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 CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME 
 OF THE SAGE ENDOWMENT 
 FUND GIVEN IN 1891 BY 
 
 HENRY WILLIAMS SAGE 
 
DATE DUE 
 
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 PRINTEDIN U.S A. 
 
 Cornell University Library 
 PR 6045.A66T2 
 
 Tales of secret Egypt, 
 
 3 1924 013 235 597 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of tliis book is in 
 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013235597 
 
"She stood there . . . her slim hody swaying in a perfect 
 rapture of admiration for her own beauty" 
 
TALES OF 
 SECRET EGYPT 
 
 By sax ROHMER 
 
 McKINLAY, STONE & MACKENZIE ^^^^ 
 NEW YORK 
 
 Mli4 
 
 "A 
 
Printed in the United States of America 
 
 Second Printing 
 November, igio 
 
 73 
 
 Published February, 1919 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAETI 
 TALES OF AB0 TABAH 
 
 OHAPTEB 
 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. 
 
 Thm Yashmak of Pearls 
 
 > 
 
 K 1 
 
 n. 
 
 Tttp, DEATH-RrcirG op Snefebtt 
 
 >: 
 
 > 31 
 
 111. 
 
 The Lady op the Lattice . 
 
 >" 
 
 :. 58 
 
 IV. 
 
 Omar op Ispahas . . .: 
 
 *■ 
 
 :. 87 
 
 V. 
 
 BeEATH op ATjT.AH . . :. 
 
 t»j 
 
 i. 114 
 
 VI. 
 
 The Whispebing Mtjmmt >: 
 
 PARTn 
 OTHER. TALES 
 
 HI 
 
 r.) 144 
 
 OHAPTEE 
 
 I. LoED OP THE Jackals . >- 
 
 II. LuEE OF Souls 
 
 ' in. The Seceet op Ismail . 
 
 TV. Haeun Pasha 
 
 V. In the VaujEY op the Soeoeeess 
 
 ^^VI. Pomegeanatb Flowee . A 
 
 PAGE 
 
 169 
 194 
 216 
 239 
 267 
 290 
 
TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 PART I 
 
 TALES OF ABU TABAH 
 
 I 
 
 THE YASHMAK OF PEAELS 
 
 THE duhr, or noonday call to prayer, had just 
 sounded from the minarets of the Mosques of 
 Kalaun and En-Nasir, and I was idly noting 
 the negligible effect of the adan upon the occupants 
 of the neighboring shops — coppersmiths for the 
 most part — ^when suddenly my errant attention be- 
 came arrested. 
 
 A mendicant of unwholesome aspect crouched in 
 the shadow of the narrow gateway at the entrance 
 to the Suk es-Saigh, or gold and silver bazaar, hav- 
 ing his one serviceable eye fixed in a malevolent stare 
 upon something or someone immediately behind me. 
 
 It is part and parcel of my difficult profession to 
 subdue all impulses and to think before acting. I 
 sipped my coffee and selected a fresh cigarette from 
 the silver box upon the rug beside me. In this 
 interval I had decided that the one-eyed mendicant 
 cherished in his bosom an implacable and murderous 
 hatred for my genial friend, Ali Mohammed, the 
 
2 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 dealer in antiques; that he was unaware of my 
 having divined his bloody secret ; and that if I would 
 profit by my accidental discovery, I must continue 
 to feign complete ignorance of it. 
 
 Turning casually to Ali Mohammed, I was startled 
 to observe the expression upon his usually immobile 
 face: he was positively gray, and I thought I de- 
 tected a faint rattling sound, apparently produced 
 by his teeth; his eyes were set as if by hypnosis 
 upon the uncleanly figure huddled in the shadow of 
 the low gate. 
 
 "You are unwell, my friend," I said. 
 
 Ali Mohammed shook his head feebly, removed 
 his eyes by a palpable effort from the watcher in the 
 gateway, but almost instantly reverted again to that 
 fixed and terrified scrutiny. 
 
 "Not at all, Kernaby Pasha," he chattered; "not 
 in the least." 
 
 He passed a hand rapidly over a brow wet with 
 perspiration, and moistened his lips, which were 
 correspondingly dry. I determined upon a diplo- 
 matic tour de force; I looked him squarely in the 
 face. 
 
 "For soine reason," I said distinctly, "you are 
 in deadly fear of the wall-eyed mendicant who is 
 sitting by the gate of the Suk es-Saigh, Ali Mo- 
 hammed, my friend. ' ' 
 
 I turned with assumed carelessness. The beggar 
 of murderous appearance had vanished, and Ali 
 Mohammed was slowly recovering his composure. 
 I knew that I must act quickly, or he would deny 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEAELS 3 
 
 with the urbane mendacity of the Egyptian all 
 knowledge of the one-eyed one ; therefore — 
 
 "Acquaint me with the reason of your appre- 
 hensions," I said, at the same time offering him one 
 of his own cigarettes; "it may be that I can assist 
 you." 
 
 A moment he hesitated, glancing doubtfully in the 
 direction of the gate and back to my face; then — 
 
 "It is one of the people of Tir," he whispered, 
 bending close to my ear; "of the evil ginn who are 
 the creatures of Abu Tabah." 
 
 I was puzzled and expressed my doubt in words. 
 
 "Alas," replied Ali Mohammed, "the Imam Abu 
 Tabah is neither a man nor an official; he is a ma- 
 gician." 
 
 "Indeed! then you speak of one bearing the curi- 
 ous name of Abu Tabah, who is at once the holder of 
 a holy office and also one who has dealings with the 
 ginn and the Efreets. This is strange, Ali Moham- 
 med, my friend." 
 
 "It is strange and terrible," he whispered, "and I 
 fear that my path is beset with pitfalls and slopeth 
 down to desolation." He pronounced the Tahhir, 
 " Alldhu akhar!" and uttered the words "Hadeed! 
 ya mashum"! (Iron! thou unlucky!), a potent in- 
 vocation, as the ginn's dread of that metal is well 
 known. "There are things of which one may not 
 speak," he declared; "and this is one of them." 
 
 Sorely puzzled as I was by this most mysterious 
 happening, yet, because of the pious words of my 
 friend, I knew that the incident was closed so far as 
 
i. TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 confidences were concerned; and I presently took 
 my departure, my mind filled with all sorts of odd 
 conjectures by wHch I sought to explain the matter. 
 1 was used to the superstitions of that quarter where 
 almost every gate and every second street has its 
 guardian ginnee, but who and what was Abu Tabah? 
 An Imam, apparently, though to what mosque at- 
 tached Ali Mohammed had not mentioned. And why 
 did Ali Mohammed fear Abu Tabah? 
 
 So my thoughts ran, more or less ungoverned, 
 whilst I made my way through streets narrow and 
 tortuous iu the direction of the Rondpoint du Muski. 
 I saw no more of the wall-eyed mendicant ; but in a 
 court hard by the Mosque of el-Ashraf I found my- 
 self in the midst of a squabbling crowd of natives 
 surrounding someone whom I gathered, from the 
 direction of their downward glances, to be prone 
 upon the ground. Since the byways of the Suk el- 
 Attaria are little frequented by Europeans, at mid- 
 day, I thrust my way into the heart of the throng, 
 thinking that some stray patron of Messrs. Cook and 
 Son (Egypt, Ltd.) might possibly have got into 
 trouble or have been overcome by the heat. 
 
 Who or what lay at the heart of that gathering I 
 never learned. I was still some distance from the 
 centre of the disturbance when an evil-smelling sack 
 :was whipped over my head and shoulders from 
 behind, a hand clapped upon my mouth and jaws; 
 and, lifted in muscular arms, I found myself being 
 borne inarticulate down stone steps, as I gathered 
 from the sound, into some cool cellar-like place. 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEARLS 
 
 In my capacity as Egyptian representative of 
 Messrs. Moses, Murphy & Co., of Birmingham, I 
 have sometimes found myself in awkward corners; 
 but in Cairo, whether the native or European quar- 
 ter, I had hitherto counted myself as safe as in Lon- 
 don and safer than in Paris. The unexpectedness of 
 the present outrage would have been sufficient to 
 take my breath away without the agency of the filthy 
 sack, which had apparently contained garlic at some 
 time and now contained my head. 
 
 I was deposited upon a stone-paved floor and my 
 wrists were neatly pinioned behind me by one of my 
 captors, whilst another hung on to my ankles. The 
 sack was raised from my body but not from my 
 face; and whilst a hand was kept firmly pressed 
 over the region of my mouth, nimble fingers turned 
 toy pockets inside out. I assumed at first that I had 
 fallen into the clutches of some modern brethren of 
 the famous Forty, but when my purse, note-case, 
 pocket-book, and other belongings were returned to 
 me, I realized that something more^ underlay this at- 
 tempt than the mere activity of a gang of footpads. 
 At this conclusion I had just arrived when the 
 stinking sack was pulled off entirely and I found 
 myself sitting on the floor of a small and very dark 
 cellar. Beside me, holding the sack in his huge 
 hands, stood a pock-marked negro of most repulsive 
 appearance, and before me, his slim, ivory-colored 
 hands crossed and resting upon the head of an ebony 
 
6 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 cane, was a man, apparently an Egyptian, whose ap- 
 pearance had something so strange about it that the 
 angry words which I had been prepared to utter died 
 upon my tongue and I sat staring mutely into the 
 face of my captor ; for I could not doubt that the out- 
 rage had been dictated by this man's will. 
 
 He was, then, a young man, probably under thirty, 
 with perfectly chiseled features and a slight black 
 moustache. He wore a black gibbeh, and a white tur- 
 ban, and browTi shoes upon his small feet. His face 
 was that of an ascetic, nor had I ever seen more won- 
 derful and liquid eyes; in them reposed a world of 
 melancholy; yet his red lips were parted in a smile 
 tender as that of a mother. Inclining his head in a 
 gesture of gentle dignity, this man — ^whom I hated 
 at sight — addressed me in Arabic. 
 
 "I am desolated," he said, "and there is no com^ 
 fort in my heart because of that which has happened 
 to you by my orders. If it is possible for me to 
 recompense you by any means within my power, 
 command and you shall find a slave." 
 
 He was poisonously suave. Beneath the placid 
 exterior, beneath the sugar-lipped utterances, in the 
 deeps of the gazelle-like eyes, was hid a cold and re- 
 morseless spirit for which the man's silken demeanor 
 was but a cloak. I hated him more and more. But 
 my trade — ^f or I do not blush to own myself a trades- 
 man — ^has taught me caution. My ankles were free, 
 it is true, but my hands were still tied behind me and 
 over me towered the hideous bulk of the negro. 
 This might be modern Cairo, and no doubt there were 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEAELS 7 
 
 British troops quartered at the Citadel and at the 
 Kasr en-Nil ; probably there was a native policeman, 
 a representative of twentieth-century law and order, 
 somewhere in the maze of streets surrounding me : 
 but, in the first place, I was at a physical disadvan- 
 tage, in the second place I had reasons for not desir- 
 ing unduly to intrude my affairs upon official notice, 
 and in the third place some hazy idea of what might 
 be behind all this business had begun to creep into 
 my mind. 
 
 "Have I the pleasure," I said, and electing to 
 speak, not in Arabic but iv English, "of addressing 
 the Imam Abu Tabah?" 
 
 I could have sworn that despite his amazing self- 
 control the man started slightly; but the lapse, if 
 lapse it were, was but momentary. He repeated the 
 dignified obeisance of the head — and answered me 
 in English as pure as my own. 
 
 "I am called Abu Tabah," he said; "and if I as- 
 sure you that my discourteous treatment was dic- 
 tated by a mistaken idea of duty, and if I offer you 
 this explanation as the only apology possible, will 
 you permit me to untie your hands and call an arahi- 
 yeh to drive you to your hotel?" 
 
 * ' No apology is necessary, ' ' I assured him. ' ' Had 
 I returned direct to Shepheard's I should have ar- 
 rived too early for luncheon ; and the odor of garlic, 
 which informed the sack that your zeal for duty 
 caused to be clapped upon my head, is one for which 
 I have a certain penchant if it does not amount to a 
 passion." 
 
8 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Abu Tabah smiled, inclined his head again, and 
 slightly raising the ebony cane indicated my pinioned 
 wrists, at the same time glancing at the negro. In a 
 trice I was unbound and once more upon my feet. I 
 looked at the dilapidated door which gave access to 
 the cellar, and I made a rapid mental calculation of 
 the approximate weight in pounds of the large 
 negro ; then I looked hard at Abu Tabah — ^who smil- 
 ingly met my glance. 
 
 "Any one of my servants," he said urbanely, 
 "who wait in the adjoining room, will order you an 
 arabtyeh." 
 
 m 
 
 "When the card of Ali Mohamtaed was brought to 
 me that evening, my thoughts instantly flew to the 
 wall-eyed mendicant of the Suk en-Nahhasin, and to 
 Abu Tabah, the sugar-lipped. I left the pleasant 
 company of the two charming American ladies with 
 whom I had been chatting on the terrace and joined 
 Ali Mohammed in the lounge. 
 
 Without undue preamble he poured his tale of 
 woe into my sympathetic ears. He had been lured 
 away from his shop later that afternoon, and, in his 
 absence, someone had ransacked the place from floor 
 to roof. That night on his way to his abode, some- 
 where out Shubra direction I understood, he had 
 been attacked and searched, finally to reach his 
 house and to find there a hotaie in wild disorder. 
 
 "I fear for my life," he whispered and glanced 
 about the lounge in blackest apprehension; "yet 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEAELS 9 
 
 where in all Cairo may I find an intermediary whom 
 I can trust? Suppose," he pursued, and dropped 
 his voice yet lower, "that a commission of ten per 
 cent — say, one hundred pounds, English — ^were to be 
 earned, should you care, Kernaby Pasha, to earn 
 it?" 
 
 I assured him that I should regard such a pro- 
 posal with the utmost affection. 
 
 "It would be necessary," he continued, "for you 
 to disguise yourself as an aged woman and to visit 
 the harem of a certain wealthy Bey. I have a ring 
 which must be shown to the bowwah at the gate of 
 the harem gardens upon which you would knock 
 three times slowly and then twice rapidly. You 
 would collect the thousand gmeh agreed upon and 
 would deliver to a certain lady a sandalwood box, 
 the possession of which endangers my life and has 
 brought about me the hosts of Abu Tabah the magi- 
 cian," 
 
 So the head of the cat was out of the bag at last. 
 But there was more to come and it was not a pro- 
 position to plunge at, as I immediately perceived; 
 and I parted from Ali Mohammed upon the prudent 
 understanding that I should acquaint him with my 
 decision on the morrow. 
 
 The terrace of Shepheard's was deserted, when, 
 having escorted my visitor to the door, he made his 
 way down into the Sharia Kamel Pasha. Two white- 
 robed figures who looked like hotel servants, and a 
 little nondescript group of natives, stood at the foot 
 of the steps. At the instant that doubt entered my 
 
10 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 mind and too late to warn the worthy Ali Moham- 
 med, the group parted to give him passage; then 
 ... a terrific scuffle was in progress and one of 
 the wealthiest merchants of the Muski was being 
 badly hustled. 
 
 I ran down the steps, the carriage-despatcher and 
 some other officials, whom the disturbance had 
 aroused from their secret lairs, appearing almost 
 simultaneously. As I reached the street, out from 
 the feet of the wrestling throng, like a football from 
 a scrum, rolled a neat tarbush. 
 
 Automatically I stooped and picked it up. Its 
 weight surprised me. Then, glancing inside the tar- 
 hush, I perceived that a little oblong box, together 
 with a quaint signet ring, were ingeniously attached 
 to the crown by means of silk threads tied around 
 the knot of the tassel, I glanced rapidly about me. 
 I, alone, had seen the cap roll out upon the pave- 
 ment. 
 
 A hard jerk, and I had the box and the ring free 
 in my hand. The tall carriage-despatcher, his fero- 
 cious efforts now seconded by a native policeman 
 who freely employed his cane upon the thinly-clad 
 persons of the group, had terminated the scuffle. 
 
 Right and left active figures darted, pursued for 
 some little distance by the policeman and the two 
 men from the hotel. There were no captures. 
 
 A very dusty and bemused Ali Mohammed, his 
 shaven skull robbing him of much of the dignity 
 which belonged to his tarhush, confronted me, rue- 
 fully dusting his garments. 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEAELS 11 
 
 "Your tarbush, my friend," I said, restoring his 
 property to him with a bow. 
 
 One piercing glance he cast into the interior, 
 then — 
 
 * ' AUah ! " he waUed— ' ' Allah I I am robbed] 
 Yet " 
 
 A sort of martyred resignation, a beatific peace, 
 crept over his features. 
 
 "To war against Abu Tabah is the act of a fool," 
 he declared. "To have obtained the Bey's money 
 would have been good, but to have obtained peace 
 is better!" 
 
