who, out of the tail of his eye, had witnessed
+Dick's discomfiture of the coachman's captors, drew a revolver, a
+weapon not meant for show, as its six loaded chambers proved when Dick
+picked it up subsequently.
+
+Royson had no love of unnecessary risk. Stooping quickly, he grasped
+the hub of the off front wheel, and, just varying the trick which saved
+Miss Fenshawe in Buckingham Palace Road, threw the small vehicle over
+on its side. No doubt the patient animal in the shafts wondered what
+was happening, but the five struggling men in the interior were even
+more surprised when they were pitched violently into the road.
+
+Royson sprang into the midst of them, found von Kerber, and said:
+
+"You're all right now, Baron. We can whip the heads off these rascals."
+
+The sound of his English tongue seemed to take all the fight out of the
+remaining warriors. Tagg had closed valiantly with one, and the others
+made off. Von Kerber rose to his feet, so Royson went to Tagg's
+assistance. He heard the Baron shriek, in a falsetto of rage:
+
+"You may have recovered the papyrus, Alfieri, but it is of no value to
+you. Name of an Italian dog! I have outwitted you even now!"
+
+While kneeling to pinion the footpad's arms behind his back, thus
+rescuing Tagg from a professor of the savate, Dick tried to guess von
+Kerber's motive in hurling such an extraordinary taunt after one of his
+runaway adversaries, and in French, too, whereas the other had an
+Italian name, and, in all likelihood, spoke only Italian. Was this
+Alfieri the man who "hated" von Kerber--who "brought a very serious
+charge" against him? But Royson was given no time for consecutive
+thought. The Baron, breathing heavily, and seemingly in pain, came to
+him and said, in the low tone of one who does not wish to be overheard:
+
+"Let your prisoner go, Mr. King. I am all right, and everlastingly
+obliged to you, but I do not wish to be detained in Marseilles while
+the slow French law gets to work. So let him go. He is nothing--a mere
+hireling, yes? And we sail to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+
+VON KERBER EXPLAINS
+
+"You've left your trademark on this chap," broke in Tagg. He was
+bending over a prostrate body, and the cab-driver was bewailing the
+plight of his voiturette.
+
+Royson righted the carriage; then he lifted the man to a sitting
+position, and listened to his stertorous breathing. The blow had been
+delivered on that facial angle known to boxers as the "point," while
+its scientific sequel is the "knock-out."
+
+"He is all right," was the cool verdict. "He will wake up soon and feel
+rather sick. The general effect will be excellent. In future he will
+have a wholesome respect for British sailors."
+
+He laid the almost insensible form on the road again, pocketed the
+revolver, which he found close at hand, and gave an ear to von Kerber's
+settlement with the _cocher_. The latter was now volubly indignant in
+the assessment of damages to his vehicle, hoping to obtain a louis as
+compensation. When he was given a hundred francs his gratitude became
+almost incoherent.
+
+The Baron cut him short, stipulating sternly that he must forget what
+had happened. Then he turned to Royson.
+
+"If you think we can leave the fellow on the ground with safety, I want
+to reach the yacht," he said.
+
+"Are you wounded?" inquired Dick.
+
+"Slightly. Those scoundrels did not dare to strike home. They knew my
+papers would identify them."
+
+"But they robbed you?"
+
+"No, not of anything valuable. Why do you ask?"
+
+"Because you sang out to one of them, an Italian, I should judge--"
+
+"Ah, you heard that? You are, indeed, quick in an emergency. Can we go
+on, yes?"
+
+"Certainly. I will just lift our dazed friend into the victoria, and
+tell the _cocher_ to give him a glass of cognac at the first cafe he
+comes to."
+
+This was done. Five minutes later, the first and second officers of the
+_Aphrodite_ assisted their employer up the yacht's gangway. Leaving
+Tagg to explain to Stump what had happened, Royson took von Kerber to
+his cabin, and helped to remove his outer clothing. A superficial wound
+on the neck, and a somewhat deeper cut on the right forearm, were the
+only injuries; the contents of a medicine chest, applied under von
+Kerber's directions, soon staunched the flow of blood.
+
+"I do not wish anything to be said about this affair," began the Baron,
+when Royson would have left him.
+
+"Tagg must have given the captain full details already," said Dick.
+
+"But did he hear that name, Alfieri?"
+
+"I think not."
+
+"And he would not understand, about the--er--document?"
+
+"The papyrus," suggested Royson.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"No. I don't suppose he would understand the word In English, whereas
+you spoke French."
+
+"Ah, yes, of course. Well, that is between you and me. Will you ask
+Captain Stump and Mr. Tagg to join as in a bottle of wine? I would put
+matters in my own way, yes?"
+
+The Baron, after a slight hesitancy, made his wishes clear. Mr.
+Fenshawe and his party would arrive at Marseilles by the _train de
+luxe_ next morning, and preparations must be made for instant departure
+as soon as they came on board. They would be alarmed needlessly if told
+of the affray on the quay, so it was advisable that nothing should be
+said about it.
+
+"You see," purred the Baron affably, refilling the glasses which Stump
+and Tagg had emptied at a gulp, "ladies, especially young ones, are apt
+to be nervous."
+
+"Have we wimmen aboard this trip?" growled Stump in a deep rumble of
+disapproval.
+
+"Ladies, yes. Two, and a maid."
+
+Stump bore round on his chief.
+
+"Wot did I tell ye, Tagg?" he demanded fiercely, "Didn't I say that
+them fixins aft meant no good?"
+
+"You did," agreed Tagg, with equal asperity.
+
+Von Kerber caught the laughter in Dick's eyes, and checked the angry
+protest ready to bubble forth.
+
+"The two _ladies_," he said, speaking with an emphasis which strove to
+cloak his annoyance at Stump's offhanded manner, "are Miss Fenshawe,
+granddaughter of the gentleman who owns this yacht, and her companion,
+Mrs. Haxton. Without their presence this trip would not have been
+undertaken, and that fact had better be recognized at the outset. But
+now, gentlemen, I have come on ahead to have a quiet talk with you.
+Captain Stump knows our destination, but none of you is aware of the
+object of our voyage. I propose to take you fully into my confidence in
+that respect. By this time, you have become more or less acquainted
+with the crew, and, if you think any of the men are unsuitable, we must
+get rid of them at once."
+
+He paused, and looked at Stump. That broad-beamed navigator emptied his
+glass again, and gazed into it fixedly, apparently wondering why
+champagne was so volatile a thing. Tagg followed the skipper's example,
+but fixed his eyes on the bottle, perhaps in calculation. Royson,
+deeming it wise to hold his tongue, contented himself with closing the
+medicine chest, and thus making it possible for von Kerber to sit down.
+
+The latter was obviously ill at ease. Although he was the master of
+these three men, he was their inferior in individual strength of
+character. But he was a polished man of the world, and he promptly
+extricated himself from a difficult position, though Royson, at least,
+detected the effort he was compelled to make.
+
+"I see you are thinking that one bottle does not go far among four of
+us, Mr. Tagg," he exclaimed, with a pleasantly patronizing air. "Kindly
+tell the steward to bring another, Mr. King. And some cigars. Then we
+can discuss matters at our ease. And will you make sure that we are not
+overheard? What I have to say is meant for the ship's officers alone at
+this moment, though, when the time for action comes, every man on board
+must be with us absolutely."
+
+Dick summoned the steward, and ascertained that the watch were quietly
+chatting and smoking forward, whereas the Baron's stateroom was
+situated aft. The delay enabled von Kerber to collect his thoughts.
+When he resumed the promised disclosure, his voice was under control,
+and he spoke with less constraint.
+
+"It is probable that you gentlemen are not familiar with the history of
+Egypt," he said, "but you may take it from me that the facts I now lay
+before you are accurate. At one time, about the beginning of the
+Christian era, the Romans were all-powerful in the Nile delta. They
+pushed their stations a long way south, almost to the borders of
+Abyssinia, but it is important, to remember that they followed the
+lines of the river, not the sea. In the year 24 B.C., the Roman
+Governor, hearing of the great wealth of a people called the Sabaeans,
+whose country lay in Arabia, in the hinterland of Mocha and Aden, sent
+an expedition there under the command of Aelius Gallus. This legion is
+historically reported to have met with reverses. That is true, in the
+sense that its galleys were beset by a terrible storm on the return
+voyage. Though the Red Sea is usually a fair-weather lake, you can have
+a stiff blow there at times, I believe, Captain Stump?"
+
+Thus appealed to, Stump had to open his mouth.
+
+"I've known it blow like sin," he said. "Isn't that so, Tagg?"
+
+"Wuss nor sin, cap'n. Ord'nary manslaughter isn't in it with a nor'-
+east gale on a dark night off them islands north o' Perim."
+
+"Exactly," agreed the Baron eagerly. "That is where the Roman triremes
+were caught. They were driven ashore in a little bay in what is now
+Italian territory. Their vessels were wrecked, but they saved the loot
+they had taken from the Sabaeans. The nature and value of that loss can
+hardly be estimated in these days, but you can draw your own
+conclusions when you learn that the city of Saba is more familiar to us
+under its Biblical name, Sheba. It was thence that the famous queen
+came who visited Solomon. Nearly a thousand years later, when the Roman
+legion sacked it with fire and sword, it was at the height of its
+glory."
+
+Von Kerber, fairly launched in a recital glib on his lips, regained the
+dominance of manner which the attitude of his subordinates had
+momentarily imperiled. Increased composure brought with it a certain
+hauteur, and he paused again--perhaps to gratify the actor's instinct
+in him rather than observe the effect of his words. But the break was
+unfortunate. Tagg removed the cigar he was half chewing, half smoking,
+and said oracularly:
+
+"The Queen o Sheba! I once knew a ship o' that name. D'ye remember her,
+cap'n?"
+
+"Shall I ever forgit 'er?" granted Stump, "I wish them Romans had
+looted _her_. W'en I was goin' down the Hooghly, she was comin' up, in
+tow. Her rope snapped at the wrong moment, an' she ran me on top of the
+James an' Mary shoal. Remember 'er, damn 'er!"
+
+The Austrian, winced at this check to his story. These stolid mariners
+had no imagination. He wished to enthuse them, to fire them with the
+vision of countless wealth, but they had side-tracked ideality for some
+stupid reminiscence of a collision. In a word, they did him good, and
+he reached the point of his narration all the more speedily.
+
+"As I was saying," he broke in rapidly, "the expedition met with
+disaster by sea. It was equally unfortunate on land. The commander
+built a small encampment, and sent for assistance the only seaworthy
+vessel left to him. He waited six months, but no help came. Then he
+determined to march inland--to strike a bold course for the Nile--but
+he was soon compelled to entrench himself against the attacks of
+hostile tribes. The probability is that the Sabaeans had interests on
+the western shores of the Red Sea as well as in Arabia. Indeed, the
+Abyssinians hold the belief to this day that their kings are descended
+from a son of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon. However that may be,
+Aelius Gallus buried his treasure, threw aside all useless impediments,
+and, like the daring soldier he was, decided in favor of attack. He
+fought his way for twenty marches, but was finally overthrown, with all
+his men, by a Nubian clan. The Romans were slain without mercy. Their
+conquerors knew nothing of the gold and jewels hidden in the desert
+three hundred miles distant, and that marvelous hoard, gathered from
+Persia and India by generations of traders, has lain there for nearly
+two thousand years."
+
+This time he was sure he had riveted the attention of his hearers. They
+would have been dull, indeed, if their wits were not stirred by the
+possibilities underlying that last sentence. Royson, of course, jumped
+to conclusions which the others were slow to reach. But Stump was not
+backward in summing up the facts in his own way.
+
+"Am I right in supposin' that you know where this stuff is hid, Mr. von
+Kerber?" he asked, his small eyes twinkling under the strain of
+continuous thought.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Are you positive?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Does anybody else know?"
+
+Royson felt that the Baron did not expect this question, but the answer
+came promptly:
+
+"Mr. Fenshawe knows, and the two ladies who accompany him have a
+species of general knowledge."
+
+"If I took c'rect bearin's, accordin' to your yarn the cargo is planted
+some distance from the coast?"
+
+"About forty miles."
+
+"An', while some of us goes after it, the yacht will stand off, an' on,
+waitin' orders, an' mebbe runnin' to Perim or Aden for letters."
+
+"You have grasped the situation, exactly, Captain Stump."
+
+The skipper shifted his cigar from one corner of his mouth to another.
+
+"Sink me," he growled, "I thought it couldn't be gun-runnin' when there
+was wimmin mixed up in it. Didn't I say so, Tagg?"
+
+"You did," agreed Tagg again.
+
+"Gun-running!" repeated von Kerber, "You mean carrying contraband arms,
+yes? What put that into your head?"
+
+"I've not bin cap'n of a ship nigh on fifteen years without larnin' the
+importance of knowin' wot she's loaded with," said Stump. "Big or
+little, in package or bulk, I go through her manifest, an' cheek, it,
+too."
+
+The Baron laughed softly. He was pale, probably as the result' of his
+wounds, but he was inflexible in his resolve to arrive at an
+understanding with his lieutenants before the remaining passengers put
+in an appearance.
+
+"_Ganz gut, herr capitan!_" he cried. "You must have seen our supply of
+firearms and cartridges, yes?"
+
+"Twenty rifles, twenty-five revolvers, an' enough ammunition to fight a
+small war." Stamp ticked off each item slowly and looked at Tagg as
+though he expected him to cry "Tally!"
+
+"Ah! That is well put, yes? If we are called on to fight a small war,
+as you say, have we got the right sort of men on board? I had to trust
+to chance. It was the only way. I could not talk plainly in England,
+you see."
+
+"I don't know much about 'em," said Stump. "I can answer for myself an'
+Tagg, an' from wot I hear, Mr. King has a heart of the right size. As
+for the others, I'll run the rule over 'em between here an' Port Said.
+If I have any doubts about one or two, we can ship 'em home on a P. an'
+O. But, from the cut of their jibs, most of 'em are deserters from the
+Royal Navy, an' the remainder are army reserve men. That sort of crowd
+is pretty tough, eh, Tagg?"
+
+"Tough!" echoed Tagg. "If they're 'lowed to eat three solid meals every
+day like the Lord Mayor's banquets they've put out o' sight since they
+kem aboard, there'll be no holdin' 'em."
+
+"Oh, yes, there will. _I'll_ hold 'em," said Stump.
+
+"And you approve of my reticence thus far?" asked the Baron.
+
+"Of your wot, mister?"
+
+"I mean, that it was wise not to tell them the object of the voyage."
+
+"Take my advice an' tell 'em nothin'. Wait till they're frizzlin' in
+the Red Sea, an' I've worked some of the grease out of 'em. By that
+time, wot between prickly heat an' high livin', they'll be ready to
+kill any Gord's quantity of I-talians."
+
+"Italians!" snapped von Kerber irritably, "Why do you speak of
+Italians?"
+
+"It's your fairy-tale, mister, not mine. You said that wot's 'is name,
+the Roman who went through the Shebeens, had planted his takin's in I-
+talian territory."
+
+"Ah!" The Austrian gasped a little, and his pallor increased. "That is
+of no consequence--the place--is a desert--we shall meet with no
+interference."
+
+Then Royson spoke. Hitherto, he had taken no share in the conversation,
+but he saw that von. Kerber was unable to withstand any further strain.
+The man was bearing up gallantly, yet he had reached the limit of
+endurance, and the trouble, whatever it was, seemed to be wearing his
+very soul.
+
+"Neither Captain Stump nor Mr. Tagg knows that you are wounded, sir,"
+said Dick. "Perhaps it would, be advisable to defer our talk until the
+morning."
+
+Von Kerber shaded his face with his hands.
+
+"I cannot add much to what I have said already," he answered. "I think
+you understand me, I want silence--and good service. Give me these and
+I shall repay you tenfold."
+
+They went on deck. Stump dug Royson n the ribs.
+
+"It would ha' done me a treat to see you upper cut that Frog," he
+whispered, his mouth widening in a grin. "I'm good at a straight punch
+myself, but I'm too short for a swing. Lord love a duck, I wish I'd bin
+there."
+
+So the burly skipper of the _Aphrodite_ paid slight heed to the wonders
+half revealed by von Kerber's story. He had been stirred but for a
+moment when the project was laid bare. Already his mind was rejecting
+it. The only matter that concerned him was to bring his ship to her
+destination in a seaman-like manner, and let who would perplex their
+brains with fantasy. Indeed, he was beginning to regard the Baron as a
+harmless lunatic, whom Providence had entrusted with the spending of a
+rich man's money for the special benefit of the seafaring community.
+
+"A straight punch!" he repeated, gazing with a species of solemn joy at
+the men leaning against the rails forward. "They're a hard-bitten lot
+from wot I've seen of 'em, an' they'll have to have it before they're
+at sea with me very long. Won't they, Tagg?"
+
+"They will," said. Tagg, eying the unconscious watch with equal fixity.
+
+Dick went to his cabin firm in the belief that he would lie awake half
+the night. But his brain soon refused to bother itself with problems
+which time might solve in a manner not yet conceivable, and he slept
+soundly until he was roused at an early hour. Day dawned bright and
+clear. A pleasant northwesterly breeze swept the smoke haze from off
+the town and kissed the blue waters of the land-locked harbor into
+white-crested wavelets. He took the morning watch, from four o'clock
+until eight, and all he had to do was to make sure that the men tried
+to whiten decks already spotless, and cleaned brass which shone in the
+sun the instant that luminary peeped over the shoulder of Notre Dame de
+la Garde. Although the _Aphrodite_ lay inside the mole, her bridge and
+promenade deck were high enough to permit him to see the rocky islet
+crowned by the Chateau d'If. He knew that the hero of Dumas'
+masterpiece had burrowed a tunnel out of that grim prison, to swim
+ashore an outcast, a man with a price on his head, yet bearing with him
+the precious paper whose secret should make him the fabulously rich
+Count of Monte Christo. It was only a soul-stirring romance, a dim
+legend transformed into vivid life by the genius of the inspired
+quadroon. But its extraordinary appositeness to the _Aphrodite's_ quest
+suddenly occurred to the young Englishman watching the sunlit isle. He
+was startled at the thought, especially when he contrasted his present
+condition with his depressed awakening in Brixton five days earlier.
+Then he laughed, and a sailor, busily engaged in polishing the glass
+front of the wheel-house, followed the direction of his gaze and half
+interpreted his daydream.
+
+"It's a bit of a change from the West India Dock Road, ain't it, sir?"
+he asked.
+
+Royson agreed with him, and the two conversed a while, but when the man
+led the chat round to the probable destination of the yacht, the second
+mate's thoughts fell from romance to reality.
+
+"You will be told soon enough where we're bound for," he answered
+sharply.
+
+"I'm sorry, sir, if I've said anything I shouldn't," said the other.
+"But the chaps forrard made out that there's a bit of a mystery in it,
+an' I argied they was talkin' nonsense."
+
+"You were quite right. The owner and a party of ladies will be on board
+to-day, and then you will find out our destination."
+
+"Ladies, you say, sir? That settles it. This is no Riff pirates job,
+then?"
+
+Royson turned on his heel. So others, as well as Captain Stump, had
+drawn conclusions from those boxes of arms and ammunition? If Baron
+Franz von Kerber deemed it necessary to provide a warlike equipment,
+how could he permit an elderly gentleman like Mr. Fenshawe, and a
+charming girl like Irene, to say nothing of others yet unknown to
+Royson, to share in the risk of a venture demanding such safeguards?
+That was a puzzle, but it disturbed Dick not a whit. Somehow, the
+mention of the desert and its secret hoard had stirred him strangely.
+It seemed to touch unknown springs in his being. He felt the call of
+the far-flung solitude, and his heart was glad that fortune had bound
+up his lot with that of the winsome woman who smiled on him so
+graciously when they parted in Hyde Park.
+
+Then a steward announced breakfast, and the mirage vanished. Captain
+Stump's greeting showed that his slumbers had not been disturbed by
+golden visions.
+
+"Mornin'," he said. "I've just bin tellin' Tagg." Seeing that his
+second officer was not enlightened by this remark he went on:
+
+"You'll want his help if I'm not alongside. Bless your 'eart, you can
+depend on Tagg. He'll never give you away. He thinks the world of you
+already."
+
+The reminder was useful, though not in the sense intended, by Stamp. It
+brought Royson back to earth. He felt that he must justify himself if
+he would win his way among these rough sea-dogs. Hence, when a railway
+omnibus lumbered along the quay, and pulled up in front of the yacht's
+gangway, he remembered that he was Mr. King, probationary second mate
+on a small vessel, and not Richard Royson, heir to a baronetcy and
+rightful successor to an estate with a rent-roll of five thousand a
+year.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe, exceedingly alert for one of his age, helped two ladies
+to alight. The first was Irene. Her admiring glance at the _Aphrodite_,
+no less than an exclamation of delighted interest, revealed that she,
+too, like everyone else, was a stranger to the ship. She was followed
+by a pretty woman, whose clothes and furs were of a fashion which told
+even a mere man that she was a person of consequence. This was Mrs.
+Haxton, and her first action caused Dick to dislike her, because she
+deliberately turned her back on the smart yacht, and gave heed only to
+the safe lowering of certain trunks from the roof of the omnibus. He
+heard the manner of her speech to a neatly dressed maid and its languid
+insolence did not help to dissipate that unfavorable impression.
+
+Miss Fenshawe ran along the gangway. Royson had stationed a sailor at
+the shoreward end, while he held the rail to steady it on deck.
+
+"Good morning, Mr. King," she cried. "Has not Baron von Kerber
+arrived?"
+
+"Yes," he said. "He came aboard late last night."
+
+"Then why is he not here to meet us?"
+
+"I believe he is fatigued after the long journey, Miss Fenshawe."
+
+"Fatigued! Fiddlesticks! Look at my grandfather. Is he fatigued? And we
+have traveled over the same route. But I will deal with the lie-abed
+Baron when I see him. What a nice boat the _Aphrodite_ is. I am in love
+with her already. And is that Captain Stump? Good morning, captain. I
+have heard about you. Baron von Kerber says you will bite my head off
+if I come on the bridge. Is that true?"
+
+"Shows how little Mr. von Kerber reely knows about me, ma'am," said
+Stump gallantly, beaming on her over the rail of the small upper deck.
+
+By this time, Mrs. Haxton had satisfied herself that the _Aphrodite's_
+crew might be trusted to bring her boxes on board without smashing
+them, and she gathered her skirts carefully to keep them clear of the
+quay. She raised a lorgnon, mounted on a tortoise-shell and silver
+handle, and examined the yacht with measured glance. She honored the
+stalwart second officer with a prolonged stare.
+
+"Is that the captain?" she said to Mr. Fenshawe, who was waiting to
+escort her on board.
+
+"No. That is Mr. King, the young man Irene told you about."
+
+"Oh, indeed! Rather an Apollo Belvidere, don't you think?"
+
+"He seems to be a nice young fellow, quite well-mannered, and that sort
+of thing. And it imposes somewhat of a strain on the imagination to
+picture him in the scant attire popular at Delphi."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was not without a dry humor, but Mrs. Haxton was pleased
+to be amused.
+
+"What a light-hearted creature you are!" she cried, "I envy you your
+high spirits. Personally, I feel utterly downcast at the prospect of a
+sea voyage. It always blows a mistral, or some other horrid thing, when
+I cross the Mediterranean. Are you sure that little bridge won't move
+the instant I step on it? I have quite an aversion to such jim-crack
+appliances."
+
+Mrs. Haxton's timidity did not prevent her from noting the arrival of a
+telegraph messenger on a bicycle. He was reading the name of the yacht
+when she said:
+
+"Come here, boy. Have you a telegram for me?"
+
+She used excellent French, and the messenger handed her the small blue
+envelope he was carrying. The lady dropped her eyeglasses, and scanned
+the address quickly before she read it aloud.
+
+"Richard Royson, British Yacht _Aphrodite_, Marseilles," she announced,
+after a moment's pause.
+
+"Who is Richard Royson?" she went on, looking from Mr. Fenshawe to the
+nearest officer of the ship, who happened to be Royson himself.
+
+The incident was so unexpected that Dick reddened and hesitated. Yet he
+saw no reason why he should not proclaim himself.
+
+"That message is meant for me, madam," he said.
+
+"For you? But Mr. Fenshawe has just said that your name is King?"
+"Baron von Kerber bestowed that name on me, but he acted under a
+misapprehension. My name is Royson."
+
+"How odd! How excessively odd!"
+
+Mrs. Haxton seemed to forget her fear of the gangway. Advancing with
+sure and easy tread she gave Dick his telegram. And he was conscious,
+during one unhappy minute, that Irene, and Captain Stump, and Mr.
+Fenshawe, each in varying degree, shared Mrs. Haxton's opinion as to
+the exceeding oddity of the fact that any one should be masquerading on
+board the _Aphrodite_ under an assumed name.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+
+MISS FENSHAWE SEEKS AN ALLY
+
+Royson was not in the least nonplussed by this recurrence of a dilemma
+for which he was not responsible. Von Kerber, of course, could have
+extricated him with a word, but von Kerber, for reasons of his own,
+remained, invisible. So Dick threw his head back in a characteristic
+way which people soon learnt to associate with a stubborn resolve to
+see a crisis through to the end. He ignored Mrs. Haxton, and spoke to
+the captain.
+
+"I am glad the question of my right name has been raised," he said.
+"When Baron von Kerber comes on deck I shall ask him to settle the
+matter once and for all."
+
+"Just so," said Stump, "I would if I was you."
+
+"The really important thing is the whereabouts of our cabins,"
+interrupted Mrs. Haxton's clear drawl.
+
+"Take the ladies aft,--Mr. Royson,--an' let 'em choose their quarters,"
+directed Stump curtly.
+
+Dick would have obeyed in silence had not Miss Fenshawe thought fit to
+help him. She had found Mrs. Haxton's airs somewhat tiresome during the
+long journey from London, and she saw no reason why that lady should be
+so ready to bring a hornet's nest about Royson's ears.
+
+"We are not in such a desperate hurry to bestow our belongings that you
+cannot read your telegram," she said to Dick. Then she favored Stump
+with a frank smile. "I know you mean to start almost immediately,
+captain, and it is possible that Mr. Royson may wish to send an answer
+before we leave Marseilles. You won't be angry if he waits one moment
+before he shows us to our staterooms?"
+
+"Not at all, miss," said the skipper, "he's at your service. I can do
+without him--easy."
+
+Stump was angry with Dick, and did not hesitate to show it. A blunt
+man, of plain speech, he resented anything in the nature of double-
+dealing. Royson's remarkable proficiency in most matters bearing on the
+navigation of a ship had amazed him in the first instance, and this
+juggling with names led him to suspect some deep-laid villainy with
+which the midnight attack on von Kerber was not wholly unconnected.
+
+But the person most taken aback by Irene's self-assertion was Mrs.
+Haxton. A firm attitude on the girl's part came as an unpleasing
+novelty. An imperious light leaped to her eyes, but she checked the
+words which might have changed a trivial incident into a sharp tussle
+for supremacy.
+
+"I am sorry," she said quietly. "Telegrams are important things,
+sometimes. And the messenger is waiting, too."
+
+Thus, under the fire of many eyes, Royson tore open the _petit bleu_,
+and read its typewritten contents. The words were brief, but
+sufficiently bewildering:
+
+"Better return to England forthwith. I undertake full responsibility
+for advice, and guarantee you against loss, Forbes."
+
+"Forbes," undoubtedly, was his uncle's solicitor. But how was it
+possible that he should have discovered the name of the yacht and her
+port of departure? And why did he, a methodical old lawyer, not only
+disobey his client's strict injunctions that no help or assistance of
+any sort was to be given to a rebellious nephew, but ignore Dick's own
+wishes, and address him as Royson, not as King?
+
+There were twenty questions which might be asked, but staring at the
+flimsy bit of paper, with its jerky lettering, would not answer any of
+them. And the issue called for instant decision. Already, in obedience
+to a signal from Stump, men were standing by the fixed capstans on the
+mole ready to cast off the yacht's hawsers. Perhaps Sir Henry Royson
+was dying? Even in that unlikely event, of what avail was a title with
+nothing a year? Certainly, the solicitor's cautious telegram might be
+construed into an offer of financial aid. That reading implied a more
+cheerful view than he had taken hitherto of his prospects with regard
+to the Cuddesham estate. Yet, the only way in which he could meet Mr.
+Forbes's wishes was to spring ashore then and there, if such a
+proceeding were practicable, and abandon the adventure whose strange
+by-ways were already opening up before his mind's eye.
+
+Then Irene said sympathetically:
+
+"I hope you have not received any bad news, Mr.--Royson."
+
+The captain's pause before addressing him by his real name was intended
+to be ironical. Not so the girl's hesitancy. Interpreting Dick's mood
+with her woman's intuition, she felt that he wished to drop any
+subterfuge now, no matter what his motive might have been in adopting
+one hitherto.
+
+Her voice broke the spell which the telegram, with its curious
+phrasing, had cast on him.
+
+"No, Miss Fenshawe, not bad news, certainly. Indeed, it was the absence
+of any sort of news that troubled me for a moment. _Chasseur_!"
+
+"_Oui, m'sieu_'," and the messenger raised his hat.
+
+"_Voila_!" Dick threw him a franc. "_Il n'a pas de reponse_."
+
+"_Merci bien, m'sieu'_."
+
+That spinning of a coin through the air showed that Royson had made up
+his mind. He had tossed with Fortune, and cared not who won.
+
+The messenger drew away from the gangway, and entered into a
+conversation with the driver of the omnibus. Stump nodded to a man on
+the quay. The forward mooring rope was cleared, and fell into the water
+with a loud splash. Two sailors ran the gangway on board. An electric
+bell jarred in the engine-room, and the screw revolved, while the
+rattle of the steering chains showed that the helm was put hard a-port.
+When the _Aphrodite_ moved slowly astern, her bow swung towards the
+mouth of the dock. The indicator rang again, twice, and the yacht,
+after a pause, began to forge ahead. Another splash, and the second
+hawser was cast loose. The mole, the neighboring ships, the landward
+quays and the warehouses thereon, seemed to diminish in size without
+any perceptible cause, and, in a space of time that might have been
+measured by seconds rather than minutes, the _Aphrodite_ was throbbing
+southward.
+
+Mrs. Haxton, whose eagerness to inspect her stateroom had gone, was
+hailed pleasantly by Irene.
+
+"Now, because I asked you to wait, you shall have first choice," she
+said, "Lead on, Mr. Royson. Let us see our dens."
+
+But Baron von Kerber came running along the deck, all smiles and
+welcoming words, and it was evident that some reason other than
+physical unfitness had kept him out of sight until the yacht's voyage
+was actually commenced. Dick heard him explaining coolly that he had
+met with a slight accident on arriving at Marseilles overnight. Some
+difficulty in dressing, he said, combined with the phenomenal
+punctuality of the _train de luxe_, accounted for his tardy appearance,
+but the ladies would find that the steward had everything in readiness,
+and Mr. Fenshawe was too experienced a _voyageur_ not to make himself
+at home instantly. Rattling on thus agreeably, he led the way aft.
+
+In the midst of his explanations, he saw that Dick was accompanying the
+party, and told him, rather abruptly, that his services were not
+required. In no amiable mood, therefore, the second officer went to the
+upper deck, where the skipper was growling his views to Tagg about the
+mysterious incident of the telegram. It was a moment of tension, and
+something might have been said that would tend to place Royson and the
+captain at arm's length if the _Aphrodite_ had not taken it into her
+head to emulate Miss Fenshawe's action by coming to Dick's assistance.
+The little vessel remembered that which Stump paid small heed to, and
+asserted herself.
+
+Notwithstanding her half-deck saloon, with the tiny chart-house perched
+thereon, and the narrow bridge that gave her a steamer-like aspect, she
+was rigged as a topsail schooner, her sharp lines and consequent extra
+length affording full play to her fore-and-aft sails. Her first owner
+had designed her with set purpose. It was his hobby to remain in out-
+of-the-way parts of the world for years at a time, visiting savage
+lands where coal was not procurable, and he trusted more to sails than
+to engine-power. But Stump, and his chief officer, and nearly every
+sailor on board, being accustomed to steam, despised windjammers, and
+pinned their faith to the engines.
+
+With a favorable wind such as was blowing at the moment, or to steady
+the yacht in a cross sea, the captain would have set a foresail and
+jib. To help the propeller was good seamanship, but to bank the engine-
+room fires and depend wholly on sails was the last thing he would think
+of. Hence, the _Aphrodite_ straightway taught him a sharp lesson. While
+Stump was ruminating on the exact, form of some scathing remark for
+Royson's benefit, a sudden stoppage of the screw, and an ominously easy
+roll over the crest of the next sea, showed that the engines were idle.
+
+Stump hurled a lurid question down the speaking-tube. The engineer's
+equally emphatic reply told him that there was a breakdown, cause not
+stated. Now, the outer roadstead of Marseilles harbor is one of the
+most awkward places in the Mediterranean for a disabled vessel. Though
+the Gulf of Lions is almost tideless, it has strong and treacherous
+currents. The configuration of the rocky coast, guarded as it is by
+small islands and sunken reefs, does not allow much seaway until a
+lighthouse, some miles distant from the mainland, is passed. Stump, of
+course, would have made use of the ship's sails before she drifted into
+peril. But he was purple with wrath, and the necessary commands were
+not familiar to his tongue.
+
+Therefore, he hesitated, though he was far from remaining silent, and
+Royson, never at a loss when rapidity of thought and action was
+demanded, took the lead. He woke up the crew with a string of orders,
+rushed from foremast to mainmast and back to the bows again to see that
+the men hauled the right ropes and set the sails in the right way, and,
+had the _Aphrodite_ bowling along under canvas in less than two minutes
+after the stopping of the screw. Not until every sheet was drawing and
+the yacht running free did it occur to him that he had dared to assume
+unto himself the captain's prerogative.
+
+Rather red-faced and breathless, not only from his own exertions but by
+reason of the disconcerting notion which possessed him, he raced up the
+short companion-ladder leading from the fore deck to the bridge. Stump
+seemed to be awaiting him with a halter.
+
+"I hope I did right, sir, in jumping in like that," gasped Dick. "I
+thought it best to get steering way on the yacht without delay, and--"
+
+"Wot's yer name now?" roared Stump, glowering at him in a manner which
+led Dick to believe he had committed an unpardonable offense.
+
+"Still the same, sir--Royson."
+
+"I thought p'raps it might ha' bin Smith, as you're such a lightnin'
+change artist. Just bung in to the engine-room, will you, an' find out
+wot that son of a gun below there is a-doing of?"
+
+"I will go if you like, sir, but I know nothing about engines."
+
+"Take charge here, then. Keep her steady as she goes. You've a clear
+course half a mile to westward of that light."
+
+Stump disappeared, and Royson found himself entrusted with full charge
+of the vessel ere she had been ten minutes at sea. His gruff commander
+could have paid him no greater compliment.
+
+In the engineer, a man from West Hartlepool, the captain met one who
+spoke the vernacular.
+
+"It's no good a-dammin' me because there's a flaw in a connectin' rod,"
+he protested, when Stamp's strenuous questioning allowed him to explain
+matters. "I can't see inside a piece of crimson steel any more'n you
+can."
+
+"None of your lip, my lad, or I'll find flaws all over you, P. D. Q.
+Can you fix this mess at sea, or must we put back?"
+
+The engineer quailed under Stump's bovine eye.
+
+"It would be better to put back, sir. I may be able to manage, but it's
+doubtful."
+
+Stump went aft to consult von Kerber. So speedily had the yacht's
+mishap been dealt with that no member of the saloon party was aware of
+it, though any sailor among them, would have recognized instantly that
+the vessel was traveling under canvas. The Baron, when he heard what
+had taken place, was most emphatic in vetoing the suggestion that the
+_Aphrodite_ should return to Marseilles, and Stamp was equally
+determined hot to sail through, the Straits of Bonifacio in half a gale
+of wind. As a compromise, a course was shaped for Toulon, and that port
+was made during the afternoon. It was the wisest thing to do, under the
+circumstances. Toulon is the French naval base for the Mediterranean,
+and her marine _chantiers_ not only repaired the engines in a few
+hours, but supplied a set of spare parts, a wise precaution in view of
+the yacht's probable sojourn in a locality where castings would be
+unattainable.
+
+Thenceforth the voyage proceeded smoothly. Royson took the first
+opportunity of explaining to von Kerber how and why the mistake as to
+his name had arisen, and the Baron only smiled, in his superior way,
+having recovered his somewhat domineering manner from the hour that the
+French coast-line sank beneath the horizon.
+
+Stump soon ascertained that the _Aphrodite_ made better weather and
+faster running as a schooner than as a steamship when the wind suited,
+and Royson's position on board was rendered all the more secure
+thereby. For the rest, Dick lived the humdrum life of the ship.
+Naturally, he saw a good deal of the occupants of the saloon, but the
+acquaintance did not progress beyond formalities. The two ladies read,
+and walked, and played bridge with Mr. Fenshawe and the Baron. They
+took much interest in Stromboli and the picturesque passage through the
+Straits of Messina, and the red glare of Etna kept them on deck for
+hours. Then the yacht settled down for the run to Port Said, and
+arrived at that sunlit abode of rascality on the first of November.
+
+Here the stores and coal bunkers were replenished, but no member of the
+crew was allowed to land. Cablegrams, letters, and newspapers came in
+bundles for the cabin-folk. The only communication of any sort for
+officers or men was a letter addressed to Royson by name. Von Kerber
+constituted himself postman, and he brought the missive to Dick in
+person, but not until the _Aphrodite_ had entered the canal after
+shipping her French pilot and search-light.
+
+He was annoyed, though he veiled his ill-humor under an affected
+carelessness.
+
+"How came you to give Port Said as a port of call to one of your
+correspondents?" he asked.
+
+"I did not," said Dick, whose surprise was genuine enough to disarm
+suspicion.
+
+"Then some one has made a very accurate guess, yes?" sneered the other.
+
+"I expected no letter from any person under the sun, and I certainly
+told no one I was passing through Port Said, for the sufficient reason
+that I never even thought of the place until you informed me yourself,
+sir, that we were bound for the Red Sea."
+
+"It is strange. Well, here is your letter. Perhaps, when you have read
+it, you may understand how the thing happened. I wished our destination
+to remain hidden, from the general public, and you are the only man on
+board, except Mr. Fenshawe and myself, whose whereabouts are known in
+London."
+
+Now it chanced that the postmark was illegible, and, furthermore, that
+von Kerber had already read the letter by adopting the ingenious plan
+of the Russian censor, who grips the interior sheet in an instrument
+resembling a long, narrow curling-tongs, and twists steadily until he
+is able to withdraw it uninjured. But Stiff legal note-paper is apt to
+bear signs of such treatment. Somewhat later in the day, Royson saw
+these things, and was perplexed. At the moment, he merely broke open
+the envelope.
+
+It was a brief communication from Mr. Forbes. "I telegraphed to you at
+Marseilles," it said, "and have ascertained that my message was
+delivered to you. I regret your apparent decision not to fall in with
+my request. Sir Henry Royson is ill, almost dangerously so, and I have
+reason to believe that he wishes to make amends to you for his past
+attitude. I received your letter, wherein you stated that you were
+shipping on some vessel under the name of King, but I had little
+difficulty in tracing you to Mr. Fenshawe's yacht, and I do not feel
+justified in recognizing your unnecessary alias. Again, I advise you to
+return. I am sure that your employer, a most estimable man, will not
+place any difficulties in your way. If you leave the _Aphrodite_ at
+Port Said or Ismalia, and send me a cablegram, I will remit by cable
+funds sufficient for your needs."
+
+Dick had deemed this disturbing problem dead and done with. He had not
+hesitated at Marseilles, nor was he less decided now. He held out the
+letter to von Kerber frankly, little thinking how close a scrutiny had
+been given to his face while he was learning its contents.
+
+"Read it," he said, "and you will see for yourself that I am in no way
+responsible."
+
+Von Kerber seemed to be taken aback by this display of confidence.
+
+"No, no," he said loftily. "I do not wish it. I have your word. That is
+sufficient."
+
+"May I send an answer?"
+
+"Yes, from Suez."
+
+And the incident might have ended there had it not been brought into
+sharp prominence that evening. Mr. Tagg took the first watch, from
+eight o'clock to midnight. Under ordinary conditions, Royson, who was
+free until four in the morning, would have gone to his cabin and slept
+soundly. But, like many another who passes through the great canal for
+the first time, he could not resist the fascination of the ship's
+noiseless, almost stealthy, passage through the desert.
+
+After supper, while enjoying a pipe before turning in, he went forward
+and stood behind the powerful electric lamp fitted in the bows to
+illumine the narrow water-lane which joins East and West. The broad
+shaft of light lent a solemn beauty to the bleak wastes on either hand.
+In front, the canal's silvery riband shimmered in magic life. Its
+nearer ripples formed a glittering corsage for the ship's tapered stem,
+and merged into a witches' way of blackness beyond. The red signal of a
+distant _gare_, or station, or the white gleam of an approaching
+vessel's masthead light, shone from the void like low-pitched stars.
+Overhead the sky was of deepest blue, its stupendous arch studded with
+stars of extraordinary radiance, while low on the west could be seen
+the paler sheen of departing day. At times his wondering eyes fell on
+some Arab encampment on the neighboring bank, where shrouded figures
+sat round a fire, and ghostly camels in the background raised ungainly
+heads and gazed at the ever-mysterious sight of the moving ship.
+
+The marvelous scene was at once intimate and remote. Its
+distinguishable features had the sense of nearness and actuality of
+some piece of splendid stagecraft, yet he seemed to be peering not at
+the rigid outlines of time but rather into the vague, almost
+terrifying, depths of eternity. And it was a bewildering fact that this
+glimpse into the portals of the desert was no new thing to him. Though
+never before had his mortal eyes rested on the far-flung vista, he
+absorbed its soothing glamour with all the zest of one who came back to
+a familiar horizon after long sojourn in pent streets and tree-shrouded
+valleys.
+
+Time and again he strove to shake off this eerie feeling, but it was
+not to be repelled. He fought against its dominance, and denounced its
+folly, yet his heart whispered that he was not mistaken, that the
+majestic silence conveyed some thrilling message which he could not
+understand. How long he stood there, and how utterly he had yielded to
+the strange prepossession of his dream, he scarce realized until he
+heard a soft voice close behind him.
+
+"Is that you, Mr. Royson?" it said, and he was called back from the
+unknown to find Miss Fenshawe standing near.
+
+"I beg your pardon," he stammered. "I was--so taken up with this--to
+me--most entrancing experience--"
+
+"That you did not hear my fairy footsteps," she broke in, with a quiet
+laugh. "Do not apologize for that. I am wearing list slippers, so my
+ghostlike approach is easily accounted for. And I am really very
+greatly relieved at having found you at all. I was afraid you had left
+the ship without my knowledge."
+
+"But how could that be possible, Miss Fenshawe?" he asked, startled out
+of his reverie by her peculiar phrase.
+
+"Please don't speak so loudly," she said, dropping her voice almost to
+a whisper. "I have been looking for you during the past half hour. I
+came here twice, but you were so wrapped up in shadow that I failed to
+see you, and I was becoming quite anxious, because one of the men
+assured me you were not in your cabin."
+
+Dick caught a flurried note in her utterance, a strained desire to
+avoid the semblance of that anxiety which she had just admitted. It
+puzzled him quite as much as the curious sense of familiarity with his
+surroundings, a sense which the girl's unexpected appearance had by no
+means dispelled. And he was oddly conscious of a breaking away of the
+social barrier of whose existence she, at least, must have been
+convinced. The mere whispering together in this lonely part of the ship
+might account for it, to some extent, so he braced himself for the
+effort to restore her self-control.
+
+"I came here to have a good look at the desert by night," he said. "You
+may be sure, Miss Fenshawe, that I had little notion you were searching
+for me. It was by the merest accident that I was able to stow myself
+out of sight in this particular locality."
+
+She laughed softly again, and her manner became perceptibly less
+constrained.
+
+"A big man and a small ship--is that it?" she asked. "Tell me, Mr.
+Royson, why did that officer of the Guards call you 'King Dick' on the
+morning of the carriage accident?"
+
+Had the girl racked her brain for a day to frame a question intended to
+perplex Royson she could not have hit on one of more penetrating
+effect. He was astounded not because she had heard Paton's exclamation,
+but by reason of the flood of light which her recollection of it at
+that moment poured on his own wandering thoughts.
+
+"It is a most amazing thing that you should ask me that, Miss
+Fenshawe," he cried.
+
+"Sh-s-s-h. I have always imagined you to be a man who would smile in
+the midst of earthquakes, yet here you are quite dazzled by a harmless
+bit of feminine curiosity. Don't you wish me to know how you came by
+that nickname? I suppose it is one?"
+
+"There is no other in whom I would confide so willingly," he said.
+"Promise you will not laugh at me if I tell you more than you bargain
+for."
+
+"What? Is there humor in the story?"
+
+"Let us see. I am hardly a fair judge. At present I am more than
+mystified. It is easy enough to explain why I was called 'King Dick' at
+school. That is a mere preface to my romance. One of the cherished
+traditions of my family is that we are lineal descendants of King
+Richard the First of England."
+
+"Good gracious!"
+
+"The statement lends itself to disbelief, I admit--"
+
+"Why do you think me disbelieving?"
+
+"Pray forgive me, Miss Fenshawe. I am in doubting mood myself to-night.
+At any rate, the lineage of the Roysons has not been disputed during
+many centuries. Our name is part of our proof, and there has been a
+Richard Royson associated with Westmoreland ever since Coeur-de-Lion
+returned from Palestine. That is the kind of family asset a boy will
+brag of. Joined to a certain proficiency in games, it supplies a ready-
+made nickname. But the wonderful and wholly inexplicable thing is that
+while I have been standing here, watching our head-light dancing over
+the desert, the fantastic conceit has invaded my very soul that I share
+with my kingly ancestor his love of this land, his ambition to
+accomplish great deeds in its secret places, his contempt and scorn of
+all opposing influences. Do you remember how he defied a rain of blood
+which scared his courtiers? One of his friends has placed on record the
+opinion that if an angel from heaven bade Richard abandon his work he
+would have answered with a curse. Well, I am poor, and of slight
+consequence in the world to-day, but at least it has been vouchsafed me
+to understand what a strong man and a king can feel when there are
+those who would thwart his will. At present, I am powerless, as little
+able to give effect to my energies as Richard himself when pent in an
+Austrian prison, but I do ask that some Blondel shall free me, no
+matter what the ransom, and that Fate shall set me a task worthy of the
+man who fought and dreamed and planned empires out there eight
+centuries ago."
+
+Royson threw back his head, and stretched his right hand toward the
+desert where lay Jaffa and Jerusalem. He was quite carried away by the
+magic of the hour. He had brushed aside the cobwebs of society, and
+spoke to Irene as a gallant and fearless youth might address the maid
+at whose feet he hoped to lay the trophies gained in winning his
+knighthood. And she, as might be expected, responded to the passionate
+chord which sounded this challenge to fortune. She, too, forgot
+convention, for which Heaven be praised!
+
+"You have my prayers for your success," she whispered. "What is more, I
+believe in you, and that is why I am here now, for I have come to ask
+you, for my sake and the sake of one whom I love, not to leave this
+ship until I bid you."
+
+At any other moment such a request must have had a sinister sound.
+Coming then, it seemed to be a direct answer to Dick's excited appeal
+to the unseen power that governs men's lives. He turned and looked into
+her eyes. She was so near to him that he could see the wondrous light
+shining in their limpid depths. He felt the fragrance of her presence,
+the glow of her tender beauty, and she did not shrink from him when he
+placed a protecting hand on her shoulder.
+
+"You need no promise from me, Miss Fenshawe," he said, with a labored
+utterance that was wholly unaccountable to him. "Twice already have I
+refused to leave you, though I have been summoned to England to resume
+an inheritance wrongfully withheld. We are stubborn, we Richards, and
+we are loyal, too. It was you, I now believe, who snatched me from
+misery, almost from despair. Have no fear, therefore, that I shall
+desert you."
+
+"You have taken a load from my heart," she answered softly. "You are
+the only man on board In whom I have any real confidence. I fear that
+my grandfather has been misled, wilfully and shamefully misled, but I
+am unable to prevent it for lack of proof. But to-night, after dinner,
+I chanced to overhear a conversation with reference to you which
+redoubled the doubts I have felt ever since this expedition was decided
+on. I feel that I must tell you. Baron von Kerber distrusts you because
+you are a gentleman. He fears you will act as one if you have to choose
+between his interests and your own honor. And today, since your letter
+arrived--"
+
+"Yes, ma'am," they heard Captain Stump shout from the bridge, "Miss
+Fenshawe is forrard, with Mr. Royson. You'll find it a very pretty
+sight goin' through the canal on a night like this."
+
+And Mrs. Haxton, hunting the ship for Irene--not to speak of Royson and
+the girl herself when in calmer mood--may have wondered why Stump
+should trumpet forth his information as though he wished all on board
+to hear it. Perhaps it was, as Dick already well knew, that the stout
+skipper had good eyesight as well as a kind heart.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+
+AT THE PORTAL
+
+"Why in the world did you hide yourself in this part of the ship,
+Irene?" cried Mrs. Haxton, advancing with a rapidity that was in marked
+contrast to her usual languid movements. "I have been searching for you
+everywhere."
+
+"I have not hidden myself, and you must have missed a rather large
+section out of your everywhere," said the girl, with a coolness that
+Royson found admirable.
+
+"But Mr. Fenshawe wants you. He has been vainly awaiting his partner at
+the bridge table during the past twenty minutes."
+
+"I would never have believed grandfather could be so callous. Play
+cards here! Where every prospect pleases and only bridge is vile! Let
+me bring him forth at once. Good night, Mr. Royson! Thank you so much
+for a nice talk. I think I shall be able now to pass an examination in
+the history and geography of the Suez Canal."
+
+Dick lifted his cap, silently thanking Providence that women were more
+adroit than men. Mrs. Haxton seemed to take no notice of him. Indeed,
+she had scarcely spoken to him since they met at Marseilles, and, were
+he a vain man, such studied neglect on the part of a pretty woman might
+have supplied food for thought. Yet it is possible that Mrs. Haxton
+herself would confess to a certain chagrin if she realized how small a
+place she occupied in his mind as he followed her along the deck. Irene
+flitted in front, light-limbed and agile, humming gaily a verse of some
+song, but breaking off in the midst to ask Captain Stump not to be very
+angry if she brought a party of invaders to his tiny domain. She was
+young enough, not to feel fluttered by the knowledge that Mrs. Haxton
+had broken in on a somewhat dangerous interchange of confidences. She
+knew that she wanted a friend--some one less opinionative than Mr.
+Fenshawe--to whom she could appeal for help and guidance when
+difficulties arose. Royson was already a hero in her eyes, and what
+more natural than that she should turn to him, especially under the
+circumstances which had come to her knowledge that evening? As for
+Dick, he fancied that the Suez Canal was one of the roads to Heaven.
+
+Before he climbed into his bunk, however, he re-read Mr. Forbes's
+letter, and noticed then that it bore signs of interference, while von
+Kerber, if he had not opened it, must have jumped to the conclusion
+that it came from London solely because the stamp was an English one.
+Added to Irene's veiled warning that all was not well on board, this
+apparent tampering with his correspondence bore an ugly look. It almost
+suggested that the Baron feared he was what the London inquiry agent
+had asked him to become--the paid spy of Alfieri. He wondered what hold
+the Italian had on the man. Now that he was able to examine recent
+events in perspective, he saw that von Kerber had traveled alone from
+London with the hope of throwing off his track any one who was watching
+him--and had failed. It was evident, too, that neither Mr. Fenshawe nor
+his granddaughter, nor Mrs. Haxton for that matter, took pains to keep
+their whereabouts unknown, because Dick had seen an announcement of the
+_Aphrodite's_ cruise in a London newspaper brought on board by the
+pilot. Von Kerber's name was not mentioned, but the others were
+described briefly, the reference to Mrs. Haxton being that she was "a
+_persona grata_ in Anglo-Egyptian society." Why, then, did the Austrian
+demand such secrecy from the yacht's crew, and be so perturbed by the
+advent of a letter addressed to one of them? But Royson's disposition
+was far too happy-go-lucky to permit of serious ponderings on other
+people's business. He laughed and reddened a little when his mind swung
+round to the more pleasing memory of the girl's frank sympathy, and he
+told himself, with deep and convincing earnestness, that next time they
+met he must guard his unruly tongue, else it might run away with him
+again, and find her in less receptive mood.
+
+Then he fell asleep, and slept soundly, too, in blissful ignorance of a
+conversation then taking place in the chart-house, though it had the
+most direct bearing on his own future.
+
+For von Kerber had seized the opportunity, when Mr. Fenshawe and the
+two ladies went below, to draw Stump into private conclave.
+
+"We reach Suez to-morrow, captain," he said, "and that will be our last
+chance of getting rid of any of the crew whom you think unsuitable."
+
+"That's so," agreed Stump, "but I can't say I've blacklisted any of
+'em. The on'y fault I find with 'em is that there's too many hands for
+the work."
+
+"Ah, you regard them as dependable, yes?"
+
+"Good for any game you like to put before 'em," was the brisk summary.
+
+"That is what I want. But tell me, captain, will you be able to replace
+Mr. Royson? I believe he is useful when it comes to sailing the yacht,
+yet I have no doubt you can dispense with him?"
+
+Stomp was shrewd in a limited way. He caught the drift of von Kerber's
+comment, and it did not help to further the scheme which the latter had
+in mind.
+
+"Mr. Royson?" came the quick growl. "What of him? Next to Tagg, he's
+the best man in the crowd."
+
+"Possibly, but I have reason to believe that he wishes to return to
+England."
+
+"He hasn't said so."
+
+"Not to you, perhaps, but I know it is so, and I do not wish to detain
+him when our numbers are already ample for all purposes. I am awkwardly
+placed in the matter, as Mr. Fenshawe feels under a slight obligation
+to him, so I shall be glad if you will pay him off to-morrow, on a
+generous basis, of course, with every allowance for the expenses of the
+homeward passage."
+
+"Wot?" said Stump, moving restlessly under von Kerber's fixed gaze.
+"D'ye mean it, mister?"
+
+"I do, most certainly."
+
+"Then you'd better fix the business yourself. You engaged him, like the
+rest of us. I like the lad, and I'd take it ill to be axed to fire him.
+No, sir. That ain't in my department this trip. It'd be a bird of
+another color if he was no good. But he's a first-rater, an' I, for
+one, will be sorry to lose him. If you don't take my word for it, ax
+Tagg. He knows a man when he see him, does Tagg, an' he hasn't
+forgotten that upper cut Mr. Royson gev' a land shark in Marseilles
+when the crowd set about you."
+
+Stump was profoundly moved, or he would not have made such a long
+speech, and von Kerber knew that his flank attack had failed. Indeed,
+the gruff sailor had as good as charged him with rank ingratitude.
+
+"Oh, if you think that way about it," said he coolly, "we can let the
+project drop for the present. I was only considering Mr. Royson's own
+interests. Whether he goes or stays, it does not concern me in the
+least. Have a cigarette? Ah, you prefer a pipe, yes? Well, good night,
+captain. We shall not be rocked to sleep by the wild waves to-night, I
+imagine."
+
+Stump joined Tagg on the bridge. He jerked a thumb after the Baron's
+retreating figure.
+
+"That German swab wants me to boot Royson," he muttered.
+
+"Boot Royson? The idee! Wot for?"
+
+"He piled it on thick about wot he called Royson's own interests, but I
+knew better'n that. It don't suit his book for our dandy second mate to
+be sparkin' the owner's granddaughter abaft the lantern. You take my
+tip, Tagg, that other woman, Mrs. Haxton, is as mean as, sin, an' she
+blew the gaff to-night when she dropped on 'em after supper."
+
+"I've always thought her a bit of a cat," agreed Tagg.
+
+"An' wot did you say?"
+
+"Say, I tole 'im to do his dirty work hisself. Mark my words, Tagg,
+he'll not tackle the job for fear it comes to the gal's ears. You watch
+him close up like an oyster."
+
+Stump was a prophet worthy of honor, though Dick did not appreciate the
+Baron's friendly solicitude about his affairs until long afterwards.
+But he did learn by chance how amply justified Irene was in her fear
+that he might be asked to leave the ship. The _Aphrodite_ was spinning
+down the Gulf of Suez late next day, under all her snowy spread of
+sail, when Royson went aloft to assure himself that a stiff pulley on
+the fore yard was in good working order. He found that it needed a
+slight readjustment, and the alteration, was troublesome owing to the
+strain of a steady breeze. He persevered, put matters right, and was
+climbing down to the deck when, through the foresail, he heard voices
+discussing none other than himself.
+
+Mrs. Haxton and von Kerber had strolled, forward, and were leaning over
+the side of the ship, never dreaming that the man they were talking of
+was within a few feet of them above their heads, though hidden by the
+sail.
+
+"I was exceedingly surprised to find that he was not sent ashore with
+the pilot at Suez," the lady was saying. "No matter what his present
+position may be, he is a baronet's nephew and prospective heir it would
+seem. It is sheer madness on your part to keep a man like him on
+board."
+
+"But I tell you that I asked Stump to discharge him, and met with a
+blank refusal," replied the Baron irritably.
+
+"That is even more amazing. Are not these men your servants?"
+
+"Yes, in a sense. Try to understand me, Maud. I had to select men of
+good character, or they might fail me in the hour of real need. If you
+hire pirates you must expect them to act like pirates, yes? Stump
+favors Royson, so he pointed out that as I had engaged him I must
+dismiss him. And you know quite well, if you would only be reasonable,
+that any such action on my part could hardly fail to arouse some
+measure of doubt in Fenshawe's mind, which is the very thing we wish to
+avoid."
+
+"I think you are wrong, nevertheless."
+
+"You should not say that if you are not prepared to tell me how I could
+arrange an awkward business better. And what are you afraid of? He is
+as keen as any of us for the adventure, and he will be well paid if it
+succeeds."
+
+"You are a poor conspirator, my dear Franz," laughed Mrs. Haxton
+disagreeably. "If you were really the clever person you think yourself
+you would know that such a man may leaven the whole crew with his ideas
+of honor. And, when the pressure comes, he will have an excellent
+helper in that girl. She, too, should have been left at home. Oh,
+nonsense! Had you given me the ordering of affairs neither she nor this
+young down-at-heels aristocrat would be here today. I am not saying
+this merely to annoy you, as you seem to believe, but to warn you. Be
+on your guard, Franz. Things are going too smoothly. No great fortune
+was ever yet won without a hitch or two on the road, and we are not far
+from the Five Hills now."
+
+They moved away. Dick went back to his pulley, surveyed the deck over
+the fore yard, and deferred his descent until "Franz" and "Maud" were
+at the other end of the vessel. Since they came on board they had been
+"Baron von Kerber" and "Mrs. Haxton" in the presence of others. What
+desperate game were they playing that demanded these small deceits--
+what hazard of fortune was it that gave rise to the woman's Cassandra-
+like forebodings? Von Kerber had been candid enough in the statement he
+put forward voluntarily at Marseilles. Any one could guess the
+uncertainties of a quest depending on a document two thousand years
+old, while its dangers were manifest. Mr. Fenshawe and Irene must be
+cognizant of the open risks, and it was idle to suppose that they did
+not appreciate the unobtrusive way in which the yacht was being hurried
+to her destination. Why, then, should von Kerber and Mrs. Haxton share
+some secret understanding, the outcome of which was doubtful, and,
+above all else, why should they fear the influence that a young and
+unknown man might exercise on the crew?
+
+"Egypt is the land of riddles," mused Dick, as he gazed at the russet
+and purple hills which spring up so suddenly to guard the strange sea
+thrust by nature into the bosom of a fiery land. "My best course is to
+adopt the attitude of the Sphinx. I shall keep my eyes open and say
+nothing."
+
+He forgot, however, that the chief characteristic of the Sphinx is an
+enduring patience, and he chafed at the colorless monotony of the next
+few days. The Aphrodite crept under sail five hundred miles to the
+south, until the wind died of sheer exhaustion. Then the engines took
+their turn, and the yacht exchanged the steady roll of a topsail
+schooner for the quivering uneasiness of a steam-driven ship. But sail
+or steam, the pace was slow, and the passage of the Red Sea left its
+record on the smart little vessel in the shape of blistered paint,
+gaping seams, and planks from which the sweated pitch was no sooner
+holy-stoned than it oozed forth again to smear their purity. Though
+stout awnings defied the direct fury of the sun they could not shut out
+its glare and furnace heat. And the human barometer showed the stress
+of life. Stump was a caldron in himself, Tagg a bewhiskered malediction
+in damp linen. The temper of the crew, stifling in crowded quarters,
+suggested--that they were suffering from a plague of bolls. As a mere
+pastime, there was an occasional fight in the forecastle. Unhappily for
+the disputants, Stump had a ready ear for these frays, and he would
+rush in to settle them with a vigor that left the pugilists prostrate.
+Then he would recover his caustic humor for half an hour, and regale
+Royson with yarns of things wot happened when the Bed Sea was reelly
+hot. This weather was on'y warm. Why, once when he was aboard the
+_Ocean Queen_, her bunker gev' out six hours north o' Perim, but he
+whipped the awnin's off, an' the sun kep' up a head o' steam in the
+boilers until she ran into port.
+
+The saloon party found existence more endurable. They had adjustable
+window-shades, and electric fans, and there was a sheltered deck over
+their heads. So they dozed away the hot hours placidly until the
+memorable day dawned when Stump, after much close scrutiny of charts,
+ventured to leave the safe channel down the center of the Red Sea and
+stand in towards the African coast.
+
+"Massowah!" was on every tongue, and the general listlessness vanished.
+Soon a dim land-line appeared. It grew into a range of barren
+mountains, broken by narrow, precipice-guarded valleys. Then a thin
+strip of flat fore-shore became visible. It deepened into a flat
+island, barely two miles long, and assumed a habitable aspect. A
+lighthouse marked a fine harbor. A custom-house, a fort, several
+jetties, and a town of fairly tall buildings stood clear from a
+scattered gathering of coral-built Arab houses and hundreds of grass
+and mat huts. In a word, man had conquered the wilderness, and a busy
+community had sprung into being between the silent sea and the arid
+earth.
+
+While the _Aphrodite_ was picking her way cautiously to the anchorage
+ground, Dick, who was on the bridge with the captain, heard some broken
+talk between Mr. Fenshawe and the Baron. The latter, with subdued
+energy, was urging some point which the older man refused to yield. The
+discussion was keen, and the millionaire betrayed a polite resentment
+of his companion's views.
+
+"I am sure the Italian authorities will place no obstacle in our way,"
+he declared at last. "When all is said and done, the interest of our
+trip is mainly archeological. Why should you hold this absurd notion
+that we may be refused official sanction?"
+
+He spoke emphatically, with unveiled impatience. Dick could not make
+out the Austrian's reply, but Mr. Fenshawe's next words showed that,
+whatever the matter in dispute, he had a will of his own, and meant to
+exercise it.
+
+"It is useless to try to convince me on that head," he exclaimed. "I
+would turn back this instant rather than act in the way you suggest.
+You must allow me to follow my original plan. We shall obtain a valid
+permit from the Governor. If, contrary to my expectation, he refers the
+final decision to the Italian Foreign Department, we shall await cabled
+instructions. Our ambassador at Rome can vouch for us. He is an old
+friend of mine, and I only regret that I did not obey my first impulse
+and write to him before I left London."
+
+Von Kerber asserted that there was some danger of the Somali Arabs
+becoming excited If they heard of the expedition. Mr. Fenshawe laughed.
+
+"Arabs!" he cried. "How long has that bee buzzed In your bonnet. The
+only lawless tribes In this country are far away in the interior. And
+even they are apt to think many times before they offer active
+resistance to the passing of a strong and well-intentioned _kafila_.
+Besides, my dear fellow, we must purchase some portion of our equipment
+here. It is secrecy, not candor, that would endanger our mission.
+Believe me, you are suffering from Red Sea spleen. It distorts your
+normal vision. You certainly took a different view of the situation
+when we determined its main features in London."
+
+Royson was careful not to look at the speakers. Between him and them
+was seated Mrs. Haxton, and he knew that she, too, was an attentive
+listener. Von Kerber began to explain the reasons which lay behind his
+change of opinion, but Stump's voice suddenly recalled Dick to his
+duties.
+
+"Stand by the anchor, Mr. Royson," he said, "and see that everything is
+clear when I tell you to let go."
+
+Irene heard the order.
+
+"I want to watch the anchor flop overboard," she announced, springing
+up from a deck chair. "I think I shall accompany you, Mr. Royson."
+
+Dick held out his hand to help her down the short companionway. They
+had not exchanged many words since that memorable night in the canal,
+and the penetrating look in the girl's eyes warned Royson now that she
+was about to say something not meant for others to hear.
+
+"You have not forgotten?" she murmured.
+
+"No," he answered.
+
+"When we go ashore you must come with us."
+
+"How can I make sure of that?"
+
+"Ask Captain Stump to send you in charge of the boat. Do you know that
+an attempt was made to get rid of you at Suez?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"It failed."
+
+"Yes, I know that, too."
+
+"Who told you?"
+
+"I overheard a conversation. I could not help it."
+
+"Well, once we are ashore I may have a chance of explaining things
+fully. If necessary, tell Captain Stump I wish you to escort us."
+
+They could say no more. The telegraph rang from "Slow" to "Stop her."
+Two sailors were waiting in the bows, and had already cleared the
+anchor from its chocks. Irene leaned against the rail. She wore a pith
+hat, and was dressed in white muslin for shore-going, while a pink-
+lined parasol helped to dispel a pallor which was the natural result of
+an exhausting voyage. Dick thought he had never seen a woman with a
+face and figure to match hers, and it is to be feared that hi mind
+wandered a little until he was roused by a bellow from the bridge.
+
+"Stand by, forrard. Let go-o-o!"
+
+Luckily, Dick's office was a sinecure. The men knew what to do, and did
+it. With a roar and a rattle the chain cable rushed through the hawse-
+pipe, and the _Aphrodite_ rested motionless on the green water of the
+roadstead.
+
+The yacht's arrival created some stir on shore. Several boats put off,
+their swarthy crews contending strenuously which should have the
+valuable privilege of landing the expected passengers. Stump bustled
+down from the bridge with the important air of a man who had achieved
+something, and thus gave Royson an unforeseen opportunity of asking him
+about the boat. The skipper swung himself back to the upper deck, and
+approached Mr. Fenshawe.
+
+"Are you goin' ashore at once, sir?" he inquired.
+
+"Yes, the sooner the better, or the Government Offices will be closed
+for the day."
+
+"Mr. Royson," shouted Stump, "pipe the crew of the jolly-boat, an'
+lower away."
+
+"An Arab boat will be much speedier and more roomy," broke in Mrs.
+Haxton, quick to observe that von Kerber was not paying heed to the
+captain's preparations.
+
+"You can land in one of those weird-looking craft If you like," said
+Irene, "but I am sure Mr. Fenshawe and I would prefer our own state
+barge. It is much more dignified, too, and I really think we ought to
+impress the natives. Don't you agree with me, Baron von Kerber?"
+
+There was nothing more to be said. The boat was lowered so smartly that
+Dick was seated at the tiller, and four ash blades were driving her
+rapidly shoreward, before the leading crew of panting Somalis reached
+the ship's side. They secured two passengers, however. Mrs. Haxton, who
+had declined a seat in the jolly-boat on the score of the intense heat,
+changed her mind, and the captain elected to go with her.
+
+"I want to cable my missus," he announced, "an' Massowah is likely to
+be our last port for some time. If she don't hear from me once a month,
+she frets. That's where Tagg has the pull. He's an orfin."
+
+Mrs. Haxton smiled delightedly. She was watching the distant jolly-
+boat, and something seemed to please her.
+
+"Your second mate has not visited Massowah before?" she said.
+
+"No, ma'am."
+
+"We shall be ashore first, after all. He is heading for the Government
+jetee, where a sentry will warn him off."
+
+"Oh, you know the ropes here, then?" said Stump. "Not many English
+ladies have coasted in these waters."
+
+Mrs. Haxton thought, perhaps, that she had aired her knowledge
+unnecessarily, but she explained that when her husband was alive she
+had accompanied him during a long cruise in the Red Sea. "He was
+interested in cable construction," she said, "and we visited Massowah
+when it was first taken In hand by the Italians."
+
+"Excuse me, ma'am, but have you bin long a widdy?"
+
+"Nearly five years."
+
+"By gad," said Stump admiringly, "you must ha' bin a small slip of a
+gal when you was married!"
+
+She laughed, with the quiet assurance of a beautiful and well-dressed
+woman. Mrs. Haxton could be charming when she chose, and she wanted
+Stump to act exactly in accord with her own plans when they reached the
+town. By this time the two boats were nearly level, but separated by a
+hundred yards or more. The captain had half risen to hail Dick when
+Mrs. Haxton stopped him.
+
+"Let them go on," she cried. "They would not take my advice. Now they
+will find that we have beaten them by a good five minutes."
+
+Stump knew quite well, of course, that a broad-beamed English boat
+could not compete with the long, slim Somali craft, but he was aware
+also that Miss Fenshawe and Royson wished to land in company. So he
+grinned, and sat down again.
+
+The outcome of these cross purposes was curious in many ways. As Mrs.
+Haxton foresaw, the jolly-boat was forbidden to land at the main wharf,
+and Royson discovered that the Austrian did not understand Italian. It
+was Irene who translated the orders shouted at them by a brigandish-
+looking soldier, and they had to pull off in the direction of a smaller
+pier where Mrs. Haxton and Captain Stump had already disembarked in the
+midst of a crowd of jabbering natives.
+
+"Now, captain," said Mrs. Haxton, with her sweetest smile, pointing to
+a white building in the distance, "that is the telegraph-office. We
+need not both remain here until our friends arrive. Suppose you go and
+send your cablegram in peace. By the time you have written it we shall
+be close behind you. Pray don't wait on my account. You see I want to
+crow over Miss Fenshawe."
+
+"Just as you like, ma'am," said Stump, lifting his cap awkwardly. He
+went at the noisy mob like a battering-ram. "Sheer off, you black-an'-
+tan mongrels!" he roared at them. "Go an' ax some one to play on you
+with a hose-pipe. Jow, you soors! D'ye think the lady likes to be
+pisened?"
+
+He cleared a space, and rolled away towards the town. Hence, he did not
+notice a gaunt Arab, whose flowing burnous and distinguished air
+singled him out from the mixed gathering of nondescripts at the
+landing-place, who bided his time until Mrs. Haxton looked in his
+direction. Then he salaamed, with a courtly blend of deference and
+hauteur, and she beckoned him instantly.
+
+"You are Sheikh Abdullah?" she asked in French.
+
+"Yes, madam," he replied, in the same language.
+
+"You know the town well?"
+
+"I have been waiting here two months."
+
+"Then two more hours will not weary you. Von Kerber Effendi, or I, or
+both of us, will meet you outside the Elephant Mosque at five o'clock.
+Nevertheless, should there be others with us, do not speak unless we
+address you."
+
+"Who is he, the red ox?" demanded the Arab, gazing after the broad
+figure of Captain Stump.
+
+"He is the captain of our ship, a man of no importance. The Hakim
+Effendi is in the approaching boat. With, him is Fenshawe Effendi, the
+old, gray-haired man. There is a tall young ship's officer there, too.
+His name is Royson--you will not forget?--Royson. He is dangerous.
+Regard him well. He might prove troublesome, or useful--I hardly know
+which at present. Fenshawe Effendi speaks French and Arabic, Royson
+Effendi French only. That is all, for the present. Leave me now."
+
+"Adieu, madame. A cinq heures!"
+
+Drawing back into the mob of natives, who were pressing nearer in their
+eagerness to offer themselves for hire to the Europeans in the boat,
+Abdullah shaded his swarthy face under, a fold of his burnous. Royson
+leaped ashore in order to assist Irene to land. She, with school-girl
+glee at emancipation from the narrow decks of the _Aphrodite_, sprang
+on to the low pier at the same instant, and laughed at his surprise at
+finding her standing by his side. They both extended a hand to Mr.
+Fenshawe, who refused their aid, saying that the first breath of dry
+air had made him feel as young as ever.
+
+"There is no tonic like it," he said. "Look at Mrs. Haxton if you want
+a proof. She was a lily in London--now she is a rose."
+
+Excitement, or the prospect of success, had certainly given the lady's
+complexion a fine tint. Her dainty profile offered a striking contrast
+to the motley crew of negroid Arabs who surrounded her. And she came to
+meet them in a buoyant spirit, though the fierce sun was scorching her
+delicate skin through the thin fabric of her dress.
+
+"I ought to have made a wager with you, Mr. Royson," she cried,
+pronouncing his name very distinctly. "Our English-built craft cannot
+hold its own against the Somali, you see."
+
+Knowing nothing of the difference of opinion on board the yacht, Dick
+could not fathom this sudden graciousness on her part. Before he could
+answer, von Kerber's highly-pitched voice broke in.
+
+"Why did Captain Stump come ashore with you?" he asked.
+
+"To send Mrs. Stump a cablegram, I believe," replied Mrs. Haxton
+carelessly.
+
+"He ought to have asked my permission first."
+
+The petulant words drew a protest from Mr. Fenshawe.
+
+"My dear Baron," he said, "why should not the poor man make known his
+safe arrival to his wife? You are not yourself to-day. What is it--
+liver? or anxiety?"
+
+"I have no special reason for anxiety," cried von Kerber, almost
+hysterically. Royson came to his relief by asking for orders about the
+boat, but the Austrian was so unnerved, for no visible reason, that he
+hesitated, and Irene answered for him.
+
+"We have arranged to dine on shore, at the Hotel Grande del Universo,"
+she said. "Mr. Fenshawe wishes Captain Stump and you to join us, so the
+boat may go back to the yacht and come for us at eight o'clock. When
+you meet Captain Stump, please tell him."
+
+"Excellent!" agreed her grandfather, who now heard of the "arrangement"
+for the first time. "Really, Irene, you put things so admirably that I
+hardly recognize my own crude thoughts. Well, as that is settled, let
+us go straight to the Governor's house. One of these black gentlemen
+will pilot us."
+
+While Fenshawe was airing his Arabic in selecting a guide from fifty
+volunteers, Dick gave instructions to the boat's crew. Mrs. Haxton,
+seeing that Irene was all eyes for her new and strange surroundings,
+read von Kerber a much-needed lecture.
+
+"For goodness' sake gather your wits," she murmured. "You will arouse
+general suspicion by your foolish precautions. Now listen. Before five
+o'clock let us all gather at the hotel for tea. Slip away on some
+pretext, and go instantly to the Elephant Mosque. It is in the main
+street, three hundred yards to the left of the hotel. I shall join you
+there if possible, but, in any event, you'll meet Abdullah. And,
+whatever you do, stop this nonsense about proceeding in secret. Ah,
+yes, Irene, your grandfather has his hands full. But he knows how to
+manage natives. You will see him in his element when we come to collect
+a _kafila_."
+
+So, smiling and soft-tongued, Mrs. Haxton turned in response to some
+delighted exclamation from the girl. They made their way inland in the
+wake of a swaggering negro, and, as Royson passed with the others,
+Abdullah, the Arab, appraised him with critical eye.
+
+"By the Holy Kaaba," said he, "there goes a man! I have seen few like
+him, even at Khartoum, where the giaours swarmed in thousands. But he
+is young, and his flesh is soft. The desert will thin his blood. And
+that little bull, who went before--he, too, should feel the sap dry in
+his bones. Tomb of my father! if the Hakim Effendi has brought such men
+as these in his train, there will be deeds done at the foot of the Five
+Hills, and I, Abdullah the Spear-thrower, shall be there to witness
+them."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+
+MRS. HAXTON RECEIVES A SHOCK
+
+Mr. Fenshawe, renewing his acquaintance with Arabic gutturals, and von
+Kerber, walking apart with Mrs. Haxton, in order to learn how and when
+she had received tidings of Abdullah, had eyes or ears for naught else.
+Irene and Dick were thus given a few moments free from listeners, and
+the girl was quick enough to grasp the chance.
+
+"You know why we have come here?" she asked in a low tone, halting to
+look back at the belt of tiny islets which secludes Massowah's larger
+island from the open sea.
+
+"Baron von Kerber told us at Marseilles," said Dick, wondering what new
+development had chased from the girl's face the smiling interest of a
+moment ago.
+
+"'Us'?" she demanded, almost sharply.
+
+"I should have said Captain Stump, Mr. Tagg, and myself."
+
+"What did he tell you?"
+
+"The remarkable history of a Roman expedition against the Sabaeans, of
+a storm, a shipwreck, the burial of a vast treasure, and the ultimate
+discovery of its hiding-place by means of a Greek papyrus found in a
+tomb."
+
+"That is what irritates me," said she, in a sudden gust of anger. "His
+behavior is faultless, yet I am certain that he is acting in an
+underhanded way. I have ventured to say as much to my grandfather, but
+I cannot obtain a shred of actual fact to justify my suspicions. Indeed
+Baron von Kerber is candor itself where the genuineness of the papyrus
+is concerned. Did he endeavor to explain Mrs. Haxton's presence, or
+mine?"
+
+"When Captain Stump protested--before he had seen you, remember--
+against ladies accompanying us, the Baron said that without you the
+expedition could not proceed."
+
+"Exactly. That is another bit of unconvincing accuracy. Mrs. Haxton has
+always been an essential part of the scheme. I am here solely because I
+did not think Mr. Fenshawe should be allowed to go alone--alone in the
+sense that these people were strangers to him, while he was spending
+many thousands of pounds for their very great benefit. There, again, I
+find myself in a sort of verbal _cul de sac_. Under other circumstances
+I should be delighted to take part in an adventure of this kind.
+Grandad promised me two years ago that we should pass the present
+winter in Upper Egypt. Unhappily, Mrs. Haxton introduced von Kerber to
+him at a place in the Highlands where we were invited for the shooting.
+The instant he heard of the legend on that wretched scrap of paper all
+his old enthusiasm for exploration work revived, and he has followed
+their plans blindly ever since."
+
+"I hope you will forgive me if I express a somewhat contrary opinion,
+Miss Fenshawe," said Royson. "Your grandfather did not hesitate to run
+counter to the Baron's wishes to-day, for instance."
+
+"Oh, that is nothing. Of course, with his experience of Egypt, he takes
+the lead in such matters. What I want you to believe is this: Mrs.
+Haxton, and not von Kerber, found that papyrus, or it came into her
+hands by some means. She is the originator of the scheme. She sought to
+be included in our friend's party at Glengarloch with the set object of
+meeting grandad, whose interest in archeology is known to all the
+world. She did not come across von Kerber by accident, but produced him
+at the right moment. He is not a casual friend, met in Cairo, as she
+pretends, but a man whom she has known for years. And, last in a list
+of guessings which I know to be true, they both fear some discovery, or
+interruption, or danger not revealed to us, which may prevent them from
+obtaining the wealth they hope to gain. They are desperately poor, Mr.
+Royson. They have mortgaged their credit to its utmost extent to enable
+them to keep up appearances, and they dread some catastrophe which will
+interfere with our search, though the only authority we have for the
+existence of the Roman legion's loot is a scrap of scarcely
+decipherable writing, which, though genuine enough, may be nothing
+better than a madman's dream."
+
+"Have you told Mr. Fenshawe these things?" asked Dick. His pledged word
+to von Kerber interposed an awkward barrier against that complete
+confidence which he would gladly have given to one who had so curiously
+amplified his own doubts.
+
+"Yes, everything, but he only laughs, and bids me remember that I am
+not yet twenty. He says that there are stranger things buried beneath
+the dust of Egypt than all the learned societies have succeeded in
+revealing. He is quite content that the cruise of the _Aphrodite_
+should be a wild-goose chase so long as the evidence of the papyrus is
+proved to be false. And that is my chief stumbling-block. Perhaps you
+do not realize that, to an antiquarian, the search yields as keen
+pleasure as the find. The cost of this expedition is a matter of no
+consequence to my grandfather, and I repeat that, under other
+conditions, I should regard it as a most enjoyable and memorable
+excursion. But these two people have made me nervous, and that is why I
+was determined they should not get rid of you at Suez, because I felt
+that I could trust you with my doubts and fears, and look to you for
+help should an emergency arise. Otherwise, Mr. Fenshawe and I would be
+at their mercy."
+
+"You can count on me to the end," said Royson earnestly, "but I would
+ask you not to forget that the officers and crew are all Englishmen,
+and, from what I have seen of them, they would never lend themselves to
+any undertaking which meant actual treachery to their employers."
+
+"That, of course, is excellent so far as it goes," was the tart
+response, "but I am also aware that our enterprising Baron has very
+adroitly bound all of you to secrecy, and exacted a promise of
+faithfulness to his interests. The result is that not even you, Mr.
+Royson, told me anything about the attack made on him at Marseilles--"
+
+This counter-stroke was unexpected, and Royson glanced at her with some
+degree of embarrassment.
+
+"He persuaded us that if the incident came to your knowledge it might
+alarm you needlessly," he broke in, "and that sounded quite
+reasonable."
+
+"Exactly. You are beginning to appreciate the pitfalls which awaited me
+when I tried to convince my grandfather that he should not credit every
+statement made to him. Baron von Kerber is the most plausible of men.
+He never tells a downright untruth. Indeed, he speaks the absolute
+truth, but only a part of it. Fortunately, my maid heard of your
+prowess in routing the Baron's assailants. You at once became a hero
+among the sailors, which, by the way, was only fit and proper if you
+are destined to fill the role played by your distinguished ancestor."
+
+A quiet little smile chased the shadows from her face, and Dick flushed
+as he recalled the wild words of that wonderful night in the canal.
+
+"Tagg must have been talking," he managed to say. "Please tell me what
+you have heard, Miss Fenshawe."
+
+"Nothing beyond the fact that our Austrian friend was set upon by some
+highway robbers while driving from the station to the ship at a late
+hour, and that you and Mr. Tagg happened to be near, with disastrous
+results to the Marseillais. Does your bond permit you to carry the
+story further? What did really happen?"
+
+"There was a rather one-sided fight, because Tagg and I took them by
+surprise, but the Baron escaped uninjured, or nearly so."
+
+"Did they rob him, then?"
+
+"I meant that he sustained a couple of slight cuts, and therein you
+have another valid reason for his anxiety that the affair should not
+reach your ears."
+
+Though her own manner was imperious enough, Irene was manifestly
+surprised at the annoyance apparent in Dick's voice. She did not
+realize that he was wroth because of the check imposed by the promise
+exacted in London. If he told her of the theft of the papyrus, and
+explained the few details he possessed with regard to von Kerber's
+declared enemy, he would only add fuel to the distrust already planted
+in her heart. That would achieve no tangible good, while no casuistry
+would wipe away the stain on his own honor. So here was he, burning
+with desire to assure her of his devotion, forced into silent pact with
+the very conspiracy she was denouncing.
+
+She attributed his sudden gruffness to a distaste for hearing his
+exploits lauded.
+
+"At any rate, you now understand my motive for speaking so plainly, Mr.
+Royson," she went on. "You may feel bound by your arrangement with the
+Baron, and I have no fault to find on that score, but I am quite,
+certain, since I have learnt who you are, that you will not lend
+yourself to any discreditable plan which may be in the minds of the
+remarkable pair who are now looking at us, and wondering, no doubt,
+what we are discussing so earnestly."
+
+Royson saw that von Kerber and Mrs. Haxton were awaiting them at the
+door of the post-office, but the personal allusion to himself, which
+Miss Fenshawe had dropped, in parenthesis as it were, into her
+concluding sentence, demanded a question.
+
+"Will you enlighten me on the interesting point of my identity, then?"
+he asked rapidly.
+
+"Oh yes. I take it that your Port Said letter was opened and read. Mrs.
+Haxton is skilled at jumping to conclusions, I fancy. She said she
+recognized your name at Marseilles--when the telegram arrived, you
+know--but, if that were so, it is strange that she should keep the
+knowledge to herself until all of us were at dinner after leaving Port
+Said. I also can add two and two occasionally, and I have not the
+slightest doubt that something in your letter gave her the necessary
+clue. Was she mistaken?"
+
+"In what?"
+
+"In the belief that you are the nephew of a baronet, and his heir?"
+
+He laughed pleasantly. After years of indifference, his birthright was
+pursuing him with a certain zest.
+
+"You could not have chosen a better example of those half-truths you
+complain of," said he. "I admit that my uncle is Sir Henry Royson, but
+his heir he vowed I should not be when last we met. Yet the letter you
+speak of was from his solicitor, and it held out a vague suggestion of
+possibilities which, to put it mildly, would make Mrs. Haxton a
+remarkably good guesser."
+
+A silence fell upon them as they neared the others. Irene disdained to
+use any subterfuge, and Royson was far too perplexed to branch off into
+a new conversation meant for the general ear. Mrs. Haxton and the
+Austrian also broke off their talk. They were about to enter the post-
+office when Mr. Fenshawe came out.
+
+"Here you are," he cried. "Lots of letters and newspapers. Take them,
+Irene, and sort them out. The Baron and I must hurry to the Governor's
+house. We can read our correspondence at the hotel."
+
+Von Kerber had evidently profited by his stroll with Mrs. Haxton. He
+raised no objection, but went off at once with the older man. Irene
+managed to open the bulky, string-tied package entrusted to her. She
+gave Mrs. Haxton several letters, and added to Royson's already
+bewildered state by handing him three, two being directed to him in his
+right name and the third bearing the superscription "Richard King,
+Esq."
+
+He knew that Miss Fenshawe had noticed the alias, and took it as a
+kindly act that she passed no remark on it. He was equally well aware
+that Mrs. Haxton was alive to the fact that there were letters for him.
+Stump, who made his appearance at the moment, added a whiff of
+awkwardness when he saw the envelopes in Dick's hands.
+
+"Hello!" he growled, "you've bin pretty spry. Letters, eh? How did you
+work it?"
+
+"I am not able to tell you," was the frank answer. "Evidently some one
+in London discovered the yacht's route long before I knew it myself."
+
+"That's funny," said Stump, with a hint of doubt in the exclamation.
+
+"It is probably a simple enough matter if it were cleared up," said
+Irene off-handedly. "The _Aphrodite's_ ports of call are quite open to
+the knowledge of any person who takes the trouble to inquire at Mr.
+Fenshawe's residence. Mr. Royson will find, no doubt, that his friends
+followed that course when he failed to let them know whither the vessel
+was bound. But it is too hot to stand here in the sun. Let us go to the
+hotel and look through our budget in comfort."
+
+When opportunity served, Dick glanced at his unexpected mail. The two
+letters for "Royson" were from Forbes. They bore different dates. The
+first stated that Sir Henry Royson was seriously ill, and had given
+urgent instructions that his nephew was to be brought to his bedside.
+"I have reason to believe," wrote the lawyer, "that your uncle has
+sustained some shock, perhaps arising from the sudden receipt of
+intelligence hitherto withheld from him, and I would fail in my duty if
+I did not urge you to cast aside all other considerations and return to
+England at once."
+
+The second letter was even more explicit. "The person from whom I have
+received information of your whereabouts," said Mr. Forbes, "has called
+on me to-day, and the facts he has laid before me demand your earnest
+consideration. He is assured that the treasure-hunting expedition you
+have joined is a compound of piracy and rascality, in which Mr.
+Fenshawe is a dupe, having been misled by a man who has incurred the
+gravest suspicion of felony. The Italian Government is taking steps to
+procure this person's arrest, and, whether or not the charges brought
+against him be substantiated, it is an assured thing that the movements
+of the _Aphrodite_ will be watched, with a view towards the armed
+prevention of any landing from her in Italian territory. You must know
+that I have the strongest grounds for this statement, or I would not
+dare place my opinion in writing. If you think it will serve any useful
+purpose, I authorize you to show this letter to Mr. Fenshawe, only
+stipulating that I am giving him a friendly warning (which will soon be
+verified by events) and that my name must not be used in any
+investigation he may choose to make. It may help you to arrive at a
+right decision if I tell you that I have traced you with the help of
+Lieutenant the Hon. John S. Paton, of the Coldstream Guards, who saw an
+advertisement I inserted in the _Times_, and gave me the date of a
+carriage accident in Buckingham Palace Road, in which you seem to have
+displayed the courage and resource that might be looked for in one of
+your family. Inquiry showed that the carriage was Mr. Fenshawe's, and
+one of my clerks, after visiting Mr. Fenshawe's house, was accosted by
+a man who was able to prove that he had accurate knowledge of your
+movements. I am told that he is writing Mr. Fenshawe fully by this
+mail, so, in any event, I feel confident of your early departure from
+Massowah, believing, as I do, that Mr. Fenshawe will not continue to
+lend his name to an undertaking of bad repute."
+
+The third letter, that addressed to "King," was from a Mr. William
+Fielding, "Confidential Inquiry Agent," who revealed himself as Mr.
+Forbes's informant. He wrote in similar strain to the solicitor, and
+added: "I have directed the envelope to you in the name under which you
+shipped on board the _Aphrodite_, though I am aware that a telegram
+sent to you at Marseilles in your proper name reached you. If you will
+kindly seek a private interview with Mr. Fenshawe, and tell him how a
+man named Alfieri, with others, attacked Baron von Kerber at
+Marseilles, and robbed and wounded him without any subsequent protest
+on his part, you will help in undoing a great wrong."
+
+Royson was sitting in the balcony veranda on the first floor of the
+Hotel Grande del Universo when his astonished eyes skimmed rapidly
+through these letters. Scarce crediting his senses, he read them again,
+word by word, striving to extract from their cryptic sentences that
+hidden meaning which lay beneath. Outspoken as the solicitor was, he
+had evidently left unsaid the major portion of the strange story within
+his ken. The new correspondent, too, might or might not be the man whom
+Dick had seen in Hyde Park and at Charing Cross Station. But the same
+curious guardedness was apparent in each missive. The lawyer dealt in
+generalities; the private detective merely asked for the corroboration
+of a single detail in the statement which, doubtless, awaited Mr.
+Fenshawe's perusal among the letters now piled on a table by the side
+of Miss Fenshawe's chair.
+
+At the thought, Dick turned and looked at Irene. She was smiling at
+some quip or bit of lively news in a closely-written sheet. Near her,
+Mrs. Haxton was engaged more deeply. The letter clasped in her long
+slender fingers was as obviously a business document as Irene's was the
+crossed and interlined product of a feminine pen overflowing with
+gossip. Stump was leaning on the railing of the veranda, contemptuously
+heedless of the efforts of half a dozen vendors of carpets, ostrich
+feathers, fruit, sweets, and Abyssinian curios, who had gathered in the
+street beneath and were endeavoring vociferously to secure his
+patronage for their wares. So Dick had leisure to think out a line of
+action, and he saw no reason to dispute the soundness of the advice
+given him by Mr. Forbes. If the owner of the _Aphrodite_ were
+unknowingly lending himself to an illegal quest, it was the duty of an
+honest man to warn him. The agreement with von Kerber stood in the way
+perhaps. In that case, it must be terminated. Such a resolve was rather
+bitter to the taste, but it was unavoidable. To travel home by the next
+mail steamer from Aden would be a tame ending to an adventure that
+promised so well in its initial stages. And what of his vow not to
+desert the girl who had placed her faith in him? Well, he would best
+serve her by opening Mr. Fenshawe's eyes to the character of his
+associates, for Dick had no manner of doubt that Mrs. Haxton was the
+leading spirit in the plot of which the millionaire was the "dupe,"
+according to the lawyer.
+
+But Royson had found adversity a hard task-master. He had learnt early
+the lesson that a man who takes a leap in the dark should at least jump
+from firm ground, and when he asked himself what was the definite
+charge he would prefer against von Kerber his logic was brought to an
+abrupt halt. In plain English, he depended on a few words in the
+solicitor's letter, and these, in their turn, were probably inspired by
+the one-sided statements of the Austrian's avowed enemy, Alfieri. This
+consideration brought him back to the starting-point in his review of a
+puzzling situation. Fielding, whoever he might be, had done the right
+thing in placing his case before Mr. Fenshawe by letter. It would serve
+to clear the ground, and give scope for the interference of one who
+really had no cause of complaint against von Kerber.
+
+"Anyhow," reflected Royson, smiling at the queer manner in which many
+opposing interests helped to entangle him in a mesh of difficulties, "I
+need not rush my fences. Let Fenshawe read his letter, and, above all
+else, let me seek counsel from his granddaughter. Then, by happy
+chance, I may hit on the right line." When a young man does not want to
+deprive himself of the company of a nice young woman, he may be
+depended on to argue himself into a state of mind which does not demand
+such a sacrifice.
+
+At that instant Irene rose and told Captain Stump that she agreed with
+him--a scrutiny of the chattering mob in the street was more to her
+taste than a description of the frocks worn at the last court ball.
+Dick pocketed his letters, and would have joined them had he not
+noticed that Mrs. Haxton was bending forward in her chair and examining
+the mixed pile of correspondence on the table. There was no grave
+significance in the action, because a number of magazines and
+newspapers were mixed with the heap, and these were more or less common
+property. But Royson, knowing of the existence of one document of
+exceeding importance, acted on the principle that if opportunity makes
+the thief Mrs. Haxton's reputation should remain unsullied that day if
+it lay in his power. He lit a cigar, wheeled his chair slightly, and
+sat facing her, at a distance of ten or twelve feet. The open railing
+of the veranda was half as far away on his right and on Mrs. Haxton's
+left. Through the narrow rails they both could see the opposite
+pavement, with its dun-colored throng of natives and the gloomy
+interiors of several small shops, while the white walls and close-
+latticed windows of the upper stories seemed to be bleaching visibly in
+the slanting rays of a fierce afternoon sun.
+
+Mrs. Haxton, apparently giving no heed to Royson, glanced listlessly at
+the wrappers and postmark. The task seemed to prove uninteresting. Soon
+she selected a periodical, and was about to open It when a remark from
+Irene caught her ear.
+
+"That Italian standing in front of the grain-dealer's place seems to be
+rooted to the ground with astonishment at seeing strangers in the
+hotel," said the girl, turning her smiling face towards her companion.
+
+"Them Dagos is impident pups at times, miss," replied Stump, his red
+eyes no doubt meeting the man's stare with a fixity that might have
+disconcerted most gapers.
+
+"Does he know you, do you think? I happened to see him coming along the
+street, and as soon as he saw us he stood stock-still. He has been
+gazing up here now for the past two or three minutes."
+
+"I've booted a rare lot of I-talians in my time," said Stump. "I
+wouldn't be a bit surprised if he was some loafer I'd helped across a
+ship's gangway at Genoa or Naples."
+
+"But, captain," laughed Irene, "that man appears to be a superior
+class."
+
+"Bless yer heart, miss, that's nothin'. By the cut of his jib I'd rate
+him as a fiddler, an' I remember once, at Brindisi, I was pointed out
+two counts an' a markee among the coal-heavers."
+
+Naturally enough, Mrs. Haxton and Dick looked for the person whose
+singular behavior was under discussion. Though they had no difficulty
+in finding him, it was impossible that they themselves could be seen
+with any degree of clearness. The railing and the deep shade of the
+veranda shielded them effectually. The Italian, a man of middle height,
+with a finely-molded face and soldierly aspect, a man whose bearing
+went far to prove that Stump's general estimate of a great nation was
+apt to be wrong, was certainly very much taken up with the appearance
+of the two figures leaning over the balcony. But Royson had scarce time
+to note his main characteristics when he heard Mrs. Haxton utter a
+queer gasping sob. It seemed to him that she had only just succeeded in
+smothering a scream. Her cheeks suddenly became ashen gray, and her
+tightly compressed lips were bloodless. All her beauty fled, as the
+tints of a rose die under certain varieties of chemical light. Her eyes
+dilated in an alarming way, and lines not visible previously now
+puckered the corners of her mouth.
+
+Owing to the Babel of tongues in the street, neither Irene nor Captain
+Stump knew how terribly the mere sight of the staring Italian had
+affected Mrs. Haxton. It came to Royson with a flash of inspiration
+that this man must be Alfieri, that the woman had recognized him, and
+that she feared him with a mortal dread.
+
+He sprang upright and went to her.
+
+"What is it?" he asked, neither raising nor lowering his voice
+sufficiently to attract attention. "Are you ill? Shall I call Miss
+Fenshawe?"
+
+She lifted an appealing hand, and tremblingly essayed to drop her veil.
+Her languid insolence had vanished with her good looks. For the moment,
+she was a broken and despairing woman.
+
+"No, no," she murmured, and the anguish in her voice would have aroused
+sympathy in a nature far less impressionable than Royson's. "If you
+could help me, and all of us, try and find Baron von Kerber, and tell
+him--tell him--I sent you with the message that there is one here whom
+he must not meet. Oh, what shall I say to make him understand?"
+
+"May I tell him that Alfieri is in Massowah?"
+
+Dick almost regretted the words when he witnessed their tremendous
+effect. She was on the very brink of hysteria, and the suddenness of
+her collapse was painful.
+
+"You--you, too, know Alfieri?" she gasped, looking at him in a very
+agony of terror.
+
+"I am sorry if I have added to your alarm. I did not mean to do that,
+Alfieri is unknown to me, but I heard his name at Marseilles, when he
+attacked the Baron."
+
+The pity he could not withhold seemed to give her new strength.
+
+"An attack!" She whispered. "At Marseilles! Oh, why was I not told? But
+you will find him, at the Governor's house! It is not far--on the
+seaward point.... The hotel people will supply a guide.... Baron von
+Kerber and Alfieri must not meet here. If they do meet, we shall lose
+everything.... Tell the Baron to go on board the yacht, no matter what
+Mr. Fenshawe says. Do you understand? It is a matter of life and death.
+Slip out into a back street, so that Alfieri may not see you.... I will
+watch from here. Go, for Heaven's sake. Let nothing delay you."
+
+She was incapable of further explanation. Dick feared she would faint
+if he waited another second.
+
+Hence, when Irene turned to say that Mr. Fenshawe and the Baron
+appeared to be paying a prolonged visit to the Governor, she found that
+Mrs. Haxton was sitting alone, with her veiled face propped on her
+hands, while, so malicious was fate's decree once more to Royson, that
+he was then hastening through malodorous lanes and crowded slums in
+order to save from threatened peril the very man whose downfall offered
+the only visible means by which he could bend his own frail fortunes in
+the direction that looked best to him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+
+MASSOWAH ASSERTS ITSELF
+
+Royson knew not one word of Arabic. His Italian was of a rudimentary
+type, based on some acquaintance with Latin, eked out by a few phrases
+gleaned from books of travel. The polite hotel manager's French was
+only a shade more fluent. Consequently, the latter told Mulai Hamed,
+deputy assistant hall-porter, that the Effendi wished to be conducted
+to Government House with the utmost secrecy, thus twisting Dick's
+simple request, that the guide should avoid the main streets into a
+mysterious demand which an Eastern mind could not fail to embroider
+with intrigue.
+
+For Mulai Hamed was a negroid Arab, whose ruffianly aspect was rather
+enhanced by the swaggering way he carried a broad shoulder-belt and
+brass badge of office. He interpreted his orders literally, being eager
+to display a certain skill in conducting to an artistic finish any
+enterprise that savored of guile. As soon as the two quitted the hotel,
+Royson saw that he was traversing by-paths seldom visited by Europeans.
+He passed through evil-smelling alleys so shut in by lofty houses that
+the sun hardly ever penetrated their depths. He caught glimpses of dun
+interiors when forced aside by a panier-laden mule or lumbering camel,
+and the knowledge was thrust upon him in many ways that his presence in
+this minor artery of the bazaar was resented by its inhabitants.
+
+The few females he met were swathed from head to foot in cotton
+garments that had once been white. Dark eyes glanced curiously at him
+over the yashmak, or veil, which covered nose, cheeks, and mouth from
+the gaze of strangers. Orange-tinted nails and fingertips, visible
+occasionally when the loose fold of a robe was snatched from the
+contamination of touching him, suggested the talons of a bird of prey
+rather than the slender well-shaped hand for which the Arab woman is
+noteworthy. Every man, almost without exception, scowled at him. Naked
+children, playing in the gutter, ran off, half frightened, yet stopped
+to shriek words which he was quite sure were not kindly greetings.
+Prowling dogs, the scavengers of the native quarter, shared the general
+hostility, and scurried out of his path, but sullenly, and with bared
+teeth. Through occasional sunlit vistas he peeped into main streets in
+which loitered numbers of Italian soldiers and civilians. Even a few
+carriages appeared, conveying ladies to the shops or public gardens,
+now that the intense heat of the sun had subsided. Therefore he found
+it scarcely credible that in the fetid slums there should be such
+covert hatred of the white race which held undisputed sway in
+thoroughfares distant not a stone's throw. And, in puzzling contrast to
+the evidences of eye and ear, he was conscious of an uncanny sense of
+familiarity with his surroundings. Before the _Aphrodite_ brought him
+south by east he had never been nearer Egypt than Paris. Yet the
+sights, the sounds, the nauseating smell of this dank bazaar appealed
+to him with the breathless realism that the jingle of hansoms, the
+steady crunch of omnibuses, the yelling of newsboys and the tar-laden
+scent of the wood-paved road might convey when next he entered the
+Strand.
