THE EASTERNERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10485, 23 November 1911, Page 2

THE EASTERNERS.

CHAPTER XlX—Continued

"Insolent!" she hissed. "I coul'l strangle you if it were worth while. Be obedient, or I. will have 'you scourged and driven out into the highway!" .' "Omit the strangling and scourging, and you could not please us hotter than to drive us forth as you say." "I have heard that you English are an ungrateful race," said the princess. "It is an honour to ho noticed by a mighty pasha." "We are not English but Armenians. Moreover, I was reared in America, where women are the equals of men.'' "I. have heard of that savago .land," explained Aydoul condescendingly. "The peoplo aro mostly infidels and savages. That accounts for your lack of breeding." "The United States a savage country ?" Alma was obliged to laugh. "Really, princess, why not go to school and learn something?' "Hush, sister!" Thelnia clutched Alma's arm, and drew both of them into a nearer position, so that the princess could see them clearly. A look of pain came into the Turkish "woman's face as she scrutinised the girls' fair faces through Jier pinco nez, for she was near-sighted. Then a, spasm of rage shook her and she tore away her veil, revealing strong, rather coarse, masculine features Rising, .she .approached the sisters. "You aro both beautiful, and very much alike," she remarked. "You have bewitched my lord, and turned his favour from me, the daughter of the sulta.'i. But J will spoil your faces! I will endure.no rival in the eyes of mv lord. What ho! Without there!" She clapped her hands and two eunuchs entered, bearing in their hands twisted cords of silk. The kneeling slaves also rose up and advanced. Alma saw that all these wore the imperial purple livery, while Rotan's servants, were clothed in orange and black. Evidently they were of the Princess's own retinue.

"What are you going to do?" cried Alma., wliileThel ma shrank back. "Seize them!" commanded Aydoul. They are nob willing slaves like His Highness's other women. They will aspire to his favour if they are permitted to live. Seize and bind them, I say!" A sudden uproa.r without that had been rumbling indistinctly tor several minutes, now burst into loud shouting. It was accompanied by the rattle of firearms. Thus interrupted, the Princess looked around. "See wihat that tumult means, one of you!" she commanded. One of the slaves ran out, and the others at a signal, advanced upon the sisters. Thelma screamed and clung to Alma, who at once comprehended the meaning of those dreadful.cords. "The bowstring!" she gasped, then turned to the princess. "How can you be so cruel ? We are prisoners; and for myself, I must say I loathe the man they call my (husband, Rotan. Pasha." "Seize them!" shouted the princess. ''l know sho is lying!" The eunuchs drew uearer, crouching like leopards; the noise outside had rapidly approached.' Just as the assassins were about to spring upon the helpless girls, the curtains/ were violently torn aside, and three armed men rushed into the apaartment. They were Prince Dalmar, Captain Douglas end Sidney Greer.

CHAPTER XXX

THE FIGHT. AT BUKDERE PALACE. Never had the Armenian chief looked more the prince than now. His drawn scimitar was discoloured' with fatal stains; lie thrust the Princess Aydmvl aside with small ceremony, thenfolded the sisters in his arms, exclaiming: "Blessed he the God of our fathers! I have found you alive, my Thelma, my Alma! But there is no time for words. As you value life and freedom, speak not, but come withine." He had kissed them both fondly. ■, Meanwhile Greer and Douglas had summarily kicked out the. eunuchs, beating them with the flat of their swords. Aydoul gave one wild shriek ■and fell,back on. the divan. At this iii'silant in ran M. Peronne. "We must hurry!" declared the detective. "Scouts report that Rotan is' on the way from Yildiz Palace with a large force. Some one has blabbed.'' ' 'Speak : more respectfully 1" said the, princess, starting up again. "I will see that when my husband arrives you will all be bastinadoed, and then snot!" "Tile princess!" exclaimed Peronne, then bending forward, he whispered in her ear: "Was I right ? Have you found Rotan true to you or false?" A moan escaped the royal lady; yet she glared-at liim, saying: "Out of my sight. You have seen, a daughter of my father' unveiled! f will have you scourged from the palace steps to the market of slaves and then sold.''

They could have pitied this impotent rage hut they had no time. "Take care ot : these, my twin jew-' els," commanded Dal mar, resigning both girls to tho care oF Greer and Douglas. You ha.vo my instructions. Remember the rendezvous at Uie boats. Await us there. Come, Perrone, wo have no time to lose." Fol.lowod.by Perrone, the Armenian Prince left tin; harem, hurried through ■the nearest garden, then into the main hall, where stood Barkis, with a heavy sack over his .shoulder, and at

OUR SERIAL.