 IV 
 
 I awoke that night from a troubled sleep and from 
 a dream wherein magnetic fingers caressed my fore- 
 head hypnotically. For a moment I could not believe 
 that I was truly awake ; the long ivory hand of my 
 dreams was still moving close before me with a sort 
 of slow fanning movement — and other, nimble, 
 fingers crept beneath my pillow ! 
 
 Of my distaste for impulse I have already spoken, 
 and even now, with my mind not wholly under con- 
 trol, I profited by those years of self-imposed disci- 
 pline. Without fully opening my eyes, cautiously, 
 inch by inch, I moved my hand to that side of the bed 
 nearer to the wall, where there reposed a leather hol- 
 ster containing my pistol. 
 
 My fingers closed over the butt of the weapon; 
 
12 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 and in a flash I became wide awake . . . and had the 
 ring of the barrel within an inch of the smiling face 
 of AbuTabahl 
 
 I sat up. 
 
 "Be good enough, my friend," I said, "to turn 
 on the center lamp. The switch, as you have prob- 
 ably noted, is immediately to the left of the door." 
 
 Abu Tabah, straightening his figure and with- 
 drawing his hand from beneath my pillow, inclined 
 his picturesque head in grave salute and moved 
 stately iu the direction indicated. The room was 
 flooded with yellow light. Its disorder was appal- 
 ling ; apparently no item of my gear had escaped at- 
 tention. 
 
 "Pray take a seat," I said; "this one close beside 
 me." 
 
 Abti Tabah gravely accepted the invitation. 
 
 "This is the second occasion," I continued, "upon 
 which you have unwarrantably submitted me to a 
 peculiar form of outrage " 
 
 "Not unwarrantably," replied Abu Tabah, his 
 speech suave and gentle ; "but I fear I am too late ! ' ' 
 
 His words came as a beam of enlightenment. At 
 last I had the game in my hands did I but play my 
 cards with moderate cunning. 
 
 "You must pursue your inquiries in the harem of 
 the Bey," I said. 
 
 Abu Tabah shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "The house of Yussuf Bey has been watched," he 
 replied; "therefore my agents have failed me and 
 must be punished. ' ' 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEARLS 13 
 
 "They are guiltless. It was humanly impossible 
 to perceive my entrance to the house," I declared 
 truthfully. 
 
 Abu Tabah smiled into my face. 
 
 " So it was you who carried the sacred hurho of the 
 Seyyideh Nefiseh," he said; "and to-night Ali Mo- 
 hammed brought you the reward for your perilous 
 journey." 
 
 ' * Your reasoning is sound, ' ' I replied, * * and the ac- 
 curacy of your information remarkable." 
 
 I had scored the first point in the game ; for I had 
 learned that the wonderful silken yashmak, pearl 
 embroidered, which I had found in. the sandalwood 
 box, was no less a curiosity than the face-veil of the 
 Seyyideh Nefiseh and must therefore be of truly 
 astounding antiquity and unique of its kind. 
 
 "The woman Shahmarah," continued my mid- 
 night visitor, the eerie light of fanaticism dawning 
 in his eyes, "who was once a danciug girl, and who 
 will ruin Yussuf Bey as she ruined Ghuri Pasha be- 
 fore him, must be for ever accursed and meet with 
 the fate of courtesans if she dare to wear the hurho 
 of Nefiseh." 
 
 I had scored my second poiat ; I had learned that 
 the lady to whom Ali Mohammed would have had me 
 deliver the yashmak was named Shahmarah and was 
 evidently the favorite of the notorious Yussuf Bey. 
 The complacent self-satisfaction of Abu Tabah 
 amused me vastly, for he clearly entertained no 
 doubts respecting his efficiency as a searcher. 
 
 He was watching me now with his strange 
 
14 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 typnotic eyes, which had softened again, and his 
 fixed stare caused me a certain uneasiness. For a 
 captured thief, sitting covered by the pistol of his 
 captor, he was ridiculously composed. 
 
 "You have performed an irmnoral deed," he said 
 sweetly, "and have pandered to the base desires of 
 a woman of poor repute. I offer you an opportunity 
 of performing a good deed — and of trebling your 
 profit." 
 
 This was as I would have it, and I nodded en- 
 couragingly. 
 
 "Unfold to me the thing that is in your mind," I 
 directed him. 
 
 "I am a Moslem," he said; "and although Yus- 
 8uf Bey is a dog of dogs, he is nevertheless a True 
 Believer — and I may not force my way into his 
 harem." 
 
 "He might return the veil if he knew that Shah- 
 marah had it," I suggested ingenuously. 
 
 Abu Tabah shook his head. 
 
 "There are difficulties," he replied, "and if the 
 theft is not to be proclaimed to the world, there is 
 no time to be lost. This is my proposal : Return to 
 the woman Shahmarah, and acquaint her with the 
 fact that the sacred veil has been traced to her abode 
 and her death decided upon by the Grand Mufti if it 
 be not given up. Force the merchant Ali Moham- 
 med to return the money received by him, using the 
 same threat — ^which will prove a talisman of power. 
 Return to the infidel woman the full amount ; I will 
 make good your commission, to which, if you be sue- 
 
THE YASHMAK OP PEARLS 15 
 
 cessful, I will add two hundred pounds." 
 I performed some rapid thinking. 
 "You must give me a little time to consider this 
 matter,"! said. 
 Abu Tabah graciously inclined his head. 
 "On Tuesday next a company of holy men who 
 have journeyed hither from Ispahan, go to view; 
 this relic; you have therefore five days to act." 
 "And if I decline?" 
 Abu Tabah shrugged his shoulders. 
 "The loss must be made known — ^it would be a 
 great scandal; the merchant Ali Mohammed, and 
 the woman, Shahmarah, must be arrested — ^very un- 
 desirable; you must be arrested — ^most undesirable; 
 and your banking account will be poorer by three 
 hundred pounds. ' ' 
 
 < < Frightfully undesirable, ' ' I declared. * * But sup- 
 pose I strike the first blow and give you in charge of 
 the police here and now?" 
 "You may try the experiment," he said. 
 I waved my hand in the direction of the door (I 
 had reasons for remaining in bed). "Ma'salama! 
 (Good-bye)," I said. "Don't stay to restore the 
 room to order. I shall expect you early in the morn- 
 ing. You will find the door of the hotel open any 
 time after eight and I can highly recomlnend it as 
 a mode of entrance." 
 
 Having saluted me with both hands, Abu Tabah 
 made his stately departure, leaving me much exer- 
 cised in mind as to how he proposed to account to 
 the howwab for his sudden appearance in the build- 
 
16 TiALBS OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 ing. This, however, was no affair of mine, and, 
 first reclosing the window, I unfastened from around 
 my left anMe the sandalwood box and the ring which 
 I had bound there by a piece of tape — a device to 
 which I owed their preservation from the subtle 
 fingers of Abu Tabah. Furthermore, to their pres- 
 ence there I owed my having awakened when I did. 
 I am persuaded that the mysterious Egyptian's pas- 
 ses would have continued to keep me ia a profound 
 deep had it not been for the pain occasioned by the 
 pressure of the tape. 
 
 Opening the sandalwood box, and then the silver 
 one which it enclosed, I re-examined the really won- 
 derful specimen of embroidery whereof they formed 
 the reliquary. The burko was of Tussur silk, its tex- 
 ture so fine that the whole veil, which was some four 
 feet long by two wide, might have been passsd 
 through the finger ring and would readily be con- 
 cealed in the palm of the hand. 
 
 It was of unusual form, having no forehead band, 
 more nearly resembling a yashmak than a true 
 iurko, and was heavily embroidered with pearls of 
 Tarying sizes and purity, although none of them 
 were large. Its instrinsic value was considerable, 
 but in view of its history such a valuation must have 
 fallen far below the true one. When its loss became 
 known, I estimated that Messrs. Moses, Murphy & 
 Co. could readily dispose of three duplicates through 
 various channels to wealthy collectors whose en- 
 thusiasms were greater than their morality. The 
 sale to a museum, or to the lawful owners, of the 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEAELS IT 
 
 original (known technically as "the model") would 
 crown a sound commercial transaction. 
 
 Cock-crow that morning discovered me at the pri- 
 vate residence, in the Boulevard Clot-Bey, of one 
 Suleyman Levi, with whom I had had minor dealings 
 in the past 
 
 At nine o'clock on the following Monday night, an. 
 old Egyptian woman, enveloped from head to foot 
 in a black tob and wearing a black crepe face-veil 
 boasting a hideous brass nose-piece, halted before a 
 doorway set in the wall guarding the great gardens 
 of the palace of Yussuf Bey. I was the imperson- 
 ator of this decrepit female. Abu Tabah, who thus 
 far had accompanied me, stepped into the dense 
 shadow of the opposite wall and was thereby swal- 
 lowed up. 
 
 I rapped three times slowly upon the doorway, 
 then twice rapidly. Almost at once a little wicket 
 thereia flew open, and a bloated negro face showed 
 framed in the square aperture. 
 
 "The messenger from Ali Mohammed of the Suk 
 en-Nahhasin," I said, in a croaky voice. "Conduct 
 me to the Lady Shahmarah." 
 
 "Show her seal," answered the eunuch, extending 
 through the opening a large, fat hand. 
 
 I gave him the ring so fortunately discovered in 
 the tarhush of my friend the merchant and the hand 
 was withdrawn. Within a colloquy took place in 
 
18 TALES OP SECRET EGYPT 
 
 ■which a female voice took part. Then the door was 
 partly opened for my admittance — and I found my- 
 self in the gardens of the Bey. 
 
 In the moonlight it was a place of wonder, an en- 
 chanted demesne; but more like an Edmond Dulac 
 water-color than a real garden. The palace with its 
 magnificent mushrabiyeh windows, so poetically sym- 
 bolical of veiled women, guarded by several fine, 
 straight-limbed palm trees, spoke of the Old Cairo 
 which saw the birth of The Arabian Nights and which 
 so many of us imagine to have vanished with the 
 khalifate. 
 
 A girl completely mufQed up in many-hued shawls 
 and scarves, so that her red-slippered feet and two 
 bright eyes heavily darkened with kohl were the only 
 two portions of her person visible, stood before me, 
 her figure seeming childish beside that of the gross 
 negro — ^whom I hated at sight because he reminded 
 me of the one whom I had encountered in Abu 
 Tabah's cellar. 
 
 "Follow me, quickly, mother," said the girl. 
 "You" — ^pointing imperiously at the black man — 
 "remain here." 
 
 I followed her in silence, noting that she pursued 
 a path which ran parallel with the wall and lay 
 wholly in its shadow. The gardens were fragrant 
 with the perfume of roses, and in the center was a 
 huge marble fountain surrounded by kiosks project- 
 ing into the water, tall acacias overshadowing them. 
 We skirted two sides of the palace, its mushrabiyeh 
 windows mysteriously lighted by the moon but show 
 
THE YASHMAX OF PEARLS 13 
 
 ing no illummation from within. There we came to 
 the entrance to a kind of trellis-covered walk, mosaic 
 paved and patched delightfully with mystic light. It 
 terminated before a small but heavy and nail-stud- 
 ded door, of which my guide held the key. 
 
 Entering, whilst she held the door ajar, I found 
 myself in utter darkness, to be almost immediately 
 dispelled by the yellow gleam of a lamp which the 
 girl took from some niche, wherein, already lighted, 
 it had been concealed. Up a flight of bare wooden 
 stairs she conducted me, and opened a second prison- 
 like door at their head. Leaving the lamp upon the 
 top step, she pushed me gently forward into a small, 
 octagonal room, paneled in dark wood inlaid with 
 mother-o '-pearl and reminding me of the interior of 
 a magnified kursee or coffee table. 
 
 Eugs and carpets strewed the floor and the air was 
 heavy with the smell of musk, a perfume which I 
 detest, it having characterized the personality of a 
 certain Arab lady who sold me so marvelous a Dam- 
 ascus scimitar that I was utterly deceived by it 
 until too late. 
 
 Raising a heavy curtain draped in a door shaped 
 like an old-fashioned keyhole, and embellished with 
 an intricate mass of fretwork carving, my guide 
 went out, leaving me alone with my reflections. This 
 interval was very brief, however, and was termi- 
 nated by the reappearance of the girl, who this time 
 made her entrance through a second doorway 
 masked by the paneling. A faint musical splashing 
 sound greeted me through the opening; and when 
 
20 TALES OF SECRET EGITPT 
 
 my guide beckoned me to enter and I obeyed, I found 
 myself in a chamber of barbaric beauty and in the 
 presence of the celebrated Shahmarah. 
 
 The apartment, save for one end being wholly 
 occupied by a magnificent mushrabtyeh screen, was 
 walled with what looked like Verde Antico marble 
 or green serpentine. An ebony couch having feet 
 shaped as those of a leopard and enriched with 
 gleaming bronze, having the skins of leopards cast 
 across it, and, upon the skins, silken soft cushions 
 wrought in patterns of green and gold, stood upon 
 the mosaic floor at the head of three shallow steps 
 which descended to a pool where a fountain played, 
 softly musical; wherein lurked gleamiag shapes of 
 silver and gold. Bright mats were strewn around, 
 and at one comer of the pool a huge silver mihhharah 
 sent up its pencUings of aromatic smoke. 
 
 Upon this couch Shahmarah reclined, and I 
 perceived imme^ately that her reputation for 
 beauty was richly deserved. There was something 
 leopardine in her pliant shape, which seemed to 
 harmonize with the fierce black and gold of the skins 
 upon which she was stretched ; she had the limbs of 
 a Naiad and the eyes of an Egyptian Circe. Upon 
 her head she wore a rdbtak, or turban, of pure white, 
 secured and decorated in front by a brooch of 
 ancient Egyptian enamel-work probably fourteenth 
 dynasty, and for whcih I would gladly have given 
 her one hundred pounds. If I have forgotten what 
 else she wore it may be because my senses were in 
 somewhat of a turmoil as I stood before her in that 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEARLS 21 
 
 opulent apartment — ^which I suddenly recognized, 
 and not without discomfiture, to be the mesldkh of 
 the hammdm. I can only relate, then, that the image 
 left upon my miad was one of jewels and dusky 
 peach-like loveliness. Jewels there were ia a- 
 bundanee, clasped about the warm curves of her arms 
 and overloading her fingers; she wore gold bands 
 thickly encrusted with gems about her ankles (the 
 slim ankles of a dancing girl) ; and a fiery ruby of 
 the true pigeon 's-blood color gleamed upon the first 
 toe of her left foot, the nails of which were highly 
 manicured and stained with henna. 
 
 Fixing her wonderful eyes upon me — 
 
 "You have brought the veil?" she said. 
 
 "The merchant Ali Mohammed ordered me xo 
 convey to him the price agreed upon, jewel of 
 Egypt," I mumbled, "ere I yielded up this a poor 
 man's only treasure." 
 
 Shahmarah sat upright upon the couch. Her 
 delicate brows were drawn together ia a frown, and 
 her eyes, rendered doubly limiinous by the pigment 
 with which they were surrounded, glared fiercely at 
 me, whilst she stamped one bare foot upon a cushion 
 lying on the mosaic floor. 
 
 "The veil!" she cried imperiously. "I will send 
 the merchant Ali Mohammed an order on the 
 treasury of the Bey." 
 
 "0 moon of the Orient," I replied, "0 ravisher 
 of souls, I am but a poor ugly old wotaan basking 
 in the radiaiice of beauty and loveliness. Would 
 you ruin one so old and feeble and helpless? I must 
 
22 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 have the price agreed upon; let it be counted into 
 this bag" — and concealing my tell-tale hands as 
 much as possible, I bent humbly and placed a leather 
 ■wallet upon a little table beside her which bore 
 fruits, sweetmeats, and a long-necked gold flagon. 
 "When it is done, the yashmak of pearls, which only 
 thy dazzling perfection might dare to wear, shall be 
 yielded up to thee, daughter of musk and amber- 
 gris." 
 
 There fell a short silence, wherein the fountain 
 musically plashed and Shahmarah shot little inquir- 
 ing glances laden with venom into the mists of my 
 black veil, and others which held a query over my 
 shoulder at her confidant. 
 
 "I might have you cast into a dungeon beneath 
 this palace," she hissed at me, bending lithely 
 forward and extending a jeweled forefinger. ''No 
 one would miss thee, mother of afflictions." 
 
 "In that event," I crooned quaveringly, "0 tree 
 of pearls, the veil could never be thine; for the 
 merchant Ali Mohammed, who awaits me at the 
 gate, refuses to deliver it up until the price agreed 
 upon has been placed in his hands." 
 
 "He is a Jew, and a son of Jews, who eats without 
 washing ! a devourer of pork, and an unclean insect, ' ' 
 she cried. 
 
 She extended the jeweled hand towards the girl 
 who stood behind me and who, having loosened her 
 wraps, proved to be a comely but shrewd-looking 
 Assyrian. ' ' Let the money be counted into the bag, ' ' 
 she ordered, "that we may be rid of the presence 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEARLS 23 
 
 of this garrulous and hideous old hag." 
 