+
+This entirely novel and disquieting conceit recalled his strange
+obsession when, first he looked out over the desert at night from the
+bows of the yacht, and the memory brought with it the legend of his
+house--that the Roysons were descendants of Coeur-de-Lion. He saw now
+that which he had never realized from the glowing pages of written
+romance, that the Crusaders must have mixed with people nearly
+identical in manner and speech with the strange human miscellany of
+Massowah. During those medieval campaigns in an arid and poverty-
+stricken land, feudal pomp and regal glitter would yield perforce to
+the demands of existence. Richard of England and Philip of France, with
+many another noble warrior of high repute, had doubtless been glad
+enough, times without number, to seek the shelter and meager fare of
+just such a jumble of darkened tenements as that through which his
+guide was leading him.
+
+But why should he, Richard Royson, acknowledge an occult acquaintance
+with this unknown scene? And what was the fascination which the squalid
+life of the bazaar had exercised occasionally on men of exalted rank at
+different periods of the world's history? The mere notion that he might
+succumb to it--that he should even feel its glamour by the operation of
+some subtle trait of heredity--was so grotesque that he laughed aloud.
+
+He happened to be crossing a tiny square at the moment, and a bearded
+moullah was entering a mosque which filled one whole side of it. The
+unbeliever's mirth doubtless disturbed a pious meditation, and the
+moullah turned and muttered something. The words might be a verse of
+the Koran, but they had the ring of a malediction.
+
+Mulai Hamed was abashed and angry. He spoke apologetically to the holy
+man, alluded to the "giaour" more than once, and proceeded to give Dick
+a voluble lecture, enlightening him, most probably, as to the exceeding
+importance of politeness where a Mahomedan priest was concerned.
+
+Royson was unable to explain that his hilarity was not intended as a
+slight on the follower of the Prophet. Yet dignity demanded he should
+not remain dumb, so he pointed ahead, and vociferated, with a fairly
+accurate assumption of his skipper's voice and manner:
+
+"Lead on, you swab, and keep silent, or I'll alter the shape of your
+face."
+
+It sufficed, nor was he wholly mistaken in his rough-and-ready
+philosophy, for it is thus that the West dominates the East. The
+incident had the further effect of arousing Royson to actualities. He
+dismissed his day-dream, and bent his wits to consideration of the
+queer message which Mrs. Haxton had asked him to deliver. Would the
+Austrian obey her, he wondered? A man's point of view and a woman's
+differ materially when the graver crises of life have to be faced. If
+it were merely a question of physical courage, Dick imagined that the
+Baron would refuse to play the coward's part by skulking on board the
+yacht. In that event, von Kerber and Alfieri could hardly fail to meet
+within the hour, for Massowah was a small place. Nor was it altogether
+probable that bloodshed would be the outcome. The affray at Marseilles
+had given the Italian an excellent opportunity for settling old scores
+in that fashion if he were so minded. At any rate, the position was
+rife with dramatic possibilities, and each that presented itself to
+Dick's judgment seemed to favor his own projects, which now demanded a
+speedy return to England. Yet he hoped to arrange his departure in such
+wise that Irene Fenshawe might not have it in her heart that he had
+deserted her.
+
+Dick did not admit, even to himself, that he had any well-defined
+motive, other than the fulfilment of a promise, for wishing to stand
+well in the girl's esteem.
+
+"I may be a potential baronet," he communed, "but I am not such a fool
+as to fall in love with the heiress of a man like Fenshawe. A baronet,
+indeed! Hardly a month ago I was tramping the streets of London looking
+for work. One does not, under those conditions, include in the list of
+prospective occupations marriage with a young lady worth a million or
+two."
+
+It was surprising how bitter this very sensible reflection could be. It
+disturbed his placid temper. He felt like railing at fate for ill-
+usage. Fortunately, Mulai Hamed had no further cause to chide the
+Effendi on account of his seeming irreverence, or Dick's copying of
+Stump's methods might not have been confined to speech.
+
+But it was a remarkable fact, worthy of high relief in the fresco of
+weird and startling events then vaguely grouping themselves, that
+Royson first dreamed of love, even as a fantastic idyll where Irene
+Fenshawe was concerned, while he was hurrying through the native
+quarter of Massowah on a mission destined to change the whole course of
+his life.
+
+For the hour was at hand when he would be tried by tests that few men
+might endure. Treading close on the heels of his guide, he emerged from
+a cramped arch into a spacious parade-ground. A regiment of
+_bersaglieri_ was assembling for drill during the comparatively cool
+interval before sunset, and, on the seaward side of the plain, a squat
+fort pointed its guns at town and harbor.
+
+Mulai Hamed hastened towards the nearest gate. He did not enter, but
+his gestures showed that the Governor's residence stood inside the
+fortifications. Royson went on alone, and was stopped by a sentry, who
+called a corporal; the latter conducted him to a lieutenant, and
+thenceforth Dick's progress was simplified, because the officer not
+only spoke English but was ready to display his erudition, though, not
+exactly in the manner desired by his questioner.
+
+When Royson said he wanted to communicate with two gentlemen who had
+called on the Governor some two hours earlier, the Italian smiled
+darkly.
+
+"They landed from the English yacht out there?" he asked, with a hand-
+flourish that indicated the Red Sea generally and the _Aphrodite_ in
+particular.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And you are one of the ship's officers?"
+
+"Yes," said Dick again.
+
+"Well, I have no orders. I advise you to go on board, and await his
+Excellency's decision."
+
+"It will be most gratifying to learn his Excellency's decision," said
+Royson, "but just at this moment I must ascertain the whereabouts of
+Mr. Fenshawe and Baron von Kerber."
+
+The lieutenant spread both hands deprecatingly.
+
+"What is one to say?" he shrugged, arching his eyebrows and pursing his
+lips, "I repeat, I have no orders."
+
+"But you have seen them?"
+
+"Oh, yes. They are here."
+
+"Then will you oblige me by sending in my name to Baron von Kerber, and
+saying--"
+
+"It is impossible. Go to your ship. I speak as a friend."
+
+"I am sure you wish to help me," persisted Dick, "but I am carrying a
+message of some importance--" "Ah, from whom?"
+
+"From a lady."
+
+"Who is she?"
+
+"One of the ladies of our party."
+
+"_Ahi, crudo Amor_! You have ladies on board, then?"
+
+"Yes, Mr. Fenshawe's granddaughter, and--a friend of hers."
+
+Something in the Italian's manner warned Royson that he was treading on
+unsafe ground. It occurred to him that if Mrs. Haxton had good reason
+for her display of fear at the sight of Alfieri it was advisable not to
+spread the tidings of her presence in Massowah by revealing it to an
+inquisitive official. And the warning given in one of the letters in
+his pocket suddenly assumed a sinister significance. He strove against
+any outward exhibition of concern, and the lieutenant was manifestly
+anxious to help him.
+
+"I am sorry," was the unsatisfying statement. "I can do nothing without
+his Excellency's instructions, and he has gone out for a drive."
+
+"Gone out for a drive!" repeated Royson, quite taken aback by this
+rather bewildering explanation. "Am I to understand that my friends are
+kept here--"
+
+"You are to understand nothing but what I have told you, and you will
+remember that I have contented myself with advising you to return to
+your yacht."
+
+It was evident that no good end could be achieved by striving to saddle
+the courteous officer with any responsibility for his admissions. Dick
+took the cue thus offered, and tried another line.
+
+"Will you kindly tell me at what hour the Governor returns?" he asked.
+
+"Certainly. He will be here in twenty minutes."
+
+"May I wait until he arrives?"
+
+"Nothing would give me greater pleasure."
+
+The lieutenant clapped his hands, and an orderly appeared.
+
+"Some wine, ice, and cigarettes," he commanded. He engaged Dick
+instantly in conversation as to the prospects of war in South Africa,
+and was obviously desirous not to discuss personal matters. He was a
+decent fellow, and an enthusiastic admirer of the British soldier, of
+whom he had seen a good deal during a visit to Aden, so the talk did
+not flag till the clatter of hoofs through the vaulted gateway
+announced the advent of a carriage.
+
+The Governor, a fat, unhealthy-looking man, whose seamed brow and puffy
+eyelids suggested that negotiations with King Menelek did not
+constitute the highest form of diplomatic happiness, was pleased to be
+explicit when Dick was introduced to him, and he found that the
+Englishman spoke French.
+
+"After consultation with the Government advocate," he said, "I have
+decided to release Mr. Fenshawe, whose arrest was due to his persistent
+defense of Baron Franz von Kerber's undertaking. The latter must remain
+in custody, and I warn you, and intend to give the same warning to all
+persons on board your vessel, that a gunboat is patrolling the coast
+with the most positive instructions to sink the _Aphrodite_ if any
+attempt be made to land on Italian territory, elsewhere than at a
+recognized port."
+
+His Excellency had cultivated the habit of plain speaking, which is an
+essential part of all dealings with Abyssinians. Royson did not attempt
+to answer him. He asked if Mr. Fenshawe would be set at liberty
+forthwith, and was assured that the Governor's own carriage would
+convey both Mr. Fenshawe and himself to the hotel within a few minutes.
+The big little man then vanished, and Dick soon had the satisfaction of
+seeing Irene's grandfather escorted to the inner courtyard by a file of
+soldiers.
+
+It was a singular meeting between the two. Though the yacht-owner was
+white with anger, he was manifestly pleased at finding Royson there.
+
+"Ah," he said, extending his hand, "I am glad to see you. Does Miss
+Fenshawe know of this outrage?"
+
+"No, sir. I think not. Indeed, I am almost positive she has not heard
+of it."
+
+"Then why are you here?"
+
+"Mrs. Haxton sent me with a message to Baron von Kerber."
+
+"Mrs. Haxton probably guessed what would happen. Some scoundrel named
+Alfieri, who has tried more than once to steal my poor friend's secret,
+has gained the ear of the Italian foreign minister. Trumped-up
+allegations have led to cabled orders for von Kerber's arrest, and
+these wretched organ-grinders in uniform would have lodged every one of
+us in prison if they dared. Unhappily, the Baron is an Austrian
+subject, and there will be considerable delay before I can secure his
+freedom. We must make for Aden at once. I will not trust the cable from
+Massowah. By Jove, I have been a supporter of peace all my life, Mr.
+Royson, but it is a lucky thing for this thieves' den that I have not
+an armed ship now at my disposal, or I would blow their fort out of its
+foundations."
+
+The older man little knew how this outburst affected Royson. The
+reference to Alfieri was absolutely staggering. No up-to-date
+battleship could have demolished the Massowah fortress so effectually
+as Mr. Fenshawe's outspoken wrath crumbled the edifice of doubt built
+by circumstances in Royson's mind.
+
+"Things have taken an extraordinary turn, sir," said he, feeling it
+incumbent on him to say something.
+
+"They will turn an Italian Governor out of his position before I have
+done with them," was the determined answer. "Come, Mr. Royson, let us
+leave this man-trap. I came here In good faith, and I quit the place
+with the resolution that never again shall I entrust myself to the
+vagaries of any Jack-in-office who thinks he can browbeat a man of my
+repute like one of the wretched natives whom he misrules."
+
+Royson had some difficulty in persuading his irate employer to enter
+the Governor's carriage. Mr. Fenshawe only yielded to the plea that it
+was a stiff walk to the hotel, and his granddaughter would be consumed
+with anxiety if any alarming news had reached her meanwhile.
+
+The coachman took them by an open road facing the harbor. The sight of
+the _Aphrodite_ lying at anchor, trimly elegant in white paint and
+neatly-furled sails, and sporting the ensign of a famous yacht club,
+led Dick to ask if his companion knew that an Italian gunboat was on
+the lookout for her.
+
+"Oh, yes. His Excellency spared me no details," said Mr. Fenshawe,
+smiling sarcastically. "If I were a few years younger, and we had no
+women on board, I would not allow any threats of that sort to hinder
+me, and I am much mistaken in my officers and men if they refused to
+back me up. But, as it is, we can do nothing. That is what galls me, my
+complete helplessness."
+
+"We have no heavy guns, I admit," said Dick, casting to the winds all
+thought of leaving the ship under present conditions, "but we have arms
+and ammunition in plenty to make it hot work for any one in Massowah to
+stop us once we are ashore."
+
+The other sighed, whether on account of his vanished youth or the
+impracticable nature of the scheme, it is hard to say.
+
+"Our weapons are meant only for defense," he said. "Von Kerber wished
+to guard against Arab hostility--that is all. But I do not despair of
+obtaining redress from Rome. Surely it cannot be known there that I am
+the leader of this expedition. It is so wildly absurd to treat _me_ as
+a filibuster. Why, Mr. Royson, the Italian Archeological Society
+elected me an honorary vice-president ten years ago."
+
+Dick had his own views as to the extent of the Aphrodite's armament,
+but the present was no time to air them. Moreover, he was beginning to
+see features of the affair that were hard to reconcile with Mr.
+Fenshawe's statements. In the first instance, the Governor had acted on
+specific Instructions, and the Roman authorities must have been well
+aware of the identity of the yacht's owner. Again, the person really
+aimed at in these high-handed proceedings was von Kerber. The Governor
+made no secret of the fact that the millionaire was detained solely
+because he declared himself a principal in the Austrian's enterprise,
+and it was no small token of official regret at an unpleasant incident
+that they were now driving to the hotel in His Excellency's private
+carriage. Finally, none but a man angry and humiliated would deny the
+right of Italy to forbid the passage through her colonial territory of
+a foreign force such as von Kerber had provided, a force equipped to an
+extent and in a manner that Mr. Fenshawe, in all likelihood, had slight
+knowledge of.
+
+So Dick listened in silence to his companion's vows of diplomatic
+vengeance. He was resolved to talk matters over with Miss Fenshawe
+before he said a word about Alfieri or the news he had received from
+London. In fact, he had little doubt that a night's reflection would
+render her grandfather amenable to reason. If there were charges
+against von Kerber, let them be brought to light. If they were true,
+the Italian Foreign Office was justified in its action: if false, there
+would be such a hubbub that the resultant apologies would certainly be
+accompanied by the offer of every assistance to the objects of the
+expedition.
+
+When they drew near the hotel, Royson saw Irene watching the main
+street anxiously from the balcony. It was rather remarkable that she
+should be alone, but all other thoughts were swept aside by the sight
+of the joy which lit her face when the carriage stopped at the portico
+and she learned that her grandfather had arrived from an opposite
+direction.
+
+They heard her glad cry of surprise, and she hastened to meet them.
+
+"Good gracious, grandad," she said, "where have you been? I have waited
+here for you ever so long, wondering what had become of you."
+
+"The Governor was such an affable person that he refused to let me go,"
+said Mr. Fenshawe grimly. "He has detained the Baron altogether. But
+let us go up-stairs. I am pining for that long-deferred tea. Where is
+Mrs. Haxton?"
+
+"She is ill, I am afraid. She found the heat and noise too much for
+her. Half an hour ago she asked Captain Stump to take her to the yacht.
+Of course I told her I didn't mind being left here until some one came.
+But the funny part of it is that, although I was looking from the
+veranda, I failed to see either her or the captain leave the hotel."
+
+By this time they were free from inquisitive eyes or ears, and Mr.
+Fenshawe proceeded to amaze the girl with a full recital of his
+disagreeable adventure. Royson noticed that she gave no heed whatever
+to his share in it. Her attitude was tinged with a slight disdain, and
+he began to feel miserably depressed until it occurred to him that she
+probably resented his departure on Mrs. Haxton's errand without letting
+her know. That was consoling, to an extent. He was sure she would
+forgive him when he had an opportunity of telling her exactly what had
+happened.
+
+They were so engrossed in their conclave that a servant entered with
+lamps before they realized that daylight had waned and night was
+falling with the rapidity of the tropics. Mr. Fenshawe leaped up from
+his chair with an alertness that belied his years.
+
+"I must break my resolution and send at least one cablegram from
+Massowah," he cried. "It will be harmless enough to escape mutilation,
+as it is to my London office directing that all correspondence must be
+addressed to Aden in future. You will take it for me, Royson, and pay
+the cost?"
+
+Dick went off as soon as the message was ready. Irene avoided him
+ostentatiously while her grandfather was writing, and thereby laid
+herself open to the unjust suspicion that she was flirting with him. In
+very truth, she was torn with misgiving, and Royson's share in her
+thoughts was even less than he imagined. Her quick brain divined that
+the arrest of von Kerber had only strengthened the Austrian's claim on
+Mr. Fenshawe's sympathies. Like all generous-souled men, her
+grandfather ran to extremes, and she felt that it was hopeless now to
+try and shake his faith in one whom he regarded as the victim of
+persecution.
+
+"Will Captain Stump come back for dinner?" inquired Mr. Fenshawe, after
+he had glanced through the letters which Irene brought to him.
+
+"I hope so. Mrs. Haxton went off in such a hurry that I forgot to
+mention it."
+
+"Was it illness, or anxiety, that sent her to the yacht?"
+
+"A little of both, I fancy. But why should she be anxious? She did not
+know that matters had gone wrong at the fort."
+
+"I think she made a shrewd guess, but was unwilling to alarm you. That
+is why she sent Mr. Royson after us. By the way, what, did she tell him
+to do?"
+
+"I have no idea," said Irene coldly.
+
+"That is odd, distinctly odd. I meant to ask him, but forgot it in my
+excitement."
+
+"He will be here in a few minutes," said she, with a livelier interest.
+
+There was a knock at the door. A negro waiter had something to say, and
+she gathered from a jumble of Italian and Arabic that a native wished
+to see the Signora Haxton. The man pronounced the name plainly, so
+there could be no mistake as to his meaning, and Irene answered:
+
+"The Signora is not here."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was immersed in his letters again, but he looked up.
+
+"What is it?" he demanded.
+
+"Some man is asking for Mrs. Haxton," she told him.
+
+"Better go and interview him. If he can tell us anything, bring him
+here."
+
+She went down-stairs with the attendant. He pointed to a muffled Arab
+near the door, who salaamed deeply the instant she appeared.
+
+"What do you want?" she said, in Italian, and the Arab silently
+indicated a closed vehicle drawn up close to the curb in front of the
+hotel. Thinking there was some visitor inside who did not wish to
+alight, she went forward without hesitation. The dim, smoke-laden
+street was unusually crowded, she thought, but she gave no attention to
+the passers-by, as the Arab had opened the door of the dingy-looking
+vehicle, and she expected to find an occupant peering out at her.
+
+The conveyance was empty!
+
+"There is some mistake," she said, glancing from the dark interior to a
+Somali driver, and then back to the silent messenger. Suddenly she had
+an unnerving consciousness that several other white-sheeted figures had
+crept stealthily between her and the doorway. With a little cry of
+alarm, she turned and strove to re-enter the hotel. Instantly she was
+swept off her feet, a coarse hand closed on her mouth, and she was
+dragged with brutal force into the carriage. She saw spring into
+existence what seemed to be a murderous _fracas_ among a dozen men. The
+street was filled with clamor, and the pavement was blocked with
+struggling forms. Knives flashed, brawny-armed Arabs closed in deadly
+combat, and cursed each other with all the rich repertory of Islam. Of
+course, people tried to rush from the vestibule of the hotel to
+ascertain what was causing the tumult. But the fighters filled the
+doorway so that none could enter or leave the building, and, in the
+midst of the alarm and confusion, the pair of Somali ponies attached to
+the ramshackle vehicle were whipped into a fast gallop. Then the riot
+subsided as quickly as it arose, and, were it not that Irene was gone,
+no one appeared to be much the worse.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+
+A GALLOP IN THE DARK
+
+Several minor rills of events combined to produce this tempestuous
+torrent at the door of the Hotel Grande del Universe, and any level-
+headed man acquainted with their meanderings might come to the just
+conclusion that Irene had been kidnapped in mistake for Mrs. Haxton. He
+might have deplored the blunder, but, leaving out of count any humane
+consideration for the girl's feelings, he must have admired the stage-
+craft displayed by her abductors. If cool skill were worthy of success
+they had earned it in full measure. In fact, the achievement would have
+ranked high in the villainous annals of Massowah were it not for the
+blind chance that separated Mulai Hamed from Royson two hours earlier.
+
+The sun sank behind the highlands of Abyssinia while the Effendi
+awaited the Governor's return in the guard-room of the fort. Thereupon
+his guide, being an orthodox Mahomedan, faced towards Mecca, knelt by
+the roadside, and bowed his forehead in the dust. Another devout
+follower of the Prophet joined him, and the two chanted their prayers
+in unison. It is said that hymns are seldom sung with such gusto as in
+convict settlements, and, appraised by this standard, Mulai Hamed and
+his casual companion were accomplished rascals, for they rattled off
+the Salat and the Sunnah unctuously, and performed the genuflections
+and prostrations of the Reka with military precision.
+
+Then they exchanged news. Mulai Hamed, telling of the Giaours in the
+hotel, was vastly surprised to hear from his brother Mussulman, a cook
+in the fort, that two of the Effendis were prisoners. But the cook soon
+hastened away to decapitate certain skinny fowls which would form the
+basis of a Risotto al pollastro for dinner at the officer's mess,
+leaving Mulai Hamed to wonder if, perhaps, the tall Effendi had also
+been kept in durance vile, until he saw Mr. Fenshawe and Royson being
+whirled off in the Governor's carriage along the sea front.
+
+He cursed both of them in suitable terms, and started on the long walk
+to the hotel. Being a born gossip, he chose the livelier route of the
+main street, which might yield a meeting with another acquaintance.
+This divergence led him near the Elephant Mosque. Abdullah, wearied of
+the rendezvous arranged by Mrs. Haxton for von Kerber, detected Mulai
+Hamed's badge, and sought information.
+
+"Brother," said he, "I would have speech of thee." "Say on," was the
+courteous reply, for Mulai Hamed was flattered at being addressed thus
+by a man of distinction.
+
+"There be certain Giaours at thy caravanserai, an old man, a fat man
+like a bull, a young man who stands more than a cubit high, and a thin
+man, the Hakim Effendi, whom I await here. Hast thou any knowledge of
+them?"
+
+Mulai Hamed checked the list carefully.
+
+"It must be," said he at last, "that the Hakim Effendi is in jail, for
+the others I have seen, but not him."
+
+Abdullah was annoyed. He, a pure-blooded Bedouin of the desert, had
+already made a great concession In using the word "brother" to one of
+mixed race.
+
+"I asked not for folly," he muttered. "That is the answer of a drunken
+Frank."
+
+"Nay, friend, I speak truly. May I never drink at the White Pond of the
+Prophet if I have not told thee even that which I have heard."
+
+Abdullah swallowed his wrath, listened to Mulai Hamed's story, and was
+convinced. Notwithstanding Mrs. Haxton's prohibition, it was now
+essential that he should see her without delay, so he accompanied the
+deputy assistant hall-porter in the direction of the hotel. As they
+went, they met a rickety closed carriage being driven at a furious rate
+down a side street, and both men thought it was making for the mile-
+long causeway which connects the island of Massowah with the mainland.
+
+"Who travels in such a hurry?" asked Abdullah, looking after the
+swaying vehicle.
+
+"Perchance a _kafila_ starts for the interior to-night," said Mulai
+Hamed. But the turmoil in the vicinity of the hotel now drew their
+attention, and they ran with others, for public blood-letting is ever
+an attractive pastime to those who form the audience.
+
+Dick was then leaving the telegraph-office, whence he had despatched a
+cablegram on his own account. Bare civility demanded that he should
+acknowledge Mr. Forbes's various communications, so he sent the brief
+message: "Writing, Royson," which, he thought, covered the ground
+sufficiently. Before rejoining Mr. Fenshawe and Irene, he walked a
+little way towards the harbor, and, as he half expected, met Stump
+returning from the yacht.
+
+He proceeded to astonish that stout mariner with the evening's budget,
+but Stump had been thinking things out in his own fashion, and he set
+forth a theory which apparently accounted for von Kerber's
+discomfiture.
+
+"You see, it's this way," said he. "These bloomin' I-talians have got
+the griffin about that treasure. And who gev' it to 'em? Why, that chap
+who arranged the hold-up at Marseilles. You said nothin' much about it,
+which was right an' proper, but Tagg is sharper'n he looks, an' he tole
+me that a paper was nicked out of von Kerber's pocket. That paper put
+the sharks on the scent. They got ahead of the _Aphrodite_ by catchin'
+the Indian mail at Brindisi, an' had everything cut an' dried for us
+when we dropped anchor here. Miss Irene an' me spotted one of 'em
+watchin' the hotel this afternoon."
+
+"I believe that man was Alfieri," said Dick, "Indeed, Mrs. Haxton
+admitted it to me, and it was his unexpected appearance that caused her
+to beat a retreat."
+
+"An' who's Mr. Alfie Wot's-his-name?" broke in Stump.
+
+"I'm sorry. I forgot that you had not heard of him. He is the man who
+secured the papyrus, or paper, at Marseilles. Both Mrs. Haxton and the
+Baron are afraid of him."
+
+"You seem to know a dooce of a lot about this business," exclaimed the
+skipper testily.
+
+"I cannot help that--I have been dragged into it in many ways, each
+peculiar, and hardly credible when considered collectively. I promise
+you, captain, that I shall tell you the whole story one of these days.
+Meanwhile, I think that the sooner we are at Aden the better it will be
+for Mr. Fenshawe and the ladies, and I offer you the respectful advice
+that you should back up Miss Fenshawe if she tries to persuade her
+grandfather to go there at once."
+
+"Funny thing," growled Stump, "but them's Mrs. Haxton's very words as I
+helped her up the ship's ladder. Hello! Where's the fire? Unless I'm
+much mistaken, young feller, there's a first-class row goin' on outside
+our bloomin' cafe. No, no, don't you butt in among Arabs as though you
+was strollin' down Edgware Road on a Saturday night, an' get mixed up
+in a coster rough-an'-tumble. These long-legged swine would knife you
+just for the fun of it. Keep full an' by, an' let any son of a gun who
+comes too near have it where it'll stop him."
+
+Stump's sound precautions were unnecessary. None of the combatants
+approached them. Indeed, the struggle ceased as quickly as it began,
+and they were in the hotel before the frightened servants dared make
+known the thrilling fact that the young lady was missing. The negro who
+accompanied her down-stairs was positive that she had gone off of her
+own accord in the carriage that was standing outside, but Mr.
+Fenshawe's frantic protestations when the scared manager told him what
+had happened convinced Royson that the servant's statement was wildly
+absurd. Moreover, it became clearer each second that Mrs. Haxton, and
+not Irene, was the prize sought by the marauders. Royson, though in a
+white heat of helpless rage, soon became alive to this element in an
+otherwise inexplicable outrage, and endeavored to soothe Mr. Fenshawe's
+wild-eyed alarm by telling him the girl would surely be sent back as
+soon as the error was discovered.
+
+There was no time for explanations. All was panic and useless running
+to and fro. A messenger was sent to summon the police, and matters were
+in a state of chaos when Royson was approached by an Arab whose
+clearly-chiseled features, arched eyebrows and high cheek-bones showed
+that he was of different lineage to the hybrids of the coast. His
+carriage, too, was that of a man of consequence, and he wore his
+burnous rather in the Algerian style. This was Abdullah, who had
+gathered from the negro's now almost incoherent words that Mrs. Haxton
+had been spirited away In the carriage. He had his own reasons for
+believing that the lady would encounter difficulties in Massowah, and
+the man spoke her name readily, whereas Miss Fenshawe's was unknown to
+either of them.
+
+"Monsieur," said he, addressing Dick quietly in excellent French, "can
+you ride?"
+
+"Yes," said Dick, hoping against hope that this calm-eyed stranger
+might be able to give him some sorely needed clue as to the manner, at
+least, of Irene's capture.
+
+"Come with me, then," continued Abdullah, in the same guarded tone. "I
+think I may be able to find out where Madame has been taken."
+
+"You can demand your own reward if you speak truly," said Dick. "Let me
+bring you to Mr. Fenshawe. He will tell you--"
+
+"I seek the aid of none but you," whispered Abdullah, "I come to you
+only because you are a European, and I must have some one to justify me
+lest trouble should arise. I am unknown here, and my words would fall
+on deaf ears. You look like a man who can handle affairs. Come
+monsieur, we are losing time."
+
+"But I must tell my friends."
+
+"No, that is not to be thought of, monsieur. If I am right, you and I
+alone must deal with this affair. These others are excited. They will
+shout their news to the whole bazaar. And, if we fail, we shall return
+in half an hour. Not a word to any one, but follow me."
+
+Abdullah had the air of a man who knew his own mind. He strode away at
+once without looking to right or left, and Royson yielded to the
+impulse which bade him not hesitate but accept the proffered assistance
+in the search for Irene. Action of any sort was preferable to a
+maddening wait for tardy officialdom, so he hastened after the Arab.
+
+The latter turned into the first side street. The absence of lamps, and
+a thin stratum of smoke clinging to the surface of the ground, made the
+gloom almost impenetrable, but Abdullah kept on with unhesitating
+steps, and Royson walked behind him rather than risk the chance of
+colliding with the strange shapes of men and animals which often loomed
+up abruptly out of the void.
+
+In a few minutes the smoke-cloud cleared, and he found that they had
+reached the outskirts of the native quarter. The houses were no longer
+huddled together; small hovels took the place of cramped and lofty
+tenements. Soon he could see dark masses of hills silhouetted against
+the sky, where its dense blue merged into the amber and green of the
+last flicker of daylight. Not far distant, a sheet of water, still as a
+mirror, reflected sky and hills in even more pronounced chiaroscuro,
+and he had just distinguished the straight black ridge of the landward
+causeway when Abdullah dived into a wattle-built hut.
+
+The Arab had not uttered a syllable during their rapid walk, and Royson
+determined not to question him, since his offer of help was made
+voluntarily, and he seemed to prefer silence to speech. The Englishman
+was undecided whether or not to enter the hut, which was apparently
+untenanted, but the eager whinny of a horse quickly explained
+Abdullah's disappearance. There was some stamping of unshod hoofs on
+the hard earth, some straining of girths and clink of steel, and the
+Arab led forth a slenderly built animal which, at first sight, seemed
+to be far too light for a rider of Dick's proportions.
+
+The horse's owner, however, showed no misgivings on this point. He
+handed the bridle to Dick.
+
+"_Attendez ici un moment, s'il vous plait, monsieur_" he said, and ran
+off towards another hut. The horse tried to follow its master, and
+Royson found distraction for a jumble of incoherent thoughts in the
+need there was to restrain its fretfulness. The animal was afraid of
+him; in all probability it had never before been handled by a European,
+but Dick spoke to it in the _lingua franca_ of the stable, and he was
+soon allowed to stroke the arched neck and twine his fingers in the
+thick yellow mane.
+
+Abdullah did not return so speedily as was his intent. He had gone to
+borrow another mount, and met with delay, because the owner was in the
+bazaar. But fortune helped him by sending the man back earlier than
+usual for the evening meal, and when he cantered up after an absence of
+ten minutes, he lost no more time.
+
+"You are sure you can ride well, monsieur?" he demanded.
+
+"Quite sure."
+
+"Into the saddle, then, and let the reins hang loose. Moti will carry
+you safely, and it is but a broken road over the bridge."
+
+Away they went, crossing some rough ground at an easy gallop, and Dick
+had his first experience of the remarkable sure-footedness of the Arab
+horse in his proper environment. Moti moved with the long lope of a
+greyhound, and used eyes and intelligence as well as feet. The pace set
+by Abdullah on the uneven causeway seemed to be dangerous, and would
+have brought down any animals but those accustomed to stone-strewn
+valleys or deserts in which patches of soft sand alternate with bare
+rock. When the mainland was reached, Royson rode alongside his
+companion.
+
+"Where are we going?" he inquired.
+
+"To a village. It is not far distant. There we may obtain news."
+
+They pressed on. Were it not for the nature of his errand, Dick would
+have enjoyed the ride greatly, for the current of cool air was pleasing
+after the heat of Massowah, and Moti carried him as though he were a
+feather-weight. But his heart was too care-laden to enter into the
+spirit of the adventure. Of all the queer incidents of an eventful day
+this gallop into an unknown land was the queerest. He could not help
+asking himself if he had done right. Yet the reassuring answer came
+instantly. He had left indecision behind when he agreed to the Arab's
+conditions, and it was surely better to try whatever fixed plan the
+other had in mind than remain in Massowah, a prey to hopeless,
+purposeless agony. For he knew now what it would mean to him if Irene
+Fenshawe were reft from his life, and the knowledge made his eyes
+blaze, and sent the passionate blood coursing through his veins.
+
+"Easily, monsieur. This is the place."
+
+The Arab's strong, somewhat harsh voice, though pitched in a key not
+meant to reach too far, brought Royson back to his senses. Imitating
+his guide, he tightened the reins and pulled Moti to a walk. Then he
+made another discovery. They were on a Government road, which happened,
+at that point, to have a smooth surface, and Moti stumbled
+disgracefully, for your true desert Arab will fall over himself when he
+no longer needs to exercise his wits in order to keep his feet.
+
+Behind a tumble-down hut a fire was blazing. Some men were squatted
+around a tripod which supported a large iron pot. One was speaking, and
+even Royson's untrained ear recognized the measured cadence of the
+story-teller. A rumble of laughter showed that the protest of some
+discomfited rogue or some wise moullah's saw had just tickled the
+audience when Abdullah leaped from the saddle and approached the
+circle.
+
+"Peace be with you, brethren," said he, bowing gravely.
+
+The story-teller broke off abruptly. One of the men rose and replied:
+
+"With you be peace, brother, and the mercy of God, and His blessings."
+
+This formula made it certain that the group near the fire were
+Mahomedans. "Es-salamu aleikum!" is at once the test of the believer
+and the "Open, Sesame!" of the desert. Abdullah was sure now of a
+hearing, sure even of counsel and assistance, provided that his
+interests did not run counter to theirs.
+
+Royson, dismounting for the sake of Moti, watched Abdullah's face in
+the flickering light of the fire to learn whether or not he was
+receiving the expected news. He might as well have sought inspiration
+from the starry vault overhead. But he was not long kept in suspense.
+After the exchange of a few sentences with the man who had returned his
+salutation, Abdullah vouchsafed a brief translation.
+
+"Not many minutes ago a carriage passed this way. It took the road to
+the left, where it forks, not a hundred meters distant. We must ride
+hard, monsieur, for the driver was flogging his beasts. Perhaps we may
+have good fortune."
+
+They were up, and away, thrusting into the darkness in a fast gallop.
+At the parting of the roads they took the southern track, and the land
+almost immediately became hilly. They eased the horses somewhat during
+a long upward climb, but a plateau, followed by a gentle descent
+towards the shore, gave them a chance of mending the pace, and the wiry
+Arabs beneath them seemed to know that the more quickly the miles were
+covered the less distance would they be called on to travel.
+
+On the level again, where the occulting beam of the Massowah lighthouse
+was hidden by the buildings on the island, they unexpectedly came upon
+a disabled vehicle. It was tilted on the side of the road in a way that
+suggested a broken wheel, and a man was holding two ponies which had
+been taken out of the traces.
+
+Abdullah pulled his steed almost on to its haunches, so suddenly did he
+draw rein. He pushed close to the horse-tender, a Somali, and a fierce
+dialogue broke out, which ended in the wrathful statement to Royson:
+
+"This son of a slave says that this is not the carriage which passed me
+in the bazaar. I believe he is lying, but what can I do?"
+
+Dick, meanwhile, had ascertained that the conveyance was empty. His
+gorge rose at the thought that Irene might be near him at that moment,
+yet prevented by some ruffian from making known her presence. The
+belief was torturing; it impelled him to a deed which, in calmer mood,
+he would have declared foreign to his nature.
+
+Handing Moti to Abdullah's care, he went so near to the driver, a man
+of powerful build, that he could look into his sullen face. With a
+quickness born of many a bout with the gloves, he seized the Somali by
+the wrists, causing him to let go the ponies' bridles. Then, heedless
+of straggles and oaths, he backed him a little space, threw him off his
+feet, and three times whirled him through the air around his head. It
+was an exhibition of strength that forced a cry of amazement even from
+Abdullah.
+
+"Now tell him," said Dick, when the panting and terrified native was
+allowed to stand upright again, "tell him that if he does not speak the
+truth, I shall take him by the ankles and beat out his brains against
+the rocks in that same way."
+
+"By the Holy Kaaba!" chuckled Abdullah, "that would be worth seeing."
+
+He conquered his desire sufficiently to put the threat into blood-
+curdling Arabic, and the Somali whined that he was a poor man, who only
+obeyed orders, but, if the god-like Nazarene would spare his life, he
+was ready to tell all he knew.
+
+"Speak, then, and quickly," growled Abdullah, "for the Effendi
+understands thee not, and he may lose patience."
+
+The driver stammered something which almost roused the Arab to
+excitement.
+
+"Throw that dog aside, monsieur," he cried. "They are taking the lady
+to a boat. The place agreed for the meeting is yet nearly a thousand
+meters in front. Let us see what our horses can do."
+
+They were off before he had finished speaking, but Abdullah smiled as
+he rode.
+
+"Bismillah!" he muttered, "that is a fine trick. I must learn it."
+
+On through the night they went, and happily the broken land receded
+here a little from the shore, leaving the road straight and fairly
+visible.
+
+They had gone half a mile or more, and Royson was beginning to fear
+that either the Somali had been daring enough to mislead them or that
+Irene's guards had been warned by the noise of their advance and were
+crouching behind a clump of reeds until they passed, when Abdullah
+lifted a restraining hand, and slackened pace.
+
+Though the night was clear, and neighboring objects were quite
+discernible, Royson failed to pierce the further darkness. He strained
+his eyes, but could see nothing, while the Arab seemed to have a sixth
+sense which warned him that there were others near. They pulled up, and
+listened. Dick could hear only the labored breathing of their horses,
+yet Abdullah was evidently satisfied that their long chase was drawing
+to an end.
+
+"Bear to the left, monsieur," he whispered. "They are there, by the
+water's edge. When I give the word, ride apart lest they fire at us,
+though they will hardly dare do that, lest we might prove to be
+soldiers from the garrison. Are you armed?"
+
+"Sufficiently," said Dick grimly.
+
+He felt able to tear any one limb from limb who resisted him. Once sure
+of his quarry, he would give short shrift. So they crept on, until the
+Arab shouted "Now!" and started off at a canter. Dick realized that the
+circling movement was best, as it suggested an attack in force, so he
+took a slight detour. He was closing in again before he perceived some
+irregular shadows, showing black against the translucent film of smooth
+water. That sufficed. He thundered on ahead of Abdullah, who, perhaps,
+thought it advisable to leave this final development in the hands of a
+European. There was a scurry among a small knot of men on the beach. A
+sharp hail was answered at a considerable distance from the sea. Royson
+rode with such furious speed that he now made out a white-robed female
+figure struggling in the grasp of a man attired in the burnous and hood
+of a coast Arab.
+
+"Is that you, Miss Fenshawe?" he roared.
+
+At the sound of an English voice three men scattered and fled like
+rabbits, but the fourth, he who clutched the woman, set her at liberty
+and drew a long knife. He bellowed forth some order, and another shout
+came from the sea. Then he poised himself ready to strike. Royson was
+within a horse's length, leaning forward in the saddle, when he caught
+the gleam of the uplifted weapon. At the same instant he recognized
+Irene, and saw that she was gagged, and her hands were tied behind her
+back. But her feet were free, and she deliberately kicked the Arab's
+ankle, thereby disconcerting his murderous thrust and nearly bringing
+him to the ground.
+
+Then Royson's clenched fist fell like a sledge-hammer on his
+adversary's skull, and the man collapsed with a broken neck. Moti, well
+named "the Pearl," seemed to play this sort of game with the skill that
+a trained polo-pony shows in following the ball. He stopped almost of
+his own accord, wheeled, and allowed Dick to lift the girl in his arms.
+
+Abdullah, who did not attempt to pursue the others, had not failed to
+note the rapid approach of a boat.
+
+"Quick, now, monsieur," he said. "Make for the road!"
+
+As they cantered off they heard some shouting in Arabic, and a few
+words of Italian, but Dick was looking into Irene's eyes. He was
+conscious only that he held her in a close embrace. His heart was
+thumping against his ribs. For one who had proved himself cool in an
+emergency he betrayed all the symptoms of unusual excitement.
+
+"Are you uninjured?" he asked, with a marvelous tenderness in his
+voice, while his lips were very near to her swathed cheek.
+
+She nodded. He fancied he caught a smile in her eyes. He did not know
+how lover-like was his clasp.
+
+"We shall stop soon and release your bonds," he whispered. "Thank God I
+was able to find you."
+
+Again he believed she smiled, but those beautiful brown eyes of hers
+seemed to fill with tears. He set his teeth, and breathed hard, but he
+was too wary to jeopardize success by halting until all danger of
+pursuit had disappeared. Then he pulled up, dismounted, and lifted
+Irene to the ground. She was gagged so tightly that he had to exercise
+some care in cutting the knotted strips of linen which bound her face
+and head. A piece of coarse sacking had been thrust into her mouth, and
+she scarce had the power to utter a word when the brutal contrivance
+was withdrawn.
+
+"Oh, Mr. Royson," she managed to gasp, "how can I thank you!"
+
+"By not trying to talk until you feel better," said Dick. "There is a
+village not far away, and we should at least obtain some water there."
+
+He was bending over her wrists in his anxiety not to hurt her unduly
+while he severed a stout rope, and he could not see the expression of
+sheer bewilderment which again mastered the usually impassive features
+of Abdullah. The Arab had yielded to unwonted surprise when he saw
+Royson use a man as flail, but the removal of the gag, and the
+consequent revelation of Irene's identity, nearly stupefied him.
+
+"May jackals defile my grave," he muttered, "but this is the wrong
+woman! Here have I, Abdullah the Spear-thrower, been, befooled by a
+black slave in the caravanserai. What have I done? By the beard of the
+Prophet, what shall I say if her capture was part of the Hakim
+Effendi's plan?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+
+THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
+
+When Irene was freed from her bonds she sighed deeply, uttered a little
+sob as though her soul had fluttered to her lips, and sank into
+Royson's arms. In the ever-growing darkness he had not realized earlier
+how acute was the torture she was enduring. She must have experienced
+some difficulty in breathing, owing to the outrageous manner in which
+her mouth and nostrils were covered. Yet, to render her quite helpless,
+her wrists were tied with such cruel force that they became swollen and
+stiff, and her delicate skin was chafed until it galled beneath the
+rope.
+
+While Royson was carrying her on the high-peaked Arab saddle, the
+strain grew almost intolerable, but her brave heart did not flinch
+under that exquisite pain. Though she could not speak, she strove to
+reward him with a valiant smile, and even conquered the gush of tears
+that gave momentary tribute to her agony. And now she lay in a dead
+faint, pallid and inert, while Royson said bitter things about Alfieri.
+He blamed the Italian for all this mad business, and vowed harsh
+vengeance on him if ever they met again. He was quite unable to help
+Irene. He had less than the average man's vague knowledge of the right
+treatment to adopt under such conditions. He imagined that the hands
+and face of a fainting woman should be bathed in water, and was about
+to take her back to the shore when Abdullah intervened.
+
+"It is nothing, monsieur," said he, with true Eastern nonchalance where
+the opposite sex was concerned. "Her head and arms ache now that her
+bonds are removed. If Allah wills it, she should revive presently. And
+we cannot remain here. Whether she live or die let us go on, in God's
+name."
+
+Despite the flurry of his new predicament, the Englishman caught a hint
+of petulance in the Arab's tone. It denoted a change of attitude that
+was all the more surprising when contrasted with the man's previous
+eagerness to serve him. But there was sound sense in the advice thus
+gruffly tendered. He managed to remount by tucking the girl's swaying
+form under his left arm. Then he pillowed her head on his shoulder,
+and, letting the horse walk, strove to rub her hands. Fortunately, Moti
+did not stumble. Perhaps the weight of a double burthen suggested the
+need of care, but, whatever the explanation of the animal's excellent
+behavior, they reached the broken-down carriage without accident. The
+driver had gone off with his pair of ponies, but Abdullah, ruefully
+making the best of a perplexing situation, searched under the box seat
+for the porous earthenware jar of water which is often carried there in
+the East. By good hap, he found one, nearly half full.
+
+"Here," he mattered Impatiently, "let her drink some of this, and pour
+the rest over her head and hands. Then the cold air will freshen her.
+And be quick, monsieur! Those who follow will not wait on ceremony."
+
+Royson substituted a soaked handkerchief for Abdullah's drastic remedy,
+but he soon had the satisfaction of seeing Irene's lips move. Then,
+after testing the water to make sure it was drinkable, he gave her a
+mouthful, and, within a few seconds, she was in partial possession of
+her senses. Nevertheless, for an appreciable time, her gallant, spirit
+flagged. She tried feebly to brush the wet strands of hair out of her
+eyes.
+
+"Why are we stopping here?" she moaned. "Please take me home. I am so
+tired--and thirsty--and my mouth hurts me. Where is the yacht? What are
+we doing here?"
+
+"I thought, she would recover soon," broke in Abdullah. "Now,
+monsieur, at all costs we must reach the town. The hour grows late.
+Ride on!"
+
+It was remarkable, to say the least, that one who was willing to face
+unknown odds in order to effect the girl's rescue should be so
+desperately anxious now to get away from a rather improbable pursuit.
+Yet again, the Arab's suggestion offered the only practicable course,
+and Moti had to bear a double load while they slowly climbed the hill
+down which they dashed so precipitately before they came upon the
+disabled vehicle. This time, Dick managed to seat his fair partner more
+comfortably. He placed himself well back against the cantle, lifted
+Irene across his knees, and drew her right arm around his neck.
+
+Once more she sighed. Dick feared it was the preliminary to another
+collapse, until she whispered in delightful confidence:
+
+"I remember now, Mr. Royson. I suppose I fainted. How good you are to
+me!"
+
+"Now, may Heaven be praised that you are all right again," breathed
+Dick fervently. "You gave me the biggest sort of fright when you nearly
+dropped on the road."
+
+"Have we far to go before we reach the hotel?"
+
+"Several miles. It took us about three-quarters of an hour to overtake
+you, and we came at a rare pace."
+
+"I am sure I must be making your arm ache."
+
+She tried to straighten herself, and Royson missed the warm fragrance
+of her hair against his cheek.
+
+"I really think you ought not to move," said he, with an affectation of
+brotherly solicitude that did him credit.
+
+"Well, if I am not wearying you," she murmured, and the pretty head
+nestled contentedly on his shoulder. Then, it may be, she thought that
+if necessity demanded this lover-like pose, she ought to redeem its
+literalness by conversation.
+
+"Who is your Arab friend who speaks French so well?" she asked. "It
+_was_ French I heard, was it not? And how in the world did you manage
+to find out where I was taken to?"
+
+"You must thank our companion for that. I happened to meet Stump near
+the telegraph-office, and we saw a disturbance in the main street near
+the hotel. We hurried up, little imagining that it affected you, and
+several precious minutes elapsed before we discovered that you were
+missing. Mr. Fenshawe--"
+
+"Ah, poor, darling grandad! I hardly dare ask you how he bore it. I
+grieved more for him than for myself. You see, I knew it was all a
+wretched mistake. Those horrid men meant to carry off Mrs. Haxton."
+
+"I gathered as much from what Mr. Fenshawe said. Of course, he was very
+greatly distressed, but, if matters go well with us now, you will be
+restored to him in another hour."
+
+"I have no fear of anything when you are near, Mr. Royson. Something
+told me that long ago. And that is why I was vexed with you for leaving
+me this afternoon."
+
+ Dick's heart gave a great throb of joy, and his voice was somewhat
+husky as he answered:
+
+"I could not help myself. The Italian whom you and Captain Stump
+noticed in the street was Alfieri. Mrs. Haxton saw him, too, and I
+would never have believed that terror could alter a woman's face as it
+altered hers. She begged of me to find von Kerber, and warn him, and I
+thought, perhaps foolishly, that if I obeyed her wishes it might bring
+about the very thing you and I most desire."
+
+Irene did not reply immediately. She felt unaccountably timid.
+
+"It is stupid of me, but I do not quite follow your meaning," she
+volunteered at last.
+
+"Well, you are anxious that this expedition should be abandoned, and I
+ought to return to England, where I am in great demand, it seems, after
+some years of scandalous neglect."
+
+"Oh!" she said. "Is that it?"
+
+There was another pause.
+
+"But the fact that Mrs. Haxton, and not I, should be sitting here so--
+so confidentially--does not explain how it comes about, does it?" she
+went on.
+
+"I was so interested in what you were saying that I lost the thread of
+my story. We were listening to an excited jabber of nonsense in the
+hotel--for instance, one of the negro servants said you went away of
+your own free will--and wondering what on earth we could do, when this
+genii of an Arab came to me in a mysterious way, and led me straight on
+your track. Shall we bid him discourse?"
+
+"Oh, please do. It is all so wonderful. I could see through the open
+windows of that hateful carriage when we crossed the causeway and went
+off to the left into a wild country. I gave up hope then. Your
+appearance on the beach was an actual miracle, to my thinking."
+
+"Just one word before we tackle our guide," whispered Dick, bringing
+his lips as near hers as he dared. "Though it was dark enough down
+there by the water, I saw you lash out at that fellow with the knife at
+precisely the right moment."
+
+"Don't, don't." she cried, shuddering, and lifting her eyes to his in a
+fleeting upward glance. "I hope I shall soon forget those few awful
+seconds. I knew he meant to stab you, and I wanted to scream, but could
+not. He seemed to be the leader of the party, and he flew into such a
+rage when the wheel gave way that I really believe he was ready to kill
+me out of spite. You knocked him down, didn't you? It maybe wicked, but
+I hope you hit him hard."
+
+"Yes," said Dick, "I think your score is paid in that instance."
+
+Her head was bent, and she could not see the grim smile on his lips. It
+was an odd thing to remember at that moment, but he recalled the fact
+that his famous ancestor could fell a bullock with his clenched fist.
+
+Abdullah, when given the opportunity, was readier to ply them with
+questions than to answer theirs. He said his name was "El Jaridiah,"
+which was true enough, this being the title he bore among his fellow-
+tribesmen. He also explained that he met Mulai Hamed, and happened to
+see the direction taken by the vehicle when it dashed clear of the
+scrimmage in the street. But he modestly disclaimed any special credit
+for his share in subsequent events, stating that he had many friends
+among the European colony at Cairo, and was naturally willing to help a
+lady against the thievish dogs who inhabited Massowah.
+
+Yet Dick added a third to these two earlier subtle enigmas in "El
+Jaridiah's" characteristics when he heard the Arab's unfeigned pleasure
+at the statement that it was not the lady actually rescued, but a
+friend of hers, whom the thievish dogs aforesaid meant to carry off.
+Abdullah then saw a path out of the thorny labyrinth which beset him.
+It was evident that in serving Miss Fenshawe he had displayed his
+fidelity to Mrs. Haxton! The notion was so gratifying that he made a
+suggestion which assuredly would not otherwise have occurred to him.
+When they reached the camp-fire where they were supplied with such
+valuable information on their outward journey, he would obtain some
+goat's milk for Madame, he said, and that would not only restore her
+strength but go far towards alleviating the soreness caused by the gag.
+
+He kept his promise. The milk was brought in a dubious vessel, but the
+girl vowed she never tasted a more delicious beverage. They resumed
+their march, Irene's head dropped cozily to the region of Dick's heart,
+and that wayward organ thumped again in the most alarming way.
+
+Once the causeway was crossed, Abdullah called a halt.
+
+"This road leads into the main street, monsieur," said he to Royson.
+"It is quite near. If the lady is able to walk to the hotel, it will
+attract less attention than riding. Meanwhile, I can take the horses to
+their stables, and hasten in advance to tell your friends that you are
+safe."
+
+They agreed instantly. Royson did not forget to pat the plucky little
+Arab that had carried him to the Gates of Eden, and Irene said that if
+it were feasible she would buy Moti and have him sent to England. And
+thus they parted from Abdullah, thinking to meet him again five minutes
+later.
+
+But their next encounter with the Spear-thrower was destined to take
+place under strange conditions. His present intent was to slip away and
+seek an interview with Mrs. Haxton, as he had managed to worm out the
+information that she was on board the yacht. The last thing he desired
+was to be dragged into prominence. Though he had not been taught that a
+man might "do good by stealth and blush to find it fame," he was
+specially anxious that his action of that night should not be trumpeted
+forth in every ear.
+
+Long before they gained the main thoroughfare, both Royson and Irene
+were conscious of many prying eyes. Not a few passers-by yielded
+frankly to curiosity and followed them. The girl, of course, was
+hatless. Her dress of fine muslin was of a style and texture seldom
+seen in Massowah, and if the rare beauty of her face could excite
+comment in Hyde Park it would surely not pass unnoticed in a small and
+semi-barbarous Red Sea port.
+
+Royson, too, though his white drill uniform was familiar enough to the
+public, was out of keeping with his surroundings. He towered among the
+puny Italians; not a stalwart negro nor gaunt Arab in the throng could
+equal him in stature and physique.
+
+So they both agreed in thinking that they were much more at ease when
+Moti was carrying them along the dark road of the mainland than now
+while hurrying through the packed and dimly-lighted streets. But the
+sensation they created in the bazaar was as naught compared with the
+overwhelming effect of their arrival in the Grand Hotel of the
+Universe. Two officers of gendarmerie and a round dozen of soldier-
+policemen became incoherent at sight of them. The hotel manager nearly
+wept with joy. He tumbled up-stairs, tripping not once but several
+times, in his eagerness to make known to the English milord that the
+Signorina Fenshawe had returned. The vestibule filled in the most
+amazing way with a crowd that seemed to speak all languages under the
+sun. Mr. Fenshawe rushed to the head of the stairs as soon as he
+grasped the meaning of the manager's dramatic announcement, and a
+combined "Ah!" of gratification gushed from a hundred throats when
+Irene flung herself into his arms. Clearly, this affair had stirred
+Massowah to its depths. It would supply food for gossip during many a
+day. That long drawn-out "Ah!" was, in some sense, a testimony to
+Abdullah's wisdom.
+
+While Irene was sobbing her joy on her grandfather's breast, Stump
+crushed a broad track through the ever-increasing mob until he reached
+Royson.
+
+"I was bettin' on you from the minnit I missed you," he roared
+genially. "You're a fair wonder, an' no mistake. By Gad, how did you
+manage it? The Governor has raised the whole crimson town, I will say
+that for him. I don't know his lingo, but I rather fancy he swore to
+have a scalp for every hair on Miss Irene's head if she didn't turn up
+afore daylight. Where was she? Who took her off? The police are huntin'
+for your friend Alfie this hour an' more."
+
+Stump's concluding item was at once gratifying and puzzling.
+
+"How did they come to suspect him?" asked Dick, ignoring the rest of
+his commander's outburst.
+
+"Mrs. Haxton put 'em on his track. You see, it was this way. I sent the
+jolly-boat's crew back to the yacht with, orders that Tagg was to arm
+every mother's son on board, an' be ready for action when Mr. Fenshawe
+gev the word. The old man wasn't half mad, I can tell you. I take my
+solemn davy he'd have stormed that bloomin' fort to-morrow mornin'.
+Mrs. Haxton heard about the trouble, an' wrote a note sayin' as how
+that Dago we saw to-day was at the bottom of the whole dam business.
+She tole Mr. Fenshawe to demand von Kerber's release. He was the on'y
+man who could handle Alfie, she said, an', wot between our commodore's
+threat to land an armed force, an' the red-hot cables he's bin sendin'
+to London an' Rome, sink me if the Governor isn't scared to death."
+
+"Is the Baron at liberty, then?"
+
+"Not yet. There's no knowin' wot might have happened if you'd kep away
+another hour or two. The ole man has raised Cain, I can tell you. But,
+look here, I'm doin' all the talkin', an' it ain't fair."
+
+"Did no one tell you a few minutes ago that Miss Fenshawe had escaped
+and was hurrying here with me?"
+
+"Ax me another," growled Stump. Then he eyed Royson critically. "I know
+wot's wrong with you," he went on. "You're light-headed for want of a
+drink. Come out of it. Damme, you need lubricatin'!"
+
+They went to the upper floor, and Mr. Fenshawe hurried to grasp Dick's
+hand.
+
+"I will not endeavor to thank you now," he said brokenly. "My gratitude
+is too deep for words, but--believe me, Mr. Royson--if I had lost my
+little girl--it would have killed me."
+
+The hotel manager came to Dick's relief. With a face all wrinkled in a
+satisfied grin, he informed them that "dinner was now served." The poor
+man had been waiting two hours to make that announcement, and Irene's
+gleeful appreciation of this low comedy close to the night's adventures
+showed that she was little the worse either in health or spirits. She
+would not hear of a doctor's being summoned. She assured her
+grandfather that soreness of lips and wrists would not impair her
+appetite, but she hoped that the dinner would not be utterly spoiled if
+it were delayed two minutes longer--she had actually forgotten to bring
+forward the Arab who had helped Mr. Royson to rescue her!
+
+Yet, search as they might, El Jaridiah was not to be found. None knew
+him, nor had any news of the girl's safety been received until she was
+seen in the vestibule. Though mystified, they were far too excited to
+pay special heed to the circumstance at the time. Both Irene and Royson
+believed that the man was detained by some slight difficulty with
+regard to the horses, one of which, they knew, was borrowed. They said
+that surely he would come to the hotel ere dinner was ended. But he
+came not. The only interruption to a lively meal was supplied by the
+Governor, who showed very proper official horror when he heard the
+story of Irene's abduction, and saw the evidences of the rough usage to
+which she had been subjected.
+
+He was so urbane and apologetic, and promised such impartial punishment
+both for the persons who inspired the outrage and for those who
+actually carried it out, that Mr. Fenshawe deferred to the morrow the
+stern protest he meant to register against von Kerber's detention. It
+was quite true, as Stump told Royson, that strongly-worded cablegrams
+were despatched to London and Rome earlier in the evening. Diplomatic
+representations would certainly be made in both capitals, and the
+yacht-owner felt that the local authorities would now leave matters
+entirely to the Italian Colonial Minister.
+
+So a truce was proclaimed. Before he left them, the Governor drank to
+Miss Fenshawe's health in the best champagne that the Grand Hotel of
+the Universe could produce.
+
+The four people rose from their belated meal at half past ten. A sailor
+came from the _Aphrodite_ in response to a message sent by Stump
+announcing Miss Fenshawe's return. The jolly-boat was waiting to take
+them on board, he said, and they walked to the jetee, escorted by the
+whole body of gens d'armes who had mounted guard at the hotel.
+
+The long pull across the starlit waters of the harbor was peculiarly
+refreshing and restful after the thrilling events of the day. Irene
+said with a laugh that it was almost worth while being kidnapped for
+the sake of becoming a heroine, and Mr. Fenshawe yielded to the
+soothing influence of the hour in expressing the opinion that he
+expected to hear of the Baron's unconditional release early next day.
+
+"By the way," said the girl, speaking to the boatswain, "how was Mrs.
+Haxton when you left the yacht?"
+
+"She was all right, miss, when I saw her about nine o'clock. She was
+just goin' ashore--"
+
+"Going ashore!" For the life of her, Irene could not help the blank
+wonderment of that repetition.
+
+"Yes, miss. An Arab kem for her."
+
+"Are you sure?"
+
+"Sartin, miss. It was about two bells when that craft hailed us--wasn't
+it, Bill?"
+
+The sailor thus unexpectedly appealed to was taken by surprise. He
+nearly swallowed a quid of tobacco before he answered:
+
+"That's correct. It struck two bells just arter they shoved off."
+
+"Do you know where Mrs. Haxton meant to go? I mean, was she making for
+the hotel?"
+
+"I didn't happen to hear, miss. But Mr. Tagg was talkin' to the lady.
+P'raps he can tell you." From the silence prevailing among her
+companions Irene was aware that they were as much astounded by the
+man's statement as she herself. It was impossible to discuss the matter
+further in front of the boat's crew, but the girl whispered, to Royson,
+who was sitting near her:
+
+"Did you ever hear anything more amazing? She could not have missed us.
+What can be her object in going off alone?"
+
+"We may be able to answer those questions, and others, when we find out
+who it was that came for her."
+
+"Some Arab, the man says. How strange that Mrs. Haxton should be
+acquainted with an Arab in Massowah!"
+
+Mr. Fenshawe bent towards them.
+
+"Do not forget," he said in a low voice, "that Mrs. Haxton may not have
+heard earlier of von Kerber's arrest. I am inclined to think that he
+has managed to communicate with her in some manner. A curious letter I
+received to-day may throw light on the problem. I was reading it when
+that hotel man burst in on me with the news of your escapade, Irene. To
+tell the truth, I have not given much thought to it since."
+
+Royson was convinced that Mrs. Haxton, finding the game was up, had
+flown. But Tagg's version of the lady's sudden departure did not lend
+color to this view. He stated that a shore boat came alongside a few
+minutes before nine o'clock, and an Arab, who was its sole passenger,
+stood up and said clearly:
+
+"Me Abdullah. See Madame Haxton."
+
+That, seemingly, was the full extent of the man's English. He repeated
+the sentence until Tagg sent Miss Fenshawe's maid to tell Mrs. Haxton
+that an Arab named Abdullah was asking for her.
+
+"She kem at once," said Tagg, "an' they began to parleyvoo as quick as
+you like--"
+
+"They spoke French?" broke in Irene, with a sidelong glance at Dick.
+The far-fetched notion which gripped him instantly had also occurred to
+the girl.
+
+"Yes, miss. You can allus tell French by the mongin' an' bongin' an'
+tongin' that goes on."
+
+At another time Irene would have hailed Tagg's subtle humor with glee,
+but there was an element of deadly earnest in the history of the past
+few hours that kept her strictly to the issue.
+
+"This Arab--" she said, "was he a tall, good-looking man with a striped
+hood to his burnous, his outer cloak, you know?"
+
+"That's him," agreed Tagg. "More like a fellow you'd see at Tangier
+than in these parts. You know the sort of chap I mean, cap'n?"
+
+"I do," said Stump. "Reg'lar stage Arabs, they are. Sort of
+Frenchified, with clipped whiskers."
+
+"But please tell me what happened," cried Irene breathlessly.
+
+"Well, miss, there ain't much to tell. They had a serious confab for
+five minutes, an' then she tells me she's goin' ashore. 'Wot time will
+ye be back, m'am, an' I'll send a boat,' sez I. 'I dunno,' sez she, 'I
+may be late, so I shall return in a native boat.' She axed your maid,
+miss, to bring a wrap from her cabin, and she was gone without another
+word."
+
+"Then that settles it," interposed Mr. Fenshawe dryly. "Mrs. Haxton is
+a lady who knows her own mind. She is fully qualified to take care of
+herself. Off you go to bed, Irene. Sufficient for the day is the
+excitement thereof. And, according to present Indications, we shall be
+kept busy to-morrow. Goodnight, Mr. Royson. I shall be better able to
+thank you in the morning."
+
+Irene, too, held out a hand to Dick.
+
+"I'm making up all sorts of nice compliments to offer you," she said,
+pleasantly. "You need, not protest. I was gagged for the best part of
+an hour when I very specially wanted to talk, so I have a whole lot of
+things to say after breakfast."
+
+Dick read the meaning of the glance she flashed at him. Oddly enough,
+it expressed his own thought. They must endeavor to find out how Mrs.
+Haxton came to be such a close acquaintance of El Jaridiah's. Not only
+had he risked his life when he fancied she was in danger, but she, on
+her part, was willing to return with him to Massowah under cover of the
+night--to Massowah, whence she had fled in terror not many hours
+earlier.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+
+A WOMAN INTERVENES
+
+When Mrs. Haxton descended the yacht's gangway, and seated herself in
+the boat which had brought Abdullah from the shore, she threw a main
+with fate. But she was acting with her eyes open, whereas poor
+mortality is oft called on to take that dangerous hazard blindfold.
+During several haggard hours she had weighed her prospects in the scale
+of judgment, and the balance was wofully unfavorable. Wealth she had
+none; and now she saw position slipping away also. As sure as the sun
+would rise next day, so sure was it, as matters stood then, that
+exposure and humiliation must arrive. To this hard, level-headed,
+shrewd woman there was no blinking the outcome of an official inquiry.
+Alfieri was in Massowah, Alfieri, the man she had wronged as Delilah
+wronged Samson. If he were arrested, owing to Irene's abduction, he
+would demand to be confronted with von Kerber, would ask that she, too,
+should be arraigned with the Austrian, and put forward such an
+indisputable plea that, whatever the outcome for the Italian, her
+English friends must recoil from her with indignation. And there was
+worse in store. Mr. Fenshawe's generosity might provide the means of
+returning to Europe, but she would go back discredited, a mere
+adventuress, while the publicity attached to the yacht's errand could
+hardly fail to bring her name into fatal notoriety. In a word, social
+ruin stared her in the face, and the prospect was so unpleasing that
+her despairing glance turned more than once towards a dressing-case
+containing drugs whose labels spelt oblivion.
+
+Then came the Arab, with news of Irene's return, and, like any
+desperate gamester who ventures the last shreds of a wasted capital on
+some almost impossible chance, she determined to fight Alfieri to the
+end.
+
+It was not a thing to be done in cold blood. Unarmed men have saved
+their lives by boldly attacking lions, but that is no argument in favor
+of an unarmed man going out of his way to search for the king of
+beasts. And the measure of Alfieri's hate was supplied by his daring
+attempt to capture her. She shuddered to think of the result had he
+been successful, yet she nerved herself now to out-maneuver him. Of
+course, there were some slight elements in her favor. The blunder which
+had placed her enemy at loggerheads with the authorities gave her a
+momentary advantage. The man's lust for vengeance might, indeed, sweep
+aside her attack, but she must risk that. Had fate been kinder, Mrs.
+Haxton was cast in the mold that produces notable women. She knew when
+to unite boldness with calculation; she would always elect to die
+fighting rather than cower without a blow; and she would never believe
+a cause lost while there was a man to be wheedled.
+
+The Somali crew ferried her swiftly towards the landing-stage, and she
+bade Abdullah render a full account of the rescue.
+
+"You speak of a boat," she commented, with a puzzled air. "Did you see
+the occupants?"
+
+"No, madame. We heard some shouting by Italians. That is all."
+
+"A boat!" she said, deep in thought. "That seems to suggest that I was
+to be brought back to the town. The hired carriage and the long drive
+into the country were intended to throw dust in the eyes of those who
+might endeavor to find me."
+
+"Or to a ship," suggested Abdullah. "Had they a dhow in readiness?
+Perhaps, by this time, they may have slipped away to sea under cover of
+the darkness."
+
+Mrs. Haxton laughed, but her mirth had not its wonted musical cadence.
+
+"No," she said, "that is not likely. _Grand Dieu_, if only it were!
+Now, listen, and do exactly as I bid you. Somewhere in Massowah,
+probably in one of the small restaurants, you will find a man named
+Giuseppe Alfieri. You must inquire at every cafe and boarding house in
+the main street--there are not many. You cannot mistake him. You met
+him once at Assouan, and you may recall his appearance--he is tall and
+thin, with a lean, sallow face, clean shaven. He has long, black hair
+and his eyes are large and deeply set. When you find him, you will say
+that I wish to see him. He will be surprised, and talk big, but he will
+surely question you. Make no secret of the fact that you are in my
+confidence. Tell him I offer a truce, that I am in a position to make
+terms. He may bluster, and boast, perhaps, that I am on my knees. Well,
+admit it, and remind him that where I fail, he, at least, has no chance
+of success. Do you understand?' It is a question as between money and
+revenge. Alfieri is something of a fool. If the bait be tempting enough
+he will swallow it, and not for the first time."
+
+Abdullah nodded with complete comprehension of her under-thought. The
+Italian had been tricked once. It might be possible to trick him again.
+
+"If he agrees, Madame, when is he to meet you?"
+
+"To-morrow morning, at eleven o'clock, at the hotel."
+
+"But this other affair has set the bazaar in an uproar. One cannot
+carry off young English ladies so easily. Monsieur Alfieri may be a
+prisoner."
+
+"No such luck," said Mrs. Haxton bitterly. "You are not acquainted with
+the twists and turns of events, Abdullah. That which was simple at
+Assouan has become complex here. Alfieri has inflamed the mind of some
+high official at Rome, or he never could have persuaded the Governor to
+go to such lengths as to arrest Fenshawe Effendi, not to speak of
+Monsieur le Baron. No, this pig of a Governor has a Minister behind
+him. He may threaten, but Alfieri is safe."
+
+"Nevertheless, he may be hidden."
+
+"That will suit me equally well. Zut! Abdullah, you are not so quick as
+usual to-night."
+
+"Pardon, Madame, you have told me what I am to do, but you have said no
+words as to yourself, yet behold, we shall be on shore in a few
+minutes."
+
+"I? I am going to the fort. I have one card to play with his
+Excellency. Pray to your Prophet, Abdullah, that it may succeed."
+
+The Arab bowed silently. It might be that he stood to win, no matter
+who lost, in this war of intrigue.
+
+"Do I see you again to-night, Madame?" he asked, as the boat drew
+alongside the jetty.
+
+"I think not. Come with me until I obtain an alabeeyah. Then, to your
+search, and report to me early to-morrow."
+
+They soon found an alabeeyah, one of the small open carriages made
+popular in Egypt by the French, and Mrs. Haxton was driven towards the
+fort. The Arab began his quest for Giuseppe Alfieri, but found him not,
+for the most convincing reason that Alfieri was then seated in the
+Governor's library, smoking the Governor's cigarettes, and drinking the
+Governor's best Capri.
+
+His Excellency had just returned from the hotel. He, too, had deferred
+to the morning a tactful explanation that pressure of business had
+prevented the despatch of Mr. Fenshawe's cablegrams that night. But
+tact was not his most obvious gift. Though he hoped to mollify the
+irate yacht-owner with soft words, he did not spare Alfieri now.
+
+"The madness of it!" he cried. "You say it was a mistake. That is the
+plea of a stupid child. The affair would have been just as awkward if
+you had carried off the Signora Haxton. She is a British subject. In
+two days the newspapers of Europe would magnify the incident into an
+international dispute, and, with Abyssinia always ready to fan the
+flame--"
+
+"Believe me, Excellency, the Signora herself would have written that
+she had gone away of her own free will," broke in the other.
+
+"I doubt it very much. Her friends could not fail to think that she was
+writing under compulsion. I tell you, idiot that you are, you have
+prejudiced your own case, made difficulties where they did not exist.
+If your sworn statements are true--"
+
+"They are true, true as death," vociferated Alfieri.
+
+"_Ebbene_! Why, then, strengthen your enemies by giving them just cause
+for complaint?"
+
+"If only you knew what I have suffered through that woman, Excellency!"
+came the angry cry.
+
+"Oh, blame the woman, of course," said the Governor, with the fine
+scorn of a man who has married a meek wife. "I lose patience with these
+transports. If a woman preferred another to me I would dance at her
+wedding."
+
+"You would not dance if she had used all the arts of treachery to rob
+you of your fortune."
+
+"I flatter myself I would resist the tricks of any siren who was merely
+anxious to delude me. But this is beside the question. These English
+suspect you of planning the outrage. Frankly, I cannot see my way to
+meet the inquiry which must be made, sooner or later. Perhaps the old
+man, Fenshawe, may consent to tone down his messages to-morrow. If he
+refuses, and sails to Aden, the very cables will fuse under the storm
+of remonstrance from Rome. I may be recalled. That pig, Festiano, will
+be appointed in my place. The more I consider your imbecility the less
+am I inclined to put faith in anything you have said. How do I know
+that your Greek was not an addle-headed ass like yourself? _Corpo di
+Dio!_ His treasure of Saba may be a piece of moon-madness akin to this
+tragi-comic plot of yours."
+
+"I would have bent her to my will. I could make her go to this Austrian
+dog and tell him begone. I could force her to confess to the Englishman
+that she had deceived him."
+
+"_Saetta!_ I am out of temper with you," growled the Governor, lighting
+a cigarette and smoking furiously.
+
+He was fond of plain speaking, this temporary ruler of Erythrea. The
+sudden death of a Governor appointed from Rome had given him his
+chance. He might be superseded at any moment by some carpetbagger with
+political influence, and it went against the grain that the private
+feuds of people whose quarrels did not interest him in the least should
+be able to wreck his career. Alfieri came to him with good credentials.
+If the man's story was borne out by facts, not only would Italy receive
+a handsome sum from a colony which had hitherto been a drain on her
+resources, but he, Marchetti, would reap some share of the credit, not
+to mention the bonus promised for his assistance. His instructions from
+headquarters were clear. He had acted within his rights in arresting
+von Kerber and detaining Mr. Fenshawe until the latter gave up an
+undertaking to land on Italian territory without permission. That he
+had decided to release the Englishman unconditionally was a further
+tribute to his good judgment. Having caged the hawk there was no harm
+in freeing the pigeon. But Alfieri's passionate and ill-advised,
+attempt to abduct Mrs. Haxton had changed the whole aspect of affairs.
+No wonder the stout and pompous little man fumed and fretted in vain,
+endeavor to climb out of this unexpected pit.
+
+Alfieri looked at his restless companion in moody silence. In aspect,
+he was the exact opposite to the podgy Governor. Slender, and loosely
+built, he had the large, sunken eyes of a dreamer, the narrow forehead
+of the self-opinionated, the delicate nostrils and mobile mouth of the
+neurotic temperament. It was easy to see that such a man would brood
+over an injury, real or imagined, till he had lashed himself into a
+tempest of wrath. His emotions could know no mean. From sullen despair
+he could rebound to the most extravagant optimism. That very day he had
+rushed away from the painstaking details of a semi-scientific
+expedition in order to--gratify a Sicilian impulse which called for the
+ruthless settlement of an old score.
+
+Even now, the sense of failure rankled deeper than the contemptuous
+anger of his fellow-countryman; but the practical-minded Governor had
+no intent to leave matters where they stood.
+
+"It seems to me," he said, turning suddenly on Alfieri, after gazing
+out across the harbor and watching the twinkling lights on the
+_Aphrodite_, "it seems to me that the best thing we can do now is to
+arrange a compromise. It is not too late. We must board the
+Englishman's yacht early in the morning--"
+
+He was interrupted by a knock at the door. A servant entered. There was
+a lady to see his Excellency. By Bacchus, a lady, at that hour, nearly
+ten o'clock! Who was she, and what did she want? He could not be
+bothered--
+
+Then he read the name on the card brought by the man, and whistled
+softly, lest perchance this latest phase of an electrical situation
+should demand words not in the repertory of excellencies.
+
+"Wait outside for one moment," he said. Alfieri, alive to Signor
+Marchetti's suppressed excitement, wondered who the visitor could be.
+The governor examined the card again. He gave his companion a rather
+dreary smile.
+
+"You are but a tinfoil conspirator, after all, my friend," said he.
+"Here is a woman who despises you."
+
+Alfieri sprang to his feet with an oath.
+
+"She has not dared!" he cried.
+
+"Calm yourself, I pray you. The Signora Haxton has come to pay a visit
+--that is all. The hour is late, but, from what you have told me, she
+is not likely to be troubled by a consideration of that kind. Now,
+Signor Alfieri, I am going to receive her. Do not forget that I am the
+Chief magistrate of Massowah. It is probable that, through her
+instrumentality, I may be able to extricate both myself and you from
+the predicament into which your folly has plunged us. And I warn you
+that any display of temper will be fatal. Let us go slowly and we may
+go far."
+
+Alfieri, all a-quiver with uncontrollable emotion, fixed his glowing
+eyes on the door when the servant returned with Mrs. Haxton. She
+entered, with the graceful ease of one accustomed to meet greater
+dignitaries than the head of a small Italian colony. Signor Marchetti
+advanced a few paces. Where a lady was concerned he could be courteous
+enough, his abruptness being a specially cultivated mannerism intended
+to impress natives with a sense of his importance. But, beneath the
+skin of office, he was Italian to the core, and he promised himself a
+fine scenic effect when the Englishwoman's glance fell on the other
+occupant of the room.
+
+But Mrs. Haxton had nerved herself to play for a high stake. Though she
+shrank back a little and caught her breath when she saw Alfieri, there
+was a restraint in her attitude which might have surprised a more
+astute person than Governor Marchetti. Her eyes contracted somewhat,
+her lips tightened, a hand clutched at the folds of a cloak thrown
+loosely over her shoulders. Marchetti paid heed to these things, and
+interpreted them as evidences of timidity. A man accustomed to wield a
+rapier rather than a cudgel would not have made that initial error.
+Alfieri's presence changed the whole situation, and Mrs. Haxton, in
+whom the stage had lost a great actress, instantly bent her wits to
+deal with the new set of circumstances thus created.
+
+"You speak Italian, signora? Ah, capital! Pray be seated," said the
+Governor affably. "As you have honored me with a call at this unusual
+hour I take it that your business is urgent. Do you wish to confer with
+me in private? If so, Signor Alfieri, who is not unknown to you, I
+believe, will leave us for a few minutes. Otherwise, you can talk quite
+frankly in his presence."
+
+That was the Governor's method of putting his two visitors at their
+ease. The lady would assume he knew everything. The man would take his
+cue from a friendly opening. What could be better?
+
+"I am glad that Signor Alfieri is here, your Excellency, though I must
+admit that I did not expect to see him," said Mrs. Haxton, taking the
+proffered chair. "My business concerns him, to a certain extent. By all
+means, let him remain."
+
+Her voice was under control. She spoke Italian fluently, and her
+smooth, clear accents seemed to stir strange memories in Alfieri's
+soul. But, thinking to annoy her, he forced a spiteful grin to his thin
+lips.
+
+"Allowing for the lapse of years, Rita," he said, "and bearing in mind
+your natural distress at to-day's occurrences, you are looking
+remarkably well."
+
+She flashed one quick glance at him, then smiled sweetly at Marchetti.
+
+"My distress ended when the Signorina Fenshawe was brought back to her
+friends. Of course, it was a dreadful thing that she should be carried
+off in such a way. Were it not for the skill and resource displayed by
+one of the _Aphrodite's_ officers, there is no knowing what the
+consequences might have been."
+
+"You have seen the signorina at the hotel?" put in the Governor.
+
+"No, I came straight from the yacht. I thought it advisable."
+
+"But the affair has been misrepresented. It is a mere bagatelle. There
+exists, shall we say, a certain disagreement between you and Signor
+Alfieri. There was an unhappy mistake, which I would have rectified
+without any help from the yacht. You see, rumor is apt to exaggerate."
+
+"I think you are taking a very reasonable and proper view, your
+Excellency. It will be best for all parties if we try to regard the
+incident in that light."
+
+Marchetti was vaguely conscious of a too complete agreement in the
+lady's tone. But he seized the apparent advantage.
+
+"Then that is settled," he said cheerfully. "I have already apologized
+to Signor Fenshawe. To-morrow a more ample explanation and expression
+of regret should remove any cause of friction."
+
+"I have reason to think there will be no difficulty in arriving at an
+amicable settlement, provided you fall in with the suggestion I am here
+to make."
+
+"And that is?"
+
+"That you release the Baron von Kerber to-night."
+
+"Ha!" snarled Alfieri, but the Governor angrily motioned him to be
+silent.
+
+"No one is better aware than yourself, signora, how utterly impossible
+is your request," he said.
+
+"The proposal is not even worthy of debate, then?"
+
+"But no."
+
+"That is a pity. My small experience of life has taught me that when
+two reasonable people, or even three, hold different views on any given
+subject, there is always something to be said in favor of each
+contention. Indeed, wisdom leans towards a compromise in such a case."
+
+"You presuppose a mere divergence of opinion. Here we have no room for
+it. Your confederate, signora, if you will pardon a harsh term, is
+believed to have stolen valuable documents from my friend, Signor
+Alfieri. My Government has instructed me to arrest him, and to use
+every means, not stopping short of armed force, to prevent the
+_Aphrodite_ from undertaking what is little else than a piratical
+expedition. You see, therefore, that it is not in my power, if I were
+so minded, to set Baron von Kerber at liberty. Compromise in any other
+direction would appeal to me. Where Baron von Kerber is concerned, I am
+helpless."
+
+His Excellency was firmly planted on the gubernatorial dais once more.
+Mrs. Haxton evidently demanded plain speaking. Being a blunt man, he
+gave it to her. But she smiled again, quite pleasantly.
+
+"That is what I may describe as the correct official attitude," she
+said. "If it were founded on fact, it would be unassailable. But Signor
+Alfieri can tell you that the Baron most certainly did not steal
+anything from him. If a culprit must be found, it was I, not Franz von
+Kerber, who should be charged with theft."
+
+"Ah, _Dio mio_, you hear? She admits!"
+
+Alfieri almost screeched the words. He was in a frenzy of passion. This
+woman had ever the power to drive him beyond bounds. He hated her now
+with an intensity born of derided love. The Governor would have stormed
+at him, but Mrs. Haxton accepted the challenge too promptly.
+
+"I admit nothing," she cried with a sudden shrillness. "If admissions
+are necessary I shall wait until Abdullah confronts you. Then, when I
+have told my story, he shall tell his."
+
+"Who cares for Abdullah!" came the retort. "Not I. It is well, indeed,
+to appeal to the testimony of an unknown Arab."
+
+"You shall have the opportunity of refuting him," said. Mrs. Haxton.
+"He is in Massowah. But that is a question for such tribunal as may
+exist in this lawless town. Your Excellency's decision is final?" she
+added, turning to the Governor.
+
+"Absolutely irrevocable, signora. You see how it stands--my orders are
+explicit."
+
+"Their explicitness is as nothing compared to the clearness of the next
+mandate you will receive from Rome," she blazed out. "Was it according
+to your orders that an English lady was carried off by brigands, simply
+to glut the vengeance of my discarded Beppo? You spoke of confederates,
+Signor Marchetti. What of the confederacy that permits this man to be
+your guest while your officers are making mock search for him in the
+bazaar? Your judges, even such as they are, will laugh him out of court
+when he tries to substantiate the charge he has brought against Baron
+von Kerber. Poor, love-sick fool!--to gratify his spite he attacks his
+rival with false evidence rather than let it be known that a woman
+twisted him round her little finger. Look at him now; he would strike
+me dead, if he dared; but he cannot answer me."
+
+Alfieri leaped to his feet. His voice rose to a cracked falsetto.
+
+"You hear, you hear!" was his cry. "She robbed me of the papyrus, yet
+boasts of it. She is a thief, self-confessed."
+
+Mrs. Haxton also sprang up. Her physical dread of the man had yielded
+to the triumph of having cornered him.
+
+"Truly I hope his Excellency hears," she said. "If I am to blame for
+the loss of your papers, why is Baron von Kerber in prison on your
+testimony?"
+
+"You are both in league," he almost screamed. "I was blind, infatuated,
+at Assouan. It was the Austrian who planned my undoing, and you, his
+paramour, who cajoled me out of my senses."
+
+"I refuse to stay here and be insulted by such a coward," she said,
+gathering her skirts as though she intended to take her departure
+instantly. "But it will be a fine story that Signor Fenshawe cables
+from Aden when he tells how the Governor of Massowah aided and abetted
+this half-crazy poltroon in onslaughts on defenseless women. It was not
+enough that Italian law should be misused to further his ends, but the
+scum of the bazaar is enlisted under his banner, and he is supported by
+the authorities in an act that would be reprobated by any half-savage
+state in existence."
+
+"I pray you calm yourself, signora," exclaimed Marchetti, now fully
+alive to the dangers confronting him. "You must see that I have only
+acted in an official capacity. I, at least, have no feeling in the
+matter. I received certain information--"
+
+"Which was entirely misleading and one-sided," she broke in
+imperiously.
+
+"Which certainly did not refer to you in any particular," was the sharp
+rejoinder, while he glanced at Alfieri, "If this gentleman is now
+prepared to say that he was mistaken--"
+
+"Who dares to hint at any admission on my part?" shouted Alfieri.
+
+The stout Governor did not like to be bawled at. He was sufficiently
+embarrassed already by the quagmire into which Alfieri had plunged him.
+
+"You ought to be careful in your choice of words," he said pompously.
+"There is no question of 'dare' or 'dare not' where I am concerned.
+Signora, do me the favor of sitting here while I discuss matters
+briefly with Signor Alfieri. Signor, be good enough to precede me."
+
+He pointed to the door. With a queer catching at her breath, Mrs.
+Haxton sank into a chair. Alfieri folded his arms and gazed at the
+Governor with eyes that blazed under his heavy brows.
+
+"You are the representative of Italy," he said, making a great effort
+to speak quietly. "I call on you to lodge that woman in a cell so that
+she may be tried with her accomplice."
+
+"If you do not go instantly, and in silence, into the corridor, I shall
+call on my guards to take you there by force," exclaimed Marchetti with
+a more successful assumption of ease.
+
+Alfieri turned his lambent glance on Mrs. Haxton, but the Governor
+stopped the imminent outburst.
+
+"I said 'in silence,'" he roared, stretching a hand to grasp a bell-
+rope. Alfieri, with a fierce gesture of disdain, went out. His
+Excellency bowed to the lady.
+
+"Two minutes," he murmured. "The wine on the table is Capri. You will
+find it grateful after this somewhat heated interview."
+
+But Mrs. Haxton drank no wine when the Governor followed Alfieri. She
+bit her lips and clenched her hands in an agony of restraint. This lull
+in the storm was more trying than the full fury of the blast. The
+Governor's two minutes lengthened into ten. Then he hurried back,
+alone. He was manifestly ill at ease, though he spoke glibly enough.
+
+"I am taking a grave step, signora," he said, "but I feel that the
+peculiar circumstances warrant it. I have released the Baron von
+Kerber. He is now awaiting you, and it will give me much pleasure to
+conduct you to your carriage. Yet I pray you give earnest heed to me. I
+have told him what I now tell you--this undertaking of yours must be
+abandoned. Not only is it my duty to prevent it at all costs, but an
+expedition starts for the Five Hills this very night. So, you see, you
+are sure to fail in any case. The exact locality is known, and Signor
+Alfieri has an armed escort. I repeat, you have failed. May I hope,
+without being rude, that your love affairs may be more prosperous.
+Charming woman that you are, I cannot compliment you on either of your
+present suitors. My advice Is, go back to England, and help me tomorrow
+in persuading Signor Fenshawe to let matters rest where they are."
+
+As one walking in a dream, Mrs. Haxton accompanied Marchetti to the
+courtyard. There she found von Kerber, who ran to meet her.
+
+"So it is you," he cried in English. "I guessed it, though they would
+tell me nothing."
+
+The Governor was most polite. He would not lecture them, before
+natives.
+
+"I have spoken as a friend, to-night," he murmured. "To-morrow I shall
+be an official once more."
+
+The alabeeyah rattled across the paved square towards the gateway.
+Alfieri, on whom an officer kept an eye, watched it with malevolence
+from an upper window.
+
+"There go two people whom I hate," he said to his guardian. "They have
+escaped me this time. When I am rich, rich as any king in Europe, I
+shall have a king's power. Then I shall find them and crush them
+utterly."
+
+The driver swung his horses towards the sea front.
+
+"No, no," cried Mrs. Haxton. "Go through the bazaar. Drive slowly."
+And, in the next breath, she explained to von Kerber: "We must find
+Abdullah. He is somewhere in the main street. Above all things, we must
+find Abdullah. Alfieri leaves Massowah tonight, and he is making for
+the Five Hills. Our only hope lies with Abdullah."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+
+STUMP DEPENDS ON OBSERVATION
+
+After eight hours of dreamless sleep, Irene awoke to a torpid but
+blissful conviction that bed is a most comfortable place when bones
+ache and the slightest movement is made irksome by patches of chafed
+skin. In fact, having buried her hands gingerly in the wealth of brown
+hair that streamed over the pillow, she lay and watched the white
+planks of the deck overhead, wondering idly what time it was. The
+effort to guess the hour brought her a stage nearer complete
+consciousness. Her first precise recollection was also pleasant. She
+thought of the way in which Royson had carried her in his arms not so
+many hours earlier, and the memory banished all others for many
+minutes.
+
+If she smiled and blushed a little, it may be pleaded that she was
+twenty years of age, and had passed her girlhood amidst surroundings
+from which young men eligible to carry young ladies in their arms, or
+even hold them there, were rigorously excluded. Not that her
+grandfather was a misanthrope, but his interests were bound up so
+thoroughly in Egyptian research that his friends were, for the most
+part, elderly savants with kindred tastes. The wreck, of the _Bokhara_,
+too, with Irene's father and mother among its passengers, had helped to
+cut him off from the social world. When the grief of that tragedy had
+yielded to the passing years he hardly realized that the little child
+who had crept into his affections was growing up into a beautiful and
+light-hearted girl. Quite insensibly she assimilated herself to his
+hobbies and studies, became mistress of his London house and fine
+estate in Berkshire, and, by operation of forces more effective in
+their way than any Puritanical safeguards, lived apart from the gay
+throng in which she was eminently fitted to take a leading place.
+
+Irene offered, then, a somewhat unusual type. While other girls might
+recount the number of male hearts they had subdued during the past
+season, Irene could state, with equal accuracy, the names of the gods
+of the Memphite order. Though her grandfather's wealth and the
+eagerness of a skilled maid compelled her to take a passing interest in
+fashions, she was far more devoted to variations in scarabs. Such
+attainments, if sedulously pursued during the succeeding decade, might
+have converted her into an alarmingly precise Bas Bleu! As it was, the
+Memphite gods smiled on her, and the scarabs might buzz off to their
+museums contentedly at any moment, for Irene was only waiting the
+advent of an undreamed-of influence into her life to develop into a
+tender, sympathetic, delightful womanhood.
+
+Indeed, if Ka and Ra and beetle-headed Khepra were so important in the
+scheme of existence that this dainty scientist cared naught for the
+moth-life of society, why, then, did she blush when she remembered how
+closely Dick Royson had clasped her to his breast over-night? Perhaps
+she might have asked herself that question, only to blush more deeply
+in trying to answer it, had not her thoughts been distracted by the
+extraordinary behavior of a silk underskirt hanging on a peg at the
+foot of the bed. It was swinging to and fro with the regularity of a
+pendulum, and that which is regular in a pendulum is fantastically
+irregular in an underskirt. She sat up quickly, and listened. There was
+a swish of water outside. Now and again she heard a slight movement of
+the rudder chains in their boxes. Then, all aglow with wonder and
+excitement, she jumped out of bed and drew the curtain of one of the
+two tiny portholes that gave light to her cabin.
+
+Yes, another marvel had happened. The yacht was speeding along under
+canvas,--was already far out at sea. Where Massowah's yellow sandspit
+shone yesterday were now blue wavelets dancing in the sun, and Irene
+was sailor enough to know that the _Aphrodite_ was bound south.
+
+She rang an electric bell, and her maid came.
+
+"Yes, miss," said the girl, "we've been going since midnight. As soon
+as Mrs. Haxton and Baron von Kerber came on board--"
+
+"Baron von Kerber, did you say?" broke in Irene breathlessly.
+
+"Yes, miss. He came with Mrs. Haxton. Mind you, miss, I haven't seen
+him, but one of the stewards told me that the Baron went straight to
+Mr. Fenshawe's cabin, and the order was given to raise the anchor
+immediately. I'm sure they made plenty of noise. They woke me up, miss,
+and I'm a sound sleeper."
+
+The maid was ready to say more, but Irene had learnt to discourage
+servants' gossip.
+
+"I think the _Aphrodite_ might have fired cannons last night without
+disturbing me," she declared lightly. "What time is it?"
+
+"Nearly nine o'clock, miss. No one seemed to be stirring, so Mr. Gibson
+put off breakfast for half an hour. He said that everybody must be worn
+out after yesterday's worries."
+
+Irene laughed. Gibson, the head steward, a fatherly sort of man, was a
+martinet in the matter of punctuality at meals. This adjourning of the
+breakfast hour was a great concession on his part. It showed how
+strenuous life had been at Massowah.
+
+Despite her aches and pains, she dressed rapidly. She was all agog to
+learn how von Kerber had regained his liberty, and what new development
+was marked by the yacht's unexpected sailing. When she hurried to the
+bridge for news, the first person she met was Royson, and perhaps one
+of those old deities of Memphis would have smiled darkly were he
+privileged to see the tell-tale color that leaped to both faces.
+
+Naturally, the girl was the speedier to find her tongue.
+
+"Good gracious, Mr. Royson," she said, "what is the meaning of this?"
+and a generous hand-sweep included sea and sky and distant coastline in
+the eager question.
+
+"I don't know," he said. "Captain Stump and Mr. Tagg entered into a
+conspiracy to keep me in bed. I have not been on deck five minutes."
+
+"But didn't you ask? Aren't you consumed with curiosity? Who is in
+charge of the bridge?"
+
+"Mr. Tagg. His stock of information is limited. 'Cleared the islands at
+four bells; course South-40-East' is practically all he has to say."
+
+"It may be, then, that you are good at guessing? Have you not heard
+that the Baron is with us?"
+
+"Yes, Miss Fenshawe, I knew that last night. Indeed, I heard his boat
+hail the watch. I was lying awake, and the Baron's voice is easily
+recognizable."
+
+"Mrs. Haxton seems to have succeeded where all else failed. Did you see
+any of their companions? Was El Jaridiah with them?"
+
+"No. I plead guilty to opening a port and looking out. The tide carried
+the boat close beneath me when she was cast loose from the gangway. El
+Jaridiah, or Abdullah, if that is his name, was not there."
+
+"It is all very mysterious and puzzling," said Irene, gazing at the
+purple mountains which fringed the southwest horizon. "I am sorry we
+have not been able to reward the man, and I had set my heart on buying
+Moti. Don't you think it was rather wonderful that such a weedy-looking
+animal should have carried us so safely?"
+
+"It was all very wonderful," Dick replied, but he did not dare to meet
+the glance suddenly turned on him. For some reason, Miss Fenshawe
+decided to guide their talk into a less personal channel.
+
+"If the breakfast gong does not ring immediately, I shall go and hammer
+on grandad's door," she vowed. "He hates being disturbed when he is
+dressing, but I am simply aching to find out what has happened and
+where we are going. And, talking of aches, Mr. Royson, look at my poor
+wrists."
+
+She held out both her hands, close together, with the palms downwards.
+Royson noticed instantly she was wearing a beautiful marquise ring on
+the middle finger of her left hand. The rules which govern the use of
+these baubles were beyond his ken. A plain gold ring on a lady's so-
+called fourth finger is a marriage token known to all men, but he had
+not the ghost of an idea where an engagement ring should be carried,
+and he jumped to the conclusion that the girl was wearing one. Why had
+he never seen it before, he wondered? Was it a hint, a reminder of the
+conventions? It is probable that Irene herself would have been
+surprised if she were told that it was once the custom for engaged
+young ladies to reveal their happiness by displaying a ring on the
+middle finger, while those who were free but prepared to wed might
+coyly announce the fact by a ring on the index finger. Be that as it
+may, Royson was dumfounded by the sight of the glistening diamonds.
+They winked at him evilly, and his tongue tripped:
+
+"I cannot tell you how sorry I am," he murmured thickly, Irene dropped
+her hands.
+
+"Unless you are able to squint, you didn't look at my wrists at all,"
+she exclaimed. A gong pealed loudly from the cabin, and she ran off.
+Dick made for the chart-room, in front of which Tagg was leaning on the
+rail and gazing ahead.
+
+"You've bin quick," said the chief. "'Keep her steady as she goes,
+South-40-East, until the ole raw comes on deck. If the wind drops, call
+'im."
+
+Then Dick remembered that Tagg had bidden him have his breakfast before
+he came on duty. Royson said nothing, but took his station on the
+bridge. Tagg, being lame, preferred to swing himself to the main deck,
+whence he hopped into the small cabin where the officers ate their
+meals. He came back instantly.
+
+"Wot's the game?" he inquired sympathetically.
+
+"You've eaten nothin'. Feelin' bad?"
+
+"No. Oh, no," Royson laughed and reddened.
+
+"Then wot's wrong? Didn't you fancy the corfee an' bacon, after the
+high livin' ashore?"
+
+"The fact is, I met Miss Fenshawe, and she detained me a few minutes."
+
+"Is that any reason why you shouldn't eat?"
+
+"None whatever. I--er--really--forgot."
+
+"Forgot your breakfast! Come orf of it."
+
+Tagg climbed up, monkey-like.
+
+"Take my tip," he said earnestly, "This is a bad climate to go hungry
+in. You'd 'ave a touch of the sun in less'n no time. Just go below, an'
+force yerself to nibble a bit. It'll do you good, an' I don't mind
+keepin' watch another spell."
+
+Royson obeyed in silence. His friend's kindliness supplied an
+unconscious but necessary tonic to his system. Obviously, the second
+mate of the _Aphrodite_ had no business to trouble his head about the
+symbolism of rings worn by Miss Irene Fenshawe. Yet he wished he knew
+which was the engagement finger.
+
+Shortly before noon Captain Stump came on deck to take the sun. This
+was a semi-religious rite with Stump. Though the contours of the coast
+drawn along two sides of the Admiralty chart rendered a solar
+observation quite needless within sight of land, he proceeded to
+ascertain the yacht's position according to the formula, or, at any
+rate, according to such portion of it as applied to his rule-of-thumb
+calculations. Having pricked the chart and written the log, Stump bit
+the end off a cigar. He was ready for a gossip with Royson.
+
+"You won't find life quite so lively at Aden as at Massowah," he said.
+
+"We are bound for Aden, then?"
+
+"Where did you think we was headin' for? Melbourne?"
+
+"Well, sir, if I gave any thought to it I inclined more to the belief
+that we were making for our original destination."
+
+"An' where was that?"
+
+"A bay somewhere south of us, not far from Perin."
+
+"Have you heard anything fresh?" asked Stamp quickly.
+
+"Not a word. But, if we reach Aden, I suppose the expedition will be
+abandoned."
+
+"They're chewin' about it now in the saloon," said the skipper,
+glancing over his shoulder to make sure there was no one within
+earshot. His sailor's eye swept the horizon at the same instant, and he
+saw a smoke-blur some miles astern. Breaking off the conversation
+abruptly, he Weal into the chart-house, and returned with a telescope,
+which, he balanced against a stay.
+
+"There's a steamer comin' after us in a desprit hurry," he announced,
+when a prolonged examination had enabled him to form an opinion.
+
+"After us?" repeated Dick.
+
+"That's the way I read it. She's from Massowah. The reg'lar channel is
+fifty miles east. Tell you wot, it's that I-talian gunboat the guv'nor
+spoke about."
+
+"But she was not in port when we left."
+
+"No. We passed her comin' in."
+
+"Ah, she recognized us?"
+
+"Not much. We were under sail, an carried no masthead light. When I
+twigged hers I tied a couple of sou'westers over our side lights. It's
+a good thing at sea to mind your own business sometimes, an', more'n
+that, to take care that other people mind theirs when they want to be
+nasty."
+
+"Shall we keep on under canvas, sir?"
+
+"As long as the wind lasts," said Stump, closing the telescope and
+rolling off towards the saloon. Within a minute all hands were on deck.
+The corporate life of a small ship is closely knit. The word had gone
+round that a gunboat was in pursuit, and every one wanted to see her.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe and Baron von Kerber stood apart. The older man was
+visibly annoyed by this new instance of Italian interference. Royson,
+pacing the tiny bridge, caught an occasional glimpse of the
+millionaire's emphatic gestures. The Austrian was more sallow than
+usual, but that might be the result of his unpleasant experiences on
+the previous day. Irene came to the bridge. Though she knew that none
+except the captain might converse with the officer on duty, she
+whispered timidly:
+
+"They won't fire at us, Mr. Royson, will they?"
+
+He smiled reassuringly. The tremor in her voice was delightful. It made
+him forget that wretched ring for a moment.
+
+"No, that is not to be feared, Miss Fenshawe. My experience of the sea
+is no greater than your own, but you may be sure the Italians will
+follow the rules. If they really wish to overhaul us they will fly a
+signal soon."
+
+The warship was traveling sixteen knots an hour, the _Aphrodite_ seven,
+so the chase did not last long. About one o'clock the green, white, and
+red ensign of Italy fluttered to the end of the pursuing vessel's
+foreyard, where it could be seen most easily; under it were shown the
+red and white striped code signal, and the "J" flag, which latter, in
+the language of the seas means, "Stop; I 'have something important to
+communicate."
+
+The British ensign was run up, followed by the answering pennant, the
+mainsail was lowered, the foresail backed, and the yacht was brought
+to, while the Italian ship, which was made out to be the _Cigno_, came
+on rapidly.
+
+Mrs. Haxton approached. Stump and whispered in his ear.
+
+"Quite right, ma'am," he nodded. He walked forward and looked at the
+crew, mustered in full strength in the fore part.
+
+"Every man, 'cept those on watch, go below,", he growled, "an' mind you
+keep there, with al ports closed, until I ax you to show your ugly mugs
+on deck."