OR MARRIAGE BY PROXY.

BY WILLIAM PERRY DROWN,

his feet', bound aaid bleeding, lay Mustafa Bey. ""VGive me the dynamite," commanded Dalmar, taking the sack. "Throw that carrion on thy back and follow." Still on a run. Dalmar made his way to Jlotan's private apartments, followed by Sarins with his burden and the detective. The.ro Mustafa was thrown down like a sack of grain, before the .safe, and his hands uaiboiKid. "Unlock the safe, dog! Thou knowest the combination." This from the prhi'CO sharply. Hut tha prisoner remained silent? and stubborn. "We have no time to lose," e-ai-J. ]>almar, while Sarkis gave the mini's arm a twist that brought forth a shriek of pain. "The curse of Azrael on thy head. Quick, now!" abjured the prince.

Other twists brought the fellow to his knees, begging for mercy. Holding a dagger at his throat, Sarkis pricked the prisoner \vhilo the latter turned the knob until the combination worked and the door opened. Dalmar tore open drawer after drawer. Was the treasure not here? The safe seemed empty except for sundry papers and a ledger. Stay! An inner door was seen upon hurriedly removing these last. It would not open. "Quick, Sarkis!" said the prince, "One stick of that dynamite." "Let me do this, master,", urged tho giant. "I know liow this explosive worke. We must fix a detonator with a very short fuse." While speaking he had extracted a small length of the dynamite, and was placing it against the inner door. Dalmar rebound Mustafa's hands, .then rapidly assisted his servant, for tim> was precious. Sounds of renewal oonfict were going on below, with cries of "Fire, fire, fire. The palace is on fire!" Sarkis stooped to apply the match to tho shbrt fuse, while Dal mar, dragging Mustafa away, hissed into the wretch's ear:

I "I should 1 slay thee, Shemo, for hindering my work. But not here;. J How, now, Sarins? Will it work " I A crash followed upon the moment- ' ary crackle of the fuse, cut to the fraction of an inch. It ignited the percussion cap of the detonator, and the explosion followed. S ark is, backing off, seized the sack- of explosives, and as the crash came, threw himself with the sack into an obstructing doorway, for he was vaguely aware that violent shocks alone were sufficient to cause dynamite to explode. Fortunately the sack remained '■ the game, though Mustafa uttered si. gasp of apprehension, which his other perils had not evoked. A volumn of smoke gushed forth, and into this Dal mar plunged, oblivious of all but the treasure. He had learned that it had been, withdrawn from the Ottoman bank,.aid he rightly read that Rot an, aided by Mustai fa, would naturally seek to keep bidden t!he fact, that he had withdrawn it, to store it safely in <his own vault at Bukdere. Had he not, when disguised as an Egyptian, heard , the haughty paslra say as much? Like a flash Sarkis followed, knowing'that Shemo was securely bouiri. He found Dalmar amid the smoki drawing from the„damaged safe great j packages of banknotes, that was'forjtunately of , large denominations. Otherwise it' would have been difficult for the two to transport them. Time was too short to think of counting for the confusion and uproar was in creasing all the time. Dalmar looked about him eagerly. "How shall We store them?"' he queried. "I have it! Empty out the dynamite,, Sarkis. One sack will hold ail tiie money. Quick! Quick!" While the prince wa& speaking, Sarkis darted back to the doorway, kick- | ed aside the prostrate Shemo, emptied | out enough of the deadly explosive to ; have blown the palace skywards, and | returned to. his master with the sack, ; saying: .■

"It is a- good idea, master. People will think it is dynamite and give us a wide berth. Meiinwhile, if we have time, I will■ return here and fill tins sack with the accursed 'blow devil,' and then " He smiled meaningly while listening to the cries heloAV, a"t the same time helping the prince to stow the last precious package in the hag which had so recently held the dynamite. This being quickly done, the prince shouldered the sack. Sarkis, at n sign from the other, easily carried Shemo across his shoulder, and trudged after Dalmar, who had joined Perrone, to whom the prince gave the sack. • "It is the treasure," he whispered. "We found it in the safe. Cling to it. It ii Armenia's life blood!' T must still lead the fighting. Below the drawing-room curtains were ablaze and the dry woodwork catching like tinder, flames were by this time bursting through the windows below .Rotan's private apartments. Followed by**arkis, with Mustafa, and load by the prince, Perrone bore the missing half million clown another stairway, and-through other corridors, and hastily pushed on, impeded but lightly by the confusion •resulting from tfto fire. 'To be' Continued.i