 "0 fountain of justice," I exclaimed; "0 peerless 
 houri, to behold whom is to swoon with delight 
 and rapture." 
 
 Prom a locked closet the Assyrian girl took a 
 wooden coffer, and before my gratified eyes began 
 to count out upon the little table notes and gold 
 until a pile lay there to have choked a miser with 
 emotion. (The ready-money transactions of the East 
 have always delighted me.) But, with the chiiiking 
 of the last piece of gold upon the pile — 
 
 "There is no more," said the girl. "It is one 
 hundred pounds short." 
 
 "It is more than enough!" cried Shahmarah. "I 
 am ruined. Give me the veU and go." 
 
 "0 vision of paradise," I exclaimed ia anguish, 
 "the merchant Ali Mohammed would never consent. 
 In lieu of the remainder" — ^I pointed to the antique 
 enamel in her turban — "give me the brooch from 
 thy rahtah." 
 
 "0 sink of corruption!" was her response, her 
 whole body positively quivering with rage, "it is 
 not for thy filthy claws. Here!" — she pulled a ring 
 containing a fair-sized emerald from one of her 
 fingers and tossed it contemptuously upon the pile 
 of money — "thou art more than repaid. The veil! 
 the veil!" 
 
 I turned to the girl who had counted out the gold. 
 
 "0 minor moon, whom even the glory of paradise 
 cannot dim," I said, "put the money ia the wallet, 
 for my hands are old and infirm, and give it to me." 
 
24 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 The Assyrian scooped the gold and notes into the 
 leather bag with the utmost unconcern, and as though 
 she had been shelling peas into a basket. The pro- 
 found disregard for wealth exhibited in the harem 
 of Yussuf Bey was extraordinary; and I mentally 
 endorsed the opinion expressed by Abu Tabah that 
 the ruin of the Bey was imminent. 
 
 Securing the heavy wallet to the girdle which I 
 wore beneath my veilings, I placed upon the table 
 where the money had lain a small silken packet. 
 
 "Here is the veil," I said; "for my story of the 
 merchant, Ali Mohammed, who had refused to yield 
 it up, was but a stratagem to test the generosity of 
 thy soul, as thy refusal to give me the price agreed 
 upon was but a subterfuge to test my honesty." 
 
 Heedless of the words, Shahmarah snatched up 
 the packet, tore off the wrappings, and in a trice was 
 standing upright before me wearing the yashmak of 
 pearls. 
 
 I think I had never seen a figure more barbarically 
 lovely than that of this soulless Egyptian so 
 adorned. 
 
 ' * My mirror, Safiyeh ! my mirror ! ' ' she cried. 
 
 And the girl placing a big silver mirror in her 
 hand, she stood there looking into its surface, her 
 wonderful eyes swimming with ecstasy and her slim 
 body swaying in a perfect rapture of admiration for 
 her own beauty. 
 
 Suddenly she dropped the mirror upon the 
 cushions and threw wide her arms. 
 
 "Am I not the fairest woman in Egypt?'' she 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEARLS 25 
 
 (exclaimed. "I tread upon the hearts of men and 
 my power is above the power of kings !" 
 
 Then a subtle change crept over her features; 
 and ere I could utter the first of the honeyed compli- 
 ments ready upon my tongue — 
 
 "Send Amineh to warn Mahmud that the old 
 woman is about to depart," she directed her atten- 
 dant; and, turning to me: "Wait in the outer room. 
 Thy presence is loathsome to me, mother of 
 calamities." 
 
 "I hear and obey," I replied, "O pomegranate 
 blossom" — and, following the direction of her rigidly 
 extended finger, I shuffled back to the little octagonal 
 apartment and the masked door was slammed almost 
 upon my heels. 
 
 This room, which possessed no windows, was 
 solely illuminated by a silken-shaded lantern, but I 
 had not long to wait in that weird half-light ere my 
 conductress, again closely muffled in her shawls, 
 opened the door at the head of the steps and signed 
 to me to descend. 
 
 "Lead the way, my beautiful daughter," I said; 
 for I had no intention of submitting myself to the 
 risk of a dagger in the back. 
 
 She consented without demur, which served to 
 allay my suspicions somewhat, and in silence we 
 went down the uncarpeted stairs and out into the 
 trellis-covered walk. The shadow beneath the high 
 wall had deepened and widened since we had last 
 skirted the gardens, and I felt my way along with 
 my hand cautiously outstretched. 
 
"26 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 At a point within sight of the flower-grown arbor 
 beneath which I knew the gate to be concealed, my 
 guide halted. 
 
 "I must return, mother," she said quickly. 
 "There is the gate, and Mahmud will open it for 
 you." 
 
 "Farewell, daughter of the willow branch," I 
 replied. ' * May Allah, the Great, the Compassionate, 
 be with thee, and may thou marry a prince of 
 Persia." 
 
 Light of foot she sped away, and, my forebodings 
 coming to a sudden climax, I crept forward with 
 excessive caution, holding my clenched hand im- 
 mediately in front of my face — a device which ex- 
 perience of the hospitable manners of the East had 
 taught me. 
 
 It was well that I did so. Within three spaces of 
 the gate a noose fell accurately over my head and 
 was drawn tight with a strangling jerk ! 
 
 But that it also encircled my upraised arm, its 
 clasp must have terminated my wordly affairs. 
 
 My assailant had sprung upon me from behind; 
 and, in the fleeting instant between the fall of the 
 noose and its tightening, I turned about . . . and 
 thrust the nose of my Colt repeater (whi^h I grasped 
 in that protective upraised hand) fully into the 
 grinning mouth of the negro gate-keeper ! 
 
 There was a rattle and gleam of falling ivory, for 
 several of the howwah's teeth had been dislodged 
 by the steel barrel. Keeping the weapon firmly 
 thrust into the man's distended jaws, I circled 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEARLS 27 
 
 around him, whilst his hands relaxed their hold 
 upon the strangling-cord, and pushed him backward 
 in the direction of the door. 
 
 "Open thou black son of offal!" I said, "or I 
 will blow thee a cavity as wide as thy blubber mouth 
 through the back of that fat and greasy neck ! This 
 was, no doubt, a stratagem of thy mistress to test 
 my fitness to be entrusted with large sums of 
 money?" 
 
 When, a few moments later, I stood in the lane 
 outside the gardens of Yussuf Bey, and felt with my 
 hand the fat wallet at my waist, I experienced a 
 thrill of professional satisfaction, for had I not suc- 
 cessfully negotiated a duplicate veil, embroidered 
 with imitation pearls which the excellent Suleyman 
 Levi by dint of four days of almost ceaseless toil 
 had made for me? . . . 
 
 From the shadows of the opposite wall Abu Tabah 
 stepped forth, stately. 
 
 * ' Quick ! " I said. ' ' I fear pursuit at any moment 1 
 Is the arabtyeh waiting?" 
 
 "You have it?" he demanded, some faint sign of 
 human animation creeping over his impassive face. 
 
 "I have!" I replied. "I will give it to you ia 
 the arabtyeh." 
 
 Side by side we passed down the deserted 
 thoroughfare to where, beside a solitary palm, a pair- 
 horse carriage was waiting. Appreciating some- 
 thing of my companion's natural impatience, I 
 pressed into his hand the famous sandalwood box 
 which once had reposed in the tarhush of All 
 
28 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Mohammed. The carriage rolled around a come? 
 and out into the lighted Sharia Mobadayan. Abu 
 Tabdh opened the sandalwood box, and then, rever- 
 ently, the inner box of silver. Within shimmered th'^ 
 pearls of the sacred burJco. He did not touch the 
 relic with his hands, but reclosed the boxes and con- 
 cealed the reliquary beneath his black robe. I heard 
 the crackle of notes ; and a little packet surrounded 
 by a band of elastic was pressed into my hand. 
 
 "Three hundred pounds, English," said Abu 
 Tabah. "One hundred pounds in recompense for 
 the commission you returned, and two hundred 
 pounds for the recovery of the relic." 
 
 I thrust the wad into the bag beneath my robe 
 containing the other spoils of the evening. A second 
 and even more grateful glow of professional joy 
 warmed my heart. For iu the reliquary which I 
 had handed to Abu Tabah reposed the second pro- 
 duct of Suleyman Levi's scientific toils; his four 
 days' labor having resulted in the production of two 
 quite passable duplicates ; although neither were by 
 any means up to the standard of Messrs. Moses, 
 Murphy & Co. 
 
 Coming to the house wherein I had endued my 
 disguise, Abu Tabah left me to metamorphose myself 
 into a decently dressed Englishman suitable for ad- 
 mission to an hotel of international repute. 
 
 "LUtak sa'ida, Abu Tabah," I said. 
 
 In the open doorway he turned. 
 
 "LUtak sa'ida, Kemaby Pasha," he replied, and 
 smiled upon me very sweetly. 
 
THE YASHMAK OF PEAELS 09 
 
 VI 
 
 It was after midniglit when I returned to Shep- 
 heard's, but I went straight to my room, and switch- 
 ing on the table-lamp, wrote a long letter to my 
 principals. Something seemed to have gone wrong 
 with the lock of my attache-case, and my good humor 
 was badly out of joint by the time that I succeeded 
 in opening it. From underneath a mass of business 
 correspondence I took out a large, sealed envelope, 
 which I enclosed with a letter in one yet larger, to 
 be registered to Messrs. Moses, Murphy & Co., Birm- 
 ingham, in the morning. I turned in utterly tired 
 but happy, to dream complacently of the smile of 
 Abu Tabah and of the party of holy men who had 
 journeyed from Ispahan. 
 
 Exactly a fortnight later the following registered 
 letter was handed to me as I was about to sit down 
 to lunch — 
 
 The Hon. Neville Kernaby. 
 Shepheard's Hotel, 
 Cairo, Egypt. 
 
 Deab Mb. Nbvillb Keenaby — 
 
 We are returning herewith the silken veil which 
 you describe as "the authentic hurko of the Seyyideh 
 Nefiseh, stolen from her shrine in the Tombs of the 
 Kialifs." Your statement that you can arrange 
 for its purchase at the cost of one thousand pounds 
 does not interest us, nor do we expect so high- 
 salaried an expert as yourself to send us palpable 
 
30 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 and very inferior forgeries. We are manufacturers 
 of duplicates, not buyers of same. 
 
 Yours truly, 
 
 Lloyd LiiBWEiiiTN. 
 
 (For Messrs. Moses, Murphy & Co.). 
 
 I was positively aghast. Tearing open the en- 
 closed package, I glared like a madman at the 
 yashmak which it contained. The silk, in comparison 
 with that of which the real veil was compared, was 
 coarse as cocoanut matting; the embroidery was 
 crude; the pearls shrieked "imitation" aloud! At 
 a glance I knew the thing for one of the pair made 
 by Suleyman Levi! 
 
 The truth crashed in upon my mind. Following 
 my visit to the harem of Yiissuf Bey, I had bestowed 
 no more than a glance upon the envelope wherein, 
 early on the morning of the same day, I had lovingly 
 sealed the authentic veil ; and a full hour had elapsed 
 between the time of parting with the sugar-lipped 
 one and my return to my rooms at the hotel. 
 
 I understood, now, why the loCk of my attache- 
 case had been out of order on that occasion . . , 
 and I comprehended the sweet smile of Abu Tabah ! 
 
n 
 
 THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFERU 
 
 TETE orchestra had just ceased playing; and, 
 taking advantage of the lull in the music, 
 my companion leaned confidentially forward, 
 shooting suspicious glances all around him, although 
 there was nothing about the well-dressed after- 
 dinner throng filling Shepheard's that night to have 
 aroused misgiving in the mind of a cinema anar- 
 chist. 
 
 "I have a very big thing in view," he said, speak- 
 ing in a husky whisper. "I shall be one up on you, 
 Kernaby, if I pull it off." 
 
 He glanced sideways, in the manner of a panto- 
 mime brigand, at a party of New York tourists, our 
 immediate neighbors, and from them to an elderly 
 peer with whom I was slightly acquainted and who, 
 in addition to his being stone deaf, had never noticed 
 anything in his life, much less attempted so fatiguing 
 an operation as intrigue. 
 
 "Indeed," I commented; and rang the bell with 
 the purpose in view of ordering another cooling 
 beverage. 
 
 True, I Doight be the Egyptian representative of a 
 Birmingham commercial enterprise, but I did not 
 
 31 
 
32 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 gladly suffer the society of this individual, whose 
 only claim to my acquaintance lay in the fact that 
 he was in the employ of a rival house. My lack of 
 interest palpably disappointed him; but I thought 
 little of the man's qualities as a connoisseur and less 
 of his company. His name was Theo Bishop and I 
 fancy that his family was associated with the tanning 
 industry. I have since thought more kindly of poor 
 Bishop, but at the time of which I write nothing 
 could have pleased me better than his sudden disso- 
 lution. 
 
 Perhaps unconsciously I had allowed my boredom 
 to become rudely apparent; for Bishop slightly 
 turned his head aside, and — 
 
 "Eight-o, Kernaby," he said; "I know you think 
 I am an ass, so we will say no more about it. 
 Another cocktail!" 
 
 And now I became conscience-stricken; for 
 mingled with the disappointment in Bishop's tone 
 and manner was another note. Vaguely it occurred 
 to me that the man was yearning for sympathy of 
 some kind, that he was bursting to unbosom him- 
 self, and that the vanity of a successful rival was 
 by no means wholly responsible. I have since placed 
 that ambiguous note and recognized it for a note of 
 tragedy. But at the time I was deaf to its pleadiug. 
 
 We chatted then for some whUe longer on in- 
 different topics, Bishop being, as I have indicated, a 
 man dif&cult to offend; when, having correspondence 
 to deal with, I retired to my own room. I suppose 
 I had been writing for about an hour, when a servant 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFERU 33 
 
 Calne to annonnce a caller. Taking an ordinary 
 visiting-card from the brass salver, I read — 
 
 Abu Tabah. 
 
 No title preceded the name, no address followed, 
 but I became aware of something very like a nervous 
 thrill as I stared at the name of my visitor. Per- 
 sonality is one of the profoundest mysteries of our 
 being. Of the person whose card I held in my hand 
 I knew little, practically nothing; his actions, if at 
 times irregular, had never been wantonly violent; 
 his manner was gentle as that of a mother to a baby 
 and his singular reputation among the natives I 
 thought I could afford to ignore; for the Egyptian, 
 like the Celt, with all his natural endowments, is 
 yet a child at heart. Therefore I cannot explain why, 
 sitting there in my room in Shepheard's Hotel, I 
 knew and recognized, at the name of Abu Tabah, 
 the touch of fear. 
 
 "I will see him downstairs," I said. 
 
 Then, as the servant was about to depart, recog- 
 nizing that I had made a concession to that strange 
 sentiment which the Imam Abu Tabah had some- 
 how inspired in me — 
 
 "No," I added; "show him up here to iny room." 
 
 A few moments later the man returned again, 
 carrying the brass salver, upon which lay a sealed 
 envelope. I took it up in surprise, noting that it 
 was one belonging to the hotel, and, ere opening it — 
 
 "Where is my visitor?" I said in Arabic. 
 
34 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "He regrets that he cannot stay," replied the 
 man; "but he sends you this letter." 
 
 Greatly mystified, I dismissed the servant and 
 tore open the envelope. Inside, upon a sheet of 
 hotel notepaper I found this remarkable message — 
 
 Kernaby Pasha — 
 
 There are reasons why I cannot stay to see you 
 personally, but I would have you believe that this 
 warning is dictated by nothing but friendship. 
 Grave peril threatens. It is associated with the 
 hieroglyphic — 
 
 If you would avert it, and if you value your life, 
 avoid all contact with anything bearing this figure. 
 
 Abu Tabah. 
 
 The mystery deepened. There had been some- 
 thing incongruous about the modern European 
 visiting-card used by this representative of Islam, 
 this living illustration of the Arabian Nights; now, 
 his incomprehensible "warning" plunged me back 
 again into the mediaeval Orient to which he properly 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFERU 35 
 
 belonged. Yet I knew Abu Tabah, for all his 
 romantic aspect, to be eminently practical, and I 
 could not credit him with descending to the methods 
 of melodrama. 
 
 As I studied the precise wording of the note, I 
 seemed to see the slim figure of its author before 
 me, black-robed, white-turbaned, and urbane, his 
 delicate ivory hands crossed and resting upon the 
 head of the ebony cane without which I had never 
 seen him. Almost, I succumbed to a sort of sub- 
 jective hallucination ; Abu Tabah became a veritable 
 presence, and the poetic beauty of his face struck 
 me anew, as, fixing upon me his eyes, which were 
 like the eyes of a gazelle, he spoke the strange 
 words cited above, in the pure and polished English 
 which he held at command, and described ia the air, 
 with a long nervous forefinger, the queer device 
 which sjTubolized the Ancient Egyptian god. Set, 
 the Destroyer. 
 
 Of course, it was the aura of a powerful person- 
 ality, clinging even to the written message ; but there 
 was something about the impression made upon me 
 which argued for the writer's sincerity. 
 