+
+They obeyed in sulky silence, though they appreciated the reason of the
+order. Hence, when, the _Cigno_ stopped her panting engines abreast of
+the _Aphrodite_, there were many more pairs of eyes watching from the
+yacht than the Italian captain reckoned on.
+
+The warship lowered a boat. Something went wrong with the gear, the
+after block jammed, the boat fell and dangled from her davits bows
+first, and an officer and half a dozen men were thrown into the sea.
+They were soon rescued, but the mishap did not tend to sweeten the
+temper of the _Cigno's_ commander. A dry officer and crew were
+requisitioned, and the boat was pulled alongside the yacht.
+
+Stump, with a malicious grin on his face, leaned over the starboard
+rail.
+
+"Wot is it?" he demanded. "Have you lost yer bearin's?"
+
+The officer replied in Italian, greatly to Stump's disgust.
+
+"I s'pose the chap they chucked overboard was the on'y Dago among 'em
+who could speak English," he grunted, but Mrs. Haxton explained that
+the officer was asking for the gangway to be lowered. Stump nodded to a
+couple of sailors, and the ladder dropped so smartly that the boat
+nearly came to grief a second time.
+
+The officer bowed very politely when he reached the deck. Probably he
+was surprised to find himself in the presence of two such beautiful
+women. Though Irene spoke Italian, Mrs. Haxton took on herself the role
+of interpreter. The _Cigno_ carried two letters from the Governor of
+Massowah, she said. One was addressed to Signor Fenshawe, the other to
+the signor captain of the British yacht _Aphrodite_. Would the two
+gentlemen kindly read and acknowledge receipt of the Governor's
+epistles?
+
+Both were purely formal documents. They set forth the official demand
+that the _Aphrodite_ should not attempt to land any of her occupants on
+Italian territory at other than a recognized port, and warned her owner
+and commander that the _Cigno_ would enforce observance of the request.
+
+At first, Mr. Fenshawe refused angrily to give a written reply, but von
+Kerber prevailed on him, and he wrote:
+
+"Mr. Hiram Fenshawe begs to inform the Governor of Erythrea that his
+prohibition of the landing of a British scientific expedition in the
+colony he rules is arbitrary and unwarranted. Mr. Hiram Fenshawe is
+further of opinion that the said prohibition is part of the lawless
+treatment to which he and other members of the yacht's company were
+subjected during their visit to the 'recognized port' of Massowah.
+Finally, Mr. Hiram Fenshawe intends to lay the whole matter before the
+British Foreign Office."
+
+This stiff-necked answer showed clearly that the writer was still on
+von Kerber's side, no matter what revelations were contained in the
+letter from London which Royson knew of. Irene copied the note for her
+grandfather. She made no comment. Perhaps her own island blood was a-
+boil at the cavalier tone of the Governor's threat.
+
+Stump's letter was characteristic. It ran:
+
+    S. Y. Aphrodite,
+
+    Lat. 15 deg. 10' N., Long. 41 deg. 15' E,
+
+    SIR--Yours at hand. Will act as think fit.
+
+    Yours truly,
+
+    JOHN STUMP, Master
+
+
+The disagreeable part of this business ended, the Italian officer
+conveyed the compliments of the Cigno's commander, and, on his behalf,
+invited Signor Fenshawe and the two ladies to luncheon. Mr. Fenshawe
+stiffly declined, on the plea that he did not wish to interrupt the
+voyage, and the envoy went back to his ship.
+
+The _Aphrodite_ swung round into the wind, dipped her ensign, and was
+soon bowling along at her usual rate. The _Cigno_ stood away for the
+coast, but, as the day wore, it was palpable that she did not mean to
+part company with the yacht until the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb were
+passed.
+
+About four o'clock the wind dropped and the engines were called on.
+With the night the wind rose again but veered to the south. The
+_Cigno's_ lights were clearly visible at about three miles' distance.
+Her white masthead light watched the Aphrodite without blinking, while
+her red and green eyes suggested to Irene's fancy some fabled monster
+of the deep waiting to pounce on the yacht if she deviated an inch from
+her seaward course.
+
+The girl snatched a few minutes' talk with Royson. Von Kerber, it
+seemed, had persuaded her grandfather that Alfieri was the paid agent
+of rival archeologists who had got wind of the Sabaean hoard, and were
+able to secure the help of the Italian Government. She was convinced
+that the ill treatment meted out to them at Massowah had only confirmed
+the old gentleman's determination to best his opponents at all costs.
+The burking of his cablegrams, made known by the Baron, was the last
+straw in an aggravated load. The yacht was going to Aden to enable him
+to lodge a complaint with the proper authorities, but she would leave
+almost at once for French--Somaliland, where a _kafila_ would be
+collected and a dash made across the Italian frontier. And Dick
+gathered that Irene herself was inclined to let affairs run their
+natural course. He agreed with her, which was to be expected, seeing
+that he was four-and twenty, and in love. He cudgeled his brains for
+some pretext to discuss rings and the manner of wearing them, but his
+wit failed him there. Irene on the deck of her grandfather's yacht
+differed in several important particulars from the tremulous girl who
+clung to him during that blissful journey of the previous night.
+
+He tried to clear up this vital point with Tagg.
+
+"Did you ever give a young lady an engagement ring?" he asked, after
+judiciously leading his chief to discourse on the frailties of the
+sex.
+
+"Well," said Tagg reflectively, "it all depen's on the way you take'
+it. I once gev' a girl a Mizpah ring, which fancied, when she saw'r it
+in a pawnshop window. Next time I met her she tole me she'd swopped it
+for a dress improver. The feller she was goin' to marry didn't like the
+motter as comin' from me, you see, but the funny thing was she never
+said a word about him when she saw'r me buyin' the ring. Since then,
+I've kep' me money in me pocket."
+
+Royson took the morning watch, from 4 A.M. till 8. Stump joined him
+soon after dawn, and appeared to be anxious about the yacht's exact
+position. So far as Dick could judge from the chart, they were in safe
+waters; nevertheless, the stout skipper did not rest content until the
+tall peak of Jebel Aduali opened up clear of Jebel Ash Ali, with
+Sanahbor Island bearing west.
+
+A lighthouse on the mainland flashed a bright ray at them before the
+rising sun rendered its warning unnecessary. Still dogging them, the
+_Cigno_ followed in their wake at half speed, but Stump gave no eye to
+the warship. He continued to scan the coast intently. A low, double-
+peaked hill intervened between the lofty Jebel Aduali and the ship.
+When its saddle cut the summit of the more distant mountain, Stump
+changed the course sharply.
+
+To Royson's surprise, the yacht turned due west, and headed for the
+point whence the lighthouse had gleamed half an hour earlier.
+
+And now, instead of looking ahead, Stump kept his telescope glued on
+the _Cigno_. A cloud of smoke from the gunboat's funnels showed that
+she had noted the _Aphrodite's_ new direction, and meant to take a
+close interest in it. She had a few miles to make up, but that was a
+simple matter, and her nose swung to the southwest as she raced for the
+bay towards which the yacht was steaming.
+
+Both vessels held on, following converging lines, for nearly an hour.
+By that time they were hardly a mile apart. Suddenly Stump sent the
+_Aphrodite_ round until she lay on her previous course. In a word,
+after standing in for the land in the most decided manner, he was now
+making for the Straits again.
+
+This behavior apparently puzzled the Italian vessel, as, indeed, it
+succeeded in puzzling Royson and the man at the wheel, while the looks
+cast towards the bridge by the watch, who were mainly employed In
+swabbing the deck, told that the men were commenting on the yacht's
+erratic wanderings.
+
+All at once the blare of a siren came faintly over the shimmering sea,
+and Stump chuckled triumphantly.
+
+"He's found it," he roared, his voice almost rivaling the hoarseness of
+the far-off foghorn. "Sink me If that Dago wasn't so taken up with
+pipin' my antics that he's gone an' done it!"
+
+"Done what, sir?" asked Dick, seeing that his respected skipper was in
+hilarious mood.
+
+"Run his bloomin' _Cigno_ onto the Scilla Shoal. Damme, I thought he'd
+do it. Listen to him," for another wail reached them from the
+disconsolate warship. "He's fixed there as though, he was glued to it.
+He'll have to jettison all his bunker an' a gun or two afore he gets
+off. They tell me _Cigno_ means 'swan.' I wonder wot's the I-talian for
+'goose.' Go an' tell Tagg. Tell him to tumble up quick, if on'y for the
+sake of ole times."
+
+Royson aroused the chief, and gave him the skipper's message. Tagg,
+rubbing his eyes, came on deck. He looked at the _Cigno_, heard her
+dismal trumpeting, and slowly took, in the surroundings.
+
+"Well, s'elp me!" he grinned. "Sorry to rake cold ashes, cap'n, but
+isn't that where you piled up the Ocean Queen?"
+
+"Don't I know it!" growled' Stump, "One solid month, we stuck there,
+didn't we, Tagg? Threw over-board two thousand tons o' best Cardiff,
+an' then had to be hauled off by another tramp. Well, good-by, Swan!
+I'll report you at Perim. An' mind you take care o' them letters. It
+'ud be a pity if the Governor didn't 'ave 'em in time. By gad, I never
+thought I'd owe the _Ocean Queen_ a good turn. She lost me my berth,
+an' nearly cost me my ticket, but she's made it up to-day. Come on,
+Tagg, we'll have a tot o' rum an' drink to the rotten ole hulk which
+gev' us best ag'in that swaggerin' I-talian. My godfather, won't Becky
+be pleased when she hears of it!"
+
+And the two dived below to partake of the generous spirit which pays
+homage to the rising sun, while the _Cigno_ bleated her distress to
+deaf ears.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+
+THE SIGN IN THE SKY
+
+"There is a spice of the nomad in all of us," said Irene, pulling up
+her hardy Somali pony and allowing him to graze on some prickly plant
+from which a grass-fed animal would have turned in hungry disgust.
+
+"Here am I, quite new to desert life, enjoying it to the full. Perhaps
+my remote ancestors were gipsies. Do I look like a gipsy, Mr. Royson?"
+
+"My acquaintance with gipsies is limited," said Dick. "Once, being free
+from office troubles on Derby Day, I walked over Epsom Downs, and was
+beseeched many times to have my fortune told. Most of the prophetesses
+--they were all of your sex, Miss Fenshawe--were blessed with
+exceedingly fine complexions and beautiful eyes. If these are marked
+features of the gipsy tribe--"
+
+"Don't you dare bring me out here in order to pay compliments."
+
+"Indeed, I am but stating the bare truth to your face."
+
+"If you persist, then, I shall be compelled to act the part of a gipsy
+and tell your fortune, and I warn you that it will not be very cheerful
+hearing."
+
+Royson gazed beyond her towards a white mist which shrouded the eastern
+horizon. Overhead, the delicious blue of early morning was yielding to
+the noonday tint of molten copper.
+
+"Even if we turn back to-day there are thirty marches between us and
+the sea," he said with seeming irrelevance.
+
+But those two were beginning to understand one another, and the girl
+colored under the deep tan of sun and air.
+
+"Whenever we are alone now you insist on talking nonsense," she said.
+"I really believe the desert has made you light-headed. Please be
+serious for a moment. I brought you here to--"
+
+"I am glad you have corrected yourself. A moment ago you charged me
+with bringing _you_ here."
+
+"Well, then, we came here, if one must be so accurate, to be away from
+the others. At least, I mean--Well, that is a stupid way of putting it,
+but it will serve--"
+
+"It has served most admirably," said Royson, glancing back at the long
+drawn-out caravan crossing the shallow valley they had just quitted.
+
+"There you go again," she cried, with just a touch of petulance in her
+tone. "You know very well that I did not mean what I said."
+
+"Not even when you promised to tell my fortune."
+
+"I can explain myself that way if you like. Your fortune is singularly
+like my own at the present moment. You are accompanying a crowd of
+people who don't know where they are going, or what they mean to do
+when they get there. I am quite sure the Baron is befogged, or, if that
+is not a happy expression in this wonderful atmosphere, shall I say
+lost? I don't speak Arabic, but I can read that man's face, and I
+watched him this morning when he was consulting our so-called guide. In
+plain English, Mr. Royson, we are drifting, in the vain hope that
+somewhere out there we shall find five hills in a clump. I don't
+object, in a sense. It is a very delightful picnic from one point of
+view. But I hate uncertainty, and I loathe deceit, and here we are at
+the mercy of both, while my grandfather is so taken up with the joy of
+arranging everything, which von Kerber very cleverly leaves to him,
+that he simply won't listen to me when I suggest the need of more
+definite information. And just think of it! Five Hills! With a rocky
+desert in front and five thousand hills to the left. What is to be the
+end of it all? Are we to go wandering on till we march into Suez, or
+Cairo?"
+
+"Our sheikh is a marvel at finding oases," said Dick. "I wonder if
+there is a string of them all the way between here and--"
+
+"Mr. Royson," broke in Irene, "you are the only person' to whom I can
+confide my doubts and fears. They may be silly, but please don't adopt
+that tone. It--hurts."
+
+Royson, who had dismounted, slipped his Arab's bridle under an arm and
+strode a pace nearer.
+
+"Don't you see that we can do nothing at present?" he said earnestly.
+"I am alive to the difficulties which may beset us in the near future;
+but what would you have me do, Miss Fenshawe? If your grandfather were
+not of the party, I know exactly what I would propose--at least, I
+think I know."
+
+"And that is?"
+
+"That Stump and some of our men should escort you and Mrs. Haxton back
+to Pajura, and let our Austrian friend ride his hobby to death. And
+believe me, I am not consulting my own wishes in saying that."
+
+"Don't you wish to return?"
+
+"No. I love this arid land. I never see the supercilious curl of a
+camel's lip or meet the bland contempt of his eye but I imagine him
+saying, 'Ah, Feringhi, were it not for your white skin I might whisper
+strange secrets into your ear, but you are an unbelieving dog, so
+perforce I remain dumb.' Hence, Miss Fenshawe, inclination pulls one
+way and common sense the other. As matters stand, I plead guilty to a
+profound gladness that common sense has not swayed us to-day, and may
+escape us to-morrow. Candidly, I am enjoying myself immensely."
+
+"Then there is nothing more to be said," cried Irene, yielding somewhat
+to his buoyancy. "Shall we go on, or wait here for the _kafila_ to
+overtake us."
+
+"Unless I am greatly mistaken," said Dick, looking at his watch, "we
+shall find the usual oasis hidden in a depression about two miles
+ahead. Our excellent sheikh, Abdur Kad'r, times the morning march to
+end precisely at ten o'clock. It is now a quarter to nine. Our camels
+march two and a half miles per hour, and we are three quarters of a
+mile ahead. Therein, Miss Fenshawe, yea have a first-rate example of
+deductive reasoning, so I propose that we advance steadily, and look
+for a cluster of palms. If, happily, their shade is not taken up by
+other wanderers, you will be out of the sun long before the caravan
+arrives. What say you?"
+
+"Some day I shall stamp my foot and say 'No'--shriek it at you, in
+fact. I hate any one who is always right, and you seem to be utterly
+different since we left the _Aphrodite_. I have never seen such a
+change in a man. One would think you were born in the desert. And you
+are learning Arabic ten times more quickly than I."
+
+"I do not find favor in your eyes this morning, though it is good to
+know that I have reformed, since, by your own showing, I must have been
+always wrong aboard ship," said Dick, remounting.
+
+"Oh, it is a perfect luxury to have some one to pitch into," cried the
+girl, stirring the Somali with her heel.
+
+"But won't you tell me what I have done that vexes you, Miss Fenshawe?"
+
+"You are absurd. You pretend that you see nothing, whereas I am sure
+you see more than I, but you refuse to speak."
+
+Royson seemed to be singularly unaffected by this outburst. He caught
+the angry flush on the girl's forehead, and, as was his way when the
+stubborn fit seized him, threw his head back, with lips set. Irene
+stole a look at him, and laughed constrainedly.
+
+"Very well. If you won't talk I must," she said with a great air of
+determination. "It is about Mrs. Haxton."
+
+"A most interesting topic," said Royson.
+
+"That is what my grandfather seems to think."
+
+"He told me last night that he considers her a singularly well-informed
+woman."
+
+"For well-informed read artful," exclaimed the girl bitterly. "Have you
+forgotten what I said to you in the canal? When we began our voyage
+Mrs. Haxton and the Baron were as good as engaged. Now they have
+reached some agreement which permits Mrs. Haxton to fly for higher
+matrimonial game than a penniless adventurer."
+
+"Do you really think that?"
+
+Royson had grown suddenly serious. He half turned in the saddle so as
+to seek the added inspiration of Irene's expression, but she kept her
+eyes studiously averted, and the broad-brimmed pith hat she wore helped
+to conceal her face. But she answered readily.
+
+"I am quite certain of it. How else could I discuss it with you?"
+
+"The view I take is that she merely wishes to give von Kerber every
+chance. So long as Mr. Fenshawe remains interested--beguiled, if you
+like--she switches his thoughts away from the object of our journey.
+Your grandfather is a masterful man, Miss Fenshawe. If he suspected
+that we were following a wild-goose chase he would turn south again
+this very hour."
+
+"Yet I am sure of my ground," she persisted.
+
+Royson's horse started and shied. A small brown snake, coiled up in the
+sunlight, and almost invisible amidst the stones, squirmed rapidly into
+a crevice beneath a rock. Such incidents in the desert were too
+frequent to demand comment. Dick patted the Arab's neck and soon
+soothed him.
+
+"Failing our discovery of this fabled treasure, I can appreciate Mrs.
+Haxton's willingness to many a millionaire," he went on. "Yet there are
+difficulties in the way. That viper reminds me of one. Would not von
+Kerber object?"
+
+"No," said Irene.
+
+They jogged along in silence for some distance. The girl added nothing,
+to her emphatic monosyllable. Dick felt a tugging at his heart-strings
+which was becoming a dangerously frequent symptom.
+
+"As you have favored me with your confidence thus far, won't you take
+the next step, and tell me why you credit Baron von Kerber with such
+complaisance?" he demanded.
+
+"A woman should not always be asked for reasons, Mr. Royson," said she
+lightly.
+
+"In the graver events of life one wishes for them, nevertheless."
+
+"Perhaps we are deviating from the chief issue," she countered. "If
+only I could persuade grandad that he is being wilfully misled, things
+might go as I wish. Can't you help, Mr. Royson?"
+
+Then she turned her face to his, and the temptation that had gripped
+him many a time of late came back with an intensity that was almost
+unendurable. He did not flinch from her steadfast eyes. Though the path
+of honor was steep and straight he must tread it to the end.
+
+"If I tell your grandfather what little I know of these people I break
+my word," he said harshly. "That is the only reply I can make, Miss
+Fenshawe. May I add the ignoble argument that any such breach of faith
+on my part would probably be useless? You ought to sympathize with me."
+
+"Why?" she said coldly.
+
+"Because it is not often that a man is tortured as I am by a conflict
+between duty and--and desire."
+
+"There is our palm grove," she cried, pointing to a few stunted trees
+whose fronds showed above the rock-strewn bank of a small wady, or
+ravine, which cut through the center of the shelving plateau they were
+crossing. "The ground is fairly clear here. Shall we try a canter?"
+
+Without waiting for a reply she pressed her pony into a steady gallop.
+Royson responded to her wayward mood, and followed her lead. Though the
+sun was so hot that their hands would have blistered if unprotected by
+gloves, the clean, dry air-current created by the rapid motion was
+exhilarating in the extreme. They were riding through a lost continent,
+yet its savage ruin was sublimely beautiful. The comparatively level
+spot that allowed the luxury of a gallop was made up of sand and
+stones, with here and there a black rock thrusting its bold contour
+above the shingle. A curiously habitable aspect was given to the desert
+by numbers of irregular alluvial mounds which, on examination, were
+found to consist of caked soil held together by the roots of trees. So,
+at one time, this arid plain had borne a forest. To the mind's eye,
+here lay the dead earth's burial-place.
+
+Ages ago a torrent had fertilized the surrounding tract, and its dried-
+up bed was marked by water-smoothed boulders. Here and there, small
+groups of dwarf bushes, covered with dagger-like thorns, drew
+sustenance from secret rills of moisture. The camel path they followed
+had the distinctness of daily use, though no recognized _kafila_ had
+passed that way during the previous year, new trade routes to the
+interior having drawn the caravans in other directions. Soon it turned
+up the side of the ravine. The _sayall_ bushes began to grow more
+densely, and the wady spread to a great width. Beyond a patch of
+pebbles lay a brown carpet of tough grass. In the center stood seven
+date-trees and a considerable number of stunted bushes, these latter
+differing from the _sayall_ only in the size of their thorns, which
+were fully two inches long and seemingly untouchable. Yet, next to
+water, the thorn-crop constituted the chief wealth of the oasis,
+because camels would munch the tough spines with great relish.
+
+The camping-place appeared to be untenanted. Royson found the
+footprints of gazelles wherever the sand had collected in a hollow, but
+the animals must have scampered away unseen towards the barren hills
+near at hand. Through an occasional gap there were glimpses of the
+mighty ramparts of Abyssinia. It was hard to realize that the dainty
+gazelle could find food in this desolate land. Yet, with the inborn
+instinct of the hunter and scout, Royson unslung his carbine and held
+it across the saddle-bow as he urged his horse slightly in front of the
+short-striding Somali. When he drew rein he rose in the stirrups to
+peer through the barrier of thorns.
+
+"First come, first served," he cried joyously. "We have the forage to
+ourselves, Miss Fenshawe. I shall be sorry for any others who come this
+way after our host has passed. Look at it now. It is an absolute army.
+We shall strip this poor little garden of the desert as locusts are
+said to eat up a cornfield."
+
+Irene slipped from the saddle, loosened the girths, and then glanced at
+the distant caravan, which had just become visible again on the sky-
+line of the plateau. It was more than likely that no such mixed
+gathering of men and animals had taken that road since the destruction
+of forests converted the country into a wilderness. The party from the
+yacht numbered eighteen; there were fifty Bedawi Arabs in attendance on
+a hundred camels; eight horses, Arabs or Somali ponies, each required a
+syce, while the sheikh who had brought the caravan from Pajura was
+overlord of a score of hangers-on who figured in his list as servants.
+
+A thin haze of dust rose as this regiment advanced. In that wonderful
+light its progress might be marked twenty miles away by keen eyes. The
+girl watched it silently for a time, while Royson, knowing the manner
+in which the camp would be formed, picketed the two horses so as not to
+interfere with the general arrangements.
+
+Then he lit a cigarette and rejoined Irene.
+
+"How far distant is the head of the caravan now?" she asked.
+
+"Nearly two miles. It looks more like two furlongs," said he, divining
+her thought, for it was easy to discern Mrs. Haxton, wrapped in a gray
+dust-cloak, on a splendid riding camel in advance of the main body;
+beside her, on Arab horses, were Mr. Fenshawe and von Kerber, the
+latter having just ridden up from the rear.
+
+"Does one's sight become better, then, by residence in this strange
+land?" murmured the girl.
+
+Royson deliberately ignored the less obvious significance of the words.
+
+"I think so," he said. "When all is said and done, desert and sea are
+akin, and most certainly a sea voyage benefits the eyes. Yet, now that
+you mention it, the atmosphere is remarkably clear to-day."
+
+"Are you weather-wise, Mr. Royson? Is not that a sign of storm?"
+
+"I sought instruction from Sheikh Abdur Kad'r on that very point only
+this morning. He says that the Kamsin does not blow at this season, and
+there is every reason to believe that it has not rained in this
+locality during the past three hundred years."
+
+"Dear me! Three--hun-dred--years!" "Yes. Sorry, but I can't make it any
+less." "Then you may give Sheikh Abdur Kad'r my compliments and tell
+him I predict either a thunderstorm or some unusual disturbance before
+night. Mrs. Haxton has a very effective smile, I admit, but it requires
+exceptional charm to make a smile distinctly visible at--how far did
+you say?--two miles?"
+
+The lady in question was certainly bending towards Mr. Fenshawe, and
+the smile was a reasonable conjecture. But they had tacitly agreed to
+forget their earlier conversation. They chatted freely now with the
+friendly ease that was their wont ever since the exigencies of camp
+life had thrown them together far more than was possible on board ship.
+Five weeks ago the _Aphrodite_ dropped anchor off Pajura after crossing
+from Aden, where Mr. Fenshawe had despatched his cablegrams and
+obtained a portion of the equipment needed for the desert tour. The
+arrival of such a large party occasioned no little excitement at the
+French port. That tiny station had not seen so many white faces at one
+time since its establishment, and, when its polite Commandant recovered
+from his voluble surprise, he warned Mr. Fenshawe that the interior was
+somewhat unsafe. But stories of Arab unrest were familiar to the
+veteran. He had heard them regularly during the preceding thirty years,
+and he was more than ever bent on outwitting the jealous rivals who had
+placed such obstacles in his path.
+
+The French officers at Pajura thought he was rather cracked to take
+ladies with him, yet they were obliged to admit that desert travel was
+healthy and enjoyable, provided supplies were ample, and, on this
+score, the skilled explorer of Soudan by-ways showed that he had lost
+none of his cunning. Before the caravan started news came from Aden
+that the _Cigno_ had been dragged off her sandspit. This gave an added
+value to the land route, as the coast of Erythrea was assuredly closed
+to them; the French authorities, on the other hand, rendered every
+assistance in their power.
+
+And now, after a month of steady marching, the caravan was well within
+Italian territory. The route lay parallel with the sea, but nearly a
+hundred miles distant from it. It traversed the interminable wadys and
+shelving table-lands leading down to the coast from the granite and
+pink Nubian stone foothills of the inner range of giants which guarded
+the fertile valleys of Abyssinia. Thus far, no unexpected difficulties
+had cropped up. The few nomads encountered were only too anxious to be
+friendly. The weather, scorching by day and intensely cold by night,
+was quite bearable. Indeed, to any one in good health, it supplied a
+marvelous tonic. Travelers less admirably equipped might have suffered
+annoyance from the snakes and scorpions which seem to thrive in the
+midst of sunburnt desolation, but these _voyageurs de luxe_ slept in
+hammocks slung in roomy tents, and assiduous servants dislodged every
+stone before they spread the felt carpets on which the heaven-born
+deigned to sit at meals.
+
+Yet--as Irene had guessed correctly--this magnificent progress through
+the desert contained a canker that threatened its destruction. Either
+von Kerber's calculations were at fault, or the papyrus was a madman's
+screed. The caravan was already two marches beyond the point agreed on
+by every authority consulted as that fixed by the Greek who survived
+the massacre of the Roman legion. The unhappy Austrian could no more
+identify the Five Hills mentioned in the papyrus as the essential clue
+to the whereabouts of the treasure than a man in an unknown forest can
+distinguish a special group of five trees. That is to say, he may
+blunder on them by chance, but he cannot find them by using his
+judgment. As Irene put it, here were not five, but five thousand hills.
+The mortal puzzle before von Kerber was to pick his five.
+
+When the caravan arrived at the halting-place the tense solitude gave
+way to pandemonium. Camels grunted and squealed in eager plaint to be
+relieved of their loads, horses neighed and fought for the best tufts
+of grass, men raged at each other as though the work of preparing the
+camp were something new and wholly unexpected.
+
+Through the turmoil strode Abdur Kad'r, a lean, saturnine Arab, who
+anathematized all his assistants indiscriminately, only varying his
+epithets according to the nationality of the man under the lash of his
+tongue at the moment.
+
+"Bestir yourself, illegitimate one. Are we to await the setting sun ere
+the tents are fixed?" he shouted at a negro who was bothered by a
+knotted rope. A crash behind him told that a too-zealous Arab had
+tumbled a box to the ground.
+
+"Oh, you owl, what evil have you done?" roared the Sheikh, transfixing
+the culprit with a glittering eye.
+
+"Lo, I loosened a strap, honored one, and the accursed thing fell," was
+the explanation.
+
+"It fell, eh? So shall my whip fall, Sidi Hassan, if thou art not more
+painstaking." He rushed towards a group of Somali syces.
+
+"Pigs, and children of pigs," he cried, "for what does the Effendi pay
+ye? Is there not occupation, ye black dogs? May your fathers' graves be
+defiled by curs!"
+
+Stump, whose rubicund visage was burnt brick-red by the desert, took a
+keen interest in Abdur Kad'r's daily outpourings. He had no Arabic, but
+he appreciated the speaker's fluency.
+
+"He'd make a bully good bo's'n," was his favorite comment, and he would
+add sorrowfully, "I wish I knew wot he was sayin'. It 'ud do me a
+treat."
+
+In an astonishingly short space of time the camp would be in form,
+fires lit with parched shrubs gathered during the last stage of the
+journey, a meal cooked, and every one settled down to rest until
+sunset, when, if there was no evening march, the Arabs and negroes
+would sing, and perhaps indulge in amazingly realistic sword-play,
+while the dozen sailors brought from the yacht would watch the
+combatants or engage in a sing-song on their own account.
+
+The present encampment offered no exception to the general rule. Abdur
+Kad'r, it is true, may have raged a little more extensively than usual
+when it was discovered that the well had caved in from sheer disuse,
+and several hours' labor would be necessary before some brackish water
+could be obtained. He did not trouble the Effendi with this detail,
+however. There was another more pressing matter to be dealt with, but,
+Allah be praised, that might wait till a less occupied hour, for the
+Frank was in no hurry, and he paid like a Kaliph.
+
+About four o'clock Irene was sitting in her tent making some belated
+jottings in a diary. Being thirsty, she called a servant, and told him
+to bring a bottle of soda-water. A few minutes later she heard a
+stumble, a crash, and a loud exclamation in Arabic. The man had fallen
+over one of the heavy stones to which the guy-ropes were fastened.
+
+She looked up smilingly, and wondered whether he would understand her
+if she said in French that she hoped he had not injured himself. The
+glass was broken, but the bottle was intact, for the native had caught
+it as he fell.
+
+"Ca ne fait rien," she cried encouragingly. Then she found that the
+Somali had risen to his knees, and was gazing skyward with every token
+of abject terror. At the same instant a strange commotion broke out in
+the camp. Through the open side of the tent she saw Europeans and
+natives all looking in the one direction--northwards. The Britons and
+Arabs had an air of profound astonishment. They pointed and
+gesticulated, but otherwise showed self-control. But the negroes were
+in a panic. For the most part they were kneeling. A few prostrated
+themselves at full length, and howled dolorously.
+
+The girl was alone, and she naturally felt alarmed. Royson was not far
+away, and he, like the rest, was held spellbound by some spectacle the
+nature of which she could not guess. Perhaps his thoughts were not far
+removed from Irene, because he turned and looked at her.
+
+"Come quickly, Miss Fenshawe," he shouted. "Here is the most wonderful
+mirage!"
+
+Was that it--a mirage? Why, then, this hubbub? She had grown so
+accustomed to the grim humor of the desert in depicting clear streams
+of running water, smooth, tree-bordered lakes, and other delightful
+objects of which the arid land dreamed in its sleep of death, that the
+excitement caused in the camp was wholly inexplicable.
+
+"What are you doing there?" she cried sharply to the frightened
+servant. "Go and get another glass, and take care you do not fall next
+time."
+
+If he heard he paid no heed. He continued to stare at the sky with
+wide-open eyes.
+
+Conscious of a fresh thrill of fear, she ran towards Royson.
+
+"What in the world--"
+
+Then she saw, and was stricken dumb with the sight, for she was looking
+at a spectacle which the desert seldom provides even to those who pass
+their lives within its bounds. A thin haze had taken the place of the
+remarkable clearness of the morning hours. Away to the north it had
+deepened almost into a fog, a low-lying and luminous mist like the
+white pall which often shrouds the sea on a calm bright day in summer.
+The sky was losing its burnished copper hue and becoming blue again,
+and, on the false horizon supplied by the crest of the fog-bank, stood
+a brilliantly vivid panorama.
+
+There were military tents, lines of picketed camels and horses, a great
+number of Arabs and blacks, and some fifty Italian soldiers, all
+magnified to gigantic proportions, but so clearly defined that the
+trappings of the animals, the military uniforms, and the gay-colored
+burnous of the Arabs were readily distinguishable.
+
+It could be seen, too, that they were working. Mounds of rock and earth
+showed that considerable excavations had been made. While those
+gathered round the well were yet gazing at this bewildering and
+lifelike picture, the moving ghosts in the sky underwent a change which
+enhanced their realism. One squad of soldiers and natives marched off
+towards the tents while another took their places. Were it not for the
+grotesque size of men and animals and the eerie silence of their
+movements it was hard to believe that the eyes were not witnessing
+actualities. The thing was fantastic, awe-inspiring, stupendous in
+design, but faultlessly true in color and treatment. No artist could
+ever hope for such a canvas. Its texture was vapor, its background the
+empyrean, and nature's own palette supplied the colors.
+
+And this cloud scene was pitiless in its moral. Two of the onlookers,
+Mrs. Haxton and von Kerber, knew exactly what it meant, while others
+read its message correctly enough. The expedition was forestalled. The
+long voyage and longer march, the vast expenditure, the hardships
+inseparable from the journey through the desert, the hopes, the fears,
+all the planning and contriving, went for nothing, since Alfieri the
+dreamer, Alfieri the fool, had apparently succeeded in locating the
+treasure of Sheba.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+
+WHEREIN A BISHARIN CAMEL BECOMES USEFUL
+
+To the Arab every white man is a Frank. The European invader was given
+that name during the First Crusade, and the Paynim does not change
+appreciably with the centuries. But he has learnt to differentiate
+between certain varieties of Frank, and Abdur Kad'r murmured
+maledictions on the Italian species as he watched the mirage slowly
+fading into nothingness. Though no one had told him the ultimate
+objective of the caravan, he felt that the presence of Italian soldiers
+at the nearest stopping-place put a bar to further progress. The mere
+fact that the _kafila_ came from French territory was unanswerable.
+There were difficulties enough already, difficulties which must be
+discussed that evening, but this obstacle was wholly unforeseen.
+
+Under his bent brows the gaunt sheikh had noted Mr. Fenshawe's manner
+when he turned excitedly to demand an explanation from von Kerber. The
+Effendi's change of tone told its own tale. Abdur Kad'r, true believer
+and desert-born, remarked to a brother Arab that Allah was Allah and
+Mahomet was undoubtedly the Prophet, but that of all the misbegotten
+produce of swine now cumbering the earth the Italians ranked easily
+first--or words to that effect. Then he relieved his feelings by
+objurgating the panic-stricken Somalis, whose superstitious minds
+interpreted the appearance of the air-borne host as a sure indication
+of war. He was in the midst of an eloquent outburst when his employer
+summoned him.
+
+"How far is it to the next oasis?" came the dreaded query.
+
+Abdur Kad'r, shrewd judge of men, knew that he must be explicit.
+
+"Sixty kilometers, honored one," he replied.
+
+"What! Nearly forty English miles?"
+
+"It may be so, Effendi. In our reckoning it is twenty kos and one kos
+is three kilometers."
+
+"But these Italians--in the mirage--they must be camped near water?"
+
+"There is none nearer than the Well of Suleiman, Effendi."
+
+"Is it possible that a mirage would reveal so clearly a scene taking
+place at such a distance?"
+
+"Strange things happen in the desert, Effendi. I have seen a village in
+the sky which my camels were four hours in reaching, and I have been
+told of sights even more wonderful."
+
+"You are sure about the sixty kilometers?"
+
+"Quite sure, O worthy of honor."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was skeptical. Mirage-phenomena were familiar to him, but
+never had they dealt with natural objects beyond a range of a few
+miles. For the most part, the mirage of the desert is a baseless
+illusion, depending on the bending of light-rays by air strata of
+differing densities. The rarer "looming," witnessed occasionally in
+more northerly latitudes, shows scenes actually in existence, and the
+best authenticated instance of a long-range view is that testified to
+by the inhabitants of Hastings, who during three hours on July 26,
+1798, saw the whole coastline of France, from Calais to Dieppe, with a
+distinctness that was then regarded as miraculous.
+
+But, whether Abdur Kad'r's figures were correct or not, there was no
+gainsaying the evidence of the mirage itself. The collapse of the
+undertaking was imminent, and the millionaire's tone was exceedingly
+curt when he called von Kerber to conference.
+
+"There are certain matters which must be cleared up, now that nature
+has assumed the role of guide," he said dryly. "I have been well aware
+during the past few days that you were not able to fix on the exact
+place described in the papyrus. I could pardon that. We are in a
+country where landmarks are bewilderingly alike, and therefore apt to
+cause confusion. But how comes it that our rivals can go straight to
+the place we are in search of, while we wander blindly in the desert?
+You assured me that yours was the only copy of the papyrus extant with
+the sole exception of the photographic reproductions supplied to me. Is
+that true? And, if it is true, who gave these others the information
+that has brought about our failure?"
+
+Mr. Fenshawe's pride was wounded. All the wrath of the disappointed
+connoisseur welled forth in his contemptuous words. Their very calmness
+and precision showed the depth of his anger, and von Kerber, like Abdur
+Kad'r, felt that the time for specious pretext had gone. So he
+answered, with equal exactness of phrase:
+
+"I gave you that assurance months ago in Scotland, and repeated it in
+London, but I have not said it since we met on board the yacht, for the
+very good reason that the papyrus was stolen from me at Marseilles."
+
+"Stolen!"
+
+"Yes, I was waylaid and robbed while driving from the station to the
+harbor."
+
+"Purposely, do you mean? Was the papyrus the object of the attack?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then this man, Alfieri, knew of it?"
+
+"I have never concealed that from you."
+
+"It is hard to say what you have or have not concealed, Baron von
+Kerber. My confidence in you is shaken. How am I to know that this
+latest version of Alfieri's amazing interference in your affairs is the
+true one?"
+
+No man is so sensitive of his honor as he who is conscious of by-gone
+lapses. Von Kerber started as though the other had stabbed him.
+
+"That is an unworthy imputation," he cried. "Mr. Royson can tell you
+that the papyrus was stolen. He rescued me from my assailants, yes?
+Mrs. Haxton is aware of it, and, unless I am mistaken, Miss Fenshawe
+also is no stranger to the news, seeing that our second mate is so
+greatly in her confidence."
+
+The older man, still watching the last wraiths of the mirage, seemed to
+be deaf to the Austrian's biting allusion to Irene.
+
+"I did not look for such a web of deceit," he murmured. "The papyrus
+was genuine, and I sought no other proof of honesty. You say Mrs.
+Haxton and my granddaughter are in this pact of silence. Let us have
+their testimony."
+
+Irene, as might be expected, indignantly disclaimed any sympathy with
+von Kerber's methods.
+
+"I heard, by chance, of the part Mr. Royson took in the affair at
+Marseilles," she said. "My maid told me. It was the gossip of the ship.
+Yet, when I questioned Mr. Royson himself, he refused to discuss the
+matter, owing to some pledge of secrecy drawn from him by Baron von
+Kerber. You forget, grandad, how often you have told me that I did not
+understand this undertaking sufficiently to justify my hostility to it.
+I have never believed in it, not for one moment. If you wish to know
+what happened at Marseilles, why not ask Mr. Royson himself?"
+
+"Yes," said Mr. Fenshawe quietly, "that will be well. Send for him,
+Irene."
+
+It was noteworthy that he addressed no question to Mrs. Haxton. That
+lady, nervous and ill-at-ease, could not guess how far the rupture
+between von Kerber and his patron had gone. She felt intuitively that
+the Austrian was puzzled, perhaps alarmed, by the presence of an
+official expedition in the very territory he had hoped to explore
+without hindrance--yet his manner hinted at something in reserve.
+Though he quivered under Irene's outspoken incredulity, his aspect was
+that of a man whose schemes have been foiled by sheer ill-luck. A rogue
+unmasked will grovel: von Kerber was defiant. For the moment, Mrs.
+Haxton was struck dumb with foreboding. Mr. Fenshawe's. dejected air
+showed that a deadly blow had been dealt to the project to which she
+had devoted all her resources since the beginning of the march. She,
+too, had begun to doubt. Here, in the desert, the buried treasure was
+an intangible thing. In England, the promises of the Greek's dying
+message were satisfying by their very vagueness. In Africa, face to
+face with the tremendous solitude, they became unbelievable, a dim
+fable akin to the legends of vanished islands and those mysterious
+races to be found only in unknown lands, which have tickled the
+imaginations of mankind, ever since the dawn of human intelligence. So,
+a live millionaire being a more definite asset than the hoard of a
+forgotten city, she had coolly informed von Kerber that if he wished to
+improve his fortunes, he would do well to pay attention to Miss
+Fenshawe, and leave her free to win a wealthy husband. It was a
+villainous pact, but it might have succeeded, at any rate in Mrs.
+Haxton's case, for no woman could be more gracious and deferentially
+flattering than she when she chose to exert herself. And now, reality
+seemed to yield to unreality. The substantial fabric of close
+friendship between Fenshawe and herself had crumbled before the fiery
+breath of the wilderness. What a turn of fortune's wheel! Here were all
+her plans shattered in an instant, and the man on whom depended the
+future changed into a hostile judge.
+
+Royson found a queer conclave awaiting him. Irene, distressed by the
+injustice of her grandfather's suspicion that she was sharing in a
+conspiracy of silence, had retired to a corner of the tent, and wore an
+air of indifference which she certainly did not feel. Mrs. Haxton,
+pallid, striving desperately to regain her self-possession, draped
+herself artistically in a comfortable camp chair. Von Kerber, scowling
+and depressed, stood near the entrance, and Mr. Fenshawe was seated in
+the center of the tent. The red light of the declining sun was full on
+his face, and Dick fancied that he had aged suddenly. Nor was this to
+be wondered at. No enthusiast, not even a wealthy one, likes to have
+his hopes of realizing a great achievement dashed to the ground, nor is
+it altogether gratifying that a woman who has won one's high esteem
+should be associated with a piece of contemptible trickery.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe's first question told Dick that a serious dispute was
+toward.
+
+"It has been stated," said Mr. Fenshawe, looking at him in a curiously
+critical way, "that a valuable document was stolen from Baron von
+Kerber at Marseilles--what do you know about it?"
+
+Dick, hourly expecting a strenuous turn to the placid marching and
+camping of the past few weeks, was not taken unaware. He had mapped out
+a clear line, and meant to follow it.
+
+"I regret to say that I cannot answer you, Mr. Fenshawe," said he,
+meeting the older man's searching glance unflinchingly.
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Because I gave an undertaking to that effect to Baron von Kerber."
+
+"But I am your employer, not he."
+
+"No, sir. That is not my view of the contract I signed."
+
+"Have you a copy of that contract'?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Will you show it to me?"
+
+"That is unnecessary," broke in von Kerber, with a savage impatience of
+the quasi-judicial inquiry which Mr. Fenshawe was evidently bent on
+conducting. "I give Mr. Royson full permission to answer any question
+you may put to him."
+
+"You do, eh? You give permission? Do you pay his salary?" demanded the
+millionaire indignantly.
+
+"Yes, on your behalf. Surely the arrangement between us cannot be
+disputed. I was to make all arrangements, yes?"
+
+"As my paid agent, you should add."
+
+Mrs. Haxton suddenly sat forward in her chair.
+
+"We had a tacit agreement for an equal division of the spoil," she
+interposed, with an acidity that Mr. Fenshawe probably found in marked
+contrast with her usual honeyed speech.
+
+"That agreement would have been kept by me," said Fenshawe. "You may
+not be aware that Baron von Kerber pleaded poverty, and I promised to
+remunerate him for his services, whether we won or lost. I have no
+doubt he has my letter, duly stamped at Somerset House, carefully
+packed away with Mr. Royson's agreement."
+
+The retort was in the nature of the tac-au-tac riposte beloved of the
+skilled swordsman. It was succeeded by a tense silence. Mrs. Haxton
+glared at the Baron. The ghost of a smile flickered on Irene's lips as
+she glanced at Dick. Von Kerber swished one of his boots viciously with
+a riding-whip. He found he must say something.
+
+"Why are we creating difficulties where none exist?" he snarled. "If
+the agreement stands in the way, I absolve Mr. Royson from any promise
+he has made. I wanted to guard against treachery, not to tie him down
+to serve me exclusively."
+
+"You asked for obedience and a still tongue, Baron. I have given you
+both," said Dick.
+
+"There is your employer, and mine--speak."
+
+Von Kerber could not be other than dramatic. He pointed to Mr. Fenshawe
+with a fine gesture.
+
+"I have not much to say, unless in the form of opinions. You certainly
+were attacked at Marseilles, and you yourself charged one of your
+assailants with stealing the papyrus. Beyond that, I know little of
+your business, though, from letters and cablegrams which reached me at
+various places, it seems to have been quite extensively known in
+London."
+
+"Who was your informant?" asked Fenshawe.
+
+"A solicitor named Forbes. He is not personally acquainted with Baron
+von Kerber, but this man Alfieri, of whom we have heard so much,
+employed private detectives. They, in the course of events, discovered
+my identity, and met Mr. Forbes. It is only fair to Baron von Kerber to
+say that I have never heard his version of the charge brought against
+him by Alfieri."
+
+"I have," said the millionaire, grimly.
+
+There was no mistaking the inference to be drawn from his words. Von
+Kerber was wholly discredited. It was exceedingly probable that the
+first march of the return journey to Pajura would be ordered forthwith.
+Indeed, Fenshawe rose to his feet, meaning to bid Abdur Kad'r prepare
+to strike camp after the evening meal, when Mrs. Haxton, divining his
+intent, cried shrilly:
+
+"May I ask what new circumstance has brought about this remarkable
+change in your plans, Mr. Fenshawe? It is true that we have been
+favored by an extraordinary vision of an Italian expedition at no great
+distance from our own, but what proof have we that it is successful, or
+even engaged on an errand similar to ours?"
+
+"The mere fact that extensive research is being carried on is
+sufficiently convincing. Italian soldiers and Arabs do not form huge
+earthworks in the desert for amusement," said Fenshawe.
+
+"They may be trying a last desperate chance," she retorted.
+
+"You forget that they have the same information as ourselves. There is
+no trouble in deciphering demotic Greek and the hieroglyph minerals are
+quite simple. Once the papyrus left Baron von Kerber's possession, our
+exclusive right to it vanished, and you can hardly expect me to engage
+in an armed attack on the military forces of a friendly nation."
+
+"So far as the papyrus goes, it is utterly useless to any one," broke
+in von Kerber suddenly.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was stirred out of his studied calm by the seeming
+absurdity of the interruption.
+
+"Useless!" he exclaimed, and his brow seamed with anger, "that is a
+strange word to apply to the only evidence of your story that you have
+ever produced."
+
+"I always feared Alfieri," said the other, throwing his hands out as if
+he were pushing away a threatening phantom. "He was spiteful, and
+jealous, and he knew enough to drive him mad with desire. But I would
+allow no one to interfere with me, yes? When I was sure of my ground,
+when I had secured translations of each piece of the papyrus, I altered
+it."
+
+"Altered it!"
+
+Incredulity and hope were oddly mixed in the cry which came
+simultaneously from the lips of two of his hearers. Even Irene and
+Dick, less wrapped up in the dream of finding the Sabaean hoard,
+awaited von Kerber's next utterance with bated breath. The man was too
+unnerved to feel any triumph at the sensation he had created.
+
+"Yes," he said, sinking wearily into a chair, though his voice almost
+cracked with excitement. "I changed the distances in every instance
+permitted by the text. As it stands now, the papyrus is utterly
+worthless. I acted for the best, yes? A secret known to more than one
+ceases to be a secret. But I am tired of pretense, and you shall have
+the truth, though it carries with it a confession of ghastly failure. I
+do not know what good fortune Alfieri has blundered into at Suleiman's
+Well, and I admit that the place offered my own last chance. Yet, if he
+has found the treasure, it was not because of the papyrus, but despite
+it. Here are photographs of every section in their present form," and
+he produced some prints from a pocket-book.
+
+"You were taught some Greek at school, Mr. Royson? Very well. Look at
+the passages which are faintly underlined, and you will, see where I
+have altered whole phrases, converted tens of miles into hundreds, and
+hundreds of paces into thousands. And that is the document which
+Alfieri obtained at Marseilles. He would recognize it as the original,
+though it is now quite misleading. If he is digging at the right place
+by reason of the directions given there, it is something beyond belief,
+yes?"
+
+"You speak of Alfieri recognizing the papyrus. Evidently, then, he had
+seen it earlier. In what manner was he connected with its discovery?"
+
+Mr. Fenshawe's coldly direct question came in sharp contrast with the
+Austrian's impassioned outburst. Von Kerber did not reply. With his
+elbows resting on his knees, and supporting his chin between clenched
+fists, he looked through the open door of the tent with eyes that
+stared into vacancy. The man was in a frenzy of despair. He saw the
+chance of his life slipping away from him, but he could urge no plea in
+his own behalf. It was Mrs. Haxton who answered, and her composure was
+oddly at variance with von Kerber's distress.
+
+"Alfieri was assistant curator of a museum at Naples when the Italian
+occupation of Erythrea led to his appointment as government
+archeologist in this territory," she said. "My husband was in charge of
+the Red Sea cable at that time, and Signor Giuseppe Alfieri was a
+friend of ours. An Arab named Abdullah El Jaridiah, grubbing among old
+tombs for curios, came across a roll of papyri. He sold it to Alfieri
+for a few francs, and Alfieri gave it to my husband."
+
+She paused; she was not a woman who said too much.
+
+"I take it that Alfieri knew no Greek?" said Mr. Fenshawe, with a touch
+of irony that was not lost on the lady.
+
+"He certainly failed to appreciate its importance," was the quiet
+response. "My husband deciphered most of the narrative, but he, in his
+turn, had no knowledge of hieroglyphics, and, as you are aware, many of
+the words and figures are contained in ovals, or cartouches, and
+written in Egyptian characters. He would have learnt their meaning from
+some other source, but he--died--very suddenly. An accident caused
+Alfieri to suspect the value of the papyrus, and he asked me to return
+it. Unfortunately, I led him to believe that I would meet his wish, but
+Baron von Kerber, who, as you know, was medical officer to a German
+mission to King Menelek, came to my assistance at the time, and I told
+him of my husband's views with regard to the portion he had translated.
+Baron von Kerber read the hieroglyphics, though he had to wait nearly a
+year before he could obtain expert advice as to the accuracy of his
+rendering. Meanwhile, Signor Alfieri and I had quarreled. I may as well
+tell you that he was pestering me to marry him, and I grew to hate the
+man. Then I returned to England, and a friend suggested that I should
+endeavor to interest you. Now you have the whole story, so far as I am
+concerned in it."
+
+"If that is so, it would have been better had you taken me into your
+confidence at the outset," said Fenshawe.
+
+"Alfieri was using threats. I feared the loss of your co-operation if a
+melodramatic element were introduced."
+
+"But are not you and Baron von Kerber, and, as it would seem, your
+Italian admirer also, attributing an absurdly fictitious value to the
+find? People do not pay high prices for old coins merely because they
+are historic. I have always regarded this treasure-trove as purely
+antiquarian in its interest. It may contain some vessels or statuettes
+worth money; but to what extent? Certainly not such fabulous sums as
+you appear to imagine."
+
+Mrs. Haxton smiled sourly.
+
+"We are dealing in candor," she cried. "Pray complete your confession,
+Baron von Kerber."
+
+The Austrian did not abandon his dejected pose, but he took up the
+parable readily.
+
+"There is one slip of papyrus you have never seen, Mr. Fenshawe," he
+said. "Perhaps you have been surprised that such a careful scribe as
+Demetriades gave no details of the loot? I kept them back. There were
+fifty camel-loads of precious vessels and rare stuffs brought from the
+East. There were one hundred and twenty camel-loads of gold coins, and
+two camels carried leather wallets filled with pearls and rubies and
+diamonds."
+
+Irene could not restrain a little gasp of wonderment at von Kerber's
+amazing catalogue. Her grandfather looked at her.
+
+"You were wiser than I, little girl," he murmured. "You warned me that
+these people were deceiving me, yet I refused to listen."
+
+"Oh, one has to follow the path that promises success," interrupted von
+Kerber savagely. "Had I told you these things you would have been the
+first to inform the Italian government. Why do you prate of deceit? Had
+we found the treasure, you must have seen everything. I only meant to
+hold you to your bond and demand my third share. _Lieber Gott!_ if you
+were not a stiff-necked Englishman you would now, even at the twelfth
+hour, force these Italian hirelings to disgorge."
+
+"Meaning that you advise a surprise march on Suleiman's Well, and the
+massacre of every person who resists as?" inquired Mr. Fenshawe, acidly
+impatient.
+
+"Better that than turn back at the very threshold."
+
+"Excellent! The voyage of the _Aphrodite_ would then achieve an
+international fame which would survive the ages."
+
+The blank despair in von Kerber's face won Royson's pity. He could not
+help sympathizing with him. And there was something to be said for his
+point of view. If Mrs. Haxton had given the true version of the finding
+of the papyrus, the Austrian's methods were comprehensible. Seldom has
+poverty been tempted by a vision of such enormous wealth.
+
+"May I make a suggestion, sir?" he asked, seeing that no one was
+willing to resume a somewhat acrid conversation.
+
+"As to the form of attack?"
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was still amused by the idea of treating the Italians to a
+_coup de main_.
+
+"No. We have made a long journey, and it might at least be determined
+whether or not it was justified. Will you allow me and Abdur Kad'r,
+and, perhaps, one other Arab less widely known than the sheikh, to try
+a small experiment. Let us endeavor to enter the Italian camp and find
+out what is going on? I can pass easily as a member of a shooting party
+who has lost his way. They will not slay me at sight on that account.
+At any rate, I am quite prepared to risk it."
+
+"The very thing!" exclaimed Mrs. Haxton, springing out of her chair.
+"Abdullah is there, and you know him. You must not appear. Let Abdur
+Kad'r send one of his men into the camp by night. He will bring
+Abdullah to you at a preconcerted rendezvous, and Abdullah will tell
+you what Alfieri is doing. Better still, let Abdullah come here. If he
+knows I sent you he will accompany you without a moment's delay."
+
+"The proper person to go and summon Abdullah is Baron von Kerber," put
+in Irene tremulously.
+
+"Before I sanction any proceeding of the sort, I wish to ask why
+Abdullah is apparently in league with your sworn enemy?" demanded Mr.
+Fenshawe.
+
+"The Governor of Massowah told me he was despatching an expedition to
+the Five Hills," said Mrs. Haxton eagerly. "I was sure it would fail,
+for reasons which the Baron has explained, but I bade Abdullah join the
+_kafila_, seeing that we could not carry out our first plan of landing
+lower down the coast. Then, if the Italian party received news of our
+whereabouts, Abdullah would steal away and warn us. The mere fact that
+he is not here now shows that our presence in this locality is
+altogether unsuspected." Fenshawe seemed to weigh his words before he
+answered.
+
+"I prefer that Mr. Royson should go, and not Baron von Kerber," said
+he. "On the understanding that he interferes with our rivals in no way
+whatever, I shall be glad of his report. If we have failed, there is no
+harm in knowing the facts. May I ask, Baron, have you any other
+surprises to give us in the shape of history, ancient or modern?"
+
+"I have nothing else to say," muttered the other.
+
+"Then, as it is nearly dinner-time, I trust we may forget Saba and its
+legends until we learn what progress Signor Alfieri has made. You start
+to-night, Mr. Royson?"
+
+"At the first possible moment, sir."
+
+"No, no. Eat, rest, and travel under the stars. That is the golden rule
+of a forced march in the desert. We will give you two nights and a day.
+Then, if you do not return, I shall send an open embassy to inquire for
+you."
+
+Thus it came about that, soon after night fell, three sulky Bisharin
+camels were led away from their fellows and compelled to kneel
+unwillingly to receive their riders. The operation was attended with
+much squealing and groaning.
+
+"They love not to leave their brethren," said Abdur Kad'r, pausing to
+take breath for a fresh torrent of abuse. The camels were forcibly
+persuaded, and Royson climbed into the high-peaked saddle. His last
+thought, as he quitted the red glare of the camp-fires, was that Irene
+might have snatched a few minutes from her rest to bid him farewell.
+But she was nowhere to be seen, so after a final hand-shake with Stump,
+he rode away into the night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+
+THE DESERT AWAKES
+
+The march Royson had undertaken was a trying one. The desert runs to
+extremes, and, at that season, the thermometer varied a hundred degrees
+between noon and midnight. When the sun dipped behind the hills, a
+tense darkness fell on the land. This impenetrable pall is peculiar to
+Egypt; probably it suggested to Moses that ninth plague wherewith he
+afflicted the subjects of a stubborn Pharaoh. Though this "darkness
+that may be felt" yields, as a rule, to the brilliancy of the stars
+after half an hour's duration, while it lasts a lighted match cannot be
+seen beyond a distance of ten or twelve feet. It is due, in all
+likelihood, to the rapid radiation of surface heat. When the cold air
+has robbed sand and rock of the temperature acquired from the broiling
+sun, the atmosphere clears, and the desert reveals itself again in the
+gloomy monotone of night.
+
+It may reasonably be supposed, that the excess of humidity which caused
+the remarkable mirage of the afternoon helped to continue the "black
+hour," as the Arabs term it, far beyond its ordinary limits. Hence it
+was nearly ten o'clock when Royson quitted the camp on his self-imposed
+task. To all outward semblance, he differed not a jot from the two
+Arabs who accompanied him. A burnous and hood covered his khaki riding
+costume. He bestrode a powerful camel nearly eight feet high. Like his
+companions, he carried a slung rifle; a haversack and water-bottle
+completed his equipment. His size alone distinguished him from Abdur
+Kad'r and Sheikh Hussain of Kenneh, the latter being a man whom Abdur
+Kad'r had selected as best fitted to win his way unquestioned into the
+Italian camp. Royson's Arab dress was intended to secure the party from
+espionage while they traveled towards Suleiman's Well. When they neared
+it he would throw aside the burnous. His pith helmet was on his saddle,
+but the Arab hood enabled him to dispense with it by night.
+
+The older Arab led: behind him rode Royson; Hussain brought up the
+rear. In this fashion they climbed the slight rise of the wide valley
+which sheltered the expedition. They had gone some three hundred yards,
+and the leader was scanning the horizon for a gap through which the
+track passed, when they were all amazed to hear Miss Fenshawe's clear
+voice.
+
+"I thought you were never coming, Mr. Royson," she said. "I was on the
+point of going back to my tent, but I caught the grumbling of your
+camels. Then I knew that you had really made a start."
+
+After the first gasp of wonder and delight, Dick slipped to the ground.
+He narrowly avoided a spiteful bite from his unwilling conveyance, but
+he handed the single rein to Abdur Kad'r, and hastened towards a rock
+in whose shadow stood Irene, garbed and cloaked so that she was
+scarcely discernible.
+
+"I cannot tell you how glad I am to see you, Miss Fenshawe," he cried,
+"yet, in the same breath, I must protest against your wandering so far
+from the camp. Are you alone?"
+
+"You may be sure of that. Otherwise I should not be here." She laughed
+cheerfully, for the escapade had in it a spice of adventure, and she
+wished to give it a lighter turn.
+
+"Then you have news for me?"
+
+"No. You heard all that passed to-day. Since then, my grandfather has
+refused to discuss the affair. As a result, Mrs. Haxton and the Baron
+were snappy during dinner. In fact, they were unendurable, and I was
+delighted when they left us."
+
+"It is a hateful thing to have to lecture you," he said, coming nearer,
+and trying to peer into her face, "but you know you ought not to take
+this risk. It is too venturesome. I think that this section of the
+desert is fairly clear of any real danger, so far as prowling Bedouins
+are concerned, but there are other unpleasant neighbors--in the shape
+of snakes and scorpions--"
+
+"I am wearing riding boots," she interrupted. "And I shall soon relieve
+your anxiety by returning to my hammock. Pray don't trouble about me,
+Mr. Royson. I have waylaid you with a purpose. It is too late now, I
+suppose, to dissuade you from carrying out a useless and absurd
+journey, but I do ask you not to commit the further folly of
+sacrificing your own life, and, perhaps, the lives of others, in the
+mistaken belief that you are serving Mr. Fenshawe's interests."
+
+Though she strove to speak in a tone of conventional friendliness, her
+voice shook a little. Dick was profoundly moved. It seemed to him
+suddenly that the burnous he wore exercised a stifling effect on him.
+He threw it off, and it fell unheeded to the loose stones at his feet.
+The girl laughed again, somewhat tremulously.
+
+"What of those nasty creatures against which you warned me a moment
+ago?" she exclaimed. "Or is it that your disguise has become
+unbearable? You make an astonishingly tall Arab, Mr. Royson. I should
+have picked you out anywhere."
+
+That wayward heart of Dick's drove a hot flood of color to his face,
+but he still held mastery over his tongue.
+
+"Why do you think I am likely to run into danger?" he asked. For an
+instant his calmness misled her. She had grown accustomed to his habit
+of self-restraint, and looked for nothing else.
+
+"Because you would dare anything rather than fail," she said. "You
+would ride alone into the midst of a thousand enemies if you thought
+that thereby you could attain your ends. And I want to assure you that
+I--that Mr. Fenshawe--would object most strenuously to your incurring
+any real peril for the sake of the worthless people who have brought us
+to Africa on a wild-goose chase. By all means secure for us any
+possible information that can be obtained through the Arabs, but I came
+here because--because I shall feel happier if you promise me--that--you
+will avoid this man, Alfieri, and his friends. Did you see the look on
+Baron von Kerber's face to-day? I never before realized what the hunger
+for gold meant. He would kill any one who barred his path. I could read
+his very soul. And--and--it frightened me. So you must come back
+safely, Mr. Royson, for I have confidence in you and Captain Stump, but
+I am terrified of what may happen if von Kerber tells the others the
+story of the treasure, and promises them a large share in it, should it
+be found."
+
+"I had not thought of that," said Dick simply. Indeed, his mind was not
+at all occupied just then with von Kerber's scheming.
+
+"So I imagined. And that is why I stole out of my tent and waited here.
+I was sure you would agree with me that the really important thing is
+our speedy return to the yacht. It is the only possible course. My
+grandfather never intended to gain his ends by armed force, and von
+Kerber is assuredly dreaming of that at this moment."
+
+"I begin to see your point of view," said he, forcing himself to answer
+her words, though his brain was weaving other phrases. "Even if I
+discover that Alfieri is digging up those precious camel-loads, it will
+be best for all parties that his success should be minimized."
+
+"Yes, yes," she cried eagerly. "That is my meaning. I do not care what
+happens so long as we all reach Pajura. Then let the Baron and Mrs.
+Haxton do as they choose. Even if they want to borrow our money and our
+goods and chattels for the purpose of a second expedition I shall be
+the first to support the idea."
+
+"You are not longing, then, for a sight of the Sheban wealth?"
+
+"No. I hate the very thought of it. It is--bloodstained. Oh, Mr.
+Royson, everything now depends on you. Please contrive matters so that
+we shall travel to the coast without delay. That is all. You understand
+me, I think. It only remains for me to wish you good-by and God-speed."
+
+She moved a little apart, but Dick's left hand caught her by the
+shoulder.
+
+"No, Irene, it is not all," he whispered. "I am going now, and I shall
+return to you, God willing, within thirty-six hours, and, before I go,
+I want to kiss you."
+
+He could feel the quiver that shook her slender form at the
+unexpectedness of it. She uttered a startled cry, and wondered if she
+had heard aright, but she yielded to the clasp of an encircling arm.
+Perhaps she lifted her face in sheer amazement; be that as it may, Dick
+kissed her, not once, but many times.
+
+"May Heaven guard and keep you, sweetheart," he said brokenly. "You
+know that I love you. You have known it many a day, but I forced myself
+to be silent because I was proud. Now my pride has given way to the joy
+of whispering that I love you. To-morrow, that stubborn pride of mine
+may rebuke me, and say that I had no right to take you to my heart to-
+night, but to-night my love laughs at all that idle pretense of money
+erecting a barrier between you and me. You are dearer to me than life,
+and why should I not tell you so? I wanted to meet you to-night, Irene.
+I made plaint to the stars when I did not see you at parting. Now that
+you are here, I find myself at the gates of Paradise. Yet you must
+leave me now, dear one. Let me carry the fragrance of your kiss on my
+lips until the dawn. Then, in the chill of morning, when cold reason
+chides me, I shall refuse to listen to her, for I shall remember that
+Irene kissed me."
+
+The girl clung to him during a blissful instant.
+
+"Oh!" she sighed, and "Oh!" again as though her heart was throbbing its
+life out. Then she murmured:
+
+"You have not even asked me if I loved you, King Dick!"
+
+With that she glanced up at him, and placed both hands on his
+shoulders.
+
+"No," he said. "I only asked you to kiss me. I shall ask for your love
+when I may come without reproach and ask you to be my wife."
+
+"Dick," she said, with adorable shyness, "it is not yet to-morrow."
+
+He strained her to his breast. Their lips met again rapturously.
+
+"Oh, my sweet," he said, "has ever man received more angelic answer to
+a question that filled his heart with longing throughout many days?"
+
+"Yet you are leaving me, and of your own accord."
+
+"Irene--you, too, are proud. Would you have me return now?"
+
+"No. I know now that fate has chosen you to decide our fortunes. Go,
+Dick, but come back to me in safety, or my poor little heart will
+break."
+
+Then, as though afraid of her own weakness, she drew herself from his
+arms and hurried away towards the camp. He stood motionless, listening
+to her footsteps, and his soul sang blithe canticles the while. At
+last, when assured that she was within her tent, he picked up the
+discarded burnous, strode to the waiting camels, and quickly the desert
+enfolded him and his dreams in its great silence.
+
+And Dick thanked the desert for its kindliness, which had made possible
+that which was beyond credence. In London, how could a poverty-stricken
+outcast dare to raise his eyes to the patrician heiress? He remembered
+that first glance of hers, and the tactful way in which she had
+discriminated between the man who might be glad of a sovereign for the
+service he had rendered, and him who would value a woman's thanks far
+beyond gold. And then, with what quiet dignity she had ignored his
+fierce repudiation of von Kerber's offer of recompense. In that bitter
+hour how might he foresee the turn of fortune's wheel which in two
+short months would bring that dainty girl to his lover's embrace! How
+delightful it was to hear his nickname from her lips! King Dick! Well,
+such bold wooing ran in the blood, and it would go hard with any man,
+whether Frank or Saracen, who barred the way between him and his chosen
+lady. What if her grandfather were fifty times a millionaire! What had
+millions to do with love? Precious little, quoth Richard, if all he had
+read of rich men's lives were even partly true. He had a twinge or two
+when he reflected that, at present, he occupied the position of second
+mate on Fenshawe's yacht. He pictured himself asking the old gentleman
+for Irene's hand in marriage, and being told that he was several sorts
+of a lunatic. But the memory of Irene's kisses rendered her
+grandfather's anticipated wrath quite bearable, and Dick laughed aloud
+at the joy and folly of it all, until Sheikh Abdur Kad'r was moved to
+say sharply:
+
+"At night, in the desert, Effendi, the ears carry farther than the
+eyes, so it behooves us to make no more noise with our tongues than our
+camels make with their feet."
+
+They journeyed slowly until a wondrous amber light first flooded the
+eastern horizon and then tinted the opposite hills with pink coral.
+Soon, rainbow shades of blue and green began to blend with the pink,
+and the undulating plateau they were traversing revealed with startling
+suddenness its scattered rocks and patches of loose stones. The camels
+were urged into a lurching trot, and thirty miles were covered in less
+time than it had taken to travel eight during the dark hours.
+
+Beyond a few gazelles, a pair of marabout storks, and a troup of
+jackals, they saw no living creature. But they took every precaution
+against surprise. If others were on the march they meant to discover
+the fact before they were themselves seen. So, when the ground was
+practicable, they crossed the sky-line at top speed, hastened through
+the intervening valley, and crept in Indian file to the next crest.
+
+The Bisharin camels had long ceased to utter their unavailing growls.
+Such reasoning powers as they possessed told them that they must make
+the best of a bad business, as the lords of creation on their backs
+meant to reach the allotted destination without reference to the
+outraged feelings of three ill-used animals who had been deprived of a
+night's rest. Now, a camel has been taught, by long experience, that
+the legitimate end of a march is supplied only by something in the
+shape of an oasis, no matter how slight may be its store of prickly
+bushes and wiry grass. Therefore, these Bisharin brethren must have
+felt something akin to surprise when they were tethered and fed in a
+rock-strewn wady which offered neither food nor water. Animals and men
+had to depend on the supplies they had carried thither. Shelter, of
+course, there was none, and at nine o'clock the sun was already high in
+the heavens.
+
+One unhappy beast made a tremendous row when Hussain mounted him again
+after a brief respite, and bade him be moving. Nevertheless, protest
+was useless, and only led to torture. Finally, squealing and weeping,
+the camel moved off, while his erstwhile sympathizers regarded him
+blandly and unmoved, seeing that they were not disturbed, but permitted
+to munch in peace the remains of a meal. Hussain was soon out of sight.
+According to Abdur Kad'r's calculations, the Italian camp was in the
+center of the next important valley. At the utmost, it was three miles
+distant, and Hussain's presence early in the forenoon would be more
+readily accounted for if he put in an appearance on a camel that was
+obviously leg-weary.
+
+Royson had given the man explicit instructions. If questioned, he was
+to state the actual facts--that an Englishman and himself, with one
+other Arab, had made a forced march from the nearest oasis, that his
+exhausted companions were resting at no great distance, and that he
+purposed returning to them with a replenished water-bag and some food
+for their camels. But, amid the bustle of a large encampment, it was
+more than likely that his arrival would pass unnoticed save by his
+brother Arabs. In that event, he could satisfy their curiosity without
+going into details, ascertain whether or not Abdullah the Spear-thrower
+was among them, and, by keeping his eyes and ears open, learn a good
+deal as to the progress effected by Alfieri in the work of exploration.
+
+By hook or by crook, he must endeavor to return before sundown--if
+accompanied by Abdullah, so much the better. Then, having learnt his
+news, they could decide on the next step to be taken. Perhaps, if
+Abdullah came, they would be able to rejoin the expedition without
+further trouble.
+
+After Hussain's departure, Royson and Abdur Kad'r disposed themselves
+to rest. Utilizing camel cloths as _tentes d'abri_, they snatched a
+couple of hours of uneasy sleep; but the heat and insects drove even
+the seasoned sheikh to rebellion, and by midday both men preferred the
+hot air and sunshine to the sweltering shade of the stuffy cloths.
+
+Irene was right when she said that Dick had made a great advance with
+his Arabic. He was master of many words of every-day use, and had also
+learnt a number of connected phrases. Abdur Kad'r knew some French.
+These joint attainments enabled them to carry on a conversation.
+
+The Arab, with the curiosity of all men who do not read books, sought
+information as to life in big cities, and Royson amused himself by
+depicting the marvels of London. A limited vocabulary, no less than the
+dense ignorance of his guide on such topics as railways, electricity,
+paved streets, cabs, and other elements of existence in towns, rendered
+the descriptions vague. Suddenly, the sheikh broke in on Dick's labored
+recital with a query that gave the conversation an extraordinary turn.
+
+"If you have so many remarkable things in your own land, Effendi, what
+do you seek here?" he asked, waving a lean hand in comprehensive sweep.
+"This is no place for town-bred men like the Hakim Effendi, nor for two
+such women as those who travel with us. You have ridden three hundred
+kilometers across the desert, and for what? To find five hills, says
+the Hakim. May Allah be praised that rich men should wish to spend so
+much money for so foolish a reason!"
+
+"But the Hakim Effendi believes that there is an oasis marked by five
+hills somewhere in this district, and, were he to find it, we would
+dig, and perhaps discover some ancient articles buried there, articles
+of small value to the world generally, but highly prized by those who
+understand their history."
+
+"I know this desert as you know those streets you have been telling me
+of," said Abdur Kad'r, "and there is no oasis marked by five hills. You
+have seen every camping-ground between here and Pajura. There is but
+one other track, an old caravan road from the sea, which crosses our
+present line a few kilometers to the south. We passed it last night in
+the dark. It has only four wells. The nearest one is called the Well of
+Moses, the next, the Well of the Elephant--"
+
+"Why should you Arabs have a well of Moses?" asked Dick, smiling. "It
+is not thought that Moses ever wandered in this locality, is it?"
+
+"We respect Moses and all the prophets," said Abdur Kad'r seriously.
+He smoked in silence for a minute, seemingly searching his memory for
+something that had escaped it.
+
+"Is it true," he demanded doubtingly, "that once upon a time many of
+the hills gave forth fire and smoke as from a furnace?"
+
+"Quite true. Volcanoes we call them. All these mountains are volcanic
+in their origin."
+
+"Then a moulvie whom I met once did not lie to me. He said that seven
+little mounds which stand near that well had been known to vomit ashes
+and flame: thus, they came to be called the Seven-branched Candlestick
+of Moses. I suppose the well took the prophet's name in that way. Who
+knows?"
+
+Royson had learnt of late how to school his face. Long practise under
+the witchery of Irene's eyes and Mrs. Haxton's ceaseless scrutiny
+enabled him now to conceal the lightning flash of inspiration that
+fired his intelligence. An old caravan road from the sea, a road that
+led to the Nile, with its fourth stopping-place made notable by seven
+tiny cones of an extinct volcano--surely that had the ring of actuality
+about it! Von Kerber had confessed to altering figures and distances in
+the papyrus--was this an instance?--were the "hills" they sought not
+five but seven in number? What an amazing thing it would be if this
+gaunt old sheikh held the clue to the burial-place of the treasure! It
+must have been on the tip of his tongue ever since they met him, yet
+the knowledge was withheld, solely on account of von Kerber's secretive
+methods. Had he told Abdur Kad'r that he was searching for an oasis
+sheltered by seven hills it was almost quite certain that the Well of
+Moses would at least have been mentioned as the only locality offering
+a remote resemblance to that which he sought. Somehow, Dick felt that
+he had stumbled on to the truth. Though tingling with excitement, he
+managed to control his voice.
+
+"You say it is four marches from here to the sea?" he asked.
+
+"Five, Effendi. There are four wells, but each is thirty or thirty-five
+kilometers from the other. At one time, I have been told, many
+_kafilas_ came that way, but the trade was killed by goods being
+carried in ships to other points, while it is recorded among my people
+that the curse of Allah fell on the land, and blighted it, and the
+trees died, and the streams dried up, until it became as you now see
+it."
+
+Dick lit a fresh, cigarette, and blew a great cloud of smoke before his
+eyes, lest the observant Arab should read the thoughts that made them
+glisten.
+
+"Let us suppose," he said slowly, "that Fenshawe Effendi decided to
+make for the sea by that shorter road, there would be no difficulty in
+doing it?"
+
+"Difficulty !" re-echoed the sheikh, "it might cost us many lives. A
+few men, leading spare camels with water-bags, might get through in
+safety, but it would be madness to attempt it with a big caravan. By
+the Prophet's beard, I did not like the prospect of this present march,
+though I knew there was water and food in plenty at Suleiman's Well.
+What, then, would happen if we found every well on the eastern road dry
+as a lime-kiln?"
+
+"Yet you have been that way, you say?"
+
+"Once, when I was young. But we were only a few Arabs, with a long
+string of camels."
+
+"Did you find water?"
+
+"_Malish_--I have forgotten. It is so long ago."
+
+Royson rose to his feet and stretched himself. He wondered what Alfieri
+was disinterring at Suleiman's Well if the legion of Aelius Gallus had
+followed the old-world route described by the Arab. Perhaps it was all
+a mad dream, and this latest development but an added trick of fantasy.
+Abdur Kad'r, looking up at him, chuckled softly.
+
+"Effendi," he cried, "if you are as strong as you look, you must be of
+the breed of that Frankish king whom our great Soldan, Yussuf Ibn Ayub,
+fought in Syria eight hundred years ago. _Bismillah!_ I have seen many
+a proper man, but none with height and bone like you."
+
+Now, Dick knew that Abdur Kad'r was speaking of Richard the First and
+Saladin, and it did seem a strange thing that the founder of his race
+should be named at that moment. He laughed constrainedly.
+
+"You have guessed truly, my friend," he said. "I am indeed a descendant
+of that famous fighter. Alas, the days have long passed since men met
+in fair contest with lance and sword. If I were fool enough to seek
+distinction today in the battle-field I might be slain by any monkey of
+a man who could aim a rifle."
+
+"We die as God wills," was the Arab's pious rejoinder, "yet I have been
+in more than one fight in which a Frank of your size could have won a
+name for himself. But I am growing old. My hot days are ended, and you
+giaours are erecting boundary pillars on the desert. The free people
+are dying. We are scattered and divided. Soon there will not be a
+genuine Arab left. May the wrath of Allah fall on all unbelievers!"
+
+Then did Royson laugh again, with a heartiness that drove that passion
+of retrospect from Abdur Kad'r's dark features.
+
+"Whatever happens, let not you and me quarrel," he cried. "We have
+enough on hand that we should keep our heads cool. And who can tell
+what this very day may bring forth? Things may happen ere we rejoin our
+caravan, Abdur Kad'r."
+
+The sheikh, bowed his head in confusion. It must have been the heat, he
+muttered, that caused his tongue to utter such folly. And, indeed, the
+excuse might serve, for the hot hours dragged most wearily, and the sun
+circled ever towards the hills, yet there came no sign of Hussain.
+
+Royson, was divided between his promise to Irene not to incur any
+avoidable risk and his natural wish to obtain the information so
+eagerly awaited in the camp. Though he meant to begin the return
+journey at sunset, here was five o'clock, and he no wiser than
+yesterday at the same hour. At last, inaction grew irksome. He helped
+Abdur Kad'r to saddle the camels, and they mounted, with intent to
+climb the northerly ridge, and thus survey the road which Hussain must
+pursue if he managed to get away from Italian surveillance before
+nightfall.
+
+They proceeded warily. On gaining the opposing height they found that a
+broad plateau, flanked by a steep hill on the seaward side, barred any
+distant view, but Abdur Kad'r felt assured that the crest of this next
+hill would give them command of the whole range of broken country for
+many miles ahead. With this objective, they urged the camels into a
+trot. When the shoulder of the rising ground became almost impassable
+for four-footed animals, and awkward beasts at that, they dismounted,
+tied the camels to heavy stones, and climbed the remainder of the way
+on foot.
+
+They looked across a narrow valley into a wide and shallow depression,
+where a clump of palm trees and dense patches of _sayall_ bushes
+instantly revealed the whereabouts of the oasis. It was easy to see the
+regular lines of newly-turned rubble and sand where trenches had been
+cut by the explorers. But the place was deserted. Not a man or horse,
+camel or tent, stood on the spot where the mirage had revealed a
+multitude some twenty-six hours earlier.
+
+Royson was so perplexed by the discovery that his gaze did not wander
+from the abandoned camp. Abdur Kad'r, quicker than he to read the
+tokens of the desert, pointed to a haze of dust that hung in the still
+air far to the north.
+
+"The Italians have gone, Effendi," he said. "Perhaps they, too, were
+looking for an oasis with five hills. Behold, they have found one by a
+fool's counting, for this is the fifth hill within two kilometers of
+Suleiman's Well. The ways of Allah are wonderful. Can it be that they
+have discovered that which you seek?"
+
+A sharp pang of disappointment shot through Royson's breast. He was
+about to tell Abdur Kad'r that they must now regain their camels and
+hasten to the oasis while there was sufficient light to examine the
+excavations, when the sheikh suddenly pulled him down, for Dick had
+stood upright on a boulder to obtain an uninterrupted field of vision.
+
+"Look!" he growled. "Four of them! And, by the Holy Kaaba, they mean
+mischief!"
+
+Royson's eyes were good, clearer, in all probability, than the Arab's,
+but they were not trained to detect moving objects with such minute
+precision. Nevertheless, in a few seconds he made out the hoods of four
+men who were peering over the crest which separated the small valley
+from the larger one. They disappeared, and, while Royson and Abdur
+Kad'r were speculating on the motive that inspired this espionage, the
+hoods came in sight again, but this time they had the regular swing
+that betokened camel-riders. The four halted on the sky-line, and
+seemingly exchanged signals with others in the fear. Then they resumed
+their advance. They were fully armed; they carried their guns across
+the saddle-bow, and Dick saw that their cloaks were rather differently
+fashioned to those which he had taken note of hitherto.
+
+"Hadendowas!" murmured Abdur Kad'r. "They are good fighters, Effendi,
+but born thieves. And how many ride behind? Not for twenty years have I
+met Hadendowas on this track."
+
+The Arab's keen eyes did not cease to glare fixedly beyond the ridge.
+Soon he whispered again:
+
+"They may not have seen us, Effendi, but we must be ready for them. Go
+you, and lead our camels into the hollow there," and he thrust his chin
+towards the seaward base of the hill. "I shall soon know if they are
+playing fox with us. Our camels are of the Bisharin breed, while theirs
+are Persian, so we can always outstrip them if it comes to a race. You
+understand, Effendi; they come from Suleiman's Well. Perchance evil
+hath befallen Hussain."
+
+Abhur Kad'r's advice was so obviously reasonable that Dick obeyed it,
+though unwillingly. He took the camels to the place indicated by his
+companion, and had no difficulty in finding a cleft in which they were
+quite hidden from the ken of any who followed the main track.
+
+Soon he heard the sheikh hurrying after him.
+
+"Had we awaited Hussain another half hour we should have been dead or
+captured by this time, Effendi," was his bewildering news. "A white man
+and nearly seventy Hadendowas, all armed, and leading pack camels,
+follow close behind the scouts. With them are Hussain and another, but
+their arms are bound, and they are roped to their beasts. The Giaour--
+may he be withered--rides my Bisharin camel."
+
+Then Royson knew by intuition what had happened. Alfieri had failed in
+his quest. The Italian commander of the troops, refusing to sanction
+useless labor any longer, had marched north with his men. Alfieri,
+still clinging desperately to a chimera, had decided to remain and
+scour the desert until his stores gave out. And, at this crucial moment
+in his enterprise, came Hussain, the unconscious emissary of his
+rivals. The fact that the Arab was a prisoner spoke volumes. He had
+tried to communicate with Abdullah, and the watchful Italian had
+guessed his true mission. The man might have been tortured until he
+confessed the whereabouts not only of Royson himself and Abdur Kad'r
+but of the whole expedition. There was but one thing to do, and that
+speedily.
+
+"Up!" he shouted, dragging the camels forth to an open space. "You ride
+in front and set the pace."
+
+"What would you do, Effendi?" cried the sheikh in alarm. "They will see
+us ere we have gone five hundred meters. Let us wait for the night."
+
+"Up, I tell you," roared Royson, catching the Arab's shoulder in a
+steel grip. "In another ten minutes they will know we have fled, and
+they will hurry south at top speed. What chance have we of passing them
+in this country at night? Our sole hope is to head them. No more words,
+but ride. Believe me, Abdur Kad'r, it is life or death for you, and it
+matters little to me whether you die here, or in the next valley, or
+not at all."
+
+Then the Arab knew that he had met his master. He climbed to the
+saddle, said words not in the Koran, and urged his camel into a
+frenzied run. Royson, who could never have persuaded his own long-
+legged steed to adopt such a pace, found it easy enough to induce the
+beast to follow his brother.
+
+In this fashion, riding like madmen, they traversed the plateau and had
+almost begun the descent into the wady where they had spent the day,
+when a distant yell reached them. There was no need to look back, even
+if such a hazardous proceeding were warranted by their break-neck gait.
+They were discovered, but they were in front, and that counts for a
+good deal in a race. They tore down the hill, lumbered across the
+dried-up bed of a long-vanished torrent, and pressed up the further
+side. As they neared the ridge, four rifle shots rang out, and Dick saw
+three little spurts of dust and stones kick up in front on the right,
+while a white spatter suddenly shone on a dark rock to the left.
+
+"Faster!" he roared to Abdur Kad'r. "They cannot both ride and fire. In
+the next wady we shall be safe. Bend to it, my friend. Your reward will
+be great, and measured only by your haste in bringing me back to our
+camp."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+
+A FLIGHT--AND A FIGHT
+
+Mrs. Haxton was no laggard in her hammock on the day after Royson's
+departure from the camp, but, early riser though she was, Irene was up
+and dressed when the older woman came to her tent and asked if she
+might have a word with her. In fact, Irene had not undressed at all the
+previous night. When she tore herself from Dick's arms, she hurried
+back to the oasis, it is true, but only to draw a chair out into the
+open, and sit there under the stars, dreaming the dreams of a girl to
+whom the heaven of love has just thrown wide its portals.
+
+Even the midnight chill did not drive her to bed. She closed the flap
+of her tent, lit a lamp, and tried to read, but the letters danced
+before her eyes. Instead of the scenes portrayed by the book, she saw
+three ghostly camels shuffling through stones and sand in the darkness,
+and, on one of them, the tall figure of the man whose parting words had
+filled her soul with honey sweetness. At last, weary with anxiety on
+his behalf, she threw herself, fully dressed, on her low-hung hammock,
+this being Mr. Fenshawe's clever device to protect European skins from
+the attacks of the insects that swarm in the desert wherever there is
+any sign of dampness. She slept a few fitful hours, and her first
+waking thought was a prayer for Dick's well-being.
+
+Then came Mrs. Haxton, and the girl received her with unaffected
+friendliness, being in the mood that demanded the sympathy she was
+prepared to offer to all who suffered. Her visitor was observant. Her
+woman's eyes noted that Irene was still attired in a muslin dinner
+dress, whereas she invariably wore a riding costume of brown holland or
+Assam silk in the morning.
+
+"My dear Irene," she said, "I hope you will not allow that stupid
+dispute of yesterday to worry you into sleepless nights."
+
+"But I have slept--quite a long time," was the girl's smiling
+disclaimer.
+
+"Well, now--let us consider. Mr. Royson left the camp about ten
+o'clock. A young lady who shall be nameless said good-bye to him half
+an hour later--"
+
+"You saw me?" Irene flushed scarlet.
+
+"No, indeed. I was too busy with my own sad affairs to act the part of
+a female Paul Pry, even involuntarily. But I did see you go to your
+tent, and I caught a glimpse of you at midnight when you were lighting
+your lamp. It is not yet six, so I am guessing things."
+
+"If I were to return the compliment--"
+
+"You would say that I, too, was not a heavy sleeper. Well, I make no
+secret of a perturbed night. That is why I am here now. I want your
+help, Irene. Strange as it may seem, I appeal to you because I know you
+have always been opposed to my aims. Perhaps I am to blame for that.
+Had I forced Baron von Kerber to take you and Mr. Fenshawe fully into
+his confidence, events might have shaped themselves quite differently.
+But it is too late to talk of what might have been. You are more
+concerned with the future than with the past. Last night, while you
+were looking into the wonderland of the years to come, I was reviewing
+lost opportunities. Therefore, I come to you this morning somewhat
+chastened in spirit. May I talk without reserve?"
+
+"Please, do," cried Irene, drawing her chair closer. In the sharp
+clarity of sunrise she saw that Mrs. Haxton's beautiful face was drawn
+and haggard. She was beginning to probe unsuspected depths in this
+woman's temperament. She understood something of the intense
+disappointment which the failure of the expedition must evoke in one to
+whom wealth and all that it yields constituted the breath of life. And
+then, she was in love, which predisposes its votaries towards charity.
+
+Mrs. Haxton sighed. A consummate actress, for once her art was
+supplemented by real feeling.
+
+"Ah," she murmured, her eyes filling with tears, "I find your pity hard
+to bear."
+
+"Surely you are not going to cry just because I am sorry for you,"
+cried the girl. "There now. Don't give way. Let me call one of the men.
+He will bring us some tea, and we can have a nice long chat before
+breakfast."
+
+"Yes, do that. We both need it. My grief is rather selfish, Irene. I
+know your secret, dear girl, and I wish you every happiness, though the
+phrase carries with it the bitter self-communion that, for my own part,
+I have forfeited most things that make life happy. Well, that is not
+what I want to say. The storm has passed. Summon your slave, and bid
+the kettle boil."
+
+Surprised and touched by the emotion displayed by her companion, Irene
+hastened to procure the beverage which Providence evidently intended
+for the consolation of afflicted womankind. The camp was already astir,
+and the crew of the _Aphrodite_ were preparing their morning meal, so
+two cups of hot tea were quickly available.
+
+When Mrs. Haxton spoke again, the tears had gone, and her voice resumed
+its pleasantly modulated tone.
+
+"May I begin by assuming that you intend to marry Mr. Royson?" she
+asked.
+
+Irene laughed softly, and her glance wandered beyond the busy camp to
+the distant hills.
+
+"I have known more unlikely events to happen," she said.
+
+"I thought so. I recognized the symptoms. Well, I want to make a sort
+of bargain with you. If you help me, I can help you, and, to show that
+I can give effect to my words, I shall tell you exactly what form my
+help will take before I state the nature of the assistance I ask from
+you, so that you may be at perfect liberty to give or withhold it as
+you choose."
+
+"This is a rather one-sided contract, is it not?" "No. I fancy it will
+be equitable. I have not lived in close intimacy with you during so
+many weeks without arriving at a fair estimate of your character. You
+are one of the fortunate people, Irene, who find it more blessed to
+give than to receive. At any rate I am satisfied to settle matters that
+way. And to come to the point, while you may experience grave
+difficulty in obtaining your grandfather's consent to your marriage
+with a penniless young gentleman of striking physique but no
+profession--Mr. Royson being even a second mate on sufferance, so to
+speak--the aspect of your affairs changes materially when your suitor
+becomes Sir Richard Royson, Baronet, with a fine estate and a rent-roll
+of five thousand pounds a year."
+
+"How can you possibly know that?" gasped Irene, spilling half her tea
+in sheer excitement.
+
+"It is more than possible--It is true. I happen to be aware of the
+facts. That thrice fortunate young man came into our lives at a moment
+when, by the merest chance, I was able to acquire some knowledge of his
+family history. His uncle, the twenty-sixth baronet, I believe,
+sustained an accident in childhood which unhappily made him a cripple
+and a hunchback. He grew up a misanthrope. He hated his only brother
+because he was tall and strong as befitted one of the race, and his
+hatred became a mania when Captain Henry Royson married a young lady on
+whom the dwarf baronet had set his mind. There never was the least
+reason to believe that she would have wed Sir Richard, but that did not
+prevent him from pursuing her with a spite and vindictiveness that
+earned him very bad repute in Westmoreland. His brother and nephew
+were, however, his heirs, though the estate was a poor one, but, when
+minerals were discovered on the property, he persuaded Captain Royson
+to agree that the entail should be broken, as certain business
+developments could then be carried out more effectively. This was a
+reasonable thing in itself, but, unhappily, the younger brother was
+killed in the hunting-field, and some legal kink in the affair enabled
+the baronet to reduce the widow and her son to actual poverty. Young
+Royson made a gallant attempt to support his mother, but she died
+nearly five years ago. Naturally, there was a mortal feud between him
+and his uncle. Sir Richard's constant aim has been to crush his nephew.
+He arranged matters so that the bare title alone would pass to the heir
+at his death. Yet, on the very day that young Royson stopped your
+frightened horses in Buckingham Palace Road, the baronet slipped on the
+oak floor of the picture gallery in Orme Castle--that is the name of
+their place in the North--and injured his spine. The nearness of death
+seems to have frightened him into an act of retribution. He made a new
+will, constituting your Richard his heir, and he died the day before
+our caravan left Pajura."
+
+A certain cold disdain had crept into Irene's face as she listened.
+Mrs. Haxton was well aware of the change in the girl's manner, but she
+did not interrupt the thread of her story, nor seek to alter its
+significance.
+
+"Mr. Royson knows nothing of these later events that are so vitally
+important to him?" she asked, when the other woman's quiet narration
+ceased its even flow.
+
+"No."
+
+"Then how is it--"
+
+"That I am better informed? It is quite simple. Baron von Kerber
+intercepted and read all letters and telegrams that came for him by
+camel post."
+
+Irene rose. Anger flamed in her face, and her brown eyes darkened.
+
+"You dare to tell this to me?" she said.
+
+"Exactly. You gave me permission to speak unreservedly. Please sit
+down. I have not finished yet."
+
+Somehow, despite her indignation, the girl was swayed into compliance.
+
+"You forget that the twenty-sixth Sir Richard was dead, and that it
+really did not matter one jot to the twenty-seventh whether he learnt
+the news a few weeks earlier or later. But it mattered everything to
+us, to Baron von Kerber and myself, I mean. We were determined that
+this expedition should succeed, and we boggled at no means which
+promised to achieve our end. We have been beaten, but not through any
+fault of ours. We felt, not without good reason, that if Mr. Royson
+were compelled to return home you would be converted from a passive
+into an active enemy. So we adopted the leave-well-enough-alone policy,
+and, as one woman speaking to another, I really don't see what you have
+to grumble about. Blame us as much as you like, you still have the
+delightful knowledge that the progress of your love affair was
+unaffected by titles or wealth, and I have left to you the pleasant
+duty of telling your fiance of his good fortune."
+
+"I am afraid your reasoning is too plausible for my poor wits, Mrs.
+Haxton," said the girl slowly. "Indeed, I am not sure that I care to
+listen to you any further."
+
+"But you must, you shall," came the fierce outburst. "Do you think I am
+lowering myself in your eyes without cause? I have told you the plain
+truth, careless of the worst interpretation you may choose to place on
+my motives. Now, in return, I want you to make these things known to
+Mr. Fenshawe. He will be even more disgusted with Baron von Kerber and
+my wretched self than he is at present, if that be possible. Hence, he
+will agree, in all probability, to do what we ask--we wish him to give
+us sufficient equipment and escort to travel direct to the coast from
+here--at once--within the hour. When we reach the sea we can cross to
+Aden in an Arab dhow, and neither Mr. Fenshawe nor you will ever see or
+hear from us again, save in a business sense. It is not a wildly
+extravagant demand. None of us can look forward with pleasure to a
+month's journey in company back to Pajura. If I go to Mr. Fenshawe with
+the proposal I have made to you, he will suspect some hidden intent. He
+will believe you, and you can convince him that it is the only
+satisfactory way out of a disagreeable position."
+
+A full minute elapsed before Irene answered.
+
+"I take it that you are here with Baron von Kerber's consent," she
+said.
+
+"Yes. We discussed matters from every aspect last night. That is why I
+am so well posted in your movements. We prefer not to await Mr.
+Royson's return. Alfieri has defeated us. We have lost caste with you
+and your grandfather. For Heaven's sake, let us go!"
+
+Again there was a pause. For some reason, Irene's sympathies conquered
+her again. She had risen, and she approached a little nearer.
+
+"I wish to say," she murmured, "that--I am--sorry for you."
+
+Mrs. Haxton looked up at her. Her face was frozen with misery. She
+seemed to be incapable of tears just then. She stood up, held herself
+erect for an instant, and walked out of the tent.
+
+"Thank you," she said, without turning her head, as though she wished
+to avoid the girl's eyes, "Now go, please. Tell Mr. Fenshawe that we
+shall be glad to get away while it is possible to march. If your
+grandfather sanctions our plan, we have all details ready for his
+approval. There need be no delay. We do not want a great deal in the
+way of stores, and we give our promise to repay the small sum of money
+which will be necessary for the voyage to Aden and thence to London."
+
+Irene, conscious of some unknown element in this wholly unexpected
+outcome of the previous evening's discord, hurried off to arouse her
+grandfather. At that hour the _kafila_ was usually beginning the day's
+march, but Mr. Fenshawe, like the others, had remained up late, and he
+was unwilling to be disturbed until his servant told him that his
+granddaughter was exceedingly anxious to see him.
+
+As soon as she began to relate Mrs. Haxton's story, she realized that
+it implied a confession of the attachment existing between Royson and
+herself. She stammered and flushed when it came to explaining the
+interest she took in all appertaining to Dick, but the old gentleman
+listened gravely and without comment.
+
+"What do _you_ think, Irene?" he asked when she had finished.
+
+"I think we should all be happier and freer from restraint if Mrs.
+Haxton and the Baron left us," she said.
+
+"I agree with you. Mrs. Haxton, as a chaperone, can easily be dispensed
+with. You say they have a scheme drawn up for my signature--setting
+forth the number of camels, etc., they need? Bring it to me. We can go
+through it together, and you and Stump can check the actual splitting
+up of the caravan. Of course, they know that we have a thirty days'
+march before us, as compared with their five or six, and we may also be
+compelled to remain here another day or two. In the matter of funds I
+shall be generous, at any rate where the woman is concerned. I believe
+that von Kerber is a scoundrel, that he has led her blindfolded along a
+path of villainy, and she thinks now that she cannot recede. However,
+let us see what they want."
+
+He was somewhat surprised to find that their demands were studiously
+moderate. Their tent equipage, seven days' supplies, a dozen camels,
+two horses, and the necessary number of men, made up the list. Mr.
+Fenshawe gave them sufficient silver for current expenses, and a draft
+payable in Aden for the steamer and hotel charges, while he sent Mrs.
+Haxton a note offering her five hundred pounds when she arrived in
+London, and promising further assistance in the future if she shook
+herself free of von Kerber.
+
+Irene, who was acquainted with her grandfather's liberal intent,
+watched Mrs. Haxton closely while she read that kindly message. Her
+pallid face was unmoved. Its statuesque rigor gave no hint of the
+thoughts that raged behind the mask.
+
+"Tell Mr. Fenshawe that he has acted exactly as I expected," was her
+listless reply, and, within five minutes, the small cavalcade started.
+Mrs. Haxton elected to ride a Somali pony. She mounted unaided, forced
+the rather unruly animal to canter to the head of the caravan, and thus
+deliberately hid herself from further scrutiny.
+
+"Poor thing!" murmured Irene with a sigh of relief, and hardly
+conscious that she was addressing Stump. "I cannot help pitying her,
+though I am glad she has gone."
+
+"She an' the Baron make a good pair, Miss," said Stump. "I've had my
+eye on 'em, an' they're up to some mischief now, or my name ain't wot
+it is."
+
+The girl glanced at him wonderingly, for the sturdy sailor's outspoken
+opinion fitted in curiously with her own half-formed thought.
+
+"You would not say that if you knew why they have left us," she said.
+
+"Mebbe not, Miss Fenshawe, an' mebbe you've on'y heard half a yarn, if
+you'll pardon my way of puttin' it. Anyway, the Baron is in a mighty
+hurry to be off; an' isn't it plain enough that he doesn't want to be
+here when Mr. Royson comes back? You mark my words, Miss. You'll hear
+something that'll surprise you when our second mate heaves in sight."
+
+Never did man prophesy more truly, yet never was prophet more amazed at
+his own success....
+
+Royson and Abdur Kad'r, flying for their lives, spurred on by the
+further knowledge that even if they escaped capture or death they yet
+had to undertake a difficult journey on tired beasts if they would save
+the expedition from the attack evidently meditated by Alfieri and his
+cohort of plunderers, the two, then--Englishman and Arab--rode like men
+who valued their necks but lightly.
+
+Bullets sang close to their ears, and one actually chipped the stock of
+Dick's rifle, almost unseating him by the force of the blow. But the
+Bisharins were excited, and forgot their fatigue for a mile or so, by
+which time night fell, and the uncanny darkness soon rendered it quite
+impossible to ride at all. They dismounted, and led the camels. Abdur
+Kad'r, true son of the desert, pressed forward nimbly, since every yard
+gained was a yard stolen from the pursuers. After a while they were
+able to mount again, but now the jaded camels lagged, and not all the
+sheik's prayers or imprecations could force them even into the
+regulation pace of two and a half miles an hour.
+
+To make matters worse, a hot breeze sprang up from the south, and
+stirred the desert into curling sand-wraiths, which blinded them and
+made it hard to detect sounds even close at hand. They were fully
+thirty miles distant from the camp, with eight hours of darkness before
+them, during which time they could hope to cover only half the march.
+The thought rose unbidden that the remaining half must be undertaken in
+daylight, with wornout camels, while the Hadendowa _kafila_ was
+presumably in fresh condition.
+
+Something of the sort must have been in Abdur Kad'r's mind when, he
+said:
+
+"The misbegotten thieves who follow, Effendi, will count on overtaking
+us soon after daybreak. We must keep the water-bags fastened until the
+dawn. Then let the camels empty them."
+
+Royson silently debated the chances for and against an endeavor to rush
+the journey on foot. If practicable, he would have attempted it,
+leaving the Arab to save himself and the camels by adopting a longer
+route. He decided that the project must fail. He could not find the
+road at night, and his thin boots would be cut to pieces by the rocks
+before he had gone many miles.
+
+Yet, if they were overtaken, what would happen to Irene and the others?
+A sharp pain gripped his breast, and his eyes clouded. He threw back
+his head, and passed a hand over his clammy brow. The action seemed to
+clear his brain, and he saw instantly that there was only one course
+open to him. "Abdur Kad'r," he said, when a level space enabled them to
+walk side by side, "which of our camels is the stronger?"
+
+"They are both weary, Effendi, but mine has carried less weight than
+yours. Ere he fell for the last time, he would lead."
