The Curse of the Sultans Kug.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8036, 24 January 1906, Page 4

The Curse of the Sultans Kug.

Only one person outside the Royal household can answer this question, and that person is the chief of police of Russia. It is a question which not even the hardiest Russian dares to answer. Yet, by the firesides, over the Russian sour drink, in the cafes guardedly and in the churches in whispers, comes the question, " Where is the baby Tsar ? What have they done with him ? Where does the infant heir to all the great Russiaslive? " Son. 3 e7en whisper: "Is he dead or is he alive?" But they know he is not dead. He is only kept out of the way. It is not best that even his most loyal subjects know where he his. "He is hidden," they say. Though it is not many months since his Imperial Highness was born, much has happened since. The awful war with Japan has gone wrong. The great labour strikes have occurred. The riots sprang up and are still on. Poland threatened anew to take up the sword. The uncle of the Tsar was assassinated. High members* of the police force and Ministers close to the throne disappeared mysteriously, or were poisoned at their own table without any clue to theindentity of the murderers being discovered. The Tsar's horse dropped dead under him, and his dog died at his side after partaking of a piece of meat which dropped from the very plate on which the Tsar was taking his noonday meal. Mysterious roars were heard from cannon at night, and no trace could be found of them. And, worst shock of all, the Tsar's own soldiers accidently fired in the direction of the palace, and shot came rattling down within the very walls of the palace. All of fcae3 thills and more happened within six nwrt months; all within the short life of the baby Tsar. And in the mind of the Russians at', t'mse disasters are attributable to a relic in the possession of the Tsar. When tie baby was born, presents were sent tu VJI Imperial father and mother from all parts. % Among the gut'-als there was one that was never made known in the public prints. This was a great wide hanging tapestry, a wonderful thing, woven in colours ot green and gold, with pinkish lights and great yellowish opalescent spots, divided by snowwhite lines.

This tapestry, which was of priceless value came to Russia bearing the Turkish tagmarks, and, when it was unwrapped, it was found to be sealed inside with the Turkish Imperial seal. "Is it from Abdul Hamid? " asked the attendants, as they'unrolled the wonderful piece of tapestry, rich with the spices of centuries and heavy with the wonderful weight of gold thread and silver, with ancient silks and antique velvets. Just what the Tsar said when he beheld tlie marvellous tapestry is not known. But the Tsaritsa exclaimed aloud with joy, and immediately demanded that a rugrnaker be brought from Moscow to read the inscription upon the rug ami to decipher its borders and trace its history. And this is what he had to say: "The tapestry is what is known as the blood stained rug of the tenth century. It is a hanging cloth, whose dirscl history dates bauk into the eleventh century. In the twelfth century the rug was betwitehed, and taken down from the walls of the palace of England and thrown out into the courtyard. Here it was found and carried away. " It nest made its appearance in Home in the fourteenth century, but was banished from the Italian palace because of its effect upon the servants and the courtiers who knew its bloody history. And for the next hundred years it went here and there, carrying always in its wake a story of war, of bloodshed, of riot, of death, of suicide and murder.

" In the sixteenth century the tapestry disappeared, and was not found again until the eighteenth century. Then it reappeared in the palace of the Sultan of Turkey, where it originally hung, mid its history for the next 100 years was a bloody one. " For 100 years it has hung quiet, being kept in the dark in a room dedicated to the worship of the sun. And so the history of the rug rests." Nothing more is known of it until it made its appearance in the palace of the Tsar, a gift to the infant Alexis, the baby upon whose fate all Russia hangs. After delivering this opinion the sage of Brussels disappeared, leaving the written paper in the hands of the Tsar, Did his Imperial Highness read it ? That is a question which cannot be answered. The utmost pressure was brought to bear upon his Majesty to get hiln to return the tapestry. But this he refused to do. "It might cause a war with Turkey, and isllussia prepared ? " whispered a Minister of State. The first story of the rug is that, in the making of its very difficult pattern, many errors were made. And as soon as an error was discovered the tapestry weavers were all put to death and new weavers were put in their places. Before it was completed no less than 300 lives were sacrificed. And it is therevengeful spirits of the hard-working rug-rnak-ers that hover over the cloth.

And so to the palace of the Tsar came this bloody tapestry. Rich in colouring, gaudy in gleam, wonderful in its sheen, it travelled to cast its witchery over the baby.