 That Abu Tabah was some kind of agent, recog- 
 nized — at any rate unofficially — ^by the authorities, 
 I knew or shrewdly surmised; but the exact nature 
 of his activities, and how he reconciled them with 
 his religious duties, remained profoundly mys- 
 terious. The episode had rendered further work 
 impossible, and I descended to the terrace, with 
 no more definite object in view than that of find- 
 
36 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 ing a quiet isomer where I might meditate in the 
 congenial society of my briar, and at the same time 
 seek inspiration from the ever-changing throng in 
 the Sharia Kamel Pasha, 
 
 I had scarcely set my foot upon the terrace, how- 
 ever, ere a hand was laid upon my arm. Turning 
 quickly I recognized, in the dusk, Hassan es-Sugra, 
 for many years a trusted employee of the British 
 Archffiological Society. 
 
 His demeanor was at once excited and furtive, 
 and I recognized with something akin to amazement 
 that he, also, had a story to unfold. I mentally 
 catalogued this eventful evening "the night of 
 strange confidences." 
 
 Seated at a little table on the deserted balcony 
 (for the evening was very chilly) and directly facing 
 the shop of Philip, the dealer in Arab woodwork, 
 Hassan es-Sugra told his wonder tale; and as he 
 told it I knew that Pate had cast me, wUly-nilly, 
 for a part in some comedy upon which the curtain 
 had already risen here in Cairo, and whereof the 
 second act should be played in perhaps the most 
 ancient setting which the hand of man has builded. 
 As the narrative unrolled itself before me, I per- 
 ceived wheels within wheels ; I was wholly absorbed, 
 yet half incredulous. 
 
 "... When the professor abandoned work on 
 the pyramid, Kemaby Pasha," he said, bending 
 eagerly forward and laying his muscular brown 
 hand upon my sleeve, "it was not because there was 
 no more to learn there." 
 
THE DEATH-RING OP SNEFERU 37 
 
 "I ain aware of this, Hassan," I interrupted, 
 "it was in order that they might carry on the work 
 at the Pyramid of Ulahun, which resulted in a find 
 of jewelery ahnost unique in the annals of Egypt- 
 ology." 
 
 "Do I not know all this!" exclaimed Hassan im- 
 patiently; "and was not mine the hand that un- 
 covered the golden uraeus? But the work projected 
 at the Pyramid of Meydum was never completed, 
 and I can tell you why." 
 
 I stared at him through the gloom; for I had 
 already some idea respecting the truth of this matter. 
 
 "It was that the men, over two hundred of them, 
 refused to enter the passage again," he whispered 
 dramatically, "it was because misfortune and 
 disaster visited more than one who had penetrated 
 to a certain place therein." He bent further for- 
 ward. "The Pyramid of Meydum is the home of a 
 powerful Efreet, Kernaby Pasha! But I who was 
 the last to leave it, know what is concealed there. 
 In a certain place, low down in the corner of the 
 King's Chamber, is a ring of gold, bearing a 
 cartouche. It is the royal ring of the Pharaoh who 
 built the pyramid." 
 
 He ceased, watching me intently. I did not doubt 
 Hassan's word, for I had always counted him a 
 man of integrity; but there was much that was 
 obscure and much that was mysterious in his story. 
 
 "Why did you not bring it away?" I asked. 
 
 "I feared to touch it, Kernaby Pasha; it is an evil 
 talisman. Until to-day I have feared to speak of it." 
 
38 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "And to-day?" 
 
 Hassan extended his hands, pahns upward. 
 
 "I am threatened with the loss of my house," 
 he said simply, "if I do not find a certain sum of 
 money within a period of twelve days." 
 
 I sat resting my chin on my hand and staring 
 into the face of Hassan es-Sugra. Could it be that 
 from superstitious motives such a treasure had 
 indeed been abandoned? Could it be that Fate had 
 delivered into my hands a relic so priceless as the 
 signet-ring of Sneferu, one of the earliest Memphite 
 Pharaohs? Since I had recently incurred the dis- 
 pleasure of my principals, Messrs. Moses, Murphy 
 & Co., of Birmingham, the mere anticipation of 
 such a "find" was sufficient to raise my professional 
 enthusiasm to white heat, and in those few moments 
 of silence I had decided upon instant action. 
 
 "Meet me at Rikka Station, to-morrow morning 
 at nine o'clock," I said, "and arrange for donkeys 
 to carry us to the pyramid." 
 
 On my arrival at Rikka, and therefore at the 
 very outset of my inquiry, I met with what one 
 slightly prone to superstition might have regarded 
 as an unfortunate omen. A native funeral was pass- 
 ing out of the town amid the wailing of women and 
 the chanting by the Yemeneeyeh, of the Profession 
 of the Faith, with its queer monotonous cadences^ 
 a performance which despite its familiarity in the 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFEEU 39 
 
 Near East never failed to affect me iinpleasantly. 
 By the token of the tarhush upon the bier, I kaew 
 that this was a man who was being hurried to his 
 lonely resting-place on the fringe of the desert. 
 
 As the procession wound its way out across the 
 sands, I saw to the removal of my baggage and 
 joined Hassan es-Sugra, who awaited me by the 
 wooden barrier. I perceived immediately that 
 something was wrong with the man; he was pal- 
 pably laboring under the influence of some strong 
 excitement, and his dark eyes regarded me almost 
 fearfully. He was muttering to himself like one 
 suffering from an over-indulgence in Hashish, and 
 I detected the words ^'Allahu akhar!" (God is most 
 great) several times repeated. 
 
 "What ails you, Hassan, my friend?" I said; 
 and noting how his gaze persistently returned to 
 the melancholy procession wending its way towards 
 the little Moslem cemetery: — "Was the dead man 
 some relation of yours?" 
 
 "No, no, Kernaby Pasha," he muttered gutturally, 
 and moistened his lips with his tongue; "I was 
 but slightly acquainted with him." 
 
 "Yet you are much disturbed." 
 
 "Not at all, Kernaby Pasha," he assured me; 
 "not in the slightest." 
 
 By which familiar formula I knew that Hassan 
 es-Sugra would conceal from me the cause of his 
 distress, and therefore, since I had no appetite for 
 further mysteries, I determined to learn it from 
 another source. 
 
40 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "See to the loading of the donkey," I directed 
 him— for three sleek little animals were standing 
 beside him, patiently awaiting the toil of the day. 
 
 Hassan setting about the task with a cheerful 
 alacrity obviously artificial, I approached the native 
 station master, with whom I was acquainted, and 
 put to him a number of questions respecting his 
 important functions — ^in which I was not even mildly 
 interested. But to the Oriental mind a direct in- 
 quiry is an affront, almost an insult; and to have 
 inquired bluntly the name of the deceased and the 
 manner of his death would have been the best way 
 to have learned nothing whatever about the matter. 
 Therefore having discussed in detail the slothful 
 incompetence of Arab ticket collectors and the lazy 
 condition and innate viciousness of Egyptian porters 
 as a class, I mentioned incidentally that I had ob- 
 served a funeral leaving Rikka. 
 
 The station master (who was bursting to talk 
 about this very matter, but who would have declined 
 on principle to do so had I definitely questioned 
 him) now unfolded to me the strange particulars 
 respecting the death of one, Ahmed AbduUa, who 
 had been a retired dragoman though some time 
 employed as an excavator. 
 
 "He rode out one night upon his white donkey," 
 said my informant, "and no man knows whither 
 he went. Bnt it is believed, Kernaby Pasha, that 
 it was to the Haram el-Kaddab" (the False 
 Pyramid) — extending his hand to where, beyond 
 the belt of fertility, the tomb of Sneferu up-reared 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFERU 41 
 
 its three platforms from the fringe of the desert. 
 "To enter the pyramid even in day time is to court 
 misfortune; to enter at night is to fall into the 
 hands of the powerful Efreet who dwells there. 
 His donkey returned without him, and therefore 
 search was made for Ahmed AbduUa. He was found 
 the next day" — again the long arm shot out towards 
 the desert — ^"dead upon the sands, near the foot of 
 the pyramid." 
 
 I looked into the face of the speaker; beyond 
 doubt he was in deadly earnest. 
 
 "Why should Ahmed AbduUa have wanted to 
 visit such a place at night?" I asked. 
 
 liy acquaintance lowered his voice, muttered 
 "Sahdm Allah fee 'adoo ed — dm!" (May God trans- 
 fix the enemies of the religion) and touched his 
 forehead, his mouth, and his breast with the iron 
 ring which he wore. 
 
 "There is a great treasure concealed there, 
 Kemaby Pasha," he replied; "a treasure hidden 
 from the world in the days of Suleyman the Great, 
 sealed with his seal, and guarded by the servants 
 of Gann Ibn-Gann." 
 
 "So you think the guardian ginn killed Ahmed 
 Abdulla?" 
 
 The station master muttered invocations, and^ 
 
 "There are things which may not be spoken of," 
 he said; "but those who saw him dead say that 
 he was terrible to look upon. A' great Welee, a man 
 of wisdom famed throughout Egypt, has been 
 summoned to avert the evil; for if the anger of 
 
42 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 the ginn is aroused they may visit the most painful 
 and unfortunate penalties upon all Rikka. ..." 
 
 Half an hour later I set out, having confidentially 
 informed the station master that I sought to obtain 
 a fine turquoise necklet which I knew to be in the 
 possession of the Sheikh of Meydum. Little did I 
 suspect how it was written that I should indeed 
 visit the house of the venerable Sheikh. Out through 
 the fields of young green com, the palm groves and 
 the sycamore orchards I rode, Hassan plodding 
 silently behind me and leading the donkey who bore 
 the baggage. Curious eyes watched our passage, 
 f roln field, doorway, and shaduf; but nothing of note 
 marked out journey save the tremendous heat of the 
 sun at noon, beneath which I knew myself a fool 
 to travel. 
 
 I camped on the western side of the pyramid, but 
 well clear of the marshes, which are the home of 
 countless wild-fowl. I had no idea how long it would 
 take me to extract the coveted ring from its hiding- 
 place (which Hassan had closely described to me) ; 
 and, remembering the speculative glances of the 
 villagers, I had no intention of exposing myself 
 against the face of the pyramid until dusk should 
 have come to cloak my operations. 
 
 Hassan es-Sugra, whose new taciturnity was re- 
 makable and whose behavior was dsitinguished by 
 an odd disquiet, set out with his gun to procure our 
 dinner, and I mounted the sandy slope on the south- 
 west of the pyramid, where from my cover behind 
 a mound of rubbish, I studied tlirough my field- 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFERU 43 
 
 glasses the belt of vegetation marking the course af 
 the Nile. I could detect no sign of surveiUanee, 
 but in view of the fact that the smuggling of relics 
 out of Egypt is a punishable offence my caution was 
 dictated by wisdom. 
 
 We diued excellently, Hassan the SUent and I, 
 upon quail, tinned tomatoes, fresh dates, bread, and 
 Vichy- water (to which in my own case was added a 
 stiff three fingers of whisky). 
 
 When the newly risen moon oast an ebon shadow 
 of the Pyramid of Sneferu upon the carpet of the 
 sands, I made my way around the angle of the ancient 
 building towards the mound on the northern side 
 whereby one approaches the entrance. Three paces 
 from the shadow's edge, I paused, transfixed, be- 
 cause of that which confronted me. 
 
 Outlined against the moon-bright sky upon a ridge 
 of the desert behind and to the north of the great 
 structure, stood the motionless figure of a man ! 
 
 For a moment I thought that my mind had con- 
 jured up this phantasmal watcher, that he was a 
 thing of moon-magic and not of flesh and blood. 
 But as I stood regarding him, he moved, seemed 
 to raise his head, then turned and disappeared be- 
 yond the crest. 
 
 How long I remained staring at the spot where 
 he had been I know not; but I was aroused from 
 my useless contemplation by the jingling of camel 
 bells. The sound came from behind me, stealing 
 sweetly through the stillness from a great distance, 
 I turned in a flash, whipped out my glasses and 
 
44 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 searched the remote fringe of the Fayum. Stately 
 across the jeweled curtain of the night moved a 
 caravan, blackly marked against that wondrous back- 
 ground. Three walking figures I counted, three 
 laden donkeys, and two camels. Upon the first of 
 the camels a man was mounted, upon the second 
 was a shihreeyeh, a sort of covered litter, which I 
 knew must conceal a woman. The caravan passed 
 out of sight into the palm grove which conceals the 
 village of Meydum. 
 
 I returned my glasses to their case, and stood for 
 some moments deep in reflection; then I descended 
 the slope, to the tiny encampment where I had left 
 Hassan es-Sugra. He was nowhere to be seen; and 
 having waited some ten minutes I grew impatient, 
 and raising my voice : 
 
 "Hassan!" I cried; "Hassan es-Sugra!" 
 
 No answer greeted me, although in the desert 
 stillness the call must have been audible for miles. 
 A second and a third time I called his name . . . 
 and the only reply was the shrill note of a pyramid 
 bat that swooped low above my head; the vast soli- 
 tude of the sands swallowed up my voice and the 
 walls of the Tomb of Snef eru mocked me with their 
 echo, crying eerily: 
 
 "Hassan! Hassan es-Sugra. . . . Hassan! ..." 
 
 in 
 
 This mysterious episode affected me unpleasantly, 
 but did not divert me from my purpose: I sue- 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFEEU 45 
 
 eeeded in casting out certain demons of superstition 
 ;who had sought to lay hold upon me ; and a prolonged 
 scrutiny of the surrounding desert somewhat allayed 
 iny fears of human surveillance. For my visit to 
 the chamber in the heart of the ancient building I 
 had arrayed myself in rubber- soled shoes, an old 
 pair of drill trousers, and a pyjama jacket. A Colt 
 repeater was in my hip pocket, and, in addition to 
 several instruments which I thought might be useful 
 in extracting the ring from its setting, I carried a 
 powerful electric torch. 
 
 Seated on the threshold of the entrance, fifty feet 
 above the desert level, I cast a final glance back- 
 ward towards the Nile valley, then, the lighted torch 
 carried in my jacket pocket, I commenced the descent 
 of the narrow, sloping passage. Periodically, when 
 some cranny between the blocks offered a foothold, 
 I checked my progress, and inspected the steep path 
 below for snake tracks. 
 
 Some two hundred and forty feet of labored 
 descent discovered me in a sort of shallow cavern 
 little more than a yard high and partly hewn out 
 of the living rock which formed the foundation of 
 the pyramid. In this place I found the heat to be 
 almost insufferable, and the smell of remote 
 mortality which assailed my nostrils from the 
 sand-strewn floor threatened to choke me. For five 
 minutes or more I lay there, bathed in perspiration, 
 my nerves at high tension, listening for the slightest 
 sound within or without. I cannot pretend that I 
 was entirely master of myself. The stuff that fear 
 
46 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 is made of seemed to rise from the ancient dust; and 
 I had little relish for the second part of my journey, 
 which lay through a long horizontal passage rarely 
 exceeding fourteen laches ia height. The mere 
 memory of that final crawl of forty feet or so is 
 sufficient to cause me to perspire profusely; there- 
 fore let it suffice that I reached the end of the second 
 passage, and breathing with difficulty the deathful, 
 poisonous atmosphere of the place, found myself at 
 the foot of the rugged shaft which gives access to the 
 King's Chamber. Besting my torch upon a con- 
 venient ledge, I climbed up, and knew myself to be 
 ta one of the oldest chambers fashioned by human 
 handiwork. 
 
 The journey had been most exhausing, but, allow- 
 ing myseK only a few moments' rest, I crossed to 
 the eastern comer of the place and directed a ray 
 of light upon the crevice which, from Hassan's de- 
 scription, I believed to conceal the ring. His account 
 having been detailed, I experienced little difficulty 
 in finding the cavity; but in the very moment of 
 success the light of the torch grew dim . . . and I 
 recognized with a mingling of chagria and fear that 
 it was burnt out and that I had no ineans of re- 
 charging it. 
 
 Ere the light expired, I had time to realize two 
 things: that the cavity was empty . . . and that 
 someone or something was approaching the foot 
 of the shaft along the horizontal passage below ! 
 
 Strictly though I have schooled my emotions, my 
 heart was beating in a most uncomfortable fashion. 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFEEU 47 
 
 as, crouching near the edge of the shaft, I watched 
 the red glow fade from the delicate filament of the 
 lamp. Eetreat was impossible; there is but one 
 entrance to the pyramid; and the darkness which 
 now descended upon me was indescribable; it pos- 
 sessed horrific qualities ; it seemed palpably to enfold 
 me like the wings of some monstrous bat. The air 
 of the King's Chamber I found to be almost unbear- 
 able, and it was no steady hand with which I gripped 
 my pistol. 
 