+
+"Listen, then, and do as I say. If we are attacked to-night I shall
+stand and face our assailants. You ride on alone. I shall try to gain a
+fair start for you. You know what depends on your efforts. Should you
+fail, you not only lose life and fortune, but you also endanger the
+lives of many. You must reach the camp by some means. And, when you see
+Miss Fenshawe, tell her that my last thought was of her. Do you
+understand?"
+
+"Effendi--"
+
+"Have you understood my words? Will you deliver that message?"
+
+"Yes, Effendi, but we men of the desert do not fly while our friends
+fight."
+
+"I well believe it, Abdur Kad'r. Yet that is my order. Will you obey?"
+
+"I like it not, Effendi."
+
+"There is no other way. What can you suggest that will be better? I
+remain--that is a settled thing. You gain nothing by not trying to
+escape. And remember, these Arabs will think twice before they slay a
+European."
+
+"They will shoot first and think afterwards, Effendi."
+
+"Well, we shall see. Perhaps they have given up the chase. In case they
+come upon us, lash your camel into a trot, and wait not for me, because
+I shall ride back, not forward."
+
+The sheikh muttered a comprehensive curse on things in general and the
+Hadendowa tribe in particular. They stumbled on in silence for nearly
+two hours. At the end of that time they descended a difficult slope
+into a deep wady. Fortunately, they had crossed it by daylight early
+that morning, so its hazards were vivid in memory. In the rock-strewn
+bed of the vanished river, Abdur Kad'r halted a moment. The light of
+the stars was strong enough to reveal the horizon, which was visible
+through the fall of the valley, and the nearer crests of the
+neighboring watershed were quite distinct--showing black against
+luminous ultramarine.
+
+"That seaward track I spoke of, Effendi, passes this way to the hills.
+The Well of Moses lies down there," and the Arab, more by force of
+habit than because Royson could see him in that gloomy defile, threw
+out his chin towards the east.
+
+Suddenly, it struck Royson that provided he had guessed aright, the
+Roman Legion which sacked Saba must have marched over this identical
+spot, in their effort to reach the Nile. After twenty marches, von
+Kerber said, they were waylaid by a Nubian clan and slain--every man--
+from the proud tribune down to the humblest hastatus. Perhaps they were
+surrounded in some such trap as this valley would provide. And what a
+fight that was! What deeds of valor, what hewing and stabbing, ere the
+last centurion fell at the head of the last remnant of a cohort, and
+the despairing Greek commissary, gazing wild-eyed from some nook of
+safety, saw the Roman eagle sink for ever!
+
+Abdur Kad'r, little dreaming of the train of thought he had aroused,
+moved on again. Dick had drawn taut the head-rope of his unwilling
+camel when the brute uttered a squeal of recognition, and both men saw
+several mounted Arabs silhouetted against the northern sky-line. An
+answering grunt came from one of their camels, and a hubbub of voices
+sank faintly into the somber depths, as the wind was not felt in that
+sheltered place.
+
+The sheikh swore fluently, but Royson spoke no word until they were
+free of the boulders, and had gained a passable incline which led to
+the steeper path up the opposing cliff.
+
+"Now, Abdur Kad'r--" he said.
+
+"Name of Allah, Effendi, this thing must not be!"
+
+"It must. Go, my good comrade. It is for the best."
+
+Abdur Kad'r smote his camel on the cheek.
+
+"I never imagined, Bisharin, that thou would carry me away from a
+friend in danger," he growled, "but this is God's doing, and thou art a
+rogue at all times. I shall either ride thee to death or kill thee for
+a feast," He would not bid Royson farewell. Dick heard him tugging the
+camel forward.
+
+"Forget not my words to the Effendina," he said quietly.
+
+"I shall not forget," came a voice from the darkness, and he was alone.
+
+Though he knew he was face to face with death, he felt no tremor of
+fear. He surveyed his position coolly, and took his stand in the shadow
+of a mass of granite close to whose base the track wound up the
+hillside. In case the unexpected happened, he fastened his camel to a
+loose stone behind the rock, and the poor animal knelt instantly,
+thinking that a night's rest was vouchsafed at last. Dick threw off the
+Arab robes he had worn since Abdur Kad'r and he climbed the hill
+overlooking Suleiman's Well. He opened and closed the breech of his
+heavy double-barreled Express rifle to make sure that the sand clouds
+had not clogged its mechanism, and fingered the cartridges in his
+cross-belt.
+
+Then he waited. It would take the Hadendowas fully five minutes to come
+up with him, and he experienced a feeling akin to astonishment that he
+could bide his time so patiently, without any pang of anxiety, or hope,
+or agonizing misgiving. He thought of Irene, but only of her welfare.
+If he were not brought down by a chance bullet early in the fray, he
+felt quite certain of being able to stave off the final rush long
+enough to give Abdur Kad'r a breathing spell, he had sufficient
+confidence in that wily old Arab's resources to believe that he would
+outwit his pursuers, provided they lost a good deal of time in passing
+this barrier.
+
+Plan he had none, save to hail the enemy in Arabic and English, and
+then put up a strenuous fight for the benefit of those who approached
+nearest.
+
+Round the shoulder of the rock he could look eastward, and a glimmering
+mist in that direction reminded him of the sea, and of the _Aphrodite_.
+What a difference a hundred miles made! The luxuriously appointed yacht
+sailed out there in the midst of the ghostly cloud not so long ago. And
+here was he, clutching a rifle and preparing to sell his life in order
+to save most of her passengers and crew from a sudden attack by a gang
+of bloodthirsty ruffians led by a frenzied Italian. As a study in
+contrasts that was rather striking, he fancied.
+
+At last he heard the shuffling of camels' feet and the mutterings of
+men. The Hadendowas were crossing the river bed.
+
+"Stop!" he shouted, in Arabic. "You die otherwise!"
+
+There was an instant silence. They were evidently not prepared for this
+bold challenge.
+
+"I am an Englishman," he added, still in Arabic, and, in the belief
+that some of them might at least recognize the sound of English, he
+went on:
+
+"You have no right to molest me and my servants. I call on you to
+return to your master, and set at liberty the Arab Hussain--"
+
+He was answered by a perfect blaze of rifles. Every man fired at
+random. At least a dozen bullets crashed against the rock. A violent
+tug at his left sleeve and some spatters of hot lead on his cheek
+showed that one missile had come too near to be pleasant. After passing
+through his coat it had splashed on the granite just behind him.
+
+He did not speak again, nor would he fire until sure of a mark. Another
+volley lit the darkness. This time he made out the forms of his
+attackers. They were standing some twenty yards away, and he marveled
+that they seemed not to see him; though he reflected at once, with the
+utmost nonchalance, that the blinding flash of the guns screened him
+quite effectually from their eyes.
+
+Then he saw two dim figures moving swiftly forward. He brought both
+down, and their yells rent the air.
+
+He sprang sideways, as far as the narrow road permitted, and reloaded.
+The Arabs aimed wildly at the place where he had just been standing.
+One of their number screamed a command, and they made a combined rush.
+He fired both barrels into their midst, clubbed his rifle and jumped
+forward. That was good generalship, of the sort dear to the heart of
+his great ancestor. At the first tremendous sweep of his weapon he
+broke off its stock against an Arab's body. That did not matter. The
+heavy barrels were staunch, and iron deals harder blows than wood. He
+was active as a cat, and had the strength of any four of his
+adversaries. With lightning-like whirls he smote them so resolutely
+that when five were laid low the rest broke, and ran. He actually
+pursued them, and brought down two more, before he stumbled over the
+body of one whom he had shot.
+
+And that ended the fight. He heard men scrambling over the rocks in
+panic, and he knew by the grunting and groaning of distant camels that
+all the _kafila_ had stampeded. Searching the fallen man at his feet,
+he found a full cartridge-belt and rifle. He took them, lest there
+should be further need, but did not relinquish the trusty weapon which
+had more than equalized an unequal combat.
+
+Then he went to his camel. The terrified brute had risen, and was
+tugging madly at its rope. It seemed to recognize him, and be grateful
+for his presence, if ever a camel can display gratitude. He gave it the
+contents of the water-bag, led it to the top of the cliff, and stood
+there a brief space to listen. Some wounded men were calling loudly for
+help, and he was sorry for the poor wretches; but there was no response
+from their flying comrades. He fixed on a star to guide his course by,
+mounted, and rode away to the south, trusting more to his camel's sense
+of direction than to his own efforts to keep on the track.
+
+When dawn appeared, a dawn that was glorious to him beyond measure, he
+caught sight of a precipitous hill which he remembered passing on the
+outward march. Looking back at the first favorable point, he could see
+nothing that betokened the presence of Hadendowas, or any other human
+beings, in all that far-flung solitude. Were it not for the presence of
+the Italian rifle and cartridge-belt, and the blood-stained gun-barrels
+resting across his knees, the fierce struggle in that forbidding valley
+might have been the delirium of a fever-dream.
+
+He rode on, munching contentedly at a biscuit from his haversack, until
+his glance was drawn to a cloud of dust hanging in the air, for the
+unpleasant wind of the previous night had given way to a softer and
+cooler breeze. He read its token correctly, and smiled at the picture
+which his fancy drew of Stump, when that choleric skipper heard what
+had happened to his second mate. Surely he would be among those now
+hurrying to the rescue!
+
+And he was not mistaken. With Stump came Abdur Kad'r, six of the
+_Aphrodite's_ crew, and a score of well-armed Arabs and negroes. Even
+before they met, Royson saw two Arabs race back towards the camp, and
+Stump, after the first hearty congratulations, explained the hurry of
+those messengers.
+
+"It's mainly on account of Miss Irene," he said. "She took on something
+awful when the sheikh blew in an' tole us you had gone under. He heard
+the shootin', you see, an', accordin' to his account, you were as full
+of lead as Tagg'll be full of beer when he listens to the yarn I'll
+spin nex' time we meet."
+
+Abdur Kad'r's black eyes sparkled when Royson spoke to him.
+
+"_Salaam aleikum, Effendi!" he cried. "You have redeemed my honor.
+Never again could I have held up my head had you been slain while I
+ran. And that shaitan of a camel--he stirred himself. By the Prophet, I
+must kill an older one to make a feast for my men."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+
+HOW THREE ROADS LED IN ONE DIRECTION
+
+The news that her lover was safe restored the sparkle to Irene's eyes
+and the color to her wan cheeks. Fenshawe, indeed, had not given her
+the full measure of Abdur Kad'r's breathless recital. Recent events had
+led the old curio-hunter to view life in less ultra-scientific spirit
+than was his habit. Perhaps he had re-awakened to the knowledge that
+the hearts of men and women are apt to be swayed by other impulses than
+his dry-as-dust interest in dead cities and half-forgotten races. Most
+certainly he was shocked by the agony in the girl's face when she heard
+that the sheikh had returned alone, and, if he wondered at the low wail
+of despair which broke from her lips, he said nothing of it at the
+moment, but mercifully suppressed Abdur Kad'r's story of the Effendi's
+resolve to make a stand against his pursuers, and thus enable his
+companion to reach and warn the camp.
+
+The version Irene heard was that Royson's camel had fallen lame, and it
+was deemed safer he should hide until help came, than mount behind
+Abdur Kad'r and risk the slower journey. Fenshawe reasoned that Royson
+might be captured, not killed. His long experience of Arab life told
+him that the tribesmen would be chary of murdering a European, for fear
+of the vengeance to be exacted later. Nevertheless, this comforting
+theory was more than balanced by the disquieting facts revealed by the
+sheikh, who, as he rode wildly to the south, heard a sharp outburst of
+firing in the valley behind him.
+
+Yet it was well that Irene had not been told the whole truth, else that
+anxious little heart of hers might have stormed itself into a fever of
+despair. As it was, her pent emotions found relief in tears of joy when
+the messengers brought the news of Royson's approach with the rescue
+party, and her eyelids were still suspiciously red, her lips somewhat
+tremulous, when, standing by her grandfather's side, she welcomed his
+return.
+
+Though a hundred eyes were fixed on the two--though some of those eyes
+watched them with a keenness inspired by the belief that this reunion
+had in it a romantic element quite apart from the drama of the hour--
+their meeting apparently partook only of that friendly character
+warranted by the unusual circumstances. And, in the general excitement,
+none who looked at Royson paid heed to the hardships he had undergone.
+He had hardly closed his eyes during two nights and three days, for the
+rest obtained while he and Abdur Kad'r awaited the outcome of Hussain's
+embassy was calculated rather to add to his physical exhaustion than
+relieve it. He had covered eighty miles of desert on scanty fare, and
+had fought a short but terrific fight against a dozen adversaries. Yet,
+his cool demeanor and unwearied carriage conveyer! no hint of fatigue--
+to all outward seeming he might have been entering the encampment after
+an ordinary march, when a basin of water and a change of clothing were
+the chief essentials of existence. It was not so, of course. Were he
+made of steel he must have felt the strain of those sixty hours, and he
+almost yielded to it when he dismounted, and Fenshawe led him inside
+the mess tent.
+
+The older man invited him to be seated, and tell his adventures while
+eating the meal which had been prepared for him and Stump as soon as
+their camels were seen in the distance. But Dick, half unconsciously,
+still clutched the broken rifle. There were blood stains on his
+clothing, which was ripped in the most obvious way by bullets that had
+either wounded him or actually grazed his skin. Fenshawe's keen old
+eyes made a rapid inventory of these signs of strife, and he forgot, in
+his anxiety, that Irene was present.
+
+"Good heavens, man," he cried, "you have been in the wars. Did those
+scoundrels attack you, then? Are you hurt?"
+
+"No," said Dick, sinking into a chair, and trying to speak with his
+customary nonchalance, "I am not injured--just a wee bit tired--that is
+all."
+
+Irene flew to his side. She took the soiled gun-barrels, from his
+relaxing grip, and began to unfasten the collar hooks of his uniform.
+
+"Don't you see he is almost fainting?" she demanded, reproachfully.
+"Bring some brandy and cold water, quick! Oh, Dick, dear, speak to me!
+Are you sure you are not wounded? If it is only want of food and sleep,
+we can soon put that right, but do tell me if you have a wound."
+
+Dick smiled, though he knew his face was white beneath the dust and
+tan, and he could not lift his arms for the life of him.
+
+"I'm all right," he whispered. "I suppose I'm suffering from heart
+trouble, Irene. Haven't seen you for two nights and a day, you know."
+
+He must have been a trifle light-headed, or he would not have spoken to
+her in that way before her grandfather. Mr. Fenshawe, remembering the
+girl's shyness of the previous day, may have thought a good deal, but
+said nothing, seeing that Irene was supremely indifferent to either his
+thoughts or his words at that instant, while Royson seemed to be
+heedless of any other fact than the exceedingly pleasant one that his
+beloved was holding a glass to his lips and asking him to gratify her
+by swallowing the contents.
+
+As for Stump, who was not aware of his second mate's rise in the world,
+the manner of their speech affected him so powerfully that he was in
+imminent danger of an apoplectic seizure. His condition was rendered
+all the more dangerous because he dared utter no word. But he silently
+used the sailor-like formula which applies to such unexpected
+situations, and added certain other variations of the rubric from the
+extensive resources of his own private vocabulary. He recovered his
+breath by the time Dick's attack, of weakness had passed, and the color
+of his face slowly subsided from, a deep purple to its abiding tint of
+brick red.
+
+"Rather a sudden indisposition," said Fenshawe to Stump, smiling
+quizzically as he watched Irene supporting Royson's head while she
+urged him tenderly to drink a little more of the stimulant.
+
+"Is that wot you call it?" asked the captain of the _Aphrodite_,
+mopping his glowing cheeks with a handkerchief of brilliant hue. "I
+thought it was a stroke of some kind, 'but I've fair lost my bearin's
+since I gev' over plashin' at sea."
+
+The amazement of the elders at the manner in which those young people
+addressed each other was slight in comparison with the thrill Royson
+caused when he had taken some soup, and was prepared to do justice to
+more solid food.
+
+"I had a rather lively set-to with a number of Hadendowas," he
+explained in response to a question from Mr. Fenshawe. "It was brief
+but strenuous, and I assure you it is a marvel that I came out of it
+practically without a scratch. At any rate, it does not call for a
+detailed description now, seeing that I have something of vastly
+greater importance to tell you. May I ask, sir, if you have photographs
+of the papyrus in your possession?"
+
+"Yes. They are in my tent. Shall I bring them?" "If you please. I think
+I have news that will interest you."
+
+"One word before I go. Abdur Kad'r said that the Italians had abandoned
+Suleiman's Well. Have they found the treasure, do you think?"
+
+"No, sir. Just the reverse. I believe that I have found it myself, and,
+if I am not mistaken, Mrs. Haxton and the Baron, from what Captain
+Stump tells me, are now far on their way to the right place, if they
+have not already reached it."
+
+"Wot did I say, Miss Irene?" broke in Stump fiercely. "Oh, he's deep is
+that there Baron. I sized him up when he med off yesterday. An' Mrs.
+Haxton, too! A nice pair of beauties."
+
+"Whatever wrong Mrs. Haxton may have done in the past, I refuse to
+believe that she was swayed by some merely selfish consideration in
+leaving us as she did," said Irene softly, and her grandfather thanked
+her with a look as he quitted the tent.
+
+Stump shook his head.
+
+"She's as artful as a pet fox," he growled; but he had no listeners.
+Dick and Irene were far too much occupied in gazing at each other.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe returned speedily. He spread out ten photographs on the
+table in front of Royson. With them was a typewritten document divided
+into ten sections.
+
+"That is the English translation," he explained. "Each numbered
+division corresponds with a similar number on a photograph. It
+simplifies reference."
+
+Dick examined the translation eagerly. The first slip of papyrus read:
+
+"In the seventh year of the reign of the renowned Emperor, C. Julius
+Caesar Octavianus, I, Demetriades, son of Pelopidos, merchant of
+Syracuse, being at that time a trader in ivory and skins at Alexandria,
+did foolishly abandon my wares in that city, and join the legion sent
+from Egypt to subdue the people of Shaba."
+
+He saw that the letters in the word "seventh," though writ in archaic
+Greek, bore the same space relation to the neighboring characters as
+did all others in the script. Reading on carefully until he came to the
+first leaf of the papyri in which the "Five Hills" were named, he
+observed Instantly that the word "pente," five, had its letters crowded
+together. Now the Greek for seven, _hepta_, has only four characters,
+the aspirate being marked over the initial vowel. This same crowding of
+"pente" was discernible each time it occurred in the text. It was a
+coincidence that was too intrusive. The obvious explanation was that
+"hepta" had been deleted and "pente" substituted in every instance, and
+the fraud had not been detected because the rest of the Greek writing
+was absolutely genuine. The hieroglyphs In cartouches, which von Kerber
+had admittedly tampered with, were beyond Royson's ken.
+
+He was so taken up with this confirmation of his views, and so eager to
+make clear the queer chance that led Abdur Kad'r to explain the name of
+the Well of Moses, that he was blind to the growing wrath in Mr.
+Fenshawe's face until he happened to catch the indignant note in the
+older man's voice as he bade a servant summon the sheikh. Then a single
+glance told him what he had done. The wounded vanity of the famous
+Egyptologist had risen in its might, and swept aside all other
+considerations. The man of wealth could permit his charitable instincts
+to govern the scorn evoked by the Austrian's petty tactics, but the
+outraged enthusiasm of the collector was a torrent that engulfed
+charity and expediency alike in its flood. Nothing short of the most
+painstaking personal examination of the oasis at the Well of Moses
+would now convince the millionaire that von Kerber had not tricked him
+at the eleventh hour.
+
+Though the expedition was in Italian territory, though he was aware
+that a tribe of hostile Arabs was already hovering on the outskirts of
+the camp, though the presence of Irene rendered it imperative that he
+should not risk the attack which would probably be made that night,
+these urgent conditions of the moment did not prevail in the least
+degree against the maddening suspicion that the self-confessed forger
+who had duped him had put the seal on a piece of clever rascality by
+exploiting the real treasure-ground for his own benefit.
+
+Royson was far from expecting this development. Yet, now that it had
+occurred, he saw that it was inevitable. Before Abdur Kad'r appeared he
+guessed why Mr. Fenshawe wanted him in such a hurry. Irene, who had
+never known her grandfather to be so greatly disturbed, whispered
+earnestly to her lover:
+
+"If grandad wishes you to follow von Kerber, you must be too ill to do
+anything of the sort."
+
+"Then I shall remain here alone," said he, smiling at her dismay.
+"Unless I am much mistaken we shall all be hot on his track before we
+are many hours older."
+
+He was right. When the sheikh came he received orders to prepare for an
+instant march towards the coast by way of the caravan route. Then the
+burning zeal of archeology received a check.
+
+"It is impossible that the _kafila_ should move in that direction
+before to-morrow's dawn, O worthy of honor," said Abdur Kad'r
+emphatically. "We can march south to-day, if Allah wills it, knowing
+that we shall find food and water within fifteen kilometers without
+fail. To reach the Well of Moses is a different thing. I have not seen
+the place during thirty years. We must travel early and late, and carry
+with us a water supply that will not only suffice for the journey but
+safeguard us against any failure of the well when we arrive there. What
+proof have we, Effendi, that it is not choked with sand?"
+
+Fenshawe was too skilled in the varying contingencies of desert life
+not to admit the truth of the sheikh's reasoning, but he held to the
+belief that von Kerber had secret information as to the practicability
+of the route.
+
+"Be it so," he said curtly. "Let every preparation be made. We have no
+cause to fear these dogs of Hadendowas. I charge myself with the care
+of the camp where they are concerned. See to it, Abdur Kad'r, that we
+start ere sunrise."
+
+The conversation was in Arabic, so Stump could not gather its drift.
+When he learnt his employer's intentions he roared gleefully:
+
+"By gad, sir, I'm pleased to 'ear you're makin' for blue water once
+more. Just for a minute I fancied you was tellin' our brown pilot to
+shove after von Kerber, an' string 'im up."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe laughed grimly.
+
+"The rogue deserves it, but I cannot take the law into my own hands,
+captain," he said.
+
+"Oh, that wasn't botherin' me," was the offhand answer. "I was on'y
+wonderin' where you would find a suitable tree."
+
+Fenshawe bent over the table, and asked Royson to go through the papyri
+with him, comparing the Greek, word for word, with the translation. He
+himself was able to decipher the hieroglyphs, but the details and
+measurements they gave might be dismissed as unreliable. Depending,
+however, on the context, and having ascertained from Abdur Kad'r that
+the seven small lava hills at Moses's Well stood in an irregular circle
+near the oasis, it was a reasonable deduction that the Romans had
+selected a low-lying patch of sand or gravel somewhere in the center of
+the group as a suitable hiding-place for their loot. It might be
+assumed that Aelius Gallus meant to sail down the Red Sea again, within
+a year at the utmost, and recover the spoil when his galleys were there
+to receive it. Therefore, he would not dig too deeply, nor, in the
+straits to which he was reduced, would he waste many hours on the task.
+
+Fenshawe infected Dick with his own ardor. The two were puzzling over
+each turn and twist of the Greek adventurer's awkward phrases when
+Irene, who had gone out with Stump, interrupted them.
+
+"Dick," she said, blushing poppy red because she used his familiar
+name, "you must go and rest at once. I am sure, grandad, you don't want
+Mr. Royson to break down a second time, do you? And I would like both
+of you to know that Baron von Kerber took with him no pickaxes. Captain
+Stump and I have just checked our stock. That seems to be in his favor,
+I think?"
+
+"If I have done von Kerber an injustice I shall be the first to ask his
+pardon," said Fenshawe. "At present, I have every cause to doubt the
+man's motives in leaving us, and I want more than negative proof to
+acquit him of dishonesty. By the way, Irene, have you told Royson of
+his good fortune?"
+
+"I have hardly spoken two words to him since he arrived," said she
+innocently.
+
+"Dear me! That sounds like a strong hint," and Fenshawe very
+considerately left the two alone. Tired as Dick was, the best part of
+an hour elapsed before Irene could explain fully that he was now a
+baronet, with a reasonably large income, or he could make her
+understand exactly why he was a somewhat frayed out-of-work when they
+met in London.
+
+Perhaps there were interludes and interruptions. Perhaps he thought
+that the limpid depths of her brown eyes offered more attractions than
+the sordid records of a foolish man's spite and a boy's sufferings. At
+any rate, it was Irene who finally insisted that this must positively
+be the last, and who threatened that she would not speak to him again
+that day if he stirred out of his tent before dinner.
+
+And, indeed, Dick required no rocking when, after a refreshing wash, he
+stretched his long limbs in his hammock. His sleep was dreamless. He
+awoke at sundown strong in the conviction that he had hardly closed his
+eyes.
+
+He and Stump shared the tent, and Dick's uncertain gaze first dwelt on
+his skipper, who was seated at the door, smoking. Stump removed his
+pipe from between his teeth:
+
+"Good evenin', Sir Richard," he said solemnly. Then the huge joke he
+had been cogitating ever since Irene informed him at luncheon that
+Royson was now a man of title mastered him completely.
+
+"Sink me," he burst forth, "I've had some daisies of second mates under
+me in me time, but I've never bossed a bloomin' barrow-knight afore. My
+godfather! Won't Becky be pleased! An' wot'll Tagg say? Pore old Tagg!
+He'll 'ave a fit!"
+
+"Look here, captain--" began Dick, swinging his feet to the ground. But
+Stump's slow-moving wits, given full time to get under weigh, were
+working freely; punctuating each pause with a flourish of his pipe, he
+continued:
+
+"Lord love a duck, I can see Tagg blowin' in to a snug in the West
+Injia Dock Road, an' startin' ev'ry yarn with, 'W'en I sailed down the
+Red Sea with Sir Richard--' or, 'We was goin' through the Gut on a
+dirty night, an' Sir Richard sez to me--' Well, there, I on'y hope 'e
+survives the fust shock. W'en 'e gets 'is wind we'll 'ave a fair treat.
+Mind ye, I 'ad a sort of funny feelin' when you tole me in the train
+you was my second mate, an' you sat there a-wearin' knickers. It gev me
+a turn, that did. An' then, you took another twist at me by sayin'
+you'd never bin to sea. I knew things was goin' to happen after that.
+It must ha' bin, wot d'ye call it--second sight--for I knew then an'
+there I'd got a prize in the lottery--"
+
+"Oh, shut up!" shouted Royson, diving frantically for his boots.
+
+"That's no way for a barrow-knight to talk to 'is admirin' skipper,"
+said Stump. "But I s'pose, now, it sounds queer to 'ave me a-callin'
+you Sir Richard, w'en, as like as not, I might be dammin' your eyes as
+second mate?"
+
+Royson tried to escape, in his hurry he did not notice a bulky letter
+which lay on the top of one of his leather trunks. Stump called him
+back.
+
+"You're missin' your mail, Sir Richard," he said, and Dick, perforce,
+returned. Oddly enough, the letter covered the initials "R. K." painted
+on the portmanteau. Turning a deaf ear to Stump's further pleasantries,
+he opened the envelope. A scrawl on a sheet of thin continental note-
+paper contained the brief statement that, "by inadvertence," von Kerber
+had "detained the enclosed letters and cablegrams." The enclosures,
+which were from Mr. Forbes, bore out the accuracy of Mrs. Haxton's
+revelations. He was, in very truth, the twenty-seventh baronet of his
+line, sole owner of Orme Castle and its dependencies, and befitted, by
+rank, descent, and estate, to take a social position of no mean order.
+
+For an instant he forgot his surroundings. He recalled the stately old
+house and its beautiful park as he had last seen it, with all its
+glories rejuvenated by the money that was pouring in to the coffers of
+his detested relative. And now that malign old man was at rest, after a
+tardy admission of the grievous evil he had wrought to his brother's
+wife and son. Well, peace be to his crooked bones! Dick could have
+wished him safely in Paradise if the wish would restore to life his
+beloved mother. And she, dear soul--though he had forgotten her last
+night--perhaps her gentle spirit was shielding him as he stood with his
+back to the rock and faced the vicious swarm of Arabs in the darkness.
+
+Then Stump's gruff accents broke in on his dreaming.
+
+"Is it O.K., Sir Richard?" he asked. "Them's the papers von Kerber held
+up, I reckon? Have ye got a clean bill?"
+
+Royson stooped and grasped Stump's shoulder.
+
+"When we reach England, skipper," he said, "you and Tagg, and Mrs.
+Stump, too, for that matter, must come and see my place in the North.
+An' I'll tell ye wot," he went on, with fair mimicry of Stump's voice
+and manner, "you'll all 'ave the time of your lives, sink me, if you
+don't!"
+
+Stump glared up at him. No man had ever before dared to reproduce that
+hoarse growl for his edification, and the effect was electrical. It
+might be likened to the influence exercised on a bull by the bellow of
+a rival. He took breath for a mighty effort--and Royson fled.
+
+Be sure that Irene, though vastly occupied with work which von Kerber
+had performed hitherto--those small but troublesome items appertaining
+to the daily life of a large encampment--had an eye to watch for Dick's
+reappearance. She hailed him joyfully:
+
+"Such news! The enemy proclaims a truce. Alfieri has sent in Hussain
+and Abdullah, not to mention the purloined camel. And one of his own
+men has brought a note for grandfather, asking an early conference."
+
+At first, Royson was unfeignedly glad of this unlooked for turn in
+events. He did not share Mr. Fenshawe's optimism in the matter of a
+night attack by the Hadendowas, because Irene was there--and who could
+hope to shield her beyond risk of accident when long-range rifles were
+sniping the camp?
+
+Alfieri's letter was civil and apologetic. He explained that he had no
+quarrel with the English leader of the expedition--his feud lay with
+the Austrian and the woman who had helped to despoil him (Alfieri) of
+his rights. He felt assured, he said, that Signor Fenshawe--whose fame
+as an Egyptologist was well known to him--would not be a consenting
+party to fraud, and he wished, therefore, to arrange a meeting for the
+following day, when he would state his case fully, face those who had
+robbed him, and leave the final decision with confidence in the hands
+of one whose repute made it certain that justice would be done.
+
+The appeal was written in hardly intelligible English, but an Italian
+version accompanied it, and Irene was able to translate every word of
+the latter.
+
+"Of course, grandad agreed," said Irene. "He has fixed on seven o'clock
+to-morrow for the conference. I am looking forward with curiosity to
+seeing Alfieri again. I remember him perfectly. Captain Stump and I had
+a good look at him in Massowah, you know."
+
+"Has the messenger gone back already?"
+
+"Oh, yes. He left the camp two hours ago."
+
+"Did he speak to any of our men?"
+
+"He may have done so. I'm not sure. We were so taken up with Alfieri's
+communication that we gave no heed to the Arab. But grandad said, by
+the way, that it was just as well he should see our strength, and that
+we had a dozen armed sailors here, in addition to so many natives. You
+are worrying about me, I suppose? Allow me to observe that I, as staff
+officer, have assisted the commander-in-chief to divide our forces into
+two strong guards for the night. Grandfather commands one, Captain
+Stump the other, while you, O King, have to sleep soundly until the
+dawn."
+
+"But I have just slept eight hours!"
+
+"Oh, well, being on the staff, I also arranged that we should mount
+guard together until eleven o'clock."
+
+It went against the grain to dash her high spirits with the doubt that
+had seized him as soon as he heard of the Hadendowa Arab's departure.
+In all probability, the man had found out that von Kerber and Mrs.
+Haxton were no longer in the camp. The negro syces and other attendants
+were inveterate gossips, and it would be strange if they had not told
+him that some of their number were marching towards the sea with the
+Hakim-Effendi and one of the Giaour women. What would happen were this
+knowledge to come to Alfieri's ears? The man who had not scrupled to
+order the pursuit and capture--the death, if need be--of Royson himself
+and Abdur Kad'r, was not a stickler at trifles. It was reasonable to
+suppose that he was making overtures of peace solely because his scouts
+had revealed the size of the expedition. How would he act under these
+fresh circumstances? Judging by the pact, there could be only one
+answer.
+
+"Now what is it?" pouted Irene, trying to assume an injured air when
+she saw the grave look in her lover's face. "Perhaps you don't care for
+the eleven o'clock idea? I thought you would like to sit and smoke, and
+tell me everything that happened since--since I said good-by to you the
+other evening, but, of course--"
+
+"If you gaze at me so reproachfully, Irene, I shall kiss you now, this
+instant, under the eyes of every man, horse, and camel."
+
+"Well, then, what is the matter? I know something is worrying you. I
+can read your face like a book."
+
+"I distrust Alfieri, dearest,--that is all."
+
+"But he simply dare not fight us. Grandad knows these Arabs for many
+years. He says that they depend wholly on a surprise. And how can we be
+surprised, when Alfieri himself admits that he is near, and has
+actually sent Abdullah, who can tell us the exact number of his men?"
+
+"I think I shall call you Portia, not Irene, if you reason things out
+in that fashion."
+
+She stamped a foot in mock anger.
+
+"That is your old trick," she said. "You try to hide your thoughts by
+an adroit twist in the conversation. Out with it! What do you really
+fear?"
+
+"Let us find Abdullah. Then I shall tell you."
+
+The Spear-thrower, though polite, was not disposed to be communicative.
+The absence of the two people who were his allies had puzzled him, and
+none of the Arabs could meet his inquiries as to the motives which led
+to their sudden journey. In this man's attitude Royson found ample
+corroboration of his own estimate of Alfieri's views under similar
+conditions. Abdullah obviously did not believe that von Kerber had
+abandoned the quest. He fancied he was betrayed. If the chance offered,
+he might be expected to throw in his lot with Alfieri.
+
+Though Irene was listening, and Dick was sure she had hit on the true
+cause of his anxiety, he determined to win Abdullah's loyalty. So he
+told him of Mr. Fenshawe's resolve to follow the seaward route.
+
+"Your interests, whatever they may be, are absolutely safe if you trust
+us," he said. "The Baron, is only two marches ahead of us. He does not
+know we are going the same way. He thinks we are making for Pajura, so
+we will most certainly overtake him at the coast, if not earlier. Thus,
+you can convince yourself of his good faith, and you can see for
+yourself that the ultimate decision of affairs must rest with us."
+
+The Arab bowed, but he kept a still tongue. Yet he admitted afterwards
+that Royson's words had diverted him from his fixed Intent to steal off
+when night fell, and urge Alfieri to pursue the runaways.
+
+The Italian needed no urging. Dick advised Mr. Fenshawe to send out two
+men on horseback in order to locate the Hadendowas. Hussain, who was
+acquainted with the country, volunteered for this duty, and he and his
+companion came in at midnight with the depressing report that Alfieri
+and his free-booters were not to be found on the main track to
+Suleiman's Well.
+
+By this time, not only Fenshawe and Irene, but Stump and Abdur Kad'r,
+when called into counsel, shared Dick's foreboding. It was impossible
+to do anything before dawn, and the sole difficulty that remained was
+to decide whether they should march, when the first streaks of light
+showed in the sky, or await the hour fixed for the interview with
+Alfieri. They resolved to leave Hussain and a few trustworthy men at
+the oasis, with instructions to remain there until eight o'clock. If
+Alfieri kept his tryst, they were to give him a letter, written by
+Irene, which asked him to follow and join the expedition. Otherwise,
+they were to ride after the caravan at top speed, and report his non-
+arrival.
+
+So Dick and Irene missed that agreeable watch under the stars, and
+their thoughts, instead of being given to each other, were centered on
+the unlucky fortune-hunters whom accident or design had separated from
+them.
+
+Yet, when the sun rose over the desert, it was exhilarating enough to
+find themselves riding side by side once more. The order of march was
+simple but well designed. Abdur Kad'r, in command of several Arabs on
+Bisharin camels, provided a mounted screen half a mile in front.
+Fenshawe, Royson and Irene, with some of the sailors, formed the
+advance guard. Then came the _kafila_ proper, with the remainder of the
+_Aphrodite's_ crew, under Stump's charge, as a rearguard. They had
+halted for breakfast, and were preparing for another long march before
+the heat of the sun enforced a rest, when Hussain overtook them. At
+eight o'clock Alfieri had not visited the _rendezvous_, nor was he to
+be seen an hour later from the summit of the last hill which gave a
+view of the oasis.
+
+Ill news is little the better because it is expected, and every one was
+wishful to push on as quickly as possible. But the desert was
+inexorable in its limitations. Great speed means great exhaustion, and
+consequently greater demand for water. Nevertheless, they risked the
+chance of a dry spell at the journey's end, and, finally, despite
+Irene's protests against being left behind, Royson and Abdullah, with
+six of the _Aphrodite's_ men, and Abdur Kad'r, at the head of thirty
+picked Arabs, went on at a spanking pace. They were now on the actual
+caravan path, having reached it by a cross-country line. According to
+the sheikh's calculations, they were ten miles from the Well of Moses
+at four o'clock, and sunset would take place at half-past six. The road
+was a bad one, and their camels were beginning to lag, but they counted
+on reaching the ancient camping-ground about half past five. Abdullah
+was the first to discover recent signs of a large _kafila_ having
+passed that way. He it was, too, who raised a warning hand when they
+emerged from a wide valley and crossed a plateau, which, roughly
+speaking, was three miles from the well.
+
+They halted, and strained eyes and ears. They could see nothing, owing
+to a few scattered hummocks in front, but they caught distinctly the
+irregular thuds of distant rifle-firing. That was enough. Careless of
+the rough going, or the condition of their camels at the close, they
+raced ahead madly. There was no question now of the odds they might
+have to face. Though the Hadendowas were well armed, and outnumbered
+them by two to one, Royson felt that the presence of the Englishmen,
+all of whom were ex-sailors of the Royal Navy, would nerve his Arab
+helpers to attack and defeat Alfieri's band of cutthroats. Moreover,
+von Kerber and his small escort were evidently making a fight of it,
+and, while daylight lasted, the Hadendowas, once discovered, would
+endeavor to shoot down their quarry at a safe range rather than undergo
+the certain loss of an open assault.
+
+How long could the unequal contest be maintained--that was the question
+that tortured Dick. Many times during that wild ride he asked it, and
+the only answer he received was given by despair. It came to him
+through a spume of dust and flying sand, and the rattle of
+accouterments, and the plaints of frenzied camels, and the yells and
+curses of the strangely-assorted company of deliverers as they plunged
+across the desert towards the Well of the Seven Hills. And its
+discordant shriek was, "Too late! Too late! The gods have frowned on
+the pillagers of Saba, and the wrath of the gods is everlasting!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+
+THE FINDING OF THE TREASURE
+
+Royson, a soldier by instinct if not by training, realized the folly of
+dashing blindly into a fray the nature of which was hidden from him.
+Though the plight of his erstwhile companions must be desperate--though
+the lengthening shadows warned him that the time ran short--it was all-
+important that he should learn the manner and direction of the attack,
+and the means adopted by von Kerber for repelling it, ere the presence
+of the relieving force became known. He had heard much of the fighting
+qualities of the Hadendowas. They were brave, but they were not given
+to throwing their lives away uselessly. Judging by the steady crackling
+of musketry, they were "eating up" the smaller contingent with the
+least possible risk to themselves. They were quite capable of
+delivering a fierce charge when they witnessed the approach of the
+rescuers, or, on the other hand, they might allow the newcomers to
+combine with von Kerber, and depend on their rifle fire to dispose of
+the reinforced defense. He must decide quickly, once he knew the
+conditions, and it was imperative, therefore, that something in the
+nature of a reconnaissance should be conducted from the shoulder of the
+rising ground which terminated the plateau. By shouting to Abdur Kad'r
+and signaling to his own men, Dick managed to check the furious onward
+rush of the detachment. It was no easy matter to stop the excited
+camels. The stubborn brutes were equally unwilling either to travel at
+such a rate or to abandon it. Before the sky-line was reached, however,
+they were pulled up. Royson, Abdur Kad'r and Abdullah dismounted, and
+ran rapidly to the crest, dodging behind rocks and broken ground until
+they secured a clear view of the panorama in front. It was a singular
+and, in one respect, a disconcerting scene that met their anxious gaze.
+
+The only practicable road descended rapidly towards an immensely wide
+and shallow depression. Conceivably, this basin might have been formed
+by the subsidence of the land all round an extinct volcano, whose one-
+time activity was revealed by a cluster of small cones in the distance.
+Running due east, and passing north of the crater thus curiously
+marked, was the arid river-bed which created the oasis, and rendered
+possible the well which gave its name to the place. Unfortunately, the
+group of lava hillocks was situated much beyond the center of the
+hollow. They were commanded by small hills on three sides, and, though
+capable of defense in some respects, they offered the grave
+disadvantage of being in a circle. Consequently, the only section
+secure from an enemy's fire was that on the western side, and it was
+evident that the defenders had found this to be actually the case. They
+were, of course, clearly visible from the ridge, where, unknown to
+them, the leader of a strong relief was then lying in the cleft of a
+rock split to its base by extremes of heat and cold.
+
+Dick counted the cones. There were seven, of them. Though fully a mile
+and a half distant, he could see Mrs. Haxton sitting between two huge
+boulders. Von Kerber was near her, and the few Arabs with them were
+scattered among the rocks in positions whence they could return the
+incessant fusillade poured on them from the hills. Their camels were
+huddled in a hollow between the two westerly mounds, and, so far as
+Royson could judge, the little party had not yet sustained many
+casualties. But the tactics of their assailants were quite obvious. The
+Hadendowas, silently and unseen, had occupied the higher ground on the
+north, east, and south. They had probably stampeded the unsuspecting
+_kafila_ from the open oasis, because a couple of tents and some camp
+equipage still stood there, and it was their intent to creep nearer,
+pushing the horns of an ever-closing crescent steadily westward, until
+a junction effected just before sunset would permit of a successful
+rush. Indeed, all doubt on this point was dispelled by the discovery of
+two strong companies of Hadendowas gathering on the reverse slopes of
+the nearest hills. They were mounted, mostly on camels. They did not
+reveal their existence by taking part in the firing. They seemed to be
+waiting some signal before they rode out into the plain, to complete
+the merciless ring which would then surround the doomed occupants of
+the Seven Hills.
+
+There was not a moment to be lost, and Royson, having formed his plan,
+put it into instant operation. He and the six sailors would be the
+first to cross the sky-line, while a few Arabs would accompany them,
+but hurry back as soon as they were visible, giving the impression that
+they had gone to summon others. The men from the _Aphrodite_ would ride
+straight, at top speed, towards the beleaguered party. Two minutes
+later, Abdur Kad'r was to lead half his Arabs over the ridge and make
+for the enemy's right wing, while, after a similar interval, Abdullah,
+at the head of the remaining detachment, would similarly dash into
+sight and advance against the enemy's left. The opposing force would
+thus see three successive waves of rescuers, each apparently stronger
+than its predecessor, coming from the only direction whence succor was
+possible. Alfieri and his followers were well aware already of the
+strength of Mr. Fenshawe's expedition. If they imagined that it was
+advancing in its full numbers, they might break and run without firing
+another shot. If, however, they showed fight, Abdur Kad'r and Abdullah
+had most stringent orders not to pursue the flanking parties, which
+they would certainly drive in on the main body. They were to converge
+towards the hillocks, where Royson would, by that time, have brought
+hope and renewed courage to their hard-pressed friends. Then, granted
+that the Hadendowas dared a general attack, the whole force, rescuers
+and rescued, were to fall back, converting the struggle Into a rear-
+guard action, and compelling the Hadendowas to relinquish the advantage
+of the higher ground. Once they came into the open, Royson counted on
+the superior shooting of his six sailors--all marksmen of the Royal
+Navy--to turn the scale unmistakably in his favor, while his Arabs had
+the confidence of knowing that each mile they gained in the retreat
+brought them nearer the powerful caravan in the rear.
+
+The scheme was excellent in every way. Under ordinary conditions it
+would have achieved success, but the sane mind can never take into
+reckoning the vagaries of the insane, and it is quite certain that
+Alfieri, worn alike by hardship and long brooding over his wrongs,
+either went stark staring mad at the spectacle of relief being
+forthcoming for those whom he believed to be entrapped, or gave instant
+rein to the frenzy already consuming him.
+
+At a moment, then, when it was suicidal to attempt an attack which his
+men had refused to carry out under the much less dangerous conditions
+that prevailed all day--it was ascertained afterwards that the first
+shower of bullets fell into the startled camp about ten o'clock that
+morning--at that moment, Alfieri, screaming curses in Italian and
+Arabic, called on those nearest to follow him, and rode out from the
+shelter of one of the small hills. In sheer excitement, a few
+Hadendowas obeyed his wild command. They had not far to go, but the
+rocky water-course barred the track and they must cross it slowly. Now,
+above all else, was the time for the sorely-tried little band under von
+Kerber to stand fast. They could have shot at their leisure Alfieri and
+each man of the half dozen who came with him. Already three groups of
+yelling men were stirring the dust into life as they scampered to the
+rescue across the comparatively level floor of the basin. In five
+minutes, or less, the Hadendowa attack would be rolled back into the
+hills, and neither friend nor foe had any other thought than that the
+whole of Mr. Fenshawe's _kafila_ was pouring its irresistible power
+into the fray.
+
+The situation was precisely one of the suddenly-arising and acute
+crises in warfare which accentuate the difference between races. While
+von Kerber, and Mrs. Haxton, too, for that matter, saw the urgent need
+of prolonging the desperate strife for just those few minutes, their
+Arabs, after fighting coolly and bravely throughout an exhausting day,
+now quite lost their heads. Heedless of the Austrian's prayers and
+imprecations, heedless of Mrs. Haxton's shrill appeal that they should
+beat off the few assailants then perilously close at hand, they yielded
+to the blind instinct of self-preservation, and rushed pell-mell for
+the camels. At once these men of a martial tribe, men who had
+cheerfully faced the far greater danger of the Hadendowa general
+attack, became untrammeled savages, each striving like a maniac to
+secure a mount for himself, and careless whether or not his employers
+and comrades escaped also.
+
+Many of the camels were wounded, some were dead, and valuable time was
+wasted, even in this disgraceful _sauve qui peut_, in a deadly struggle
+for possession of such animals as could move. Von Kerber, when it was
+borne in on him that to obtain a camel meant life for Mrs. Haxton and
+himself, shouted to her to keep close to him, and ran in front of a
+mounted Arab who had emerged from the melee. He ordered the man to
+halt, and, so near were Royson and his tiny squadron just then, that
+the camel might have brought all three into safety. But the Arab bent
+his head, and urged the swaying beast into a faster trot. Von Kerber
+fired at him, and the unhappy tribesman tumbled from his perch like a
+dummy figure. Snatching at the camel's head-rope, the Austrian lifted,
+almost threw Mrs. Haxton up to the saddle. Owing to its height from the
+ground, it was impossible to place her there securely, but she helped
+him bravely, scrambled somehow to the awkward seat, and stooped to drag
+him up behind. She had succeeded, by main force. The excited beast was
+plunging forward again to get away from the affrighting turmoil close
+to its heels, when a heavy thud shook the huge frame, the camel fell to
+its knees, lurched over on its side, and threw both riders heavily.
+
+Von Kerber alone rose. He was dazed for an instant, but he seemed to
+have a dim consciousness of the quarter from which mortal peril
+threatened, for he turned and faced Alfieri, who had reined in the
+Somali pony he rode and was taking deliberate aim at his enemy. The
+Italian carried a repeating, rifle. It was he who had brought down the
+camel with a well-judged shot through the lungs, and, with the same
+venomous accuracy, he now sent a bullet through von Kerber's breast.
+The stricken man dropped on all fours, and glared up at his murderer.
+Then, nerving himself for a supreme effort of hate, he raised his own
+revolver and fired three times at Alfieri. Twice he missed, owing to
+the restiveness of the horse, but the third shot hit the Italian in the
+center of the forehead.
+
+When Royson found them, they were lying within a few feet of each
+other. Alfieri was dead. His pale student's features, softened by the
+great change, wore a queer look of surprise. Von Kerber was alive, but
+dying. He had fallen on his face, and Dick lifted him gently, resting
+the drooping head against his knee.
+
+"Are you badly wounded?" he asked, knowing well by the ashen pallor
+beneath the bronze of the desert that the man's stormy life was fast
+ebbing to its close. A dreadful froth bubbled from von Kerber's lips,
+and the words came brokenly:
+
+"That Italian beast--I hit him, yes?"
+
+"I suppose so. I could not see what happened. But he is dead. Pay no
+heed to him. Tell me what is best to be done for you."
+
+"Dead! _Ach, lieber Gott!_ That is good.... I--I am finished--_I_
+know.... Go to Mrs. Haxton. Tell her ... the treasure ... Fenshawe will
+be generous...."
+
+And that was all. He did not die instantly, but consciousness failed,
+and the soul soon fluttered out of the limp body with a sigh.
+
+Dick laid the inanimate form on the desert. He went to look for Mrs.
+Haxton. She was stretched, apparently lifeless, beneath the camel's
+Shoulder. Royson seized the huge beast by the neck and flung it aside
+bodily. So far as he could judge, she was uninjured, though he feared
+the camel might have broken one of her limbs or fractured a rib,
+because his first thought was that the animal had fallen on top of her.
+But his anxiety was soon dispelled when he forced some of the contents
+of his water-bottle between, her set teeth. She sobbed twice, and her
+bosom rose and fell spasmodically. Then, with a sudden return to the
+full use of her senses which, was almost uncanny, she wrested herself
+free from his arms and shrank away, quivering, while her eyes gazed at
+him with awful questioning. As she looked she seemed to understand that
+this man who had held her so tenderly was not the man whom she feared
+to see. The reaction was too great. Dick watched the glance of
+recognition fading away into insensibility. With a little gasp, she
+fainted again, but he knew, this time, that her collapse was the
+natural sequel to the ordeal she had gone through. He roughly bundled a
+camel cloth into a pillow, laid her head on it, and gave the attention
+that was necessary to events elsewhere.
+
+He had appreciated the fatal error of the friendly Arabs in deserting
+their stronghold. Though he and his companions pressed on at a
+dangerous speed, they could do nothing to stop the panic. Some of the
+runaways almost charged into them, and seriously interfered with their
+view of the advancing Hadendowas. That was only for a moment, but
+seconds are precious when men are shooting at point-blank range, and
+Royson was lashing an Arab out of his path at the instant Alfieri fired
+the first shot at the double-laden camel. The Hadendowas scattered and
+fled when they caught a glimpse of the white faces. But they did not
+get away unscathed. Slipping out of their saddles, four of the
+_Aphrodite's_ crew opened fire, and brought five of the robber
+tribesmen headlong to earth, while the sixth saved his skin by falling
+with his wounded camel and skulking unnoticed to the hills along the
+water-course. As for the remainder, the flanking parties bolted before
+Abdur Kad'r or Abdullah could get within striking distance, and from
+that hour no sensible Hadendowa came near the Well of Moses for many a
+month.
+
+In fact, Royson found that his own men were already standing quietly in
+a group, waiting for orders, and the two detachments of caravan Arabs
+were coming in from the wings in accordance with his preconcerted plan.
+Some of the bolting escort were returning. They looked shamefaced when
+they passed von Kerber lying dead on the ground. One of them, a Hadji,
+who wore the green turban and black cloak of a pilgrim to Mecca, began
+to murmur an explanation to Royson, but the giant Effendi gave him such
+a glance of scorn and anger that the man made off, lest the evil from
+which he had fled might yet befall him. In the immediate foreground
+were several prostrate forms, mostly Arabs injured in the fight for the
+camels, and so gravely wounded that they could not move. A struggling
+camel or two, screaming and kicking in agony, seemed to be strangely
+out of place in the peaceful hush which instantly enfolded the desert.
+The shouting and musketry that made pandemonium there a few minutes
+earlier had vanished. The tops of the more distant mountains were
+glowing in purple and gold, and the blue of the sky was deepening. In
+that brief hour before the utter darkness that follows sunset the
+desert has a rare beauty. It has lights and shades denied to softer
+landscapes. Titania's bower can show no more brilliant color effects.
+It is then a fit background for romance and mystery, but it breathes no
+hint of war or death, and such things wear a sacrilegious aspect when
+brought forcibly into those fairy-like surroundings.
+
+Royson, though he had watched the transformation of rock and arid earth
+many a time with kindling eyes, gave small heed to the dream-face of
+nature as he scanned the splendid prospect for sign of further attack
+by the Hadendowas. He found none, but he happened to note the furtive
+manner of some among the Arab escort who were hastening toward the
+small hollow enclosed by the Seven Hills.
+
+Then he remembered why this solitary place had become a Golgotha. The
+hapless von Kerber was disinterring the treasure when the Hadendowa
+assault began. In all likelihood, had the free-booters ridden boldly up
+in the first instance, the fight would have ended in less minutes than
+it had occupied hours. And these other ghouls, before they were driven
+off by a hail of lead, had learnt what store of wealth was buried there
+beneath the sand.
+
+"Chaytor," said Royson, addressing one of the crew who had acted as
+quartermaster on board the yacht, "take three men and mount guard over
+any trench or other excavation you may find in the valley between those
+mounds. Let no Arab even approach the place. Use force if necessary,
+but try and avoid any shooting. I shall join you there before sunset."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir," said Chaytor. He named three men, and the four hurried
+to their post. Bidding the other two sailors help him, Royson turned to
+carry out a disagreeable task. Von Kerber, Alfieri, and the rest must
+be buried while there was yet light. He meant to make a rough inventory
+of documents and letters found in the pockets of the Europeans. The
+Arabs would scoop shallow graves where the sand was deepest, and pile
+heavy stones over the bodies to protect them from jackals. Such was the
+simple ceremony of the desert. And it demanded haste.
+
+But a distressing sight awaited him. Mrs. Haxton was kneeling by von
+Kerber's side, and weeping in a heart-broken way. He went to her, and
+said, almost in a whisper:
+
+"You can do no good by remaining here. Won't you go to the tent that is
+fixed in the oasis, and wait there until I join you? I shall not be
+long. You understand--it is for the best."
+
+She raised her streaming eyes, and he had never before seen such a
+grief-stricken face.
+
+"Mr. Royson," she murmured dully, "let me pray yet a little while."
+
+"Indeed I am sorry for you," he said. "Yet I must urge you to go. We
+have not a moment to lose."
+
+"To lose? What else can happen?"
+
+"The night is coming. We cannot leave the bodies here. It would be too
+horrible."
+
+"Ah," she sighed, "there is no horror to equal mine. I have the blood
+of three men on my soul."
+
+She suffered him to lead her away. He tried to console her by throwing
+all the responsibility on to the Italian. But he felt that this palsied
+woman scarce listened to his words. He was almost glad to leave her
+alone with her mournful thoughts. In active work he could find
+distraction from the sad influences of this fatal treasure-hunt. There
+were still many things he did not comprehend, but he resolutely
+dismissed all self-communing. Perhaps, when the first paroxysm of woe
+had exhausted itself, Mrs. Haxton might explain; meanwhile, he must
+endeavor to hide the chief features of the tragedy ere Irene arrived.
+
+When he moved Alfieri's body is order to examine his clothing, he saw
+that the man's coat was torn at the breast, the cloth having caught a
+jagged rock as its wearer fell from the saddle. Through this rent a
+pocketbook and some papers had slipped out. They were resting on a
+little sand drift at the base of the rock that had caused the damage.
+The pocketbook was open. Some of the sand had entered its compartments.
+And, in one of them, were the papyrus leaves found in the tomb of
+Demetriades, the Greek, whose mortal eyes were the last that had gazed
+on the treasure of Sheba! In truth, here was one of the world's dramas,
+with its scenes divided by two thousand years, yet the parched desert
+was content to wait there placidly, in sure and certain knowledge that
+the curtain would rise again on that grim play, whether the years were
+few or many between the acts. How little changed was the stage. But
+what of the actors? Did the modern troupe differ so greatly from the
+two-thousand-year-old cast--the merchant in ivory and skins who quitted
+his quiet business at Alexandria to seek adventure and gold, the Romans
+who went to kill and plunder an inoffensive people, the Nubians who
+waylaid them, and left their bones to bleach? Assuredly, looking at the
+dozen or more dead bodies stretched in a row at his feet, Royson deemed
+mankind as unchangeable as the desert.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At two o'clock, when the stars and a new moon were dimly lighting the
+circle of hills, an Arab vedette reported the approach of a large
+_kafila_ from the west. Soon the jingle of accouterments and the cries
+of camels who scented the oasis heralded the arrival of the main body.
+When Dick lifted a weary Irene from the saddle he made no pretense of
+shyness, but kissed her quite heartily.
+
+Yet Dick's tidings caused grave faces in the small circle round the
+camp-fire. Mr. Fenshawe, as responsible leader of the expedition, felt
+the weight of this added burthen of death. There was no gainsaying the
+fact that he had been dragged into an unlawful enterprise. He was in
+Italian territory against the will of the authorities. Though he and
+those under his control were guiltless of actual wrong-doing, it was
+exceedingly unfortunate that Alfieri had not lived to make a
+deposition. The treasure-seekers must now depend on the testimony of
+the wounded Hadendowas, four of whom had surrendered voluntarily, for
+the one great principle which the East has learnt from the West is that
+Europeans usually show humanity to a disabled foe. Abdullah, too,
+assured the millionaire that the Italian officer who accompanied
+Alfieri from Massowah warned the latter against any act of violence,
+and would have restrained him from undertaking an apparently useless
+search if the instructions received from Rome had not directed that
+"every assistance was to be given to Signor Giuseppe Alfieri."
+
+There could be no manner of doubt that the Italian had begun an
+unprovoked attack on the smaller _kafila_. His only messengers were
+bullets, and the orders he issued to the Hadendowas were definite. The
+whole party was to be exterminated, with the exception of Mrs. Haxton,
+who was to be taken alive if possible. Again, there was direct evidence
+of his duplicity with regard to the meeting arranged for that morning.
+Fenshawe's friendly letter was found among his papers, so he had
+hurried from his camp on the Suleiman's Well route with the deliberate
+intention of wiping out of existence the man who was his sworn enemy.
+Still, the affair wore an ugly look, and tired though he was, Fenshawe
+had no thought of rest until the contradictory elements of a most
+perplexing business were sifted.
+
+He was seated near the fire with Royson and Stump. Irene had gone to
+Mrs. Haxton the instant she heard Dick's tragic story.
+
+"Has Mrs. Haxton thrown any light on events?" Fenshawe asked. "You say
+she was completely broken down. Did you gather from her words that von
+Kerber brought her here knowing that this oasis was the place described
+by the Greek?"
+
+"She did not even mention the treasure. Perhaps I could have induced
+her to speak, but--"
+
+"You forbore. I am glad of it. Has any of the loot been discovered?"
+
+"It was dark when I visited the trench von Kerber was cutting. Alfieri
+sent a volley at him, and stopped the work before much was done, but
+the Arabs tell me that some leather wallets are visible. The men who
+were here this morning know that the contents are valuable, so I have
+stationed an armed guard there."
+
+"I wish I could destroy every vestige of the wretched stuff. There is a
+curse on it."
+
+Fenshawe's tone revealed how deeply he was moved.
+
+"Where is Abdullah?" he cried suddenly. "If he will tell us the truth,
+we may reach firm ground in the midst of all this morass of lies and
+treachery. Send for him. He is an Arab, and, if he thinks his interests
+are bound up with ours, he will speak."
+
+Abdullah, surveying the conclave from afar, had arrived at an opinion
+that justified this estimate. His first words shed light on a dark
+place in the records of the two men who were lying side by side in the
+safe keeping of the desert. His command of French rendered conversation
+easy, except to Stump, and he was quite explicit.
+
+"Madam is beautiful, is it not?" he said, indicating Mrs. Haxton's tent
+by a graceful gesture "Seven years ago, she was the most beautiful
+woman in Egypt. Her husband should not have brought her here. By
+Mahomet, Egypt is no place for the good-looking wife of a poor man.
+That is the cause of all the trouble, messieurs. Elegant birds require
+glided cages, and Monsieur Hasten had not money enough. I met them
+first in Massowah, where she lived in the hotel, while her husband went
+up and down the Red Sea in a ship. Alfieri was there, and he also was
+poor, but he ruined himself in trying to win her away from Monsieur
+Haxton. He failed, and, like many another man, that only made him
+worse. When Monsieur Haxton was sent to Assouan, by a new company,
+Alfieri went there, too. It was at that time I found the papers which
+tell about the treasure--"
+
+"How do you know they tell about the treasure?" broke in Fenshawe.
+
+"Because I stole them from Monsieur Haxton," was the cool reply. "I had
+sold them to Monsieur Alfieri, and he gave them to Madame's husband.
+Monsieur le Baron was his doctor, and a friend, but, when he found out
+how valuable those papers were, he hired me to secure them from
+Monsieur Haxton's bureau while he slept. Unfortunately, there was an
+accident. Monsieur Haxton was in a fever, and the doctor gave him a
+sleeping draft. Monsieur Haxton took too much, and he never woke
+again."
+
+Fenshawe's face grew dark with anger.
+
+"You scoundrel!" he cried. "Between you, you poisoned the man. I
+recollect the incident now. I saw it in the papers at the time."
+
+"You are wrong, Monsieur," said Abdullah calmly. "There was an inquiry,
+and it was proved that the draft was only a strong one--quite harmless
+if the doctor's written orders were obeyed. True, none but I and the
+Baron knew why the Englishman should sleep so soundly that night, but
+it was not meant to kill him. Monsieur Alfieri charged the doctor with
+having committed a crime, so Monsieur Haxton's. friends had the affair
+fully examined into. It was really an accident. Monsieur le Baron was
+exceedingly grieved."
+
+"But he kept the papers?" was Fenshawe's grim comment.
+
+"By the Kaaba, and why not? Here was Monsieur Alfieri trying to hang
+him, and all because Madame would not have anything to do with him. You
+see, there was every reason why the Hakim Effendi should get the
+papers. Monsieur Haxton was fool enough to tell Alfieri something about
+them."
+
+"Probably Monsieur Haxton meant to play the part of an honest man."
+
+"It may be. Who knows? Yet it is certain that Alfieri would never have
+shared the treasure with Monsieur Haxton If he had known what the
+writing was about. On the other hand, Monsieur le Baron told Madame
+everything, and he promised me a good share for helping him. When he
+went to England he left me to watch Alfieri. They were always enemies,
+those two."
+
+Dick remembered the letter in Arabic he had seen von Kerber reading on
+the night they met in the Austrian's house. And he recalled, too, with
+a shiver, Mrs. Haxton's agonized words when he tried to lead her away
+from the dead man who had dared so much for her sake. She had "the
+blood of three men on her soul," she said. One of those men was her
+husband. In that dark hour, what terrible shadows had trooped from the
+tomb to torture her! He said nothing to his companions. She knew. He
+only guessed, and he left it at that.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Next day many hands completed the task von Kerber had begun. But
+Fenshawe had made up his mind on a course of action, and he adhered to
+it rigidly. The list given by Demetriades was almost correct. One
+hundred and seventy wallets were brought to light, just two less than
+the number stated by the Greek. They were left unopened. Exactly as
+they were taken from the sand so were they sealed and set aside until
+transportation details were arranged. Mr. Fenshawe pointed out to the
+men from the _Aphrodite_ how important it was that the treasure should
+be made over to the Italian Government intact. By that means alone
+could their story be justified, and he guaranteed that no one should
+suffer financial loss by reason of his decision.
+
+Mrs. Haxton was too ill to be either questioned or consulted. She was
+carried to the sea almost at death's door, and her ultimate recovery
+was doubtful even a fortnight later, when the _Aphrodite_ brought them
+all to Aden. And it may be said here that the monetary value of the
+treasure was not great--its utmost figure being placed at L50,000. The
+two missing wallets were those containing the gems. Probably that was
+another story which the desert has in safe keeping. The Italian Foreign
+Office behaved generously to the disappointed archeologist. He was
+acquitted from any blame in regard to the affray at the Well of Moses,
+and he was asked to select for his own collection twelve of the ancient
+Persian and Indian gold vases which formed the chief prizes of the
+hoard.
+
+But that was long afterward, when Sir Richard and Lady Royson were on
+their honeymoon trip to Japan, when Captain and Mrs. Stump, attended by
+the faithful Tagg, had enjoyed the "time of their lives" at Orme
+Castle, and when Mrs. Haxton, elegant as ever, but very quiet and
+reserved in manner, was living in a tiny villa at Bath, where Mr.
+Fenshawe's munificence had established her for the remainder of her
+days. She said, and there was no reason to disbelieve her, that von
+Kerber had no knowledge of the identity of the oasis at the Well of
+Moses. He went that way to the sea by sheer, accident and became half
+crazy with excitement at the sight of the Seven Hills. It was his fixed
+intention, she declared, to send word to Fenshawe as soon as he had
+ascertained, beyond range of doubt, that the Sheban loot was really
+buried there.
+
+Dick and his wife passed a fortnight at Cairo on their voyage home.
+They chanced to admire some old praying carpets in a shop in the
+bazaar, and asked the price. They offered half the sum named, and the
+attendant, a slim youth, said he would consult his father.
+
+A tall, stoutly-built Arab came from a dark inner apartment. His
+regular, somewhat grave, features at once expanded into a delighted
+smile.
+
+"By the Prophet!" he exclaimed in excellent French, "I am overjoyed at
+seeing you, Monsieur et Madame. You will drink coffee with me, is it
+not? And, as for the rugs, take them. They are yours, I set up a shop
+with the money Monsieur Fenshawe gave me, and I am prosperous! _Que
+diable!_ That was a lucky journey for me when we all went south
+together. I have left the desert now. Behold! I am a good citizen, and
+pay taxes."
+
+Irene laughed. She had never pictured Abdullah the Spear-thrower as a
+shop-keeper, and waxing fat withal.
+
+"You, at any rate, found treasure at the Well of Moses," she cried.
+
+Abdullah glanced at her happy, smiling face. He turned to Royson, and
+bowed, with something of his former grace.
+
+"Let me congratulate you, Monsieur, on your far greater fortune," he
+said.
+
+
+
+
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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wheel O' Fortune, by Louis Tracy
+
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+*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!*****
+
+
+Title: The Wheel O' Fortune
+
+Author: Louis Tracy
+
+Release Date: July, 2005  [EBook #8596]
+[This file was first posted on July 26, 2003]
+
+Edition: 10
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, THE WHEEL O' FORTUNE ***
+
+
+
+
+E-text prepared by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon, Charles Kirschner,
+Charles Franks, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team
+
+
+
+THE WHEEL O' FORTUNE
+
+BY
+
+LOUIS TRACY
+
+Author of "The Wings of the Morning," "The Pillar of Light,"
+"The Captain of the Kansas" etc.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS BY
+JAMES MONTGOMERY FLAGG
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+     CHAPTER I. WHEREIN FORTUNE TURNS HER WHEEL
+    CHAPTER II. THE COMPACT
+   CHAPTER III. A CHANGE OF SKY, BUT NOT OF HABIT
+    CHAPTER IV. VON KERBER EXPLAINS
+     CHAPTER V. MISS FENSHAWE SEEKS AN ALLY
+    CHAPTER VI. AT THE PORTAL
+   CHAPTER VII. MRS. HAXTON RECEIVES A SHOCK
+  CHAPTER VIII. MASSOWAH ASSERTS ITSELF
+    CHAPTER IX. A GALLOP IN THE DARK
+     CHAPTER X. THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
+    CHAPTER XI. A WOMAN INTERVENES
+   CHAPTER XII. STUMP DEPENDS ON OBSERVATION
+  CHAPTER XIII. THE SIGN IN THE SKY
+   CHAPTER XIV. WHEREIN A BISHARIN CAMEL BECOMES USEFUL
+    CHAPTER XV. THE DESERT AWAKES
+   CHAPTER XVI. A FLIGHT--AND A FIGHT
+  CHAPTER XVII. HOW THREE ROADS LED IN ONE DIRECTION
+ CHAPTER XVIII. THE FINDING OF THE TREASURE
+
+
+
+
+        LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+"By the Prophet!" he exclaimed, "I am overjoyed at seeing you"
+ "I don't want your charity, I want work!"
+ "Let your prisoner go, Mr. King"
+ "Good morning, Mr. King," she cried
+ "You need no promise from me, Miss Fenshawe"
+ The Arab appraised Royson with critical eye
+ He did not dare meet the glance suddenly turned upon him
+ "Go, Dick, but come back to me in safety"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+
+WHEREIN FORTUNE TURNS HER WHEEL
+
+At ten o'clock on a morning in October--a dazzling, sunlit morning
+after hours of wind-lashed rain--a young man hurried out of Victoria
+Station and dodged the traffic and the mud-pools on his way towards
+Victoria Street. Suddenly he was brought to a stand by an unusual
+spectacle. A procession of the "unemployed" was sauntering out of
+Vauxhall Bridge Road into the more important street. Being men of
+leisure, the processionists moved slowly. The more alert pedestrian who
+had just emerged from the station did not grumble at the delay--he even
+turned it to advantage by rolling and lighting a cigarette. The ragged
+regiment filed past, a soiled, frayed, hopeless-looking gang. Three
+hundred men had gathered on the south side of the river, and were
+marching to join other contingents on the Thames Embankment, whence
+some thousands of them would be shepherded by policemen up
+Northumberland Avenue, across Trafalgar Square, and so, by way of Lower
+Regent Street and Piccadilly, to Hyde Park, where they would hoarsely
+cheer every demagogue who blamed the Government for their miseries.
+
+London, like Richard Royson, would stand on the pavement and watch
+them. Like him, it would drop a few coins into the collecting boxes
+rattled under its nose, and grin at the absurd figure cut by a very fat
+man who waddled notably, among his leaner brethren, for hunger and
+substance are not often found so strangely allied. But, having salved
+its conscience by giving, and gratified its sarcastic humor by
+laughing, London took thought, perhaps, when it read the strange device
+on the banner carried by this Vauxhall contingent. "Curse your charity
+--we want work," said the white letters, staring threateningly out of a
+wide strip of red cotton. There was a brutal force in the phrase. It
+was Socialism in a tabloid. Many a looker-on, whose lot was nigh as
+desperate as that of the demonstrators, felt that it struck him between
+the eyes.
+
+It had some such effect on Royson. Rather abruptly he turned away, and
+reached the less crowded Buckingham Palace Road. His face was darkened
+by a frown, though his blue eyes had a glint of humor in them. The
+legend on the banner had annoyed him. Its blatant message had
+penetrated the armor of youth, high spirits, and abounding good health.
+It expressed his own case, with a crude vigor. The "unemployed" genius
+who railed at society in that virile line must have felt as he, Dick
+Royson, had begun to feel during the past fortnight, and the knowledge
+that this was so was exceedingly distasteful. It was monstrous that he
+should rate himself on a par with those slouching wastrels. The mere
+notion brought its own confutation. Twenty-four years of age, well
+educated, a gentleman by birth and breeding, an athlete who stood six
+feet two inches high in his stockings, the gulf was wide, indeed,
+between him and the charity-cursers who had taken his money. Yet--the
+words stuck....
+
+Evidently, he was fated to be a sight-seer that morning. When he
+entered Buckingham Palace Road, the strains of martial music banished
+the gaunt specter called into being by the red cotton banner. A
+policeman, more cheerful and spry than his comrades who marshaled the
+procession shuffling towards Westminster, strode to the center of the
+busy crossing, and cast an alert eye on the converging lines of
+traffic. Another section of the ever-ready London crowd lined up on the
+curb. Nursemaids, bound for the parks, wheeled their perambulators into
+strategic positions, thus commanding a clear view and blocking the edge
+of the pavement. Drivers of omnibuses, without waiting for the lifted
+hand of authority, halted in Lower Grosvenor Gardens and Victoria
+Street. Cabs going to the station, presumably carrying fares to whom
+time meant lost trains, spurted to cross a road which would soon be
+barred. And small boys gathered from all quarters in amazing profusion.
+In a word, the Coldstream Guards were coming from Chelsea Barracks to
+do duty at St. James's, coming, too, in the approved manner of the
+Guards, with lively drumming and clash of cymbals, while brass and
+reeds sang some jaunty melody of the hour.
+
+The passing of a regimental band has whisked many a youngster out of
+staid Britain into the far lands, the lilt and swing of soldiers on the
+march have a glamour all the more profound because it is evanescent.
+That man must indeed be careworn who would resist it. Certainly, the
+broad-shouldered young giant who had been momentarily troubled by the
+white-red ghost of poverty was not so minded. He could see easily, over
+the heads of the people standing on the edge of the pavement, so he did
+not press to the front among the rabble, but stood apart, with his back
+against a shop window. Thus, he was free to move to right or left as he
+chose. That was a slight thing in itself, an unconscious trick of
+aloofness--perhaps an inherited trait of occupying his own territory,
+so to speak. But it is these slight things which reveal character. They
+oft-times influence human lives, too; and no man ever extricated
+himself more promptly from the humdrum of moneyless existence in London
+than did Richard Royson that day by placing the width of the sidewalk
+between himself and the unbroken row of spectators. Of course, he knew
+nothing of that at the moment. His objective was an appointment at
+eleven' o'clock in the neighborhood of Charing Cross, and, now that he
+was given the excuse, he meant to march along the Mall behind the
+Guards. Meanwhile, he watched their advance.
+
+Above the tall bearskins and glittering bayonets he caught the flourish
+of energetic drumsticks. The big drum gave forth its clamor with
+window-shaking insistence; it seemed to be the summons of power that
+all else should stand aside. On they came, these spruce Guards, each
+man a marching machine, trained to strut and pose exactly as his
+fellows. There was a sense of omnipotence in their rhythmic movement.
+And they all had the grand manner--from the elegant captain in command
+down to the smallest drummer-boy. Although the sun was shining brightly
+now, the earlier rain and hint of winter in the air had clothed all
+ranks in dark gray great-coats and brown leggings. Hence, to the
+untrained glance, they were singularly alike. Officers, sergeants,
+privates and bandsmen might have been cast in molds, after the style of
+toy soldiers. There were exceptions, of course, just as the fat man
+achieved distinction among the unemployed. The crimson sashes of the
+officers, the drum-major, with his twirling staff, the white apron of
+the big drummer, drew the eye. A slim subaltern, carrying the
+regimental color, held pride of place in the picture. The rich hues of
+the silk lent a barbaric splendor to his sober trappings. And he took
+himself seriously. A good-looking lad, with smooth contours not yet
+hardened to the military type, his face had in it a set gravity which
+proclaimed that he would bear that flag whithersoever his country's
+need demanded. And it was good to see him so intent on the mere charge
+of it in transit between Chelsea Barracks and the Guard-room at St.
+James's Palace. That argued earnestness, an excellent thing, even in
+the Household Brigade.
+
+Royson was amusing himself with the contrast between the two types of
+banner-bearers he had gazed at in the short space of five minutes--he
+was specially tickled by the fact that the Guards, also, were under
+police protection--when he became aware that the features of the color-
+lieutenant were familiar to him. A man in uniform, with forehead and
+chin partly hidden by warlike gear, cannot be recognized easily, if
+there be any initial doubt as to his identity. To determine the matter,
+Royson, instead of following in the rear as he had intended, stepped
+out brightly and placed himself somewhat ahead of the officer. He was
+near the drums before he could make sure that he was actually within a
+few yards of a former classmate. The knowledge brought a rush of blood
+to his face. Though glad enough to see unexpectedly one who had been a
+school friend, it was not in human nature that the marked difference
+between their present social positions should not be bitter to him.
+Here was "Jack" marching down the middle of the road in the panoply of
+the Guards, while "Dick" his superior during six long years at Rugby,
+was hurrying along the pavement, perhaps nearing the brink of that gulf
+already reached by the Vauxhall processionists.
+
+So Dick Royson's placid temper was again ruffled, and he might have
+said nasty things about Fate had not that erratic dame suddenly
+thought, fit to alter his fortunes. As the street narrowed between
+lofty buildings, so did the blaring thunder of the music increase. The
+mob closed in on the soldiers' heels; the whole roadway was packed with
+moving men. A somber flood of humanity--topped by the drumsticks, the
+flag, the glistening bayonets and the bearskins--it seemingly engulfed
+all else in its path. The sparkle of the band, intensified by the
+quick, measured tramp of the soldiers, aroused a furtive enthusiasm.
+Old men, bearded and bent, men whom one would never suspect of having
+borne arms, straightened themselves, stood to attention, and saluted
+the swaying flag. Callow youths, hooligans, round-shouldered slouchers
+at the best, made shift to lift their heads and keep step. And the
+torrent caught the human flotsam of the pavement in its onward swirl.
+If Royson had not utilized that clear space lower down the street, it
+would have demanded the exercise of sheer force to reach the van of the
+dense gathering of nondescripts now following the drum.
+
+Nevertheless, a clearance was made, and speedily, with the startling
+suddenness of a summer whirlwind. A pair of horses, attached to an open
+carriage, were drawn up in a by-street until the Guards had passed. So
+far as Royson was concerned, they were on the opposite side of the
+road, with their heads towards him. But he happened to be looking that
+way, because his old-time companion, the Hon. John Paton Seymour, was
+in the direct line of sight, and his unusual stature enabled him to see
+that both horses reared simultaneously. They took the coachman by
+surprise, and their downward plunge dragged him headlong from the box.
+Instantly there was a panic among the mob. It melted away from the
+clatter of frenzied hoofs as though a live shell had burst in the
+locality. Two staccato syllables from the officer in command stopped
+the music and brought the Guards to a halt. The horses dashed madly
+forward, barely missing the color and its escort. A ready-witted
+sergeant grabbed at the loose reins flapping in the air, but they
+eluded him with a snake-like twist. The next wild leap brought the
+carriage pole against a lamp-post, and both were broken. Then one of
+the animals stumbled, half turned, backed, and locked the front wheels.
+A lady, the sole occupant, was discarding some heavy wraps which
+impeded her movements, evidently meaning to spring into the road, but
+she was given no time. The near hind wheel was already off the ground.
+In another second the carriage must be overturned, had not Royson,
+brought by chance to the right place, seized the off wheel and the back
+of the hood, and bodily lifted the rear part of the victoria into
+momentary safety. It was a fine display of physical strength, and quick
+judgment. He literally threw the vehicle a distance of several feet.
+But that was not all. He saw his opportunity, caught the reins, and
+took such a pull at the terrified horses that a policeman and a soldier
+were able to get hold of their heads. The coachman, who had fallen
+clear, now ran up. With him came a gentleman in a fur coat. Royson was
+about to turn and find out what had become of the lady, when some one
+said quietly:
+
+"Well saved, King Dick!"
+
+It was the Hon. John Seymour who spoke. Rigid as a statue, and almost
+as helpless, he was standing in the middle of the road, with his left
+hand holding the flag and a drawn sword in his right. Yet a school
+nickname bridged five years so rapidly that the man who had just been
+reviling Fate smiled at the picturesque officer of the Guards in the
+old, tolerant way, the way in which the hero of the eleven or fifteen
+permits his worshipers to applaud.
+
+But this mutual recognition went no further. The Guards must on to St.
+James's. Some incomprehensible growls set them in motion again, the
+drum banged with new zest, and the street gradually emptied, leaving
+only a few curious gapers to surround the damaged victoria and the
+trembling horses. The fresh outburst of music brought renewed prancing,
+but the pair were in hand now, for Royson held the reins, and the mud-
+bedaubed coachman was ready to twist their heads off in his wrath.
+
+"Don't know what took 'em," he was gasping to the policeman. "Never
+knew 'em be'ave like this afore. Quiet as sheep, they are, as a ryule."
+
+"Too fat," explained the unemotional constable. "Give 'em more work an'
+less corn. Wot's your name an' address? There's this 'ere lamp-post to
+pay for. Cavalry charges in Buckingham Palace Road cost a bit."
+
+An appreciative audience grinned at the official humor. But Royson was
+listening to the somewhat lively conversation taking place behind him.
+
+"Are you injured in any way?" cried the gentleman in the far coat,
+obviously addressing the lady in the victoria. The too accurate cadence
+in his words bespoke the foreigner, the man who has what is called "a
+perfect command" of English.
+
+"Not in the least, thank you," was the answer. The voice was clear,
+musical, well-bred, and decidedly chilling. The two concluding words
+really meant "no thanks to you," The lady was, however, quite self-
+possessed, and, as a consequence, polite.
+
+"But why in the world did you not jump out when I shouted to you?"
+demanded the man.
+
+"Because you threw your half of the rug over my feet, and thus hindered
+me."
+
+"Did I? Ach, Gott! Do you think I deserted you, then?"
+
+"No, no, I did not mean that, Baron von Kerber. The affair was an
+accident, and you naturally thought I would follow your example, I did
+try, twice, to spring clear, but I lost my balance each time. We have
+no cause to blame one another. My view is that Spong was caught
+napping. Instead of arguing about things we might have done, we really
+ought to thank this gentleman, who prevented any further developments
+in some wonderful way not quite known to me yet."
+
+The lady was talking herself into less caustic mood. Perhaps she had
+not expected the Baron to shine in an emergency. Her calmness seemed to
+irritate him, though he was most anxious to put himself right with her.
+
+"My object in jumping out so quickly was to run to the horses' heads,"
+he said. "Unfortunately, I tripped and nearly fell. But why sit there?
+We must take a hansom. Or perhaps you would prefer to go by train?"
+
+"Oh, a cab, by all means."
+
+The horses were now standing so quietly that Royson handed the reins to
+the coachman, who was examining the traces. Then he was able to turn
+and look at the lady. He saw that she was young and pretty, but the
+heavy furs she wore half concealed her face, and the fact that his own
+garments were frayed, while his hands and overcoat were plastered with
+mud off the wheels, did not help to dissipate a certain embarrassment
+that gripped him, for he was a shy man where women were concerned. She,
+too, faltered a little, and the reason was made plain by her words.
+
+"I do not know how to thank you," she said, and he became aware that
+she had wonderful brown eyes. "I think--you saved my life. Indeed, I am
+sure you did. Will you--call--at an address that I will give you? Mr.
+Fenshawe will be most anxious to--to--acknowledge your services."
+
+"Oh, pray leave that to me, Miss Fenshawe," broke in the Baron, whose
+fluent English had a slight lisp. "Here is my card," he went on
+rapidly, looking at Royson with calm assurance. "Come and see me this
+evening, at seven o'clock, and I will make it worth your while."
+
+A glance at Royson's clothes told him enough, as he thought, to
+appraise the value of the assistance given. And he had no idea that his
+fair companion had really been in such grave danger. He believed that
+the shattering of the pole against the lamp standard had stopped the
+bolting horses, and that the tall young man now surveying him with a
+measuring eye had merely succeeded in catching the reins.
+
+Royson lifted his hat to the lady, who had alighted, and was daintily
+gathering her skirts out of the mud.
+
+"I am glad to have been able to help you, madam," he said. He would
+have gone without another word had not von Kerber touched his arm.
+
+"You have not taken my card," said the man imperiously.
+
+Some mischievous impulse, born of the turbulent emotions momentarily
+quelled by the flurry of the carriage accident, conquered Royson's
+better instincts. Though the Baron, was tall, he towered above him. And
+he hardly realized the harshness, the vexed contempt, of his muttered
+reply:
+
+"I don't want your charity, I want work."
+
+At once he was conscious of his mistake. He had sunk voluntarily to the
+level of the Vauxhall paraders. He had even stolen their thunder. A
+twinge of self-denunciation drove the anger from his frowning eyes. And
+the Baron again thought he read his man correctly.
+
+"Even so," he said, in a low tone, "take my card. I can find you work,
+of the right sort, for one who has brains and pluck, yes?"
+
+The continental trick of ending with an implied question lent a subtle
+meaning to his utterance, and he helped it with covert glance and sour
+smile. Thus might Caesar Borgia ask some minion if he could use a
+dagger. But Royson was too humiliated by his blunder to pay heed to
+hidden meanings. He grasped the card in his muddied fingers, and looked
+towards Miss Fenshawe, who was now patting one of the horses. Her
+aristocratic aloofness was doubly galling. She, too, had heard what he
+said, and was ready to classify him with the common herd. And, indeed,
+he had deserved it. He was wholly amazed by his own churlish outburst.
+Not yet did he realize that Fate had taken his affairs in hand, and
+that each step he took, each syllable he uttered in that memorable
+hour, were part and parcel of the new order of events in his life.
+
+Quite crestfallen, he hurried away. He found himself inside the gates
+of the park before he took note of direction. Then he went to the edge
+of the lake, wetted his handkerchief, and rubbed off the worst of the
+mud-stains. While engaged in this task he calmed down sufficiently to
+laugh, not with any great degree of mirth, it is true, but with a grain
+of comfort at the recollection of Seymour's eulogy.
+
+"King Dick!" he growled. "Times have changed since last I heard that
+name. By gad, five years can work wonders."
+
+And, indeed, so can five seconds, when wonders are working, but the
+crass ignorance of humanity oft prevents the operation being seen. Be
+that as it may, Royson discovered that it was nearly eleven o'clock
+before he had cleaned his soiled clothes sufficiently to render himself
+presentable. As he set out once more for his rendezvous, he heard the
+band playing the old Guard back to quarters. The soldiers came down the
+Mall, but he followed the side of the lake, crossed the Horse-guards
+Parade, and reached the office for which he was bound at ten minutes
+past eleven. He had applied for a secretaryship, a post in which "a
+thorough knowledge of French" was essential, and he was received by a
+pompous, flabby little man, with side whiskers, for whom he conceived a
+violent dislike the moment he set eyes on him. Apparently, the feeling
+was mutual. Dick Royson was far too distinguished looking to suit the
+requirements of the podgy member for a county constituency, a
+legislator who hoped to score in Parliament by getting the Yellow Books
+of the French Chamber translated for his benefit.
+
+"You are late, Mr. Royson," began the important one.
+
+"Yes," said Dick.
+
+"Punctuality--"
+
+"Exactly, but I was mixed up in a slight mishap to a carriage."
+
+"As I was about to remark," said the M.P., in his most impressive
+manner, "punctuality in business is a _sine quâ non_. I have already
+appointed another secretary."
+
+"Poor devil!" said Dick.
+
+"How dare you, sir, speak to me in that manner?"
+
+"I was thinking of him. I don't know him, but, having seen you, I am
+sorry for him."
+
+"You impudent rascal--"
+
+But Royson had fled. Out in the street, he looked up at the sky. "Is
+there a new moon?" he asked himself, gravely. "Am I cracked? Why did I
+pitch into that chap? If I'm not careful, I shall get myself into
+trouble to-day. I wonder if Jack Seymour will lend me enough to take me
+to South Africa? They say that war is brewing there. That is what I
+want--gore, bomb-shells, more gore. If I stay in London--"
+
+Then he encountered a procession coming up Northumberland Avenue.
+Police, mounted and on foot, headed it. Behind marched the unemployed,
+thousands of them.
+
+"If I stay in London," he continued, quite seriously, "I shall pick out
+a beefy policeman and fight him. Then I shall get locked up, and my
+name will be in the papers, and my uncle will see it, and have a fit,
+and die. I don't want my uncle to have a fit, and die, or I shall feel
+that I am responsible for his death. So I must emigrate."
+
+Suddenly he recalled the words and manner of the Baron von Kerber. They
+came to him with the vividness of a new impression. He sought for the
+card in his pocket. "Baron Franz von Kerber, 118, Queen's Gate, W.," it
+read.
+
+"Sounds like an Austrian name," he reflected. "But the girl was
+English, a thoroughbred, too. What was it he said? 'Work of the right
+sort, for a man with brains and pluck.' Well, I shall give this joker a
+call. If he wants me to tackle anything short of crime, I'm his man.
+Failing him, I shall see Jack to-morrow, when he is off duty."
+
+A red banner was staggering up Northumberland Avenue, and he caught a
+glimpse of a fat man in the midst of the lean ones.
+
+"Oh, dash those fellows, they give me the hump," he growled, and he
+turned his back on them a second time. But no military pomp or startled
+horses offered new adventure that day. He wandered about the streets,
+ate a slow luncheon, counted his money, seventeen shillings all told,
+went into the British Museum, and dawdled through its galleries until
+he was turned out. Then he bought a newspaper, drank some tea, and
+examined the shipping advertisements.
+
+His mind was fixed on South Africa. Somehow, it never occurred to him
+that the fur-clothed Baron might find him suitable employment.
+Nevertheless, he went to 118, Queen's Gate, at seven o'clock. The
+footman who opened the door, seemed to be expecting him.
+
+"Mr. King?" said the man.
+
+This struck Royson as distinctly amusing.
+
+"Something like that," he answered, but the footman had the face of a
+waxen image.
+
+"This way, Mr. King."
+
+And Royson followed him up a wide staircase, marveling at the aptness
+of the name.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+
+THE COMPACT
+
+The Baron Franz von Kerber was in evening dress. He was engrossed in
+the examination of a faded, or discolored, document when Royson was
+shown into an apartment, nominally the drawing-room, which the present
+tenant had converted into a spacious study. An immense map of the Red
+Sea littoral, drawn and colored by hand, hung on one of the walls;
+there were several chart cases piled on a table; and a goodly number of
+books, mainly ancient tomes, were arranged on shelves or stacked on
+floor and chairs. This was the room of a worker. Von Kerber's elegant
+exterior was given a new element of importance by his surroundings.
+
+That was as much as Royson could note before the Baron looked up from
+the letter he was reading. It demanded close scrutiny, because it was
+written in Persi-Arabic.
+
+"Ah, glad to see you, Mr. King," he said affably. "Sit there," and he
+pointed to an empty chair. Dick knew that this seat in particular was
+selected because it would place him directly in front of a cluster of
+electric lights. He waited until the door was closed.
+
+"By the way," he said, "why do you call me 'King'? That is not my name,
+but it is rather extraordinary that you should have hit on it, because
+it is part of a nickname I had at school."
+
+He was fully at ease now. Poverty and anxiety can throw even a Napoleon
+out of gear, but Richard Royson was hard as granite in some ways, and
+the mere decision to go to South Africa had driven the day's
+distempered broodings from his mind.
+
+"I thought I heard the officer who spoke to you in Buckingham Palace
+Road address you as King," explained von Kerber.
+
+"Yes, that is true," admitted Royson. He felt that it would savor of
+the ridiculous, in his present circumstances, were he to state his
+nickname in full and explain the significance of it. In fact, he was
+resolved to accept the five-pound note which the Baron would probably
+offer him, and be thankful for it. Hence, the pseudonym rather soothed
+his pride.
+
+Von Kerber placed the Arabic scrawl under a paperweight. He was a man
+who plumed himself on a gift of accurate divination. Such a belief is
+fatal. For the third time that day, he misunderstood the Englishman's
+hesitancy.
+
+"What's in a name?" he quoted, smilingly. "Suppose I continue to call
+you King? It is short, and easily remembered, and your English names
+puzzle me more than your language, which is difficult enough, yes?"
+
+"Then we can leave it at that," agreed Royson.
+
+"I thought so. Well, to come to business. What can you do?"
+
+"It would be better, perhaps, if you told me what you want me to do."
+
+"Can you ride?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Have you ever been to sea?"
+
+Royson pricked up his ears at this. "The sea!" suggested undreamed-of
+possibilities. And von Kerber certainly had the actor's facial art of
+conveying much more than the mere purport of his words. The map, the
+charts, assumed a new meaning. Were they scenic accessories? Had this
+foreigner taken the whim to send him abroad on some mission? He decided
+to be less curt in his statements.
+
+"If I simply answered your question I should be compelled to say 'No,'"
+he replied. "So far as my actual sea-going is concerned, it has
+consisted of trips across the Channel when I was a boy. Yet I am a fair
+sailor. I can handle a small yacht better than most men of my age. My
+experience is confined to a lake, but it is complete in that small way.
+And I taught myself the rudiments of navigation as a pastime."
+
+"Ah!"
+
+The Baron expressed both surprise and gratification by the
+monosyllable. Royson was weighing his companion closely now, and he
+came to the conclusion, that there were qualities in that tall, thin,
+somewhat effeminate personality which he had not detected during their
+brief meeting of the morning. Von Kerber was good-looking, with
+something of the dignity and a good deal of the aspect of a bird of
+prey. His slender frame was well-knit. His sinuous hands hinted at
+unexpected strength. Were Royson told that his possible employer was a
+master of the rapier he would have credited it. And the Baron, for his
+part, was rapidly changing the first-formed estimate of his guest.
+
+"Pray forgive me if I seem to intrude on your personal affairs," he
+said; "but, taking your own words, you are--how do you say it--
+_schlimm--aux abois_--"
+
+"Hard up. Yes."
+
+"What? You speak German, or is it French?"
+
+"German, a little. I am understandable in French."
+
+"Ah."
+
+Again von Kerber paused. Royson smiled. Had he striven to mislead the
+other man as to his character he could not have succeeded so admirably.
+And the Baron read the smile according to his own diagnosis. He was
+sure that this well-educated, gentlemanly, yet morose-mannered young
+Englishman was under a cloud--that he had broken his country's laws,
+and been broken himself in the process. And von Kerber was searching
+for men of that stamp. They would do things that others, who pinned
+their faith to testimonials, certificates, and similar vouchers of
+repute, might shy at.
+
+"I think you are one to be trusted?" he went on.
+
+"I am glad you think that."
+
+"Yes. I soon make up my mind. And to-day you acted as one man among a
+thousand. Miss Fenshawe, the lady in the carriage, enlightened me
+afterwards. I saw only part of your fine behavior. You were quick and
+fearless. Those are the qualities I seek, but I demand obedience, too,
+and a still tongue, yes?"
+
+"I would not betray a man who trusted me," said Dick. "If I disagreed
+with you I would leave you. I fell out with the son of my last
+employer, so I left him, a fortnight ago. Yet I have kept my reasons to
+myself."
+
+The memory of that falling out was yet vivid. He had filled the
+position of foreign correspondence clerk to an export firm in the city.
+One evening, returning late to the office, he surprised the typist, a
+rather pretty girl, in tears. She blurted out some broken words which
+led him to interview the young gentleman who represented the budding
+talent of the house; and the result was lamentable. The senior partner
+dismissed him next day, telling him he was lucky he had escaped arrest
+for a murderous assault, and, as for the girl, she was like the rest of
+her class, anxious only to inveigle a rich young fool into marriage.
+The point of view of both father and son was novel to Royson, and their
+ethics were vile, but he gave the girl, who was sent away at the same
+time, half of the six pounds he had in his pocket, and wished he had
+used his fist instead of his open hand on the junior partner's face.
+
+This, of course, had singularly little bearing on his declaration to
+von Kerber, who metaphorically stuck his talons into that portion of
+Royson's utterance which interested him. He bent across the table,
+leaning on his curved fingers, spread apart, like claws.
+
+"Ah," he said slowly. "That is good. You would not betray a man who
+trusted you. You mean that?"
+
+"I do."
+
+"Very well, then. I offer you the position of second mate on my yacht,
+the _Aphrodite_. She is a sailing vessel, with auxiliary steam, a
+seaworthy craft, of two hundred and eighty tons. I pay well, but I ask
+good service. The salary is £20 per month, all found. The captain, two
+officers, and fourteen men receive ten per cent of the gross profits of
+a certain undertaking--the gross profits, remember--divided in
+proportion to their wages. If successful, your share, small though it
+sounds, will be large enough to make you a comparatively rich man. Do
+you accept, yes?"
+
+Dick Royson felt his heart thumping against his ribs. "Why, of course,
+I accept," he cried. "But your terms are so generous, to a man without
+a profession, that I must ask you one thing? Is the affair such as an
+honest man can take part in?"
+
+"It is. No one can cavil at its honesty. Yet we may encounter
+difficulties. There may be fighting, not against a government, but to
+defend our--our gains--from those who would rob us."
+
+"I'm with you, heart and soul," cried Royson, stirred out of his
+enforced calmness. "Indeed, I am exceedingly obliged to you. I am at a
+loss to account for my amazing good luck."
+
+The Baron snapped his fingers with a fine air. "Good luck!" he
+exclaimed. "There is no such thing. A man with intelligence and nerve
+grasps the opportunity when it presents itself. You took it this
+morning. You may say that you might not have been given the chance.
+Nonsense, my dear Mr. King! Missing that, you would have found another.
+Let me tell you that I have created a place for you on the ship's roll.
+You took my fancy. I had already secured my crew. They are all
+Englishmen--stupid fellows, some of them, but trustworthy. You are a
+trustworthy race, yes?"
+
+"That is our repute. I have met exceptions."
+
+"Oh, as for that, every man has his price. That is why I pay well. Now,
+I am going out to dine. The _Aphrodite_ sails this week. You. will sign
+an agreement, yes?"
+
+"Delighted," said Dick, though bitter experience had taught him that
+von Kerber's last question might reveal some disagreeable feature
+hitherto unseen, just as the sting of the scorpion lies in its tail.
+
+The Baron handed him a printed document.
+
+"Read that," he said. "You need have no fear of legal quibbles. It
+contains nothing unreasonable, but I insist on its observance in letter
+and spirit."
+
+Certainly, no unfair demand was made by the brief contract which Royson
+glanced at. He noticed that the _Aphrodite_ was described as "owned by
+Hiram Fenshawe, Esq., of Chalfount Manor, Dorset, and Emperor's Gate,
+London, W.," while Baron Franz von Kerber figured as "controller and
+head of the expedition." The agreement was to hold good for six months,
+with an option, "vesting solely in the said Baron Franz von Kerber," to
+extend it, month by month, for another equal period. There were blanks
+for dates and figures--, and one unusual clause read:
+
+"The undersigned hereby promises not to divulge the vessel's
+destination or mission, should either, or both, become known to him;
+not to give any information which may lead to inquiry being made by
+others as to her destination or mission, and not to make any statement,
+in any form whatsoever, as to the success or otherwise of the voyage at
+its conclusion, unless at the request of the said Baron Franz von
+Kerber. The penalty for any infringement of this clause, of which Baron
+Franz von Kerber shall be the judge, shall be dismissal, without any
+indemnity or payment of the special bonus hereinafter recited."
+
+Then followed the salary clause, and a stipulation as to the ten per
+cent share of the gross profits. The Baron's promises could not have
+been phrased in more straightforward style.
+
+"Give me a pen," said Royson, placing the paper on a blotting pad.
+
+There was an unconscious masterfulness in his voice and manner which
+seemed to startle von Kerber. In very truth, the younger man was
+overjoyed at the astounding turn taken by his fortunes. The restraint
+he had imposed on himself earlier was gone. He wanted to wring the
+Baron's hand and hail him as his best friend. Perhaps the other deemed
+this attitude a trifle too free and easy in view of the relations that
+would exist between them in the near future.
+
+"You will find a pen on the ink-stand," said he, quietly, stooping,
+over some papers on a corner of the table. Then he added, apparently as
+an afterthought:
+
+"Don't forget your name, Mr. King."
+
+The hint brought Royson back to earth. He signed "Richard King," dried
+the ink carefully, and marveled a little at his re-christening and its
+sequel.
+
+"When and where shall I report myself for duty, sir?" he asked.
+
+Von Kerber looked up. His tone grew affable again, and Dick had learnt
+already that it is a token of weakness when a man insists on his own
+predominance.
+
+"First let me fill in a date and the amount of your salary." The Baron
+completed and signed a duplicate. "Get that stamped at Somerset House,
+in case of accident," he continued, "I might have been killed this very
+day, you know. One of my servants will witness both documents. Before
+he comes in, put this envelope in your pocket. It contains half of your
+first month's salary in advance, and you will find in it a card with
+the address of a firm of clothiers, who will supply your outfit free of
+charge. Call on them early to-morrow, as the time is short, and you are
+pretty long, yes? Report yourself to the same people at four o'clock on
+Wednesday afternoon. They will have your baggage ready, and give you
+full directions. From that moment you are in my service. And now, the
+order is silence, yes?"
+
+While the Baron was speaking he touched an electric bell. The waxen-
+faced man-servant appeared, laboriously wrote "William Jenkins" where
+he was bid, and escorted Royson to the door. The Baron merely nodded
+when Dick said "Good night, sir." He had picked up an opera hat and
+overcoat from a chair, but was bestowing a hasty farewell glance on the
+Persi-Arabic letter.
+
+A closed carriage and pair of horses were standing in front of the
+house, and Royson recognized the coachman. It was that same Spong who
+had groveled in the mud of Buckingham Palace Road nine hours ago. And
+the man knew him again, for he raised his whip in a deferential salute.
+
+"Not much damage done this morning?" cried Dick.
+
+"No, sir. I drove 'em home afterwards, broken pole an' all," said
+Spong.
+
+"That's not the same pair, is it?"
+
+"No, sir. This lot is theayter, the bays is park."
+
+So Mr. Hiram Fenshawe, whoever he was, owned the yacht, and ran at
+least two fine equipages from his town house. He must be a wealthy man.
+Was he the father of that patrician maid whose gratitude had not stood
+the strain of Royson's gruffness? Or, it might be, her brother, seeing
+that he was associated with von Kerber in some unusual enterprise? What
+was it? he wondered. "There may be fighting," said von Kerber. Dick was
+glad of that. He had taken a solemn vow to his dying mother that he
+would not become a soldier, and the dear lady died happy in the belief
+that she had snatched her son from the war-dragon which had bereft her
+of a husband. The vow lay heavy on the boy's heart daring many a year,
+for he was a born man-at-arms, but he had kept it, and meant to keep
+it, though not exactly according to the tenets of William Penn.