 The sounds of approach continued. The suspense 
 was becoming intolerable — ^when, into the Memphian 
 gloom below me, there suddenly intruded a faint 
 but ever-growing light. Between excitement and 
 insufficient air, I regarded suffocation as imminent. 
 Then, out into view beneath me, was thrust a sliin. 
 ivory hand which held an electric pocket lamp. 
 Fascinatedly I watched it, saw it joined by its fellow, 
 then observed a white-turbaned head and a pair of 
 black-robed shoulders follow. In my surprise I 
 almost dropped the weapon which I held. The new 
 arrival now standing upright and raising his head, 
 I found myself looking into the face of Abu 
 Tahah! 
 
 "To Allah, the Great, the Coinpassionate, be all 
 praise that I have found you alive," he said simply. 
 
 He exhibited little evidence of the journey which 
 I had found so fatiguing, but an expression strongly 
 like that of real anxiety rested upon his ascetic face. 
 
 "If life is dear to you," he contiaued, "answer 
 me this, Kernaby Pasha; have you found the ring?"'' 
 
48 JTALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "I have not," I replied; "my lamp failed ifiiEr; but 
 I think the ring is gone." 
 
 And now, as I spoke the words, the strangeness 
 of his question came home to me, bringing with it an 
 acute suspicion. 
 
 "What do you know of this ring, O my friend?" 
 I asked. 
 
 Abu Tabah shrugged his shoulders. 
 
 "I know much that is evil," he replied; "and 
 because you doubt the purity of my motives, all 
 that I have learned you shall learn also; for Allah 
 ihe Great, the Merciful, this night has protected 
 you from danger and spared you a frightful death. 
 Follow me, Kernaby Pasha, in order that these 
 things may be made manifest to you." 
 
 IV 
 
 A pair of fleet camels were kneeling at the foot 
 of the slope below the entrance to the pyramid, 
 and having recovered somewhat from the effect of 
 the fatiguing climb out from the King's Chamber — 
 
 "It might be desirable," I said, "that I adopt 
 a more suitable raiment for camel riding?" 
 
 Abu Tabah slowly shook his head in that dignified 
 manner which never deserted him. He had again 
 taken up his ebony walking-stick and was now rest- 
 ing his crossed hands upon it and regarding me with 
 his strange, melancholy eyes. 
 
 "To delay would be unwise," he replied. "You 
 have mercifully been spared a painful and unfor- 
 tunate end (aU praise to Him who averted the 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFBEU 49 
 
 peril) ; but the ring, which bears an ancient curse, 
 is gone : for me there is no rest until I have found 
 and destroyed it." 
 
 He spoke with a solemn conviction which bore 
 the seal of verity, 
 
 "Your destructive theory may be perfectly 
 sound," I said; "but as one professionally iuterested 
 in relics of the past, I feel called upon to protest. 
 Perhaps before we proceed any further you will 
 enl;.ghten me respecting this most obscure matter. 
 Can you inform me, for example, what became of 
 Hassan es-Sugra?" 
 
 "He observed my approach from a distance, and 
 fled, beiug a man of little virtue. Respecting the 
 other matters you shall be fully enlightened, to-night 
 The white camel is for you. ' ' 
 
 There was a gentle finality in his manner to which 
 I succumbed. My feelings towards this mysterious 
 being had undergone a slight change; and whilst I 
 cannot truthfully say that I loved him as a brother, 
 a certain respect for Abu Tabah was taking pos- 
 session of my mind. I began to understand his repu- 
 tation with the natives; beyond doubt his uncanny 
 wisdom was impressive; his lofty dignity awed, 
 And no man is at his best arrayed in canvas shoes, 
 very dirty drill trousers, and a pyjama jacket. 
 
 As I had anticipated, the village of Meydum 
 proved to be our destination, and the gait of the 
 magnificent creatures upon which we were mounted 
 was exhausting. I shall always remember tha,t 
 moonlight ride across the desert to the palm groves 
 
50 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 of Meydum. I entered the house of the SheiMi witb 
 misgivings; for my attire fell short of the ideal to 
 which every representative of protective Britain 
 looks up, but often fails to realize. 
 
 In a mandarah, part of it inlaid with fine mosaic 
 and boasting a pretty fountain, I was presented to 
 the imposing old man who was evidently the host 
 of Abu Tabah. Ere taking my seat upon the diwcm, 
 I shed my canvas shoes, in accordance with custom, 
 accepted a pipe and a cup of excellent coffee, and 
 awaited with much curiosity the next development. 
 A brief colloquy between Abu Tabah and the Sheikh, 
 at the further end of the apartment resulted in the 
 disappearance of the Sheikh and the approach of 
 my mysterious friend. 
 
 "Because, although you are not a Moslem, you 
 are a man of culture and understanding," said Abu 
 Tabah, "I have ordered that my sister shall be 
 brought into your presence." 
 
 "That is exceedingly good of you," I said, but 
 indeed I knew it to be an honor which spoke volumes 
 at once for Abu Tabah 's enlightenment and good 
 opinion of myself. 
 
 "She is a virgin of great beauty," he continued; 
 "and the excellence of her mind exceeds the perfec- 
 tion of her person." 
 
 "I congratulate you," I answered politely, "upon 
 the possession of a sister in evej-y way so desirable. ' ' 
 
 Abu Tabah inclined his head in a characteristic 
 gesture of gentle courtesy. 
 
 "Allah has indeed blessed my house," he ad- 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFERU 51 
 
 mitted; "and because your mind is filled with con- 
 jectures respecting the source of certain information 
 which you know me to possess, I desire that the 
 matter shall be made clear to you." 
 
 How I should have answered this singular man 
 I know not; but as he spoke the words, into the 
 mcmdarah came the Sheikh, followed by a girl robed 
 and veiled entirely in white. With gait slow and 
 graceful she approached the diwan. She wore a 
 white yelek so closely wrapped about her that it 
 concealed the rest of her attire, and a white tarbar, 
 or head-veil, decorated with gold embroidery, almost 
 entirely concealed her hair, save for one jet-black 
 plait in which little gold ornaments were entwined 
 and which hung down on the left of her forehead. 
 A white yashmak reached nearly to her feet, which 
 were clad in little red leather slippers. 
 
 As she approached me I was impressed, not so 
 much with the details of her white attire, nor with 
 the fine lines of a graceful figure which the gossamer 
 robe quite failed to conceal, but \%"ith her wonderful 
 gazelle-like eyes, which were uncannily like those 
 of her brother, save that their bordering of kohl lent 
 them an appearance of being larger and more* 
 luminous. 
 
 No form of introduction was observed; with 
 modestly lowered eyes the girl saluted me and took 
 her seat upon a heap of cushions before a small 
 coffee table set at one end of the diwan. The Sheikh 
 seated himself beside me, and Abu Tabah, with a 
 reed pen, wrote something rapidly on a narrow strip 
 
52 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 of paper. The Sheikh clapped his hands, a man 
 entered bearing a brazier containing live charcoal, 
 and, having placed it upon the floor, immediately 
 withdrew. The dtwan was lighted by a lantern 
 swung from the ceiling, and its light, pouring fuUy 
 down upon the white figure of the girl, and leaving 
 the other persons and objects in comparative shadow, 
 produced a picture which I am unlikely to forget. 
 
 Amid a tense silence, Abu Tabah took from a box 
 upon the table some resinous substance. This he 
 sprinkled upon the fire in the brazier; and the girl 
 extending a small hand and round soft arm across 
 the table, he again dipped his pen in the ink and drew 
 upon the upturned palm a rough square which he 
 divided into nine parts, writing in each an Arabic 
 figure. Finally, in the centre he poured a small 
 drop of ink, upon which, in response to words rapidly 
 spoken, the girl fixed an intent gaze. 
 
 Into the brazier Abu Tabah dropped one by one 
 fragments of the paper upon which he had written 
 what I presumed to be a form of invocation. Im- 
 mediately, standing between the smoking brazier and 
 the girl, he commenced a subdued muttering. J 
 recognized that I was about to be treated to an exhibi- 
 tion of darb el-mendel, Abu Tabah being evidently 
 a sahhar, or adept in the art called er-rooMnee. Save 
 for this indistinct muttering, no other sound dis- 
 turbed the silence of the apartment, until suddenly 
 the girl began to speak Arabic and in a sweet but 
 monotonous voice, 
 
 "Again I see the ring," she said, "a hand is 
 
THE DEATH-RINO OF SNEFERU 53 
 
 holding it before me. The riag bears a green scarab, 
 upon which is written the name of a king of 
 Egypt. . . . The ring is gone. lean see it no more." 
 
 ''Seek it," directed Abu Tabah in a low voice, 
 and threw more incense upon the fire. "Are you 
 seeking it?" 
 
 "Yes," replied the girl, who now began to tremble 
 violently, "I am in a low passage which slopes 
 downwards so steeply that I am afraid. " 
 
 "Fear nothing," said Abu Tabah; "follow the 
 passage." 
 
 With marvelous fidelity the girl described the pass- 
 age and the shaft leading to the King's Chamber in 
 the Pyramid of Meydum. She described the cavity 
 in the waU where once (if Hassan es-Sugra was 
 worthy of credence) the ring had been concealed. 
 
 "There is a freshly made hole in the stonework," 
 she said. "The picture has gone; I am standing 
 in some dark place and the same hand again holds 
 the ring before me." 
 
 "Is it the hand of an Oriental," asked Abu Tabah, 
 "or of a European?" 
 
 "It is the hand of a European. It has disap- 
 peared ; I see a funeral procession winding out from 
 Rikka into the desert." 
 
 "Follow the ring," directed Abu Tabah, a queer, 
 compeUiug note in his voice. 
 
 Again he sprinkled perfume upon the fire and — 
 
 "I see a Pharaoh upon his throne," continued the 
 monotonous voice, "upon the first finger of his left 
 hand he wears the ring with the green scarab. A 
 
54 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 prisoner stands before him in chains; a woman 
 pleads with the king, but he is deaf to her. He 
 draws the ring from his finger and hands it to one 
 standing behind the throne — one who has a very 
 evil face. Ah? ..." 
 
 The girl's voice died away in a low wail of fear 
 or horror. But — 
 
 "What do you see?" demanded Abu Tabah. 
 
 "The death-ring of Pharaoh!" whispered the soft 
 voice tremulously; "it is the death-riug!" 
 
 "Return from the past to the present," ordered 
 Abu Tabah. * ' "Wlier e is the ring now ? ' ' 
 
 He continued his weird muttering, whilst the girl, 
 who still shuddered violently, peered again into the 
 pool of ink. Suddenly — 
 
 "I see a long line of dead men," she whispered, 
 speaking in a kind of chant; "they are of all the 
 races of the East, and some are swathed in mummy 
 wrappings ; the wrappings are sealed with the death- 
 ring of Pharaoh. They are passing me slowly, on 
 their way across the desert from the Pyramid of 
 Meydum to a narrow ravine where a tent is erected. 
 They go to suminon one who is about to join their 
 company. ..." 
 
 I suppose the suffocating perfume of the burning 
 incense was chiefly responsible, but at this point I 
 realized that I was becoming dizzy and that immedi- 
 ate departure into a cooler atmosphere was impera- 
 tive. Quietly, in order to avoid disturbing the 
 seance, I left the momdarah. So absorbed were the 
 three in their weird performance that my departure 
 
THE DEATH-RING OF SNEFERU 55 
 
 was apparently uimoticed. Out in the coolness of 
 the palm grove I soon recovered. I doubt if I 
 possess the temperament which enables one' to con- 
 template with equanimity a number of dead men 
 promenading in their shrouds. 
 
 "The truth is now wholly made manifest," said 
 Abu Tabah; "the revelation is complete." 
 
 Once more I was mounted upon the white camel 
 and the mysterious imam rode beside me upon its 
 fellow, which was of less remarkable color. 
 
 "I hear your words," I replied. 
 
 "The poor Ahmed AbduUa," he continued, "who 
 was of little wisdom, knew, as Hassan es-Sugra 
 knew, of the hidden ring; for he was one of those 
 who fled from the pyramid refusing to enter it again. 
 Greed spoke to him, however, and he revealed the 
 Secret to a certain Englishman, called Bishop, con- 
 tracting to aid him in recovering the ring." 
 
 At last enlightenment was mine . . . and it 
 brought in its train a dreadful premonition. 
 
 "Something I knew of the peril," said Abu Tabah, 
 "but not, at first, all. The Englishman I warned, 
 but he neglected my warning. Already Ahmed 
 AbduUa was dead, having been despatched by his em- 
 ployer to the pjramid ; and the people of Rikka had 
 sent for me. Now, by means known to you, I learned 
 that evil powers threatened your life also, in what 
 form I knew not at that time save that the sign of 
 
56 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Set had been revealed to me in conjunction witH 
 your death." 
 
 I shuddered. 
 
 "That the secret of the pyramid was a Pharaoh's 
 ring I did not learn until later; but now it is made 
 inanifest that the thing of power is the death-ring 
 of Sneferu. ..." 
 
 The huge bulk of the Pyramid of Meydum loomed 
 above us as he spoke the words, for we were nearly 
 come to our destination; and its proximity oc- 
 casioned within me a physical chill. I do not think 
 an open check for a thousand pounds would have 
 tempted me to enter the place again. The death- 
 ring of Sneferu possessed uncomfortable and super- 
 natural properties. So far as I was aware, no ex- 
 ample of such a ring (the lettre de cachet of the 
 period) was included in any known collection. One 
 dating much after Sneferu, and bearing the car- 
 touche of Apepi II (one of the Hyksos, or Shepherd 
 Kings) came to light late in the nineteenth century; 
 it was reported to be the ring which, traditionally, 
 Joseph wore as emblematical of the power vested 
 in him by Pharaoh. Sir Gaston Maspero and other 
 authorities considered it to be a forgery and it 
 vanished from the ken of connoisseurs. I never 
 learned by what firm it was manufactured. 
 
 A mile to the west of the pyramid we found Theo 
 Bishop's encampment. I thought it to be deserted — ■ 
 imtU I entered the little tent. . . . 
 
 An oil-lamp stood upon a wooden box; and its 
 rays made yellow the face of the man stretched 
 
THE DEATH-BING OF SNEFERU 57 
 
 upon the camp-bed. My premonition was realized; 
 Bishop must have entered the pyramid less than an 
 hour ahead of me; he it was who had stood upon 
 the mound, silhouetted against the sky, when I had 
 first approached the slope. He had met with the 
 fate of Ahmed AbduUa. 
 
 He had been dead for at least two hours, and by 
 the token of certain hideous glandular swellings, 
 I knew that he had met his end by the bite of an 
 Egyptian viper. 
 
 "Abu Tabah!" I cried, my voice hoarsely un- 
 natural — "the recess in the King's Chamber is a 
 viper's nest!" 
 
 "You speak wisdom, Kernaby Pasha; the viper 
 is the servant of the ginn." 
 
 Upon the third finger of his swollen right hand 
 Bishop wore the ring of ghastly history; and the 
 mysterious significance of the Sign of Set became 
 apparent. For added to the usual cartouche of the 
 Pharaoh was the symbol of the god of destruction, 
 thus: 
 
 We buried him deeply, piling stones upon the 
 grave, that the jackals of the desert might never 
 disturb the last holder of the death-ring of Sneferu. 
 
m 
 
 THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 
 
 THE interior of the room was very dark, but 
 with, the aid of the electric torch which I 
 carried I was enabled to form a fairly good 
 impression of its general character, and having now 
 surveyed the entire house I had concluded that it 
 might possibly serve my purpose. The real owner- 
 ship of many native houses in Cairo is difficult to 
 establish, and the unveracious Egyptian from whom 
 I had procured the keys may or may not have been 
 entitled to let the premises. However, he had the 
 keys; and that in the Near East is a sufficient evi- 
 dence of ownership. My viewing the place at night 
 was dictated by motives of prudence ; for I did not 
 propose unduly to impress my personality upon the 
 inhabitants of the Darb el-Ahmar. 
 
 Curiosity respecting the outlook at the rear now 
 led me to enter the deep recess at one end of the 
 room, which boasted an imperfect but not unpictur- 
 esque mushrabiyeh window. Moonlight slanted 
 down into the narrow lane which the window over- 
 hung and cast a quaint fretwork shadow upon the 
 dusty floor at my feet. Idly I opened one of the 
 little square lattices and peered down into the 
 shadowy gully beneath. The lane was silent and 
 
 58 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 59 
 
 empty, and I next directed my attention to a similar 
 mndow which protruded from the adjoining house. 
 
 A panel corresponding to mine stood open also 
 in the neighboring window; and by means of a soft 
 light in the room I detected the head and shoulders 
 of a woman, who, her arm resting upon the ledge, 
 surveyed the vacant night. 
 
 By reason of her position, whilst her hand and 
 arm lay fully in the moonlight, her face and figure 
 were indistinct. I, on the contrary, was clearly 
 visible to her, and although I knew that she must 
 have seen me she made no effort to withdraw. On 
 the contrary, she leaned artlessly forward as if to 
 gaze upon the stars, permitting me a sight of her 
 unveiled face and of a portion of her shapely neck. 
 
 Her eyes, as is usual with Egyptian women, were 
 large and fine, and as is usual with all women, she 
 was aware of the fact, casting glances upward and 
 to the right and left calculated to exhibit their 
 beauty. 
 
 The coquetry of her movements was unmistakable ; 
 and when, lifting a pretty arm, she brushed aside a 
 lock of hair which overhung her brow and uttered a 
 tremulous sigh, I perceived that I had found favor 
 in her sight. 
 
 And indeed the graceful gesture had inclined^ my 
 heart towards her; for it had served to reveal not 
 only the symmetry of her shape but the presence 
 upon her arm, immediately above the elbow, of a 
 magnificent bangle in gold and lapis-lazuli, which, 
 if I might trust my judgment, was fashioned no 
 
60 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 later than the XlXth dynasty! Clearly the aouse 
 next door, and its occupant, were the property of 
 some man of wealth and taste. 
 
 There is a maxim in the East— "Avoid the veil"; 
 and to this hitherto I had paid the strictest atten- 
 tion. Soft glances from harem windows usually 
 leave me cold. But the presence of an armlet finer 
 than anything in the Treasure of Zagazig placed a 
 new complexion upon this affair, and the connoisseur 
 ;within me took the matter out of my hands. 
 
 Across the intervening patch of darkness our 
 glances met; the girl's dark lashes were lowered 
 demurely, then raised again, and the boldness of 
 iny unfaltering gaze was rewarded by a smile. Thus 
 encouraged : — 
 
 "0 daughter of the moon," I whispered fanci- 
 fully in Arabic, "condescend to speak to one whom 
 the sight of thy beauty hath enslaved." 
 
 "I fear to be discovered, Inglisi," came the soft 
 reply; "or willingly would I converse with thee, 
 for I am lonely and wretched." 
 
 She sighed again and directed upon me a glance 
 that was less wretched than roguish. Evidently 
 ^e adventure was much to her liking. 
 
 "Let me solace your loneliness," I replied; "for 
 ^assuredly we can conceive some plan of meeting." 
 
 She lowered her eyes at that, and seemed to 
 hesitate ; then — 
 
 "In the roof of your house," she whispered, often 
 glancing over her shoulder into the room beyond, 
 **is a trap — ^which is bolted. ..." 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 61 
 
 Footsteps sounded in the lane beneath — ^whereat 
 the vision at the window vanished and the lattice 
 was closed; but not before the girl had iutimateii 
 by a gesture that I was to remain. 
 
 Discreetly withdrawing into my dusty apartment, 
 I endeavored to make out the form of the intruder 
 who now was passing underneath the window; but 
 the density of the shadows in the lane rendered it 
 impossible for me to do so. He seemed to pause 
 for a time and I imagined that I could see him star- 
 ing upward; then he passed on and silence again 
 claimed that deserted quarter of Cairo. 
 
 For fully half an hour I waited, and was prepar- 
 ing to depart when a part of the shadows overlying 
 the projecting window seemed to grow blacker, and 
 I realized with joy that at last the lattice was reopen- 
 ing, but that the room within was now in darkness. 
 Whilst I watched, remaining scrupulously invisible, 
 a small parcel deftly thrown dropped upon the floor 
 at my feet — and my neighbor's window was reclosed. 
 
 Closing my own, I picked up the parcel. It proved 
 to be a small ivory box, which at some time had 
 evidently contained hohl, wrapped in a piece of silk 
 and containing a note. Returning to the lower floor 
 I directed the light of my electric torch upon this 
 charmingly romantic billet. It was conceived in 
 English and characterized by the rather alarming 
 naivete of the Oriental woman. I give it in its 
 entirety. 
 
 "To-morrow night, nine o'clocL" 
 
62 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 n 
 
 My cautious inquiries respecting the house in the' 
 Darb el-Ahmar led only to the discovery that it 
 belonged to a mysterious personage whose real 
 identity was unknown even to his servants ; but this 
 did not particularly intrigue me; for in the East 
 the maintenance of two entirely self-contained es- 
 tablishments is not more uncommon than iu countries 
 less generously provided in the matter of marriage 
 laws. After all the taking of a second wife does not 
 so much depend on a man's religious convictions as 
 Bpon his first wife. 
 
 Reflecting upon the probable history of the armlet 
 ©f lapis-lazuli, I returned to Shepheard's in time 
 to keep my appointment with Joseph Malaglou — a 
 professed Christian who claimed to be of Greek 
 parentage. I may explain here that it was necessary 
 to provide for the safe conduct through the customs 
 and elsewhere of those cases of "Sheffield cutlery" 
 which actually contained the scarabs, necklaces, and 
 other "antiques," the sale of which formed a part 
 of the business of my firm. Joseph Malaglou had 
 hitherto successfully conducted this matter for me, 
 receiving the goods and storing them at his own 
 warehouse; but for various reasons I had decided 
 in future to lease an establishment of my own for 
 this purpose. 
 
 He was waiting in the lounge as I entered, and 
 had he been less useful to me I think I should have 
 had him thrown out; for if ever a swarthy villain 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 6S 
 
 stepped forth from the pages of an illustrated 
 "penny dreadful," that swarthy villain was Josept 
 Malaglou. He approached me with outstretched 
 hand; he was perniciously polite; his ingratiating 
 smile fired my soul with a lust of blood. Fortun- 
 ately, our business was brief. 
 
 "The latest consignment is in the hands of my 
 agent at Alexandria," he said, "and if you are still 
 determined that the ten cases shall be despatched 
 to you direct, I will instruct him; but you cannot 
 very well have them sent here." 
 
 He shrugged and smiled, glancing all about the 
 lounge. 
 
 "I have no intention of converting Shepheard's 
 Hotel into a cutlery warehouse," I replied. "I will 
 advise you in the morning of the address to which 
 the cases should be despatched." 
 
 Joseph Malaglou was palpably disturbed — a mys- 
 terious circumstance, since, whilst I had made no 
 mention of reducing his fees, under the new arrange- 
 ment he would be saved trouble and storage. 
 
 "As delay in these matters is unwise," he urged, 
 "why not have the goods despatched immediately, 
 and consigned to you at my address?" 
 
 There was reason on the inan's side, for I had 
 not yet actually leased the house in the Darb el- 
 Ahmar; therefore — 
 
 "I will sleep on the problem," I said, "and com- 
 municate my decision in the morning." 
 
 I stood on the steps watching him depart, a man 
 palpably disturbed in mind; indeed his behavior 
 
64 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 was altogether singular, and could only portend one 
 thing — ^knavery. I think it highly probable that the 
 Ottoman Empire had a certain claim upon Joseph 
 Malaglou. He was one of those nondescript brutes 
 whose mere existence is a menace to our rule in 
 the Near East. He openly applauded British 
 methods, and was the worst possible advertisement 
 for the cause he claimed to have espoused. Altogether 
 he left me in an uneasy mood; so that shortly after 
 the third, or daybreak, call to prayer had sounded 
 from Cairo's minarets on the morrow, I had 
 arrai).ged to lease the house in the Darb el-Ahmar 
 for a period of three months, in the name of one 
 Ahmed Ben Tawwab, a mythical friend, and had 
 instructed Joseph Malaglou accordingly. 
 
 Other affairs claimed my attention throughout the 
 day; but dusk discovered me at my newly acquired 
 house in the quaint street adjoining the Bab ez- 
 Znwela. I procured the keys from the venerable old 
 thief who had leased me the premises and learned 
 from him that a representative of Joseph Malaglou 
 had been admitted to the house earlier in the evening, 
 in accordance with my instructions, and had de- 
 Evered a load of boxes there. 
 
 Thus, on opening the door, I was not surprised 
 to find the ten cases from Alexandria lying within, 
 neatly labelled : 
 
 To Ahmed Ben Tawwab, 
 
 Darb el-Ahmar, 
 
 Sukkariya, 
 
 Cairo, 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 65 
 
 Ascending to the top floor, I mounted the rickety 
 ladder and unbolted and opened the trap. A cautious 
 glance to the right revealed the fact that little diflS:- 
 culty existed in passing from roof to roof; for ia 
 Egyptian houses these are flat and are used for 
 various domestic purposes. I consulted my watch: 
 the hour of the tryst was come. 
 
 And even as I learned the fact, from my neigh- 
 bor's roof sounded the faiut creaking of hinges 
 . . . and out into the moonlight stepped an odd 
 figure — that of the lady of the lattice, dressed in a 
 "European" blue serge costume which had obvious- 
 ly been purchased, ready made, in the bazaars! 
 She wore high-heeled French shoes upon her pretty 
 feet and her picturesque hair was concealed beneath 
 a large Panama hat, from the brim of which floated 
 one of those voluminous green veils dear to the 
 heart of touring woman and so arranged as to hide 
 her face. Only the gleam of her eyes and teeth was 
 visible through the gauze. 
 
 I assisted her to step across, wondering since she 
 was thus attired, to what crazy expedition I was 
 committed. 
 
 "Please do not kiss me," she whispered, speaking 
 in moderately good English, "Fatimah is listening!** 
 
 Such ingenuousness was rather alarming. 
 
 "But," I replied, "you have left the trap open." 
 
 "It is all right. Fatimah has locked the door of 
 my room and will admit no one, because I have a 
 headache and aixa sleeping!" 
 
 Besting her hand confidingly in mine, she de- 
 
fi6 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Bcended the ladder into the adjoining honse, and, 
 removing the veil from her face, looked up at me, 
 
 "You will be kind to me, will you not?" she 
 asked. 
 
 I suppose a lengthy essay upon the mentality of 
 Oriental womanhood would serve no purpose here, 
 therefore I refrain from inserting it. Seated upon 
 the chests in the room below, Mizmuna — for this 
 was her name — confided her troubles with perturb- 
 ing frankness. She had conceived a characteristic- 
 ally Eastern and sudden infatuation for my society; 
 nor am I prepared to maintain that she would have 
 remained obdurate to anyone else who had been 
 in a position to unbolt the door which offered the 
 only chance of escape from her prison. The house 
 of mystery, she informed me, belonged to a person 
 styling himself Yussuf of Rosetta (a name that 
 sounded factitious) and she hated him. For two 
 months, I gathered, she had been in Cairo, during 
 which time she had never passed beyond the walls 
 of the neighboring courtyard. And the object of 
 her nocturnal adventure was innocent enough; she 
 wanted to see the European shops and the tourists 
 passing in and out of the big hotels in the Sharia 
 Kamel Pasha ! 
 
 in 
 
 It was as we passed along the Sharia el-Maghribi, 
 where I had pointed out the St. James's Restaurant, 
 tetter known as "Jimmy's," I remember, that 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 67 
 
 Mizmuna uttered a little, suppressed cry, and 
 clutched my arm sharply. 
 
 "Oh!" she whispered fearfully, "it is HannaS 
 and he has seen me ! ' ' 
 
 With frightened, fascinated eyes she was staring 
 across the street, apparently at a group of curiously 
 muffled natives — and her whole body was trembling. 
 
 "Quick!" she said, pulling me urgently, "take 
 me back! if they find me they will kill me!" 
 
 "But if they have already seen you " 
 
 "Oh! take me back," she entreated piteously. 
 "Hanna must not find out where I live." 
 
 Here was mystery; but evidently my first dread- 
 ful theory that Hanna was Mizmuna 's husband 
 had been incorrect. Apparently he was not even 
 acquainted with Tussuf of Eosetta. But whoever 
 or whatever he might be, I silently cursed the lapis 
 armlet which had led me to involve myself in his 
 affairs, as I hurried my companion across the Place 
 de 1 'Opera and homeward. . 
 
 We were come indeed unmolested but breathless, 
 as near our destination as that nameless street 
 beside the Mosque of Muayyad, when Mizmuna 
 suddenly stopped, uttered a stifled shriek, and — 
 
 "Oh, save me!" she panted, winding her arms 
 about my neck. "Look! Look! in the shadow of 
 the mosque door!" 
 
 Panic threatened me for one fleeting moment; 
 for this part of Cairo is utterly deserted at night 
 and the mystery of the thing was taking toll of my 
 nerves ; then firmly unclasping the trembling arm% 
 
68 TALES OF SECRET EGITPT 
 
 I pushed Mizmuna behind me and snatched out 
 my Colt automatic ... as a group of muffled 
 figures became magically detached from the shadows 
 that had hidden them; and began silently to advance. 
 
 I raised the pistol. 
 
 "Ushurl" I cried "am eh?" (Stop! what do 
 you want I) 
 
 They halted at once; but no answering voice 
 broke the uncanny silence in which they regarded 
 me. Mizmuna plucked at my arm. 
 
 "Quick! Quick!" she whispered tremulously, 
 "the keys ! the keys ! ' ' 
 
 I was swift to grasp her meaning. 
 
 "My right pocket!" I whispered in answer. 
 
 The girl's shaking hand groped for the keys, 
 found them; and, uttering no parting word, 
 Mizmuna darted off along the Sukkariya, which 
 here bisects the Darb el-Ahmar. An angry mutter- 
 ing arose from the little knot of oddly muffled 
 figures, but not one of them had the courage to 
 attempt a pursuit of the fugitive. Keeping my 
 back to the wall of the mosque and feeling along it 
 with one hand outstretched, I began to back away 
 from the attacking party; intending to take to 
 my heels along the first lane I came to. 
 
 This plan was sound enough; its weakness lay 
 in the fact that I could make no proper survey of 
 that which lay immediately behind me. The result 
 was that I backed iuto someone who must have 
 feeen stealthily approaching from the rear. 
 
 I knew nothing of his presence until he suddenly 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 69 
 
 threw himself upon from behind, and I was down, 
 on my face in the dust! My pistol was jerked out 
 of my hand, and, still preserving that unbroken dis- 
 concerting silence, the muffled group bore down 
 upon me. 
 
 I gave myself up for lost. My unseen assailant, 
 who seemingly possessed wrists of steel, jerked my 
 right hand up into the region of my shoulder-blades 
 and pinioned my left arm so as to render me help- 
 less as an infant. Then two of the muffled Nubians 
 — ^f or Nubians the moonlight now showed them to be 
 — raised me to my feet, and the grip from behind 
 was removed. 
 
 That I had unwittingly intruded upon the amours 
 of some wealthy and unscrupulous pasha I no 
 longer doubted; and knowing somewhat of the 
 ways of outraged lovers of the East, the mental 
 vision which arose before me was unpleasing to 
 contemplate. Yet even the extravagant picture 
 which my imagination had painted fell short of 
 the ferocious reality. For even as I was lifted 
 upright, in the grasp of my huge guards, a door in 
 the side of the neighboring mosque burst open, 
 and there sprang into view an excessively tall, 
 excessively lean and hawk-faced old man carrying 
 a naked scimitar in his hand. 
 
 He possessed eyes like the eyes of an eagle, and 
 a thin, hooked nose having dilated, quivering 
 nostrils. In three huge strides he reached me, 
 towered over me like some evil ginnee of Arabian 
 lore, and raised his gleaming scimitar with the 
 
70 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 nmnistakable intention of severing my head from 
 my trunk at a single blow ! 
 
 I think I have never experienced an identical 
 sensation in my life; my tongue clave to the roof 
 of my mouth; my heart suspended its functions; 
 and I felt my eyes start forward in their sockets. 
 I had not thought my constitution capable of such 
 profound and helpless fear, nor had I hitherto paid 
 proper respect to the memory of Charles I. I 
 would gladly have closed my eyes in order that I 
 might not witness the downward sweep of the fatal 
 blade, but the lids seemed to be paralysed. Never 
 whilst memory serves me can I forget one detail 
 of the appearance of that frightful old devil; 
 and never can I forget my gratitude to that 
 unseen captor, the man who had seized me from 
 behind, and who now, alone, averted the blade from 
 my neck. 
 
 Over my head he lunged — ^with an ebony stick 
 — and skilfully; so that the pointed ferrule came 
 well and truly into contact with the knuckles of my 
 would-be executioner. The weapon fell, jingling, 
 at my feet . . . and a slim, black-robed figure was 
 suddenly interposed between myself and the furious 
 old Arab. 
 
 It was Abu Tabah ! 
 
 Dignified, unruffled, his classically beautiful 
 face composed and resembling, in the moonlight, 
 beneath the snowy turban, that of some young 
 prophet, he stood, one protective hand resting upon 
 my shoulder, and confronted my assailant. His 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 71 
 
 eyes were aglow witli the eerie light of fanaticism. 
 
 "It is written that the wrath of fools is the joy 
 of Iblees," * he declared. 
 
 Their glances met in conflict, the eagle eyes of 
 my aged but formidable enemy glaring insanely 
 into the fine, dark eyes of Abii Tabah. The Arab 
 was by no means quelled; yet presently his glance 
 fell before the hypnotic stare of the mysterious 
 imam. 
 
 "The Prophet (may God be kind to him) spared 
 not the despoiler!" he said heavily. "With these, 
 my two hands" — ^he extended the twitching, 
 sinewy members before Abu Tabah — "will I choke 
 the life from the throat of the dog who wronged 
 me." 
 