+Somehow, his mother's beautiful face, wanly exquisite in that unearthly
+light which foreshadows the merging of time into eternity, rose before
+him now as he passed from the aristocratic dimness of Prince's Gate
+into the glare and bustle of Knightsbridge. A newsboy rushed along,
+yelling at the top of his voice. The raucous cry took shape: "Kroojer's
+reply. Lytest from Sarth Hafricar." That day's papers had spoken of
+probable war, and Royson wanted to be there. He had dreamed of doing
+some work for the press, and was a reader and writer in his spare time,
+while he kept his muscles fit by gymnastics. But those past yearnings
+were merged in his new calling. He was a sailor now, a filibuster of
+sorts. The bo's'n's whistle would take the place of the bugle-call.
+Would that have pleased his mother? Well, poor soul, she had never
+imagined that her son would be compelled to chafe his life out at a
+city desk. The very, air of London had become oppressive; the hurrying
+crowd was unsympathetic to his new-found joy of living; so, without any
+well-defined motive, he sought the ample solitude of the park.
+
+Be it noted that he usually went straight from point to point without
+regard to obstacles. Hence, in his devious wanderings of that
+remarkable day, he was departing from fixed habit, and, were he a
+student of astrology, he would assuredly have sought to ascertain what
+planets were in the ascendant at a quarter-past ten in the morning, and
+half-past seven in the evening. For he had scarcely reached the quiet
+gloom of the trees when a man, who had followed him since he quitted
+von Kerber's house, overtook him and touched his arm.
+
+"Beg pardon," said the stranger, "but are you the gentleman who called
+on Baron von Kerber half an hour ago?"
+
+"Yes." Taken unawares, Dick was thrown off his guard for the instant.
+
+"And you left his house just now?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"To prevent a mistake, may I ask your name?"
+
+"Certainly. It is Royson, Richard Royson."
+
+"And address?"
+
+A curious ring of satisfaction in the newcomer's voice carried a
+warning note with it. Dick was conscious, too, that he had departed
+from the new role assigned to him by his employer, yet it would be
+absurd to begin explaining that he was not known as Royson, but as
+King, in connection with von Kerber. The blunder annoyed him, and he
+faced his questioner squarely.
+
+"Before I give you any more information I want to know who you are," he
+said.
+
+His downright way of speaking appeared to carry conviction.
+
+"Well, Mr. Royson, I don't mind telling you that I am a private inquiry
+agent," was the ominous answer. "I am retained by a gentleman who
+brings a very serious charge against von Kerber, and, as I have reason
+to believe that you are only slightly mixed up in this affair at
+present, I am commissioned to offer you a handsome reward for any
+valuable information you may give my client or procure for him in the
+future."
+
+"Indeed!" said Dick, who was debating whether or not to knock the man
+down.
+
+"Yes. We mean business, I assure you. This is no common matter. Von
+Kerber is an Austrian, and my client is an Italian. Perhaps you know
+how they hate each other as nations, and these two have a private
+quarrel as well."
+
+"What does your employer want to find out?" asked Dick.
+
+"Well, as a start, he wants to know why von Kerber is shipping a crew
+for a yacht called the _Aphrodite_."
+
+"Then he has learned something already?"
+
+"Oh, that was too easy. Any one can pump a half-drunken sailor."
+
+The private inquiry agent spoke confidentially. He fancied he had
+secured the sort of aide he needed, a spy of superior intelligence.
+
+"Suppose I give you that first item of news, what is the figure?"
+
+"Say a fiver."
+
+"But I am almost willing to pay that much for the pleasure of spreading
+your nose over your face."
+
+There was a sudden gap between the two. Perhaps the stranger felt that
+the rawness of the atmosphere demanded brisk movement.
+
+"Oh, is that it?" snarled he.
+
+"Yes, that is it."
+
+"You had better be careful what you are doing." Dick had advanced a
+pace, but the agent sheered off twice as far, as though the air between
+them was not only cold but resilient.
+
+"I shall be quite careful. Just one small punch, say a sovereign's
+worth. Come, that is cheap enough."
+
+Then the man ran off at top speed. Royson could have caught him in a
+few strides, but he did not move. He had not meant to hit, only to
+scare, yet the incident was perplexing, and the more he pondered over
+it the less pleased he was at his own lack of finesse, as he might have
+learnt something without fear of indiscretion, seeing that he had
+nothing to tell. Nevertheless, his final decision was in favor of the
+first impulse. Von Kerber had treated him with confidence--why should
+he wish to possess any disturbing knowledge of von Kerber?
+
+But he refused to be shadowed like a thief. He stepped out, left the
+park at Stanhope Gate, jumped on to a passing omnibus, changed it for
+another in the middle of Oxford Street, and walked down. Regent Street
+with a well-founded belief that he had defeated espionage for the time.
+Thereafter, he behaved exactly like several hundred thousand young men
+In London that night. He dined, bought some cigars, rare luxuries to
+him, went to a music-hall, soon wearied of its inanities, and traveled
+by an early train to Brixton, where he rented cheap lodgings.
+
+He slept the sleep of sound digestion, which is so often confused with
+a good conscience, and rose betimes. At a city tailoring establishment
+he was measured dubiously, being far removed from stock size. But a
+principal made light of difficulties, and Royson noticed that he was to
+be supplied with riding breeches and boots in addition to a sea-faring
+kit, while a _sola topi_, or pith helmet, appeared, in the list.
+
+He asked no questions, was assured that all would be in readiness at
+four o'clock that day, and found himself turned loose again in London
+at an early hour with nothing to do. And what do you think he did? He
+caught a Mansion-House train to Victoria, waylaid the Guards a second
+time, marched with them valiantly to St. James's, and took a keen
+delight in their stately pageant. He saw his friend, Seymour, strolling
+to and fro with a brother officer in the tiny square, and watched him
+march; back to Chelsea with the relieved guard.
+
+Then, with all the zest of seeing London from a new standpoint, that of
+moneyed idleness, he strolled towards Hyde Park. He took the road known
+as the Ladies' Mile, crossed the Serpentine by the bridge, and came
+back by the Row. There, near the Albert Gate crossing, a lady had
+reined in her chestnut hunter and was talking to an old gentleman
+standing near the rails. Had Royson stared at her, he might have
+remembered the eyes, and the finely-cut contours of nose, lips and
+chin. But his acquaintance with fashionable society had been severed so
+completely that he was not aware of the new code which permits its
+votaries to stare at a pretty woman; and a riding-habit offers sharp
+contrast to a set of sables. He was passing, all unconscious of the
+interest he had aroused in the lady, when he heard her say:
+
+"Why, grandfather, there he is. Good morning, Mr. King. Mr. Fenshawe
+and I were just talking about you."
+
+Royson would have known her voice anywhere. It had the rare distinction
+of music and perfect diction. Amidst the shrill vulgarity which
+counterfeited wit in the average upper class gathering of the period
+such a voice must have sounded like the song of a robin in a crowded
+rookery.
+
+The unexpected greeting brought a rush of color to Dick's face. But
+yesterday's cloud had vanished, and his natural embarrassment was
+obviously that of a well-bred man young enough to be delighted by the
+recognition. Moreover, he was not covered with mud, nor had his
+sensibilities been jarred by standards representing the hell and heaven
+of modern existence.
+
+He lifted his hat.
+
+"I am glad to see you have experienced no ill effects from yesterday's
+shock, Miss Fenshawe," he said.
+
+"Not in the least. It was a wonderful escape. Even the victoria leaves
+hospital this afternoon, I am told."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe, whose silvery-white hair and wrinkled skin betokened an
+age that his erect, spare frame would otherwise have concealed, patted
+Royson's shoulder.
+
+"You did well, Mr. King, very well. I am much beholden to you. And I
+was pleased to hear from Baron von Kerber last night that you have
+joined our expedition."
+
+Though of middle height, Mr. Fenshawe had to raise his hand as high as
+his own forehead to reach Dick's back. His eyes were shrewd and keen,
+with the introspective look of the student. Though it was more than
+probable that he was very wealthy, judging from the meager details
+within Royson's ken, he had the semblance of a university professor
+rather than a millionaire.
+
+"I think the good fortune is wholly mine, sir," said Dick, trying to
+answer both at once, and puzzled to determine how he could repudiate
+the name which von Kerber had fastened on to him.
+
+"No, we will not put it that way," and the other seemed to sweep some
+confusing thought from before his mental vision. "Let us say that the
+reward will be commensurate with the deed. We do not forget, we
+Fenshawes, do we, Irene? Good day, Mr. King. I hope to make your better
+acquaintance. We shall see much of each other ere long."
+
+Thus dismissed, with another friendly tap on the shoulder, Royson had
+no option but to raise his hat again. He received a very gracious smile
+from Miss Fenshawe, and he left the two with a curious consciousness
+that there was at least one woman in the world who had the power to
+send his blood whirling through his veins.
+
+As he walked off under the trees, the eyes of grandfather and
+granddaughter followed him.
+
+"A useful man that, for work in the desert," said Mr. Fenshawe.
+
+"Yes. Quite a Crusader in appearance," mused the girl aloud.
+
+The old man laughed noiselessly.
+
+"I find you are only half persuaded as to the peaceable nature of our
+task, Irene," he said.
+
+"I find it even more difficult to persuade you that Count von Kerber
+fears interference, grandad."
+
+"My dear child, these foreigners are all nerves. Look at me. I have
+spent twenty years of my life among the Arabs, and felt safer there
+than in a London crowd."
+
+"Yes, you dear old thing, but you are not Count von Kerber."
+
+"Nerves, Irene, nothing else. At any rate, your Mr. King should adjust
+the average in that respect. And if you begin to talk of risk I shall
+have to reconsider my decision to take you with us."
+
+The chestnut threw up his head, and pranced excitedly, having been
+warned that a gallop was imminent.
+
+"No, you don't," laughed Irene. "If we Fenshawes do not forget, we also
+stick together. By-by. See you at lunch."
+
+And she was gone, sitting her horse with the ease and sureness of one
+of those Arabs in whom her grandfather placed such confidence.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+
+A CHANGE OF SKY, BUT NOT OF HABIT
+
+Royson had time and to spare for the analysis of events during the
+remainder of the day. In spite of von Kerber's repudiation of luck, he
+believed that the fickle jade sometimes favored a man, and he counted
+himself thrice fortunate in having met with an adventure leading to
+such an unforeseen opening. He realized too, that had he been better
+dressed--were his words and manners modeled on smooth convention--he
+would not have received the offer of employment on board the
+_Aphrodite_. Looked at in cold blood, there was nothing sinister in von
+Kerber's wish to keep his business affairs private. If the Baron were
+mixed up in a quarrel with some unknown Italian, his association with
+people like Mr. Fenshawe and his granddaughter supplied a valid excuse
+for observing a certain secrecy.
+
+To guess the nature of the yacht's mission was more difficult. Any
+reader of newspapers was aware that Morocco, Montenegro and Armenia,
+not to mention the political volcanoes of Finland, Poland, and Carlist
+centers in Spain, provided scope for international intrigue even in
+these prosaic days. But it was a vain thing to imagine that the
+Fenshawes would be involved in any wild-cat scheme of that sort. The
+natural sequel to this thought was--who were they? and the nearest Free
+Library answered promptly:
+
+"Fenshawe, Hiram, C.M.G., 2d Class Osmanieh Hon. Fellow of Caius
+College, Cambridge, landowner and colliery proprietor, an enthusiastic
+Egyptologist, vice-President of Upper Egypt Exploration Society; has
+devoted immense sums of money and many years of his life to Egyptian
+archaeological research. His private collection of coins, pottery,
+gold, silver and bronze ornaments, and other works of art having
+special reference to the Roman occupation of Egypt, is probably
+unequaled.... Born at Liverpool, March 20, 1830; married, June 10,
+1854. Hilda, daughter of Sir Adolphus Livingston, Nairn. Only son,
+Hildebrand, born April 27, 1856; married, December 20, 1880. Irene, 2d
+daughter of the late Dr. Alfred Stowell, LL.D., Master of Trinity Hall,
+Cambridge.... Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrand Fenshawe were lost in the wreck
+of the P. & O. liner _Bokhara_, off the Pescadores Islands, 1892,
+leaving one daughter, Irene Hildegarde, born February 11, 1882."
+
+The book supplied other details, but Royson obtained from the foregoing
+extracts a sufficiently clear idea of the identity of the two people
+whom he had encountered in the park. Of course, he set his wits to work
+instantly to construct new avenues for the promised activity of the
+_Aphrodite_, but, these imaginings being as hopelessly mistaken as are
+most other human peeps into futurity, they served only to keep him on
+tenterhooks until he revisited the outfitters' establishment. There he
+was handed the keys of two large steel trunks, canvas-covered, and
+requested to assure himself that they contained all the articles set
+forth on a list. The manager also gave him a first-class ticket for
+Marseilles, and a typewritten instruction that he was to travel by the
+nine o'clock train from Victoria that evening. On arriving at the
+French port he would find the _Aphrodite_ moored in No. 3. Basin, and
+he was requested not to wear any portion of his uniform until on board
+the yacht.
+
+The nature of the arrangements, the prodigal supply of clothing, rather
+took Dick's breath away. Even the initials, "R. K.," were painted on
+the trunks and stitched on to the canvas.
+
+"My employer seems to have done things pretty thoroughly," he could not
+help saying.
+
+The shopman dug a compliment out of the remark.
+
+"Our house has a reputation to maintain," he answered, "and Mr.
+Fenshawe is one of our best and oldest customers."
+
+There was no mention of Count von Kerber, which added a ripple to the
+wave of astonishment in Royson's breast. He took his baggage to Charing
+Cross in a cab, and deposited it there. Meanwhile, he learned from a
+further scrutiny of the list that his own few belongings were hardly
+wanted. He had not been so well equipped since he left Heidelberg to
+rush to his mother's death-bed. Nevertheless, having already gathered
+in a valise some books, photographs, letters, and other odds and ends,
+he went to Brixton to obtain them.
+
+While giving a farewell glance around his dingy room, an old envelope,
+thrown aside overnight, reminded him of a half-formed idea, which
+appealed to him strongly now that he knew his port of departure.
+
+So he wrote a short letter:
+
+Dear Mr. Forbes:
+
+"You were kind to me four years ago, as kind as Sir Henry Royson would
+permit you to be towards one who had wilfully and irreparably insulted
+him. My feelings with regard to him have undergone no change. He may be
+dead, for all I know, or care. But you, I suppose, are still the
+trusted solicitor of the Cuddesham estate, and Sir Henry Royson, if
+alive, may have remained unmarried. In that event, I am heir to a
+barren title, and it may save you some trouble if I inform you that I
+am leaving England. For reasons of no consequence, I am passing under
+the name of Richard King. If I return, or settle down in some other
+land, I will write to you, say, after the lapse of a year. Please
+regard this note as strictly private, and do not interpret it as
+foreshadowing any attempt on my part to arrive at a reconciliation with
+Sir Henry Royson."
+
+He was about to add the briefest announcement of his new career, but
+he checked himself; had not von Kerber forbidden the giving of any
+information?
+
+He signed the letter, and addressed it to the senior partner of a firm
+of solicitors in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Then, indeed, he felt that he
+had snapped the last slender link that bound him to the dull life of
+the city. Like Kent, he vowed that "freedom lies hence, and banishment
+is here." And he had always hated Brixton, which was unjust to that
+pleasant suburb, but the days of his sojourn there had been days of
+bondage.
+
+He was among the first to secure a seat in the Continental mail. Having
+registered those superb trunks through to Marseilles, and reserved a
+comfortable corner by depositing his valise there, he strolled up and
+down the platform, and quietly scrutinized his fellow passengers. So
+far as he could judge, none of the earlier arrivals were prospective
+shipmates. Two bronzed men, of free gait, with that trick of carrying
+the hands back to front which singles out the sailor from the rest of
+humanity, drew him like a lodestone. But he soon discovered that they
+were P. & O. officers, bidding farewell to a friend bound for Egypt.
+
+At last he came upon a man and a woman, a remarkable pair under any
+circumstances, but specially interesting to him, seeing that the man
+gripped an ancient carpet bag on which was pasted a label with the
+glaring superscription: "Captain John Stump, yacht _Aphrodite_,
+Marsails." The address was half written, half printed, and the quaintly
+phonetic spelling of the concluding word betrayed a rugged independence
+of thought which was certainly borne out by Captain John Stump's
+appearance. The written label might be wrong; not so that stamped by
+Neptune on a weather-beaten face and a figure like a capstan. Little
+more than five feet in height, he seemed to be quite five feet wide. If
+it be true that a poet is born, not made, Captain Stump was a master
+mariner from his cradle. Royson had never before seen such a man. Drawn
+out to Royson's stature he would yet have remained the broader of the
+two. The lady with him, evidently Mrs. Stump, was mated for him by
+happy chance. Short mean usually marry tall women, and your sons of
+Anak will select wives of fairy-like proportions. But Mrs. Stump was
+even shorter than her husband, and so plump withal, that a tape measure
+round her shoulders might have given her the prize for girth.
+
+Captain Stump was examining the interior of each carriage suspiciously
+when he set eyes on the P. & O. officers.
+
+"Port yer helium, Becky," he growled, and the two turned to the right-
+about. It happened that he entered Royson's compartment. There were not
+many first-class passengers that night, so Royson promptly took
+possession of his own corner, lit a pipe, and unobtrusively watched his
+future commander. This was not difficult, as Stump stood near the open
+door, and each word he uttered was audible.
+
+"Don't want to berth alongside sailor-men to-night, Becky," he said,
+after sizing up Dick in a comprehensive glance. "Them's my sailin'
+orders. 'Hoist no colors,' sez he, 'until you bring to at Marseilles.'"
+
+"What's your first port of call, John?" asked his wife.
+
+"Dunno. I'll send you a wire."
+
+A pause. Then Mrs. Stump:
+
+"Will you be long in Marseilles, John?"
+
+Dick thought that this would be impossible anywhere, but Stump
+answered:
+
+"Mebbe half an hour, mebbe a week. You know all that I know, Becky."
+
+"It's funny."
+
+Captain Stump spat, and agreed that it was--emphatically funny. A
+ticket inspector approached.
+
+"Going on, sir?" he asked.
+
+"Goin' on? Of course I am. What in thunder d'ye think I'm stannin' here
+for?" demanded the captain.
+
+"But if you stand there, sir, you'll get left," said the official good-
+humoredly.
+
+"Better get in, John, an' don't argy with the gentleman," said Mrs.
+Stump.
+
+Her husband obeyed, grudgingly. The inspector examined his ticket, and
+Royson's, and locked the door.
+
+"Nice thing!" grumbled Stump. "I can't give you a good-by hug now,
+Becky."
+
+This was literally true. The captain's breadth of beam had never been
+contemplated by the designers of South-Eastern railway carriages. Even
+when the door was open, he had to enter sideways, and the brass rail
+across the window rendered it a physical impossibility to thrust head
+and shoulders outside.
+
+The shrill whistle of a guard was answered by a colleague.
+
+"Take care of yourself, John," said Becky.
+
+"No fear! And mind you wait till the 'bus stops to-night. The other
+evening--"
+
+Royson never learnt what had befallen Mrs. Stump on that other evening.
+At the moment the train began to move, he saw a man peeping into the
+carriage as if he were looking for some one. He believed it was the
+private inquiry agent whom he had shaken off so effectively in Hyde
+Park. The gloom of the station, and the fact that the man's face was in
+shadow, made him doubtful, but as the train gathered speed, the watcher
+on the platform nodded to him and smiled derisively. Captain Stump had
+quick eyes. He turned to Royson.
+
+"Beg pardon, mister, but is that a friend of yours?" he asked.
+
+"No," said Dick.
+
+"Well, he was signalin' somebody, an' it wasn't me."
+
+Then remarking that the unknown craft looked like a curiously-colored
+pirate, the captain squeezed himself into a seat. When the train ran
+into and backed out of Cannon Street, Stump was puzzled. He opened the
+carpet-bag, and drew forth a ship's compass, which he consulted. After
+a few minutes' rapid traveling his doubts seemed to subside, and he
+replaced the compass. Producing a cake of tobacco, he cut off several
+shavings with an exceedingly sharp knife, rolled them between his broad
+palms, filled a pipe, lit it, and whetted the knife on the side of his
+boot. Dick noticed that all his actions were wonderfully nimble for a
+man of his build. Any stranger who imagined that this squat Hercules
+was slow and ponderous in movement would be wofully mistaken if he
+based hostilities on that presumption.
+
+Perhaps the captain missed the companionship of the stout lady he had
+parted from at Charing Cross, or it might be that his gruffness was a
+matter of habit--at any rate, after a puff or two, he spoke to Royson
+again.
+
+"D'ye know wot time we're due at Dover?" he asked.
+
+"Yes, at 10.50."
+
+"We don't stop long there?"
+
+"No. The boat sails ten minutes later."
+
+"Good. I don't cotton on to these blessed trains. Every time they jolt
+I fancy we're on the rocks. Give me a ship, an' the steady beat of the
+screw, sez I. Then I know where I am."
+
+"I quite agree with you, captain, but you must put up with a fair spell
+of railway bumping before you reach Marseilles."
+
+Stump gave him a questioning look. Royson did not resemble the type of
+land shark with which he was familiar. Yet his eyes gleamed like those
+of a perplexed bull.
+
+"I s'pose you heard my missus an' me talking of Marseilles," he
+growled, "but how do you know I'm a captain."
+
+"It is written on your bag."
+
+"Well, my missus wrote that--"
+
+"Moreover," went on Dick, determined to break the ice, "I'm your second
+mate."
+
+"Wot?" roared Stump, leaning forward and placing a hand on each knee,
+while his fiery glance took in every detail of Royson's appearance.
+"You--my--second--mate?"
+
+The words formed a crescendo of contemptuous analysis. But Dick faced
+the storm boldly.
+
+"Yes," he said. "I don't see any harm in stating the fact, now that I
+know who you are."
+
+"Harm! Who said anything about harm? Wot sort of sailor d'ye call
+yerself? Who ever heard of a sailor in knickers?"
+
+Then it dawned on Royson that the captain's wrath was comprehensible.
+There is in every male Briton who goes abroad an ingrained instinct
+that leads him to don a costume usually associated with a Highland
+moor. Why this should be no man can tell, but nine out of ten
+Englishmen cross the Channel in sporting attire, and Royson was no
+exception to the rule. In his case a sheer revolt against the "office"
+suit had induced him to dress in clothes which recalled one glorious
+summer on the Westmoreland hills. Their incongruity did not appeal to
+him until Captain Stump forcibly drew attention thereto, and his hearty
+laugh at the way in which he was enlightened did not tend to soothe his
+skipper's indignation.
+
+"Second mate!" bellowed Stump again, calling the heavens to witness
+that there never was such another, "Where's yer ticket? Seein' is
+believin', they say. Who did you go to sea with? When did you pass?"
+
+"I have no certificate, if that is what you mean, and I have never been
+to sea," said Royson.
+
+This remark impressed Stump as an exquisite joke. His rage yielded to a
+rumble of hoarse laughter.
+
+"Lord love a duck!" he guffawed. "If only I'd ha' knowed, I could have
+told my missus. It would have cheered her up for a week. Never mind.
+We've a few minutes in Dover. I'll send her a picture postcard. It'll
+'arf tickle 'er to death."
+
+Evidently the captain meant to add certain explanatory remarks which
+would account for that Gargantuan tickling. Dick, anxious not to offend
+his future commander, smiled sheepishly, and said:
+
+"Sorry I can't supply you with a photograph."
+
+Stump's gaze rested on his stockings, loose breeches, Norfolk jacket
+and deerstalker cap.
+
+"Damme," he grinned, "it's better than a pantomime. Second mate! Is
+there any more like you on the train? P'haps that chap in the next
+caboose, in a fur coat an' top hat, is the steward. An' wot'll Tagg
+say?"
+
+"I don't know," said Dick, half inclined to resent this open scorn.
+"Who is Tagg, anyhow?"
+
+Stump instantly became silent. He seemed to remember his "sailing
+orders." He muttered something about "playin' me for a sucker," and
+shut his lips obstinately. Not another word did he utter until they
+reached Dover. He smoked furiously, gave Royson many a wrathful glance,
+but bottled up the tumultuous thoughts which troubled him. On board the
+steamer, however, curiosity conquered prudence. After surveying Dick's
+unusual proportions from several points of view, he came up and spoke
+in what he intended to be a light comedy tone.
+
+"I say, Mr. Second Mate," he said, "I don't see the Plimsoll Mark on
+the funnel. Do you?"
+
+"No, captain. I expect it has been washed off."
+
+"If I was you I'd write to the Board of Trade about it."
+
+"Best let sleeping dogs lie, captain."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"Because they might look for yours, and as it ought to be round your
+neck they would say you were unseaworthy."
+
+"So you know what it is, you long swab?"
+
+"Yes. Come and have a drink. That will reach your load-line all right."
+
+Royson had hit on the right method of dealing with Stump. The skipper
+promised himself some fun, and they descended to the saloon. The
+Channel was in boisterous mood, and Dick staggered once or twice in
+transit. Stump missed none of this, and became more jovial. Thus might
+one of the Hereford stots he resembled approach a green pasture.
+
+"If you ask the steward he'll bring you some belayin' tackle," he said.
+
+"I am a trifle crank just now," admitted Royson, "but when the wind
+freshens I'll take in a reef or two."
+
+Stump looked up at him.
+
+"You've put me clean, out of reckonin'. Never bin to sea, you say?
+Wot's yer name?"
+
+"King, Richard King."
+
+"Damme, I'm comin' to like you. You're a bit of a charak-ter. By the
+time the _Aphrodite_ points her nose home again I'll 'ave you licked
+into shape."
+
+They were crossing the saloon, and were sufficiently noteworthy by
+force of contrast to draw many eyes. Indeed, were Baron von Kerber on
+board, he must have been disagreeably impressed by the fact that in
+sending the short skipper and the long second mate of the _Aphrodite_
+to Marseilles in company he had supplied an unfailing means of tracking
+their movements. Of course, he was not responsible for the chance that
+threw them together, but the mere presence of two such men on the same
+vessel would be remembered quite easily by those who make it their
+business to watch trans-Channel passengers.
+
+Royson gave no thought to this factor in the queer conditions then
+shaping his life. Had Stump remained taciturn, it might have occurred
+to him that they were courting observation. But it needed the exercise
+of much resourcefulness to withstand the stream of questions with which
+his commander sought to clear the mystery attached to a second mate who
+knew not the sea. Luckily, he emerged from the flood with credit; nay,
+the examiner himself was obliged at times to assume a knowledge which
+he did not possess, for, if Stump knew how to con a ship from port to
+port, Royson could give reasons for great circle sailing which left
+Stump gasping. At last, the stout captain could no longer conceal his
+amazement when Royson had recited correctly the rules of the road for
+steamships crossing:
+
+      If to my Starboard Red appear,
+      It is my duty to keep clear;
+      Act as Judgment says is proper--
+      "Port"--or "Starboard"--"Back"--or "Stop her!"
+
+      But when, upon my Port is seen
+      A steamer's Starboard light of green,
+      For me there's naught to do, but see
+      That Green to Port keeps clear of me.
+
+"Come, now," he growled, "wot's your game? D'ye mean to say you've bin
+humbuggin' me all this time?"
+
+His little eyes glared redly from underneath his shaggy eyebrows. He
+was ready to sulk again, without hope of reconciliation, so Royson
+perforce explained.
+
+"I have no objection to telling you, captain, how I came to acquire a
+good deal of unusual information about the sea, but I want to
+stipulate, once and for all, that I shall not be further questioned as
+to my past life."
+
+"Go ahead! That's fair."
+
+"Well, I have spent many a day, since I was a boy of ten until I was
+nearly twenty, sailing a schooner-rigged yacht on Windermere. My
+companion and tutor was a retired commander of the Royal Navy, and he
+amused himself by teaching me navigation. I learnt it better than any
+of the orthodox sciences I had to study at school. You see, that was my
+hobby, while a wholesome respect for my skipper led me to work hard. I
+have not forgotten what I was taught, though the only stretch of water
+I have seen during the last few years is the Thames from its bridges,
+and I honestly believe that if you will put up with my want of
+experience of the sea for a week or so, I shall be quite capable of
+doing any work you may entrust to me."
+
+"By gad!" said Stump admiringly, "you're a wonder. Come on deck. I'll
+give you a tip or two as we go into Calais."
+
+During the journey across France it was natural that Royson should take
+the lead. He spoke the language fluently, whereas Stump's vocabulary
+was limited to a few forcible expressions he had picked up from brother
+mariners. There was a break-down on the line near Dijon, which delayed
+them eight hours, and Stump might have had apoplexy were not Royson at
+hand to translate the curt explanations of railway officials. But the
+two became good friends, which was an excellent thing for Dick, and the
+latter soon discovered, to his great surprise, that Stump had never set
+eyes on the _Aphrodite_.
+
+"No," he said, when some chance remark from Royson had elicited this
+curious fact, "she's a stranger to me. Me an' Tagg--Tagg is my first
+mate, you see--had just left the _Chirria_ when she was sold to the
+Germans out of the East Indian trade, an' we was lookin' about for wot
+might turn up when the man who chartered the _Aphrodite_ put us on to
+this job. Tagg has gone ahead with most of the crew, but I had to stop
+in London a few days--to see after things a bit."
+
+Stump had really remained behind in order to buy a complete set of
+charts, but he checked his confidences at that point, nor did Royson
+endeavor to probe further into the recent history of the yacht.
+
+Instead of traversing Marseilles at night, they drove through its
+picturesque streets in broad daylight. Both Royson and the captain were
+delighted with the lines of the _Aphrodite_ when they saw her in the
+spacious dock. Her tapering bows and rakish build gave her an
+appearance of greater size than her tonnage warranted. Royson was
+sailor enough to perceive that her masts and spars were intended for
+use, and, when he reached her deck, to which much scrubbing and
+vigorous holy-stoning had given the color of new bread, he knew that
+none but men trained on a warship had coiled each rope and polished
+every inch of shining brass.
+
+And his heart sank a little then. The looks and carriage of the few
+sailors visible at the moment betokened their training. How could he
+hope to hold his own with them? The first day at sea must reveal his
+incompetence. He would be the laughing-stock of the crew.
+
+He was almost nervous when an undersized hairy personage shoved a
+grinning face up a companionway, and hailed Stump joyfully. Then the
+captain did a thing which went far to prove that true gentility is not
+a matter of deportment or mincing phrase.
+
+"Keep mum before this crowd," he muttered. "Stand by, and I'll pull you
+through."
+
+Stump extended a gigantic hand to the hairy one. "Glad to see you
+again, old Never-fail," he roared. "Let me introjuice our second mate.
+Mr. Tagg--Mr. King. An' now, Tagg, wot's for breakfast? Mr. King an'
+me can eat a Frenchman if you have nothin' tastier aboard."
+
+Royson was relieved to find that he had practically no duties to
+perform until the yacht sailed. She had been coaled and provisioned by
+a Marseilles firm of shipping agents, and only awaited telegraphic
+orders to get up steam, in case the wind were unfavorable for beating
+down the Gulf of Lions, when Mr. Fenshawe and his party arrived.
+
+Every member of the crew was of British birth, and Britons are not, as
+a rule, endowed with the gift of tongues. Hence, Royson was the only
+man on board who spoke French, and this fact led directly to his active
+participation in the second act of the drama of love and death in
+which, all unconsciously, he was playing a leading part. On the day
+after his arrival in the French port, the head partner of the firm of
+local agents came on board and explained that, by inadvertence, some
+cases of claret of inferior vintage had been substituted for the wine
+ordered. The mistake had been discovered in the counting-house, and he
+was all apologies.
+
+Royson and he chatted together while the goods were being exchanged,
+and, in the end, the polite Frenchman invited _messieurs les officiers_
+to dine with him, and visit the Palais de Glace, where some daring
+young lady was announced to do things in a motor-car, which, in
+England, are only attempted by motor omnibuses.
+
+Stump, who would not leave the yacht, permitted Tagg and Royson to
+accept the proffered civility. They passed a pleasant evening, and saw
+the female acrobat negotiate a thirty-feet jump, head downward, taken
+through space by the automobile. Then they elected to walk to No. 3.
+Basin, a distance of a mile and a half. It was about eleven o'clock and
+a fine night. The docks road, a thoroughfare cut up by railway lines
+holding long rows of empty wagons, seemed to be quite deserted. Tagg,
+who was slightly lame, though active as a cat on board ship, was not
+able to walk fast. The two discussed the performance, and other matters
+of slight interest, and they paid little heed to the movements of half
+a dozen men, who appeared from behind some coal trucks, until the
+strangers advanced towards them in a furtive and threatening way. But
+nothing happened. The prowlers sheered off as quickly as they came.
+Tagg, who had the courage which Providence sends to puny men, glanced
+up at Royson and laughed.
+
+"Your size saved us from a fight," he said. "That gang is up to
+mischief."
+
+"I wonder what they are planning," said Royson, looking back to see if
+he could distinguish any other wayfarers on the ill-lighted road.
+
+"Robbery, with murder thrown in," was Tagg's brief comment.
+
+"They had the air of expecting somebody. Did you think that? What do
+you say if we wait in the shadow a few minutes?"
+
+"Better mind our own business," said Tagg, but he did not protest
+further, and the two halted in the gloom of a huge warehouse.
+
+There was nothing visible along the straight vista of the road, but,
+after a few seconds' silence, they heard the clatter and rumble of a
+vehicle crossing a distant drawbridge.
+
+"Some skipper comin' to his ship," muttered Tagg. "It can't be ours. By
+George, if those chaps tackled him they would be sorry for themselves."
+
+"Captain Stump is a good man in a row, I take it?"
+
+"'Good' isn't the word. He's a terror. I've seen him get six of his men
+out of a San Francisco crimp's house, an' I s'pose you 'aven't bin to
+sea without knowing wot that means."
+
+"Ah!" said Royson admiringly. He had found safety many times during the
+past two days by some such brief comment. Thus did he steer clear of
+conversational rocks.
+
+The carriage drew nearer, and became dimly visible--it was one of the
+tiny voiturettes peculiar to French towns. Suddenly the listeners heard
+a shout. The horse's feet ceased their regular beat on the roadway.
+Royson began to run, but Tagg vociferated:
+
+"Wait for me, you long ijiot! If you turn up alone they'll knife you
+before you can say 'Jack Robinson.'"
+
+Dick had no intention of saying "Jack Robinson," but he moderated his
+pace, and helped Tagg over the ground by grasping his arm. They soon
+saw that two men had pulled the driver off the box, and were holding
+him down--indeed, tying him hand and foot. Royson prevented the success
+of this operation by a running kick and an upper cut which placed two
+Marseillais out of action. Then he essayed to plunge into a fearsome
+struggle that was going on inside the carriage. Frantic oaths in German
+and Italian lent peculiar significance to a flourishing of naked
+knives. But that which stirred the blood in his veins was his
+recognition of Baron von Kerber's high-pitched voice, alternately
+cursing and pleading for life to assailants who evidently meant to show
+scant mercy. One man who, out of the tail of his eye, had witnessed
+Dick's discomfiture of the coachman's captors, drew a revolver, a
+weapon not meant for show, as its six loaded chambers proved when Dick
+picked it up subsequently.
+
+Royson had no love of unnecessary risk. Stooping quickly, he grasped
+the hub of the off front wheel, and, just varying the trick which saved
+Miss Fenshawe in Buckingham Palace Road, threw the small vehicle over
+on its side. No doubt the patient animal in the shafts wondered what
+was happening, but the five struggling men in the interior were even
+more surprised when they were pitched violently into the road.
+
+Royson sprang into the midst of them, found von Kerber, and said:
+
+"You're all right now, Baron. We can whip the heads off these rascals."
+
+The sound of his English tongue seemed to take all the fight out of the
+remaining warriors. Tagg had closed valiantly with one, and the others
+made off. Von Kerber rose to his feet, so Royson went to Tagg's
+assistance. He heard the Baron shriek, in a falsetto of rage:
+
+"You may have recovered the papyrus, Alfieri, but it is of no value to
+you. Name of an Italian dog! I have outwitted you even now!"
+
+While kneeling to pinion the footpad's arms behind his back, thus
+rescuing Tagg from a professor of the savate, Dick tried to guess von
+Kerber's motive in hurling such an extraordinary taunt after one of his
+runaway adversaries, and in French, too, whereas the other had an
+Italian name, and, in all likelihood, spoke only Italian. Was this
+Alfieri the man who "hated" von Kerber--who "brought a very serious
+charge" against him? But Royson was given no time for consecutive
+thought. The Baron, breathing heavily, and seemingly in pain, came to
+him and said, in the low tone of one who does not wish to be overheard:
+
+"Let your prisoner go, Mr. King. I am all right, and everlastingly
+obliged to you, but I do not wish to be detained in Marseilles while
+the slow French law gets to work. So let him go. He is nothing--a mere
+hireling, yes? And we sail to-morrow."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+
+VON KERBER EXPLAINS
+
+"You've left your trademark on this chap," broke in Tagg. He was
+bending over a prostrate body, and the cab-driver was bewailing the
+plight of his voiturette.
+
+Royson righted the carriage; then he lifted the man to a sitting
+position, and listened to his stertorous breathing. The blow had been
+delivered on that facial angle known to boxers as the "point," while
+its scientific sequel is the "knock-out."
+
+"He is all right," was the cool verdict. "He will wake up soon and feel
+rather sick. The general effect will be excellent. In future he will
+have a wholesome respect for British sailors."
+
+He laid the almost insensible form on the road again, pocketed the
+revolver, which he found close at hand, and gave an ear to von Kerber's
+settlement with the _cocher_. The latter was now volubly indignant in
+the assessment of damages to his vehicle, hoping to obtain a louis as
+compensation. When he was given a hundred francs his gratitude became
+almost incoherent.
+
+The Baron cut him short, stipulating sternly that he must forget what
+had happened. Then he turned to Royson.
+
+"If you think we can leave the fellow on the ground with safety, I want
+to reach the yacht," he said.
+
+"Are you wounded?" inquired Dick.
+
+"Slightly. Those scoundrels did not dare to strike home. They knew my
+papers would identify them."
+
+"But they robbed you?"
+
+"No, not of anything valuable. Why do you ask?"
+
+"Because you sang out to one of them, an Italian, I should judge--"
+
+"Ah, you heard that? You are, indeed, quick in an emergency. Can we go
+on, yes?"
+
+"Certainly. I will just lift our dazed friend into the victoria, and
+tell the _cocher_ to give him a glass of cognac at the first café he
+comes to."
+
+This was done. Five minutes later, the first and second officers of the
+_Aphrodite_ assisted their employer up the yacht's gangway. Leaving
+Tagg to explain to Stump what had happened, Royson took von Kerber to
+his cabin, and helped to remove his outer clothing. A superficial wound
+on the neck, and a somewhat deeper cut on the right forearm, were the
+only injuries; the contents of a medicine chest, applied under von
+Kerber's directions, soon staunched the flow of blood.
+
+"I do not wish anything to be said about this affair," began the Baron,
+when Royson would have left him.
+
+"Tagg must have given the captain full details already," said Dick.
+
+"But did he hear that name, Alfieri?"
+
+"I think not."
+
+"And he would not understand, about the--er--document?"
+
+"The papyrus," suggested Royson.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"No. I don't suppose he would understand the word In English, whereas
+you spoke French."
+
+"Ah, yes, of course. Well, that is between you and me. Will you ask
+Captain Stump and Mr. Tagg to join as in a bottle of wine? I would put
+matters in my own way, yes?"
+
+The Baron, after a slight hesitancy, made his wishes clear. Mr.
+Fenshawe and his party would arrive at Marseilles by the _train de
+luxe_ next morning, and preparations must be made for instant departure
+as soon as they came on board. They would be alarmed needlessly if told
+of the affray on the quay, so it was advisable that nothing should be
+said about it.
+
+"You see," purred the Baron affably, refilling the glasses which Stump
+and Tagg had emptied at a gulp, "ladies, especially young ones, are apt
+to be nervous."
+
+"Have we wimmen aboard this trip?" growled Stump in a deep rumble of
+disapproval.
+
+"Ladies, yes. Two, and a maid."
+
+Stump bore round on his chief.
+
+"Wot did I tell ye, Tagg?" he demanded fiercely, "Didn't I say that
+them fixins aft meant no good?"
+
+"You did," agreed Tagg, with equal asperity.
+
+Von Kerber caught the laughter in Dick's eyes, and checked the angry
+protest ready to bubble forth.
+
+"The two _ladies_," he said, speaking with an emphasis which strove to
+cloak his annoyance at Stump's offhanded manner, "are Miss Fenshawe,
+granddaughter of the gentleman who owns this yacht, and her companion,
+Mrs. Haxton. Without their presence this trip would not have been
+undertaken, and that fact had better be recognized at the outset. But
+now, gentlemen, I have come on ahead to have a quiet talk with you.
+Captain Stump knows our destination, but none of you is aware of the
+object of our voyage. I propose to take you fully into my confidence in
+that respect. By this time, you have become more or less acquainted
+with the crew, and, if you think any of the men are unsuitable, we must
+get rid of them at once."
+
+He paused, and looked at Stump. That broad-beamed navigator emptied his
+glass again, and gazed into it fixedly, apparently wondering why
+champagne was so volatile a thing. Tagg followed the skipper's example,
+but fixed his eyes on the bottle, perhaps in calculation. Royson,
+deeming it wise to hold his tongue, contented himself with closing the
+medicine chest, and thus making it possible for von Kerber to sit down.
+
+The latter was obviously ill at ease. Although he was the master of
+these three men, he was their inferior in individual strength of
+character. But he was a polished man of the world, and he promptly
+extricated himself from a difficult position, though Royson, at least,
+detected the effort he was compelled to make.
+
+"I see you are thinking that one bottle does not go far among four of
+us, Mr. Tagg," he exclaimed, with a pleasantly patronizing air. "Kindly
+tell the steward to bring another, Mr. King. And some cigars. Then we
+can discuss matters at our ease. And will you make sure that we are not
+overheard? What I have to say is meant for the ship's officers alone at
+this moment, though, when the time for action comes, every man on board
+must be with us absolutely."
+
+Dick summoned the steward, and ascertained that the watch were quietly
+chatting and smoking forward, whereas the Baron's stateroom was
+situated aft. The delay enabled von Kerber to collect his thoughts.
+When he resumed the promised disclosure, his voice was under control,
+and he spoke with less constraint.
+
+"It is probable that you gentlemen are not familiar with the history of
+Egypt," he said, "but you may take it from me that the facts I now lay
+before you are accurate. At one time, about the beginning of the
+Christian era, the Romans were all-powerful in the Nile delta. They
+pushed their stations a long way south, almost to the borders of
+Abyssinia, but it is important, to remember that they followed the
+lines of the river, not the sea. In the year 24 B.C., the Roman
+Governor, hearing of the great wealth of a people called the Sabaeans,
+whose country lay in Arabia, in the hinterland of Mocha and Aden, sent
+an expedition there under the command of Aelius Gallus. This legion is
+historically reported to have met with reverses. That is true, in the
+sense that its galleys were beset by a terrible storm on the return
+voyage. Though the Red Sea is usually a fair-weather lake, you can have
+a stiff blow there at times, I believe, Captain Stump?"
+
+Thus appealed to, Stump had to open his mouth.
+
+"I've known it blow like sin," he said. "Isn't that so, Tagg?"
+
+"Wuss nor sin, cap'n. Ord'nary manslaughter isn't in it with a nor'-
+east gale on a dark night off them islands north o' Perim."
+
+"Exactly," agreed the Baron eagerly. "That is where the Roman triremes
+were caught. They were driven ashore in a little bay in what is now
+Italian territory. Their vessels were wrecked, but they saved the loot
+they had taken from the Sabaeans. The nature and value of that loss can
+hardly be estimated in these days, but you can draw your own
+conclusions when you learn that the city of Saba is more familiar to us
+under its Biblical name, Sheba. It was thence that the famous queen
+came who visited Solomon. Nearly a thousand years later, when the Roman
+legion sacked it with fire and sword, it was at the height of its
+glory."
+
+Von Kerber, fairly launched in a recital glib on his lips, regained the
+dominance of manner which the attitude of his subordinates had
+momentarily imperiled. Increased composure brought with it a certain
+hauteur, and he paused again--perhaps to gratify the actor's instinct
+in him rather than observe the effect of his words. But the break was
+unfortunate. Tagg removed the cigar he was half chewing, half smoking,
+and said oracularly:
+
+"The Queen o Sheba! I once knew a ship o' that name. D'ye remember her,
+cap'n?"
+
+"Shall I ever forgit 'er?" granted Stump, "I wish them Romans had
+looted _her_. W'en I was goin' down the Hooghly, she was comin' up, in
+tow. Her rope snapped at the wrong moment, an' she ran me on top of the
+James an' Mary shoal. Remember 'er, damn 'er!"
+
+The Austrian, winced at this check to his story. These stolid mariners
+had no imagination. He wished to enthuse them, to fire them with the
+vision of countless wealth, but they had side-tracked ideality for some
+stupid reminiscence of a collision. In a word, they did him good, and
+he reached the point of his narration all the more speedily.
+
+"As I was saying," he broke in rapidly, "the expedition met with
+disaster by sea. It was equally unfortunate on land. The commander
+built a small encampment, and sent for assistance the only seaworthy
+vessel left to him. He waited six months, but no help came. Then he
+determined to march inland--to strike a bold course for the Nile--but
+he was soon compelled to entrench himself against the attacks of
+hostile tribes. The probability is that the Sabaeans had interests on
+the western shores of the Red Sea as well as in Arabia. Indeed, the
+Abyssinians hold the belief to this day that their kings are descended
+from a son of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon. However that may be,
+Aelius Gallus buried his treasure, threw aside all useless impediments,
+and, like the daring soldier he was, decided in favor of attack. He
+fought his way for twenty marches, but was finally overthrown, with all
+his men, by a Nubian clan. The Romans were slain without mercy. Their
+conquerors knew nothing of the gold and jewels hidden in the desert
+three hundred miles distant, and that marvelous hoard, gathered from
+Persia and India by generations of traders, has lain there for nearly
+two thousand years."
+
+This time he was sure he had riveted the attention of his hearers. They
+would have been dull, indeed, if their wits were not stirred by the
+possibilities underlying that last sentence. Royson, of course, jumped
+to conclusions which the others were slow to reach. But Stump was not
+backward in summing up the facts in his own way.
+
+"Am I right in supposin' that you know where this stuff is hid, Mr. von
+Kerber?" he asked, his small eyes twinkling under the strain of
+continuous thought.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Are you positive?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Does anybody else know?"
+
+Royson felt that the Baron did not expect this question, but the answer
+came promptly:
+
+"Mr. Fenshawe knows, and the two ladies who accompany him have a
+species of general knowledge."
+
+"If I took c'rect bearin's, accordin' to your yarn the cargo is planted
+some distance from the coast?"
+
+"About forty miles."
+
+"An', while some of us goes after it, the yacht will stand off, an' on,
+waitin' orders, an' mebbe runnin' to Perim or Aden for letters."
+
+"You have grasped the situation, exactly, Captain Stump."
+
+The skipper shifted his cigar from one corner of his mouth to another.
+
+"Sink me," he growled, "I thought it couldn't be gun-runnin' when there
+was wimmin mixed up in it. Didn't I say so, Tagg?"
+
+"You did," agreed Tagg again.
+
+"Gun-running!" repeated von Kerber, "You mean carrying contraband arms,
+yes? What put that into your head?"
+
+"I've not bin cap'n of a ship nigh on fifteen years without larnin' the
+importance of knowin' wot she's loaded with," said Stump. "Big or
+little, in package or bulk, I go through her manifest, an' cheek, it,
+too."
+
+The Baron laughed softly. He was pale, probably as the result' of his
+wounds, but he was inflexible in his resolve to arrive at an
+understanding with his lieutenants before the remaining passengers put
+in an appearance.
+
+"_Ganz gut, herr capitan!_" he cried. "You must have seen our supply of
+firearms and cartridges, yes?"
+
+"Twenty rifles, twenty-five revolvers, an' enough ammunition to fight a
+small war." Stamp ticked off each item slowly and looked at Tagg as
+though he expected him to cry "Tally!"
+
+"Ah! That is well put, yes? If we are called on to fight a small war,
+as you say, have we got the right sort of men on board? I had to trust
+to chance. It was the only way. I could not talk plainly in England,
+you see."
+
+"I don't know much about 'em," said Stump. "I can answer for myself an'
+Tagg, an' from wot I hear, Mr. King has a heart of the right size. As
+for the others, I'll run the rule over 'em between here an' Port Said.
+If I have any doubts about one or two, we can ship 'em home on a P. an'
+O. But, from the cut of their jibs, most of 'em are deserters from the
+Royal Navy, an' the remainder are army reserve men. That sort of crowd
+is pretty tough, eh, Tagg?"
+
+"Tough!" echoed Tagg. "If they're 'lowed to eat three solid meals every
+day like the Lord Mayor's banquets they've put out o' sight since they
+kem aboard, there'll be no holdin' 'em."
+
+"Oh, yes, there will. _I'll_ hold 'em," said Stump.
+
+"And you approve of my reticence thus far?" asked the Baron.
+
+"Of your wot, mister?"
+
+"I mean, that it was wise not to tell them the object of the voyage."
+
+"Take my advice an' tell 'em nothin'. Wait till they're frizzlin' in
+the Red Sea, an' I've worked some of the grease out of 'em. By that
+time, wot between prickly heat an' high livin', they'll be ready to
+kill any Gord's quantity of I-talians."
+
+"Italians!" snapped von Kerber irritably, "Why do you speak of
+Italians?"
+
+"It's your fairy-tale, mister, not mine. You said that wot's 'is name,
+the Roman who went through the Shebeens, had planted his takin's in I-
+talian territory."
+
+"Ah!" The Austrian gasped a little, and his pallor increased. "That is
+of no consequence--the place--is a desert--we shall meet with no
+interference."
+
+Then Royson spoke. Hitherto, he had taken no share in the conversation,
+but he saw that von. Kerber was unable to withstand any further strain.
+The man was bearing up gallantly, yet he had reached the limit of
+endurance, and the trouble, whatever it was, seemed to be wearing his
+very soul.
+
+"Neither Captain Stump nor Mr. Tagg knows that you are wounded, sir,"
+said Dick. "Perhaps it would, be advisable to defer our talk until the
+morning."
+
+Von Kerber shaded his face with his hands.
+
+"I cannot add much to what I have said already," he answered. "I think
+you understand me, I want silence--and good service. Give me these and
+I shall repay you tenfold."
+
+They went on deck. Stump dug Royson n the ribs.
+
+"It would ha' done me a treat to see you upper cut that Frog," he
+whispered, his mouth widening in a grin. "I'm good at a straight punch
+myself, but I'm too short for a swing. Lord love a duck, I wish I'd bin
+there."
+
+So the burly skipper of the _Aphrodite_ paid slight heed to the wonders
+half revealed by von Kerber's story. He had been stirred but for a
+moment when the project was laid bare. Already his mind was rejecting
+it. The only matter that concerned him was to bring his ship to her
+destination in a seaman-like manner, and let who would perplex their
+brains with fantasy. Indeed, he was beginning to regard the Baron as a
+harmless lunatic, whom Providence had entrusted with the spending of a
+rich man's money for the special benefit of the seafaring community.
+
+"A straight punch!" he repeated, gazing with a species of solemn joy at
+the men leaning against the rails forward. "They're a hard-bitten lot
+from wot I've seen of 'em, an' they'll have to have it before they're
+at sea with me very long. Won't they, Tagg?"
+
+"They will," said. Tagg, eying the unconscious watch with equal fixity.
+
+Dick went to his cabin firm in the belief that he would lie awake half
+the night. But his brain soon refused to bother itself with problems
+which time might solve in a manner not yet conceivable, and he slept
+soundly until he was roused at an early hour. Day dawned bright and
+clear. A pleasant northwesterly breeze swept the smoke haze from off
+the town and kissed the blue waters of the land-locked harbor into
+white-crested wavelets. He took the morning watch, from four o'clock
+until eight, and all he had to do was to make sure that the men tried
+to whiten decks already spotless, and cleaned brass which shone in the
+sun the instant that luminary peeped over the shoulder of Notre Dame de
+la Garde. Although the _Aphrodite_ lay inside the mole, her bridge and
+promenade deck were high enough to permit him to see the rocky islet
+crowned by the Château d'If. He knew that the hero of Dumas'
+masterpiece had burrowed a tunnel out of that grim prison, to swim
+ashore an outcast, a man with a price on his head, yet bearing with him
+the precious paper whose secret should make him the fabulously rich
+Count of Monte Christo. It was only a soul-stirring romance, a dim
+legend transformed into vivid life by the genius of the inspired
+quadroon. But its extraordinary appositeness to the _Aphrodite's_ quest
+suddenly occurred to the young Englishman watching the sunlit isle. He
+was startled at the thought, especially when he contrasted his present
+condition with his depressed awakening in Brixton five days earlier.
+Then he laughed, and a sailor, busily engaged in polishing the glass
+front of the wheel-house, followed the direction of his gaze and half
+interpreted his daydream.
+
+"It's a bit of a change from the West India Dock Road, ain't it, sir?"
+he asked.
+
+Royson agreed with him, and the two conversed a while, but when the man
+led the chat round to the probable destination of the yacht, the second
+mate's thoughts fell from romance to reality.
+
+"You will be told soon enough where we're bound for," he answered
+sharply.
+
+"I'm sorry, sir, if I've said anything I shouldn't," said the other.
+"But the chaps forrard made out that there's a bit of a mystery in it,
+an' I argied they was talkin' nonsense."
+
+"You were quite right. The owner and a party of ladies will be on board
+to-day, and then you will find out our destination."
+
+"Ladies, you say, sir? That settles it. This is no Riff pirates job,
+then?"
+
+Royson turned on his heel. So others, as well as Captain Stump, had
+drawn conclusions from those boxes of arms and ammunition? If Baron
+Franz von Kerber deemed it necessary to provide a warlike equipment,
+how could he permit an elderly gentleman like Mr. Fenshawe, and a
+charming girl like Irene, to say nothing of others yet unknown to
+Royson, to share in the risk of a venture demanding such safeguards?
+That was a puzzle, but it disturbed Dick not a whit. Somehow, the
+mention of the desert and its secret hoard had stirred him strangely.
+It seemed to touch unknown springs in his being. He felt the call of
+the far-flung solitude, and his heart was glad that fortune had bound
+up his lot with that of the winsome woman who smiled on him so
+graciously when they parted in Hyde Park.
+
+Then a steward announced breakfast, and the mirage vanished. Captain
+Stump's greeting showed that his slumbers had not been disturbed by
+golden visions.
+
+"Mornin'," he said. "I've just bin tellin' Tagg." Seeing that his
+second officer was not enlightened by this remark he went on:
+
+"You'll want his help if I'm not alongside. Bless your 'eart, you can
+depend on Tagg. He'll never give you away. He thinks the world of you
+already."
+
+The reminder was useful, though not in the sense intended, by Stamp. It
+brought Royson back to earth. He felt that he must justify himself if
+he would win his way among these rough sea-dogs. Hence, when a railway
+omnibus lumbered along the quay, and pulled up in front of the yacht's
+gangway, he remembered that he was Mr. King, probationary second mate
+on a small vessel, and not Richard Royson, heir to a baronetcy and
+rightful successor to an estate with a rent-roll of five thousand a
+year.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe, exceedingly alert for one of his age, helped two ladies
+to alight. The first was Irene. Her admiring glance at the _Aphrodite_,
+no less than an exclamation of delighted interest, revealed that she,
+too, like everyone else, was a stranger to the ship. She was followed
+by a pretty woman, whose clothes and furs were of a fashion which told
+even a mere man that she was a person of consequence. This was Mrs.
+Haxton, and her first action caused Dick to dislike her, because she
+deliberately turned her back on the smart yacht, and gave heed only to
+the safe lowering of certain trunks from the roof of the omnibus. He
+heard the manner of her speech to a neatly dressed maid and its languid
+insolence did not help to dissipate that unfavorable impression.
+
+Miss Fenshawe ran along the gangway. Royson had stationed a sailor at
+the shoreward end, while he held the rail to steady it on deck.
+
+"Good morning, Mr. King," she cried. "Has not Baron von Kerber
+arrived?"
+
+"Yes," he said. "He came aboard late last night."
+
+"Then why is he not here to meet us?"
+
+"I believe he is fatigued after the long journey, Miss Fenshawe."
+
+"Fatigued! Fiddlesticks! Look at my grandfather. Is he fatigued? And we
+have traveled over the same route. But I will deal with the lie-abed
+Baron when I see him. What a nice boat the _Aphrodite_ is. I am in love
+with her already. And is that Captain Stump? Good morning, captain. I
+have heard about you. Baron von Kerber says you will bite my head off
+if I come on the bridge. Is that true?"
+
+"Shows how little Mr. von Kerber reely knows about me, ma'am," said
+Stump gallantly, beaming on her over the rail of the small upper deck.
+
+By this time, Mrs. Haxton had satisfied herself that the _Aphrodite's_
+crew might be trusted to bring her boxes on board without smashing
+them, and she gathered her skirts carefully to keep them clear of the
+quay. She raised a lorgnon, mounted on a tortoise-shell and silver
+handle, and examined the yacht with measured glance. She honored the
+stalwart second officer with a prolonged stare.
+
+"Is that the captain?" she said to Mr. Fenshawe, who was waiting to
+escort her on board.
+
+"No. That is Mr. King, the young man Irene told you about."
+
+"Oh, indeed! Rather an Apollo Belvidere, don't you think?"
+
+"He seems to be a nice young fellow, quite well-mannered, and that sort
+of thing. And it imposes somewhat of a strain on the imagination to
+picture him in the scant attire popular at Delphi."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was not without a dry humor, but Mrs. Haxton was pleased
+to be amused.
+
+"What a light-hearted creature you are!" she cried, "I envy you your
+high spirits. Personally, I feel utterly downcast at the prospect of a
+sea voyage. It always blows a mistral, or some other horrid thing, when
+I cross the Mediterranean. Are you sure that little bridge won't move
+the instant I step on it? I have quite an aversion to such jim-crack
+appliances."
+
+Mrs. Haxton's timidity did not prevent her from noting the arrival of a
+telegraph messenger on a bicycle. He was reading the name of the yacht
+when she said:
+
+"Come here, boy. Have you a telegram for me?"
+
+She used excellent French, and the messenger handed her the small blue
+envelope he was carrying. The lady dropped her eyeglasses, and scanned
+the address quickly before she read it aloud.
+
+"Richard Royson, British Yacht _Aphrodite_, Marseilles," she announced,
+after a moment's pause.
+
+"Who is Richard Royson?" she went on, looking from Mr. Fenshawe to the
+nearest officer of the ship, who happened to be Royson himself.
+
+The incident was so unexpected that Dick reddened and hesitated. Yet he
+saw no reason why he should not proclaim himself.
+
+"That message is meant for me, madam," he said.
+
+"For you? But Mr. Fenshawe has just said that your name is King?"
+"Baron von Kerber bestowed that name on me, but he acted under a
+misapprehension. My name is Royson."
+
+"How odd! How excessively odd!"
+
+Mrs. Haxton seemed to forget her fear of the gangway. Advancing with
+sure and easy tread she gave Dick his telegram. And he was conscious,
+during one unhappy minute, that Irene, and Captain Stump, and Mr.
+Fenshawe, each in varying degree, shared Mrs. Haxton's opinion as to
+the exceeding oddity of the fact that any one should be masquerading on
+board the _Aphrodite_ under an assumed name.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+
+MISS FENSHAWE SEEKS AN ALLY
+
+Royson was not in the least nonplussed by this recurrence of a dilemma
+for which he was not responsible. Von Kerber, of course, could have
+extricated him with a word, but von Kerber, for reasons of his own,
+remained, invisible. So Dick threw his head back in a characteristic
+way which people soon learnt to associate with a stubborn resolve to
+see a crisis through to the end. He ignored Mrs. Haxton, and spoke to
+the captain.
+
+"I am glad the question of my right name has been raised," he said.
+"When Baron von Kerber comes on deck I shall ask him to settle the
+matter once and for all."
+
+"Just so," said Stump, "I would if I was you."
+
+"The really important thing is the whereabouts of our cabins,"
+interrupted Mrs. Haxton's clear drawl.
+
+"Take the ladies aft,--Mr. Royson,--an' let 'em choose their quarters,"
+directed Stump curtly.
+
+Dick would have obeyed in silence had not Miss Fenshawe thought fit to
+help him. She had found Mrs. Haxton's airs somewhat tiresome during the
+long journey from London, and she saw no reason why that lady should be
+so ready to bring a hornet's nest about Royson's ears.
+
+"We are not in such a desperate hurry to bestow our belongings that you
+cannot read your telegram," she said to Dick. Then she favored Stump
+with a frank smile. "I know you mean to start almost immediately,
+captain, and it is possible that Mr. Royson may wish to send an answer
+before we leave Marseilles. You won't be angry if he waits one moment
+before he shows us to our staterooms?"
+
+"Not at all, miss," said the skipper, "he's at your service. I can do
+without him--easy."
+
+Stump was angry with Dick, and did not hesitate to show it. A blunt
+man, of plain speech, he resented anything in the nature of double-
+dealing. Royson's remarkable proficiency in most matters bearing on the
+navigation of a ship had amazed him in the first instance, and this
+juggling with names led him to suspect some deep-laid villainy with
+which the midnight attack on von Kerber was not wholly unconnected.
+
+But the person most taken aback by Irene's self-assertion was Mrs.
+Haxton. A firm attitude on the girl's part came as an unpleasing
+novelty. An imperious light leaped to her eyes, but she checked the
+words which might have changed a trivial incident into a sharp tussle
+for supremacy.
+
+"I am sorry," she said quietly. "Telegrams are important things,
+sometimes. And the messenger is waiting, too."
+
+Thus, under the fire of many eyes, Royson tore open the _petit bleu_,
+and read its typewritten contents. The words were brief, but
+sufficiently bewildering:
+
+"Better return to England forthwith. I undertake full responsibility
+for advice, and guarantee you against loss, Forbes."
+
+"Forbes," undoubtedly, was his uncle's solicitor. But how was it
+possible that he should have discovered the name of the yacht and her
+port of departure? And why did he, a methodical old lawyer, not only
+disobey his client's strict injunctions that no help or assistance of
+any sort was to be given to a rebellious nephew, but ignore Dick's own
+wishes, and address him as Royson, not as King?
+
+There were twenty questions which might be asked, but staring at the
+flimsy bit of paper, with its jerky lettering, would not answer any of
+them. And the issue called for instant decision. Already, in obedience
+to a signal from Stump, men were standing by the fixed capstans on the
+mole ready to cast off the yacht's hawsers. Perhaps Sir Henry Royson
+was dying? Even in that unlikely event, of what avail was a title with
+nothing a year? Certainly, the solicitor's cautious telegram might be
+construed into an offer of financial aid. That reading implied a more
+cheerful view than he had taken hitherto of his prospects with regard
+to the Cuddesham estate. Yet, the only way in which he could meet Mr.
+Forbes's wishes was to spring ashore then and there, if such a
+proceeding were practicable, and abandon the adventure whose strange
+by-ways were already opening up before his mind's eye.
+
+Then Irene said sympathetically:
+
+"I hope you have not received any bad news, Mr.--Royson."
+
+The captain's pause before addressing him by his real name was intended
+to be ironical. Not so the girl's hesitancy. Interpreting Dick's mood
+with her woman's intuition, she felt that he wished to drop any
+subterfuge now, no matter what his motive might have been in adopting
+one hitherto.
+
+Her voice broke the spell which the telegram, with its curious
+phrasing, had cast on him.
+
+"No, Miss Fenshawe, not bad news, certainly. Indeed, it was the absence
+of any sort of news that troubled me for a moment. _Chasseur_!"
+
+"_Oui, m'sieu_'," and the messenger raised his hat.
+
+"_Voila_!" Dick threw him a franc. "_Il n'a pas de reponse_."
+
+"_Merci bien, m'sieu'_."
+
+That spinning of a coin through the air showed that Royson had made up
+his mind. He had tossed with Fortune, and cared not who won.
+
+The messenger drew away from the gangway, and entered into a
+conversation with the driver of the omnibus. Stump nodded to a man on
+the quay. The forward mooring rope was cleared, and fell into the water
+with a loud splash. Two sailors ran the gangway on board. An electric
+bell jarred in the engine-room, and the screw revolved, while the
+rattle of the steering chains showed that the helm was put hard a-port.
+When the _Aphrodite_ moved slowly astern, her bow swung towards the
+mouth of the dock. The indicator rang again, twice, and the yacht,
+after a pause, began to forge ahead. Another splash, and the second
+hawser was cast loose. The mole, the neighboring ships, the landward
+quays and the warehouses thereon, seemed to diminish in size without
+any perceptible cause, and, in a space of time that might have been
+measured by seconds rather than minutes, the _Aphrodite_ was throbbing
+southward.
+
+Mrs. Haxton, whose eagerness to inspect her stateroom had gone, was
+hailed pleasantly by Irene.
+
+"Now, because I asked you to wait, you shall have first choice," she
+said, "Lead on, Mr. Royson. Let us see our dens."
+
+But Baron von Kerber came running along the deck, all smiles and
+welcoming words, and it was evident that some reason other than
+physical unfitness had kept him out of sight until the yacht's voyage
+was actually commenced. Dick heard him explaining coolly that he had
+met with a slight accident on arriving at Marseilles overnight. Some
+difficulty in dressing, he said, combined with the phenomenal
+punctuality of the _train de luxe_, accounted for his tardy appearance,
+but the ladies would find that the steward had everything in readiness,
+and Mr. Fenshawe was too experienced a _voyageur_ not to make himself
+at home instantly. Rattling on thus agreeably, he led the way aft.
+
+In the midst of his explanations, he saw that Dick was accompanying the
+party, and told him, rather abruptly, that his services were not
+required. In no amiable mood, therefore, the second officer went to the
+upper deck, where the skipper was growling his views to Tagg about the
+mysterious incident of the telegram. It was a moment of tension, and
+something might have been said that would tend to place Royson and the
+captain at arm's length if the _Aphrodite_ had not taken it into her
+head to emulate Miss Fenshawe's action by coming to Dick's assistance.
+The little vessel remembered that which Stump paid small heed to, and
+asserted herself.
+
+Notwithstanding her half-deck saloon, with the tiny chart-house perched
+thereon, and the narrow bridge that gave her a steamer-like aspect, she
+was rigged as a topsail schooner, her sharp lines and consequent extra
+length affording full play to her fore-and-aft sails. Her first owner
+had designed her with set purpose. It was his hobby to remain in out-
+of-the-way parts of the world for years at a time, visiting savage
+lands where coal was not procurable, and he trusted more to sails than
+to engine-power. But Stump, and his chief officer, and nearly every
+sailor on board, being accustomed to steam, despised windjammers, and
+pinned their faith to the engines.
+
+With a favorable wind such as was blowing at the moment, or to steady
+the yacht in a cross sea, the captain would have set a foresail and
+jib. To help the propeller was good seamanship, but to bank the engine-
+room fires and depend wholly on sails was the last thing he would think
+of. Hence, the _Aphrodite_ straightway taught him a sharp lesson. While
+Stump was ruminating on the exact, form of some scathing remark for
+Royson's benefit, a sudden stoppage of the screw, and an ominously easy
+roll over the crest of the next sea, showed that the engines were idle.
+
+Stump hurled a lurid question down the speaking-tube. The engineer's
+equally emphatic reply told him that there was a breakdown, cause not
+stated. Now, the outer roadstead of Marseilles harbor is one of the
+most awkward places in the Mediterranean for a disabled vessel. Though
+the Gulf of Lions is almost tideless, it has strong and treacherous
+currents. The configuration of the rocky coast, guarded as it is by
+small islands and sunken reefs, does not allow much seaway until a
+lighthouse, some miles distant from the mainland, is passed. Stump, of
+course, would have made use of the ship's sails before she drifted into
+peril. But he was purple with wrath, and the necessary commands were
+not familiar to his tongue.
+
+Therefore, he hesitated, though he was far from remaining silent, and
+Royson, never at a loss when rapidity of thought and action was
+demanded, took the lead. He woke up the crew with a string of orders,
+rushed from foremast to mainmast and back to the bows again to see that
+the men hauled the right ropes and set the sails in the right way, and,
+had the _Aphrodite_ bowling along under canvas in less than two minutes
+after the stopping of the screw. Not until every sheet was drawing and
+the yacht running free did it occur to him that he had dared to assume
+unto himself the captain's prerogative.
+
+Rather red-faced and breathless, not only from his own exertions but by
+reason of the disconcerting notion which possessed him, he raced up the
+short companion-ladder leading from the fore deck to the bridge. Stump
+seemed to be awaiting him with a halter.
+
+"I hope I did right, sir, in jumping in like that," gasped Dick. "I
+thought it best to get steering way on the yacht without delay, and--"
+
+"Wot's yer name now?" roared Stump, glowering at him in a manner which
+led Dick to believe he had committed an unpardonable offense.
+
+"Still the same, sir--Royson."
+
+"I thought p'raps it might ha' bin Smith, as you're such a lightnin'
+change artist. Just bung in to the engine-room, will you, an' find out
+wot that son of a gun below there is a-doing of?"
+
+"I will go if you like, sir, but I know nothing about engines."
+
+"Take charge here, then. Keep her steady as she goes. You've a clear
+course half a mile to westward of that light."
+
+Stump disappeared, and Royson found himself entrusted with full charge
+of the vessel ere she had been ten minutes at sea. His gruff commander
+could have paid him no greater compliment.
+
+In the engineer, a man from West Hartlepool, the captain met one who
+spoke the vernacular.
+
+"It's no good a-dammin' me because there's a flaw in a connectin' rod,"
+he protested, when Stamp's strenuous questioning allowed him to explain
+matters. "I can't see inside a piece of crimson steel any more'n you
+can."
+
+"None of your lip, my lad, or I'll find flaws all over you, P. D. Q.
+Can you fix this mess at sea, or must we put back?"
+
+The engineer quailed under Stump's bovine eye.
+
+"It would be better to put back, sir. I may be able to manage, but it's
+doubtful."
+
+Stump went aft to consult von Kerber. So speedily had the yacht's
+mishap been dealt with that no member of the saloon party was aware of
+it, though any sailor among them, would have recognized instantly that
+the vessel was traveling under canvas. The Baron, when he heard what
+had taken place, was most emphatic in vetoing the suggestion that the
+_Aphrodite_ should return to Marseilles, and Stamp was equally
+determined hot to sail through, the Straits of Bonifacio in half a gale
+of wind. As a compromise, a course was shaped for Toulon, and that port
+was made during the afternoon. It was the wisest thing to do, under the
+circumstances. Toulon is the French naval base for the Mediterranean,
+and her marine _chantiers_ not only repaired the engines in a few
+hours, but supplied a set of spare parts, a wise precaution in view of
+the yacht's probable sojourn in a locality where castings would be
+unattainable.
+
+Thenceforth the voyage proceeded smoothly. Royson took the first
+opportunity of explaining to von Kerber how and why the mistake as to
+his name had arisen, and the Baron only smiled, in his superior way,
+having recovered his somewhat domineering manner from the hour that the
+French coast-line sank beneath the horizon.
+
+Stump soon ascertained that the _Aphrodite_ made better weather and
+faster running as a schooner than as a steamship when the wind suited,
+and Royson's position on board was rendered all the more secure
+thereby. For the rest, Dick lived the humdrum life of the ship.
+Naturally, he saw a good deal of the occupants of the saloon, but the
+acquaintance did not progress beyond formalities. The two ladies read,
+and walked, and played bridge with Mr. Fenshawe and the Baron. They
+took much interest in Stromboli and the picturesque passage through the
+Straits of Messina, and the red glare of Etna kept them on deck for
+hours. Then the yacht settled down for the run to Port Said, and
+arrived at that sunlit abode of rascality on the first of November.
+
+Here the stores and coal bunkers were replenished, but no member of the
+crew was allowed to land. Cablegrams, letters, and newspapers came in
+bundles for the cabin-folk. The only communication of any sort for
+officers or men was a letter addressed to Royson by name. Von Kerber
+constituted himself postman, and he brought the missive to Dick in
+person, but not until the _Aphrodite_ had entered the canal after
+shipping her French pilot and search-light.
+
+He was annoyed, though he veiled his ill-humor under an affected
+carelessness.
+
+"How came you to give Port Said as a port of call to one of your
+correspondents?" he asked.
+
+"I did not," said Dick, whose surprise was genuine enough to disarm
+suspicion.
+
+"Then some one has made a very accurate guess, yes?" sneered the other.
+
+"I expected no letter from any person under the sun, and I certainly
+told no one I was passing through Port Said, for the sufficient reason
+that I never even thought of the place until you informed me yourself,
+sir, that we were bound for the Red Sea."
+
+"It is strange. Well, here is your letter. Perhaps, when you have read
+it, you may understand how the thing happened. I wished our destination
+to remain hidden, from the general public, and you are the only man on
+board, except Mr. Fenshawe and myself, whose whereabouts are known in
+London."
+
+Now it chanced that the postmark was illegible, and, furthermore, that
+von Kerber had already read the letter by adopting the ingenious plan
+of the Russian censor, who grips the interior sheet in an instrument
+resembling a long, narrow curling-tongs, and twists steadily until he
+is able to withdraw it uninjured. But Stiff legal note-paper is apt to
+bear signs of such treatment. Somewhat later in the day, Royson saw
+these things, and was perplexed. At the moment, he merely broke open
+the envelope.
+
+It was a brief communication from Mr. Forbes. "I telegraphed to you at
+Marseilles," it said, "and have ascertained that my message was
+delivered to you. I regret your apparent decision not to fall in with
+my request. Sir Henry Royson is ill, almost dangerously so, and I have
+reason to believe that he wishes to make amends to you for his past
+attitude. I received your letter, wherein you stated that you were
+shipping on some vessel under the name of King, but I had little
+difficulty in tracing you to Mr. Fenshawe's yacht, and I do not feel
+justified in recognizing your unnecessary alias. Again, I advise you to
+return. I am sure that your employer, a most estimable man, will not
+place any difficulties in your way. If you leave the _Aphrodite_ at
+Port Said or Ismalia, and send me a cablegram, I will remit by cable
+funds sufficient for your needs."
+
+Dick had deemed this disturbing problem dead and done with. He had not
+hesitated at Marseilles, nor was he less decided now. He held out the
+letter to von Kerber frankly, little thinking how close a scrutiny had
+been given to his face while he was learning its contents.
+
+"Read it," he said, "and you will see for yourself that I am in no way
+responsible."
+
+Von Kerber seemed to be taken aback by this display of confidence.
+
+"No, no," he said loftily. "I do not wish it. I have your word. That is
+sufficient."
+
+"May I send an answer?"
+
+"Yes, from Suez."
+
+And the incident might have ended there had it not been brought into
+sharp prominence that evening. Mr. Tagg took the first watch, from
+eight o'clock to midnight. Under ordinary conditions, Royson, who was
+free until four in the morning, would have gone to his cabin and slept
+soundly. But, like many another who passes through the great canal for
+the first time, he could not resist the fascination of the ship's
+noiseless, almost stealthy, passage through the desert.
+
+After supper, while enjoying a pipe before turning in, he went forward
+and stood behind the powerful electric lamp fitted in the bows to
+illumine the narrow water-lane which joins East and West. The broad
+shaft of light lent a solemn beauty to the bleak wastes on either hand.
+In front, the canal's silvery riband shimmered in magic life. Its
+nearer ripples formed a glittering corsage for the ship's tapered stem,
+and merged into a witches' way of blackness beyond. The red signal of a
+distant _gare_, or station, or the white gleam of an approaching
+vessel's masthead light, shone from the void like low-pitched stars.
+Overhead the sky was of deepest blue, its stupendous arch studded with
+stars of extraordinary radiance, while low on the west could be seen
+the paler sheen of departing day. At times his wondering eyes fell on
+some Arab encampment on the neighboring bank, where shrouded figures
+sat round a fire, and ghostly camels in the background raised ungainly
+heads and gazed at the ever-mysterious sight of the moving ship.
+
+The marvelous scene was at once intimate and remote. Its
+distinguishable features had the sense of nearness and actuality of
+some piece of splendid stagecraft, yet he seemed to be peering not at
+the rigid outlines of time but rather into the vague, almost
+terrifying, depths of eternity. And it was a bewildering fact that this
+glimpse into the portals of the desert was no new thing to him. Though
+never before had his mortal eyes rested on the far-flung vista, he
+absorbed its soothing glamour with all the zest of one who came back to
+a familiar horizon after long sojourn in pent streets and tree-shrouded
+valleys.
+
+Time and again he strove to shake off this eerie feeling, but it was
+not to be repelled. He fought against its dominance, and denounced its
+folly, yet his heart whispered that he was not mistaken, that the
+majestic silence conveyed some thrilling message which he could not
+understand. How long he stood there, and how utterly he had yielded to
+the strange prepossession of his dream, he scarce realized until he
+heard a soft voice close behind him.
+
+"Is that you, Mr. Royson?" it said, and he was called back from the
+unknown to find Miss Fenshawe standing near.
+
+"I beg your pardon," he stammered. "I was--so taken up with this--to
+me--most entrancing experience--"
+
+"That you did not hear my fairy footsteps," she broke in, with a quiet
+laugh. "Do not apologize for that. I am wearing list slippers, so my
+ghostlike approach is easily accounted for. And I am really very
+greatly relieved at having found you at all. I was afraid you had left
+the ship without my knowledge."
+
+"But how could that be possible, Miss Fenshawe?" he asked, startled out
+of his reverie by her peculiar phrase.
+
+"Please don't speak so loudly," she said, dropping her voice almost to
+a whisper. "I have been looking for you during the past half hour. I
+came here twice, but you were so wrapped up in shadow that I failed to
+see you, and I was becoming quite anxious, because one of the men
+assured me you were not in your cabin."
+
+Dick caught a flurried note in her utterance, a strained desire to
+avoid the semblance of that anxiety which she had just admitted. It
+puzzled him quite as much as the curious sense of familiarity with his
+surroundings, a sense which the girl's unexpected appearance had by no
+means dispelled. And he was oddly conscious of a breaking away of the
+social barrier of whose existence she, at least, must have been
+convinced. The mere whispering together in this lonely part of the ship
+might account for it, to some extent, so he braced himself for the
+effort to restore her self-control.
+
+"I came here to have a good look at the desert by night," he said. "You
+may be sure, Miss Fenshawe, that I had little notion you were searching
+for me. It was by the merest accident that I was able to stow myself
+out of sight in this particular locality."
+
+She laughed softly again, and her manner became perceptibly less
+constrained.
+
+"A big man and a small ship--is that it?" she asked. "Tell me, Mr.
+Royson, why did that officer of the Guards call you 'King Dick' on the
+morning of the carriage accident?"
+
+Had the girl racked her brain for a day to frame a question intended to
+perplex Royson she could not have hit on one of more penetrating
+effect. He was astounded not because she had heard Paton's exclamation,
+but by reason of the flood of light which her recollection of it at
+that moment poured on his own wandering thoughts.
+
+"It is a most amazing thing that you should ask me that, Miss
+Fenshawe," he cried.
+
+"Sh-s-s-h. I have always imagined you to be a man who would smile in
+the midst of earthquakes, yet here you are quite dazzled by a harmless
+bit of feminine curiosity. Don't you wish me to know how you came by
+that nickname? I suppose it is one?"
+
+"There is no other in whom I would confide so willingly," he said.
+"Promise you will not laugh at me if I tell you more than you bargain
+for."
+
+"What? Is there humor in the story?"
+
+"Let us see. I am hardly a fair judge. At present I am more than
+mystified. It is easy enough to explain why I was called 'King Dick' at
+school. That is a mere preface to my romance. One of the cherished
+traditions of my family is that we are lineal descendants of King
+Richard the First of England."
+
+"Good gracious!"
+
+"The statement lends itself to disbelief, I admit--"
+
+"Why do you think me disbelieving?"
+
+"Pray forgive me, Miss Fenshawe. I am in doubting mood myself to-night.
+At any rate, the lineage of the Roysons has not been disputed during
+many centuries. Our name is part of our proof, and there has been a
+Richard Royson associated with Westmoreland ever since Coeur-de-Lion
+returned from Palestine. That is the kind of family asset a boy will
+brag of. Joined to a certain proficiency in games, it supplies a ready-
+made nickname. But the wonderful and wholly inexplicable thing is that
+while I have been standing here, watching our head-light dancing over
+the desert, the fantastic conceit has invaded my very soul that I share
+with my kingly ancestor his love of this land, his ambition to
+accomplish great deeds in its secret places, his contempt and scorn of
+all opposing influences. Do you remember how he defied a rain of blood
+which scared his courtiers? One of his friends has placed on record the
+opinion that if an angel from heaven bade Richard abandon his work he
+would have answered with a curse. Well, I am poor, and of slight
+consequence in the world to-day, but at least it has been vouchsafed me
+to understand what a strong man and a king can feel when there are
+those who would thwart his will. At present, I am powerless, as little
+able to give effect to my energies as Richard himself when pent in an
+Austrian prison, but I do ask that some Blondel shall free me, no
+matter what the ransom, and that Fate shall set me a task worthy of the
+man who fought and dreamed and planned empires out there eight
+centuries ago."
+
+Royson threw back his head, and stretched his right hand toward the
+desert where lay Jaffa and Jerusalem. He was quite carried away by the
+magic of the hour. He had brushed aside the cobwebs of society, and
+spoke to Irene as a gallant and fearless youth might address the maid
+at whose feet he hoped to lay the trophies gained in winning his
+knighthood. And she, as might be expected, responded to the passionate
+chord which sounded this challenge to fortune. She, too, forgot
+convention, for which Heaven be praised!
+
+"You have my prayers for your success," she whispered. "What is more, I
+believe in you, and that is why I am here now, for I have come to ask
+you, for my sake and the sake of one whom I love, not to leave this
+ship until I bid you."
+
+At any other moment such a request must have had a sinister sound.
+Coming then, it seemed to be a direct answer to Dick's excited appeal
+to the unseen power that governs men's lives. He turned and looked into
+her eyes. She was so near to him that he could see the wondrous light
+shining in their limpid depths. He felt the fragrance of her presence,
+the glow of her tender beauty, and she did not shrink from him when he
+placed a protecting hand on her shoulder.
+
+"You need no promise from me, Miss Fenshawe," he said, with a labored
+utterance that was wholly unaccountable to him. "Twice already have I
+refused to leave you, though I have been summoned to England to resume
+an inheritance wrongfully withheld. We are stubborn, we Richards, and
+we are loyal, too. It was you, I now believe, who snatched me from
+misery, almost from despair. Have no fear, therefore, that I shall
+desert you."
+
+"You have taken a load from my heart," she answered softly. "You are
+the only man on board In whom I have any real confidence. I fear that
+my grandfather has been misled, wilfully and shamefully misled, but I
+am unable to prevent it for lack of proof. But to-night, after dinner,
+I chanced to overhear a conversation with reference to you which
+redoubled the doubts I have felt ever since this expedition was decided
+on. I feel that I must tell you. Baron von Kerber distrusts you because
+you are a gentleman. He fears you will act as one if you have to choose
+between his interests and your own honor. And today, since your letter
+arrived--"
+
+"Yes, ma'am," they heard Captain Stump shout from the bridge, "Miss
+Fenshawe is forrard, with Mr. Royson. You'll find it a very pretty
+sight goin' through the canal on a night like this."
+
+And Mrs. Haxton, hunting the ship for Irene--not to speak of Royson and
+the girl herself when in calmer mood--may have wondered why Stump
+should trumpet forth his information as though he wished all on board
+to hear it. Perhaps it was, as Dick already well knew, that the stout
+skipper had good eyesight as well as a kind heart.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+
+AT THE PORTAL
+
+"Why in the world did you hide yourself in this part of the ship,
+Irene?" cried Mrs. Haxton, advancing with a rapidity that was in marked
+contrast to her usual languid movements. "I have been searching for you
+everywhere."
+
+"I have not hidden myself, and you must have missed a rather large
+section out of your everywhere," said the girl, with a coolness that
+Royson found admirable.
+
+"But Mr. Fenshawe wants you. He has been vainly awaiting his partner at
+the bridge table during the past twenty minutes."
+
+"I would never have believed grandfather could be so callous. Play
+cards here! Where every prospect pleases and only bridge is vile! Let
+me bring him forth at once. Good night, Mr. Royson! Thank you so much
+for a nice talk. I think I shall be able now to pass an examination in
+the history and geography of the Suez Canal."
+
+Dick lifted his cap, silently thanking Providence that women were more
+adroit than men. Mrs. Haxton seemed to take no notice of him. Indeed,
+she had scarcely spoken to him since they met at Marseilles, and, were
+he a vain man, such studied neglect on the part of a pretty woman might
+have supplied food for thought. Yet it is possible that Mrs. Haxton
+herself would confess to a certain chagrin if she realized how small a
+place she occupied in his mind as he followed her along the deck. Irene
+flitted in front, light-limbed and agile, humming gaily a verse of some
+song, but breaking off in the midst to ask Captain Stump not to be very
+angry if she brought a party of invaders to his tiny domain. She was
+young enough, not to feel fluttered by the knowledge that Mrs. Haxton
+had broken in on a somewhat dangerous interchange of confidences. She
+knew that she wanted a friend--some one less opinionative than Mr.
+Fenshawe--to whom she could appeal for help and guidance when
+difficulties arose. Royson was already a hero in her eyes, and what
+more natural than that she should turn to him, especially under the
+circumstances which had come to her knowledge that evening? As for
+Dick, he fancied that the Suez Canal was one of the roads to Heaven.
+
+Before he climbed into his bunk, however, he re-read Mr. Forbes's
+letter, and noticed then that it bore signs of interference, while von
+Kerber, if he had not opened it, must have jumped to the conclusion
+that it came from London solely because the stamp was an English one.
+Added to Irene's veiled warning that all was not well on board, this
+apparent tampering with his correspondence bore an ugly look. It almost
+suggested that the Baron feared he was what the London inquiry agent
+had asked him to become--the paid spy of Alfieri. He wondered what hold
+the Italian had on the man. Now that he was able to examine recent
+events in perspective, he saw that von Kerber had traveled alone from
+London with the hope of throwing off his track any one who was watching
+him--and had failed. It was evident, too, that neither Mr. Fenshawe nor
+his granddaughter, nor Mrs. Haxton for that matter, took pains to keep
+their whereabouts unknown, because Dick had seen an announcement of the
+_Aphrodite's_ cruise in a London newspaper brought on board by the
+pilot. Von Kerber's name was not mentioned, but the others were
+described briefly, the reference to Mrs. Haxton being that she was "a
+_persona grata_ in Anglo-Egyptian society." Why, then, did the Austrian
+demand such secrecy from the yacht's crew, and be so perturbed by the
+advent of a letter addressed to one of them? But Royson's disposition
+was far too happy-go-lucky to permit of serious ponderings on other
+people's business. He laughed and reddened a little when his mind swung
+round to the more pleasing memory of the girl's frank sympathy, and he
+told himself, with deep and convincing earnestness, that next time they
+met he must guard his unruly tongue, else it might run away with him
+again, and find her in less receptive mood.
+
+Then he fell asleep, and slept soundly, too, in blissful ignorance of a
+conversation then taking place in the chart-house, though it had the
+most direct bearing on his own future.
+
+For von Kerber had seized the opportunity, when Mr. Fenshawe and the
+two ladies went below, to draw Stump into private conclave.
+
+"We reach Suez to-morrow, captain," he said, "and that will be our last
+chance of getting rid of any of the crew whom you think unsuitable."
+
+"That's so," agreed Stump, "but I can't say I've blacklisted any of
+'em. The on'y fault I find with 'em is that there's too many hands for
+the work."
+
+"Ah, you regard them as dependable, yes?"
+
+"Good for any game you like to put before 'em," was the brisk summary.
+
+"That is what I want. But tell me, captain, will you be able to replace
+Mr. Royson? I believe he is useful when it comes to sailing the yacht,
+yet I have no doubt you can dispense with him?"
+
+Stomp was shrewd in a limited way. He caught the drift of von Kerber's
+comment, and it did not help to further the scheme which the latter had
+in mind.
+
+"Mr. Royson?" came the quick growl. "What of him? Next to Tagg, he's
+the best man in the crowd."
+
+"Possibly, but I have reason to believe that he wishes to return to
+England."
+
+"He hasn't said so."
+
+"Not to you, perhaps, but I know it is so, and I do not wish to detain
+him when our numbers are already ample for all purposes. I am awkwardly
+placed in the matter, as Mr. Fenshawe feels under a slight obligation
+to him, so I shall be glad if you will pay him off to-morrow, on a
+generous basis, of course, with every allowance for the expenses of the
+homeward passage."
+
+"Wot?" said Stump, moving restlessly under von Kerber's fixed gaze.
+"D'ye mean it, mister?"
+
+"I do, most certainly."
+
+"Then you'd better fix the business yourself. You engaged him, like the
+rest of us. I like the lad, and I'd take it ill to be axed to fire him.
+No, sir. That ain't in my department this trip. It'd be a bird of
+another color if he was no good. But he's a first-rater, an' I, for
+one, will be sorry to lose him. If you don't take my word for it, ax
+Tagg. He knows a man when he see him, does Tagg, an' he hasn't
+forgotten that upper cut Mr. Royson gev' a land shark in Marseilles
+when the crowd set about you."
+
+Stump was profoundly moved, or he would not have made such a long
+speech, and von Kerber knew that his flank attack had failed. Indeed,
+the gruff sailor had as good as charged him with rank ingratitude.
+
+"Oh, if you think that way about it," said he coolly, "we can let the
+project drop for the present. I was only considering Mr. Royson's own
+interests. Whether he goes or stays, it does not concern me in the
+least. Have a cigarette? Ah, you prefer a pipe, yes? Well, good night,
+captain. We shall not be rocked to sleep by the wild waves to-night, I
+imagine."
+
+Stump joined Tagg on the bridge. He jerked a thumb after the Baron's
+retreating figure.
+
+"That German swab wants me to boot Royson," he muttered.
+
+"Boot Royson? The idee! Wot for?"
+
+"He piled it on thick about wot he called Royson's own interests, but I
+knew better'n that. It don't suit his book for our dandy second mate to
+be sparkin' the owner's granddaughter abaft the lantern. You take my
+tip, Tagg, that other woman, Mrs. Haxton, is as mean as, sin, an' she
+blew the gaff to-night when she dropped on 'em after supper."
+
+"I've always thought her a bit of a cat," agreed Tagg.
+
+"An' wot did you say?"
+
+"Say, I tole 'im to do his dirty work hisself. Mark my words, Tagg,
+he'll not tackle the job for fear it comes to the gal's ears. You watch
+him close up like an oyster."
+
+Stump was a prophet worthy of honor, though Dick did not appreciate the
+Baron's friendly solicitude about his affairs until long afterwards.
+But he did learn by chance how amply justified Irene was in her fear
+that he might be asked to leave the ship. The _Aphrodite_ was spinning
+down the Gulf of Suez late next day, under all her snowy spread of
+sail, when Royson went aloft to assure himself that a stiff pulley on
+the fore yard was in good working order. He found that it needed a
+slight readjustment, and the alteration, was troublesome owing to the
+strain of a steady breeze. He persevered, put matters right, and was
+climbing down to the deck when, through the foresail, he heard voices
+discussing none other than himself.
+
+Mrs. Haxton and von Kerber had strolled, forward, and were leaning over
+the side of the ship, never dreaming that the man they were talking of
+was within a few feet of them above their heads, though hidden by the
+sail.
+
+"I was exceedingly surprised to find that he was not sent ashore with
+the pilot at Suez," the lady was saying. "No matter what his present
+position may be, he is a baronet's nephew and prospective heir it would
+seem. It is sheer madness on your part to keep a man like him on
+board."
+
+"But I tell you that I asked Stump to discharge him, and met with a
+blank refusal," replied the Baron irritably.
+
+"That is even more amazing. Are not these men your servants?"
+
+"Yes, in a sense. Try to understand me, Maud. I had to select men of
+good character, or they might fail me in the hour of real need. If you
+hire pirates you must expect them to act like pirates, yes? Stump
+favors Royson, so he pointed out that as I had engaged him I must
+dismiss him. And you know quite well, if you would only be reasonable,
+that any such action on my part could hardly fail to arouse some
+measure of doubt in Fenshawe's mind, which is the very thing we wish to
+avoid."
+
+"I think you are wrong, nevertheless."
+
+"You should not say that if you are not prepared to tell me how I could
+arrange an awkward business better. And what are you afraid of? He is
+as keen as any of us for the adventure, and he will be well paid if it
+succeeds."
+
+"You are a poor conspirator, my dear Franz," laughed Mrs. Haxton
+disagreeably. "If you were really the clever person you think yourself
+you would know that such a man may leaven the whole crew with his ideas
+of honor. And, when the pressure comes, he will have an excellent
+helper in that girl. She, too, should have been left at home. Oh,
+nonsense! Had you given me the ordering of affairs neither she nor this
+young down-at-heels aristocrat would be here today. I am not saying
+this merely to annoy you, as you seem to believe, but to warn you. Be
+on your guard, Franz. Things are going too smoothly. No great fortune
+was ever yet won without a hitch or two on the road, and we are not far
+from the Five Hills now."
+
+They moved away. Dick went back to his pulley, surveyed the deck over
+the fore yard, and deferred his descent until "Franz" and "Maud" were
+at the other end of the vessel. Since they came on board they had been
+"Baron von Kerber" and "Mrs. Haxton" in the presence of others. What
+desperate game were they playing that demanded these small deceits--
+what hazard of fortune was it that gave rise to the woman's Cassandra-
+like forebodings? Von Kerber had been candid enough in the statement he
+put forward voluntarily at Marseilles. Any one could guess the
+uncertainties of a quest depending on a document two thousand years
+old, while its dangers were manifest. Mr. Fenshawe and Irene must be
+cognizant of the open risks, and it was idle to suppose that they did
+not appreciate the unobtrusive way in which the yacht was being hurried
+to her destination. Why, then, should von Kerber and Mrs. Haxton share
+some secret understanding, the outcome of which was doubtful, and,
+above all else, why should they fear the influence that a young and
+unknown man might exercise on the crew?
+
+"Egypt is the land of riddles," mused Dick, as he gazed at the russet
+and purple hills which spring up so suddenly to guard the strange sea
+thrust by nature into the bosom of a fiery land. "My best course is to
+adopt the attitude of the Sphinx. I shall keep my eyes open and say
+nothing."
+
+He forgot, however, that the chief characteristic of the Sphinx is an
+enduring patience, and he chafed at the colorless monotony of the next
+few days. The Aphrodite crept under sail five hundred miles to the
+south, until the wind died of sheer exhaustion. Then the engines took
+their turn, and the yacht exchanged the steady roll of a topsail
+schooner for the quivering uneasiness of a steam-driven ship. But sail
+or steam, the pace was slow, and the passage of the Red Sea left its
+record on the smart little vessel in the shape of blistered paint,
+gaping seams, and planks from which the sweated pitch was no sooner
+holy-stoned than it oozed forth again to smear their purity. Though
+stout awnings defied the direct fury of the sun they could not shut out
+its glare and furnace heat. And the human barometer showed the stress
+of life. Stump was a caldron in himself, Tagg a bewhiskered malediction
+in damp linen. The temper of the crew, stifling in crowded quarters,
+suggested--that they were suffering from a plague of bolls. As a mere
+pastime, there was an occasional fight in the forecastle. Unhappily for
+the disputants, Stump had a ready ear for these frays, and he would
+rush in to settle them with a vigor that left the pugilists prostrate.
+Then he would recover his caustic humor for half an hour, and regale
+Royson with yarns of things wot happened when the Bed Sea was reelly
+hot. This weather was on'y warm. Why, once when he was aboard the
+_Ocean Queen_, her bunker gev' out six hours north o' Perim, but he
+whipped the awnin's off, an' the sun kep' up a head o' steam in the
+boilers until she ran into port.
+
+The saloon party found existence more endurable. They had adjustable
+window-shades, and electric fans, and there was a sheltered deck over
+their heads. So they dozed away the hot hours placidly until the
+memorable day dawned when Stump, after much close scrutiny of charts,
+ventured to leave the safe channel down the center of the Red Sea and
+stand in towards the African coast.
+
+"Massowah!" was on every tongue, and the general listlessness vanished.
+Soon a dim land-line appeared. It grew into a range of barren
+mountains, broken by narrow, precipice-guarded valleys. Then a thin
+strip of flat fore-shore became visible. It deepened into a flat
+island, barely two miles long, and assumed a habitable aspect. A
+lighthouse marked a fine harbor. A custom-house, a fort, several
+jetties, and a town of fairly tall buildings stood clear from a
+scattered gathering of coral-built Arab houses and hundreds of grass
+and mat huts. In a word, man had conquered the wilderness, and a busy
+community had sprung into being between the silent sea and the arid
+earth.
+
+While the _Aphrodite_ was picking her way cautiously to the anchorage
+ground, Dick, who was on the bridge with the captain, heard some broken
+talk between Mr. Fenshawe and the Baron. The latter, with subdued
+energy, was urging some point which the older man refused to yield. The
+discussion was keen, and the millionaire betrayed a polite resentment
+of his companion's views.
+
+"I am sure the Italian authorities will place no obstacle in our way,"
+he declared at last. "When all is said and done, the interest of our
+trip is mainly archeological. Why should you hold this absurd notion
+that we may be refused official sanction?"
+
+He spoke emphatically, with unveiled impatience. Dick could not make
+out the Austrian's reply, but Mr. Fenshawe's next words showed that,
+whatever the matter in dispute, he had a will of his own, and meant to
+exercise it.
+
+"It is useless to try to convince me on that head," he exclaimed. "I
+would turn back this instant rather than act in the way you suggest.
+You must allow me to follow my original plan. We shall obtain a valid
+permit from the Governor. If, contrary to my expectation, he refers the
+final decision to the Italian Foreign Department, we shall await cabled
+instructions. Our ambassador at Rome can vouch for us. He is an old
+friend of mine, and I only regret that I did not obey my first impulse
+and write to him before I left London."
+
+Von Kerber asserted that there was some danger of the Somali Arabs
+becoming excited If they heard of the expedition. Mr. Fenshawe laughed.
+
+"Arabs!" he cried. "How long has that bee buzzed In your bonnet. The
+only lawless tribes In this country are far away in the interior. And
+even they are apt to think many times before they offer active
+resistance to the passing of a strong and well-intentioned _kafila_.
+Besides, my dear fellow, we must purchase some portion of our equipment
+here. It is secrecy, not candor, that would endanger our mission.
+Believe me, you are suffering from Red Sea spleen. It distorts your
+normal vision. You certainly took a different view of the situation
+when we determined its main features in London."
+
+Royson was careful not to look at the speakers. Between him and them
+was seated Mrs. Haxton, and he knew that she, too, was an attentive
+listener. Von Kerber began to explain the reasons which lay behind his
+change of opinion, but Stump's voice suddenly recalled Dick to his
+duties.
+
+"Stand by the anchor, Mr. Royson," he said, "and see that everything is
+clear when I tell you to let go."
+
+Irene heard the order.
+
+"I want to watch the anchor flop overboard," she announced, springing
+up from a deck chair. "I think I shall accompany you, Mr. Royson."
+
+Dick held out his hand to help her down the short companionway. They
+had not exchanged many words since that memorable night in the canal,
+and the penetrating look in the girl's eyes warned Royson now that she
+was about to say something not meant for others to hear.
+
+"You have not forgotten?" she murmured.
+
+"No," he answered.
+
+"When we go ashore you must come with us."
+
+"How can I make sure of that?"
+
+"Ask Captain Stump to send you in charge of the boat. Do you know that
+an attempt was made to get rid of you at Suez?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"It failed."
+
+"Yes, I know that, too."
+
+"Who told you?"
+
+"I overheard a conversation. I could not help it."
+
+"Well, once we are ashore I may have a chance of explaining things
+fully. If necessary, tell Captain Stump I wish you to escort us."
+
+They could say no more. The telegraph rang from "Slow" to "Stop her."
+Two sailors were waiting in the bows, and had already cleared the
+anchor from its chocks. Irene leaned against the rail. She wore a pith
+hat, and was dressed in white muslin for shore-going, while a pink-
+lined parasol helped to dispel a pallor which was the natural result of
+an exhausting voyage. Dick thought he had never seen a woman with a
+face and figure to match hers, and it is to be feared that hi mind
+wandered a little until he was roused by a bellow from the bridge.
+
+"Stand by, forrard. Let go-o-o!"
+
+Luckily, Dick's office was a sinecure. The men knew what to do, and did
+it. With a roar and a rattle the chain cable rushed through the hawse-
+pipe, and the _Aphrodite_ rested motionless on the green water of the
+roadstead.