 Abu Tabah raised his hand sternly 
 
 "This matter has been entrusted to me," he 
 said, staring down the enraged old man. "If you 
 would have me abandon it, say so; if you would 
 have me pursue it, be silent." 
 
 For five seconds the other sustained the strange 
 gaze of those big, mysterious eyes, then folded his 
 arms upon his breast, audibly gnashing his large 
 and strong-looking teeth and averting his head from 
 my direction in order that spleen might not con- 
 sume him. Abu Tabah turned and confronted 
 me. 
 
 "Explain the cause of your presence here," he 
 demanded, continuing to speak in Arabic, "and 
 unfold to me the whole truth respecting your case." 
 
 * Satan. 
 
72 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "My friend," I replied, steadily regarding him, 
 "I am eternally your debtor; but I decline to 
 utter one word for explanation until these fellows 
 unhand me and until I am offered some suitable 
 excuse for the outrageous attack upon my person." 
 
 Abu Tabah performed his curiously Gallic shrug 
 of the shoulders — and pointed, with his ebony cane, 
 to my pinioned arms. In a trice the Nubians fell 
 back, and I was free. The infuriated old man 
 directed upon me a glance that was bloodily 
 ferocious, but — 
 
 "0 persons of little piety," I said, "is it thus 
 that a true Moslem rewards the generous impulse 
 and the meritorious deed? To-night a damsel in 
 distress, flying from a brutal captor, solicited my 
 aid. I was treacherously assaulted ere I could 
 escort her to a place of safety, and all but murdered 
 by the man who would appear to be that damsel's 
 natural protector. Alas, I fear to contemplate 
 what may have befallen her as a result of such vile 
 and foolish conduct." 
 
 Abu Tabah slightly inclined his body resting 
 his sUm, ivory hands upon his cane; his face 
 remained perfectly tranquil as he listened to this 
 correct, though misleading statement ; but — 
 
 "Ah!" cried the old man of the scimitar, adopt- 
 ing an unpleasant, crouching attitude, "perjured 
 liar that thou art! Did I not see with mine own 
 eyes how she embraced thee? 0, son of a mange, 
 that I should have lived to have witnessed so 
 obscene a spectacle. Not content with despoiling 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 73 
 
 me of this jewel of my harem, thou dost parade 
 her abandomnent and my shame in the public 
 highways of Cairo ! . . ." 
 
 In vain Abu Tabah strove to check this tirade. 
 Step by step the Sheikh approached closer ; syllable 
 by syllable his voice rose higher. 
 
 "What!" he shrieked, "is it for this that I have 
 offered five thousand English pounds to whomso- 
 ever shall restore her to me! Faugh! I spit upon 
 her memory! — and though I pursue thee to the 
 Mountains of the Moon, across the Bridge Es- 
 Sirat, and through the valley of Gahennam, lo! 
 my hour will come to slay thee, noisome offal!" 
 
 He ceased from lack of breath, and stood quiver- 
 ing \)ef ore me. But at last I had grasped the clue 
 to this imbroglio into which fate had thrust me. 
 
 "0 misguided man," I replied, "grief hath up- 
 set thine intelligence. Again I tell thee that I 
 sought to deliver the damsel from her persecutor, 
 and, perceiving an ambush, she climg to me as her 
 only protector. Thou are demented. Let another 
 earn the paltry reward; I will have none of it." 
 
 I turned to Abu Tabah, addressing him in English. 
 
 "Relieve me of the society of this infatuated old 
 ruflfian," I said, "and accompany me to some place 
 where I can quietly explain what I know of the 
 matter." 
 
 "Assuredly I will accompany you to such a 
 spot," he answered suavely; "for whilst, knowing 
 your character, I do not believe you to be the 
 abductor of the damsel Mizmuna, a warrant to 
 
74 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 search your house was issued an hour ago, on a 
 charge of hashish smuggling!" 
 
 IV 
 
 There are certain shocks that numb the brain. 
 This was one of them. My recollection of the period 
 immediately following those words of Abu Tabah 
 is hazy and indistinct. My narrow escape from 
 decapitation at the hands of the ferocious Arab 
 assassin and the tangled love-affairs of that aged 
 Othello became insignificant memories. (I seem 
 to recollect that we left him in tears.) 
 
 My next clear-cut memory is that of walking 
 beside the mysterious imcm along the Darb el- 
 Ahmar and of stopping before the closed door of 
 my newly acquired premises ! 
 
 The street was quite deserted again. Those 
 muffled Nubians who seemed to constitute a body- 
 guard for my inscrutable companion had dis- 
 appeared in company with the bereaved Sheikh. 
 
 "This is your house?" said Abu Tabah sweetly. 
 
 My habit of thinking before I speak or act 
 asserted itself automatically. 
 
 "I recently leased it on another's behalf," I 
 replied. 
 
 "In that event," continued the imam, "unless 
 the information lodged with me to-night prove to 
 be inaccurate, that other must speedily proclaim 
 himself." 
 
 He tested the cumbersome lock, and, as I knew 
 would be the case, since Mizmuna had recently 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 75 
 
 entered, found it to be unfastened, opened the door 
 and stepped in. 
 
 "Have you a pocket lamp?" lie asked. 
 
 I pressed the button of my electric torch and 
 directed its rays fully upon the stack of boxes. It 
 was the great sage, Apollonius of Tyana, who said 
 "loquacity has many pitfalls, but silence none"; 
 therefore I silently watched Abu Tabah consulting 
 the label on the topmost chest. Presently — 
 
 "Ahmed Ben Tawwab," he read aloud; "is that 
 the name of the friend on whose behalf you secured 
 a lease of this house?" 
 
 "It is," I answered. 
 
 "If you will rest the light upon this box and 
 assist me to open one of the others, I shall be 
 obliged to you," said Abu Tabah. 
 
 Knowing, as I did, that this strange man was in 
 some way connected with the native police and with 
 the guardianship of Egyptian morals, I recognized 
 refusal to be impolitic if not impossible. But, as 
 we set to work to raise the lid of the chest, nay mind 
 was more feverishly busy than my fingers. 
 
 Ere long our task was successful, and the con- 
 tents of the chest lay exposed. These were: two 
 hundred Osiris statuettes, twelve one-pound tins of 
 mummy heads . . . and fifty packets of hashish. 
 
 Silence was no effort to me now; I was dumb- 
 founded. The musical voice of my companion broke 
 in upon my painful reverie. 
 
 "The information upon which I now am acting," 
 he said, "reached me to-night in the form of a 
 
76 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 letter, bearing no address and no signature. The 
 suppression of this vile hashish traffic is so near to 
 my heart that I iminediately secured the necessary 
 powers to search the premises named, and was on 
 my way hither when I observed you (although I 
 did not at once recognize you) in the act of escaping 
 from a group of my servants who had been detailed, 
 some weeks ago, to trace a missing damsel known 
 to be in Cairo. Concerning your share in that affair 
 I await a full statement from your own lips; con- 
 cerning your share in this I can only say that 
 unless Ahmed Ben Tawwab comes forward by to- 
 morrow and admits his guilt, I must apply to the 
 British agent for a formal inquiry. Is there any- 
 thing that you would wish to say, or any action you 
 desire that I should take?" 
 
 I turned to him in the dim light. Habitually I 
 am undemonstrative, especially with natives. But 
 there was a nobility and an implacable sense of 
 justice about this singular religieux which conquered 
 me completely. 
 
 "Abu Tabah," I said, "I thank you for your 
 friendship. I have committed a grave folly; but 
 I am neither an abductor nor a hashish dealer. 
 This is the work of an unknown enemy, and already 
 I have a theory respecting his identity." 
 
 "Can I aid you — or do you prefer that I leave 
 you to pursue this clue in your own way?" he 
 asked tactfully. 
 
 "I prefer to work alone." 
 
 "The affair is truly mysterious," he admitted, 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 77 
 
 "and I purpose to spend the night in meditation 
 respecting it. After the hour of morning prayer, 
 therefore, I will visit you. Ltltdk sa'tda, Kernaby 
 Pasha." 
 
 "Liltdk sa'tda, Abu Tabah," I said, as he stepped 
 out of the door. 
 
 Slowly and stately the imam passed down the 
 street; and the ginnee of solitude reclaimed that 
 deserted spot. A night watchman, nebhut on 
 shoulder, passed along the distant Sukkariya. A 
 dog howled. 
 
 I re-entered the doorway conscious of a sudden 
 mental excitement; for an explanation of the 
 anonymous letter had just presented itself to my 
 mind. The owner of the neighboring house must 
 have detected my rendezvous with his lady-love, 
 have investigated the contents of the cases, and 
 denounced me from motives of revenge! That the 
 villainous Joseph Malaglou had been in the habit 
 of smuggling hashish into Egypt in my cases of 
 "cutlery" was evident enough and accounted for 
 his reluctance to fall in with the new arrangement; 
 but my bemused brain utterly failed to grapple 
 with the problem of why, knowing their damning 
 •contents, he had permitted these ten cases to be 
 delivered at my address. Moreover, how my worthy 
 neighbor — ^who had evidently abducted Mizmuna 
 from the old man of the scimitar — ^had learned my 
 real name was another mystery which I found no 
 leisure to examine. For I had but just set foot 
 again within the ill-omened place when there came 
 
78 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 a patter of swift, light footsteps — and out from 
 behind the fatal stack of boxes ran Mizmuna, 
 and threw herself into my arms ! 
 
 "Oh, my friend, my protector!" she cried dis- 
 tractedly, "what shall I do? Yussuf has dis- 
 covered our plot! Fatimah, that mother of 
 calamities, has betrayed me, and I dare not 
 return! I am an outcast; for although I was; 
 stolen from the Sheikh Ismail without my consent, 
 how can I hope for his forgiveness?" 
 
 Such a flood of sorrows and confidences over- 
 whelmed me, and I placed a silent but deathless 
 curse upon the lapis armlet which had brought me 
 to this pass. Mizmuna sobbed upon my shoulder. 
 
 "Yussuf has planned your ruin as well as mine," 
 she said brokenly. "For it was he who denounced 
 you to the Magician." (As "the Magician" Abu 
 Tabah was known and feared throughout Lower 
 Egypt.) "Oh that I might return to the house 
 of Ismail where I lived in luxury in a marble 
 pavilion, guarded by Hanna and a hundred negroes, 
 where I possessed the robes of a princess and was 
 laden with costly jewels!" 
 
 So very human and natural an ambition met 
 with my hearty approval, and, upon consideration 
 of the word-picture of his domestic state, the old 
 man of the scimitar rose immensely in my esteem. 
 How my malevolent neighbor had succeeded in 
 abducting Mizmuna from such a fortress I failed to 
 imagine. But I began to see my way more clearly 
 and hope was reborn in my bosom. 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 79 
 
 "Fear nothing, child," I said to the weeping girl. 
 "You shall return to your marble pavilion and to 
 the care of that worthy, if somewhat hasty man, 
 from whose arms you were torn. And now inform 
 me — where is Yussuf ?" 
 
 Mizmuna raised her face and looked up at me, 
 her long lashes wet with tears, but the slow, childish 
 smile of the Eastern woman already curving her red 
 lips. 
 
 "He is in his own room destroying papers," she 
 said. 
 
 "Who told you this?" 
 
 "Ali, the howwdb, who is faithful to me — and 
 who hates Fatimah." 
 
 "Is the trap rebolted?" 
 
 "I know not." 
 
 "Remain here until I return," I said, seating 
 her upon one of the boxes. "Where are my keys?" 
 
 "I hid them upon the ledge of the window, beside 
 the door yonder." 
 
 Taking them from this simple "hiding-place," I 
 locked the door to give Mizmuna courage, and, tak- 
 ing the lamp with me, began to mount the stairs, 
 first assuring myself of the presence in my pocket 
 of my Colt automatic, which Abu Tabah had re- 
 stored to me. 
 
 The ray of my lamp shining out ahead, I came to 
 the crazy ladder giving access to the trap. I climbed 
 up, raising the trap, and gazed upon the jeweled 
 dome of midnight Egypt. Dire necessity spurred 
 me, and I walked across to the adjoining trap, care- 
 
80 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 fully inserted two fingers in the iron ring and pulled. 
 
 It was not fastened below! Inch by inch I 
 raised it, and, finding the room beneath it to be 
 in darkness, opened the trap fully and descended 
 the ladder. 
 
 I flashed the light quickly about the place; then 
 stood staring at what it revealed^ My heart began 
 to beat rapidly, for iu that dirty attic I had found 
 salvation . . . and a further clue to the mystery 
 of all my misfortunes. 
 
 It was a hashish warehouse ! 
 
 Taking off my shoes, I thrust one into either 
 pocket of my jacket, and, perceiving that the house 
 was constructed on a plan identical with that adjoin- 
 ing it, I crept downstairs to the apartment of the 
 mushrabiyeh window. A heavy curtain was draped 
 in the doorway, but I could see that the room within 
 was illuminated. 
 
 I drew the curtains slowly aside and peeped in. 
 I saw an apartment that had evidently been fur- 
 nished very luxuriantly, but which now was partially 
 dismantled. In the recess formed by the window 
 a low table was placed, bearing a shaded lamp. The 
 table was littered with papers, account books and 
 ledgers; and, seated thereat, his back towards the 
 door, was a man who figured feverishly. I stepped 
 into the room. 
 
 "Good evening, Yussuf of Rosetta," I said; "you 
 do well to set your affairs in order." 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 81 
 
 Swiftly as though a serpent had touched him, the 
 man in the recess leaped to his feet and twisted 
 about to confront me. 
 
 I found myself looking into a hideous, swarthy 
 face — ^blanched now to the lips, so that the cunning 
 black eyes glared out as from a inask — ^into the 
 hideous swarthy face of Joseph Malaglou! 
 
 The store of hashish in the upper room had some- 
 what prepared me for this discovery; yet, momen- 
 tarily, the consummate villainy of the Greek had me 
 bereft of speech. As I stood there glaring at him, he 
 began furtively to grope with one hand along the 
 edge of the diwan behind him. Then, suddenly, he 
 became aware of the pistol which I carried — and 
 abandoned the quest of whatever weapon he had 
 sought, swallowing audibly. 
 
 "So, my good Malaglou," I said, "you sought to 
 make me responsible for your sins, my friend? I 
 perceive now how the Fates have played with me. 
 My very first conversation with your charming 
 protSgee " 
 
 He bit savagely at his black moustache, advanced 
 upon me ; then, his gaze set upon the Colt, he stood 
 still again. 
 
 "... was reported to you by the traitorous 
 Fatimah," I continued evenly; "and, when, on the 
 morrow, I advised you of my new address, the iden- 
 tity of the hitherto ujiknown Romeo who had raised 
 his eyes to your Juliet became apparent. You 
 
82 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 doubtless had designed to unpack my boxes for me 
 as you have been in the habit of doing; but green- 
 eyed jealousy suggested how, by the sacrifice of 
 only one consignmeniE of hashish, you might wreat 
 my ruin. I disapprove of your morals, Malaglou. 
 My own code inay be peculiar, but it does not em- 
 brace hashish dealing; therefore, Malaglou, you are 
 about to take a sheet of note-paper — ^bearing your 
 oflSce heading — and write from my dictation. . . ." 
 
 "And suppose I refuse? You dare not shoot 
 me!" 
 
 "You little know my true character, Malaglou. 
 But I should not shoot you, as you say; I should 
 introduce you to a gentleman who is very anxious 
 to make your acquaintance — the venerable Sheikh 
 Ismail." 
 
 The effect of this remark greatly exceeded my 
 most sanguine expectations. I think I have never 
 seen a man so pitiably frightened. 
 
 "The Sheikh . . . Ismail!" gasped Joseph 
 Malaglou. " He is in Cairo ? ' ' 
 
 "He has generously offered me five thousand 
 pounds for your name and address." 
 
 * ' Ah, my God ! ' ' whispered Malaglou. ' ' Kemaby, 
 you will not betray me to that fiend? You are an 
 Englishman and you wiU not soil your hands with 
 such a deed!" 
 
 To my dismay— for it was a disgusting sight — 
 Malaglou fell trembling upon his knees before me. 
 The threat of shooting had had no such effect as 
 the mere name of the Sheikh Ismail. My respect 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 83 
 
 for that really remarkable old ruffian rose by leaps 
 and bounds. 
 
 "Get up," I said harshly, "and, if you can^ 
 write." 
 
 He obeyed me; the man was almost hysterical. 
 And, very shakily, this is what he wrote : 
 
 "I, Joseph Malaglou, also known as Ahmed 
 Ben Tawwah, confess that I am a dealer in hashish 
 and spurious, antiques, which I have been in the 
 habit of storing at my warehouse in Cairo, and 
 also in my private residence in the Darb el Ahmar. 
 Finding it desirable to enlarge the facilities of the 
 latter, I induced the Hon. Neville Kernaby, who 
 is ignorant of my real busiuess, to lease for me a 
 house which adjoins my own, as I did not desire it 
 to be known that I was the lessee. Subsequently, 
 learning that the suspicions of the authorities had 
 been aroused, I anonymously denounced Kernaby, 
 thus hoping to avert suspicion from myself and 
 cause his arrest as the consignee of the cases which 
 had been delivered at the new premises." 
 