+
+The yacht's arrival created some stir on shore. Several boats put off,
+their swarthy crews contending strenuously which should have the
+valuable privilege of landing the expected passengers. Stump bustled
+down from the bridge with the important air of a man who had achieved
+something, and thus gave Royson an unforeseen opportunity of asking him
+about the boat. The skipper swung himself back to the upper deck, and
+approached Mr. Fenshawe.
+
+"Are you goin' ashore at once, sir?" he inquired.
+
+"Yes, the sooner the better, or the Government Offices will be closed
+for the day."
+
+"Mr. Royson," shouted Stump, "pipe the crew of the jolly-boat, an'
+lower away."
+
+"An Arab boat will be much speedier and more roomy," broke in Mrs.
+Haxton, quick to observe that von Kerber was not paying heed to the
+captain's preparations.
+
+"You can land in one of those weird-looking craft If you like," said
+Irene, "but I am sure Mr. Fenshawe and I would prefer our own state
+barge. It is much more dignified, too, and I really think we ought to
+impress the natives. Don't you agree with me, Baron von Kerber?"
+
+There was nothing more to be said. The boat was lowered so smartly that
+Dick was seated at the tiller, and four ash blades were driving her
+rapidly shoreward, before the leading crew of panting Somalis reached
+the ship's side. They secured two passengers, however. Mrs. Haxton, who
+had declined a seat in the jolly-boat on the score of the intense heat,
+changed her mind, and the captain elected to go with her.
+
+"I want to cable my missus," he announced, "an' Massowah is likely to
+be our last port for some time. If she don't hear from me once a month,
+she frets. That's where Tagg has the pull. He's an orfin."
+
+Mrs. Haxton smiled delightedly. She was watching the distant jolly-
+boat, and something seemed to please her.
+
+"Your second mate has not visited Massowah before?" she said.
+
+"No, ma'am."
+
+"We shall be ashore first, after all. He is heading for the Government
+jetee, where a sentry will warn him off."
+
+"Oh, you know the ropes here, then?" said Stump. "Not many English
+ladies have coasted in these waters."
+
+Mrs. Haxton thought, perhaps, that she had aired her knowledge
+unnecessarily, but she explained that when her husband was alive she
+had accompanied him during a long cruise in the Red Sea. "He was
+interested in cable construction," she said, "and we visited Massowah
+when it was first taken In hand by the Italians."
+
+"Excuse me, ma'am, but have you bin long a widdy?"
+
+"Nearly five years."
+
+"By gad," said Stump admiringly, "you must ha' bin a small slip of a
+gal when you was married!"
+
+She laughed, with the quiet assurance of a beautiful and well-dressed
+woman. Mrs. Haxton could be charming when she chose, and she wanted
+Stump to act exactly in accord with her own plans when they reached the
+town. By this time the two boats were nearly level, but separated by a
+hundred yards or more. The captain had half risen to hail Dick when
+Mrs. Haxton stopped him.
+
+"Let them go on," she cried. "They would not take my advice. Now they
+will find that we have beaten them by a good five minutes."
+
+Stump knew quite well, of course, that a broad-beamed English boat
+could not compete with the long, slim Somali craft, but he was aware
+also that Miss Fenshawe and Royson wished to land in company. So he
+grinned, and sat down again.
+
+The outcome of these cross purposes was curious in many ways. As Mrs.
+Haxton foresaw, the jolly-boat was forbidden to land at the main wharf,
+and Royson discovered that the Austrian did not understand Italian. It
+was Irene who translated the orders shouted at them by a brigandish-
+looking soldier, and they had to pull off in the direction of a smaller
+pier where Mrs. Haxton and Captain Stump had already disembarked in the
+midst of a crowd of jabbering natives.
+
+"Now, captain," said Mrs. Haxton, with her sweetest smile, pointing to
+a white building in the distance, "that is the telegraph-office. We
+need not both remain here until our friends arrive. Suppose you go and
+send your cablegram in peace. By the time you have written it we shall
+be close behind you. Pray don't wait on my account. You see I want to
+crow over Miss Fenshawe."
+
+"Just as you like, ma'am," said Stump, lifting his cap awkwardly. He
+went at the noisy mob like a battering-ram. "Sheer off, you black-an'-
+tan mongrels!" he roared at them. "Go an' ax some one to play on you
+with a hose-pipe. Jow, you soors! D'ye think the lady likes to be
+pisened?"
+
+He cleared a space, and rolled away towards the town. Hence, he did not
+notice a gaunt Arab, whose flowing burnous and distinguished air
+singled him out from the mixed gathering of nondescripts at the
+landing-place, who bided his time until Mrs. Haxton looked in his
+direction. Then he salaamed, with a courtly blend of deference and
+hauteur, and she beckoned him instantly.
+
+"You are Sheikh Abdullah?" she asked in French.
+
+"Yes, madam," he replied, in the same language.
+
+"You know the town well?"
+
+"I have been waiting here two months."
+
+"Then two more hours will not weary you. Von Kerber Effendi, or I, or
+both of us, will meet you outside the Elephant Mosque at five o'clock.
+Nevertheless, should there be others with us, do not speak unless we
+address you."
+
+"Who is he, the red ox?" demanded the Arab, gazing after the broad
+figure of Captain Stump.
+
+"He is the captain of our ship, a man of no importance. The Hakim
+Effendi is in the approaching boat. With, him is Fenshawe Effendi, the
+old, gray-haired man. There is a tall young ship's officer there, too.
+His name is Royson--you will not forget?--Royson. He is dangerous.
+Regard him well. He might prove troublesome, or useful--I hardly know
+which at present. Fenshawe Effendi speaks French and Arabic, Royson
+Effendi French only. That is all, for the present. Leave me now."
+
+"Adieu, madame. A cinq heures!"
+
+Drawing back into the mob of natives, who were pressing nearer in their
+eagerness to offer themselves for hire to the Europeans in the boat,
+Abdullah shaded his swarthy face under, a fold of his burnous. Royson
+leaped ashore in order to assist Irene to land. She, with school-girl
+glee at emancipation from the narrow decks of the _Aphrodite_, sprang
+on to the low pier at the same instant, and laughed at his surprise at
+finding her standing by his side. They both extended a hand to Mr.
+Fenshawe, who refused their aid, saying that the first breath of dry
+air had made him feel as young as ever.
+
+"There is no tonic like it," he said. "Look at Mrs. Haxton if you want
+a proof. She was a lily in London--now she is a rose."
+
+Excitement, or the prospect of success, had certainly given the lady's
+complexion a fine tint. Her dainty profile offered a striking contrast
+to the motley crew of negroid Arabs who surrounded her. And she came to
+meet them in a buoyant spirit, though the fierce sun was scorching her
+delicate skin through the thin fabric of her dress.
+
+"I ought to have made a wager with you, Mr. Royson," she cried,
+pronouncing his name very distinctly. "Our English-built craft cannot
+hold its own against the Somali, you see."
+
+Knowing nothing of the difference of opinion on board the yacht, Dick
+could not fathom this sudden graciousness on her part. Before he could
+answer, von Kerber's highly-pitched voice broke in.
+
+"Why did Captain Stump come ashore with you?" he asked.
+
+"To send Mrs. Stump a cablegram, I believe," replied Mrs. Haxton
+carelessly.
+
+"He ought to have asked my permission first."
+
+The petulant words drew a protest from Mr. Fenshawe.
+
+"My dear Baron," he said, "why should not the poor man make known his
+safe arrival to his wife? You are not yourself to-day. What is it--
+liver? or anxiety?"
+
+"I have no special reason for anxiety," cried von Kerber, almost
+hysterically. Royson came to his relief by asking for orders about the
+boat, but the Austrian was so unnerved, for no visible reason, that he
+hesitated, and Irene answered for him.
+
+"We have arranged to dine on shore, at the Hôtel Grande del Universo,"
+she said. "Mr. Fenshawe wishes Captain Stump and you to join us, so the
+boat may go back to the yacht and come for us at eight o'clock. When
+you meet Captain Stump, please tell him."
+
+"Excellent!" agreed her grandfather, who now heard of the "arrangement"
+for the first time. "Really, Irene, you put things so admirably that I
+hardly recognize my own crude thoughts. Well, as that is settled, let
+us go straight to the Governor's house. One of these black gentlemen
+will pilot us."
+
+While Fenshawe was airing his Arabic in selecting a guide from fifty
+volunteers, Dick gave instructions to the boat's crew. Mrs. Haxton,
+seeing that Irene was all eyes for her new and strange surroundings,
+read von Kerber a much-needed lecture.
+
+"For goodness' sake gather your wits," she murmured. "You will arouse
+general suspicion by your foolish precautions. Now listen. Before five
+o'clock let us all gather at the hotel for tea. Slip away on some
+pretext, and go instantly to the Elephant Mosque. It is in the main
+street, three hundred yards to the left of the hotel. I shall join you
+there if possible, but, in any event, you'll meet Abdullah. And,
+whatever you do, stop this nonsense about proceeding in secret. Ah,
+yes, Irene, your grandfather has his hands full. But he knows how to
+manage natives. You will see him in his element when we come to collect
+a _kafila_."
+
+So, smiling and soft-tongued, Mrs. Haxton turned in response to some
+delighted exclamation from the girl. They made their way inland in the
+wake of a swaggering negro, and, as Royson passed with the others,
+Abdullah, the Arab, appraised him with critical eye.
+
+"By the Holy Kaaba," said he, "there goes a man! I have seen few like
+him, even at Khartoum, where the giaours swarmed in thousands. But he
+is young, and his flesh is soft. The desert will thin his blood. And
+that little bull, who went before--he, too, should feel the sap dry in
+his bones. Tomb of my father! if the Hakim Effendi has brought such men
+as these in his train, there will be deeds done at the foot of the Five
+Hills, and I, Abdullah the Spear-thrower, shall be there to witness
+them."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+
+MRS. HAXTON RECEIVES A SHOCK
+
+Mr. Fenshawe, renewing his acquaintance with Arabic gutturals, and von
+Kerber, walking apart with Mrs. Haxton, in order to learn how and when
+she had received tidings of Abdullah, had eyes or ears for naught else.
+Irene and Dick were thus given a few moments free from listeners, and
+the girl was quick enough to grasp the chance.
+
+"You know why we have come here?" she asked in a low tone, halting to
+look back at the belt of tiny islets which secludes Massowah's larger
+island from the open sea.
+
+"Baron von Kerber told us at Marseilles," said Dick, wondering what new
+development had chased from the girl's face the smiling interest of a
+moment ago.
+
+"'Us'?" she demanded, almost sharply.
+
+"I should have said Captain Stump, Mr. Tagg, and myself."
+
+"What did he tell you?"
+
+"The remarkable history of a Roman expedition against the Sabaeans, of
+a storm, a shipwreck, the burial of a vast treasure, and the ultimate
+discovery of its hiding-place by means of a Greek papyrus found in a
+tomb."
+
+"That is what irritates me," said she, in a sudden gust of anger. "His
+behavior is faultless, yet I am certain that he is acting in an
+underhanded way. I have ventured to say as much to my grandfather, but
+I cannot obtain a shred of actual fact to justify my suspicions. Indeed
+Baron von Kerber is candor itself where the genuineness of the papyrus
+is concerned. Did he endeavor to explain Mrs. Haxton's presence, or
+mine?"
+
+"When Captain Stump protested--before he had seen you, remember--
+against ladies accompanying us, the Baron said that without you the
+expedition could not proceed."
+
+"Exactly. That is another bit of unconvincing accuracy. Mrs. Haxton has
+always been an essential part of the scheme. I am here solely because I
+did not think Mr. Fenshawe should be allowed to go alone--alone in the
+sense that these people were strangers to him, while he was spending
+many thousands of pounds for their very great benefit. There, again, I
+find myself in a sort of verbal _cul de sac_. Under other circumstances
+I should be delighted to take part in an adventure of this kind.
+Grandad promised me two years ago that we should pass the present
+winter in Upper Egypt. Unhappily, Mrs. Haxton introduced von Kerber to
+him at a place in the Highlands where we were invited for the shooting.
+The instant he heard of the legend on that wretched scrap of paper all
+his old enthusiasm for exploration work revived, and he has followed
+their plans blindly ever since."
+
+"I hope you will forgive me if I express a somewhat contrary opinion,
+Miss Fenshawe," said Royson. "Your grandfather did not hesitate to run
+counter to the Baron's wishes to-day, for instance."
+
+"Oh, that is nothing. Of course, with his experience of Egypt, he takes
+the lead in such matters. What I want you to believe is this: Mrs.
+Haxton, and not von Kerber, found that papyrus, or it came into her
+hands by some means. She is the originator of the scheme. She sought to
+be included in our friend's party at Glengarloch with the set object of
+meeting grandad, whose interest in archeology is known to all the
+world. She did not come across von Kerber by accident, but produced him
+at the right moment. He is not a casual friend, met in Cairo, as she
+pretends, but a man whom she has known for years. And, last in a list
+of guessings which I know to be true, they both fear some discovery, or
+interruption, or danger not revealed to us, which may prevent them from
+obtaining the wealth they hope to gain. They are desperately poor, Mr.
+Royson. They have mortgaged their credit to its utmost extent to enable
+them to keep up appearances, and they dread some catastrophe which will
+interfere with our search, though the only authority we have for the
+existence of the Roman legion's loot is a scrap of scarcely
+decipherable writing, which, though genuine enough, may be nothing
+better than a madman's dream."
+
+"Have you told Mr. Fenshawe these things?" asked Dick. His pledged word
+to von Kerber interposed an awkward barrier against that complete
+confidence which he would gladly have given to one who had so curiously
+amplified his own doubts.
+
+"Yes, everything, but he only laughs, and bids me remember that I am
+not yet twenty. He says that there are stranger things buried beneath
+the dust of Egypt than all the learned societies have succeeded in
+revealing. He is quite content that the cruise of the _Aphrodite_
+should be a wild-goose chase so long as the evidence of the papyrus is
+proved to be false. And that is my chief stumbling-block. Perhaps you
+do not realize that, to an antiquarian, the search yields as keen
+pleasure as the find. The cost of this expedition is a matter of no
+consequence to my grandfather, and I repeat that, under other
+conditions, I should regard it as a most enjoyable and memorable
+excursion. But these two people have made me nervous, and that is why I
+was determined they should not get rid of you at Suez, because I felt
+that I could trust you with my doubts and fears, and look to you for
+help should an emergency arise. Otherwise, Mr. Fenshawe and I would be
+at their mercy."
+
+"You can count on me to the end," said Royson earnestly, "but I would
+ask you not to forget that the officers and crew are all Englishmen,
+and, from what I have seen of them, they would never lend themselves to
+any undertaking which meant actual treachery to their employers."
+
+"That, of course, is excellent so far as it goes," was the tart
+response, "but I am also aware that our enterprising Baron has very
+adroitly bound all of you to secrecy, and exacted a promise of
+faithfulness to his interests. The result is that not even you, Mr.
+Royson, told me anything about the attack made on him at Marseilles--"
+
+This counter-stroke was unexpected, and Royson glanced at her with some
+degree of embarrassment.
+
+"He persuaded us that if the incident came to your knowledge it might
+alarm you needlessly," he broke in, "and that sounded quite
+reasonable."
+
+"Exactly. You are beginning to appreciate the pitfalls which awaited me
+when I tried to convince my grandfather that he should not credit every
+statement made to him. Baron von Kerber is the most plausible of men.
+He never tells a downright untruth. Indeed, he speaks the absolute
+truth, but only a part of it. Fortunately, my maid heard of your
+prowess in routing the Baron's assailants. You at once became a hero
+among the sailors, which, by the way, was only fit and proper if you
+are destined to fill the rôle played by your distinguished ancestor."
+
+A quiet little smile chased the shadows from her face, and Dick flushed
+as he recalled the wild words of that wonderful night in the canal.
+
+"Tagg must have been talking," he managed to say. "Please tell me what
+you have heard, Miss Fenshawe."
+
+"Nothing beyond the fact that our Austrian friend was set upon by some
+highway robbers while driving from the station to the ship at a late
+hour, and that you and Mr. Tagg happened to be near, with disastrous
+results to the Marseillais. Does your bond permit you to carry the
+story further? What did really happen?"
+
+"There was a rather one-sided fight, because Tagg and I took them by
+surprise, but the Baron escaped uninjured, or nearly so."
+
+"Did they rob him, then?"
+
+"I meant that he sustained a couple of slight cuts, and therein you
+have another valid reason for his anxiety that the affair should not
+reach your ears."
+
+Though her own manner was imperious enough, Irene was manifestly
+surprised at the annoyance apparent in Dick's voice. She did not
+realize that he was wroth because of the check imposed by the promise
+exacted in London. If he told her of the theft of the papyrus, and
+explained the few details he possessed with regard to von Kerber's
+declared enemy, he would only add fuel to the distrust already planted
+in her heart. That would achieve no tangible good, while no casuistry
+would wipe away the stain on his own honor. So here was he, burning
+with desire to assure her of his devotion, forced into silent pact with
+the very conspiracy she was denouncing.
+
+She attributed his sudden gruffness to a distaste for hearing his
+exploits lauded.
+
+"At any rate, you now understand my motive for speaking so plainly, Mr.
+Royson," she went on. "You may feel bound by your arrangement with the
+Baron, and I have no fault to find on that score, but I am quite,
+certain, since I have learnt who you are, that you will not lend
+yourself to any discreditable plan which may be in the minds of the
+remarkable pair who are now looking at us, and wondering, no doubt,
+what we are discussing so earnestly."
+
+Royson saw that von Kerber and Mrs. Haxton were awaiting them at the
+door of the post-office, but the personal allusion to himself, which
+Miss Fenshawe had dropped, in parenthesis as it were, into her
+concluding sentence, demanded a question.
+
+"Will you enlighten me on the interesting point of my identity, then?"
+he asked rapidly.
+
+"Oh yes. I take it that your Port Said letter was opened and read. Mrs.
+Haxton is skilled at jumping to conclusions, I fancy. She said she
+recognized your name at Marseilles--when the telegram arrived, you
+know--but, if that were so, it is strange that she should keep the
+knowledge to herself until all of us were at dinner after leaving Port
+Said. I also can add two and two occasionally, and I have not the
+slightest doubt that something in your letter gave her the necessary
+clue. Was she mistaken?"
+
+"In what?"
+
+"In the belief that you are the nephew of a baronet, and his heir?"
+
+He laughed pleasantly. After years of indifference, his birthright was
+pursuing him with a certain zest.
+
+"You could not have chosen a better example of those half-truths you
+complain of," said he. "I admit that my uncle is Sir Henry Royson, but
+his heir he vowed I should not be when last we met. Yet the letter you
+speak of was from his solicitor, and it held out a vague suggestion of
+possibilities which, to put it mildly, would make Mrs. Haxton a
+remarkably good guesser."
+
+A silence fell upon them as they neared the others. Irene disdained to
+use any subterfuge, and Royson was far too perplexed to branch off into
+a new conversation meant for the general ear. Mrs. Haxton and the
+Austrian also broke off their talk. They were about to enter the post-
+office when Mr. Fenshawe came out.
+
+"Here you are," he cried. "Lots of letters and newspapers. Take them,
+Irene, and sort them out. The Baron and I must hurry to the Governor's
+house. We can read our correspondence at the hotel."
+
+Von Kerber had evidently profited by his stroll with Mrs. Haxton. He
+raised no objection, but went off at once with the older man. Irene
+managed to open the bulky, string-tied package entrusted to her. She
+gave Mrs. Haxton several letters, and added to Royson's already
+bewildered state by handing him three, two being directed to him in his
+right name and the third bearing the superscription "Richard King,
+Esq."
+
+He knew that Miss Fenshawe had noticed the alias, and took it as a
+kindly act that she passed no remark on it. He was equally well aware
+that Mrs. Haxton was alive to the fact that there were letters for him.
+Stump, who made his appearance at the moment, added a whiff of
+awkwardness when he saw the envelopes in Dick's hands.
+
+"Hello!" he growled, "you've bin pretty spry. Letters, eh? How did you
+work it?"
+
+"I am not able to tell you," was the frank answer. "Evidently some one
+in London discovered the yacht's route long before I knew it myself."
+
+"That's funny," said Stump, with a hint of doubt in the exclamation.
+
+"It is probably a simple enough matter if it were cleared up," said
+Irene off-handedly. "The _Aphrodite's_ ports of call are quite open to
+the knowledge of any person who takes the trouble to inquire at Mr.
+Fenshawe's residence. Mr. Royson will find, no doubt, that his friends
+followed that course when he failed to let them know whither the vessel
+was bound. But it is too hot to stand here in the sun. Let us go to the
+hotel and look through our budget in comfort."
+
+When opportunity served, Dick glanced at his unexpected mail. The two
+letters for "Royson" were from Forbes. They bore different dates. The
+first stated that Sir Henry Royson was seriously ill, and had given
+urgent instructions that his nephew was to be brought to his bedside.
+"I have reason to believe," wrote the lawyer, "that your uncle has
+sustained some shock, perhaps arising from the sudden receipt of
+intelligence hitherto withheld from him, and I would fail in my duty if
+I did not urge you to cast aside all other considerations and return to
+England at once."
+
+The second letter was even more explicit. "The person from whom I have
+received information of your whereabouts," said Mr. Forbes, "has called
+on me to-day, and the facts he has laid before me demand your earnest
+consideration. He is assured that the treasure-hunting expedition you
+have joined is a compound of piracy and rascality, in which Mr.
+Fenshawe is a dupe, having been misled by a man who has incurred the
+gravest suspicion of felony. The Italian Government is taking steps to
+procure this person's arrest, and, whether or not the charges brought
+against him be substantiated, it is an assured thing that the movements
+of the _Aphrodite_ will be watched, with a view towards the armed
+prevention of any landing from her in Italian territory. You must know
+that I have the strongest grounds for this statement, or I would not
+dare place my opinion in writing. If you think it will serve any useful
+purpose, I authorize you to show this letter to Mr. Fenshawe, only
+stipulating that I am giving him a friendly warning (which will soon be
+verified by events) and that my name must not be used in any
+investigation he may choose to make. It may help you to arrive at a
+right decision if I tell you that I have traced you with the help of
+Lieutenant the Hon. John S. Paton, of the Coldstream Guards, who saw an
+advertisement I inserted in the _Times_, and gave me the date of a
+carriage accident in Buckingham Palace Road, in which you seem to have
+displayed the courage and resource that might be looked for in one of
+your family. Inquiry showed that the carriage was Mr. Fenshawe's, and
+one of my clerks, after visiting Mr. Fenshawe's house, was accosted by
+a man who was able to prove that he had accurate knowledge of your
+movements. I am told that he is writing Mr. Fenshawe fully by this
+mail, so, in any event, I feel confident of your early departure from
+Massowah, believing, as I do, that Mr. Fenshawe will not continue to
+lend his name to an undertaking of bad repute."
+
+The third letter, that addressed to "King," was from a Mr. William
+Fielding, "Confidential Inquiry Agent," who revealed himself as Mr.
+Forbes's informant. He wrote in similar strain to the solicitor, and
+added: "I have directed the envelope to you in the name under which you
+shipped on board the _Aphrodite_, though I am aware that a telegram
+sent to you at Marseilles in your proper name reached you. If you will
+kindly seek a private interview with Mr. Fenshawe, and tell him how a
+man named Alfieri, with others, attacked Baron von Kerber at
+Marseilles, and robbed and wounded him without any subsequent protest
+on his part, you will help in undoing a great wrong."
+
+Royson was sitting in the balcony veranda on the first floor of the
+Hôtel Grande del Universo when his astonished eyes skimmed rapidly
+through these letters. Scarce crediting his senses, he read them again,
+word by word, striving to extract from their cryptic sentences that
+hidden meaning which lay beneath. Outspoken as the solicitor was, he
+had evidently left unsaid the major portion of the strange story within
+his ken. The new correspondent, too, might or might not be the man whom
+Dick had seen in Hyde Park and at Charing Cross Station. But the same
+curious guardedness was apparent in each missive. The lawyer dealt in
+generalities; the private detective merely asked for the corroboration
+of a single detail in the statement which, doubtless, awaited Mr.
+Fenshawe's perusal among the letters now piled on a table by the side
+of Miss Fenshawe's chair.
+
+At the thought, Dick turned and looked at Irene. She was smiling at
+some quip or bit of lively news in a closely-written sheet. Near her,
+Mrs. Haxton was engaged more deeply. The letter clasped in her long
+slender fingers was as obviously a business document as Irene's was the
+crossed and interlined product of a feminine pen overflowing with
+gossip. Stump was leaning on the railing of the veranda, contemptuously
+heedless of the efforts of half a dozen vendors of carpets, ostrich
+feathers, fruit, sweets, and Abyssinian curios, who had gathered in the
+street beneath and were endeavoring vociferously to secure his
+patronage for their wares. So Dick had leisure to think out a line of
+action, and he saw no reason to dispute the soundness of the advice
+given him by Mr. Forbes. If the owner of the _Aphrodite_ were
+unknowingly lending himself to an illegal quest, it was the duty of an
+honest man to warn him. The agreement with von Kerber stood in the way
+perhaps. In that case, it must be terminated. Such a resolve was rather
+bitter to the taste, but it was unavoidable. To travel home by the next
+mail steamer from Aden would be a tame ending to an adventure that
+promised so well in its initial stages. And what of his vow not to
+desert the girl who had placed her faith in him? Well, he would best
+serve her by opening Mr. Fenshawe's eyes to the character of his
+associates, for Dick had no manner of doubt that Mrs. Haxton was the
+leading spirit in the plot of which the millionaire was the "dupe,"
+according to the lawyer.
+
+But Royson had found adversity a hard task-master. He had learnt early
+the lesson that a man who takes a leap in the dark should at least jump
+from firm ground, and when he asked himself what was the definite
+charge he would prefer against von Kerber his logic was brought to an
+abrupt halt. In plain English, he depended on a few words in the
+solicitor's letter, and these, in their turn, were probably inspired by
+the one-sided statements of the Austrian's avowed enemy, Alfieri. This
+consideration brought him back to the starting-point in his review of a
+puzzling situation. Fielding, whoever he might be, had done the right
+thing in placing his case before Mr. Fenshawe by letter. It would serve
+to clear the ground, and give scope for the interference of one who
+really had no cause of complaint against von Kerber.
+
+"Anyhow," reflected Royson, smiling at the queer manner in which many
+opposing interests helped to entangle him in a mesh of difficulties, "I
+need not rush my fences. Let Fenshawe read his letter, and, above all
+else, let me seek counsel from his granddaughter. Then, by happy
+chance, I may hit on the right line." When a young man does not want to
+deprive himself of the company of a nice young woman, he may be
+depended on to argue himself into a state of mind which does not demand
+such a sacrifice.
+
+At that instant Irene rose and told Captain Stump that she agreed with
+him--a scrutiny of the chattering mob in the street was more to her
+taste than a description of the frocks worn at the last court ball.
+Dick pocketed his letters, and would have joined them had he not
+noticed that Mrs. Haxton was bending forward in her chair and examining
+the mixed pile of correspondence on the table. There was no grave
+significance in the action, because a number of magazines and
+newspapers were mixed with the heap, and these were more or less common
+property. But Royson, knowing of the existence of one document of
+exceeding importance, acted on the principle that if opportunity makes
+the thief Mrs. Haxton's reputation should remain unsullied that day if
+it lay in his power. He lit a cigar, wheeled his chair slightly, and
+sat facing her, at a distance of ten or twelve feet. The open railing
+of the veranda was half as far away on his right and on Mrs. Haxton's
+left. Through the narrow rails they both could see the opposite
+pavement, with its dun-colored throng of natives and the gloomy
+interiors of several small shops, while the white walls and close-
+latticed windows of the upper stories seemed to be bleaching visibly in
+the slanting rays of a fierce afternoon sun.
+
+Mrs. Haxton, apparently giving no heed to Royson, glanced listlessly at
+the wrappers and postmark. The task seemed to prove uninteresting. Soon
+she selected a periodical, and was about to open It when a remark from
+Irene caught her ear.
+
+"That Italian standing in front of the grain-dealer's place seems to be
+rooted to the ground with astonishment at seeing strangers in the
+hotel," said the girl, turning her smiling face towards her companion.
+
+"Them Dagos is impident pups at times, miss," replied Stump, his red
+eyes no doubt meeting the man's stare with a fixity that might have
+disconcerted most gapers.
+
+"Does he know you, do you think? I happened to see him coming along the
+street, and as soon as he saw us he stood stock-still. He has been
+gazing up here now for the past two or three minutes."
+
+"I've booted a rare lot of I-talians in my time," said Stump. "I
+wouldn't be a bit surprised if he was some loafer I'd helped across a
+ship's gangway at Genoa or Naples."
+
+"But, captain," laughed Irene, "that man appears to be a superior
+class."
+
+"Bless yer heart, miss, that's nothin'. By the cut of his jib I'd rate
+him as a fiddler, an' I remember once, at Brindisi, I was pointed out
+two counts an' a markee among the coal-heavers."
+
+Naturally enough, Mrs. Haxton and Dick looked for the person whose
+singular behavior was under discussion. Though they had no difficulty
+in finding him, it was impossible that they themselves could be seen
+with any degree of clearness. The railing and the deep shade of the
+veranda shielded them effectually. The Italian, a man of middle height,
+with a finely-molded face and soldierly aspect, a man whose bearing
+went far to prove that Stump's general estimate of a great nation was
+apt to be wrong, was certainly very much taken up with the appearance
+of the two figures leaning over the balcony. But Royson had scarce time
+to note his main characteristics when he heard Mrs. Haxton utter a
+queer gasping sob. It seemed to him that she had only just succeeded in
+smothering a scream. Her cheeks suddenly became ashen gray, and her
+tightly compressed lips were bloodless. All her beauty fled, as the
+tints of a rose die under certain varieties of chemical light. Her eyes
+dilated in an alarming way, and lines not visible previously now
+puckered the corners of her mouth.
+
+Owing to the Babel of tongues in the street, neither Irene nor Captain
+Stump knew how terribly the mere sight of the staring Italian had
+affected Mrs. Haxton. It came to Royson with a flash of inspiration
+that this man must be Alfieri, that the woman had recognized him, and
+that she feared him with a mortal dread.
+
+He sprang upright and went to her.
+
+"What is it?" he asked, neither raising nor lowering his voice
+sufficiently to attract attention. "Are you ill? Shall I call Miss
+Fenshawe?"
+
+She lifted an appealing hand, and tremblingly essayed to drop her veil.
+Her languid insolence had vanished with her good looks. For the moment,
+she was a broken and despairing woman.
+
+"No, no," she murmured, and the anguish in her voice would have aroused
+sympathy in a nature far less impressionable than Royson's. "If you
+could help me, and all of us, try and find Baron von Kerber, and tell
+him--tell him--I sent you with the message that there is one here whom
+he must not meet. Oh, what shall I say to make him understand?"
+
+"May I tell him that Alfieri is in Massowah?"
+
+Dick almost regretted the words when he witnessed their tremendous
+effect. She was on the very brink of hysteria, and the suddenness of
+her collapse was painful.
+
+"You--you, too, know Alfieri?" she gasped, looking at him in a very
+agony of terror.
+
+"I am sorry if I have added to your alarm. I did not mean to do that,
+Alfieri is unknown to me, but I heard his name at Marseilles, when he
+attacked the Baron."
+
+The pity he could not withhold seemed to give her new strength.
+
+"An attack!" She whispered. "At Marseilles! Oh, why was I not told? But
+you will find him, at the Governor's house! It is not far--on the
+seaward point.... The hotel people will supply a guide.... Baron von
+Kerber and Alfieri must not meet here. If they do meet, we shall lose
+everything.... Tell the Baron to go on board the yacht, no matter what
+Mr. Fenshawe says. Do you understand? It is a matter of life and death.
+Slip out into a back street, so that Alfieri may not see you.... I will
+watch from here. Go, for Heaven's sake. Let nothing delay you."
+
+She was incapable of further explanation. Dick feared she would faint
+if he waited another second.
+
+Hence, when Irene turned to say that Mr. Fenshawe and the Baron
+appeared to be paying a prolonged visit to the Governor, she found that
+Mrs. Haxton was sitting alone, with her veiled face propped on her
+hands, while, so malicious was fate's decree once more to Royson, that
+he was then hastening through malodorous lanes and crowded slums in
+order to save from threatened peril the very man whose downfall offered
+the only visible means by which he could bend his own frail fortunes in
+the direction that looked best to him.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII
+
+
+MASSOWAH ASSERTS ITSELF
+
+Royson knew not one word of Arabic. His Italian was of a rudimentary
+type, based on some acquaintance with Latin, eked out by a few phrases
+gleaned from books of travel. The polite hotel manager's French was
+only a shade more fluent. Consequently, the latter told Mulai Hamed,
+deputy assistant hall-porter, that the Effendi wished to be conducted
+to Government House with the utmost secrecy, thus twisting Dick's
+simple request, that the guide should avoid the main streets into a
+mysterious demand which an Eastern mind could not fail to embroider
+with intrigue.
+
+For Mulai Hamed was a negroid Arab, whose ruffianly aspect was rather
+enhanced by the swaggering way he carried a broad shoulder-belt and
+brass badge of office. He interpreted his orders literally, being eager
+to display a certain skill in conducting to an artistic finish any
+enterprise that savored of guile. As soon as the two quitted the hotel,
+Royson saw that he was traversing by-paths seldom visited by Europeans.
+He passed through evil-smelling alleys so shut in by lofty houses that
+the sun hardly ever penetrated their depths. He caught glimpses of dun
+interiors when forced aside by a panier-laden mule or lumbering camel,
+and the knowledge was thrust upon him in many ways that his presence in
+this minor artery of the bazaar was resented by its inhabitants.
+
+The few females he met were swathed from head to foot in cotton
+garments that had once been white. Dark eyes glanced curiously at him
+over the yashmak, or veil, which covered nose, cheeks, and mouth from
+the gaze of strangers. Orange-tinted nails and fingertips, visible
+occasionally when the loose fold of a robe was snatched from the
+contamination of touching him, suggested the talons of a bird of prey
+rather than the slender well-shaped hand for which the Arab woman is
+noteworthy. Every man, almost without exception, scowled at him. Naked
+children, playing in the gutter, ran off, half frightened, yet stopped
+to shriek words which he was quite sure were not kindly greetings.
+Prowling dogs, the scavengers of the native quarter, shared the general
+hostility, and scurried out of his path, but sullenly, and with bared
+teeth. Through occasional sunlit vistas he peeped into main streets in
+which loitered numbers of Italian soldiers and civilians. Even a few
+carriages appeared, conveying ladies to the shops or public gardens,
+now that the intense heat of the sun had subsided. Therefore he found
+it scarcely credible that in the fetid slums there should be such
+covert hatred of the white race which held undisputed sway in
+thoroughfares distant not a stone's throw. And, in puzzling contrast to
+the evidences of eye and ear, he was conscious of an uncanny sense of
+familiarity with his surroundings. Before the _Aphrodite_ brought him
+south by east he had never been nearer Egypt than Paris. Yet the
+sights, the sounds, the nauseating smell of this dank bazaar appealed
+to him with the breathless realism that the jingle of hansoms, the
+steady crunch of omnibuses, the yelling of newsboys and the tar-laden
+scent of the wood-paved road might convey when next he entered the
+Strand.
+
+This entirely novel and disquieting conceit recalled his strange
+obsession when, first he looked out over the desert at night from the
+bows of the yacht, and the memory brought with it the legend of his
+house--that the Roysons were descendants of Coeur-de-Lion. He saw now
+that which he had never realized from the glowing pages of written
+romance, that the Crusaders must have mixed with people nearly
+identical in manner and speech with the strange human miscellany of
+Massowah. During those medieval campaigns in an arid and poverty-
+stricken land, feudal pomp and regal glitter would yield perforce to
+the demands of existence. Richard of England and Philip of France, with
+many another noble warrior of high repute, had doubtless been glad
+enough, times without number, to seek the shelter and meager fare of
+just such a jumble of darkened tenements as that through which his
+guide was leading him.
+
+But why should he, Richard Royson, acknowledge an occult acquaintance
+with this unknown scene? And what was the fascination which the squalid
+life of the bazaar had exercised occasionally on men of exalted rank at
+different periods of the world's history? The mere notion that he might
+succumb to it--that he should even feel its glamour by the operation of
+some subtle trait of heredity--was so grotesque that he laughed aloud.
+
+He happened to be crossing a tiny square at the moment, and a bearded
+moullah was entering a mosque which filled one whole side of it. The
+unbeliever's mirth doubtless disturbed a pious meditation, and the
+moullah turned and muttered something. The words might be a verse of
+the Koran, but they had the ring of a malediction.
+
+Mulai Hamed was abashed and angry. He spoke apologetically to the holy
+man, alluded to the "giaour" more than once, and proceeded to give Dick
+a voluble lecture, enlightening him, most probably, as to the exceeding
+importance of politeness where a Mahomedan priest was concerned.
+
+Royson was unable to explain that his hilarity was not intended as a
+slight on the follower of the Prophet. Yet dignity demanded he should
+not remain dumb, so he pointed ahead, and vociferated, with a fairly
+accurate assumption of his skipper's voice and manner:
+
+"Lead on, you swab, and keep silent, or I'll alter the shape of your
+face."
+
+It sufficed, nor was he wholly mistaken in his rough-and-ready
+philosophy, for it is thus that the West dominates the East. The
+incident had the further effect of arousing Royson to actualities. He
+dismissed his day-dream, and bent his wits to consideration of the
+queer message which Mrs. Haxton had asked him to deliver. Would the
+Austrian obey her, he wondered? A man's point of view and a woman's
+differ materially when the graver crises of life have to be faced. If
+it were merely a question of physical courage, Dick imagined that the
+Baron would refuse to play the coward's part by skulking on board the
+yacht. In that event, von Kerber and Alfieri could hardly fail to meet
+within the hour, for Massowah was a small place. Nor was it altogether
+probable that bloodshed would be the outcome. The affray at Marseilles
+had given the Italian an excellent opportunity for settling old scores
+in that fashion if he were so minded. At any rate, the position was
+rife with dramatic possibilities, and each that presented itself to
+Dick's judgment seemed to favor his own projects, which now demanded a
+speedy return to England. Yet he hoped to arrange his departure in such
+wise that Irene Fenshawe might not have it in her heart that he had
+deserted her.
+
+Dick did not admit, even to himself, that he had any well-defined
+motive, other than the fulfilment of a promise, for wishing to stand
+well in the girl's esteem.
+
+"I may be a potential baronet," he communed, "but I am not such a fool
+as to fall in love with the heiress of a man like Fenshawe. A baronet,
+indeed! Hardly a month ago I was tramping the streets of London looking
+for work. One does not, under those conditions, include in the list of
+prospective occupations marriage with a young lady worth a million or
+two."
+
+It was surprising how bitter this very sensible reflection could be. It
+disturbed his placid temper. He felt like railing at fate for ill-
+usage. Fortunately, Mulai Hamed had no further cause to chide the
+Effendi on account of his seeming irreverence, or Dick's copying of
+Stump's methods might not have been confined to speech.
+
+But it was a remarkable fact, worthy of high relief in the fresco of
+weird and startling events then vaguely grouping themselves, that
+Royson first dreamed of love, even as a fantastic idyll where Irene
+Fenshawe was concerned, while he was hurrying through the native
+quarter of Massowah on a mission destined to change the whole course of
+his life.
+
+For the hour was at hand when he would be tried by tests that few men
+might endure. Treading close on the heels of his guide, he emerged from
+a cramped arch into a spacious parade-ground. A regiment of
+_bersaglieri_ was assembling for drill during the comparatively cool
+interval before sunset, and, on the seaward side of the plain, a squat
+fort pointed its guns at town and harbor.
+
+Mulai Hamed hastened towards the nearest gate. He did not enter, but
+his gestures showed that the Governor's residence stood inside the
+fortifications. Royson went on alone, and was stopped by a sentry, who
+called a corporal; the latter conducted him to a lieutenant, and
+thenceforth Dick's progress was simplified, because the officer not
+only spoke English but was ready to display his erudition, though, not
+exactly in the manner desired by his questioner.
+
+When Royson said he wanted to communicate with two gentlemen who had
+called on the Governor some two hours earlier, the Italian smiled
+darkly.
+
+"They landed from the English yacht out there?" he asked, with a hand-
+flourish that indicated the Red Sea generally and the _Aphrodite_ in
+particular.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"And you are one of the ship's officers?"
+
+"Yes," said Dick again.
+
+"Well, I have no orders. I advise you to go on board, and await his
+Excellency's decision."
+
+"It will be most gratifying to learn his Excellency's decision," said
+Royson, "but just at this moment I must ascertain the whereabouts of
+Mr. Fenshawe and Baron von Kerber."
+
+The lieutenant spread both hands deprecatingly.
+
+"What is one to say?" he shrugged, arching his eyebrows and pursing his
+lips, "I repeat, I have no orders."
+
+"But you have seen them?"
+
+"Oh, yes. They are here."
+
+"Then will you oblige me by sending in my name to Baron von Kerber, and
+saying--"
+
+"It is impossible. Go to your ship. I speak as a friend."
+
+"I am sure you wish to help me," persisted Dick, "but I am carrying a
+message of some importance--" "Ah, from whom?"
+
+"From a lady."
+
+"Who is she?"
+
+"One of the ladies of our party."
+
+"_Ahi, crudo Amor_! You have ladies on board, then?"
+
+"Yes, Mr. Fenshawe's granddaughter, and--a friend of hers."
+
+Something in the Italian's manner warned Royson that he was treading on
+unsafe ground. It occurred to him that if Mrs. Haxton had good reason
+for her display of fear at the sight of Alfieri it was advisable not to
+spread the tidings of her presence in Massowah by revealing it to an
+inquisitive official. And the warning given in one of the letters in
+his pocket suddenly assumed a sinister significance. He strove against
+any outward exhibition of concern, and the lieutenant was manifestly
+anxious to help him.
+
+"I am sorry," was the unsatisfying statement. "I can do nothing without
+his Excellency's instructions, and he has gone out for a drive."
+
+"Gone out for a drive!" repeated Royson, quite taken aback by this
+rather bewildering explanation. "Am I to understand that my friends are
+kept here--"
+
+"You are to understand nothing but what I have told you, and you will
+remember that I have contented myself with advising you to return to
+your yacht."
+
+It was evident that no good end could be achieved by striving to saddle
+the courteous officer with any responsibility for his admissions. Dick
+took the cue thus offered, and tried another line.
+
+"Will you kindly tell me at what hour the Governor returns?" he asked.
+
+"Certainly. He will be here in twenty minutes."
+
+"May I wait until he arrives?"
+
+"Nothing would give me greater pleasure."
+
+The lieutenant clapped his hands, and an orderly appeared.
+
+"Some wine, ice, and cigarettes," he commanded. He engaged Dick
+instantly in conversation as to the prospects of war in South Africa,
+and was obviously desirous not to discuss personal matters. He was a
+decent fellow, and an enthusiastic admirer of the British soldier, of
+whom he had seen a good deal during a visit to Aden, so the talk did
+not flag till the clatter of hoofs through the vaulted gateway
+announced the advent of a carriage.
+
+The Governor, a fat, unhealthy-looking man, whose seamed brow and puffy
+eyelids suggested that negotiations with King Menelek did not
+constitute the highest form of diplomatic happiness, was pleased to be
+explicit when Dick was introduced to him, and he found that the
+Englishman spoke French.
+
+"After consultation with the Government advocate," he said, "I have
+decided to release Mr. Fenshawe, whose arrest was due to his persistent
+defense of Baron Franz von Kerber's undertaking. The latter must remain
+in custody, and I warn you, and intend to give the same warning to all
+persons on board your vessel, that a gunboat is patrolling the coast
+with the most positive instructions to sink the _Aphrodite_ if any
+attempt be made to land on Italian territory, elsewhere than at a
+recognized port."
+
+His Excellency had cultivated the habit of plain speaking, which is an
+essential part of all dealings with Abyssinians. Royson did not attempt
+to answer him. He asked if Mr. Fenshawe would be set at liberty
+forthwith, and was assured that the Governor's own carriage would
+convey both Mr. Fenshawe and himself to the hotel within a few minutes.
+The big little man then vanished, and Dick soon had the satisfaction of
+seeing Irene's grandfather escorted to the inner courtyard by a file of
+soldiers.
+
+It was a singular meeting between the two. Though the yacht-owner was
+white with anger, he was manifestly pleased at finding Royson there.
+
+"Ah," he said, extending his hand, "I am glad to see you. Does Miss
+Fenshawe know of this outrage?"
+
+"No, sir. I think not. Indeed, I am almost positive she has not heard
+of it."
+
+"Then why are you here?"
+
+"Mrs. Haxton sent me with a message to Baron von Kerber."
+
+"Mrs. Haxton probably guessed what would happen. Some scoundrel named
+Alfieri, who has tried more than once to steal my poor friend's secret,
+has gained the ear of the Italian foreign minister. Trumped-up
+allegations have led to cabled orders for von Kerber's arrest, and
+these wretched organ-grinders in uniform would have lodged every one of
+us in prison if they dared. Unhappily, the Baron is an Austrian
+subject, and there will be considerable delay before I can secure his
+freedom. We must make for Aden at once. I will not trust the cable from
+Massowah. By Jove, I have been a supporter of peace all my life, Mr.
+Royson, but it is a lucky thing for this thieves' den that I have not
+an armed ship now at my disposal, or I would blow their fort out of its
+foundations."
+
+The older man little knew how this outburst affected Royson. The
+reference to Alfieri was absolutely staggering. No up-to-date
+battleship could have demolished the Massowah fortress so effectually
+as Mr. Fenshawe's outspoken wrath crumbled the edifice of doubt built
+by circumstances in Royson's mind.
+
+"Things have taken an extraordinary turn, sir," said he, feeling it
+incumbent on him to say something.
+
+"They will turn an Italian Governor out of his position before I have
+done with them," was the determined answer. "Come, Mr. Royson, let us
+leave this man-trap. I came here In good faith, and I quit the place
+with the resolution that never again shall I entrust myself to the
+vagaries of any Jack-in-office who thinks he can browbeat a man of my
+repute like one of the wretched natives whom he misrules."
+
+Royson had some difficulty in persuading his irate employer to enter
+the Governor's carriage. Mr. Fenshawe only yielded to the plea that it
+was a stiff walk to the hotel, and his granddaughter would be consumed
+with anxiety if any alarming news had reached her meanwhile.
+
+The coachman took them by an open road facing the harbor. The sight of
+the _Aphrodite_ lying at anchor, trimly elegant in white paint and
+neatly-furled sails, and sporting the ensign of a famous yacht club,
+led Dick to ask if his companion knew that an Italian gunboat was on
+the lookout for her.
+
+"Oh, yes. His Excellency spared me no details," said Mr. Fenshawe,
+smiling sarcastically. "If I were a few years younger, and we had no
+women on board, I would not allow any threats of that sort to hinder
+me, and I am much mistaken in my officers and men if they refused to
+back me up. But, as it is, we can do nothing. That is what galls me, my
+complete helplessness."
+
+"We have no heavy guns, I admit," said Dick, casting to the winds all
+thought of leaving the ship under present conditions, "but we have arms
+and ammunition in plenty to make it hot work for any one in Massowah to
+stop us once we are ashore."
+
+The other sighed, whether on account of his vanished youth or the
+impracticable nature of the scheme, it is hard to say.
+
+"Our weapons are meant only for defense," he said. "Von Kerber wished
+to guard against Arab hostility--that is all. But I do not despair of
+obtaining redress from Rome. Surely it cannot be known there that I am
+the leader of this expedition. It is so wildly absurd to treat _me_ as
+a filibuster. Why, Mr. Royson, the Italian Archeological Society
+elected me an honorary vice-president ten years ago."
+
+Dick had his own views as to the extent of the Aphrodite's armament,
+but the present was no time to air them. Moreover, he was beginning to
+see features of the affair that were hard to reconcile with Mr.
+Fenshawe's statements. In the first instance, the Governor had acted on
+specific Instructions, and the Roman authorities must have been well
+aware of the identity of the yacht's owner. Again, the person really
+aimed at in these high-handed proceedings was von Kerber. The Governor
+made no secret of the fact that the millionaire was detained solely
+because he declared himself a principal in the Austrian's enterprise,
+and it was no small token of official regret at an unpleasant incident
+that they were now driving to the hotel in His Excellency's private
+carriage. Finally, none but a man angry and humiliated would deny the
+right of Italy to forbid the passage through her colonial territory of
+a foreign force such as von Kerber had provided, a force equipped to an
+extent and in a manner that Mr. Fenshawe, in all likelihood, had slight
+knowledge of.
+
+So Dick listened in silence to his companion's vows of diplomatic
+vengeance. He was resolved to talk matters over with Miss Fenshawe
+before he said a word about Alfieri or the news he had received from
+London. In fact, he had little doubt that a night's reflection would
+render her grandfather amenable to reason. If there were charges
+against von Kerber, let them be brought to light. If they were true,
+the Italian Foreign Office was justified in its action: if false, there
+would be such a hubbub that the resultant apologies would certainly be
+accompanied by the offer of every assistance to the objects of the
+expedition.
+
+When they drew near the hotel, Royson saw Irene watching the main
+street anxiously from the balcony. It was rather remarkable that she
+should be alone, but all other thoughts were swept aside by the sight
+of the joy which lit her face when the carriage stopped at the portico
+and she learned that her grandfather had arrived from an opposite
+direction.
+
+They heard her glad cry of surprise, and she hastened to meet them.
+
+"Good gracious, grandad," she said, "where have you been? I have waited
+here for you ever so long, wondering what had become of you."
+
+"The Governor was such an affable person that he refused to let me go,"
+said Mr. Fenshawe grimly. "He has detained the Baron altogether. But
+let us go up-stairs. I am pining for that long-deferred tea. Where is
+Mrs. Haxton?"
+
+"She is ill, I am afraid. She found the heat and noise too much for
+her. Half an hour ago she asked Captain Stump to take her to the yacht.
+Of course I told her I didn't mind being left here until some one came.
+But the funny part of it is that, although I was looking from the
+veranda, I failed to see either her or the captain leave the hotel."
+
+By this time they were free from inquisitive eyes or ears, and Mr.
+Fenshawe proceeded to amaze the girl with a full recital of his
+disagreeable adventure. Royson noticed that she gave no heed whatever
+to his share in it. Her attitude was tinged with a slight disdain, and
+he began to feel miserably depressed until it occurred to him that she
+probably resented his departure on Mrs. Haxton's errand without letting
+her know. That was consoling, to an extent. He was sure she would
+forgive him when he had an opportunity of telling her exactly what had
+happened.
+
+They were so engrossed in their conclave that a servant entered with
+lamps before they realized that daylight had waned and night was
+falling with the rapidity of the tropics. Mr. Fenshawe leaped up from
+his chair with an alertness that belied his years.
+
+"I must break my resolution and send at least one cablegram from
+Massowah," he cried. "It will be harmless enough to escape mutilation,
+as it is to my London office directing that all correspondence must be
+addressed to Aden in future. You will take it for me, Royson, and pay
+the cost?"
+
+Dick went off as soon as the message was ready. Irene avoided him
+ostentatiously while her grandfather was writing, and thereby laid
+herself open to the unjust suspicion that she was flirting with him. In
+very truth, she was torn with misgiving, and Royson's share in her
+thoughts was even less than he imagined. Her quick brain divined that
+the arrest of von Kerber had only strengthened the Austrian's claim on
+Mr. Fenshawe's sympathies. Like all generous-souled men, her
+grandfather ran to extremes, and she felt that it was hopeless now to
+try and shake his faith in one whom he regarded as the victim of
+persecution.
+
+"Will Captain Stump come back for dinner?" inquired Mr. Fenshawe, after
+he had glanced through the letters which Irene brought to him.
+
+"I hope so. Mrs. Haxton went off in such a hurry that I forgot to
+mention it."
+
+"Was it illness, or anxiety, that sent her to the yacht?"
+
+"A little of both, I fancy. But why should she be anxious? She did not
+know that matters had gone wrong at the fort."
+
+"I think she made a shrewd guess, but was unwilling to alarm you. That
+is why she sent Mr. Royson after us. By the way, what, did she tell him
+to do?"
+
+"I have no idea," said Irene coldly.
+
+"That is odd, distinctly odd. I meant to ask him, but forgot it in my
+excitement."
+
+"He will be here in a few minutes," said she, with a livelier interest.
+
+There was a knock at the door. A negro waiter had something to say, and
+she gathered from a jumble of Italian and Arabic that a native wished
+to see the Signora Haxton. The man pronounced the name plainly, so
+there could be no mistake as to his meaning, and Irene answered:
+
+"The Signora is not here."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was immersed in his letters again, but he looked up.
+
+"What is it?" he demanded.
+
+"Some man is asking for Mrs. Haxton," she told him.
+
+"Better go and interview him. If he can tell us anything, bring him
+here."
+
+She went down-stairs with the attendant. He pointed to a muffled Arab
+near the door, who salaamed deeply the instant she appeared.
+
+"What do you want?" she said, in Italian, and the Arab silently
+indicated a closed vehicle drawn up close to the curb in front of the
+hotel. Thinking there was some visitor inside who did not wish to
+alight, she went forward without hesitation. The dim, smoke-laden
+street was unusually crowded, she thought, but she gave no attention to
+the passers-by, as the Arab had opened the door of the dingy-looking
+vehicle, and she expected to find an occupant peering out at her.
+
+The conveyance was empty!
+
+"There is some mistake," she said, glancing from the dark interior to a
+Somali driver, and then back to the silent messenger. Suddenly she had
+an unnerving consciousness that several other white-sheeted figures had
+crept stealthily between her and the doorway. With a little cry of
+alarm, she turned and strove to re-enter the hotel. Instantly she was
+swept off her feet, a coarse hand closed on her mouth, and she was
+dragged with brutal force into the carriage. She saw spring into
+existence what seemed to be a murderous _fracas_ among a dozen men. The
+street was filled with clamor, and the pavement was blocked with
+struggling forms. Knives flashed, brawny-armed Arabs closed in deadly
+combat, and cursed each other with all the rich repertory of Islam. Of
+course, people tried to rush from the vestibule of the hotel to
+ascertain what was causing the tumult. But the fighters filled the
+doorway so that none could enter or leave the building, and, in the
+midst of the alarm and confusion, the pair of Somali ponies attached to
+the ramshackle vehicle were whipped into a fast gallop. Then the riot
+subsided as quickly as it arose, and, were it not that Irene was gone,
+no one appeared to be much the worse.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX
+
+
+A GALLOP IN THE DARK
+
+Several minor rills of events combined to produce this tempestuous
+torrent at the door of the Hôtel Grande del Universe, and any level-
+headed man acquainted with their meanderings might come to the just
+conclusion that Irene had been kidnapped in mistake for Mrs. Haxton. He
+might have deplored the blunder, but, leaving out of count any humane
+consideration for the girl's feelings, he must have admired the stage-
+craft displayed by her abductors. If cool skill were worthy of success
+they had earned it in full measure. In fact, the achievement would have
+ranked high in the villainous annals of Massowah were it not for the
+blind chance that separated Mulai Hamed from Royson two hours earlier.
+
+The sun sank behind the highlands of Abyssinia while the Effendi
+awaited the Governor's return in the guard-room of the fort. Thereupon
+his guide, being an orthodox Mahomedan, faced towards Mecca, knelt by
+the roadside, and bowed his forehead in the dust. Another devout
+follower of the Prophet joined him, and the two chanted their prayers
+in unison. It is said that hymns are seldom sung with such gusto as in
+convict settlements, and, appraised by this standard, Mulai Hamed and
+his casual companion were accomplished rascals, for they rattled off
+the Salât and the Sunnah unctuously, and performed the genuflections
+and prostrations of the Rêka with military precision.
+
+Then they exchanged news. Mulai Hamed, telling of the Giaours in the
+hotel, was vastly surprised to hear from his brother Mussulman, a cook
+in the fort, that two of the Effendis were prisoners. But the cook soon
+hastened away to decapitate certain skinny fowls which would form the
+basis of a Risotto al pollastro for dinner at the officer's mess,
+leaving Mulai Hamed to wonder if, perhaps, the tall Effendi had also
+been kept in durance vile, until he saw Mr. Fenshawe and Royson being
+whirled off in the Governor's carriage along the sea front.
+
+He cursed both of them in suitable terms, and started on the long walk
+to the hotel. Being a born gossip, he chose the livelier route of the
+main street, which might yield a meeting with another acquaintance.
+This divergence led him near the Elephant Mosque. Abdullah, wearied of
+the rendezvous arranged by Mrs. Haxton for von Kerber, detected Mulai
+Hamed's badge, and sought information.
+
+"Brother," said he, "I would have speech of thee." "Say on," was the
+courteous reply, for Mulai Hamed was flattered at being addressed thus
+by a man of distinction.
+
+"There be certain Giaours at thy caravanserai, an old man, a fat man
+like a bull, a young man who stands more than a cubit high, and a thin
+man, the Hakim Effendi, whom I await here. Hast thou any knowledge of
+them?"
+
+Mulai Hamed checked the list carefully.
+
+"It must be," said he at last, "that the Hakim Effendi is in jail, for
+the others I have seen, but not him."
+
+Abdullah was annoyed. He, a pure-blooded Bedouin of the desert, had
+already made a great concession In using the word "brother" to one of
+mixed race.
+
+"I asked not for folly," he muttered. "That is the answer of a drunken
+Frank."
+
+"Nay, friend, I speak truly. May I never drink at the White Pond of the
+Prophet if I have not told thee even that which I have heard."
+
+Abdullah swallowed his wrath, listened to Mulai Hamed's story, and was
+convinced. Notwithstanding Mrs. Haxton's prohibition, it was now
+essential that he should see her without delay, so he accompanied the
+deputy assistant hall-porter in the direction of the hotel. As they
+went, they met a rickety closed carriage being driven at a furious rate
+down a side street, and both men thought it was making for the mile-
+long causeway which connects the island of Massowah with the mainland.
+
+"Who travels in such a hurry?" asked Abdullah, looking after the
+swaying vehicle.
+
+"Perchance a _kafila_ starts for the interior to-night," said Mulai
+Hamed. But the turmoil in the vicinity of the hotel now drew their
+attention, and they ran with others, for public blood-letting is ever
+an attractive pastime to those who form the audience.
+
+Dick was then leaving the telegraph-office, whence he had despatched a
+cablegram on his own account. Bare civility demanded that he should
+acknowledge Mr. Forbes's various communications, so he sent the brief
+message: "Writing, Royson," which, he thought, covered the ground
+sufficiently. Before rejoining Mr. Fenshawe and Irene, he walked a
+little way towards the harbor, and, as he half expected, met Stump
+returning from the yacht.
+
+He proceeded to astonish that stout mariner with the evening's budget,
+but Stump had been thinking things out in his own fashion, and he set
+forth a theory which apparently accounted for von Kerber's
+discomfiture.
+
+"You see, it's this way," said he. "These bloomin' I-talians have got
+the griffin about that treasure. And who gev' it to 'em? Why, that chap
+who arranged the hold-up at Marseilles. You said nothin' much about it,
+which was right an' proper, but Tagg is sharper'n he looks, an' he tole
+me that a paper was nicked out of von Kerber's pocket. That paper put
+the sharks on the scent. They got ahead of the _Aphrodite_ by catchin'
+the Indian mail at Brindisi, an' had everything cut an' dried for us
+when we dropped anchor here. Miss Irene an' me spotted one of 'em
+watchin' the hotel this afternoon."
+
+"I believe that man was Alfieri," said Dick, "Indeed, Mrs. Haxton
+admitted it to me, and it was his unexpected appearance that caused her
+to beat a retreat."
+
+"An' who's Mr. Alfie Wot's-his-name?" broke in Stump.
+
+"I'm sorry. I forgot that you had not heard of him. He is the man who
+secured the papyrus, or paper, at Marseilles. Both Mrs. Haxton and the
+Baron are afraid of him."
+
+"You seem to know a dooce of a lot about this business," exclaimed the
+skipper testily.
+
+"I cannot help that--I have been dragged into it in many ways, each
+peculiar, and hardly credible when considered collectively. I promise
+you, captain, that I shall tell you the whole story one of these days.
+Meanwhile, I think that the sooner we are at Aden the better it will be
+for Mr. Fenshawe and the ladies, and I offer you the respectful advice
+that you should back up Miss Fenshawe if she tries to persuade her
+grandfather to go there at once."
+
+"Funny thing," growled Stump, "but them's Mrs. Haxton's very words as I
+helped her up the ship's ladder. Hello! Where's the fire? Unless I'm
+much mistaken, young feller, there's a first-class row goin' on outside
+our bloomin' café. No, no, don't you butt in among Arabs as though you
+was strollin' down Edgware Road on a Saturday night, an' get mixed up
+in a coster rough-an'-tumble. These long-legged swine would knife you
+just for the fun of it. Keep full an' by, an' let any son of a gun who
+comes too near have it where it'll stop him."
+
+Stump's sound precautions were unnecessary. None of the combatants
+approached them. Indeed, the struggle ceased as quickly as it began,
+and they were in the hotel before the frightened servants dared make
+known the thrilling fact that the young lady was missing. The negro who
+accompanied her down-stairs was positive that she had gone off of her
+own accord in the carriage that was standing outside, but Mr.
+Fenshawe's frantic protestations when the scared manager told him what
+had happened convinced Royson that the servant's statement was wildly
+absurd. Moreover, it became clearer each second that Mrs. Haxton, and
+not Irene, was the prize sought by the marauders. Royson, though in a
+white heat of helpless rage, soon became alive to this element in an
+otherwise inexplicable outrage, and endeavored to soothe Mr. Fenshawe's
+wild-eyed alarm by telling him the girl would surely be sent back as
+soon as the error was discovered.
+
+There was no time for explanations. All was panic and useless running
+to and fro. A messenger was sent to summon the police, and matters were
+in a state of chaos when Royson was approached by an Arab whose
+clearly-chiseled features, arched eyebrows and high cheek-bones showed
+that he was of different lineage to the hybrids of the coast. His
+carriage, too, was that of a man of consequence, and he wore his
+burnous rather in the Algerian style. This was Abdullah, who had
+gathered from the negro's now almost incoherent words that Mrs. Haxton
+had been spirited away In the carriage. He had his own reasons for
+believing that the lady would encounter difficulties in Massowah, and
+the man spoke her name readily, whereas Miss Fenshawe's was unknown to
+either of them.
+
+"Monsieur," said he, addressing Dick quietly in excellent French, "can
+you ride?"
+
+"Yes," said Dick, hoping against hope that this calm-eyed stranger
+might be able to give him some sorely needed clue as to the manner, at
+least, of Irene's capture.
+
+"Come with me, then," continued Abdullah, in the same guarded tone. "I
+think I may be able to find out where Madame has been taken."
+
+"You can demand your own reward if you speak truly," said Dick. "Let me
+bring you to Mr. Fenshawe. He will tell you--"
+
+"I seek the aid of none but you," whispered Abdullah, "I come to you
+only because you are a European, and I must have some one to justify me
+lest trouble should arise. I am unknown here, and my words would fall
+on deaf ears. You look like a man who can handle affairs. Come
+monsieur, we are losing time."
+
+"But I must tell my friends."
+
+"No, that is not to be thought of, monsieur. If I am right, you and I
+alone must deal with this affair. These others are excited. They will
+shout their news to the whole bazaar. And, if we fail, we shall return
+in half an hour. Not a word to any one, but follow me."
+
+Abdullah had the air of a man who knew his own mind. He strode away at
+once without looking to right or left, and Royson yielded to the
+impulse which bade him not hesitate but accept the proffered assistance
+in the search for Irene. Action of any sort was preferable to a
+maddening wait for tardy officialdom, so he hastened after the Arab.
+
+The latter turned into the first side street. The absence of lamps, and
+a thin stratum of smoke clinging to the surface of the ground, made the
+gloom almost impenetrable, but Abdullah kept on with unhesitating
+steps, and Royson walked behind him rather than risk the chance of
+colliding with the strange shapes of men and animals which often loomed
+up abruptly out of the void.
+
+In a few minutes the smoke-cloud cleared, and he found that they had
+reached the outskirts of the native quarter. The houses were no longer
+huddled together; small hovels took the place of cramped and lofty
+tenements. Soon he could see dark masses of hills silhouetted against
+the sky, where its dense blue merged into the amber and green of the
+last flicker of daylight. Not far distant, a sheet of water, still as a
+mirror, reflected sky and hills in even more pronounced chiaroscuro,
+and he had just distinguished the straight black ridge of the landward
+causeway when Abdullah dived into a wattle-built hut.
+
+The Arab had not uttered a syllable during their rapid walk, and Royson
+determined not to question him, since his offer of help was made
+voluntarily, and he seemed to prefer silence to speech. The Englishman
+was undecided whether or not to enter the hut, which was apparently
+untenanted, but the eager whinny of a horse quickly explained
+Abdullah's disappearance. There was some stamping of unshod hoofs on
+the hard earth, some straining of girths and clink of steel, and the
+Arab led forth a slenderly built animal which, at first sight, seemed
+to be far too light for a rider of Dick's proportions.
+
+The horse's owner, however, showed no misgivings on this point. He
+handed the bridle to Dick.
+
+"_Attendez ici un moment, s'il vous plait, monsieur_" he said, and ran
+off towards another hut. The horse tried to follow its master, and
+Royson found distraction for a jumble of incoherent thoughts in the
+need there was to restrain its fretfulness. The animal was afraid of
+him; in all probability it had never before been handled by a European,
+but Dick spoke to it in the _lingua franca_ of the stable, and he was
+soon allowed to stroke the arched neck and twine his fingers in the
+thick yellow mane.
+
+Abdullah did not return so speedily as was his intent. He had gone to
+borrow another mount, and met with delay, because the owner was in the
+bazaar. But fortune helped him by sending the man back earlier than
+usual for the evening meal, and when he cantered up after an absence of
+ten minutes, he lost no more time.
+
+"You are sure you can ride well, monsieur?" he demanded.
+
+"Quite sure."
+
+"Into the saddle, then, and let the reins hang loose. Moti will carry
+you safely, and it is but a broken road over the bridge."
+
+Away they went, crossing some rough ground at an easy gallop, and Dick
+had his first experience of the remarkable sure-footedness of the Arab
+horse in his proper environment. Moti moved with the long lope of a
+greyhound, and used eyes and intelligence as well as feet. The pace set
+by Abdullah on the uneven causeway seemed to be dangerous, and would
+have brought down any animals but those accustomed to stone-strewn
+valleys or deserts in which patches of soft sand alternate with bare
+rock. When the mainland was reached, Royson rode alongside his
+companion.
+
+"Where are we going?" he inquired.
+
+"To a village. It is not far distant. There we may obtain news."
+
+They pressed on. Were it not for the nature of his errand, Dick would
+have enjoyed the ride greatly, for the current of cool air was pleasing
+after the heat of Massowah, and Moti carried him as though he were a
+feather-weight. But his heart was too care-laden to enter into the
+spirit of the adventure. Of all the queer incidents of an eventful day
+this gallop into an unknown land was the queerest. He could not help
+asking himself if he had done right. Yet the reassuring answer came
+instantly. He had left indecision behind when he agreed to the Arab's
+conditions, and it was surely better to try whatever fixed plan the
+other had in mind than remain in Massowah, a prey to hopeless,
+purposeless agony. For he knew now what it would mean to him if Irene
+Fenshawe were reft from his life, and the knowledge made his eyes
+blaze, and sent the passionate blood coursing through his veins.
+
+"Easily, monsieur. This is the place."
+
+The Arab's strong, somewhat harsh voice, though pitched in a key not
+meant to reach too far, brought Royson back to his senses. Imitating
+his guide, he tightened the reins and pulled Moti to a walk. Then he
+made another discovery. They were on a Government road, which happened,
+at that point, to have a smooth surface, and Moti stumbled
+disgracefully, for your true desert Arab will fall over himself when he
+no longer needs to exercise his wits in order to keep his feet.
+
+Behind a tumble-down hut a fire was blazing. Some men were squatted
+around a tripod which supported a large iron pot. One was speaking, and
+even Royson's untrained ear recognized the measured cadence of the
+story-teller. A rumble of laughter showed that the protest of some
+discomfited rogue or some wise moullah's saw had just tickled the
+audience when Abdullah leaped from the saddle and approached the
+circle.
+
+"Peace be with you, brethren," said he, bowing gravely.
+
+The story-teller broke off abruptly. One of the men rose and replied:
+
+"With you be peace, brother, and the mercy of God, and His blessings."
+
+This formula made it certain that the group near the fire were
+Mahomedans. "Es-salámu aleikum!" is at once the test of the believer
+and the "Open, Sesame!" of the desert. Abdullah was sure now of a
+hearing, sure even of counsel and assistance, provided that his
+interests did not run counter to theirs.
+
+Royson, dismounting for the sake of Moti, watched Abdullah's face in
+the flickering light of the fire to learn whether or not he was
+receiving the expected news. He might as well have sought inspiration
+from the starry vault overhead. But he was not long kept in suspense.
+After the exchange of a few sentences with the man who had returned his
+salutation, Abdullah vouchsafed a brief translation.
+
+"Not many minutes ago a carriage passed this way. It took the road to
+the left, where it forks, not a hundred meters distant. We must ride
+hard, monsieur, for the driver was flogging his beasts. Perhaps we may
+have good fortune."
+
+They were up, and away, thrusting into the darkness in a fast gallop.
+At the parting of the roads they took the southern track, and the land
+almost immediately became hilly. They eased the horses somewhat during
+a long upward climb, but a plateau, followed by a gentle descent
+towards the shore, gave them a chance of mending the pace, and the wiry
+Arabs beneath them seemed to know that the more quickly the miles were
+covered the less distance would they be called on to travel.
+
+On the level again, where the occulting beam of the Massowah lighthouse
+was hidden by the buildings on the island, they unexpectedly came upon
+a disabled vehicle. It was tilted on the side of the road in a way that
+suggested a broken wheel, and a man was holding two ponies which had
+been taken out of the traces.
+
+Abdullah pulled his steed almost on to its haunches, so suddenly did he
+draw rein. He pushed close to the horse-tender, a Somali, and a fierce
+dialogue broke out, which ended in the wrathful statement to Royson:
+
+"This son of a slave says that this is not the carriage which passed me
+in the bazaar. I believe he is lying, but what can I do?"
+
+Dick, meanwhile, had ascertained that the conveyance was empty. His
+gorge rose at the thought that Irene might be near him at that moment,
+yet prevented by some ruffian from making known her presence. The
+belief was torturing; it impelled him to a deed which, in calmer mood,
+he would have declared foreign to his nature.
+
+Handing Moti to Abdullah's care, he went so near to the driver, a man
+of powerful build, that he could look into his sullen face. With a
+quickness born of many a bout with the gloves, he seized the Somali by
+the wrists, causing him to let go the ponies' bridles. Then, heedless
+of straggles and oaths, he backed him a little space, threw him off his
+feet, and three times whirled him through the air around his head. It
+was an exhibition of strength that forced a cry of amazement even from
+Abdullah.
+
+"Now tell him," said Dick, when the panting and terrified native was
+allowed to stand upright again, "tell him that if he does not speak the
+truth, I shall take him by the ankles and beat out his brains against
+the rocks in that same way."
+
+"By the Holy Kaaba!" chuckled Abdullah, "that would be worth seeing."
+
+He conquered his desire sufficiently to put the threat into blood-
+curdling Arabic, and the Somali whined that he was a poor man, who only
+obeyed orders, but, if the god-like Nazarene would spare his life, he
+was ready to tell all he knew.
+
+"Speak, then, and quickly," growled Abdullah, "for the Effendi
+understands thee not, and he may lose patience."
+
+The driver stammered something which almost roused the Arab to
+excitement.
+
+"Throw that dog aside, monsieur," he cried. "They are taking the lady
+to a boat. The place agreed for the meeting is yet nearly a thousand
+meters in front. Let us see what our horses can do."
+
+They were off before he had finished speaking, but Abdullah smiled as
+he rode.
+
+"Bismillah!" he muttered, "that is a fine trick. I must learn it."
+
+On through the night they went, and happily the broken land receded
+here a little from the shore, leaving the road straight and fairly
+visible.
+
+They had gone half a mile or more, and Royson was beginning to fear
+that either the Somali had been daring enough to mislead them or that
+Irene's guards had been warned by the noise of their advance and were
+crouching behind a clump of reeds until they passed, when Abdullah
+lifted a restraining hand, and slackened pace.
+
+Though the night was clear, and neighboring objects were quite
+discernible, Royson failed to pierce the further darkness. He strained
+his eyes, but could see nothing, while the Arab seemed to have a sixth
+sense which warned him that there were others near. They pulled up, and
+listened. Dick could hear only the labored breathing of their horses,
+yet Abdullah was evidently satisfied that their long chase was drawing
+to an end.
+
+"Bear to the left, monsieur," he whispered. "They are there, by the
+water's edge. When I give the word, ride apart lest they fire at us,
+though they will hardly dare do that, lest we might prove to be
+soldiers from the garrison. Are you armed?"
+
+"Sufficiently," said Dick grimly.
+
+He felt able to tear any one limb from limb who resisted him. Once sure
+of his quarry, he would give short shrift. So they crept on, until the
+Arab shouted "Now!" and started off at a canter. Dick realized that the
+circling movement was best, as it suggested an attack in force, so he
+took a slight detour. He was closing in again before he perceived some
+irregular shadows, showing black against the translucent film of smooth
+water. That sufficed. He thundered on ahead of Abdullah, who, perhaps,
+thought it advisable to leave this final development in the hands of a
+European. There was a scurry among a small knot of men on the beach. A
+sharp hail was answered at a considerable distance from the sea. Royson
+rode with such furious speed that he now made out a white-robed female
+figure struggling in the grasp of a man attired in the burnous and hood
+of a coast Arab.
+
+"Is that you, Miss Fenshawe?" he roared.
+
+At the sound of an English voice three men scattered and fled like
+rabbits, but the fourth, he who clutched the woman, set her at liberty
+and drew a long knife. He bellowed forth some order, and another shout
+came from the sea. Then he poised himself ready to strike. Royson was
+within a horse's length, leaning forward in the saddle, when he caught
+the gleam of the uplifted weapon. At the same instant he recognized
+Irene, and saw that she was gagged, and her hands were tied behind her
+back. But her feet were free, and she deliberately kicked the Arab's
+ankle, thereby disconcerting his murderous thrust and nearly bringing
+him to the ground.
+
+Then Royson's clenched fist fell like a sledge-hammer on his
+adversary's skull, and the man collapsed with a broken neck. Moti, well
+named "the Pearl," seemed to play this sort of game with the skill that
+a trained polo-pony shows in following the ball. He stopped almost of
+his own accord, wheeled, and allowed Dick to lift the girl in his arms.
+
+Abdullah, who did not attempt to pursue the others, had not failed to
+note the rapid approach of a boat.
+
+"Quick, now, monsieur," he said. "Make for the road!"
+
+As they cantered off they heard some shouting in Arabic, and a few
+words of Italian, but Dick was looking into Irene's eyes. He was
+conscious only that he held her in a close embrace. His heart was
+thumping against his ribs. For one who had proved himself cool in an
+emergency he betrayed all the symptoms of unusual excitement.
+
+"Are you uninjured?" he asked, with a marvelous tenderness in his
+voice, while his lips were very near to her swathed cheek.
+
+She nodded. He fancied he caught a smile in her eyes. He did not know
+how lover-like was his clasp.
+
+"We shall stop soon and release your bonds," he whispered. "Thank God I
+was able to find you."
+
+Again he believed she smiled, but those beautiful brown eyes of hers
+seemed to fill with tears. He set his teeth, and breathed hard, but he
+was too wary to jeopardize success by halting until all danger of
+pursuit had disappeared. Then he pulled up, dismounted, and lifted
+Irene to the ground. She was gagged so tightly that he had to exercise
+some care in cutting the knotted strips of linen which bound her face
+and head. A piece of coarse sacking had been thrust into her mouth, and
+she scarce had the power to utter a word when the brutal contrivance
+was withdrawn.
+
+"Oh, Mr. Royson," she managed to gasp, "how can I thank you!"
+
+"By not trying to talk until you feel better," said Dick. "There is a
+village not far away, and we should at least obtain some water there."
+
+He was bending over her wrists in his anxiety not to hurt her unduly
+while he severed a stout rope, and he could not see the expression of
+sheer bewilderment which again mastered the usually impassive features
+of Abdullah. The Arab had yielded to unwonted surprise when he saw
+Royson use a man as flail, but the removal of the gag, and the
+consequent revelation of Irene's identity, nearly stupefied him.
+
+"May jackals defile my grave," he muttered, "but this is the wrong
+woman! Here have I, Abdullah the Spear-thrower, been, befooled by a
+black slave in the caravanserai. What have I done? By the beard of the
+Prophet, what shall I say if her capture was part of the Hakim
+Effendi's plan?"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X
+
+
+THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
+
+When Irene was freed from her bonds she sighed deeply, uttered a little
+sob as though her soul had fluttered to her lips, and sank into
+Royson's arms. In the ever-growing darkness he had not realized earlier
+how acute was the torture she was enduring. She must have experienced
+some difficulty in breathing, owing to the outrageous manner in which
+her mouth and nostrils were covered. Yet, to render her quite helpless,
+her wrists were tied with such cruel force that they became swollen and
+stiff, and her delicate skin was chafed until it galled beneath the
+rope.
+
+While Royson was carrying her on the high-peaked Arab saddle, the
+strain grew almost intolerable, but her brave heart did not flinch
+under that exquisite pain. Though she could not speak, she strove to
+reward him with a valiant smile, and even conquered the gush of tears
+that gave momentary tribute to her agony. And now she lay in a dead
+faint, pallid and inert, while Royson said bitter things about Alfieri.
+He blamed the Italian for all this mad business, and vowed harsh
+vengeance on him if ever they met again. He was quite unable to help
+Irene. He had less than the average man's vague knowledge of the right
+treatment to adopt under such conditions. He imagined that the hands
+and face of a fainting woman should be bathed in water, and was about
+to take her back to the shore when Abdullah intervened.
+
+"It is nothing, monsieur," said he, with true Eastern nonchalance where
+the opposite sex was concerned. "Her head and arms ache now that her
+bonds are removed. If Allah wills it, she should revive presently. And
+we cannot remain here. Whether she live or die let us go on, in God's
+name."
+
+Despite the flurry of his new predicament, the Englishman caught a hint
+of petulance in the Arab's tone. It denoted a change of attitude that
+was all the more surprising when contrasted with the man's previous
+eagerness to serve him. But there was sound sense in the advice thus
+gruffly tendered. He managed to remount by tucking the girl's swaying
+form under his left arm. Then he pillowed her head on his shoulder,
+and, letting the horse walk, strove to rub her hands. Fortunately, Moti
+did not stumble. Perhaps the weight of a double burthen suggested the
+need of care, but, whatever the explanation of the animal's excellent
+behavior, they reached the broken-down carriage without accident. The
+driver had gone off with his pair of ponies, but Abdullah, ruefully
+making the best of a perplexing situation, searched under the box seat
+for the porous earthenware jar of water which is often carried there in
+the East. By good hap, he found one, nearly half full.
+
+"Here," he mattered Impatiently, "let her drink some of this, and pour
+the rest over her head and hands. Then the cold air will freshen her.
+And be quick, monsieur! Those who follow will not wait on ceremony."
+
+Royson substituted a soaked handkerchief for Abdullah's drastic remedy,
+but he soon had the satisfaction of seeing Irene's lips move. Then,
+after testing the water to make sure it was drinkable, he gave her a
+mouthful, and, within a few seconds, she was in partial possession of
+her senses. Nevertheless, for an appreciable time, her gallant, spirit
+flagged. She tried feebly to brush the wet strands of hair out of her
+eyes.
+
+"Why are we stopping here?" she moaned. "Please take me home. I am so
+tired--and thirsty--and my mouth hurts me. Where is the yacht? What are
+we doing here?"
+
+"I thought, she would recover soon," broke in Abdullah. "Now,
+monsieur, at all costs we must reach the town. The hour grows late.
+Ride on!"
+
+It was remarkable, to say the least, that one who was willing to face
+unknown odds in order to effect the girl's rescue should be so
+desperately anxious now to get away from a rather improbable pursuit.
+Yet again, the Arab's suggestion offered the only practicable course,
+and Moti had to bear a double load while they slowly climbed the hill
+down which they dashed so precipitately before they came upon the
+disabled vehicle. This time, Dick managed to seat his fair partner more
+comfortably. He placed himself well back against the cantle, lifted
+Irene across his knees, and drew her right arm around his neck.
+
+Once more she sighed. Dick feared it was the preliminary to another
+collapse, until she whispered in delightful confidence:
+
+"I remember now, Mr. Royson. I suppose I fainted. How good you are to
+me!"
+
+"Now, may Heaven be praised that you are all right again," breathed
+Dick fervently. "You gave me the biggest sort of fright when you nearly
+dropped on the road."
+
+"Have we far to go before we reach the hotel?"
+
+"Several miles. It took us about three-quarters of an hour to overtake
+you, and we came at a rare pace."
+
+"I am sure I must be making your arm ache."
+
+She tried to straighten herself, and Royson missed the warm fragrance
+of her hair against his cheek.
+
+"I really think you ought not to move," said he, with an affectation of
+brotherly solicitude that did him credit.
+
+"Well, if I am not wearying you," she murmured, and the pretty head
+nestled contentedly on his shoulder. Then, it may be, she thought that
+if necessity demanded this lover-like pose, she ought to redeem its
+literalness by conversation.
+
+"Who is your Arab friend who speaks French so well?" she asked. "It
+_was_ French I heard, was it not? And how in the world did you manage
+to find out where I was taken to?"
+
+"You must thank our companion for that. I happened to meet Stump near
+the telegraph-office, and we saw a disturbance in the main street near
+the hotel. We hurried up, little imagining that it affected you, and
+several precious minutes elapsed before we discovered that you were
+missing. Mr. Fenshawe--"
+
+"Ah, poor, darling grandad! I hardly dare ask you how he bore it. I
+grieved more for him than for myself. You see, I knew it was all a
+wretched mistake. Those horrid men meant to carry off Mrs. Haxton."
+
+"I gathered as much from what Mr. Fenshawe said. Of course, he was very
+greatly distressed, but, if matters go well with us now, you will be
+restored to him in another hour."
+
+"I have no fear of anything when you are near, Mr. Royson. Something
+told me that long ago. And that is why I was vexed with you for leaving
+me this afternoon."
+
+ Dick's heart gave a great throb of joy, and his voice was somewhat
+husky as he answered:
+
+"I could not help myself. The Italian whom you and Captain Stump
+noticed in the street was Alfieri. Mrs. Haxton saw him, too, and I
+would never have believed that terror could alter a woman's face as it
+altered hers. She begged of me to find von Kerber, and warn him, and I
+thought, perhaps foolishly, that if I obeyed her wishes it might bring
+about the very thing you and I most desire."
+
+Irene did not reply immediately. She felt unaccountably timid.
+
+"It is stupid of me, but I do not quite follow your meaning," she
+volunteered at last.
+
+"Well, you are anxious that this expedition should be abandoned, and I
+ought to return to England, where I am in great demand, it seems, after
+some years of scandalous neglect."
+
+"Oh!" she said. "Is that it?"
+
+There was another pause.
+
+"But the fact that Mrs. Haxton, and not I, should be sitting here so--
+so confidentially--does not explain how it comes about, does it?" she
+went on.
+
+"I was so interested in what you were saying that I lost the thread of
+my story. We were listening to an excited jabber of nonsense in the
+hotel--for instance, one of the negro servants said you went away of
+your own free will--and wondering what on earth we could do, when this
+genii of an Arab came to me in a mysterious way, and led me straight on
+your track. Shall we bid him discourse?"
+
+"Oh, please do. It is all so wonderful. I could see through the open
+windows of that hateful carriage when we crossed the causeway and went
+off to the left into a wild country. I gave up hope then. Your
+appearance on the beach was an actual miracle, to my thinking."
+
+"Just one word before we tackle our guide," whispered Dick, bringing
+his lips as near hers as he dared. "Though it was dark enough down
+there by the water, I saw you lash out at that fellow with the knife at
+precisely the right moment."
+
+"Don't, don't." she cried, shuddering, and lifting her eyes to his in a
+fleeting upward glance. "I hope I shall soon forget those few awful
+seconds. I knew he meant to stab you, and I wanted to scream, but could
+not. He seemed to be the leader of the party, and he flew into such a
+rage when the wheel gave way that I really believe he was ready to kill
+me out of spite. You knocked him down, didn't you? It maybe wicked, but
+I hope you hit him hard."
+
+"Yes," said Dick, "I think your score is paid in that instance."
+
+Her head was bent, and she could not see the grim smile on his lips. It
+was an odd thing to remember at that moment, but he recalled the fact
+that his famous ancestor could fell a bullock with his clenched fist.
+
+Abdullah, when given the opportunity, was readier to ply them with
+questions than to answer theirs. He said his name was "El Jaridiah,"
+which was true enough, this being the title he bore among his fellow-
+tribesmen. He also explained that he met Mulai Hamed, and happened to
+see the direction taken by the vehicle when it dashed clear of the
+scrimmage in the street. But he modestly disclaimed any special credit
+for his share in subsequent events, stating that he had many friends
+among the European colony at Cairo, and was naturally willing to help a
+lady against the thievish dogs who inhabited Massowah.
+
+Yet Dick added a third to these two earlier subtle enigmas in "El
+Jaridiah's" characteristics when he heard the Arab's unfeigned pleasure
+at the statement that it was not the lady actually rescued, but a
+friend of hers, whom the thievish dogs aforesaid meant to carry off.
+Abdullah then saw a path out of the thorny labyrinth which beset him.
+It was evident that in serving Miss Fenshawe he had displayed his
+fidelity to Mrs. Haxton! The notion was so gratifying that he made a
+suggestion which assuredly would not otherwise have occurred to him.
+When they reached the camp-fire where they were supplied with such
+valuable information on their outward journey, he would obtain some
+goat's milk for Madame, he said, and that would not only restore her
+strength but go far towards alleviating the soreness caused by the gag.
+
+He kept his promise. The milk was brought in a dubious vessel, but the
+girl vowed she never tasted a more delicious beverage. They resumed
+their march, Irene's head dropped cozily to the region of Dick's heart,
+and that wayward organ thumped again in the most alarming way.
+
+Once the causeway was crossed, Abdullah called a halt.
+
+"This road leads into the main street, monsieur," said he to Royson.
+"It is quite near. If the lady is able to walk to the hotel, it will
+attract less attention than riding. Meanwhile, I can take the horses to
+their stables, and hasten in advance to tell your friends that you are
+safe."
+
+They agreed instantly. Royson did not forget to pat the plucky little
+Arab that had carried him to the Gates of Eden, and Irene said that if
+it were feasible she would buy Moti and have him sent to England. And
+thus they parted from Abdullah, thinking to meet him again five minutes
+later.
+
+But their next encounter with the Spear-thrower was destined to take
+place under strange conditions. His present intent was to slip away and
+seek an interview with Mrs. Haxton, as he had managed to worm out the
+information that she was on board the yacht. The last thing he desired
+was to be dragged into prominence. Though he had not been taught that a
+man might "do good by stealth and blush to find it fame," he was
+specially anxious that his action of that night should not be trumpeted
+forth in every ear.
+
+Long before they gained the main thoroughfare, both Royson and Irene
+were conscious of many prying eyes. Not a few passers-by yielded
+frankly to curiosity and followed them. The girl, of course, was
+hatless. Her dress of fine muslin was of a style and texture seldom
+seen in Massowah, and if the rare beauty of her face could excite
+comment in Hyde Park it would surely not pass unnoticed in a small and
+semi-barbarous Red Sea port.
+
+Royson, too, though his white drill uniform was familiar enough to the
+public, was out of keeping with his surroundings. He towered among the
+puny Italians; not a stalwart negro nor gaunt Arab in the throng could
+equal him in stature and physique.
+
+So they both agreed in thinking that they were much more at ease when
+Moti was carrying them along the dark road of the mainland than now
+while hurrying through the packed and dimly-lighted streets. But the
+sensation they created in the bazaar was as naught compared with the
+overwhelming effect of their arrival in the Grand Hotel of the
+Universe. Two officers of gendarmerie and a round dozen of soldier-
+policemen became incoherent at sight of them. The hotel manager nearly
+wept with joy. He tumbled up-stairs, tripping not once but several
+times, in his eagerness to make known to the English milord that the
+Signorina Fenshawe had returned. The vestibule filled in the most
+amazing way with a crowd that seemed to speak all languages under the
+sun. Mr. Fenshawe rushed to the head of the stairs as soon as he
+grasped the meaning of the manager's dramatic announcement, and a
+combined "Ah!" of gratification gushed from a hundred throats when
+Irene flung herself into his arms. Clearly, this affair had stirred
+Massowah to its depths. It would supply food for gossip during many a
+day. That long drawn-out "Ah!" was, in some sense, a testimony to
+Abdullah's wisdom.
+
+While Irene was sobbing her joy on her grandfather's breast, Stump
+crushed a broad track through the ever-increasing mob until he reached
+Royson.
+
+"I was bettin' on you from the minnit I missed you," he roared
+genially. "You're a fair wonder, an' no mistake. By Gad, how did you
+manage it? The Governor has raised the whole crimson town, I will say
+that for him. I don't know his lingo, but I rather fancy he swore to
+have a scalp for every hair on Miss Irene's head if she didn't turn up
+afore daylight. Where was she? Who took her off? The police are huntin'
+for your friend Alfie this hour an' more."
+
+Stump's concluding item was at once gratifying and puzzling.
+
+"How did they come to suspect him?" asked Dick, ignoring the rest of
+his commander's outburst.
+
+"Mrs. Haxton put 'em on his track. You see, it was this way. I sent the
+jolly-boat's crew back to the yacht with, orders that Tagg was to arm
+every mother's son on board, an' be ready for action when Mr. Fenshawe
+gev the word. The old man wasn't half mad, I can tell you. I take my
+solemn davy he'd have stormed that bloomin' fort to-morrow mornin'.
+Mrs. Haxton heard about the trouble, an' wrote a note sayin' as how
+that Dago we saw to-day was at the bottom of the whole dam business.
+She tole Mr. Fenshawe to demand von Kerber's release. He was the on'y
+man who could handle Alfie, she said, an', wot between our commodore's
+threat to land an armed force, an' the red-hot cables he's bin sendin'
+to London an' Rome, sink me if the Governor isn't scared to death."
+
+"Is the Baron at liberty, then?"
+
+"Not yet. There's no knowin' wot might have happened if you'd kep away
+another hour or two. The ole man has raised Cain, I can tell you. But,
+look here, I'm doin' all the talkin', an' it ain't fair."
+
+"Did no one tell you a few minutes ago that Miss Fenshawe had escaped
+and was hurrying here with me?"
+
+"Ax me another," growled Stump. Then he eyed Royson critically. "I know
+wot's wrong with you," he went on. "You're light-headed for want of a
+drink. Come out of it. Damme, you need lubricatin'!"
+
+They went to the upper floor, and Mr. Fenshawe hurried to grasp Dick's
+hand.
+
+"I will not endeavor to thank you now," he said brokenly. "My gratitude
+is too deep for words, but--believe me, Mr. Royson--if I had lost my
+little girl--it would have killed me."
+
+The hotel manager came to Dick's relief. With a face all wrinkled in a
+satisfied grin, he informed them that "dinner was now served." The poor
+man had been waiting two hours to make that announcement, and Irene's
+gleeful appreciation of this low comedy close to the night's adventures
+showed that she was little the worse either in health or spirits. She
+would not hear of a doctor's being summoned. She assured her
+grandfather that soreness of lips and wrists would not impair her
+appetite, but she hoped that the dinner would not be utterly spoiled if
+it were delayed two minutes longer--she had actually forgotten to bring
+forward the Arab who had helped Mr. Royson to rescue her!
+
+Yet, search as they might, El Jaridiah was not to be found. None knew
+him, nor had any news of the girl's safety been received until she was
+seen in the vestibule. Though mystified, they were far too excited to
+pay special heed to the circumstance at the time. Both Irene and Royson
+believed that the man was detained by some slight difficulty with
+regard to the horses, one of which, they knew, was borrowed. They said
+that surely he would come to the hotel ere dinner was ended. But he
+came not. The only interruption to a lively meal was supplied by the
+Governor, who showed very proper official horror when he heard the
+story of Irene's abduction, and saw the evidences of the rough usage to
+which she had been subjected.
+
+He was so urbane and apologetic, and promised such impartial punishment
+both for the persons who inspired the outrage and for those who
+actually carried it out, that Mr. Fenshawe deferred to the morrow the
+stern protest he meant to register against von Kerber's detention. It
+was quite true, as Stump told Royson, that strongly-worded cablegrams
+were despatched to London and Rome earlier in the evening. Diplomatic
+representations would certainly be made in both capitals, and the
+yacht-owner felt that the local authorities would now leave matters
+entirely to the Italian Colonial Minister.
+
+So a truce was proclaimed. Before he left them, the Governor drank to
+Miss Fenshawe's health in the best champagne that the Grand Hotel of
+the Universe could produce.
+
+The four people rose from their belated meal at half past ten. A sailor
+came from the _Aphrodite_ in response to a message sent by Stump
+announcing Miss Fenshawe's return. The jolly-boat was waiting to take
+them on board, he said, and they walked to the jêtée, escorted by the
+whole body of gens d'armes who had mounted guard at the hotel.
+
+The long pull across the starlit waters of the harbor was peculiarly
+refreshing and restful after the thrilling events of the day. Irene
+said with a laugh that it was almost worth while being kidnapped for
+the sake of becoming a heroine, and Mr. Fenshawe yielded to the
+soothing influence of the hour in expressing the opinion that he
+expected to hear of the Baron's unconditional release early next day.
+
+"By the way," said the girl, speaking to the boatswain, "how was Mrs.
+Haxton when you left the yacht?"
+
+"She was all right, miss, when I saw her about nine o'clock. She was
+just goin' ashore--"
+
+"Going ashore!" For the life of her, Irene could not help the blank
+wonderment of that repetition.
+
+"Yes, miss. An Arab kem for her."
+
+"Are you sure?"
+
+"Sartin, miss. It was about two bells when that craft hailed us--wasn't
+it, Bill?"
+
+The sailor thus unexpectedly appealed to was taken by surprise. He
+nearly swallowed a quid of tobacco before he answered:
+
+"That's correct. It struck two bells just arter they shoved off."
+
+"Do you know where Mrs. Haxton meant to go? I mean, was she making for
+the hotel?"
+
+"I didn't happen to hear, miss. But Mr. Tagg was talkin' to the lady.
+P'raps he can tell you." From the silence prevailing among her
+companions Irene was aware that they were as much astounded by the
+man's statement as she herself. It was impossible to discuss the matter
+further in front of the boat's crew, but the girl whispered, to Royson,
+who was sitting near her:
+
+"Did you ever hear anything more amazing? She could not have missed us.
+What can be her object in going off alone?"
+
+"We may be able to answer those questions, and others, when we find out
+who it was that came for her."
+
+"Some Arab, the man says. How strange that Mrs. Haxton should be
+acquainted with an Arab in Massowah!"
+
+Mr. Fenshawe bent towards them.
+
+"Do not forget," he said in a low voice, "that Mrs. Haxton may not have
+heard earlier of von Kerber's arrest. I am inclined to think that he
+has managed to communicate with her in some manner. A curious letter I
+received to-day may throw light on the problem. I was reading it when
+that hotel man burst in on me with the news of your escapade, Irene. To
+tell the truth, I have not given much thought to it since."
+
+Royson was convinced that Mrs. Haxton, finding the game was up, had
+flown. But Tagg's version of the lady's sudden departure did not lend
+color to this view. He stated that a shore boat came alongside a few
+minutes before nine o'clock, and an Arab, who was its sole passenger,
+stood up and said clearly:
+
+"Me Abdullah. See Madame Haxton."
+
+That, seemingly, was the full extent of the man's English. He repeated
+the sentence until Tagg sent Miss Fenshawe's maid to tell Mrs. Haxton
+that an Arab named Abdullah was asking for her.
+
+"She kem at once," said Tagg, "an' they began to parleyvoo as quick as
+you like--"
+
+"They spoke French?" broke in Irene, with a sidelong glance at Dick.
+The far-fetched notion which gripped him instantly had also occurred to
+the girl.
+
+"Yes, miss. You can allus tell French by the mongin' an' bongin' an'
+tongin' that goes on."
+
+At another time Irene would have hailed Tagg's subtle humor with glee,
+but there was an element of deadly earnest in the history of the past
+few hours that kept her strictly to the issue.
+
+"This Arab--" she said, "was he a tall, good-looking man with a striped
+hood to his burnous, his outer cloak, you know?"
+
+"That's him," agreed Tagg. "More like a fellow you'd see at Tangier
+than in these parts. You know the sort of chap I mean, cap'n?"
+
+"I do," said Stump. "Reg'lar stage Arabs, they are. Sort of
+Frenchified, with clipped whiskers."
+
+"But please tell me what happened," cried Irene breathlessly.
+
+"Well, miss, there ain't much to tell. They had a serious confab for
+five minutes, an' then she tells me she's goin' ashore. 'Wot time will
+ye be back, m'am, an' I'll send a boat,' sez I. 'I dunno,' sez she, 'I
+may be late, so I shall return in a native boat.' She axed your maid,
+miss, to bring a wrap from her cabin, and she was gone without another
+word."
+
+"Then that settles it," interposed Mr. Fenshawe dryly. "Mrs. Haxton is
+a lady who knows her own mind. She is fully qualified to take care of
+herself. Off you go to bed, Irene. Sufficient for the day is the
+excitement thereof. And, according to present Indications, we shall be
+kept busy to-morrow. Goodnight, Mr. Royson. I shall be better able to
+thank you in the morning."
+
+Irene, too, held out a hand to Dick.
+
+"I'm making up all sorts of nice compliments to offer you," she said,
+pleasantly. "You need, not protest. I was gagged for the best part of
+an hour when I very specially wanted to talk, so I have a whole lot of
+things to say after breakfast."
+
+Dick read the meaning of the glance she flashed at him. Oddly enough,
+it expressed his own thought. They must endeavor to find out how Mrs.
+Haxton came to be such a close acquaintance of El Jaridiah's. Not only
+had he risked his life when he fancied she was in danger, but she, on
+her part, was willing to return with him to Massowah under cover of the
+night--to Massowah, whence she had fled in terror not many hours
+earlier.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI
+
+
+A WOMAN INTERVENES
+
+When Mrs. Haxton descended the yacht's gangway, and seated herself in
+the boat which had brought Abdullah from the shore, she threw a main
+with fate. But she was acting with her eyes open, whereas poor
+mortality is oft called on to take that dangerous hazard blindfold.
+During several haggard hours she had weighed her prospects in the scale
+of judgment, and the balance was wofully unfavorable. Wealth she had
+none; and now she saw position slipping away also. As sure as the sun
+would rise next day, so sure was it, as matters stood then, that
+exposure and humiliation must arrive. To this hard, level-headed,
+shrewd woman there was no blinking the outcome of an official inquiry.
+Alfieri was in Massowah, Alfieri, the man she had wronged as Delilah
+wronged Samson. If he were arrested, owing to Irene's abduction, he
+would demand to be confronted with von Kerber, would ask that she, too,
+should be arraigned with the Austrian, and put forward such an
+indisputable plea that, whatever the outcome for the Italian, her
+English friends must recoil from her with indignation. And there was
+worse in store. Mr. Fenshawe's generosity might provide the means of
+returning to Europe, but she would go back discredited, a mere
+adventuress, while the publicity attached to the yacht's errand could
+hardly fail to bring her name into fatal notoriety. In a word, social
+ruin stared her in the face, and the prospect was so unpleasing that
+her despairing glance turned more than once towards a dressing-case
+containing drugs whose labels spelt oblivion.
+
+Then came the Arab, with news of Irene's return, and, like any
+desperate gamester who ventures the last shreds of a wasted capital on
+some almost impossible chance, she determined to fight Alfieri to the
+end.
+
+It was not a thing to be done in cold blood. Unarmed men have saved
+their lives by boldly attacking lions, but that is no argument in favor
+of an unarmed man going out of his way to search for the king of
+beasts. And the measure of Alfieri's hate was supplied by his daring
+attempt to capture her. She shuddered to think of the result had he
+been successful, yet she nerved herself now to out-maneuver him. Of
+course, there were some slight elements in her favor. The blunder which
+had placed her enemy at loggerheads with the authorities gave her a
+momentary advantage. The man's lust for vengeance might, indeed, sweep
+aside her attack, but she must risk that. Had fate been kinder, Mrs.
+Haxton was cast in the mold that produces notable women. She knew when
+to unite boldness with calculation; she would always elect to die
+fighting rather than cower without a blow; and she would never believe
+a cause lost while there was a man to be wheedled.
+
+The Somali crew ferried her swiftly towards the landing-stage, and she
+bade Abdullah render a full account of the rescue.
+
+"You speak of a boat," she commented, with a puzzled air. "Did you see
+the occupants?"
+
+"No, madame. We heard some shouting by Italians. That is all."
+
+"A boat!" she said, deep in thought. "That seems to suggest that I was
+to be brought back to the town. The hired carriage and the long drive
+into the country were intended to throw dust in the eyes of those who
+might endeavor to find me."
+
+"Or to a ship," suggested Abdullah. "Had they a dhow in readiness?
+Perhaps, by this time, they may have slipped away to sea under cover of
+the darkness."
+
+Mrs. Haxton laughed, but her mirth had not its wonted musical cadence.
+
+"No," she said, "that is not likely. _Grand Dieu_, if only it were!
+Now, listen, and do exactly as I bid you. Somewhere in Massowah,
+probably in one of the small restaurants, you will find a man named
+Giuseppe Alfieri. You must inquire at every café and boarding house in
+the main street--there are not many. You cannot mistake him. You met
+him once at Assouan, and you may recall his appearance--he is tall and
+thin, with a lean, sallow face, clean shaven. He has long, black hair
+and his eyes are large and deeply set. When you find him, you will say
+that I wish to see him. He will be surprised, and talk big, but he will
+surely question you. Make no secret of the fact that you are in my
+confidence. Tell him I offer a truce, that I am in a position to make
+terms. He may bluster, and boast, perhaps, that I am on my knees. Well,
+admit it, and remind him that where I fail, he, at least, has no chance
+of success. Do you understand?' It is a question as between money and
+revenge. Alfieri is something of a fool. If the bait be tempting enough
+he will swallow it, and not for the first time."
+
+Abdullah nodded with complete comprehension of her under-thought. The
+Italian had been tricked once. It might be possible to trick him again.
+
+"If he agrees, Madame, when is he to meet you?"
+
+"To-morrow morning, at eleven o'clock, at the hotel."
+
+"But this other affair has set the bazaar in an uproar. One cannot
+carry off young English ladies so easily. Monsieur Alfieri may be a
+prisoner."
+
+"No such luck," said Mrs. Haxton bitterly. "You are not acquainted with
+the twists and turns of events, Abdullah. That which was simple at
+Assouan has become complex here. Alfieri has inflamed the mind of some
+high official at Rome, or he never could have persuaded the Governor to
+go to such lengths as to arrest Fenshawe Effendi, not to speak of
+Monsieur le Baron. No, this pig of a Governor has a Minister behind
+him. He may threaten, but Alfieri is safe."
+
+"Nevertheless, he may be hidden."
+
+"That will suit me equally well. Zut! Abdullah, you are not so quick as
+usual to-night."
+
+"Pardon, Madame, you have told me what I am to do, but you have said no
+words as to yourself, yet behold, we shall be on shore in a few
+minutes."
+
+"I? I am going to the fort. I have one card to play with his
+Excellency. Pray to your Prophet, Abdullah, that it may succeed."
+
+The Arab bowed silently. It might be that he stood to win, no matter
+who lost, in this war of intrigue.
+
+"Do I see you again to-night, Madame?" he asked, as the boat drew
+alongside the jetty.
+
+"I think not. Come with me until I obtain an alabeeyah. Then, to your
+search, and report to me early to-morrow."
+
+They soon found an alabeeyah, one of the small open carriages made
+popular in Egypt by the French, and Mrs. Haxton was driven towards the
+fort. The Arab began his quest for Giuseppe Alfieri, but found him not,
+for the most convincing reason that Alfieri was then seated in the
+Governor's library, smoking the Governor's cigarettes, and drinking the
+Governor's best Capri.
+
+His Excellency had just returned from the hotel. He, too, had deferred
+to the morning a tactful explanation that pressure of business had
+prevented the despatch of Mr. Fenshawe's cablegrams that night. But
+tact was not his most obvious gift. Though he hoped to mollify the
+irate yacht-owner with soft words, he did not spare Alfieri now.
+
+"The madness of it!" he cried. "You say it was a mistake. That is the
+plea of a stupid child. The affair would have been just as awkward if
+you had carried off the Signora Haxton. She is a British subject. In
+two days the newspapers of Europe would magnify the incident into an
+international dispute, and, with Abyssinia always ready to fan the
+flame--"
+
+"Believe me, Excellency, the Signora herself would have written that
+she had gone away of her own free will," broke in the other.
+
+"I doubt it very much. Her friends could not fail to think that she was
+writing under compulsion. I tell you, idiot that you are, you have
+prejudiced your own case, made difficulties where they did not exist.
+If your sworn statements are true--"
+
+"They are true, true as death," vociferated Alfieri.
+
+"_Ebbene_! Why, then, strengthen your enemies by giving them just cause
+for complaint?"
+
+"If only you knew what I have suffered through that woman, Excellency!"
+came the angry cry.
+
+"Oh, blame the woman, of course," said the Governor, with the fine
+scorn of a man who has married a meek wife. "I lose patience with these
+transports. If a woman preferred another to me I would dance at her
+wedding."
+
+"You would not dance if she had used all the arts of treachery to rob
+you of your fortune."
+
+"I flatter myself I would resist the tricks of any siren who was merely
+anxious to delude me. But this is beside the question. These English
+suspect you of planning the outrage. Frankly, I cannot see my way to
+meet the inquiry which must be made, sooner or later. Perhaps the old
+man, Fenshawe, may consent to tone down his messages to-morrow. If he
+refuses, and sails to Aden, the very cables will fuse under the storm
+of remonstrance from Rome. I may be recalled. That pig, Festiano, will
+be appointed in my place. The more I consider your imbecility the less
+am I inclined to put faith in anything you have said. How do I know
+that your Greek was not an addle-headed ass like yourself? _Corpo di
+Dio!_ His treasure of Saba may be a piece of moon-madness akin to this
+tragi-comic plot of yours."
+
+"I would have bent her to my will. I could make her go to this Austrian
+dog and tell him begone. I could force her to confess to the Englishman
+that she had deceived him."
+
+"_Saetta!_ I am out of temper with you," growled the Governor, lighting
+a cigarette and smoking furiously.
+
+He was fond of plain speaking, this temporary ruler of Erythrea. The
+sudden death of a Governor appointed from Rome had given him his
+chance. He might be superseded at any moment by some carpetbagger with
+political influence, and it went against the grain that the private
+feuds of people whose quarrels did not interest him in the least should
+be able to wreck his career. Alfieri came to him with good credentials.
+If the man's story was borne out by facts, not only would Italy receive
+a handsome sum from a colony which had hitherto been a drain on her
+resources, but he, Marchetti, would reap some share of the credit, not
+to mention the bonus promised for his assistance. His instructions from
+headquarters were clear. He had acted within his rights in arresting
+von Kerber and detaining Mr. Fenshawe until the latter gave up an
+undertaking to land on Italian territory without permission. That he
+had decided to release the Englishman unconditionally was a further
+tribute to his good judgment. Having caged the hawk there was no harm
+in freeing the pigeon. But Alfieri's passionate and ill-advised,
+attempt to abduct Mrs. Haxton had changed the whole aspect of affairs.
+No wonder the stout and pompous little man fumed and fretted in vain,
+endeavor to climb out of this unexpected pit.
+
+Alfieri looked at his restless companion in moody silence. In aspect,
+he was the exact opposite to the podgy Governor. Slender, and loosely
+built, he had the large, sunken eyes of a dreamer, the narrow forehead
+of the self-opinionated, the delicate nostrils and mobile mouth of the
+neurotic temperament. It was easy to see that such a man would brood
+over an injury, real or imagined, till he had lashed himself into a
+tempest of wrath. His emotions could know no mean. From sullen despair
+he could rebound to the most extravagant optimism. That very day he had
+rushed away from the painstaking details of a semi-scientific
+expedition in order to--gratify a Sicilian impulse which called for the
+ruthless settlement of an old score.
+
+Even now, the sense of failure rankled deeper than the contemptuous
+anger of his fellow-countryman; but the practical-minded Governor had
+no intent to leave matters where they stood.
+
+"It seems to me," he said, turning suddenly on Alfieri, after gazing
+out across the harbor and watching the twinkling lights on the
+_Aphrodite_, "it seems to me that the best thing we can do now is to
+arrange a compromise. It is not too late. We must board the
+Englishman's yacht early in the morning--"
+
+He was interrupted by a knock at the door. A servant entered. There was
+a lady to see his Excellency. By Bacchus, a lady, at that hour, nearly
+ten o'clock! Who was she, and what did she want? He could not be
+bothered--
+
+Then he read the name on the card brought by the man, and whistled
+softly, lest perchance this latest phase of an electrical situation
+should demand words not in the repertory of excellencies.
+
+"Wait outside for one moment," he said. Alfieri, alive to Signor
+Marchetti's suppressed excitement, wondered who the visitor could be.
+The governor examined the card again. He gave his companion a rather
+dreary smile.
+
+"You are but a tinfoil conspirator, after all, my friend," said he.
+"Here is a woman who despises you."
+
+Alfieri sprang to his feet with an oath.
+
+"She has not dared!" he cried.
+
+"Calm yourself, I pray you. The Signora Haxton has come to pay a visit
+--that is all. The hour is late, but, from what you have told me, she
+is not likely to be troubled by a consideration of that kind. Now,
+Signor Alfieri, I am going to receive her. Do not forget that I am the
+Chief magistrate of Massowah. It is probable that, through her
+instrumentality, I may be able to extricate both myself and you from
+the predicament into which your folly has plunged us. And I warn you
+that any display of temper will be fatal. Let us go slowly and we may
+go far."
+
+Alfieri, all a-quiver with uncontrollable emotion, fixed his glowing
+eyes on the door when the servant returned with Mrs. Haxton. She
+entered, with the graceful ease of one accustomed to meet greater
+dignitaries than the head of a small Italian colony. Signor Marchetti
+advanced a few paces. Where a lady was concerned he could be courteous
+enough, his abruptness being a specially cultivated mannerism intended
+to impress natives with a sense of his importance. But, beneath the
+skin of office, he was Italian to the core, and he promised himself a
+fine scenic effect when the Englishwoman's glance fell on the other
+occupant of the room.
+
+But Mrs. Haxton had nerved herself to play for a high stake. Though she
+shrank back a little and caught her breath when she saw Alfieri, there
+was a restraint in her attitude which might have surprised a more
+astute person than Governor Marchetti. Her eyes contracted somewhat,
+her lips tightened, a hand clutched at the folds of a cloak thrown
+loosely over her shoulders. Marchetti paid heed to these things, and
+interpreted them as evidences of timidity. A man accustomed to wield a
+rapier rather than a cudgel would not have made that initial error.
+Alfieri's presence changed the whole situation, and Mrs. Haxton, in
+whom the stage had lost a great actress, instantly bent her wits to
+deal with the new set of circumstances thus created.
+
+"You speak Italian, signora? Ah, capital! Pray be seated," said the
+Governor affably. "As you have honored me with a call at this unusual
+hour I take it that your business is urgent. Do you wish to confer with
+me in private? If so, Signor Alfieri, who is not unknown to you, I
+believe, will leave us for a few minutes. Otherwise, you can talk quite
+frankly in his presence."
+
+That was the Governor's method of putting his two visitors at their
+ease. The lady would assume he knew everything. The man would take his
+cue from a friendly opening. What could be better?
+
+"I am glad that Signor Alfieri is here, your Excellency, though I must
+admit that I did not expect to see him," said Mrs. Haxton, taking the
+proffered chair. "My business concerns him, to a certain extent. By all
+means, let him remain."
+
+Her voice was under control. She spoke Italian fluently, and her
+smooth, clear accents seemed to stir strange memories in Alfieri's
+soul. But, thinking to annoy her, he forced a spiteful grin to his thin
+lips.
+
+"Allowing for the lapse of years, Rita," he said, "and bearing in mind
+your natural distress at to-day's occurrences, you are looking
+remarkably well."
+
+She flashed one quick glance at him, then smiled sweetly at Marchetti.
+
+"My distress ended when the Signorina Fenshawe was brought back to her
+friends. Of course, it was a dreadful thing that she should be carried
+off in such a way. Were it not for the skill and resource displayed by
+one of the _Aphrodite's_ officers, there is no knowing what the
+consequences might have been."
+
+"You have seen the signorina at the hotel?" put in the Governor.
+
+"No, I came straight from the yacht. I thought it advisable."
+
+"But the affair has been misrepresented. It is a mere bagatelle. There
+exists, shall we say, a certain disagreement between you and Signor
+Alfieri. There was an unhappy mistake, which I would have rectified
+without any help from the yacht. You see, rumor is apt to exaggerate."
+
+"I think you are taking a very reasonable and proper view, your
+Excellency. It will be best for all parties if we try to regard the
+incident in that light."
+
+Marchetti was vaguely conscious of a too complete agreement in the
+lady's tone. But he seized the apparent advantage.
+
+"Then that is settled," he said cheerfully. "I have already apologized
+to Signor Fenshawe. To-morrow a more ample explanation and expression
+of regret should remove any cause of friction."
+
+"I have reason to think there will be no difficulty in arriving at an
+amicable settlement, provided you fall in with the suggestion I am here
+to make."
+
+"And that is?"
+
+"That you release the Baron von Kerber to-night."
+
+"Ha!" snarled Alfieri, but the Governor angrily motioned him to be
+silent.
+
+"No one is better aware than yourself, signora, how utterly impossible
+is your request," he said.
+
+"The proposal is not even worthy of debate, then?"
+
+"But no."
+
+"That is a pity. My small experience of life has taught me that when
+two reasonable people, or even three, hold different views on any given
+subject, there is always something to be said in favor of each
+contention. Indeed, wisdom leans towards a compromise in such a case."
+
+"You presuppose a mere divergence of opinion. Here we have no room for
+it. Your confederate, signora, if you will pardon a harsh term, is
+believed to have stolen valuable documents from my friend, Signor
+Alfieri. My Government has instructed me to arrest him, and to use
+every means, not stopping short of armed force, to prevent the
+_Aphrodite_ from undertaking what is little else than a piratical
+expedition. You see, therefore, that it is not in my power, if I were
+so minded, to set Baron von Kerber at liberty. Compromise in any other
+direction would appeal to me. Where Baron von Kerber is concerned, I am
+helpless."
+
+His Excellency was firmly planted on the gubernatorial dais once more.
+Mrs. Haxton evidently demanded plain speaking. Being a blunt man, he
+gave it to her. But she smiled again, quite pleasantly.
+
+"That is what I may describe as the correct official attitude," she
+said. "If it were founded on fact, it would be unassailable. But Signor
+Alfieri can tell you that the Baron most certainly did not steal
+anything from him. If a culprit must be found, it was I, not Franz von
+Kerber, who should be charged with theft."
+
+"Ah, _Dio mio_, you hear? She admits!"
+
+Alfieri almost screeched the words. He was in a frenzy of passion. This
+woman had ever the power to drive him beyond bounds. He hated her now
+with an intensity born of derided love. The Governor would have stormed
+at him, but Mrs. Haxton accepted the challenge too promptly.
+
+"I admit nothing," she cried with a sudden shrillness. "If admissions
+are necessary I shall wait until Abdullah confronts you. Then, when I
+have told my story, he shall tell his."
+
+"Who cares for Abdullah!" came the retort. "Not I. It is well, indeed,
+to appeal to the testimony of an unknown Arab."
+
+"You shall have the opportunity of refuting him," said. Mrs. Haxton.
+"He is in Massowah. But that is a question for such tribunal as may
+exist in this lawless town. Your Excellency's decision is final?" she
+added, turning to the Governor.
+
+"Absolutely irrevocable, signora. You see how it stands--my orders are
+explicit."
+
+"Their explicitness is as nothing compared to the clearness of the next
+mandate you will receive from Rome," she blazed out. "Was it according
+to your orders that an English lady was carried off by brigands, simply
+to glut the vengeance of my discarded Beppo? You spoke of confederates,
+Signor Marchetti. What of the confederacy that permits this man to be
+your guest while your officers are making mock search for him in the
+bazaar? Your judges, even such as they are, will laugh him out of court
+when he tries to substantiate the charge he has brought against Baron
+von Kerber. Poor, love-sick fool!--to gratify his spite he attacks his
+rival with false evidence rather than let it be known that a woman
+twisted him round her little finger. Look at him now; he would strike
+me dead, if he dared; but he cannot answer me."
+
+Alfieri leaped to his feet. His voice rose to a cracked falsetto.
+
+"You hear, you hear!" was his cry. "She robbed me of the papyrus, yet
+boasts of it. She is a thief, self-confessed."
+
+Mrs. Haxton also sprang up. Her physical dread of the man had yielded
+to the triumph of having cornered him.
+
+"Truly I hope his Excellency hears," she said. "If I am to blame for
+the loss of your papers, why is Baron von Kerber in prison on your
+testimony?"
+
+"You are both in league," he almost screamed. "I was blind, infatuated,
+at Assouan. It was the Austrian who planned my undoing, and you, his
+paramour, who cajoled me out of my senses."
+
+"I refuse to stay here and be insulted by such a coward," she said,
+gathering her skirts as though she intended to take her departure
+instantly. "But it will be a fine story that Signor Fenshawe cables
+from Aden when he tells how the Governor of Massowah aided and abetted
+this half-crazy poltroon in onslaughts on defenseless women. It was not
+enough that Italian law should be misused to further his ends, but the
+scum of the bazaar is enlisted under his banner, and he is supported by
+the authorities in an act that would be reprobated by any half-savage
+state in existence."
+
+"I pray you calm yourself, signora," exclaimed Marchetti, now fully
+alive to the dangers confronting him. "You must see that I have only
+acted in an official capacity. I, at least, have no feeling in the
+matter. I received certain information--"
+
+"Which was entirely misleading and one-sided," she broke in
+imperiously.
+
+"Which certainly did not refer to you in any particular," was the sharp
+rejoinder, while he glanced at Alfieri, "If this gentleman is now
+prepared to say that he was mistaken--"
+
+"Who dares to hint at any admission on my part?" shouted Alfieri.
+
+The stout Governor did not like to be bawled at. He was sufficiently
+embarrassed already by the quagmire into which Alfieri had plunged him.
+
+"You ought to be careful in your choice of words," he said pompously.
+"There is no question of 'dare' or 'dare not' where I am concerned.
+Signora, do me the favor of sitting here while I discuss matters
+briefly with Signor Alfieri. Signor, be good enough to precede me."
+
+He pointed to the door. With a queer catching at her breath, Mrs.
+Haxton sank into a chair. Alfieri folded his arms and gazed at the
+Governor with eyes that blazed under his heavy brows.
+
+"You are the representative of Italy," he said, making a great effort
+to speak quietly. "I call on you to lodge that woman in a cell so that
+she may be tried with her accomplice."
+
+"If you do not go instantly, and in silence, into the corridor, I shall
+call on my guards to take you there by force," exclaimed Marchetti with
+a more successful assumption of ease.
+
+Alfieri turned his lambent glance on Mrs. Haxton, but the Governor
+stopped the imminent outburst.
+
+"I said 'in silence,'" he roared, stretching a hand to grasp a bell-
+rope. Alfieri, with a fierce gesture of disdain, went out. His
+Excellency bowed to the lady.
+
+"Two minutes," he murmured. "The wine on the table is Capri. You will
+find it grateful after this somewhat heated interview."
+
+But Mrs. Haxton drank no wine when the Governor followed Alfieri. She
+bit her lips and clenched her hands in an agony of restraint. This lull
+in the storm was more trying than the full fury of the blast. The
+Governor's two minutes lengthened into ten. Then he hurried back,
+alone. He was manifestly ill at ease, though he spoke glibly enough.
+
+"I am taking a grave step, signora," he said, "but I feel that the
+peculiar circumstances warrant it. I have released the Baron von
+Kerber. He is now awaiting you, and it will give me much pleasure to
+conduct you to your carriage. Yet I pray you give earnest heed to me. I
+have told him what I now tell you--this undertaking of yours must be
+abandoned. Not only is it my duty to prevent it at all costs, but an
+expedition starts for the Five Hills this very night. So, you see, you
+are sure to fail in any case. The exact locality is known, and Signor
+Alfieri has an armed escort. I repeat, you have failed. May I hope,
+without being rude, that your love affairs may be more prosperous.
+Charming woman that you are, I cannot compliment you on either of your
+present suitors. My advice Is, go back to England, and help me tomorrow
+in persuading Signor Fenshawe to let matters rest where they are."
+
+As one walking in a dream, Mrs. Haxton accompanied Marchetti to the
+courtyard. There she found von Kerber, who ran to meet her.
+
+"So it is you," he cried in English. "I guessed it, though they would
+tell me nothing."
+
+The Governor was most polite. He would not lecture them, before
+natives.
+
+"I have spoken as a friend, to-night," he murmured. "To-morrow I shall
+be an official once more."
+
+The alabeeyah rattled across the paved square towards the gateway.
+Alfieri, on whom an officer kept an eye, watched it with malevolence
+from an upper window.
+
+"There go two people whom I hate," he said to his guardian. "They have
+escaped me this time. When I am rich, rich as any king in Europe, I
+shall have a king's power. Then I shall find them and crush them
+utterly."
+
+The driver swung his horses towards the sea front.
+
+"No, no," cried Mrs. Haxton. "Go through the bazaar. Drive slowly."
+And, in the next breath, she explained to von Kerber: "We must find
+Abdullah. He is somewhere in the main street. Above all things, we must
+find Abdullah. Alfieri leaves Massowah tonight, and he is making for
+the Five Hills. Our only hope lies with Abdullah."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII
+
+
+STUMP DEPENDS ON OBSERVATION
+
+After eight hours of dreamless sleep, Irene awoke to a torpid but
+blissful conviction that bed is a most comfortable place when bones
+ache and the slightest movement is made irksome by patches of chafed
+skin. In fact, having buried her hands gingerly in the wealth of brown
+hair that streamed over the pillow, she lay and watched the white
+planks of the deck overhead, wondering idly what time it was. The
+effort to guess the hour brought her a stage nearer complete
+consciousness. Her first precise recollection was also pleasant. She
+thought of the way in which Royson had carried her in his arms not so
+many hours earlier, and the memory banished all others for many
+minutes.
+
+If she smiled and blushed a little, it may be pleaded that she was
+twenty years of age, and had passed her girlhood amidst surroundings
+from which young men eligible to carry young ladies in their arms, or
+even hold them there, were rigorously excluded. Not that her
+grandfather was a misanthrope, but his interests were bound up so
+thoroughly in Egyptian research that his friends were, for the most
+part, elderly savants with kindred tastes. The wreck, of the _Bokhara_,
+too, with Irene's father and mother among its passengers, had helped to
+cut him off from the social world. When the grief of that tragedy had
+yielded to the passing years he hardly realized that the little child
+who had crept into his affections was growing up into a beautiful and
+light-hearted girl. Quite insensibly she assimilated herself to his
+hobbies and studies, became mistress of his London house and fine
+estate in Berkshire, and, by operation of forces more effective in
+their way than any Puritanical safeguards, lived apart from the gay
+throng in which she was eminently fitted to take a leading place.
+
+Irene offered, then, a somewhat unusual type. While other girls might
+recount the number of male hearts they had subdued during the past
+season, Irene could state, with equal accuracy, the names of the gods
+of the Memphite order. Though her grandfather's wealth and the
+eagerness of a skilled maid compelled her to take a passing interest in
+fashions, she was far more devoted to variations in scarabs. Such
+attainments, if sedulously pursued during the succeeding decade, might
+have converted her into an alarmingly precise Bas Bleu! As it was, the
+Memphite gods smiled on her, and the scarabs might buzz off to their
+museums contentedly at any moment, for Irene was only waiting the
+advent of an undreamed-of influence into her life to develop into a
+tender, sympathetic, delightful womanhood.
+
+Indeed, if Ka and Ra and beetle-headed Khepra were so important in the
+scheme of existence that this dainty scientist cared naught for the
+moth-life of society, why, then, did she blush when she remembered how
+closely Dick Royson had clasped her to his breast over-night? Perhaps
+she might have asked herself that question, only to blush more deeply
+in trying to answer it, had not her thoughts been distracted by the
+extraordinary behavior of a silk underskirt hanging on a peg at the
+foot of the bed. It was swinging to and fro with the regularity of a
+pendulum, and that which is regular in a pendulum is fantastically
+irregular in an underskirt. She sat up quickly, and listened. There was
+a swish of water outside. Now and again she heard a slight movement of
+the rudder chains in their boxes. Then, all aglow with wonder and
+excitement, she jumped out of bed and drew the curtain of one of the
+two tiny portholes that gave light to her cabin.
+
+Yes, another marvel had happened. The yacht was speeding along under
+canvas,--was already far out at sea. Where Massowah's yellow sandspit
+shone yesterday were now blue wavelets dancing in the sun, and Irene
+was sailor enough to know that the _Aphrodite_ was bound south.
+
+She rang an electric bell, and her maid came.
+
+"Yes, miss," said the girl, "we've been going since midnight. As soon
+as Mrs. Haxton and Baron von Kerber came on board--"
+
+"Baron von Kerber, did you say?" broke in Irene breathlessly.
+
+"Yes, miss. He came with Mrs. Haxton. Mind you, miss, I haven't seen
+him, but one of the stewards told me that the Baron went straight to
+Mr. Fenshawe's cabin, and the order was given to raise the anchor
+immediately. I'm sure they made plenty of noise. They woke me up, miss,
+and I'm a sound sleeper."
+
+The maid was ready to say more, but Irene had learnt to discourage
+servants' gossip.
+
+"I think the _Aphrodite_ might have fired cannons last night without
+disturbing me," she declared lightly. "What time is it?"
+
+"Nearly nine o'clock, miss. No one seemed to be stirring, so Mr. Gibson
+put off breakfast for half an hour. He said that everybody must be worn
+out after yesterday's worries."
+
+Irene laughed. Gibson, the head steward, a fatherly sort of man, was a
+martinet in the matter of punctuality at meals. This adjourning of the
+breakfast hour was a great concession on his part. It showed how
+strenuous life had been at Massowah.
+
+Despite her aches and pains, she dressed rapidly. She was all agog to
+learn how von Kerber had regained his liberty, and what new development
+was marked by the yacht's unexpected sailing. When she hurried to the
+bridge for news, the first person she met was Royson, and perhaps one
+of those old deities of Memphis would have smiled darkly were he
+privileged to see the tell-tale color that leaped to both faces.
+
+Naturally, the girl was the speedier to find her tongue.
+
+"Good gracious, Mr. Royson," she said, "what is the meaning of this?"
+and a generous hand-sweep included sea and sky and distant coastline in
+the eager question.
+
+"I don't know," he said. "Captain Stump and Mr. Tagg entered into a
+conspiracy to keep me in bed. I have not been on deck five minutes."
+
+"But didn't you ask? Aren't you consumed with curiosity? Who is in
+charge of the bridge?"
+
+"Mr. Tagg. His stock of information is limited. 'Cleared the islands at
+four bells; course South-40-East' is practically all he has to say."
+
+"It may be, then, that you are good at guessing? Have you not heard
+that the Baron is with us?"
+
+"Yes, Miss Fenshawe, I knew that last night. Indeed, I heard his boat
+hail the watch. I was lying awake, and the Baron's voice is easily
+recognizable."
+
+"Mrs. Haxton seems to have succeeded where all else failed. Did you see
+any of their companions? Was El Jaridiah with them?"
+
+"No. I plead guilty to opening a port and looking out. The tide carried
+the boat close beneath me when she was cast loose from the gangway. El
+Jaridiah, or Abdullah, if that is his name, was not there."
+
+"It is all very mysterious and puzzling," said Irene, gazing at the
+purple mountains which fringed the southwest horizon. "I am sorry we
+have not been able to reward the man, and I had set my heart on buying
+Moti. Don't you think it was rather wonderful that such a weedy-looking
+animal should have carried us so safely?"
+
+"It was all very wonderful," Dick replied, but he did not dare to meet
+the glance suddenly turned on him. For some reason, Miss Fenshawe
+decided to guide their talk into a less personal channel.
+
+"If the breakfast gong does not ring immediately, I shall go and hammer
+on grandad's door," she vowed. "He hates being disturbed when he is
+dressing, but I am simply aching to find out what has happened and
+where we are going. And, talking of aches, Mr. Royson, look at my poor
+wrists."
+
+She held out both her hands, close together, with the palms downwards.
+Royson noticed instantly she was wearing a beautiful marquise ring on
+the middle finger of her left hand. The rules which govern the use of
+these baubles were beyond his ken. A plain gold ring on a lady's so-
+called fourth finger is a marriage token known to all men, but he had
+not the ghost of an idea where an engagement ring should be carried,
+and he jumped to the conclusion that the girl was wearing one. Why had
+he never seen it before, he wondered? Was it a hint, a reminder of the
+conventions? It is probable that Irene herself would have been
+surprised if she were told that it was once the custom for engaged
+young ladies to reveal their happiness by displaying a ring on the
+middle finger, while those who were free but prepared to wed might
+coyly announce the fact by a ring on the index finger. Be that as it
+may, Royson was dumfounded by the sight of the glistening diamonds.
+They winked at him evilly, and his tongue tripped:
+
+"I cannot tell you how sorry I am," he murmured thickly, Irene dropped
+her hands.
+
+"Unless you are able to squint, you didn't look at my wrists at all,"
+she exclaimed. A gong pealed loudly from the cabin, and she ran off.
+Dick made for the chart-room, in front of which Tagg was leaning on the
+rail and gazing ahead.
+
+"You've bin quick," said the chief. "'Keep her steady as she goes,
+South-40-East, until the ole raw comes on deck. If the wind drops, call
+'im."
+
+Then Dick remembered that Tagg had bidden him have his breakfast before
+he came on duty. Royson said nothing, but took his station on the
+bridge. Tagg, being lame, preferred to swing himself to the main deck,
+whence he hopped into the small cabin where the officers ate their
+meals. He came back instantly.
+
+"Wot's the game?" he inquired sympathetically.
+
+"You've eaten nothin'. Feelin' bad?"
+
+"No. Oh, no," Royson laughed and reddened.
+
+"Then wot's wrong? Didn't you fancy the corfee an' bacon, after the
+high livin' ashore?"
+
+"The fact is, I met Miss Fenshawe, and she detained me a few minutes."
+
+"Is that any reason why you shouldn't eat?"
+
+"None whatever. I--er--really--forgot."
+
+"Forgot your breakfast! Come orf of it."
+
+Tagg climbed up, monkey-like.
+
+"Take my tip," he said earnestly, "This is a bad climate to go hungry
+in. You'd 'ave a touch of the sun in less'n no time. Just go below, an'
+force yerself to nibble a bit. It'll do you good, an' I don't mind
+keepin' watch another spell."
+
+Royson obeyed in silence. His friend's kindliness supplied an
+unconscious but necessary tonic to his system. Obviously, the second
+mate of the _Aphrodite_ had no business to trouble his head about the
+symbolism of rings worn by Miss Irene Fenshawe. Yet he wished he knew
+which was the engagement finger.
+
+Shortly before noon Captain Stump came on deck to take the sun. This
+was a semi-religious rite with Stump. Though the contours of the coast
+drawn along two sides of the Admiralty chart rendered a solar
+observation quite needless within sight of land, he proceeded to
+ascertain the yacht's position according to the formula, or, at any
+rate, according to such portion of it as applied to his rule-of-thumb
+calculations. Having pricked the chart and written the log, Stump bit
+the end off a cigar. He was ready for a gossip with Royson.
+
+"You won't find life quite so lively at Aden as at Massowah," he said.
+
+"We are bound for Aden, then?"
+
+"Where did you think we was headin' for? Melbourne?"
+
+"Well, sir, if I gave any thought to it I inclined more to the belief
+that we were making for our original destination."
+
+"An' where was that?"
+
+"A bay somewhere south of us, not far from Perin."
+
+"Have you heard anything fresh?" asked Stamp quickly.
+
+"Not a word. But, if we reach Aden, I suppose the expedition will be
+abandoned."
+
+"They're chewin' about it now in the saloon," said the skipper,
+glancing over his shoulder to make sure there was no one within
+earshot. His sailor's eye swept the horizon at the same instant, and he
+saw a smoke-blur some miles astern. Breaking off the conversation
+abruptly, he Weal into the chart-house, and returned with a telescope,
+which, he balanced against a stay.
+
+"There's a steamer comin' after us in a desprit hurry," he announced,
+when a prolonged examination had enabled him to form an opinion.
+
+"After us?" repeated Dick.
+
+"That's the way I read it. She's from Massowah. The reg'lar channel is
+fifty miles east. Tell you wot, it's that I-talian gunboat the guv'nor
+spoke about."
+
+"But she was not in port when we left."
+
+"No. We passed her comin' in."
+
+"Ah, she recognized us?"
+
+"Not much. We were under sail, an carried no masthead light. When I
+twigged hers I tied a couple of sou'westers over our side lights. It's
+a good thing at sea to mind your own business sometimes, an', more'n
+that, to take care that other people mind theirs when they want to be
+nasty."
+
+"Shall we keep on under canvas, sir?"
+
+"As long as the wind lasts," said Stump, closing the telescope and
+rolling off towards the saloon. Within a minute all hands were on deck.
+The corporate life of a small ship is closely knit. The word had gone
+round that a gunboat was in pursuit, and every one wanted to see her.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe and Baron von Kerber stood apart. The older man was
+visibly annoyed by this new instance of Italian interference. Royson,
+pacing the tiny bridge, caught an occasional glimpse of the
+millionaire's emphatic gestures. The Austrian was more sallow than
+usual, but that might be the result of his unpleasant experiences on
+the previous day. Irene came to the bridge. Though she knew that none
+except the captain might converse with the officer on duty, she
+whispered timidly:
+
+"They won't fire at us, Mr. Royson, will they?"
+
+He smiled reassuringly. The tremor in her voice was delightful. It made
+him forget that wretched ring for a moment.
+
+"No, that is not to be feared, Miss Fenshawe. My experience of the sea
+is no greater than your own, but you may be sure the Italians will
+follow the rules. If they really wish to overhaul us they will fly a
+signal soon."
+
+The warship was traveling sixteen knots an hour, the _Aphrodite_ seven,
+so the chase did not last long. About one o'clock the green, white, and
+red ensign of Italy fluttered to the end of the pursuing vessel's
+foreyard, where it could be seen most easily; under it were shown the
+red and white striped code signal, and the "J" flag, which latter, in
+the language of the seas means, "Stop; I 'have something important to
+communicate."
+
+The British ensign was run up, followed by the answering pennant, the
+mainsail was lowered, the foresail backed, and the yacht was brought
+to, while the Italian ship, which was made out to be the _Cigno_, came
+on rapidly.
+
+Mrs. Haxton approached. Stump and whispered in his ear.
+
+"Quite right, ma'am," he nodded. He walked forward and looked at the
+crew, mustered in full strength in the fore part.
+
+"Every man, 'cept those on watch, go below,", he growled, "an' mind you
+keep there, with al ports closed, until I ax you to show your ugly mugs
+on deck."
+
+They obeyed in sulky silence, though they appreciated the reason of the
+order. Hence, when, the _Cigno_ stopped her panting engines abreast of
+the _Aphrodite_, there were many more pairs of eyes watching from the
+yacht than the Italian captain reckoned on.
+
+The warship lowered a boat. Something went wrong with the gear, the
+after block jammed, the boat fell and dangled from her davits bows
+first, and an officer and half a dozen men were thrown into the sea.
+They were soon rescued, but the mishap did not tend to sweeten the
+temper of the _Cigno's_ commander. A dry officer and crew were
+requisitioned, and the boat was pulled alongside the yacht.
+
+Stump, with a malicious grin on his face, leaned over the starboard
+rail.
+
+"Wot is it?" he demanded. "Have you lost yer bearin's?"
+
+The officer replied in Italian, greatly to Stump's disgust.
+
+"I s'pose the chap they chucked overboard was the on'y Dago among 'em
+who could speak English," he grunted, but Mrs. Haxton explained that
+the officer was asking for the gangway to be lowered. Stump nodded to a
+couple of sailors, and the ladder dropped so smartly that the boat
+nearly came to grief a second time.
+
+The officer bowed very politely when he reached the deck. Probably he
+was surprised to find himself in the presence of two such beautiful
+women. Though Irene spoke Italian, Mrs. Haxton took on herself the role
+of interpreter. The _Cigno_ carried two letters from the Governor of
+Massowah, she said. One was addressed to Signor Fenshawe, the other to
+the signor captain of the British yacht _Aphrodite_. Would the two
+gentlemen kindly read and acknowledge receipt of the Governor's
+epistles?
+
+Both were purely formal documents. They set forth the official demand
+that the _Aphrodite_ should not attempt to land any of her occupants on
+Italian territory at other than a recognized port, and warned her owner
+and commander that the _Cigno_ would enforce observance of the request.
+
+At first, Mr. Fenshawe refused angrily to give a written reply, but von
+Kerber prevailed on him, and he wrote:
+
+"Mr. Hiram Fenshawe begs to inform the Governor of Erythrea that his
+prohibition of the landing of a British scientific expedition in the
+colony he rules is arbitrary and unwarranted. Mr. Hiram Fenshawe is
+further of opinion that the said prohibition is part of the lawless
+treatment to which he and other members of the yacht's company were
+subjected during their visit to the 'recognized port' of Massowah.
+Finally, Mr. Hiram Fenshawe intends to lay the whole matter before the
+British Foreign Office."
+
+This stiff-necked answer showed clearly that the writer was still on
+von Kerber's side, no matter what revelations were contained in the
+letter from London which Royson knew of. Irene copied the note for her
+grandfather. She made no comment. Perhaps her own island blood was a-
+boil at the cavalier tone of the Governor's threat.
+
+Stump's letter was characteristic. It ran:
+
+    S. Y. Aphrodite,
+
+    Lat. 15° 10' N., Long. 41° 15' E,
+
+    SIR--Yours at hand. Will act as think fit.
+
+    Yours truly,
+
+    JOHN STUMP, Master
+
+
+The disagreeable part of this business ended, the Italian officer
+conveyed the compliments of the Cigno's commander, and, on his behalf,
+invited Signor Fenshawe and the two ladies to luncheon. Mr. Fenshawe
+stiffly declined, on the plea that he did not wish to interrupt the
+voyage, and the envoy went back to his ship.
+
+The _Aphrodite_ swung round into the wind, dipped her ensign, and was
+soon bowling along at her usual rate. The _Cigno_ stood away for the
+coast, but, as the day wore, it was palpable that she did not mean to
+part company with the yacht until the Straits of Bab-el-mandeb were
+passed.
+
+About four o'clock the wind dropped and the engines were called on.
+With the night the wind rose again but veered to the south. The
+_Cigno's_ lights were clearly visible at about three miles' distance.
+Her white masthead light watched the Aphrodite without blinking, while
+her red and green eyes suggested to Irene's fancy some fabled monster
+of the deep waiting to pounce on the yacht if she deviated an inch from
+her seaward course.
+
+The girl snatched a few minutes' talk with Royson. Von Kerber, it
+seemed, had persuaded her grandfather that Alfieri was the paid agent
+of rival archeologists who had got wind of the Sabaean hoard, and were
+able to secure the help of the Italian Government. She was convinced
+that the ill treatment meted out to them at Massowah had only confirmed
+the old gentleman's determination to best his opponents at all costs.
+The burking of his cablegrams, made known by the Baron, was the last
+straw in an aggravated load. The yacht was going to Aden to enable him
+to lodge a complaint with the proper authorities, but she would leave
+almost at once for French--Somaliland, where a _kafila_ would be
+collected and a dash made across the Italian frontier. And Dick
+gathered that Irene herself was inclined to let affairs run their
+natural course. He agreed with her, which was to be expected, seeing
+that he was four-and twenty, and in love. He cudgeled his brains for
+some pretext to discuss rings and the manner of wearing them, but his
+wit failed him there. Irene on the deck of her grandfather's yacht
+differed in several important particulars from the tremulous girl who
+clung to him during that blissful journey of the previous night.
+
+He tried to clear up this vital point with Tagg.
+
+"Did you ever give a young lady an engagement ring?" he asked, after
+judiciously leading his chief to discourse on the frailties of the
+sex.
+
+"Well," said Tagg reflectively, "it all depen's on the way you take'
+it. I once gev' a girl a Mizpah ring, which fancied, when she saw'r it
+in a pawnshop window. Next time I met her she tole me she'd swopped it
+for a dress improver. The feller she was goin' to marry didn't like the
+motter as comin' from me, you see, but the funny thing was she never
+said a word about him when she saw'r me buyin' the ring. Since then,
+I've kep' me money in me pocket."
+
+Royson took the morning watch, from 4 A.M. till 8. Stump joined him
+soon after dawn, and appeared to be anxious about the yacht's exact
+position. So far as Dick could judge from the chart, they were in safe
+waters; nevertheless, the stout skipper did not rest content until the
+tall peak of Jebel Aduali opened up clear of Jebel Ash Ali, with
+Sanahbor Island bearing west.
+
+A lighthouse on the mainland flashed a bright ray at them before the
+rising sun rendered its warning unnecessary. Still dogging them, the
+_Cigno_ followed in their wake at half speed, but Stump gave no eye to
+the warship. He continued to scan the coast intently. A low, double-
+peaked hill intervened between the lofty Jebel Aduali and the ship.
+When its saddle cut the summit of the more distant mountain, Stump
+changed the course sharply.
+
+To Royson's surprise, the yacht turned due west, and headed for the
+point whence the lighthouse had gleamed half an hour earlier.
+
+And now, instead of looking ahead, Stump kept his telescope glued on
+the _Cigno_. A cloud of smoke from the gunboat's funnels showed that
+she had noted the _Aphrodite's_ new direction, and meant to take a
+close interest in it. She had a few miles to make up, but that was a
+simple matter, and her nose swung to the southwest as she raced for the
+bay towards which the yacht was steaming.
+
+Both vessels held on, following converging lines, for nearly an hour.
+By that time they were hardly a mile apart. Suddenly Stump sent the
+_Aphrodite_ round until she lay on her previous course. In a word,
+after standing in for the land in the most decided manner, he was now
+making for the Straits again.
+
+This behavior apparently puzzled the Italian vessel, as, indeed, it
+succeeded in puzzling Royson and the man at the wheel, while the looks
+cast towards the bridge by the watch, who were mainly employed In
+swabbing the deck, told that the men were commenting on the yacht's
+erratic wanderings.
+
+All at once the blare of a siren came faintly over the shimmering sea,
+and Stump chuckled triumphantly.
+
+"He's found it," he roared, his voice almost rivaling the hoarseness of
+the far-off foghorn. "Sink me If that Dago wasn't so taken up with
+pipin' my antics that he's gone an' done it!"
+
+"Done what, sir?" asked Dick, seeing that his respected skipper was in
+hilarious mood.
+
+"Run his bloomin' _Cigno_ onto the Scilla Shoal. Damme, I thought he'd
+do it. Listen to him," for another wail reached them from the
+disconsolate warship. "He's fixed there as though, he was glued to it.
+He'll have to jettison all his bunker an' a gun or two afore he gets
+off. They tell me _Cigno_ means 'swan.' I wonder wot's the I-talian for
+'goose.' Go an' tell Tagg. Tell him to tumble up quick, if on'y for the
+sake of ole times."
+
+Royson aroused the chief, and gave him the skipper's message. Tagg,
+rubbing his eyes, came on deck. He looked at the _Cigno_, heard her
+dismal trumpeting, and slowly took, in the surroundings.
+
+"Well, s'elp me!" he grinned. "Sorry to rake cold ashes, cap'n, but
+isn't that where you piled up the Ocean Queen?"
+
+"Don't I know it!" growled' Stump, "One solid month, we stuck there,
+didn't we, Tagg? Threw over-board two thousand tons o' best Cardiff,
+an' then had to be hauled off by another tramp. Well, good-by, Swan!
+I'll report you at Perim. An' mind you take care o' them letters. It
+'ud be a pity if the Governor didn't 'ave 'em in time. By gad, I never
+thought I'd owe the _Ocean Queen_ a good turn. She lost me my berth,
+an' nearly cost me my ticket, but she's made it up to-day. Come on,
+Tagg, we'll have a tot o' rum an' drink to the rotten ole hulk which
+gev' us best ag'in that swaggerin' I-talian. My godfather, won't Becky
+be pleased when she hears of it!"
+
+And the two dived below to partake of the generous spirit which pays
+homage to the rising sun, while the _Cigno_ bleated her distress to
+deaf ears.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII
+
+
+THE SIGN IN THE SKY
+
+"There is a spice of the nomad in all of us," said Irene, pulling up
+her hardy Somali pony and allowing him to graze on some prickly plant
+from which a grass-fed animal would have turned in hungry disgust.
+
+"Here am I, quite new to desert life, enjoying it to the full. Perhaps
+my remote ancestors were gipsies. Do I look like a gipsy, Mr. Royson?"
+
+"My acquaintance with gipsies is limited," said Dick. "Once, being free
+from office troubles on Derby Day, I walked over Epsom Downs, and was
+beseeched many times to have my fortune told. Most of the prophetesses
+--they were all of your sex, Miss Fenshawe--were blessed with
+exceedingly fine complexions and beautiful eyes. If these are marked
+features of the gipsy tribe--"
+
+"Don't you dare bring me out here in order to pay compliments."
+
+"Indeed, I am but stating the bare truth to your face."
+
+"If you persist, then, I shall be compelled to act the part of a gipsy
+and tell your fortune, and I warn you that it will not be very cheerful
+hearing."
+
+Royson gazed beyond her towards a white mist which shrouded the eastern
+horizon. Overhead, the delicious blue of early morning was yielding to
+the noonday tint of molten copper.
+
+"Even if we turn back to-day there are thirty marches between us and
+the sea," he said with seeming irrelevance.
+
+But those two were beginning to understand one another, and the girl
+colored under the deep tan of sun and air.
+
+"Whenever we are alone now you insist on talking nonsense," she said.
+"I really believe the desert has made you light-headed. Please be
+serious for a moment. I brought you here to--"
+
+"I am glad you have corrected yourself. A moment ago you charged me
+with bringing _you_ here."
+
+"Well, then, we came here, if one must be so accurate, to be away from
+the others. At least, I mean--Well, that is a stupid way of putting it,
+but it will serve--"
+
+"It has served most admirably," said Royson, glancing back at the long
+drawn-out caravan crossing the shallow valley they had just quitted.
+
+"There you go again," she cried, with just a touch of petulance in her
+tone. "You know very well that I did not mean what I said."
+
+"Not even when you promised to tell my fortune."
+
+"I can explain myself that way if you like. Your fortune is singularly
+like my own at the present moment. You are accompanying a crowd of
+people who don't know where they are going, or what they mean to do
+when they get there. I am quite sure the Baron is befogged, or, if that
+is not a happy expression in this wonderful atmosphere, shall I say
+lost? I don't speak Arabic, but I can read that man's face, and I
+watched him this morning when he was consulting our so-called guide. In
+plain English, Mr. Royson, we are drifting, in the vain hope that
+somewhere out there we shall find five hills in a clump. I don't
+object, in a sense. It is a very delightful picnic from one point of
+view. But I hate uncertainty, and I loathe deceit, and here we are at
+the mercy of both, while my grandfather is so taken up with the joy of
+arranging everything, which von Kerber very cleverly leaves to him,
+that he simply won't listen to me when I suggest the need of more
+definite information. And just think of it! Five Hills! With a rocky
+desert in front and five thousand hills to the left. What is to be the
+end of it all? Are we to go wandering on till we march into Suez, or
+Cairo?"
+
+"Our sheikh is a marvel at finding oases," said Dick. "I wonder if
+there is a string of them all the way between here and--"
+
+"Mr. Royson," broke in Irene, "you are the only person' to whom I can
+confide my doubts and fears. They may be silly, but please don't adopt
+that tone. It--hurts."
+
+Royson, who had dismounted, slipped his Arab's bridle under an arm and
+strode a pace nearer.
+
+"Don't you see that we can do nothing at present?" he said earnestly.
+"I am alive to the difficulties which may beset us in the near future;
+but what would you have me do, Miss Fenshawe? If your grandfather were
+not of the party, I know exactly what I would propose--at least, I
+think I know."
+
+"And that is?"
+
+"That Stump and some of our men should escort you and Mrs. Haxton back
+to Pajura, and let our Austrian friend ride his hobby to death. And
+believe me, I am not consulting my own wishes in saying that."
+
+"Don't you wish to return?"
+
+"No. I love this arid land. I never see the supercilious curl of a
+camel's lip or meet the bland contempt of his eye but I imagine him
+saying, 'Ah, Feringhi, were it not for your white skin I might whisper
+strange secrets into your ear, but you are an unbelieving dog, so
+perforce I remain dumb.' Hence, Miss Fenshawe, inclination pulls one
+way and common sense the other. As matters stand, I plead guilty to a
+profound gladness that common sense has not swayed us to-day, and may
+escape us to-morrow. Candidly, I am enjoying myself immensely."
+
+"Then there is nothing more to be said," cried Irene, yielding somewhat
+to his buoyancy. "Shall we go on, or wait here for the _kafila_ to
+overtake us."
+
+"Unless I am greatly mistaken," said Dick, looking at his watch, "we
+shall find the usual oasis hidden in a depression about two miles
+ahead. Our excellent sheikh, Abdur Kad'r, times the morning march to
+end precisely at ten o'clock. It is now a quarter to nine. Our camels
+march two and a half miles per hour, and we are three quarters of a
+mile ahead. Therein, Miss Fenshawe, yea have a first-rate example of
+deductive reasoning, so I propose that we advance steadily, and look
+for a cluster of palms. If, happily, their shade is not taken up by
+other wanderers, you will be out of the sun long before the caravan
+arrives. What say you?"
+
+"Some day I shall stamp my foot and say 'No'--shriek it at you, in
+fact. I hate any one who is always right, and you seem to be utterly
+different since we left the _Aphrodite_. I have never seen such a
+change in a man. One would think you were born in the desert. And you
+are learning Arabic ten times more quickly than I."
+
+"I do not find favor in your eyes this morning, though it is good to
+know that I have reformed, since, by your own showing, I must have been
+always wrong aboard ship," said Dick, remounting.
+
+"Oh, it is a perfect luxury to have some one to pitch into," cried the
+girl, stirring the Somali with her heel.
+
+"But won't you tell me what I have done that vexes you, Miss Fenshawe?"
+
+"You are absurd. You pretend that you see nothing, whereas I am sure
+you see more than I, but you refuse to speak."
+
+Royson seemed to be singularly unaffected by this outburst. He caught
+the angry flush on the girl's forehead, and, as was his way when the
+stubborn fit seized him, threw his head back, with lips set. Irene
+stole a look at him, and laughed constrainedly.
+
+"Very well. If you won't talk I must," she said with a great air of
+determination. "It is about Mrs. Haxton."
+
+"A most interesting topic," said Royson.
+
+"That is what my grandfather seems to think."
+
+"He told me last night that he considers her a singularly well-informed
+woman."
+
+"For well-informed read artful," exclaimed the girl bitterly. "Have you
+forgotten what I said to you in the canal? When we began our voyage
+Mrs. Haxton and the Baron were as good as engaged. Now they have
+reached some agreement which permits Mrs. Haxton to fly for higher
+matrimonial game than a penniless adventurer."
+
+"Do you really think that?"
+
+Royson had grown suddenly serious. He half turned in the saddle so as
+to seek the added inspiration of Irene's expression, but she kept her
+eyes studiously averted, and the broad-brimmed pith hat she wore helped
+to conceal her face. But she answered readily.
+
+"I am quite certain of it. How else could I discuss it with you?"
+
+"The view I take is that she merely wishes to give von Kerber every
+chance. So long as Mr. Fenshawe remains interested--beguiled, if you
+like--she switches his thoughts away from the object of our journey.
+Your grandfather is a masterful man, Miss Fenshawe. If he suspected
+that we were following a wild-goose chase he would turn south again
+this very hour."
+
+"Yet I am sure of my ground," she persisted.
+
+Royson's horse started and shied. A small brown snake, coiled up in the
+sunlight, and almost invisible amidst the stones, squirmed rapidly into
+a crevice beneath a rock. Such incidents in the desert were too
+frequent to demand comment. Dick patted the Arab's neck and soon
+soothed him.
+
+"Failing our discovery of this fabled treasure, I can appreciate Mrs.
+Haxton's willingness to many a millionaire," he went on. "Yet there are
+difficulties in the way. That viper reminds me of one. Would not von
+Kerber object?"
+
+"No," said Irene.
+
+They jogged along in silence for some distance. The girl added nothing,
+to her emphatic monosyllable. Dick felt a tugging at his heart-strings
+which was becoming a dangerously frequent symptom.
+
+"As you have favored me with your confidence thus far, won't you take
+the next step, and tell me why you credit Baron von Kerber with such
+complaisance?" he demanded.
+
+"A woman should not always be asked for reasons, Mr. Royson," said she
+lightly.
+
+"In the graver events of life one wishes for them, nevertheless."
+
+"Perhaps we are deviating from the chief issue," she countered. "If
+only I could persuade grandad that he is being wilfully misled, things
+might go as I wish. Can't you help, Mr. Royson?"
+
+Then she turned her face to his, and the temptation that had gripped
+him many a time of late came back with an intensity that was almost
+unendurable. He did not flinch from her steadfast eyes. Though the path
+of honor was steep and straight he must tread it to the end.
+
+"If I tell your grandfather what little I know of these people I break
+my word," he said harshly. "That is the only reply I can make, Miss
+Fenshawe. May I add the ignoble argument that any such breach of faith
+on my part would probably be useless? You ought to sympathize with me."
+
+"Why?" she said coldly.
+
+"Because it is not often that a man is tortured as I am by a conflict
+between duty and--and desire."
+
+"There is our palm grove," she cried, pointing to a few stunted trees
+whose fronds showed above the rock-strewn bank of a small wady, or
+ravine, which cut through the center of the shelving plateau they were
+crossing. "The ground is fairly clear here. Shall we try a canter?"
+
+Without waiting for a reply she pressed her pony into a steady gallop.
+Royson responded to her wayward mood, and followed her lead. Though the
+sun was so hot that their hands would have blistered if unprotected by
+gloves, the clean, dry air-current created by the rapid motion was
+exhilarating in the extreme. They were riding through a lost continent,
+yet its savage ruin was sublimely beautiful. The comparatively level
+spot that allowed the luxury of a gallop was made up of sand and
+stones, with here and there a black rock thrusting its bold contour
+above the shingle. A curiously habitable aspect was given to the desert
+by numbers of irregular alluvial mounds which, on examination, were
+found to consist of caked soil held together by the roots of trees. So,
+at one time, this arid plain had borne a forest. To the mind's eye,
+here lay the dead earth's burial-place.
+
+Ages ago a torrent had fertilized the surrounding tract, and its dried-
+up bed was marked by water-smoothed boulders. Here and there, small
+groups of dwarf bushes, covered with dagger-like thorns, drew
+sustenance from secret rills of moisture. The camel path they followed
+had the distinctness of daily use, though no recognized _kafila_ had
+passed that way during the previous year, new trade routes to the
+interior having drawn the caravans in other directions. Soon it turned
+up the side of the ravine. The _sayall_ bushes began to grow more
+densely, and the wady spread to a great width. Beyond a patch of
+pebbles lay a brown carpet of tough grass. In the center stood seven
+date-trees and a considerable number of stunted bushes, these latter
+differing from the _sayall_ only in the size of their thorns, which
+were fully two inches long and seemingly untouchable. Yet, next to
+water, the thorn-crop constituted the chief wealth of the oasis,
+because camels would munch the tough spines with great relish.
+
+The camping-place appeared to be untenanted. Royson found the
+footprints of gazelles wherever the sand had collected in a hollow, but
+the animals must have scampered away unseen towards the barren hills
+near at hand. Through an occasional gap there were glimpses of the
+mighty ramparts of Abyssinia. It was hard to realize that the dainty
+gazelle could find food in this desolate land. Yet, with the inborn
+instinct of the hunter and scout, Royson unslung his carbine and held
+it across the saddle-bow as he urged his horse slightly in front of the
+short-striding Somali. When he drew rein he rose in the stirrups to
+peer through the barrier of thorns.
+
+"First come, first served," he cried joyously. "We have the forage to
+ourselves, Miss Fenshawe. I shall be sorry for any others who come this
+way after our host has passed. Look at it now. It is an absolute army.
+We shall strip this poor little garden of the desert as locusts are
+said to eat up a cornfield."
+
+Irene slipped from the saddle, loosened the girths, and then glanced at
+the distant caravan, which had just become visible again on the sky-
+line of the plateau. It was more than likely that no such mixed
+gathering of men and animals had taken that road since the destruction
+of forests converted the country into a wilderness. The party from the
+yacht numbered eighteen; there were fifty Bedawi Arabs in attendance on
+a hundred camels; eight horses, Arabs or Somali ponies, each required a
+syce, while the sheikh who had brought the caravan from Pajura was
+overlord of a score of hangers-on who figured in his list as servants.
+
+A thin haze of dust rose as this regiment advanced. In that wonderful
+light its progress might be marked twenty miles away by keen eyes. The
+girl watched it silently for a time, while Royson, knowing the manner
+in which the camp would be formed, picketed the two horses so as not to
+interfere with the general arrangements.
+
+Then he lit a cigarette and rejoined Irene.
+
+"How far distant is the head of the caravan now?" she asked.
+
+"Nearly two miles. It looks more like two furlongs," said he, divining
+her thought, for it was easy to discern Mrs. Haxton, wrapped in a gray
+dust-cloak, on a splendid riding camel in advance of the main body;
+beside her, on Arab horses, were Mr. Fenshawe and von Kerber, the
+latter having just ridden up from the rear.
+
+"Does one's sight become better, then, by residence in this strange
+land?" murmured the girl.
+
+Royson deliberately ignored the less obvious significance of the words.
+
+"I think so," he said. "When all is said and done, desert and sea are
+akin, and most certainly a sea voyage benefits the eyes. Yet, now that
+you mention it, the atmosphere is remarkably clear to-day."
+
+"Are you weather-wise, Mr. Royson? Is not that a sign of storm?"
+
+"I sought instruction from Sheikh Abdur Kad'r on that very point only
+this morning. He says that the Kamsin does not blow at this season, and
+there is every reason to believe that it has not rained in this
+locality during the past three hundred years."
+
+"Dear me! Three--hun-dred--years!" "Yes. Sorry, but I can't make it any
+less." "Then you may give Sheikh Abdur Kad'r my compliments and tell
+him I predict either a thunderstorm or some unusual disturbance before
+night. Mrs. Haxton has a very effective smile, I admit, but it requires
+exceptional charm to make a smile distinctly visible at--how far did
+you say?--two miles?"
+
+The lady in question was certainly bending towards Mr. Fenshawe, and
+the smile was a reasonable conjecture. But they had tacitly agreed to
+forget their earlier conversation. They chatted freely now with the
+friendly ease that was their wont ever since the exigencies of camp
+life had thrown them together far more than was possible on board ship.
+Five weeks ago the _Aphrodite_ dropped anchor off Pajura after crossing
+from Aden, where Mr. Fenshawe had despatched his cablegrams and
+obtained a portion of the equipment needed for the desert tour. The
+arrival of such a large party occasioned no little excitement at the
+French port. That tiny station had not seen so many white faces at one
+time since its establishment, and, when its polite Commandant recovered
+from his voluble surprise, he warned Mr. Fenshawe that the interior was
+somewhat unsafe. But stories of Arab unrest were familiar to the
+veteran. He had heard them regularly during the preceding thirty years,
+and he was more than ever bent on outwitting the jealous rivals who had
+placed such obstacles in his path.
+
+The French officers at Pajura thought he was rather cracked to take
+ladies with him, yet they were obliged to admit that desert travel was
+healthy and enjoyable, provided supplies were ample, and, on this
+score, the skilled explorer of Soudan by-ways showed that he had lost
+none of his cunning. Before the caravan started news came from Aden
+that the _Cigno_ had been dragged off her sandspit. This gave an added
+value to the land route, as the coast of Erythrea was assuredly closed
+to them; the French authorities, on the other hand, rendered every
+assistance in their power.
+
+And now, after a month of steady marching, the caravan was well within
+Italian territory. The route lay parallel with the sea, but nearly a
+hundred miles distant from it. It traversed the interminable wadys and
+shelving table-lands leading down to the coast from the granite and
+pink Nubian stone foothills of the inner range of giants which guarded
+the fertile valleys of Abyssinia. Thus far, no unexpected difficulties
+had cropped up. The few nomads encountered were only too anxious to be
+friendly. The weather, scorching by day and intensely cold by night,
+was quite bearable. Indeed, to any one in good health, it supplied a
+marvelous tonic. Travelers less admirably equipped might have suffered
+annoyance from the snakes and scorpions which seem to thrive in the
+midst of sunburnt desolation, but these _voyageurs de luxe_ slept in
+hammocks slung in roomy tents, and assiduous servants dislodged every
+stone before they spread the felt carpets on which the heaven-born
+deigned to sit at meals.
+
+Yet--as Irene had guessed correctly--this magnificent progress through
+the desert contained a canker that threatened its destruction. Either
+von Kerber's calculations were at fault, or the papyrus was a madman's
+screed. The caravan was already two marches beyond the point agreed on
+by every authority consulted as that fixed by the Greek who survived
+the massacre of the Roman legion. The unhappy Austrian could no more
+identify the Five Hills mentioned in the papyrus as the essential clue
+to the whereabouts of the treasure than a man in an unknown forest can
+distinguish a special group of five trees. That is to say, he may
+blunder on them by chance, but he cannot find them by using his
+judgment. As Irene put it, here were not five, but five thousand hills.
+The mortal puzzle before von Kerber was to pick his five.
+
+When the caravan arrived at the halting-place the tense solitude gave
+way to pandemonium. Camels grunted and squealed in eager plaint to be
+relieved of their loads, horses neighed and fought for the best tufts
+of grass, men raged at each other as though the work of preparing the
+camp were something new and wholly unexpected.
+
+Through the turmoil strode Abdur Kad'r, a lean, saturnine Arab, who
+anathematized all his assistants indiscriminately, only varying his
+epithets according to the nationality of the man under the lash of his
+tongue at the moment.
+
+"Bestir yourself, illegitimate one. Are we to await the setting sun ere
+the tents are fixed?" he shouted at a negro who was bothered by a
+knotted rope. A crash behind him told that a too-zealous Arab had
+tumbled a box to the ground.
+
+"Oh, you owl, what evil have you done?" roared the Sheikh, transfixing
+the culprit with a glittering eye.
+
+"Lo, I loosened a strap, honored one, and the accursed thing fell," was
+the explanation.
+
+"It fell, eh? So shall my whip fall, Sidi Hassan, if thou art not more
+painstaking." He rushed towards a group of Somali syces.
+
+"Pigs, and children of pigs," he cried, "for what does the Effendi pay
+ye? Is there not occupation, ye black dogs? May your fathers' graves be
+defiled by curs!"
+
+Stump, whose rubicund visage was burnt brick-red by the desert, took a
+keen interest in Abdur Kad'r's daily outpourings. He had no Arabic, but
+he appreciated the speaker's fluency.
+
+"He'd make a bully good bo's'n," was his favorite comment, and he would
+add sorrowfully, "I wish I knew wot he was sayin'. It 'ud do me a
+treat."
+
+In an astonishingly short space of time the camp would be in form,
+fires lit with parched shrubs gathered during the last stage of the
+journey, a meal cooked, and every one settled down to rest until
+sunset, when, if there was no evening march, the Arabs and negroes
+would sing, and perhaps indulge in amazingly realistic sword-play,
+while the dozen sailors brought from the yacht would watch the
+combatants or engage in a sing-song on their own account.
+
+The present encampment offered no exception to the general rule. Abdur
+Kad'r, it is true, may have raged a little more extensively than usual
+when it was discovered that the well had caved in from sheer disuse,
+and several hours' labor would be necessary before some brackish water
+could be obtained. He did not trouble the Effendi with this detail,
+however. There was another more pressing matter to be dealt with, but,
+Allah be praised, that might wait till a less occupied hour, for the
+Frank was in no hurry, and he paid like a Kaliph.
+
+About four o'clock Irene was sitting in her tent making some belated
+jottings in a diary. Being thirsty, she called a servant, and told him
+to bring a bottle of soda-water. A few minutes later she heard a
+stumble, a crash, and a loud exclamation in Arabic. The man had fallen
+over one of the heavy stones to which the guy-ropes were fastened.
+
+She looked up smilingly, and wondered whether he would understand her
+if she said in French that she hoped he had not injured himself. The
+glass was broken, but the bottle was intact, for the native had caught
+it as he fell.
+
+"Ça ne fait rien," she cried encouragingly. Then she found that the
+Somali had risen to his knees, and was gazing skyward with every token
+of abject terror. At the same instant a strange commotion broke out in
+the camp. Through the open side of the tent she saw Europeans and
+natives all looking in the one direction--northwards. The Britons and
+Arabs had an air of profound astonishment. They pointed and
+gesticulated, but otherwise showed self-control. But the negroes were
+in a panic. For the most part they were kneeling. A few prostrated
+themselves at full length, and howled dolorously.
+
+The girl was alone, and she naturally felt alarmed. Royson was not far
+away, and he, like the rest, was held spellbound by some spectacle the
+nature of which she could not guess. Perhaps his thoughts were not far
+removed from Irene, because he turned and looked at her.
+
+"Come quickly, Miss Fenshawe," he shouted. "Here is the most wonderful
+mirage!"
+
+Was that it--a mirage? Why, then, this hubbub? She had grown so
+accustomed to the grim humor of the desert in depicting clear streams
+of running water, smooth, tree-bordered lakes, and other delightful
+objects of which the arid land dreamed in its sleep of death, that the
+excitement caused in the camp was wholly inexplicable.
+
+"What are you doing there?" she cried sharply to the frightened
+servant. "Go and get another glass, and take care you do not fall next
+time."
+
+If he heard he paid no heed. He continued to stare at the sky with
+wide-open eyes.
+
+Conscious of a fresh thrill of fear, she ran towards Royson.
+
+"What in the world--"
+
+Then she saw, and was stricken dumb with the sight, for she was looking
+at a spectacle which the desert seldom provides even to those who pass
+their lives within its bounds. A thin haze had taken the place of the
+remarkable clearness of the morning hours. Away to the north it had
+deepened almost into a fog, a low-lying and luminous mist like the
+white pall which often shrouds the sea on a calm bright day in summer.
+The sky was losing its burnished copper hue and becoming blue again,
+and, on the false horizon supplied by the crest of the fog-bank, stood
+a brilliantly vivid panorama.
+
+There were military tents, lines of picketed camels and horses, a great
+number of Arabs and blacks, and some fifty Italian soldiers, all
+magnified to gigantic proportions, but so clearly defined that the
+trappings of the animals, the military uniforms, and the gay-colored
+burnous of the Arabs were readily distinguishable.
+
+It could be seen, too, that they were working. Mounds of rock and earth
+showed that considerable excavations had been made. While those
+gathered round the well were yet gazing at this bewildering and
+lifelike picture, the moving ghosts in the sky underwent a change which
+enhanced their realism. One squad of soldiers and natives marched off
+towards the tents while another took their places. Were it not for the
+grotesque size of men and animals and the eerie silence of their
+movements it was hard to believe that the eyes were not witnessing
+actualities. The thing was fantastic, awe-inspiring, stupendous in
+design, but faultlessly true in color and treatment. No artist could
+ever hope for such a canvas. Its texture was vapor, its background the
+empyrean, and nature's own palette supplied the colors.
+
+And this cloud scene was pitiless in its moral. Two of the onlookers,
+Mrs. Haxton and von Kerber, knew exactly what it meant, while others
+read its message correctly enough. The expedition was forestalled. The
+long voyage and longer march, the vast expenditure, the hardships
+inseparable from the journey through the desert, the hopes, the fears,
+all the planning and contriving, went for nothing, since Alfieri the
+dreamer, Alfieri the fool, had apparently succeeded in locating the
+treasure of Sheba.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV
+
+
+WHEREIN A BISHARIN CAMEL BECOMES USEFUL
+
+To the Arab every white man is a Frank. The European invader was given
+that name during the First Crusade, and the Paynim does not change
+appreciably with the centuries. But he has learnt to differentiate
+between certain varieties of Frank, and Abdur Kad'r murmured
+maledictions on the Italian species as he watched the mirage slowly
+fading into nothingness. Though no one had told him the ultimate
+objective of the caravan, he felt that the presence of Italian soldiers
+at the nearest stopping-place put a bar to further progress. The mere
+fact that the _kafila_ came from French territory was unanswerable.
+There were difficulties enough already, difficulties which must be
+discussed that evening, but this obstacle was wholly unforeseen.
+
+Under his bent brows the gaunt sheikh had noted Mr. Fenshawe's manner
+when he turned excitedly to demand an explanation from von Kerber. The
+Effendi's change of tone told its own tale. Abdur Kad'r, true believer
+and desert-born, remarked to a brother Arab that Allah was Allah and
+Mahomet was undoubtedly the Prophet, but that of all the misbegotten
+produce of swine now cumbering the earth the Italians ranked easily
+first--or words to that effect. Then he relieved his feelings by
+objurgating the panic-stricken Somalis, whose superstitious minds
+interpreted the appearance of the air-borne host as a sure indication
+of war. He was in the midst of an eloquent outburst when his employer
+summoned him.
+
+"How far is it to the next oasis?" came the dreaded query.
+
+Abdur Kad'r, shrewd judge of men, knew that he must be explicit.
+
+"Sixty kilometers, honored one," he replied.
+
+"What! Nearly forty English miles?"
+
+"It may be so, Effendi. In our reckoning it is twenty kos and one kos
+is three kilometers."
+
+"But these Italians--in the mirage--they must be camped near water?"
+
+"There is none nearer than the Well of Suleiman, Effendi."
+
+"Is it possible that a mirage would reveal so clearly a scene taking
+place at such a distance?"
+
+"Strange things happen in the desert, Effendi. I have seen a village in
+the sky which my camels were four hours in reaching, and I have been
+told of sights even more wonderful."
+
+"You are sure about the sixty kilometers?"
+
+"Quite sure, O worthy of honor."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was skeptical. Mirage-phenomena were familiar to him, but
+never had they dealt with natural objects beyond a range of a few
+miles. For the most part, the mirage of the desert is a baseless
+illusion, depending on the bending of light-rays by air strata of
+differing densities. The rarer "looming," witnessed occasionally in
+more northerly latitudes, shows scenes actually in existence, and the
+best authenticated instance of a long-range view is that testified to
+by the inhabitants of Hastings, who during three hours on July 26,
+1798, saw the whole coastline of France, from Calais to Dieppe, with a
+distinctness that was then regarded as miraculous.
+
+But, whether Abdur Kad'r's figures were correct or not, there was no
+gainsaying the evidence of the mirage itself. The collapse of the
+undertaking was imminent, and the millionaire's tone was exceedingly
+curt when he called von Kerber to conference.
+
+"There are certain matters which must be cleared up, now that nature
+has assumed the role of guide," he said dryly. "I have been well aware
+during the past few days that you were not able to fix on the exact
+place described in the papyrus. I could pardon that. We are in a
+country where landmarks are bewilderingly alike, and therefore apt to
+cause confusion. But how comes it that our rivals can go straight to
+the place we are in search of, while we wander blindly in the desert?
+You assured me that yours was the only copy of the papyrus extant with
+the sole exception of the photographic reproductions supplied to me. Is
+that true? And, if it is true, who gave these others the information
+that has brought about our failure?"
+
+Mr. Fenshawe's pride was wounded. All the wrath of the disappointed
+connoisseur welled forth in his contemptuous words. Their very calmness
+and precision showed the depth of his anger, and von Kerber, like Abdur
+Kad'r, felt that the time for specious pretext had gone. So he
+answered, with equal exactness of phrase:
+
+"I gave you that assurance months ago in Scotland, and repeated it in
+London, but I have not said it since we met on board the yacht, for the
+very good reason that the papyrus was stolen from me at Marseilles."
+
+"Stolen!"
+
+"Yes, I was waylaid and robbed while driving from the station to the
+harbor."
+
+"Purposely, do you mean? Was the papyrus the object of the attack?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Then this man, Alfieri, knew of it?"
+
+"I have never concealed that from you."
+
+"It is hard to say what you have or have not concealed, Baron von
+Kerber. My confidence in you is shaken. How am I to know that this
+latest version of Alfieri's amazing interference in your affairs is the
+true one?"
+
+No man is so sensitive of his honor as he who is conscious of by-gone
+lapses. Von Kerber started as though the other had stabbed him.
+
+"That is an unworthy imputation," he cried. "Mr. Royson can tell you
+that the papyrus was stolen. He rescued me from my assailants, yes?
+Mrs. Haxton is aware of it, and, unless I am mistaken, Miss Fenshawe
+also is no stranger to the news, seeing that our second mate is so
+greatly in her confidence."
+
+The older man, still watching the last wraiths of the mirage, seemed to
+be deaf to the Austrian's biting allusion to Irene.
+
+"I did not look for such a web of deceit," he murmured. "The papyrus
+was genuine, and I sought no other proof of honesty. You say Mrs.
+Haxton and my granddaughter are in this pact of silence. Let us have
+their testimony."
+
+Irene, as might be expected, indignantly disclaimed any sympathy with
+von Kerber's methods.
+
+"I heard, by chance, of the part Mr. Royson took in the affair at
+Marseilles," she said. "My maid told me. It was the gossip of the ship.
+Yet, when I questioned Mr. Royson himself, he refused to discuss the
+matter, owing to some pledge of secrecy drawn from him by Baron von
+Kerber. You forget, grandad, how often you have told me that I did not
+understand this undertaking sufficiently to justify my hostility to it.
+I have never believed in it, not for one moment. If you wish to know
+what happened at Marseilles, why not ask Mr. Royson himself?"
+
+"Yes," said Mr. Fenshawe quietly, "that will be well. Send for him,
+Irene."
+
+It was noteworthy that he addressed no question to Mrs. Haxton. That
+lady, nervous and ill-at-ease, could not guess how far the rupture
+between von Kerber and his patron had gone. She felt intuitively that
+the Austrian was puzzled, perhaps alarmed, by the presence of an
+official expedition in the very territory he had hoped to explore
+without hindrance--yet his manner hinted at something in reserve.
+Though he quivered under Irene's outspoken incredulity, his aspect was
+that of a man whose schemes have been foiled by sheer ill-luck. A rogue
+unmasked will grovel: von Kerber was defiant. For the moment, Mrs.
+Haxton was struck dumb with foreboding. Mr. Fenshawe's. dejected air
+showed that a deadly blow had been dealt to the project to which she
+had devoted all her resources since the beginning of the march. She,
+too, had begun to doubt. Here, in the desert, the buried treasure was
+an intangible thing. In England, the promises of the Greek's dying
+message were satisfying by their very vagueness. In Africa, face to
+face with the tremendous solitude, they became unbelievable, a dim
+fable akin to the legends of vanished islands and those mysterious
+races to be found only in unknown lands, which have tickled the
+imaginations of mankind, ever since the dawn of human intelligence. So,
+a live millionaire being a more definite asset than the hoard of a
+forgotten city, she had coolly informed von Kerber that if he wished to
+improve his fortunes, he would do well to pay attention to Miss
+Fenshawe, and leave her free to win a wealthy husband. It was a
+villainous pact, but it might have succeeded, at any rate in Mrs.
+Haxton's case, for no woman could be more gracious and deferentially
+flattering than she when she chose to exert herself. And now, reality
+seemed to yield to unreality. The substantial fabric of close
+friendship between Fenshawe and herself had crumbled before the fiery
+breath of the wilderness. What a turn of fortune's wheel! Here were all
+her plans shattered in an instant, and the man on whom depended the
+future changed into a hostile judge.
+
+Royson found a queer conclave awaiting him. Irene, distressed by the
+injustice of her grandfather's suspicion that she was sharing in a
+conspiracy of silence, had retired to a corner of the tent, and wore an
+air of indifference which she certainly did not feel. Mrs. Haxton,
+pallid, striving desperately to regain her self-possession, draped
+herself artistically in a comfortable camp chair. Von Kerber, scowling
+and depressed, stood near the entrance, and Mr. Fenshawe was seated in
+the center of the tent. The red light of the declining sun was full on
+his face, and Dick fancied that he had aged suddenly. Nor was this to
+be wondered at. No enthusiast, not even a wealthy one, likes to have
+his hopes of realizing a great achievement dashed to the ground, nor is
+it altogether gratifying that a woman who has won one's high esteem
+should be associated with a piece of contemptible trickery.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe's first question told Dick that a serious dispute was
+toward.
+
+"It has been stated," said Mr. Fenshawe, looking at him in a curiously
+critical way, "that a valuable document was stolen from Baron von
+Kerber at Marseilles--what do you know about it?"
+
+Dick, hourly expecting a strenuous turn to the placid marching and
+camping of the past few weeks, was not taken unaware. He had mapped out
+a clear line, and meant to follow it.
+
+"I regret to say that I cannot answer you, Mr. Fenshawe," said he,
+meeting the older man's searching glance unflinchingly.
+
+"Why not?"
+
+"Because I gave an undertaking to that effect to Baron von Kerber."
+
+"But I am your employer, not he."
+
+"No, sir. That is not my view of the contract I signed."
+
+"Have you a copy of that contract'?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Will you show it to me?"
+
+"That is unnecessary," broke in von Kerber, with a savage impatience of
+the quasi-judicial inquiry which Mr. Fenshawe was evidently bent on
+conducting. "I give Mr. Royson full permission to answer any question
+you may put to him."
+
+"You do, eh? You give permission? Do you pay his salary?" demanded the
+millionaire indignantly.
+
+"Yes, on your behalf. Surely the arrangement between us cannot be
+disputed. I was to make all arrangements, yes?"
+
+"As my paid agent, you should add."
+
+Mrs. Haxton suddenly sat forward in her chair.
+
+"We had a tacit agreement for an equal division of the spoil," she
+interposed, with an acidity that Mr. Fenshawe probably found in marked
+contrast with her usual honeyed speech.
+
+"That agreement would have been kept by me," said Fenshawe. "You may
+not be aware that Baron von Kerber pleaded poverty, and I promised to
+remunerate him for his services, whether we won or lost. I have no
+doubt he has my letter, duly stamped at Somerset House, carefully
+packed away with Mr. Royson's agreement."
+
+The retort was in the nature of the tac-au-tac riposte beloved of the
+skilled swordsman. It was succeeded by a tense silence. Mrs. Haxton
+glared at the Baron. The ghost of a smile flickered on Irene's lips as
+she glanced at Dick. Von Kerber swished one of his boots viciously with
+a riding-whip. He found he must say something.
+
+"Why are we creating difficulties where none exist?" he snarled. "If
+the agreement stands in the way, I absolve Mr. Royson from any promise
+he has made. I wanted to guard against treachery, not to tie him down
+to serve me exclusively."
+
+"You asked for obedience and a still tongue, Baron. I have given you
+both," said Dick.
+
+"There is your employer, and mine--speak."
+
+Von Kerber could not be other than dramatic. He pointed to Mr. Fenshawe
+with a fine gesture.
+
+"I have not much to say, unless in the form of opinions. You certainly
+were attacked at Marseilles, and you yourself charged one of your
+assailants with stealing the papyrus. Beyond that, I know little of
+your business, though, from letters and cablegrams which reached me at
+various places, it seems to have been quite extensively known in
+London."
+
+"Who was your informant?" asked Fenshawe.
+
+"A solicitor named Forbes. He is not personally acquainted with Baron
+von Kerber, but this man Alfieri, of whom we have heard so much,
+employed private detectives. They, in the course of events, discovered
+my identity, and met Mr. Forbes. It is only fair to Baron von Kerber to
+say that I have never heard his version of the charge brought against
+him by Alfieri."
+
+"I have," said the millionaire, grimly.
+
+There was no mistaking the inference to be drawn from his words. Von
+Kerber was wholly discredited. It was exceedingly probable that the
+first march of the return journey to Pajura would be ordered forthwith.
+Indeed, Fenshawe rose to his feet, meaning to bid Abdur Kad'r prepare
+to strike camp after the evening meal, when Mrs. Haxton, divining his
+intent, cried shrilly:
+
+"May I ask what new circumstance has brought about this remarkable
+change in your plans, Mr. Fenshawe? It is true that we have been
+favored by an extraordinary vision of an Italian expedition at no great
+distance from our own, but what proof have we that it is successful, or
+even engaged on an errand similar to ours?"
+
+"The mere fact that extensive research is being carried on is
+sufficiently convincing. Italian soldiers and Arabs do not form huge
+earthworks in the desert for amusement," said Fenshawe.
+
+"They may be trying a last desperate chance," she retorted.
+
+"You forget that they have the same information as ourselves. There is
+no trouble in deciphering demotic Greek and the hieroglyph minerals are
+quite simple. Once the papyrus left Baron von Kerber's possession, our
+exclusive right to it vanished, and you can hardly expect me to engage
+in an armed attack on the military forces of a friendly nation."
+
+"So far as the papyrus goes, it is utterly useless to any one," broke
+in von Kerber suddenly.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was stirred out of his studied calm by the seeming
+absurdity of the interruption.
+
+"Useless!" he exclaimed, and his brow seamed with anger, "that is a
+strange word to apply to the only evidence of your story that you have
+ever produced."
+
+"I always feared Alfieri," said the other, throwing his hands out as if
+he were pushing away a threatening phantom. "He was spiteful, and
+jealous, and he knew enough to drive him mad with desire. But I would
+allow no one to interfere with me, yes? When I was sure of my ground,
+when I had secured translations of each piece of the papyrus, I altered
+it."
+
+"Altered it!"
+
+Incredulity and hope were oddly mixed in the cry which came
+simultaneously from the lips of two of his hearers. Even Irene and
+Dick, less wrapped up in the dream of finding the Sabaean hoard,
+awaited von Kerber's next utterance with bated breath. The man was too
+unnerved to feel any triumph at the sensation he had created.
+
+"Yes," he said, sinking wearily into a chair, though his voice almost
+cracked with excitement. "I changed the distances in every instance
+permitted by the text. As it stands now, the papyrus is utterly
+worthless. I acted for the best, yes? A secret known to more than one
+ceases to be a secret. But I am tired of pretense, and you shall have
+the truth, though it carries with it a confession of ghastly failure. I
+do not know what good fortune Alfieri has blundered into at Suleiman's
+Well, and I admit that the place offered my own last chance. Yet, if he
+has found the treasure, it was not because of the papyrus, but despite
+it. Here are photographs of every section in their present form," and
+he produced some prints from a pocket-book.
+
+"You were taught some Greek at school, Mr. Royson? Very well. Look at
+the passages which are faintly underlined, and you will, see where I
+have altered whole phrases, converted tens of miles into hundreds, and
+hundreds of paces into thousands. And that is the document which
+Alfieri obtained at Marseilles. He would recognize it as the original,
+though it is now quite misleading. If he is digging at the right place
+by reason of the directions given there, it is something beyond belief,
+yes?"
+
+"You speak of Alfieri recognizing the papyrus. Evidently, then, he had
+seen it earlier. In what manner was he connected with its discovery?"
+
+Mr. Fenshawe's coldly direct question came in sharp contrast with the
+Austrian's impassioned outburst. Von Kerber did not reply. With his
+elbows resting on his knees, and supporting his chin between clenched
+fists, he looked through the open door of the tent with eyes that
+stared into vacancy. The man was in a frenzy of despair. He saw the
+chance of his life slipping away from him, but he could urge no plea in
+his own behalf. It was Mrs. Haxton who answered, and her composure was
+oddly at variance with von Kerber's distress.
+
+"Alfieri was assistant curator of a museum at Naples when the Italian
+occupation of Erythrea led to his appointment as government
+archeologist in this territory," she said. "My husband was in charge of
+the Red Sea cable at that time, and Signor Giuseppe Alfieri was a
+friend of ours. An Arab named Abdullah El Jaridiah, grubbing among old
+tombs for curios, came across a roll of papyri. He sold it to Alfieri
+for a few francs, and Alfieri gave it to my husband."
+
+She paused; she was not a woman who said too much.
+
+"I take it that Alfieri knew no Greek?" said Mr. Fenshawe, with a touch
+of irony that was not lost on the lady.
+
+"He certainly failed to appreciate its importance," was the quiet
+response. "My husband deciphered most of the narrative, but he, in his
+turn, had no knowledge of hieroglyphics, and, as you are aware, many of
+the words and figures are contained in ovals, or cartouches, and
+written in Egyptian characters. He would have learnt their meaning from
+some other source, but he--died--very suddenly. An accident caused
+Alfieri to suspect the value of the papyrus, and he asked me to return
+it. Unfortunately, I led him to believe that I would meet his wish, but
+Baron von Kerber, who, as you know, was medical officer to a German
+mission to King Menelek, came to my assistance at the time, and I told
+him of my husband's views with regard to the portion he had translated.
+Baron von Kerber read the hieroglyphics, though he had to wait nearly a
+year before he could obtain expert advice as to the accuracy of his
+rendering. Meanwhile, Signor Alfieri and I had quarreled. I may as well
+tell you that he was pestering me to marry him, and I grew to hate the
+man. Then I returned to England, and a friend suggested that I should
+endeavor to interest you. Now you have the whole story, so far as I am
+concerned in it."
+
+"If that is so, it would have been better had you taken me into your
+confidence at the outset," said Fenshawe.
+
+"Alfieri was using threats. I feared the loss of your co-operation if a
+melodramatic element were introduced."
+
+"But are not you and Baron von Kerber, and, as it would seem, your
+Italian admirer also, attributing an absurdly fictitious value to the
+find? People do not pay high prices for old coins merely because they
+are historic. I have always regarded this treasure-trove as purely
+antiquarian in its interest. It may contain some vessels or statuettes
+worth money; but to what extent? Certainly not such fabulous sums as
+you appear to imagine."
+
+Mrs. Haxton smiled sourly.
+
+"We are dealing in candor," she cried. "Pray complete your confession,
+Baron von Kerber."
+
+The Austrian did not abandon his dejected pose, but he took up the
+parable readily.
+
+"There is one slip of papyrus you have never seen, Mr. Fenshawe," he
+said. "Perhaps you have been surprised that such a careful scribe as
+Demetriades gave no details of the loot? I kept them back. There were
+fifty camel-loads of precious vessels and rare stuffs brought from the
+East. There were one hundred and twenty camel-loads of gold coins, and
+two camels carried leather wallets filled with pearls and rubies and
+diamonds."
+
+Irene could not restrain a little gasp of wonderment at von Kerber's
+amazing catalogue. Her grandfather looked at her.
+
+"You were wiser than I, little girl," he murmured. "You warned me that
+these people were deceiving me, yet I refused to listen."
+
+"Oh, one has to follow the path that promises success," interrupted von
+Kerber savagely. "Had I told you these things you would have been the
+first to inform the Italian government. Why do you prate of deceit? Had
+we found the treasure, you must have seen everything. I only meant to
+hold you to your bond and demand my third share. _Lieber Gott!_ if you
+were not a stiff-necked Englishman you would now, even at the twelfth
+hour, force these Italian hirelings to disgorge."
+
+"Meaning that you advise a surprise march on Suleiman's Well, and the
+massacre of every person who resists as?" inquired Mr. Fenshawe, acidly
+impatient.
+
+"Better that than turn back at the very threshold."
+
+"Excellent! The voyage of the _Aphrodite_ would then achieve an
+international fame which would survive the ages."
+
+The blank despair in von Kerber's face won Royson's pity. He could not
+help sympathizing with him. And there was something to be said for his
+point of view. If Mrs. Haxton had given the true version of the finding
+of the papyrus, the Austrian's methods were comprehensible. Seldom has
+poverty been tempted by a vision of such enormous wealth.
+
+"May I make a suggestion, sir?" he asked, seeing that no one was
+willing to resume a somewhat acrid conversation.
+
+"As to the form of attack?"
+
+Mr. Fenshawe was still amused by the idea of treating the Italians to a
+_coup de main_.
+
+"No. We have made a long journey, and it might at least be determined
+whether or not it was justified. Will you allow me and Abdur Kad'r,
+and, perhaps, one other Arab less widely known than the sheikh, to try
+a small experiment. Let us endeavor to enter the Italian camp and find
+out what is going on? I can pass easily as a member of a shooting party
+who has lost his way. They will not slay me at sight on that account.
+At any rate, I am quite prepared to risk it."
+
+"The very thing!" exclaimed Mrs. Haxton, springing out of her chair.
+"Abdullah is there, and you know him. You must not appear. Let Abdur
+Kad'r send one of his men into the camp by night. He will bring
+Abdullah to you at a preconcerted rendezvous, and Abdullah will tell
+you what Alfieri is doing. Better still, let Abdullah come here. If he
+knows I sent you he will accompany you without a moment's delay."
+
+"The proper person to go and summon Abdullah is Baron von Kerber," put
+in Irene tremulously.
+
+"Before I sanction any proceeding of the sort, I wish to ask why
+Abdullah is apparently in league with your sworn enemy?" demanded Mr.
+Fenshawe.
+
+"The Governor of Massowah told me he was despatching an expedition to
+the Five Hills," said Mrs. Haxton eagerly. "I was sure it would fail,
+for reasons which the Baron has explained, but I bade Abdullah join the
+_kafila_, seeing that we could not carry out our first plan of landing
+lower down the coast. Then, if the Italian party received news of our
+whereabouts, Abdullah would steal away and warn us. The mere fact that
+he is not here now shows that our presence in this locality is
+altogether unsuspected." Fenshawe seemed to weigh his words before he
+answered.
+
+"I prefer that Mr. Royson should go, and not Baron von Kerber," said
+he. "On the understanding that he interferes with our rivals in no way
+whatever, I shall be glad of his report. If we have failed, there is no
+harm in knowing the facts. May I ask, Baron, have you any other
+surprises to give us in the shape of history, ancient or modern?"
+
+"I have nothing else to say," muttered the other.
+
+"Then, as it is nearly dinner-time, I trust we may forget Saba and its
+legends until we learn what progress Signor Alfieri has made. You start
+to-night, Mr. Royson?"
+
+"At the first possible moment, sir."
+
+"No, no. Eat, rest, and travel under the stars. That is the golden rule
+of a forced march in the desert. We will give you two nights and a day.
+Then, if you do not return, I shall send an open embassy to inquire for
+you."
+
+Thus it came about that, soon after night fell, three sulky Bisharin
+camels were led away from their fellows and compelled to kneel
+unwillingly to receive their riders. The operation was attended with
+much squealing and groaning.
+
+"They love not to leave their brethren," said Abdur Kad'r, pausing to
+take breath for a fresh torrent of abuse. The camels were forcibly
+persuaded, and Royson climbed into the high-peaked saddle. His last
+thought, as he quitted the red glare of the camp-fires, was that Irene
+might have snatched a few minutes from her rest to bid him farewell.
+But she was nowhere to be seen, so after a final hand-shake with Stump,
+he rode away into the night.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV
+
+
+THE DESERT AWAKES
+
+The march Royson had undertaken was a trying one. The desert runs to
+extremes, and, at that season, the thermometer varied a hundred degrees
+between noon and midnight. When the sun dipped behind the hills, a
+tense darkness fell on the land. This impenetrable pall is peculiar to
+Egypt; probably it suggested to Moses that ninth plague wherewith he
+afflicted the subjects of a stubborn Pharaoh. Though this "darkness
+that may be felt" yields, as a rule, to the brilliancy of the stars
+after half an hour's duration, while it lasts a lighted match cannot be
+seen beyond a distance of ten or twelve feet. It is due, in all
+likelihood, to the rapid radiation of surface heat. When the cold air
+has robbed sand and rock of the temperature acquired from the broiling
+sun, the atmosphere clears, and the desert reveals itself again in the
+gloomy monotone of night.
+
+It may reasonably be supposed, that the excess of humidity which caused
+the remarkable mirage of the afternoon helped to continue the "black
+hour," as the Arabs term it, far beyond its ordinary limits. Hence it
+was nearly ten o'clock when Royson quitted the camp on his self-imposed
+task. To all outward semblance, he differed not a jot from the two
+Arabs who accompanied him. A burnous and hood covered his khaki riding
+costume. He bestrode a powerful camel nearly eight feet high. Like his
+companions, he carried a slung rifle; a haversack and water-bottle
+completed his equipment. His size alone distinguished him from Abdur
+Kad'r and Sheikh Hussain of Kenneh, the latter being a man whom Abdur
+Kad'r had selected as best fitted to win his way unquestioned into the
+Italian camp. Royson's Arab dress was intended to secure the party from
+espionage while they traveled towards Suleiman's Well. When they neared
+it he would throw aside the burnous. His pith helmet was on his saddle,
+but the Arab hood enabled him to dispense with it by night.
+
+The older Arab led: behind him rode Royson; Hussain brought up the
+rear. In this fashion they climbed the slight rise of the wide valley
+which sheltered the expedition. They had gone some three hundred yards,
+and the leader was scanning the horizon for a gap through which the
+track passed, when they were all amazed to hear Miss Fenshawe's clear
+voice.
+
+"I thought you were never coming, Mr. Royson," she said. "I was on the
+point of going back to my tent, but I caught the grumbling of your
+camels. Then I knew that you had really made a start."
+
+After the first gasp of wonder and delight, Dick slipped to the ground.
+He narrowly avoided a spiteful bite from his unwilling conveyance, but
+he handed the single rein to Abdur Kad'r, and hastened towards a rock
+in whose shadow stood Irene, garbed and cloaked so that she was
+scarcely discernible.
+
+"I cannot tell you how glad I am to see you, Miss Fenshawe," he cried,
+"yet, in the same breath, I must protest against your wandering so far
+from the camp. Are you alone?"
+
+"You may be sure of that. Otherwise I should not be here." She laughed
+cheerfully, for the escapade had in it a spice of adventure, and she
+wished to give it a lighter turn.
+
+"Then you have news for me?"
+
+"No. You heard all that passed to-day. Since then, my grandfather has
+refused to discuss the affair. As a result, Mrs. Haxton and the Baron
+were snappy during dinner. In fact, they were unendurable, and I was
+delighted when they left us."
+
+"It is a hateful thing to have to lecture you," he said, coming nearer,
+and trying to peer into her face, "but you know you ought not to take
+this risk. It is too venturesome. I think that this section of the
+desert is fairly clear of any real danger, so far as prowling Bedouins
+are concerned, but there are other unpleasant neighbors--in the shape
+of snakes and scorpions--"
+
+"I am wearing riding boots," she interrupted. "And I shall soon relieve
+your anxiety by returning to my hammock. Pray don't trouble about me,
+Mr. Royson. I have waylaid you with a purpose. It is too late now, I
+suppose, to dissuade you from carrying out a useless and absurd
+journey, but I do ask you not to commit the further folly of
+sacrificing your own life, and, perhaps, the lives of others, in the
+mistaken belief that you are serving Mr. Fenshawe's interests."
+
+Though she strove to speak in a tone of conventional friendliness, her
+voice shook a little. Dick was profoundly moved. It seemed to him
+suddenly that the burnous he wore exercised a stifling effect on him.
+He threw it off, and it fell unheeded to the loose stones at his feet.
+The girl laughed again, somewhat tremulously.
+
+"What of those nasty creatures against which you warned me a moment
+ago?" she exclaimed. "Or is it that your disguise has become
+unbearable? You make an astonishingly tall Arab, Mr. Royson. I should
+have picked you out anywhere."
+
+That wayward heart of Dick's drove a hot flood of color to his face,
+but he still held mastery over his tongue.
+
+"Why do you think I am likely to run into danger?" he asked. For an
+instant his calmness misled her. She had grown accustomed to his habit
+of self-restraint, and looked for nothing else.
+
+"Because you would dare anything rather than fail," she said. "You
+would ride alone into the midst of a thousand enemies if you thought
+that thereby you could attain your ends. And I want to assure you that
+I--that Mr. Fenshawe--would object most strenuously to your incurring
+any real peril for the sake of the worthless people who have brought us
+to Africa on a wild-goose chase. By all means secure for us any
+possible information that can be obtained through the Arabs, but I came
+here because--because I shall feel happier if you promise me--that--you
+will avoid this man, Alfieri, and his friends. Did you see the look on
+Baron von Kerber's face to-day? I never before realized what the hunger
+for gold meant. He would kill any one who barred his path. I could read
+his very soul. And--and--it frightened me. So you must come back
+safely, Mr. Royson, for I have confidence in you and Captain Stump, but
+I am terrified of what may happen if von Kerber tells the others the
+story of the treasure, and promises them a large share in it, should it
+be found."
+
+"I had not thought of that," said Dick simply. Indeed, his mind was not
+at all occupied just then with von Kerber's scheming.
+
+"So I imagined. And that is why I stole out of my tent and waited here.
+I was sure you would agree with me that the really important thing is
+our speedy return to the yacht. It is the only possible course. My
+grandfather never intended to gain his ends by armed force, and von
+Kerber is assuredly dreaming of that at this moment."
+
+"I begin to see your point of view," said he, forcing himself to answer
+her words, though his brain was weaving other phrases. "Even if I
+discover that Alfieri is digging up those precious camel-loads, it will
+be best for all parties that his success should be minimized."
+
+"Yes, yes," she cried eagerly. "That is my meaning. I do not care what
+happens so long as we all reach Pajura. Then let the Baron and Mrs.
+Haxton do as they choose. Even if they want to borrow our money and our
+goods and chattels for the purpose of a second expedition I shall be
+the first to support the idea."
+
+"You are not longing, then, for a sight of the Sheban wealth?"
+
+"No. I hate the very thought of it. It is--bloodstained. Oh, Mr.
+Royson, everything now depends on you. Please contrive matters so that
+we shall travel to the coast without delay. That is all. You understand
+me, I think. It only remains for me to wish you good-by and God-speed."
+
+She moved a little apart, but Dick's left hand caught her by the
+shoulder.
+
+"No, Irene, it is not all," he whispered. "I am going now, and I shall
+return to you, God willing, within thirty-six hours, and, before I go,
+I want to kiss you."
+
+He could feel the quiver that shook her slender form at the
+unexpectedness of it. She uttered a startled cry, and wondered if she
+had heard aright, but she yielded to the clasp of an encircling arm.
+Perhaps she lifted her face in sheer amazement; be that as it may, Dick
+kissed her, not once, but many times.
+
+"May Heaven guard and keep you, sweetheart," he said brokenly. "You
+know that I love you. You have known it many a day, but I forced myself
+to be silent because I was proud. Now my pride has given way to the joy
+of whispering that I love you. To-morrow, that stubborn pride of mine
+may rebuke me, and say that I had no right to take you to my heart to-
+night, but to-night my love laughs at all that idle pretense of money
+erecting a barrier between you and me. You are dearer to me than life,
+and why should I not tell you so? I wanted to meet you to-night, Irene.
+I made plaint to the stars when I did not see you at parting. Now that
+you are here, I find myself at the gates of Paradise. Yet you must
+leave me now, dear one. Let me carry the fragrance of your kiss on my
+lips until the dawn. Then, in the chill of morning, when cold reason
+chides me, I shall refuse to listen to her, for I shall remember that
+Irene kissed me."
+
+The girl clung to him during a blissful instant.
+
+"Oh!" she sighed, and "Oh!" again as though her heart was throbbing its
+life out. Then she murmured:
+
+"You have not even asked me if I loved you, King Dick!"
+
+With that she glanced up at him, and placed both hands on his
+shoulders.
+
+"No," he said. "I only asked you to kiss me. I shall ask for your love
+when I may come without reproach and ask you to be my wife."
+
+"Dick," she said, with adorable shyness, "it is not yet to-morrow."
+
+He strained her to his breast. Their lips met again rapturously.
+
+"Oh, my sweet," he said, "has ever man received more angelic answer to
+a question that filled his heart with longing throughout many days?"
+
+"Yet you are leaving me, and of your own accord."
+
+"Irene--you, too, are proud. Would you have me return now?"
+
+"No. I know now that fate has chosen you to decide our fortunes. Go,
+Dick, but come back to me in safety, or my poor little heart will
+break."
+
+Then, as though afraid of her own weakness, she drew herself from his
+arms and hurried away towards the camp. He stood motionless, listening
+to her footsteps, and his soul sang blithe canticles the while. At
+last, when assured that she was within her tent, he picked up the
+discarded burnous, strode to the waiting camels, and quickly the desert
+enfolded him and his dreams in its great silence.
+
+And Dick thanked the desert for its kindliness, which had made possible
+that which was beyond credence. In London, how could a poverty-stricken
+outcast dare to raise his eyes to the patrician heiress? He remembered
+that first glance of hers, and the tactful way in which she had
+discriminated between the man who might be glad of a sovereign for the
+service he had rendered, and him who would value a woman's thanks far
+beyond gold. And then, with what quiet dignity she had ignored his
+fierce repudiation of von Kerber's offer of recompense. In that bitter
+hour how might he foresee the turn of fortune's wheel which in two
+short months would bring that dainty girl to his lover's embrace! How
+delightful it was to hear his nickname from her lips! King Dick! Well,
+such bold wooing ran in the blood, and it would go hard with any man,
+whether Frank or Saracen, who barred the way between him and his chosen
+lady. What if her grandfather were fifty times a millionaire! What had
+millions to do with love? Precious little, quoth Richard, if all he had
+read of rich men's lives were even partly true. He had a twinge or two
+when he reflected that, at present, he occupied the position of second
+mate on Fenshawe's yacht. He pictured himself asking the old gentleman
+for Irene's hand in marriage, and being told that he was several sorts
+of a lunatic. But the memory of Irene's kisses rendered her
+grandfather's anticipated wrath quite bearable, and Dick laughed aloud
+at the joy and folly of it all, until Sheikh Abdur Kad'r was moved to
+say sharply:
+
+"At night, in the desert, Effendi, the ears carry farther than the
+eyes, so it behooves us to make no more noise with our tongues than our
+camels make with their feet."
+
+They journeyed slowly until a wondrous amber light first flooded the
+eastern horizon and then tinted the opposite hills with pink coral.
+Soon, rainbow shades of blue and green began to blend with the pink,
+and the undulating plateau they were traversing revealed with startling
+suddenness its scattered rocks and patches of loose stones. The camels
+were urged into a lurching trot, and thirty miles were covered in less
+time than it had taken to travel eight during the dark hours.
+
+Beyond a few gazelles, a pair of marabout storks, and a troup of
+jackals, they saw no living creature. But they took every precaution
+against surprise. If others were on the march they meant to discover
+the fact before they were themselves seen. So, when the ground was
+practicable, they crossed the sky-line at top speed, hastened through
+the intervening valley, and crept in Indian file to the next crest.
+
+The Bisharin camels had long ceased to utter their unavailing growls.
+Such reasoning powers as they possessed told them that they must make
+the best of a bad business, as the lords of creation on their backs
+meant to reach the allotted destination without reference to the
+outraged feelings of three ill-used animals who had been deprived of a
+night's rest. Now, a camel has been taught, by long experience, that
+the legitimate end of a march is supplied only by something in the
+shape of an oasis, no matter how slight may be its store of prickly
+bushes and wiry grass. Therefore, these Bisharin brethren must have
+felt something akin to surprise when they were tethered and fed in a
+rock-strewn wady which offered neither food nor water. Animals and men
+had to depend on the supplies they had carried thither. Shelter, of
+course, there was none, and at nine o'clock the sun was already high in
+the heavens.
+
+One unhappy beast made a tremendous row when Hussain mounted him again
+after a brief respite, and bade him be moving. Nevertheless, protest
+was useless, and only led to torture. Finally, squealing and weeping,
+the camel moved off, while his erstwhile sympathizers regarded him
+blandly and unmoved, seeing that they were not disturbed, but permitted
+to munch in peace the remains of a meal. Hussain was soon out of sight.
+According to Abdur Kad'r's calculations, the Italian camp was in the
+center of the next important valley. At the utmost, it was three miles
+distant, and Hussain's presence early in the forenoon would be more
+readily accounted for if he put in an appearance on a camel that was
+obviously leg-weary.
+
+Royson had given the man explicit instructions. If questioned, he was
+to state the actual facts--that an Englishman and himself, with one
+other Arab, had made a forced march from the nearest oasis, that his
+exhausted companions were resting at no great distance, and that he
+purposed returning to them with a replenished water-bag and some food
+for their camels. But, amid the bustle of a large encampment, it was
+more than likely that his arrival would pass unnoticed save by his
+brother Arabs. In that event, he could satisfy their curiosity without
+going into details, ascertain whether or not Abdullah the Spear-thrower
+was among them, and, by keeping his eyes and ears open, learn a good
+deal as to the progress effected by Alfieri in the work of exploration.
+
+By hook or by crook, he must endeavor to return before sundown--if
+accompanied by Abdullah, so much the better. Then, having learnt his
+news, they could decide on the next step to be taken. Perhaps, if
+Abdullah came, they would be able to rejoin the expedition without
+further trouble.
+
+After Hussain's departure, Royson and Abdur Kad'r disposed themselves
+to rest. Utilizing camel cloths as _tentes d'abri_, they snatched a
+couple of hours of uneasy sleep; but the heat and insects drove even
+the seasoned sheikh to rebellion, and by midday both men preferred the
+hot air and sunshine to the sweltering shade of the stuffy cloths.
+
+Irene was right when she said that Dick had made a great advance with
+his Arabic. He was master of many words of every-day use, and had also
+learnt a number of connected phrases. Abdur Kad'r knew some French.
+These joint attainments enabled them to carry on a conversation.
+
+The Arab, with the curiosity of all men who do not read books, sought
+information as to life in big cities, and Royson amused himself by
+depicting the marvels of London. A limited vocabulary, no less than the
+dense ignorance of his guide on such topics as railways, electricity,
+paved streets, cabs, and other elements of existence in towns, rendered
+the descriptions vague. Suddenly, the sheikh broke in on Dick's labored
+recital with a query that gave the conversation an extraordinary turn.
+
+"If you have so many remarkable things in your own land, Effendi, what
+do you seek here?" he asked, waving a lean hand in comprehensive sweep.
+"This is no place for town-bred men like the Hakim Effendi, nor for two
+such women as those who travel with us. You have ridden three hundred
+kilometers across the desert, and for what? To find five hills, says
+the Hakim. May Allah be praised that rich men should wish to spend so
+much money for so foolish a reason!"
+
+"But the Hakim Effendi believes that there is an oasis marked by five
+hills somewhere in this district, and, were he to find it, we would
+dig, and perhaps discover some ancient articles buried there, articles
+of small value to the world generally, but highly prized by those who
+understand their history."
+
+"I know this desert as you know those streets you have been telling me
+of," said Abdur Kad'r, "and there is no oasis marked by five hills. You
+have seen every camping-ground between here and Pajura. There is but
+one other track, an old caravan road from the sea, which crosses our
+present line a few kilometers to the south. We passed it last night in
+the dark. It has only four wells. The nearest one is called the Well of
+Moses, the next, the Well of the Elephant--"
+
+"Why should you Arabs have a well of Moses?" asked Dick, smiling. "It
+is not thought that Moses ever wandered in this locality, is it?"
+
+"We respect Moses and all the prophets," said Abdur Kad'r seriously.
+He smoked in silence for a minute, seemingly searching his memory for
+something that had escaped it.
+
+"Is it true," he demanded doubtingly, "that once upon a time many of
+the hills gave forth fire and smoke as from a furnace?"
+
+"Quite true. Volcanoes we call them. All these mountains are volcanic
+in their origin."
+
+"Then a moulvie whom I met once did not lie to me. He said that seven
+little mounds which stand near that well had been known to vomit ashes
+and flame: thus, they came to be called the Seven-branched Candlestick
+of Moses. I suppose the well took the prophet's name in that way. Who
+knows?"
+
+Royson had learnt of late how to school his face. Long practise under
+the witchery of Irene's eyes and Mrs. Haxton's ceaseless scrutiny
+enabled him now to conceal the lightning flash of inspiration that
+fired his intelligence. An old caravan road from the sea, a road that
+led to the Nile, with its fourth stopping-place made notable by seven
+tiny cones of an extinct volcano--surely that had the ring of actuality
+about it! Von Kerber had confessed to altering figures and distances in
+the papyrus--was this an instance?--were the "hills" they sought not
+five but seven in number? What an amazing thing it would be if this
+gaunt old sheikh held the clue to the burial-place of the treasure! It
+must have been on the tip of his tongue ever since they met him, yet
+the knowledge was withheld, solely on account of von Kerber's secretive
+methods. Had he told Abdur Kad'r that he was searching for an oasis
+sheltered by seven hills it was almost quite certain that the Well of
+Moses would at least have been mentioned as the only locality offering
+a remote resemblance to that which he sought. Somehow, Dick felt that
+he had stumbled on to the truth. Though tingling with excitement, he
+managed to control his voice.
+
+"You say it is four marches from here to the sea?" he asked.
+
+"Five, Effendi. There are four wells, but each is thirty or thirty-five
+kilometers from the other. At one time, I have been told, many
+_kafilas_ came that way, but the trade was killed by goods being
+carried in ships to other points, while it is recorded among my people
+that the curse of Allah fell on the land, and blighted it, and the
+trees died, and the streams dried up, until it became as you now see
+it."
+
+Dick lit a fresh, cigarette, and blew a great cloud of smoke before his
+eyes, lest the observant Arab should read the thoughts that made them
+glisten.
+
+"Let us suppose," he said slowly, "that Fenshawe Effendi decided to
+make for the sea by that shorter road, there would be no difficulty in
+doing it?"
+
+"Difficulty !" re-echoed the sheikh, "it might cost us many lives. A
+few men, leading spare camels with water-bags, might get through in
+safety, but it would be madness to attempt it with a big caravan. By
+the Prophet's beard, I did not like the prospect of this present march,
+though I knew there was water and food in plenty at Suleiman's Well.
+What, then, would happen if we found every well on the eastern road dry
+as a lime-kiln?"
+
+"Yet you have been that way, you say?"
+
+"Once, when I was young. But we were only a few Arabs, with a long
+string of camels."
+
+"Did you find water?"
+
+"_Malish_--I have forgotten. It is so long ago."
+
+Royson rose to his feet and stretched himself. He wondered what Alfieri
+was disinterring at Suleiman's Well if the legion of Aelius Gallus had
+followed the old-world route described by the Arab. Perhaps it was all
+a mad dream, and this latest development but an added trick of fantasy.
+Abdur Kad'r, looking up at him, chuckled softly.
+
+"Effendi," he cried, "if you are as strong as you look, you must be of
+the breed of that Frankish king whom our great Soldan, Yussuf Ibn Ayub,
+fought in Syria eight hundred years ago. _Bismillah!_ I have seen many
+a proper man, but none with height and bone like you."
+
+Now, Dick knew that Abdur Kad'r was speaking of Richard the First and
+Saladin, and it did seem a strange thing that the founder of his race
+should be named at that moment. He laughed constrainedly.
+
+"You have guessed truly, my friend," he said. "I am indeed a descendant
+of that famous fighter. Alas, the days have long passed since men met
+in fair contest with lance and sword. If I were fool enough to seek
+distinction today in the battle-field I might be slain by any monkey of
+a man who could aim a rifle."
+
+"We die as God wills," was the Arab's pious rejoinder, "yet I have been
+in more than one fight in which a Frank of your size could have won a
+name for himself. But I am growing old. My hot days are ended, and you
+giaours are erecting boundary pillars on the desert. The free people
+are dying. We are scattered and divided. Soon there will not be a
+genuine Arab left. May the wrath of Allah fall on all unbelievers!"
+
+Then did Royson laugh again, with a heartiness that drove that passion
+of retrospect from Abdur Kad'r's dark features.
+
+"Whatever happens, let not you and me quarrel," he cried. "We have
+enough on hand that we should keep our heads cool. And who can tell
+what this very day may bring forth? Things may happen ere we rejoin our
+caravan, Abdur Kad'r."
+
+The sheikh, bowed his head in confusion. It must have been the heat, he
+muttered, that caused his tongue to utter such folly. And, indeed, the
+excuse might serve, for the hot hours dragged most wearily, and the sun
+circled ever towards the hills, yet there came no sign of Hussain.
+
+Royson, was divided between his promise to Irene not to incur any
+avoidable risk and his natural wish to obtain the information so
+eagerly awaited in the camp. Though he meant to begin the return
+journey at sunset, here was five o'clock, and he no wiser than
+yesterday at the same hour. At last, inaction grew irksome. He helped
+Abdur Kad'r to saddle the camels, and they mounted, with intent to
+climb the northerly ridge, and thus survey the road which Hussain must
+pursue if he managed to get away from Italian surveillance before
+nightfall.
+
+They proceeded warily. On gaining the opposing height they found that a
+broad plateau, flanked by a steep hill on the seaward side, barred any
+distant view, but Abdur Kad'r felt assured that the crest of this next
+hill would give them command of the whole range of broken country for
+many miles ahead. With this objective, they urged the camels into a
+trot. When the shoulder of the rising ground became almost impassable
+for four-footed animals, and awkward beasts at that, they dismounted,
+tied the camels to heavy stones, and climbed the remainder of the way
+on foot.
+
+They looked across a narrow valley into a wide and shallow depression,
+where a clump of palm trees and dense patches of _sayall_ bushes
+instantly revealed the whereabouts of the oasis. It was easy to see the
+regular lines of newly-turned rubble and sand where trenches had been
+cut by the explorers. But the place was deserted. Not a man or horse,
+camel or tent, stood on the spot where the mirage had revealed a
+multitude some twenty-six hours earlier.
+
+Royson was so perplexed by the discovery that his gaze did not wander
+from the abandoned camp. Abdur Kad'r, quicker than he to read the
+tokens of the desert, pointed to a haze of dust that hung in the still
+air far to the north.
+
+"The Italians have gone, Effendi," he said. "Perhaps they, too, were
+looking for an oasis with five hills. Behold, they have found one by a
+fool's counting, for this is the fifth hill within two kilometers of
+Suleiman's Well. The ways of Allah are wonderful. Can it be that they
+have discovered that which you seek?"
+
+A sharp pang of disappointment shot through Royson's breast. He was
+about to tell Abdur Kad'r that they must now regain their camels and
+hasten to the oasis while there was sufficient light to examine the
+excavations, when the sheikh suddenly pulled him down, for Dick had
+stood upright on a boulder to obtain an uninterrupted field of vision.
+
+"Look!" he growled. "Four of them! And, by the Holy Kaaba, they mean
+mischief!"
+
+Royson's eyes were good, clearer, in all probability, than the Arab's,
+but they were not trained to detect moving objects with such minute
+precision. Nevertheless, in a few seconds he made out the hoods of four
+men who were peering over the crest which separated the small valley
+from the larger one. They disappeared, and, while Royson and Abdur
+Kad'r were speculating on the motive that inspired this espionage, the
+hoods came in sight again, but this time they had the regular swing
+that betokened camel-riders. The four halted on the sky-line, and
+seemingly exchanged signals with others in the fear. Then they resumed
+their advance. They were fully armed; they carried their guns across
+the saddle-bow, and Dick saw that their cloaks were rather differently
+fashioned to those which he had taken note of hitherto.
+
+"Hadendowas!" murmured Abdur Kad'r. "They are good fighters, Effendi,
+but born thieves. And how many ride behind? Not for twenty years have I
+met Hadendowas on this track."
+
+The Arab's keen eyes did not cease to glare fixedly beyond the ridge.
+Soon he whispered again:
+
+"They may not have seen us, Effendi, but we must be ready for them. Go
+you, and lead our camels into the hollow there," and he thrust his chin
+towards the seaward base of the hill. "I shall soon know if they are
+playing fox with us. Our camels are of the Bisharin breed, while theirs
+are Persian, so we can always outstrip them if it comes to a race. You
+understand, Effendi; they come from Suleiman's Well. Perchance evil
+hath befallen Hussain."
+
+Abhur Kad'r's advice was so obviously reasonable that Dick obeyed it,
+though unwillingly. He took the camels to the place indicated by his
+companion, and had no difficulty in finding a cleft in which they were
+quite hidden from the ken of any who followed the main track.
+
+Soon he heard the sheikh hurrying after him.
+
+"Had we awaited Hussain another half hour we should have been dead or
+captured by this time, Effendi," was his bewildering news. "A white man
+and nearly seventy Hadendowas, all armed, and leading pack camels,
+follow close behind the scouts. With them are Hussain and another, but
+their arms are bound, and they are roped to their beasts. The Giaour--
+may he be withered--rides my Bisharin camel."
+
+Then Royson knew by intuition what had happened. Alfieri had failed in
+his quest. The Italian commander of the troops, refusing to sanction
+useless labor any longer, had marched north with his men. Alfieri,
+still clinging desperately to a chimera, had decided to remain and
+scour the desert until his stores gave out. And, at this crucial moment
+in his enterprise, came Hussain, the unconscious emissary of his
+rivals. The fact that the Arab was a prisoner spoke volumes. He had
+tried to communicate with Abdullah, and the watchful Italian had
+guessed his true mission. The man might have been tortured until he
+confessed the whereabouts not only of Royson himself and Abdur Kad'r
+but of the whole expedition. There was but one thing to do, and that
+speedily.
+
+"Up!" he shouted, dragging the camels forth to an open space. "You ride
+in front and set the pace."
+
+"What would you do, Effendi?" cried the sheikh in alarm. "They will see
+us ere we have gone five hundred meters. Let us wait for the night."
+
+"Up, I tell you," roared Royson, catching the Arab's shoulder in a
+steel grip. "In another ten minutes they will know we have fled, and
+they will hurry south at top speed. What chance have we of passing them
+in this country at night? Our sole hope is to head them. No more words,
+but ride. Believe me, Abdur Kad'r, it is life or death for you, and it
+matters little to me whether you die here, or in the next valley, or
+not at all."
+
+Then the Arab knew that he had met his master. He climbed to the
+saddle, said words not in the Koran, and urged his camel into a
+frenzied run. Royson, who could never have persuaded his own long-
+legged steed to adopt such a pace, found it easy enough to induce the
+beast to follow his brother.
+
+In this fashion, riding like madmen, they traversed the plateau and had
+almost begun the descent into the wady where they had spent the day,
+when a distant yell reached them. There was no need to look back, even
+if such a hazardous proceeding were warranted by their break-neck gait.
+They were discovered, but they were in front, and that counts for a
+good deal in a race. They tore down the hill, lumbered across the
+dried-up bed of a long-vanished torrent, and pressed up the further
+side. As they neared the ridge, four rifle shots rang out, and Dick saw
+three little spurts of dust and stones kick up in front on the right,
+while a white spatter suddenly shone on a dark rock to the left.
+
+"Faster!" he roared to Abdur Kad'r. "They cannot both ride and fire. In
+the next wady we shall be safe. Bend to it, my friend. Your reward will
+be great, and measured only by your haste in bringing me back to our
+camp."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI
+
+
+A FLIGHT--AND A FIGHT
+
+Mrs. Haxton was no laggard in her hammock on the day after Royson's
+departure from the camp, but, early riser though she was, Irene was up
+and dressed when the older woman came to her tent and asked if she
+might have a word with her. In fact, Irene had not undressed at all the
+previous night. When she tore herself from Dick's arms, she hurried
+back to the oasis, it is true, but only to draw a chair out into the
+open, and sit there under the stars, dreaming the dreams of a girl to
+whom the heaven of love has just thrown wide its portals.
+
+Even the midnight chill did not drive her to bed. She closed the flap
+of her tent, lit a lamp, and tried to read, but the letters danced
+before her eyes. Instead of the scenes portrayed by the book, she saw
+three ghostly camels shuffling through stones and sand in the darkness,
+and, on one of them, the tall figure of the man whose parting words had
+filled her soul with honey sweetness. At last, weary with anxiety on
+his behalf, she threw herself, fully dressed, on her low-hung hammock,
+this being Mr. Fenshawe's clever device to protect European skins from
+the attacks of the insects that swarm in the desert wherever there is
+any sign of dampness. She slept a few fitful hours, and her first
+waking thought was a prayer for Dick's well-being.
+
+Then came Mrs. Haxton, and the girl received her with unaffected
+friendliness, being in the mood that demanded the sympathy she was
+prepared to offer to all who suffered. Her visitor was observant. Her
+woman's eyes noted that Irene was still attired in a muslin dinner
+dress, whereas she invariably wore a riding costume of brown holland or
+Assam silk in the morning.
+
+"My dear Irene," she said, "I hope you will not allow that stupid
+dispute of yesterday to worry you into sleepless nights."
+
+"But I have slept--quite a long time," was the girl's smiling
+disclaimer.
+
+"Well, now--let us consider. Mr. Royson left the camp about ten
+o'clock. A young lady who shall be nameless said good-bye to him half
+an hour later--"
+
+"You saw me?" Irene flushed scarlet.
+
+"No, indeed. I was too busy with my own sad affairs to act the part of
+a female Paul Pry, even involuntarily. But I did see you go to your
+tent, and I caught a glimpse of you at midnight when you were lighting
+your lamp. It is not yet six, so I am guessing things."
+
+"If I were to return the compliment--"
+
+"You would say that I, too, was not a heavy sleeper. Well, I make no
+secret of a perturbed night. That is why I am here now. I want your
+help, Irene. Strange as it may seem, I appeal to you because I know you
+have always been opposed to my aims. Perhaps I am to blame for that.
+Had I forced Baron von Kerber to take you and Mr. Fenshawe fully into
+his confidence, events might have shaped themselves quite differently.
+But it is too late to talk of what might have been. You are more
+concerned with the future than with the past. Last night, while you
+were looking into the wonderland of the years to come, I was reviewing
+lost opportunities. Therefore, I come to you this morning somewhat
+chastened in spirit. May I talk without reserve?"
+
+"Please, do," cried Irene, drawing her chair closer. In the sharp
+clarity of sunrise she saw that Mrs. Haxton's beautiful face was drawn
+and haggard. She was beginning to probe unsuspected depths in this
+woman's temperament. She understood something of the intense
+disappointment which the failure of the expedition must evoke in one to
+whom wealth and all that it yields constituted the breath of life. And
+then, she was in love, which predisposes its votaries towards charity.
+
+Mrs. Haxton sighed. A consummate actress, for once her art was
+supplemented by real feeling.
+
+"Ah," she murmured, her eyes filling with tears, "I find your pity hard
+to bear."
+
+"Surely you are not going to cry just because I am sorry for you,"
+cried the girl. "There now. Don't give way. Let me call one of the men.
+He will bring us some tea, and we can have a nice long chat before
+breakfast."
+
+"Yes, do that. We both need it. My grief is rather selfish, Irene. I
+know your secret, dear girl, and I wish you every happiness, though the
+phrase carries with it the bitter self-communion that, for my own part,
+I have forfeited most things that make life happy. Well, that is not
+what I want to say. The storm has passed. Summon your slave, and bid
+the kettle boil."
+
+Surprised and touched by the emotion displayed by her companion, Irene
+hastened to procure the beverage which Providence evidently intended
+for the consolation of afflicted womankind. The camp was already astir,
+and the crew of the _Aphrodite_ were preparing their morning meal, so
+two cups of hot tea were quickly available.
+
+When Mrs. Haxton spoke again, the tears had gone, and her voice resumed
+its pleasantly modulated tone.
+
+"May I begin by assuming that you intend to marry Mr. Royson?" she
+asked.
+
+Irene laughed softly, and her glance wandered beyond the busy camp to
+the distant hills.
+
+"I have known more unlikely events to happen," she said.
+
+"I thought so. I recognized the symptoms. Well, I want to make a sort
+of bargain with you. If you help me, I can help you, and, to show that
+I can give effect to my words, I shall tell you exactly what form my
+help will take before I state the nature of the assistance I ask from
+you, so that you may be at perfect liberty to give or withhold it as
+you choose."
+
+"This is a rather one-sided contract, is it not?" "No. I fancy it will
+be equitable. I have not lived in close intimacy with you during so
+many weeks without arriving at a fair estimate of your character. You
+are one of the fortunate people, Irene, who find it more blessed to
+give than to receive. At any rate I am satisfied to settle matters that
+way. And to come to the point, while you may experience grave
+difficulty in obtaining your grandfather's consent to your marriage
+with a penniless young gentleman of striking physique but no
+profession--Mr. Royson being even a second mate on sufferance, so to
+speak--the aspect of your affairs changes materially when your suitor
+becomes Sir Richard Royson, Baronet, with a fine estate and a rent-roll
+of five thousand pounds a year."
+
+"How can you possibly know that?" gasped Irene, spilling half her tea
+in sheer excitement.
+
+"It is more than possible--It is true. I happen to be aware of the
+facts. That thrice fortunate young man came into our lives at a moment
+when, by the merest chance, I was able to acquire some knowledge of his
+family history. His uncle, the twenty-sixth baronet, I believe,
+sustained an accident in childhood which unhappily made him a cripple
+and a hunchback. He grew up a misanthrope. He hated his only brother
+because he was tall and strong as befitted one of the race, and his
+hatred became a mania when Captain Henry Royson married a young lady on
+whom the dwarf baronet had set his mind. There never was the least
+reason to believe that she would have wed Sir Richard, but that did not
+prevent him from pursuing her with a spite and vindictiveness that
+earned him very bad repute in Westmoreland. His brother and nephew
+were, however, his heirs, though the estate was a poor one, but, when
+minerals were discovered on the property, he persuaded Captain Royson
+to agree that the entail should be broken, as certain business
+developments could then be carried out more effectively. This was a
+reasonable thing in itself, but, unhappily, the younger brother was
+killed in the hunting-field, and some legal kink in the affair enabled
+the baronet to reduce the widow and her son to actual poverty. Young
+Royson made a gallant attempt to support his mother, but she died
+nearly five years ago. Naturally, there was a mortal feud between him
+and his uncle. Sir Richard's constant aim has been to crush his nephew.
+He arranged matters so that the bare title alone would pass to the heir
+at his death. Yet, on the very day that young Royson stopped your
+frightened horses in Buckingham Palace Road, the baronet slipped on the
+oak floor of the picture gallery in Orme Castle--that is the name of
+their place in the North--and injured his spine. The nearness of death
+seems to have frightened him into an act of retribution. He made a new
+will, constituting your Richard his heir, and he died the day before
+our caravan left Pajura."
+
+A certain cold disdain had crept into Irene's face as she listened.
+Mrs. Haxton was well aware of the change in the girl's manner, but she
+did not interrupt the thread of her story, nor seek to alter its
+significance.
+
+"Mr. Royson knows nothing of these later events that are so vitally
+important to him?" she asked, when the other woman's quiet narration
+ceased its even flow.
+
+"No."
+
+"Then how is it--"
+
+"That I am better informed? It is quite simple. Baron von Kerber
+intercepted and read all letters and telegrams that came for him by
+camel post."
+
+Irene rose. Anger flamed in her face, and her brown eyes darkened.
+
+"You dare to tell this to me?" she said.
+
+"Exactly. You gave me permission to speak unreservedly. Please sit
+down. I have not finished yet."
+
+Somehow, despite her indignation, the girl was swayed into compliance.
+
+"You forget that the twenty-sixth Sir Richard was dead, and that it
+really did not matter one jot to the twenty-seventh whether he learnt
+the news a few weeks earlier or later. But it mattered everything to
+us, to Baron von Kerber and myself, I mean. We were determined that
+this expedition should succeed, and we boggled at no means which
+promised to achieve our end. We have been beaten, but not through any
+fault of ours. We felt, not without good reason, that if Mr. Royson
+were compelled to return home you would be converted from a passive
+into an active enemy. So we adopted the leave-well-enough-alone policy,
+and, as one woman speaking to another, I really don't see what you have
+to grumble about. Blame us as much as you like, you still have the
+delightful knowledge that the progress of your love affair was
+unaffected by titles or wealth, and I have left to you the pleasant
+duty of telling your fiancé of his good fortune."
+
+"I am afraid your reasoning is too plausible for my poor wits, Mrs.
+Haxton," said the girl slowly. "Indeed, I am not sure that I care to
+listen to you any further."
+
+"But you must, you shall," came the fierce outburst. "Do you think I am
+lowering myself in your eyes without cause? I have told you the plain
+truth, careless of the worst interpretation you may choose to place on
+my motives. Now, in return, I want you to make these things known to
+Mr. Fenshawe. He will be even more disgusted with Baron von Kerber and
+my wretched self than he is at present, if that be possible. Hence, he
+will agree, in all probability, to do what we ask--we wish him to give
+us sufficient equipment and escort to travel direct to the coast from
+here--at once--within the hour. When we reach the sea we can cross to
+Aden in an Arab dhow, and neither Mr. Fenshawe nor you will ever see or
+hear from us again, save in a business sense. It is not a wildly
+extravagant demand. None of us can look forward with pleasure to a
+month's journey in company back to Pajura. If I go to Mr. Fenshawe with
+the proposal I have made to you, he will suspect some hidden intent. He
+will believe you, and you can convince him that it is the only
+satisfactory way out of a disagreeable position."
+
+A full minute elapsed before Irene answered.
+
+"I take it that you are here with Baron von Kerber's consent," she
+said.
+
+"Yes. We discussed matters from every aspect last night. That is why I
+am so well posted in your movements. We prefer not to await Mr.
+Royson's return. Alfieri has defeated us. We have lost caste with you
+and your grandfather. For Heaven's sake, let us go!"
+
+Again there was a pause. For some reason, Irene's sympathies conquered
+her again. She had risen, and she approached a little nearer.
+
+"I wish to say," she murmured, "that--I am--sorry for you."
+
+Mrs. Haxton looked up at her. Her face was frozen with misery. She
+seemed to be incapable of tears just then. She stood up, held herself
+erect for an instant, and walked out of the tent.
+
+"Thank you," she said, without turning her head, as though she wished
+to avoid the girl's eyes, "Now go, please. Tell Mr. Fenshawe that we
+shall be glad to get away while it is possible to march. If your
+grandfather sanctions our plan, we have all details ready for his
+approval. There need be no delay. We do not want a great deal in the
+way of stores, and we give our promise to repay the small sum of money
+which will be necessary for the voyage to Aden and thence to London."
+
+Irene, conscious of some unknown element in this wholly unexpected
+outcome of the previous evening's discord, hurried off to arouse her
+grandfather. At that hour the _kafila_ was usually beginning the day's
+march, but Mr. Fenshawe, like the others, had remained up late, and he
+was unwilling to be disturbed until his servant told him that his
+granddaughter was exceedingly anxious to see him.
+
+As soon as she began to relate Mrs. Haxton's story, she realized that
+it implied a confession of the attachment existing between Royson and
+herself. She stammered and flushed when it came to explaining the
+interest she took in all appertaining to Dick, but the old gentleman
+listened gravely and without comment.
+
+"What do _you_ think, Irene?" he asked when she had finished.
+
+"I think we should all be happier and freer from restraint if Mrs.
+Haxton and the Baron left us," she said.
+
+"I agree with you. Mrs. Haxton, as a chaperone, can easily be dispensed
+with. You say they have a scheme drawn up for my signature--setting
+forth the number of camels, etc., they need? Bring it to me. We can go
+through it together, and you and Stump can check the actual splitting
+up of the caravan. Of course, they know that we have a thirty days'
+march before us, as compared with their five or six, and we may also be
+compelled to remain here another day or two. In the matter of funds I
+shall be generous, at any rate where the woman is concerned. I believe
+that von Kerber is a scoundrel, that he has led her blindfolded along a
+path of villainy, and she thinks now that she cannot recede. However,
+let us see what they want."
+
+He was somewhat surprised to find that their demands were studiously
+moderate. Their tent equipage, seven days' supplies, a dozen camels,
+two horses, and the necessary number of men, made up the list. Mr.
+Fenshawe gave them sufficient silver for current expenses, and a draft
+payable in Aden for the steamer and hotel charges, while he sent Mrs.
+Haxton a note offering her five hundred pounds when she arrived in
+London, and promising further assistance in the future if she shook
+herself free of von Kerber.
+
+Irene, who was acquainted with her grandfather's liberal intent,
+watched Mrs. Haxton closely while she read that kindly message. Her
+pallid face was unmoved. Its statuesque rigor gave no hint of the
+thoughts that raged behind the mask.
+
+"Tell Mr. Fenshawe that he has acted exactly as I expected," was her
+listless reply, and, within five minutes, the small cavalcade started.
+Mrs. Haxton elected to ride a Somali pony. She mounted unaided, forced
+the rather unruly animal to canter to the head of the caravan, and thus
+deliberately hid herself from further scrutiny.
+
+"Poor thing!" murmured Irene with a sigh of relief, and hardly
+conscious that she was addressing Stump. "I cannot help pitying her,
+though I am glad she has gone."
+
+"She an' the Baron make a good pair, Miss," said Stump. "I've had my
+eye on 'em, an' they're up to some mischief now, or my name ain't wot
+it is."
+
+The girl glanced at him wonderingly, for the sturdy sailor's outspoken
+opinion fitted in curiously with her own half-formed thought.
+
+"You would not say that if you knew why they have left us," she said.
+
+"Mebbe not, Miss Fenshawe, an' mebbe you've on'y heard half a yarn, if
+you'll pardon my way of puttin' it. Anyway, the Baron is in a mighty
+hurry to be off; an' isn't it plain enough that he doesn't want to be
+here when Mr. Royson comes back? You mark my words, Miss. You'll hear
+something that'll surprise you when our second mate heaves in sight."
+
+Never did man prophesy more truly, yet never was prophet more amazed at
+his own success....
+
+Royson and Abdur Kad'r, flying for their lives, spurred on by the
+further knowledge that even if they escaped capture or death they yet
+had to undertake a difficult journey on tired beasts if they would save
+the expedition from the attack evidently meditated by Alfieri and his
+cohort of plunderers, the two, then--Englishman and Arab--rode like men
+who valued their necks but lightly.
+
+Bullets sang close to their ears, and one actually chipped the stock of
+Dick's rifle, almost unseating him by the force of the blow. But the
+Bisharins were excited, and forgot their fatigue for a mile or so, by
+which time night fell, and the uncanny darkness soon rendered it quite
+impossible to ride at all. They dismounted, and led the camels. Abdur
+Kad'r, true son of the desert, pressed forward nimbly, since every yard
+gained was a yard stolen from the pursuers. After a while they were
+able to mount again, but now the jaded camels lagged, and not all the
+sheik's prayers or imprecations could force them even into the
+regulation pace of two and a half miles an hour.
+
+To make matters worse, a hot breeze sprang up from the south, and
+stirred the desert into curling sand-wraiths, which blinded them and
+made it hard to detect sounds even close at hand. They were fully
+thirty miles distant from the camp, with eight hours of darkness before
+them, during which time they could hope to cover only half the march.
+The thought rose unbidden that the remaining half must be undertaken in
+daylight, with wornout camels, while the Hadendowa _kafila_ was
+presumably in fresh condition.
+
+Something of the sort must have been in Abdur Kad'r's mind when, he
+said:
+
+"The misbegotten thieves who follow, Effendi, will count on overtaking
+us soon after daybreak. We must keep the water-bags fastened until the
+dawn. Then let the camels empty them."
+
+Royson silently debated the chances for and against an endeavor to rush
+the journey on foot. If practicable, he would have attempted it,
+leaving the Arab to save himself and the camels by adopting a longer
+route. He decided that the project must fail. He could not find the
+road at night, and his thin boots would be cut to pieces by the rocks
+before he had gone many miles.
+
+Yet, if they were overtaken, what would happen to Irene and the others?
+A sharp pain gripped his breast, and his eyes clouded. He threw back
+his head, and passed a hand over his clammy brow. The action seemed to
+clear his brain, and he saw instantly that there was only one course
+open to him. "Abdur Kad'r," he said, when a level space enabled them to
+walk side by side, "which of our camels is the stronger?"
+
+"They are both weary, Effendi, but mine has carried less weight than
+yours. Ere he fell for the last time, he would lead."
+
+"Listen, then, and do as I say. If we are attacked to-night I shall
+stand and face our assailants. You ride on alone. I shall try to gain a
+fair start for you. You know what depends on your efforts. Should you
+fail, you not only lose life and fortune, but you also endanger the
+lives of many. You must reach the camp by some means. And, when you see
+Miss Fenshawe, tell her that my last thought was of her. Do you
+understand?"
+
+"Effendi--"
+
+"Have you understood my words? Will you deliver that message?"
+
+"Yes, Effendi, but we men of the desert do not fly while our friends
+fight."
+
+"I well believe it, Abdur Kad'r. Yet that is my order. Will you obey?"
+
+"I like it not, Effendi."
+
+"There is no other way. What can you suggest that will be better? I
+remain--that is a settled thing. You gain nothing by not trying to
+escape. And remember, these Arabs will think twice before they slay a
+European."
+
+"They will shoot first and think afterwards, Effendi."
+
+"Well, we shall see. Perhaps they have given up the chase. In case they
+come upon us, lash your camel into a trot, and wait not for me, because
+I shall ride back, not forward."
+
+The sheikh muttered a comprehensive curse on things in general and the
+Hadendowa tribe in particular. They stumbled on in silence for nearly
+two hours. At the end of that time they descended a difficult slope
+into a deep wady. Fortunately, they had crossed it by daylight early
+that morning, so its hazards were vivid in memory. In the rock-strewn
+bed of the vanished river, Abdur Kad'r halted a moment. The light of
+the stars was strong enough to reveal the horizon, which was visible
+through the fall of the valley, and the nearer crests of the
+neighboring watershed were quite distinct--showing black against
+luminous ultramarine.
+
+"That seaward track I spoke of, Effendi, passes this way to the hills.
+The Well of Moses lies down there," and the Arab, more by force of
+habit than because Royson could see him in that gloomy defile, threw
+out his chin towards the east.
+
+Suddenly, it struck Royson that provided he had guessed aright, the
+Roman Legion which sacked Saba must have marched over this identical
+spot, in their effort to reach the Nile. After twenty marches, von
+Kerber said, they were waylaid by a Nubian clan and slain--every man--
+from the proud tribune down to the humblest hastatus. Perhaps they were
+surrounded in some such trap as this valley would provide. And what a
+fight that was! What deeds of valor, what hewing and stabbing, ere the
+last centurion fell at the head of the last remnant of a cohort, and
+the despairing Greek commissary, gazing wild-eyed from some nook of
+safety, saw the Roman eagle sink for ever!
+
+Abdur Kad'r, little dreaming of the train of thought he had aroused,
+moved on again. Dick had drawn taut the head-rope of his unwilling
+camel when the brute uttered a squeal of recognition, and both men saw
+several mounted Arabs silhouetted against the northern sky-line. An
+answering grunt came from one of their camels, and a hubbub of voices
+sank faintly into the somber depths, as the wind was not felt in that
+sheltered place.
+
+The sheikh swore fluently, but Royson spoke no word until they were
+free of the boulders, and had gained a passable incline which led to
+the steeper path up the opposing cliff.
+
+"Now, Abdur Kad'r--" he said.
+
+"Name of Allah, Effendi, this thing must not be!"
+
+"It must. Go, my good comrade. It is for the best."
+
+Abdur Kad'r smote his camel on the cheek.
+
+"I never imagined, Bisharin, that thou would carry me away from a
+friend in danger," he growled, "but this is God's doing, and thou art a
+rogue at all times. I shall either ride thee to death or kill thee for
+a feast," He would not bid Royson farewell. Dick heard him tugging the
+camel forward.
+
+"Forget not my words to the Effendina," he said quietly.
+
+"I shall not forget," came a voice from the darkness, and he was alone.
+
+Though he knew he was face to face with death, he felt no tremor of
+fear. He surveyed his position coolly, and took his stand in the shadow
+of a mass of granite close to whose base the track wound up the
+hillside. In case the unexpected happened, he fastened his camel to a
+loose stone behind the rock, and the poor animal knelt instantly,
+thinking that a night's rest was vouchsafed at last. Dick threw off the
+Arab robes he had worn since Abdur Kad'r and he climbed the hill
+overlooking Suleiman's Well. He opened and closed the breech of his
+heavy double-barreled Express rifle to make sure that the sand clouds
+had not clogged its mechanism, and fingered the cartridges in his
+cross-belt.
+
+Then he waited. It would take the Hadendowas fully five minutes to come
+up with him, and he experienced a feeling akin to astonishment that he
+could bide his time so patiently, without any pang of anxiety, or hope,
+or agonizing misgiving. He thought of Irene, but only of her welfare.
+If he were not brought down by a chance bullet early in the fray, he
+felt quite certain of being able to stave off the final rush long
+enough to give Abdur Kad'r a breathing spell, he had sufficient
+confidence in that wily old Arab's resources to believe that he would
+outwit his pursuers, provided they lost a good deal of time in passing
+this barrier.
+
+Plan he had none, save to hail the enemy in Arabic and English, and
+then put up a strenuous fight for the benefit of those who approached
+nearest.
+
+Round the shoulder of the rock he could look eastward, and a glimmering
+mist in that direction reminded him of the sea, and of the _Aphrodite_.
+What a difference a hundred miles made! The luxuriously appointed yacht
+sailed out there in the midst of the ghostly cloud not so long ago. And
+here was he, clutching a rifle and preparing to sell his life in order
+to save most of her passengers and crew from a sudden attack by a gang
+of bloodthirsty ruffians led by a frenzied Italian. As a study in
+contrasts that was rather striking, he fancied.
+
+At last he heard the shuffling of camels' feet and the mutterings of
+men. The Hadendowas were crossing the river bed.
+
+"Stop!" he shouted, in Arabic. "You die otherwise!"
+
+There was an instant silence. They were evidently not prepared for this
+bold challenge.
+
+"I am an Englishman," he added, still in Arabic, and, in the belief
+that some of them might at least recognize the sound of English, he
+went on:
+
+"You have no right to molest me and my servants. I call on you to
+return to your master, and set at liberty the Arab Hussain--"
+
+He was answered by a perfect blaze of rifles. Every man fired at
+random. At least a dozen bullets crashed against the rock. A violent
+tug at his left sleeve and some spatters of hot lead on his cheek
+showed that one missile had come too near to be pleasant. After passing
+through his coat it had splashed on the granite just behind him.
+
+He did not speak again, nor would he fire until sure of a mark. Another
+volley lit the darkness. This time he made out the forms of his
+attackers. They were standing some twenty yards away, and he marveled
+that they seemed not to see him; though he reflected at once, with the
+utmost nonchalance, that the blinding flash of the guns screened him
+quite effectually from their eyes.
+
+Then he saw two dim figures moving swiftly forward. He brought both
+down, and their yells rent the air.
+
+He sprang sideways, as far as the narrow road permitted, and reloaded.
+The Arabs aimed wildly at the place where he had just been standing.
+One of their number screamed a command, and they made a combined rush.
+He fired both barrels into their midst, clubbed his rifle and jumped
+forward. That was good generalship, of the sort dear to the heart of
+his great ancestor. At the first tremendous sweep of his weapon he
+broke off its stock against an Arab's body. That did not matter. The
+heavy barrels were staunch, and iron deals harder blows than wood. He
+was active as a cat, and had the strength of any four of his
+adversaries. With lightning-like whirls he smote them so resolutely
+that when five were laid low the rest broke, and ran. He actually
+pursued them, and brought down two more, before he stumbled over the
+body of one whom he had shot.
+
+And that ended the fight. He heard men scrambling over the rocks in
+panic, and he knew by the grunting and groaning of distant camels that
+all the _kafila_ had stampeded. Searching the fallen man at his feet,
+he found a full cartridge-belt and rifle. He took them, lest there
+should be further need, but did not relinquish the trusty weapon which
+had more than equalized an unequal combat.
+
+Then he went to his camel. The terrified brute had risen, and was
+tugging madly at its rope. It seemed to recognize him, and be grateful
+for his presence, if ever a camel can display gratitude. He gave it the
+contents of the water-bag, led it to the top of the cliff, and stood
+there a brief space to listen. Some wounded men were calling loudly for
+help, and he was sorry for the poor wretches; but there was no response
+from their flying comrades. He fixed on a star to guide his course by,
+mounted, and rode away to the south, trusting more to his camel's sense
+of direction than to his own efforts to keep on the track.
+
+When dawn appeared, a dawn that was glorious to him beyond measure, he
+caught sight of a precipitous hill which he remembered passing on the
+outward march. Looking back at the first favorable point, he could see
+nothing that betokened the presence of Hadendowas, or any other human
+beings, in all that far-flung solitude. Were it not for the presence of
+the Italian rifle and cartridge-belt, and the blood-stained gun-barrels
+resting across his knees, the fierce struggle in that forbidding valley
+might have been the delirium of a fever-dream.
+
+He rode on, munching contentedly at a biscuit from his haversack, until
+his glance was drawn to a cloud of dust hanging in the air, for the
+unpleasant wind of the previous night had given way to a softer and
+cooler breeze. He read its token correctly, and smiled at the picture
+which his fancy drew of Stump, when that choleric skipper heard what
+had happened to his second mate. Surely he would be among those now
+hurrying to the rescue!
+
+And he was not mistaken. With Stump came Abdur Kad'r, six of the
+_Aphrodite's_ crew, and a score of well-armed Arabs and negroes. Even
+before they met, Royson saw two Arabs race back towards the camp, and
+Stump, after the first hearty congratulations, explained the hurry of
+those messengers.
+
+"It's mainly on account of Miss Irene," he said. "She took on something
+awful when the sheikh blew in an' tole us you had gone under. He heard
+the shootin', you see, an', accordin' to his account, you were as full
+of lead as Tagg'll be full of beer when he listens to the yarn I'll
+spin nex' time we meet."
+
+Abdur Kad'r's black eyes sparkled when Royson spoke to him.
+
+"_Salaam aleikum, Effendi!" he cried. "You have redeemed my honor.
+Never again could I have held up my head had you been slain while I
+ran. And that shaitan of a camel--he stirred himself. By the Prophet, I
+must kill an older one to make a feast for my men."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII
+
+
+HOW THREE ROADS LED IN ONE DIRECTION
+
+The news that her lover was safe restored the sparkle to Irene's eyes
+and the color to her wan cheeks. Fenshawe, indeed, had not given her
+the full measure of Abdur Kad'r's breathless recital. Recent events had
+led the old curio-hunter to view life in less ultra-scientific spirit
+than was his habit. Perhaps he had re-awakened to the knowledge that
+the hearts of men and women are apt to be swayed by other impulses than
+his dry-as-dust interest in dead cities and half-forgotten races. Most
+certainly he was shocked by the agony in the girl's face when she heard
+that the sheikh had returned alone, and, if he wondered at the low wail
+of despair which broke from her lips, he said nothing of it at the
+moment, but mercifully suppressed Abdur Kad'r's story of the Effendi's
+resolve to make a stand against his pursuers, and thus enable his
+companion to reach and warn the camp.
+
+The version Irene heard was that Royson's camel had fallen lame, and it
+was deemed safer he should hide until help came, than mount behind
+Abdur Kad'r and risk the slower journey. Fenshawe reasoned that Royson
+might be captured, not killed. His long experience of Arab life told
+him that the tribesmen would be chary of murdering a European, for fear
+of the vengeance to be exacted later. Nevertheless, this comforting
+theory was more than balanced by the disquieting facts revealed by the
+sheikh, who, as he rode wildly to the south, heard a sharp outburst of
+firing in the valley behind him.
+
+Yet it was well that Irene had not been told the whole truth, else that
+anxious little heart of hers might have stormed itself into a fever of
+despair. As it was, her pent emotions found relief in tears of joy when
+the messengers brought the news of Royson's approach with the rescue
+party, and her eyelids were still suspiciously red, her lips somewhat
+tremulous, when, standing by her grandfather's side, she welcomed his
+return.
+
+Though a hundred eyes were fixed on the two--though some of those eyes
+watched them with a keenness inspired by the belief that this reunion
+had in it a romantic element quite apart from the drama of the hour--
+their meeting apparently partook only of that friendly character
+warranted by the unusual circumstances. And, in the general excitement,
+none who looked at Royson paid heed to the hardships he had undergone.
+He had hardly closed his eyes during two nights and three days, for the
+rest obtained while he and Abdur Kad'r awaited the outcome of Hussain's
+embassy was calculated rather to add to his physical exhaustion than
+relieve it. He had covered eighty miles of desert on scanty fare, and
+had fought a short but terrific fight against a dozen adversaries. Yet,
+his cool demeanor and unwearied carriage conveyer! no hint of fatigue--
+to all outward seeming he might have been entering the encampment after
+an ordinary march, when a basin of water and a change of clothing were
+the chief essentials of existence. It was not so, of course. Were he
+made of steel he must have felt the strain of those sixty hours, and he
+almost yielded to it when he dismounted, and Fenshawe led him inside
+the mess tent.
+
+The older man invited him to be seated, and tell his adventures while
+eating the meal which had been prepared for him and Stump as soon as
+their camels were seen in the distance. But Dick, half unconsciously,
+still clutched the broken rifle. There were blood stains on his
+clothing, which was ripped in the most obvious way by bullets that had
+either wounded him or actually grazed his skin. Fenshawe's keen old
+eyes made a rapid inventory of these signs of strife, and he forgot, in
+his anxiety, that Irene was present.
+
+"Good heavens, man," he cried, "you have been in the wars. Did those
+scoundrels attack you, then? Are you hurt?"
+
+"No," said Dick, sinking into a chair, and trying to speak with his
+customary nonchalance, "I am not injured--just a wee bit tired--that is
+all."
+
+Irene flew to his side. She took the soiled gun-barrels, from his
+relaxing grip, and began to unfasten the collar hooks of his uniform.
+
+"Don't you see he is almost fainting?" she demanded, reproachfully.
+"Bring some brandy and cold water, quick! Oh, Dick, dear, speak to me!
+Are you sure you are not wounded? If it is only want of food and sleep,
+we can soon put that right, but do tell me if you have a wound."
+
+Dick smiled, though he knew his face was white beneath the dust and
+tan, and he could not lift his arms for the life of him.
+
+"I'm all right," he whispered. "I suppose I'm suffering from heart
+trouble, Irene. Haven't seen you for two nights and a day, you know."
+
+He must have been a trifle light-headed, or he would not have spoken to
+her in that way before her grandfather. Mr. Fenshawe, remembering the
+girl's shyness of the previous day, may have thought a good deal, but
+said nothing, seeing that Irene was supremely indifferent to either his
+thoughts or his words at that instant, while Royson seemed to be
+heedless of any other fact than the exceedingly pleasant one that his
+beloved was holding a glass to his lips and asking him to gratify her
+by swallowing the contents.
+
+As for Stump, who was not aware of his second mate's rise in the world,
+the manner of their speech affected him so powerfully that he was in
+imminent danger of an apoplectic seizure. His condition was rendered
+all the more dangerous because he dared utter no word. But he silently
+used the sailor-like formula which applies to such unexpected
+situations, and added certain other variations of the rubric from the
+extensive resources of his own private vocabulary. He recovered his
+breath by the time Dick's attack, of weakness had passed, and the color
+of his face slowly subsided from, a deep purple to its abiding tint of
+brick red.
+
+"Rather a sudden indisposition," said Fenshawe to Stump, smiling
+quizzically as he watched Irene supporting Royson's head while she
+urged him tenderly to drink a little more of the stimulant.
+
+"Is that wot you call it?" asked the captain of the _Aphrodite_,
+mopping his glowing cheeks with a handkerchief of brilliant hue. "I
+thought it was a stroke of some kind, 'but I've fair lost my bearin's
+since I gev' over plashin' at sea."
+
+The amazement of the elders at the manner in which those young people
+addressed each other was slight in comparison with the thrill Royson
+caused when he had taken some soup, and was prepared to do justice to
+more solid food.
+
+"I had a rather lively set-to with a number of Hadendowas," he
+explained in response to a question from Mr. Fenshawe. "It was brief
+but strenuous, and I assure you it is a marvel that I came out of it
+practically without a scratch. At any rate, it does not call for a
+detailed description now, seeing that I have something of vastly
+greater importance to tell you. May I ask, sir, if you have photographs
+of the papyrus in your possession?"
+
+"Yes. They are in my tent. Shall I bring them?" "If you please. I think
+I have news that will interest you."
+
+"One word before I go. Abdur Kad'r said that the Italians had abandoned
+Suleiman's Well. Have they found the treasure, do you think?"
+
+"No, sir. Just the reverse. I believe that I have found it myself, and,
+if I am not mistaken, Mrs. Haxton and the Baron, from what Captain
+Stump tells me, are now far on their way to the right place, if they
+have not already reached it."
+
+"Wot did I say, Miss Irene?" broke in Stump fiercely. "Oh, he's deep is
+that there Baron. I sized him up when he med off yesterday. An' Mrs.
+Haxton, too! A nice pair of beauties."
+
+"Whatever wrong Mrs. Haxton may have done in the past, I refuse to
+believe that she was swayed by some merely selfish consideration in
+leaving us as she did," said Irene softly, and her grandfather thanked
+her with a look as he quitted the tent.
+
+Stump shook his head.
+
+"She's as artful as a pet fox," he growled; but he had no listeners.
+Dick and Irene were far too much occupied in gazing at each other.
+
+Mr. Fenshawe returned speedily. He spread out ten photographs on the
+table in front of Royson. With them was a typewritten document divided
+into ten sections.
+
+"That is the English translation," he explained. "Each numbered
+division corresponds with a similar number on a photograph. It
+simplifies reference."
+
+Dick examined the translation eagerly. The first slip of papyrus read:
+
+"In the seventh year of the reign of the renowned Emperor, C. Julius
+Caesar Octavianus, I, Demetriades, son of Pelopidos, merchant of
+Syracuse, being at that time a trader in ivory and skins at Alexandria,
+did foolishly abandon my wares in that city, and join the legion sent
+from Egypt to subdue the people of Shaba."
+
+He saw that the letters in the word "seventh," though writ in archaic
+Greek, bore the same space relation to the neighboring characters as
+did all others in the script. Reading on carefully until he came to the
+first leaf of the papyri in which the "Five Hills" were named, he
+observed Instantly that the word "pente," five, had its letters crowded
+together. Now the Greek for seven, _hepta_, has only four characters,
+the aspirate being marked over the initial vowel. This same crowding of
+"pente" was discernible each time it occurred in the text. It was a
+coincidence that was too intrusive. The obvious explanation was that
+"hepta" had been deleted and "pente" substituted in every instance, and
+the fraud had not been detected because the rest of the Greek writing
+was absolutely genuine. The hieroglyphs In cartouches, which von Kerber
+had admittedly tampered with, were beyond Royson's ken.
+
+He was so taken up with this confirmation of his views, and so eager to
+make clear the queer chance that led Abdur Kad'r to explain the name of
+the Well of Moses, that he was blind to the growing wrath in Mr.
+Fenshawe's face until he happened to catch the indignant note in the
+older man's voice as he bade a servant summon the sheikh. Then a single
+glance told him what he had done. The wounded vanity of the famous
+Egyptologist had risen in its might, and swept aside all other
+considerations. The man of wealth could permit his charitable instincts
+to govern the scorn evoked by the Austrian's petty tactics, but the
+outraged enthusiasm of the collector was a torrent that engulfed
+charity and expediency alike in its flood. Nothing short of the most
+painstaking personal examination of the oasis at the Well of Moses
+would now convince the millionaire that von Kerber had not tricked him
+at the eleventh hour.
+
+Though the expedition was in Italian territory, though he was aware
+that a tribe of hostile Arabs was already hovering on the outskirts of
+the camp, though the presence of Irene rendered it imperative that he
+should not risk the attack which would probably be made that night,
+these urgent conditions of the moment did not prevail in the least
+degree against the maddening suspicion that the self-confessed forger
+who had duped him had put the seal on a piece of clever rascality by
+exploiting the real treasure-ground for his own benefit.
+
+Royson was far from expecting this development. Yet, now that it had
+occurred, he saw that it was inevitable. Before Abdur Kad'r appeared he
+guessed why Mr. Fenshawe wanted him in such a hurry. Irene, who had
+never known her grandfather to be so greatly disturbed, whispered
+earnestly to her lover:
+
+"If grandad wishes you to follow von Kerber, you must be too ill to do
+anything of the sort."
+
+"Then I shall remain here alone," said he, smiling at her dismay.
+"Unless I am much mistaken we shall all be hot on his track before we
+are many hours older."
+
+He was right. When the sheikh came he received orders to prepare for an
+instant march towards the coast by way of the caravan route. Then the
+burning zeal of archeology received a check.
+
+"It is impossible that the _kafila_ should move in that direction
+before to-morrow's dawn, O worthy of honor," said Abdur Kad'r
+emphatically. "We can march south to-day, if Allah wills it, knowing
+that we shall find food and water within fifteen kilometers without
+fail. To reach the Well of Moses is a different thing. I have not seen
+the place during thirty years. We must travel early and late, and carry
+with us a water supply that will not only suffice for the journey but
+safeguard us against any failure of the well when we arrive there. What
+proof have we, Effendi, that it is not choked with sand?"
+
+Fenshawe was too skilled in the varying contingencies of desert life
+not to admit the truth of the sheikh's reasoning, but he held to the
+belief that von Kerber had secret information as to the practicability
+of the route.
+
+"Be it so," he said curtly. "Let every preparation be made. We have no
+cause to fear these dogs of Hadendowas. I charge myself with the care
+of the camp where they are concerned. See to it, Abdur Kad'r, that we
+start ere sunrise."
+
+The conversation was in Arabic, so Stump could not gather its drift.
+When he learnt his employer's intentions he roared gleefully:
+
+"By gad, sir, I'm pleased to 'ear you're makin' for blue water once
+more. Just for a minute I fancied you was tellin' our brown pilot to
+shove after von Kerber, an' string 'im up."
+
+Mr. Fenshawe laughed grimly.
+
+"The rogue deserves it, but I cannot take the law into my own hands,
+captain," he said.
+
+"Oh, that wasn't botherin' me," was the offhand answer. "I was on'y
+wonderin' where you would find a suitable tree."
+
+Fenshawe bent over the table, and asked Royson to go through the papyri
+with him, comparing the Greek, word for word, with the translation. He
+himself was able to decipher the hieroglyphs, but the details and
+measurements they gave might be dismissed as unreliable. Depending,
+however, on the context, and having ascertained from Abdur Kad'r that
+the seven small lava hills at Moses's Well stood in an irregular circle
+near the oasis, it was a reasonable deduction that the Romans had
+selected a low-lying patch of sand or gravel somewhere in the center of
+the group as a suitable hiding-place for their loot. It might be
+assumed that Aelius Gallus meant to sail down the Red Sea again, within
+a year at the utmost, and recover the spoil when his galleys were there
+to receive it. Therefore, he would not dig too deeply, nor, in the
+straits to which he was reduced, would he waste many hours on the task.
+
+Fenshawe infected Dick with his own ardor. The two were puzzling over
+each turn and twist of the Greek adventurer's awkward phrases when
+Irene, who had gone out with Stump, interrupted them.
+
+"Dick," she said, blushing poppy red because she used his familiar
+name, "you must go and rest at once. I am sure, grandad, you don't want
+Mr. Royson to break down a second time, do you? And I would like both
+of you to know that Baron von Kerber took with him no pickaxes. Captain
+Stump and I have just checked our stock. That seems to be in his favor,
+I think?"
+
+"If I have done von Kerber an injustice I shall be the first to ask his
+pardon," said Fenshawe. "At present, I have every cause to doubt the
+man's motives in leaving us, and I want more than negative proof to
+acquit him of dishonesty. By the way, Irene, have you told Royson of
+his good fortune?"
+
+"I have hardly spoken two words to him since he arrived," said she
+innocently.
+
+"Dear me! That sounds like a strong hint," and Fenshawe very
+considerately left the two alone. Tired as Dick was, the best part of
+an hour elapsed before Irene could explain fully that he was now a
+baronet, with a reasonably large income, or he could make her
+understand exactly why he was a somewhat frayed out-of-work when they
+met in London.
+
+Perhaps there were interludes and interruptions. Perhaps he thought
+that the limpid depths of her brown eyes offered more attractions than
+the sordid records of a foolish man's spite and a boy's sufferings. At
+any rate, it was Irene who finally insisted that this must positively
+be the last, and who threatened that she would not speak to him again
+that day if he stirred out of his tent before dinner.
+
+And, indeed, Dick required no rocking when, after a refreshing wash, he
+stretched his long limbs in his hammock. His sleep was dreamless. He
+awoke at sundown strong in the conviction that he had hardly closed his
+eyes.
+
+He and Stump shared the tent, and Dick's uncertain gaze first dwelt on
+his skipper, who was seated at the door, smoking. Stump removed his
+pipe from between his teeth:
+
+"Good evenin', Sir Richard," he said solemnly. Then the huge joke he
+had been cogitating ever since Irene informed him at luncheon that
+Royson was now a man of title mastered him completely.
+
+"Sink me," he burst forth, "I've had some daisies of second mates under
+me in me time, but I've never bossed a bloomin' barrow-knight afore. My
+godfather! Won't Becky be pleased! An' wot'll Tagg say? Pore old Tagg!
+He'll 'ave a fit!"
+
+"Look here, captain--" began Dick, swinging his feet to the ground. But
+Stump's slow-moving wits, given full time to get under weigh, were
+working freely; punctuating each pause with a flourish of his pipe, he
+continued:
+
+"Lord love a duck, I can see Tagg blowin' in to a snug in the West
+Injia Dock Road, an' startin' ev'ry yarn with, 'W'en I sailed down the
+Red Sea with Sir Richard--' or, 'We was goin' through the Gut on a
+dirty night, an' Sir Richard sez to me--' Well, there, I on'y hope 'e
+survives the fust shock. W'en 'e gets 'is wind we'll 'ave a fair treat.
+Mind ye, I 'ad a sort of funny feelin' when you tole me in the train
+you was my second mate, an' you sat there a-wearin' knickers. It gev me
+a turn, that did. An' then, you took another twist at me by sayin'
+you'd never bin to sea. I knew things was goin' to happen after that.
+It must ha' bin, wot d'ye call it--second sight--for I knew then an'
+there I'd got a prize in the lottery--"
+
+"Oh, shut up!" shouted Royson, diving frantically for his boots.
+
+"That's no way for a barrow-knight to talk to 'is admirin' skipper,"
+said Stump. "But I s'pose, now, it sounds queer to 'ave me a-callin'
+you Sir Richard, w'en, as like as not, I might be dammin' your eyes as
+second mate?"
+
+Royson tried to escape, in his hurry he did not notice a bulky letter
+which lay on the top of one of his leather trunks. Stump called him
+back.
+
+"You're missin' your mail, Sir Richard," he said, and Dick, perforce,
+returned. Oddly enough, the letter covered the initials "R. K." painted
+on the portmanteau. Turning a deaf ear to Stump's further pleasantries,
+he opened the envelope. A scrawl on a sheet of thin continental note-
+paper contained the brief statement that, "by inadvertence," von Kerber
+had "detained the enclosed letters and cablegrams." The enclosures,
+which were from Mr. Forbes, bore out the accuracy of Mrs. Haxton's
+revelations. He was, in very truth, the twenty-seventh baronet of his
+line, sole owner of Orme Castle and its dependencies, and befitted, by
+rank, descent, and estate, to take a social position of no mean order.
+
+For an instant he forgot his surroundings. He recalled the stately old
+house and its beautiful park as he had last seen it, with all its
+glories rejuvenated by the money that was pouring in to the coffers of
+his detested relative. And now that malign old man was at rest, after a
+tardy admission of the grievous evil he had wrought to his brother's
+wife and son. Well, peace be to his crooked bones! Dick could have
+wished him safely in Paradise if the wish would restore to life his
+beloved mother. And she, dear soul--though he had forgotten her last
+night--perhaps her gentle spirit was shielding him as he stood with his
+back to the rock and faced the vicious swarm of Arabs in the darkness.
+
+Then Stump's gruff accents broke in on his dreaming.
+
+"Is it O.K., Sir Richard?" he asked. "Them's the papers von Kerber held
+up, I reckon? Have ye got a clean bill?"
+
+Royson stooped and grasped Stump's shoulder.
+
+"When we reach England, skipper," he said, "you and Tagg, and Mrs.
+Stump, too, for that matter, must come and see my place in the North.
+An' I'll tell ye wot," he went on, with fair mimicry of Stump's voice
+and manner, "you'll all 'ave the time of your lives, sink me, if you
+don't!"
+
+Stump glared up at him. No man had ever before dared to reproduce that
+hoarse growl for his edification, and the effect was electrical. It
+might be likened to the influence exercised on a bull by the bellow of
+a rival. He took breath for a mighty effort--and Royson fled.
+
+Be sure that Irene, though vastly occupied with work which von Kerber
+had performed hitherto--those small but troublesome items appertaining
+to the daily life of a large encampment--had an eye to watch for Dick's
+reappearance. She hailed him joyfully:
+
+"Such news! The enemy proclaims a truce. Alfieri has sent in Hussain
+and Abdullah, not to mention the purloined camel. And one of his own
+men has brought a note for grandfather, asking an early conference."
+
+At first, Royson was unfeignedly glad of this unlooked for turn in
+events. He did not share Mr. Fenshawe's optimism in the matter of a
+night attack by the Hadendowas, because Irene was there--and who could
+hope to shield her beyond risk of accident when long-range rifles were
+sniping the camp?
+
+Alfieri's letter was civil and apologetic. He explained that he had no
+quarrel with the English leader of the expedition--his feud lay with
+the Austrian and the woman who had helped to despoil him (Alfieri) of
+his rights. He felt assured, he said, that Signor Fenshawe--whose fame
+as an Egyptologist was well known to him--would not be a consenting
+party to fraud, and he wished, therefore, to arrange a meeting for the
+following day, when he would state his case fully, face those who had
+robbed him, and leave the final decision with confidence in the hands
+of one whose repute made it certain that justice would be done.
+
+The appeal was written in hardly intelligible English, but an Italian
+version accompanied it, and Irene was able to translate every word of
+the latter.
+
+"Of course, grandad agreed," said Irene. "He has fixed on seven o'clock
+to-morrow for the conference. I am looking forward with curiosity to
+seeing Alfieri again. I remember him perfectly. Captain Stump and I had
+a good look at him in Massowah, you know."
+
+"Has the messenger gone back already?"
+
+"Oh, yes. He left the camp two hours ago."
+
+"Did he speak to any of our men?"
+
+"He may have done so. I'm not sure. We were so taken up with Alfieri's
+communication that we gave no heed to the Arab. But grandad said, by
+the way, that it was just as well he should see our strength, and that
+we had a dozen armed sailors here, in addition to so many natives. You
+are worrying about me, I suppose? Allow me to observe that I, as staff
+officer, have assisted the commander-in-chief to divide our forces into
+two strong guards for the night. Grandfather commands one, Captain
+Stump the other, while you, O King, have to sleep soundly until the
+dawn."
+
+"But I have just slept eight hours!"
+
+"Oh, well, being on the staff, I also arranged that we should mount
+guard together until eleven o'clock."
+
+It went against the grain to dash her high spirits with the doubt that
+had seized him as soon as he heard of the Hadendowa Arab's departure.
+In all probability, the man had found out that von Kerber and Mrs.
+Haxton were no longer in the camp. The negro syces and other attendants
+were inveterate gossips, and it would be strange if they had not told
+him that some of their number were marching towards the sea with the
+Hakim-Effendi and one of the Giaour women. What would happen were this
+knowledge to come to Alfieri's ears? The man who had not scrupled to
+order the pursuit and capture--the death, if need be--of Royson himself
+and Abdur Kad'r, was not a stickler at trifles. It was reasonable to
+suppose that he was making overtures of peace solely because his scouts
+had revealed the size of the expedition. How would he act under these
+fresh circumstances? Judging by the pact, there could be only one
+answer.
+
+"Now what is it?" pouted Irene, trying to assume an injured air when
+she saw the grave look in her lover's face. "Perhaps you don't care for
+the eleven o'clock idea? I thought you would like to sit and smoke, and
+tell me everything that happened since--since I said good-by to you the
+other evening, but, of course--"
+
+"If you gaze at me so reproachfully, Irene, I shall kiss you now, this
+instant, under the eyes of every man, horse, and camel."
+
+"Well, then, what is the matter? I know something is worrying you. I
+can read your face like a book."
+
+"I distrust Alfieri, dearest,--that is all."
+
+"But he simply dare not fight us. Grandad knows these Arabs for many
+years. He says that they depend wholly on a surprise. And how can we be
+surprised, when Alfieri himself admits that he is near, and has
+actually sent Abdullah, who can tell us the exact number of his men?"
+
+"I think I shall call you Portia, not Irene, if you reason things out
+in that fashion."
+
+She stamped a foot in mock anger.
+
+"That is your old trick," she said. "You try to hide your thoughts by
+an adroit twist in the conversation. Out with it! What do you really
+fear?"
+
+"Let us find Abdullah. Then I shall tell you."
+
+The Spear-thrower, though polite, was not disposed to be communicative.
+The absence of the two people who were his allies had puzzled him, and
+none of the Arabs could meet his inquiries as to the motives which led
+to their sudden journey. In this man's attitude Royson found ample
+corroboration of his own estimate of Alfieri's views under similar
+conditions. Abdullah obviously did not believe that von Kerber had
+abandoned the quest. He fancied he was betrayed. If the chance offered,
+he might be expected to throw in his lot with Alfieri.
+
+Though Irene was listening, and Dick was sure she had hit on the true
+cause of his anxiety, he determined to win Abdullah's loyalty. So he
+told him of Mr. Fenshawe's resolve to follow the seaward route.
+
+"Your interests, whatever they may be, are absolutely safe if you trust
+us," he said. "The Baron, is only two marches ahead of us. He does not
+know we are going the same way. He thinks we are making for Pajura, so
+we will most certainly overtake him at the coast, if not earlier. Thus,
+you can convince yourself of his good faith, and you can see for
+yourself that the ultimate decision of affairs must rest with us."
+
+The Arab bowed, but he kept a still tongue. Yet he admitted afterwards
+that Royson's words had diverted him from his fixed Intent to steal off
+when night fell, and urge Alfieri to pursue the runaways.
+
+The Italian needed no urging. Dick advised Mr. Fenshawe to send out two
+men on horseback in order to locate the Hadendowas. Hussain, who was
+acquainted with the country, volunteered for this duty, and he and his
+companion came in at midnight with the depressing report that Alfieri
+and his free-booters were not to be found on the main track to
+Suleiman's Well.
+
+By this time, not only Fenshawe and Irene, but Stump and Abdur Kad'r,
+when called into counsel, shared Dick's foreboding. It was impossible
+to do anything before dawn, and the sole difficulty that remained was
+to decide whether they should march, when the first streaks of light
+showed in the sky, or await the hour fixed for the interview with
+Alfieri. They resolved to leave Hussain and a few trustworthy men at
+the oasis, with instructions to remain there until eight o'clock. If
+Alfieri kept his tryst, they were to give him a letter, written by
+Irene, which asked him to follow and join the expedition. Otherwise,
+they were to ride after the caravan at top speed, and report his non-
+arrival.
+
+So Dick and Irene missed that agreeable watch under the stars, and
+their thoughts, instead of being given to each other, were centered on
+the unlucky fortune-hunters whom accident or design had separated from
+them.
+
+Yet, when the sun rose over the desert, it was exhilarating enough to
+find themselves riding side by side once more. The order of march was
+simple but well designed. Abdur Kad'r, in command of several Arabs on
+Bisharin camels, provided a mounted screen half a mile in front.
+Fenshawe, Royson and Irene, with some of the sailors, formed the
+advance guard. Then came the _kafila_ proper, with the remainder of the
+_Aphrodite's_ crew, under Stump's charge, as a rearguard. They had
+halted for breakfast, and were preparing for another long march before
+the heat of the sun enforced a rest, when Hussain overtook them. At
+eight o'clock Alfieri had not visited the _rendezvous_, nor was he to
+be seen an hour later from the summit of the last hill which gave a
+view of the oasis.
+
+Ill news is little the better because it is expected, and every one was
+wishful to push on as quickly as possible. But the desert was
+inexorable in its limitations. Great speed means great exhaustion, and
+consequently greater demand for water. Nevertheless, they risked the
+chance of a dry spell at the journey's end, and, finally, despite
+Irene's protests against being left behind, Royson and Abdullah, with
+six of the _Aphrodite's_ men, and Abdur Kad'r, at the head of thirty
+picked Arabs, went on at a spanking pace. They were now on the actual
+caravan path, having reached it by a cross-country line. According to
+the sheikh's calculations, they were ten miles from the Well of Moses
+at four o'clock, and sunset would take place at half-past six. The road
+was a bad one, and their camels were beginning to lag, but they counted
+on reaching the ancient camping-ground about half past five. Abdullah
+was the first to discover recent signs of a large _kafila_ having
+passed that way. He it was, too, who raised a warning hand when they
+emerged from a wide valley and crossed a plateau, which, roughly
+speaking, was three miles from the well.
+
+They halted, and strained eyes and ears. They could see nothing, owing
+to a few scattered hummocks in front, but they caught distinctly the
+irregular thuds of distant rifle-firing. That was enough. Careless of
+the rough going, or the condition of their camels at the close, they
+raced ahead madly. There was no question now of the odds they might
+have to face. Though the Hadendowas were well armed, and outnumbered
+them by two to one, Royson felt that the presence of the Englishmen,
+all of whom were ex-sailors of the Royal Navy, would nerve his Arab
+helpers to attack and defeat Alfieri's band of cutthroats. Moreover,
+von Kerber and his small escort were evidently making a fight of it,
+and, while daylight lasted, the Hadendowas, once discovered, would
+endeavor to shoot down their quarry at a safe range rather than undergo
+the certain loss of an open assault.
+
+How long could the unequal contest be maintained--that was the question
+that tortured Dick. Many times during that wild ride he asked it, and
+the only answer he received was given by despair. It came to him
+through a spume of dust and flying sand, and the rattle of
+accouterments, and the plaints of frenzied camels, and the yells and
+curses of the strangely-assorted company of deliverers as they plunged
+across the desert towards the Well of the Seven Hills. And its
+discordant shriek was, "Too late! Too late! The gods have frowned on
+the pillagers of Saba, and the wrath of the gods is everlasting!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVIII
+
+
+THE FINDING OF THE TREASURE
+
+Royson, a soldier by instinct if not by training, realized the folly of
+dashing blindly into a fray the nature of which was hidden from him.
+Though the plight of his erstwhile companions must be desperate--though
+the lengthening shadows warned him that the time ran short--it was all-
+important that he should learn the manner and direction of the attack,
+and the means adopted by von Kerber for repelling it, ere the presence
+of the relieving force became known. He had heard much of the fighting
+qualities of the Hadendowas. They were brave, but they were not given
+to throwing their lives away uselessly. Judging by the steady crackling
+of musketry, they were "eating up" the smaller contingent with the
+least possible risk to themselves. They were quite capable of
+delivering a fierce charge when they witnessed the approach of the
+rescuers, or, on the other hand, they might allow the newcomers to
+combine with von Kerber, and depend on their rifle fire to dispose of
+the reinforced defense. He must decide quickly, once he knew the
+conditions, and it was imperative, therefore, that something in the
+nature of a reconnaissance should be conducted from the shoulder of the
+rising ground which terminated the plateau. By shouting to Abdur Kad'r
+and signaling to his own men, Dick managed to check the furious onward
+rush of the detachment. It was no easy matter to stop the excited
+camels. The stubborn brutes were equally unwilling either to travel at
+such a rate or to abandon it. Before the sky-line was reached, however,
+they were pulled up. Royson, Abdur Kad'r and Abdullah dismounted, and
+ran rapidly to the crest, dodging behind rocks and broken ground until
+they secured a clear view of the panorama in front. It was a singular
+and, in one respect, a disconcerting scene that met their anxious gaze.
+
+The only practicable road descended rapidly towards an immensely wide
+and shallow depression. Conceivably, this basin might have been formed
+by the subsidence of the land all round an extinct volcano, whose one-
+time activity was revealed by a cluster of small cones in the distance.
+Running due east, and passing north of the crater thus curiously
+marked, was the arid river-bed which created the oasis, and rendered
+possible the well which gave its name to the place. Unfortunately, the
+group of lava hillocks was situated much beyond the center of the
+hollow. They were commanded by small hills on three sides, and, though
+capable of defense in some respects, they offered the grave
+disadvantage of being in a circle. Consequently, the only section
+secure from an enemy's fire was that on the western side, and it was
+evident that the defenders had found this to be actually the case. They
+were, of course, clearly visible from the ridge, where, unknown to
+them, the leader of a strong relief was then lying in the cleft of a
+rock split to its base by extremes of heat and cold.
+
+Dick counted the cones. There were seven, of them. Though fully a mile
+and a half distant, he could see Mrs. Haxton sitting between two huge
+boulders. Von Kerber was near her, and the few Arabs with them were
+scattered among the rocks in positions whence they could return the
+incessant fusillade poured on them from the hills. Their camels were
+huddled in a hollow between the two westerly mounds, and, so far as
+Royson could judge, the little party had not yet sustained many
+casualties. But the tactics of their assailants were quite obvious. The
+Hadendowas, silently and unseen, had occupied the higher ground on the
+north, east, and south. They had probably stampeded the unsuspecting
+_kafila_ from the open oasis, because a couple of tents and some camp
+equipage still stood there, and it was their intent to creep nearer,
+pushing the horns of an ever-closing crescent steadily westward, until
+a junction effected just before sunset would permit of a successful
+rush. Indeed, all doubt on this point was dispelled by the discovery of
+two strong companies of Hadendowas gathering on the reverse slopes of
+the nearest hills. They were mounted, mostly on camels. They did not
+reveal their existence by taking part in the firing. They seemed to be
+waiting some signal before they rode out into the plain, to complete
+the merciless ring which would then surround the doomed occupants of
+the Seven Hills.
+
+There was not a moment to be lost, and Royson, having formed his plan,
+put it into instant operation. He and the six sailors would be the
+first to cross the sky-line, while a few Arabs would accompany them,
+but hurry back as soon as they were visible, giving the impression that
+they had gone to summon others. The men from the _Aphrodite_ would ride
+straight, at top speed, towards the beleaguered party. Two minutes
+later, Abdur Kad'r was to lead half his Arabs over the ridge and make
+for the enemy's right wing, while, after a similar interval, Abdullah,
+at the head of the remaining detachment, would similarly dash into
+sight and advance against the enemy's left. The opposing force would
+thus see three successive waves of rescuers, each apparently stronger
+than its predecessor, coming from the only direction whence succor was
+possible. Alfieri and his followers were well aware already of the
+strength of Mr. Fenshawe's expedition. If they imagined that it was
+advancing in its full numbers, they might break and run without firing
+another shot. If, however, they showed fight, Abdur Kad'r and Abdullah
+had most stringent orders not to pursue the flanking parties, which
+they would certainly drive in on the main body. They were to converge
+towards the hillocks, where Royson would, by that time, have brought
+hope and renewed courage to their hard-pressed friends. Then, granted
+that the Hadendowas dared a general attack, the whole force, rescuers
+and rescued, were to fall back, converting the struggle Into a rear-
+guard action, and compelling the Hadendowas to relinquish the advantage
+of the higher ground. Once they came into the open, Royson counted on
+the superior shooting of his six sailors--all marksmen of the Royal
+Navy--to turn the scale unmistakably in his favor, while his Arabs had
+the confidence of knowing that each mile they gained in the retreat
+brought them nearer the powerful caravan in the rear.
+
+The scheme was excellent in every way. Under ordinary conditions it
+would have achieved success, but the sane mind can never take into
+reckoning the vagaries of the insane, and it is quite certain that
+Alfieri, worn alike by hardship and long brooding over his wrongs,
+either went stark staring mad at the spectacle of relief being
+forthcoming for those whom he believed to be entrapped, or gave instant
+rein to the frenzy already consuming him.
+
+At a moment, then, when it was suicidal to attempt an attack which his
+men had refused to carry out under the much less dangerous conditions
+that prevailed all day--it was ascertained afterwards that the first
+shower of bullets fell into the startled camp about ten o'clock that
+morning--at that moment, Alfieri, screaming curses in Italian and
+Arabic, called on those nearest to follow him, and rode out from the
+shelter of one of the small hills. In sheer excitement, a few
+Hadendowas obeyed his wild command. They had not far to go, but the
+rocky water-course barred the track and they must cross it slowly. Now,
+above all else, was the time for the sorely-tried little band under von
+Kerber to stand fast. They could have shot at their leisure Alfieri and
+each man of the half dozen who came with him. Already three groups of
+yelling men were stirring the dust into life as they scampered to the
+rescue across the comparatively level floor of the basin. In five
+minutes, or less, the Hadendowa attack would be rolled back into the
+hills, and neither friend nor foe had any other thought than that the
+whole of Mr. Fenshawe's _kafila_ was pouring its irresistible power
+into the fray.
+
+The situation was precisely one of the suddenly-arising and acute
+crises in warfare which accentuate the difference between races. While
+von Kerber, and Mrs. Haxton, too, for that matter, saw the urgent need
+of prolonging the desperate strife for just those few minutes, their
+Arabs, after fighting coolly and bravely throughout an exhausting day,
+now quite lost their heads. Heedless of the Austrian's prayers and
+imprecations, heedless of Mrs. Haxton's shrill appeal that they should
+beat off the few assailants then perilously close at hand, they yielded
+to the blind instinct of self-preservation, and rushed pell-mell for
+the camels. At once these men of a martial tribe, men who had
+cheerfully faced the far greater danger of the Hadendowa general
+attack, became untrammeled savages, each striving like a maniac to
+secure a mount for himself, and careless whether or not his employers
+and comrades escaped also.
+
+Many of the camels were wounded, some were dead, and valuable time was
+wasted, even in this disgraceful _sauve qui peut_, in a deadly struggle
+for possession of such animals as could move. Von Kerber, when it was
+borne in on him that to obtain a camel meant life for Mrs. Haxton and
+himself, shouted to her to keep close to him, and ran in front of a
+mounted Arab who had emerged from the melee. He ordered the man to
+halt, and, so near were Royson and his tiny squadron just then, that
+the camel might have brought all three into safety. But the Arab bent
+his head, and urged the swaying beast into a faster trot. Von Kerber
+fired at him, and the unhappy tribesman tumbled from his perch like a
+dummy figure. Snatching at the camel's head-rope, the Austrian lifted,
+almost threw Mrs. Haxton up to the saddle. Owing to its height from the
+ground, it was impossible to place her there securely, but she helped
+him bravely, scrambled somehow to the awkward seat, and stooped to drag
+him up behind. She had succeeded, by main force. The excited beast was
+plunging forward again to get away from the affrighting turmoil close
+to its heels, when a heavy thud shook the huge frame, the camel fell to
+its knees, lurched over on its side, and threw both riders heavily.
+
+Von Kerber alone rose. He was dazed for an instant, but he seemed to
+have a dim consciousness of the quarter from which mortal peril
+threatened, for he turned and faced Alfieri, who had reined in the
+Somali pony he rode and was taking deliberate aim at his enemy. The
+Italian carried a repeating, rifle. It was he who had brought down the
+camel with a well-judged shot through the lungs, and, with the same
+venomous accuracy, he now sent a bullet through von Kerber's breast.
+The stricken man dropped on all fours, and glared up at his murderer.
+Then, nerving himself for a supreme effort of hate, he raised his own
+revolver and fired three times at Alfieri. Twice he missed, owing to
+the restiveness of the horse, but the third shot hit the Italian in the
+center of the forehead.
+
+When Royson found them, they were lying within a few feet of each
+other. Alfieri was dead. His pale student's features, softened by the
+great change, wore a queer look of surprise. Von Kerber was alive, but
+dying. He had fallen on his face, and Dick lifted him gently, resting
+the drooping head against his knee.
+
+"Are you badly wounded?" he asked, knowing well by the ashen pallor
+beneath the bronze of the desert that the man's stormy life was fast
+ebbing to its close. A dreadful froth bubbled from von Kerber's lips,
+and the words came brokenly:
+
+"That Italian beast--I hit him, yes?"
+
+"I suppose so. I could not see what happened. But he is dead. Pay no
+heed to him. Tell me what is best to be done for you."
+
+"Dead! _Ach, lieber Gott!_ That is good.... I--I am finished--_I_
+know.... Go to Mrs. Haxton. Tell her ... the treasure ... Fenshawe will
+be generous...."
+
+And that was all. He did not die instantly, but consciousness failed,
+and the soul soon fluttered out of the limp body with a sigh.
+
+Dick laid the inanimate form on the desert. He went to look for Mrs.
+Haxton. She was stretched, apparently lifeless, beneath the camel's
+Shoulder. Royson seized the huge beast by the neck and flung it aside
+bodily. So far as he could judge, she was uninjured, though he feared
+the camel might have broken one of her limbs or fractured a rib,
+because his first thought was that the animal had fallen on top of her.
+But his anxiety was soon dispelled when he forced some of the contents
+of his water-bottle between, her set teeth. She sobbed twice, and her
+bosom rose and fell spasmodically. Then, with a sudden return to the
+full use of her senses which, was almost uncanny, she wrested herself
+free from his arms and shrank away, quivering, while her eyes gazed at
+him with awful questioning. As she looked she seemed to understand that
+this man who had held her so tenderly was not the man whom she feared
+to see. The reaction was too great. Dick watched the glance of
+recognition fading away into insensibility. With a little gasp, she
+fainted again, but he knew, this time, that her collapse was the
+natural sequel to the ordeal she had gone through. He roughly bundled a
+camel cloth into a pillow, laid her head on it, and gave the attention
+that was necessary to events elsewhere.
+
+He had appreciated the fatal error of the friendly Arabs in deserting
+their stronghold. Though he and his companions pressed on at a
+dangerous speed, they could do nothing to stop the panic. Some of the
+runaways almost charged into them, and seriously interfered with their
+view of the advancing Hadendowas. That was only for a moment, but
+seconds are precious when men are shooting at point-blank range, and
+Royson was lashing an Arab out of his path at the instant Alfieri fired
+the first shot at the double-laden camel. The Hadendowas scattered and
+fled when they caught a glimpse of the white faces. But they did not
+get away unscathed. Slipping out of their saddles, four of the
+_Aphrodite's_ crew opened fire, and brought five of the robber
+tribesmen headlong to earth, while the sixth saved his skin by falling
+with his wounded camel and skulking unnoticed to the hills along the
+water-course. As for the remainder, the flanking parties bolted before
+Abdur Kad'r or Abdullah could get within striking distance, and from
+that hour no sensible Hadendowa came near the Well of Moses for many a
+month.
+
+In fact, Royson found that his own men were already standing quietly in
+a group, waiting for orders, and the two detachments of caravan Arabs
+were coming in from the wings in accordance with his preconcerted plan.
+Some of the bolting escort were returning. They looked shamefaced when
+they passed von Kerber lying dead on the ground. One of them, a Hadji,
+who wore the green turban and black cloak of a pilgrim to Mecca, began
+to murmur an explanation to Royson, but the giant Effendi gave him such
+a glance of scorn and anger that the man made off, lest the evil from
+which he had fled might yet befall him. In the immediate foreground
+were several prostrate forms, mostly Arabs injured in the fight for the
+camels, and so gravely wounded that they could not move. A struggling
+camel or two, screaming and kicking in agony, seemed to be strangely
+out of place in the peaceful hush which instantly enfolded the desert.
+The shouting and musketry that made pandemonium there a few minutes
+earlier had vanished. The tops of the more distant mountains were
+glowing in purple and gold, and the blue of the sky was deepening. In
+that brief hour before the utter darkness that follows sunset the
+desert has a rare beauty. It has lights and shades denied to softer
+landscapes. Titania's bower can show no more brilliant color effects.
+It is then a fit background for romance and mystery, but it breathes no
+hint of war or death, and such things wear a sacrilegious aspect when
+brought forcibly into those fairy-like surroundings.
+
+Royson, though he had watched the transformation of rock and arid earth
+many a time with kindling eyes, gave small heed to the dream-face of
+nature as he scanned the splendid prospect for sign of further attack
+by the Hadendowas. He found none, but he happened to note the furtive
+manner of some among the Arab escort who were hastening toward the
+small hollow enclosed by the Seven Hills.
+
+Then he remembered why this solitary place had become a Golgotha. The
+hapless von Kerber was disinterring the treasure when the Hadendowa
+assault began. In all likelihood, had the free-booters ridden boldly up
+in the first instance, the fight would have ended in less minutes than
+it had occupied hours. And these other ghouls, before they were driven
+off by a hail of lead, had learnt what store of wealth was buried there
+beneath the sand.
+
+"Chaytor," said Royson, addressing one of the crew who had acted as
+quartermaster on board the yacht, "take three men and mount guard over
+any trench or other excavation you may find in the valley between those
+mounds. Let no Arab even approach the place. Use force if necessary,
+but try and avoid any shooting. I shall join you there before sunset."
+
+"Ay, ay, sir," said Chaytor. He named three men, and the four hurried
+to their post. Bidding the other two sailors help him, Royson turned to
+carry out a disagreeable task. Von Kerber, Alfieri, and the rest must
+be buried while there was yet light. He meant to make a rough inventory
+of documents and letters found in the pockets of the Europeans. The
+Arabs would scoop shallow graves where the sand was deepest, and pile
+heavy stones over the bodies to protect them from jackals. Such was the
+simple ceremony of the desert. And it demanded haste.
+
+But a distressing sight awaited him. Mrs. Haxton was kneeling by von
+Kerber's side, and weeping in a heart-broken way. He went to her, and
+said, almost in a whisper:
+
+"You can do no good by remaining here. Won't you go to the tent that is
+fixed in the oasis, and wait there until I join you? I shall not be
+long. You understand--it is for the best."
+
+She raised her streaming eyes, and he had never before seen such a
+grief-stricken face.
+
+"Mr. Royson," she murmured dully, "let me pray yet a little while."
+
+"Indeed I am sorry for you," he said. "Yet I must urge you to go. We
+have not a moment to lose."
+
+"To lose? What else can happen?"
+
+"The night is coming. We cannot leave the bodies here. It would be too
+horrible."
+
+"Ah," she sighed, "there is no horror to equal mine. I have the blood
+of three men on my soul."
+
+She suffered him to lead her away. He tried to console her by throwing
+all the responsibility on to the Italian. But he felt that this palsied
+woman scarce listened to his words. He was almost glad to leave her
+alone with her mournful thoughts. In active work he could find
+distraction from the sad influences of this fatal treasure-hunt. There
+were still many things he did not comprehend, but he resolutely
+dismissed all self-communing. Perhaps, when the first paroxysm of woe
+had exhausted itself, Mrs. Haxton might explain; meanwhile, he must
+endeavor to hide the chief features of the tragedy ere Irene arrived.
+
+When he moved Alfieri's body is order to examine his clothing, he saw
+that the man's coat was torn at the breast, the cloth having caught a
+jagged rock as its wearer fell from the saddle. Through this rent a
+pocketbook and some papers had slipped out. They were resting on a
+little sand drift at the base of the rock that had caused the damage.
+The pocketbook was open. Some of the sand had entered its compartments.
+And, in one of them, were the papyrus leaves found in the tomb of
+Demetriades, the Greek, whose mortal eyes were the last that had gazed
+on the treasure of Sheba! In truth, here was one of the world's dramas,
+with its scenes divided by two thousand years, yet the parched desert
+was content to wait there placidly, in sure and certain knowledge that
+the curtain would rise again on that grim play, whether the years were
+few or many between the acts. How little changed was the stage. But
+what of the actors? Did the modern troupe differ so greatly from the
+two-thousand-year-old cast--the merchant in ivory and skins who quitted
+his quiet business at Alexandria to seek adventure and gold, the Romans
+who went to kill and plunder an inoffensive people, the Nubians who
+waylaid them, and left their bones to bleach? Assuredly, looking at the
+dozen or more dead bodies stretched in a row at his feet, Royson deemed
+mankind as unchangeable as the desert.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+At two o'clock, when the stars and a new moon were dimly lighting the
+circle of hills, an Arab vedette reported the approach of a large
+_kafila_ from the west. Soon the jingle of accouterments and the cries
+of camels who scented the oasis heralded the arrival of the main body.
+When Dick lifted a weary Irene from the saddle he made no pretense of
+shyness, but kissed her quite heartily.
+
+Yet Dick's tidings caused grave faces in the small circle round the
+camp-fire. Mr. Fenshawe, as responsible leader of the expedition, felt
+the weight of this added burthen of death. There was no gainsaying the
+fact that he had been dragged into an unlawful enterprise. He was in
+Italian territory against the will of the authorities. Though he and
+those under his control were guiltless of actual wrong-doing, it was
+exceedingly unfortunate that Alfieri had not lived to make a
+deposition. The treasure-seekers must now depend on the testimony of
+the wounded Hadendowas, four of whom had surrendered voluntarily, for
+the one great principle which the East has learnt from the West is that
+Europeans usually show humanity to a disabled foe. Abdullah, too,
+assured the millionaire that the Italian officer who accompanied
+Alfieri from Massowah warned the latter against any act of violence,
+and would have restrained him from undertaking an apparently useless
+search if the instructions received from Rome had not directed that
+"every assistance was to be given to Signor Giuseppe Alfieri."
+
+There could be no manner of doubt that the Italian had begun an
+unprovoked attack on the smaller _kafila_. His only messengers were
+bullets, and the orders he issued to the Hadendowas were definite. The
+whole party was to be exterminated, with the exception of Mrs. Haxton,
+who was to be taken alive if possible. Again, there was direct evidence
+of his duplicity with regard to the meeting arranged for that morning.
+Fenshawe's friendly letter was found among his papers, so he had
+hurried from his camp on the Suleiman's Well route with the deliberate
+intention of wiping out of existence the man who was his sworn enemy.
+Still, the affair wore an ugly look, and tired though he was, Fenshawe
+had no thought of rest until the contradictory elements of a most
+perplexing business were sifted.
+
+He was seated near the fire with Royson and Stump. Irene had gone to
+Mrs. Haxton the instant she heard Dick's tragic story.
+
+"Has Mrs. Haxton thrown any light on events?" Fenshawe asked. "You say
+she was completely broken down. Did you gather from her words that von
+Kerber brought her here knowing that this oasis was the place described
+by the Greek?"
+
+"She did not even mention the treasure. Perhaps I could have induced
+her to speak, but--"
+
+"You forbore. I am glad of it. Has any of the loot been discovered?"
+
+"It was dark when I visited the trench von Kerber was cutting. Alfieri
+sent a volley at him, and stopped the work before much was done, but
+the Arabs tell me that some leather wallets are visible. The men who
+were here this morning know that the contents are valuable, so I have
+stationed an armed guard there."
+
+"I wish I could destroy every vestige of the wretched stuff. There is a
+curse on it."
+
+Fenshawe's tone revealed how deeply he was moved.
+
+"Where is Abdullah?" he cried suddenly. "If he will tell us the truth,
+we may reach firm ground in the midst of all this morass of lies and
+treachery. Send for him. He is an Arab, and, if he thinks his interests
+are bound up with ours, he will speak."
+
+Abdullah, surveying the conclave from afar, had arrived at an opinion
+that justified this estimate. His first words shed light on a dark
+place in the records of the two men who were lying side by side in the
+safe keeping of the desert. His command of French rendered conversation
+easy, except to Stump, and he was quite explicit.
+
+"Madam is beautiful, is it not?" he said, indicating Mrs. Haxton's tent
+by a graceful gesture "Seven years ago, she was the most beautiful
+woman in Egypt. Her husband should not have brought her here. By
+Mahomet, Egypt is no place for the good-looking wife of a poor man.
+That is the cause of all the trouble, messieurs. Elegant birds require
+glided cages, and Monsieur Hasten had not money enough. I met them
+first in Massowah, where she lived in the hotel, while her husband went
+up and down the Red Sea in a ship. Alfieri was there, and he also was
+poor, but he ruined himself in trying to win her away from Monsieur
+Haxton. He failed, and, like many another man, that only made him
+worse. When Monsieur Haxton was sent to Assouan, by a new company,
+Alfieri went there, too. It was at that time I found the papers which
+tell about the treasure--"
+
+"How do you know they tell about the treasure?" broke in Fenshawe.
+
+"Because I stole them from Monsieur Haxton," was the cool reply. "I had
+sold them to Monsieur Alfieri, and he gave them to Madame's husband.
+Monsieur le Baron was his doctor, and a friend, but, when he found out
+how valuable those papers were, he hired me to secure them from
+Monsieur Haxton's bureau while he slept. Unfortunately, there was an
+accident. Monsieur Haxton was in a fever, and the doctor gave him a
+sleeping draft. Monsieur Haxton took too much, and he never woke
+again."
+
+Fenshawe's face grew dark with anger.
+
+"You scoundrel!" he cried. "Between you, you poisoned the man. I
+recollect the incident now. I saw it in the papers at the time."
+
+"You are wrong, Monsieur," said Abdullah calmly. "There was an inquiry,
+and it was proved that the draft was only a strong one--quite harmless
+if the doctor's written orders were obeyed. True, none but I and the
+Baron knew why the Englishman should sleep so soundly that night, but
+it was not meant to kill him. Monsieur Alfieri charged the doctor with
+having committed a crime, so Monsieur Haxton's. friends had the affair
+fully examined into. It was really an accident. Monsieur le Baron was
+exceedingly grieved."
+
+"But he kept the papers?" was Fenshawe's grim comment.
+
+"By the Kaaba, and why not? Here was Monsieur Alfieri trying to hang
+him, and all because Madame would not have anything to do with him. You
+see, there was every reason why the Hakim Effendi should get the
+papers. Monsieur Haxton was fool enough to tell Alfieri something about
+them."
+
+"Probably Monsieur Haxton meant to play the part of an honest man."
+
+"It may be. Who knows? Yet it is certain that Alfieri would never have
+shared the treasure with Monsieur Haxton If he had known what the
+writing was about. On the other hand, Monsieur le Baron told Madame
+everything, and he promised me a good share for helping him. When he
+went to England he left me to watch Alfieri. They were always enemies,
+those two."
+
+Dick remembered the letter in Arabic he had seen von Kerber reading on
+the night they met in the Austrian's house. And he recalled, too, with
+a shiver, Mrs. Haxton's agonized words when he tried to lead her away
+from the dead man who had dared so much for her sake. She had "the
+blood of three men on her soul," she said. One of those men was her
+husband. In that dark hour, what terrible shadows had trooped from the
+tomb to torture her! He said nothing to his companions. She knew. He
+only guessed, and he left it at that.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Next day many hands completed the task von Kerber had begun. But
+Fenshawe had made up his mind on a course of action, and he adhered to
+it rigidly. The list given by Demetriades was almost correct. One
+hundred and seventy wallets were brought to light, just two less than
+the number stated by the Greek. They were left unopened. Exactly as
+they were taken from the sand so were they sealed and set aside until
+transportation details were arranged. Mr. Fenshawe pointed out to the
+men from the _Aphrodite_ how important it was that the treasure should
+be made over to the Italian Government intact. By that means alone
+could their story be justified, and he guaranteed that no one should
+suffer financial loss by reason of his decision.
+
+Mrs. Haxton was too ill to be either questioned or consulted. She was
+carried to the sea almost at death's door, and her ultimate recovery
+was doubtful even a fortnight later, when the _Aphrodite_ brought them
+all to Aden. And it may be said here that the monetary value of the
+treasure was not great--its utmost figure being placed at £50,000. The
+two missing wallets were those containing the gems. Probably that was
+another story which the desert has in safe keeping. The Italian Foreign
+Office behaved generously to the disappointed archeologist. He was
+acquitted from any blame in regard to the affray at the Well of Moses,
+and he was asked to select for his own collection twelve of the ancient
+Persian and Indian gold vases which formed the chief prizes of the
+hoard.
+
+But that was long afterward, when Sir Richard and Lady Royson were on
+their honeymoon trip to Japan, when Captain and Mrs. Stump, attended by
+the faithful Tagg, had enjoyed the "time of their lives" at Orme
+Castle, and when Mrs. Haxton, elegant as ever, but very quiet and
+reserved in manner, was living in a tiny villa at Bath, where Mr.
+Fenshawe's munificence had established her for the remainder of her
+days. She said, and there was no reason to disbelieve her, that von
+Kerber had no knowledge of the identity of the oasis at the Well of
+Moses. He went that way to the sea by sheer, accident and became half
+crazy with excitement at the sight of the Seven Hills. It was his fixed
+intention, she declared, to send word to Fenshawe as soon as he had
+ascertained, beyond range of doubt, that the Sheban loot was really
+buried there.
+
+Dick and his wife passed a fortnight at Cairo on their voyage home.
+They chanced to admire some old praying carpets in a shop in the
+bazaar, and asked the price. They offered half the sum named, and the
+attendant, a slim youth, said he would consult his father.
+
+A tall, stoutly-built Arab came from a dark inner apartment. His
+regular, somewhat grave, features at once expanded into a delighted
+smile.
+
+"By the Prophet!" he exclaimed in excellent French, "I am overjoyed at
+seeing you, Monsieur et Madame. You will drink coffee with me, is it
+not? And, as for the rugs, take them. They are yours, I set up a shop
+with the money Monsieur Fenshawe gave me, and I am prosperous! _Que
+diable!_ That was a lucky journey for me when we all went south
+together. I have left the desert now. Behold! I am a good citizen, and
+pay taxes."
+
+Irene laughed. She had never pictured Abdullah the Spear-thrower as a
+shop-keeper, and waxing fat withal.
+
+"You, at any rate, found treasure at the Well of Moses," she cried.
+
+Abdullah glanced at her happy, smiling face. He turned to Royson, and
+bowed, with something of his former grace.
+
+"Let me congratulate you, Monsieur, on your far greater fortune," he
+said.
+
+
+
+
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