 "Very good," I said, when this precious document 
 had been completed. ' ' You understand that you will 
 now accompany me to the central police station 
 in the Place Bab el-Khalk and sign this confession 
 in the presence of suitable witnesses? You will 
 doubtless be detained; therefore ia the interests of 
 your safety, we must arrange that Mizmuna be 
 hidden securely until the case is settled. Oh! set 
 vour evil mind at rest! I shall not betray you to 
 
84 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 the SheiMi; unless — " I looked him squarely in the 
 eyes — "any whisper of my name appears in this 
 matter!" 
 
 "But where is she?" he said hoarsely. 
 
 "She is hiding in the adjoining house." 
 
 "I have a small place at Shuhra where I can con- 
 ceal her." 
 
 "Very well. I will bring her here and permit 
 you to make suitable arrangements, but let them 
 be complete; for if Ismail should find the girl and 
 thus discover your identity, nothing could save you 
 — and you will be unable to leave Cairo (I shall see 
 to that) until the case is settled." 
 
 VI 
 
 It was on the following evening, as I sat smoking 
 upon the terrace of the hotel and reflecting upon 
 the execrably bad luck which pursued me, that I 
 observed Abii Tabah mounting the carpeted steps 
 with slow and stately carriage. He saluted me 
 gravely and accepted the seat which I offered him. 
 
 My plan had run smoothly; Malaglou had given 
 himself up to the authorities, but had been released 
 upon payment of a substantial bail. Mizmuna was 
 concealed at Shubra, and I was flogging my brain 
 in a vain endeavor to conjure up a plan whereby, 
 without betraying the villainous Greek and thus 
 causing him to betray me, I might secure the 
 Sheikh's reward — or, at least, the lapis armlet. 
 
 "Alas," said Abu Tabah, "that the wicked should 
 prosper." 
 
THE LADY OF THE LATTICE 85 
 
 "To whose prosperity," I inquired, "do you more 
 especially refer ? ' ' 
 
 He regarded me with his fine melancholy eyes. 
 
 "Yon have an English adage," he continued, 
 "which says, 'set a thief to catch a thief.' " 
 
 "Quite so. But might I inquire what bearing this 
 crystallized wisdom has upon our present conversa- 
 tion?" 
 
 "The man, Joseph Malaglou," he replied, "learn- 
 ing of the hue-and-cry after a certain missing 
 damsel " 
 
 I remember I was about to light a cigar as he 
 uttered those words, but a dawning perception of 
 the iniquitous truth crept poisonously into my mind, 
 and I threw both cigar and matches over the rail 
 into the Shara Kamel and clutched fiercely at the 
 little table between us. 
 
 "And of the reward offered for her recovery," 
 pursued the imam, "denounced to us, one Yussuf 
 of Rosetta, a man owning a small house at Shubra. 
 Yussuf had fled, and the only occupant of the place 
 was the missing damsel Mizmuna. Alas that fortune 
 should so favor the sinful. The abductor, the de- 
 spoUer, escapes retribution; and the traitor, the 
 informer, the dealer in hashish is rewarded." 
 
 The Turk has signally failed to rule Egypt; but 
 there are certain Ottoman institutions which are 
 not without claims, as I realized at that moment in 
 regard to Joseph Malaglou: I was thinking, par- 
 ticularly, of the bow-string. 
 
 "Already," said Abu Tabah, with his sweet but 
 
86 TALES OF SECEET EGYPT 
 
 melancholy slnile, "the heart of the Sheikh Ismail 
 inclined toward the damsel, for whom his soul 
 yearned; and has not it been written that he who 
 heals the breach betwixt man and wife shall him- 
 self be blessed? Behold the reward of the peace- 
 maker — ^which I design as a gift to my sister." 
 
 I was unable to speak, but I became aware of a 
 bitter taste upon my palate as, from beneath his 
 robe, the smiling imam took out the armlet of gold 
 and lapis-lazuli I 
 
I 
 
 IV 
 OMAE OF ISPAHAN 
 
 "X HBAE that the Harem Smt is ocoupie'd," 
 said Sir Bertram Collis, bustling up to me as 
 I sat smoking in the gardens of a certain Cairo 
 hotel, which I shall not name because of the matters 
 that befell there. "Daphne is full of curiosity re- 
 specting the romantic occupant." 
 
 "Don't let Lady Collis be too sure," put in Chun- 
 dermeyer, "that there is anything romantic about 
 the occupant.'.' 
 
 "Your definition of romance, Chundermeyer," I 
 interrupted, "would probably be *a diamond the size 
 of a Spanish onion.' " 
 
 Chundermeyer smiled, but it was a smile ia which 
 his dark eyes, twinkling through the pebbles of 
 horn-rimmed spectacles, played no part. I must 
 confess that the society of this unctuous partner 
 in the well-known Madras firm of Isaacs and Chun- 
 dermeyer palled somewhat at times. He, on the 
 other hand, was eternally dropping into a chair 
 beside me, and proffering huge and costly cigars 
 from a huge and costly case. This sort of parvenu 
 persecution is one of the penalties of being recog- 
 nized by Debrett. 
 
 "As a matter of fact," I continued, "the occupant 
 
 87 
 
88 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 of the Harem Suite is no less romantic a personage 
 than the daughter of the Mudir (Governor) of the 
 Fayum." 
 
 "Really!" said Chundermeyer, with that sudden 
 interest which mention of a title always aroused in 
 him. "Surely it is most unusual for so highly 
 placed a Moslem lady to reside at an hotel?" 
 
 "Most unusual," I replied. "Of course such a 
 thing would be inconceivable in India; but the 
 management of this establishment, who cater almost 
 exclusively to tourists, find, I am told, that a 'harem 
 suite' is quite a good advertisement. The reason 
 of the presence of this lady in the hotel is a diplo- 
 Imatic one. She is visiting Cairo in order to witness 
 the procession of Ashnra, peculiarly sacred to 
 Egyptian women, and it appears that, having no 
 blood relations here, she could not accept the hos- 
 pitality of any one of the big families without 
 alienating the others." 
 
 "By Jove!" said Sir Bertram, "I must tell 
 Daphne this yam. She'll be delighted! Come along, 
 Kemaby; if we're to have tea at Mena House, it is 
 high time we were off. " 
 
 I left Chundermeyer to his opulent cigar without 
 regret. That he was an astute man of affairs and 
 an expert lapidary I did not doubt, for he had offered 
 to buy my Hatshepsu scarab ring at a price exactly 
 ten per cent below its trade value ; but to my mind 
 there is something almost as unnatural about a 
 Hindu-Hebrew as about a .Graeco-Welshman or a 
 griffin. 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN 89 
 
 Of course, Daphne Collis was not ready; and, Sir 
 Bertram going up to their apartments to induce her 
 to hurry, I strolled out again into the gardens for 
 a quiet cigarette and a cocktail. As I approached 
 ' a suitable seat in a sort of charming little arbor 
 festooned with purple blossom, a man who had been 
 waiting there rose to greet me. 
 
 With a certain quickening of the pulse, I recog- 
 nized Abu Tabah, arrayed, as was his custom, in 
 black, only releived by a small snowy turban, which 
 served to enhance the ascetic beauty of his face and 
 the mystery of the wonderful, liquid eyes. 
 
 He inclined his head in that gesture of gentle 
 dignity which I knew ; and : 
 
 "I have been awaiting an opportunity of speech 
 with you, Kernaby Pasha," he said, in his flawless, 
 musical English, "upon a matter in which I hope 
 you will consent to aid me." 
 
 Siace this mysterious man, variously known as 
 "the imam" and "the Magician," but whom I knew 
 to be some kind of secret agent of the Egyptian 
 Government, had recently saved me from assassina- 
 tion, to decline to aid him was out of the question. 
 "We seated ourselves in the arbor. 
 
 "I should welcome an opportunity of serving you, 
 my friend," I assured him, "since your services to 
 me can never be repaid." 
 
 His lips moved slightly in the curiously tender 
 smile v^'ch a poor physiognomist might have mis- 
 taken f;,r evidence of effeminacy, bending towards 
 me with a cautious glance about. 
 
90 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "You are staying at this hotel throughout tldS 
 Christmas festivities?" he asked. 
 
 "Yes; I have temporarily deserted Shepheard's 
 in order to accept the hospitality of Sir Bertram 
 CoUis, a very old friend. I shall probably return 
 on the Tuesday following Christmas Day. " 
 
 "There is to be a carnival and masquerade ball 
 here to-morrow. You shall be present?" 
 
 "I hope so," I replied in surprise. "To what 
 does all this tend?" 
 
 Abu Tabah bent yet closer. 
 
 "Many of your friends and acquaintances possess 
 valuable jewels?" 
 
 "They do." 
 
 "Then warn them — ^individually, in order to occa- 
 sion no general alarm — ^to guard these with the 
 utmost care." 
 
 My surprise increased. "You alarm me," I said. 
 "Are there rogues in our midst?" 
 
 "No," answered the imam, fixing his melancholy 
 gaze upon my face; "so far as my knowledge bears 
 me, there is but one, yet that one is worse than a 
 host of others." 
 
 "Do you mean that he is here — ^in the hotel?" 
 
 Abu Tabah shrugged his slim shoulders. 
 
 "If I knew his exact whereabouts," he replied, 
 "there would be no occasion to fear him. All that 
 I know is that he is in Cairo ; and siace many richly 
 attired women of Europe and America will be here 
 to-morrow night, of a surety Omar Ali Khan will 
 be here also!" 
 
OMAE OF ISPAHAN 91 
 
 I shook my head in perplexity. 
 
 "Omar Ali Khan?" ^I began. 
 
 "Ah," continued Abu Tabah, "to you that name 
 conveys nothing, but to me it signifies Omar of 
 Ispahan, 'the Father of Thieves.' Do you remem- 
 ber," fixing his strange eyes hypnotically upon me, 
 "the theft of the sacred hurJco of Nefiseh?" 
 
 "Quite well," I replied hastily; since the incident 
 represented an unpleasant memory. 
 
 "It was Omar of Ispahan who stole it from thci 
 shrine. It was Omar of Ispahan who stole the blue 
 diamond of the Eajah of Bagore from the treasure- 
 room at JuHapore, and Omar of Ispahan "lower- 
 ing his voice almost to a whisper — ^"who stole the 
 Holy Carpet ere it reached Mecca!" 
 
 "What!" I cried. "When did that happen? I 
 never heard of such an episode!" 
 
 Abu Tabah raised his long, slim hand wamingly. 
 
 "Be cautious!" he whispered; "the flowers of the 
 garden, the palms in the grove, the very sands of 
 the desert have ears ! The lightest word spoken in 
 the harem of the Khedive, or breathed from a 
 minaret of the Citadel, is heard by Omar of Ispahan ! 
 The holy covering for the Kaaba was restored, on 
 payment of a ruinous ransom by the Sherif of Mecca, 
 and none save the few ever Knew of its loss." 
 
 For a time I was silent ; words failed me ; for the 
 veil of the Kaaba, miscalled "the Carpet," is about 
 the size of a bowling-green; then — 
 
 "In what manner does this affair concern yoS, 
 !Abu Tabah?" I asked. 
 
92 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "In this way: the daughter of the Mudir el- 
 Faynm is here, in order that she may be present 
 on the Night of Ashiira in the Muski. For a Moslem 
 lady to stay in such a place as this" — ^there was 
 a faint note of contempt in the speaker's voice — 
 "is VTithout precedent, but the circumstances are 
 peculiar. The hhdn near the Mosque of Hosein is 
 full, and it is not seemly that the Mudir 's daughter 
 should livg at any lesser establishment. Therefore, 
 as she brings her two servants, it has been possible 
 for her to remain here. But" — ^his voice sank 
 again — " her ornaments are famed throughout 
 Islam." 
 
 I nodded comprehendingly. 
 
 "To me," Abu Tabah whispered, "has been en- 
 trusted the task of guarding them; to you, I entrust 
 that of guarding the possessions ©f the other 
 guests!" 
 
 I started. 
 
 "But, my friend," I said, "this is a dreadful 
 responsibility which you impose upon me." 
 
 "Other precautions are being taken," he replied 
 calmly; "but you, observing great circumspection, 
 can speak to the guests, and, being forewarned of 
 his presence, can even watch for the coming of 
 Omar of Ispahan." 
 
 n 
 
 The effect of my news upon Lady Collis was truly 
 dramatic. 
 
OMAE OF ISPAHAN 93 
 
 "Oh," she cried, "my rope of pearls. Mr. Chun- 
 dermeyer only told me last week that it was worth 
 at least two hundred pound more than I gave for 
 it." 
 
 Mr. Chundermeyer had made himself popular with 
 many of the ladies in the hotel by similar diplomatic 
 means, but I think that if he had been compelled to 
 purchase at his own flattering valuations Messrs. 
 Isaacs and Chundermeyer would have been ruined. 
 
 "You need not wear it, my dear," said her hus- 
 band tactlessly, 
 
 "Don't be so ridiculous!" she retorted. "You 
 know I have brought my Queen of Sheba costume 
 for to-morrow night." 
 
 That, of course, settled the matter, so that beyond 
 Imaking one pretty woman extremely nervous, my 
 campaign against the dreaded Omar of Ispahan had 
 opened — ^blankly. Later in the day I circulated my 
 warning right and left, and everywhere sowed con- 
 sternation without reaping any appreciable result. 
 
 "One naturally expects thieves on these oc- 
 casions," said a little Chicago millionairess, "and if 
 I only wore my diamonds when no rogues were about, 
 I might as well hav6 none. There are crooks in 
 America I'd back against your Persian thief any 
 day." 
 
 On the whole, I think, the best audience for my 
 dramatic recitation was provided by Mr. Chunder- 
 meyer, whom I found in the American bar, just 
 before the dinner hour. His yellow skin perceptibly 
 blanched at my first mention of Omar Ali Khan, 
 
94 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 and one hand clutched at a bulging breast pocket 
 of the dinner-jacket he wore. 
 
 "Good heavens, Mr. Kemaby," he said, "you 
 alarm me — you alartn me, sir!" 
 
 "The reputation of Omar is not unknown to 
 you?" 
 
 "By no means unknown to me," he responded 
 in the thick, unctuous voice which betrayed the 
 Semitic strain in his pedigree. "It was this man 
 who stole the pair of blue diamonds from the Bajah 
 of Bagore." 
 
 "So I am told." 
 
 "But have you been told that it was my firm 
 who bought those diamonds for the Rajah?" 
 
 "No; that is news to me." 
 
 "It was my firm, Mr. Kemaby, who negotiated 
 the sale of the blue diamonds to the Rajah; there- 
 fore the particulars of their loss, under most extra- 
 ordinary circumstances, are well known to me. You 
 have made me very nervous. Who is your in- 
 formant?" 
 
 "A member of the native police with whom I am 
 acquainted." 
 
 Mr. Chundermeyer shook his head lugubriously. 
 
 "I am conveying a parcel of rough stones to 
 Amsterdam," he confessed, glancing warily about 
 him over the rims of his spectacles, "and I feel 
 very much disposed to ask for more reliable protec- 
 tion than is offered by your Egyptian friend." 
 
 "Why not lodge the stones in a bank, or in the 
 manager's safe?" 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN 95 
 
 He shook Ms head again, and proffered an enor- 
 mous cigar. 
 
 "I distrust all safes but my own," he replied 
 "I prefer to carry such valuables upon my person, 
 foolish though the plan may seem to you. But do 
 you observe that squarely built, military looking 
 person standing at the bar, in conversation with 
 M. Balabas, the manager?" 
 
 "Yes; an officer, I should judge." 
 
 "Precisely; a police officer. That is Chief In- 
 spector Carlisle of New Scotland Yard." 
 
 "But he is a guest here." 
 
 "Certainly. The management sustained a severe 
 loss last Christmas during the progress of a ball at 
 which all Cairo was present, and as the inspector 
 chanced to be on his way home from India, where 
 official business had taken him, M. Balabas induced 
 him to break his journey and remain until after the 
 carnival." 
 
 "Wait a moment," I said; "I will bring him 
 over." 
 
 Crossing to the bar, I greeted Balabas, with whom 
 I was acquainted, and — 
 
 "Mr. Chundermeyer and I have been discussing 
 the notorious Omar of Ispahan, who is said to be 
 in Cairo," I remarked. 
 
 Inspector Carlisle, being introduced, smiled 
 broadly. 
 
 "Mr. Balabas is very nervous about this Omar 
 man," he replied, with a slight Scottish accent: 
 *'but, considering that everybody has been warned. 
 
96 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 I don't see myself that he can do much damage." 
 
 "Perhaps you would be good enough to reassure 
 Mr. Chundermeyer," I suggested, "who is carrying 
 valuables." 
 
 Chief Inspector Carlisle walked over to the table 
 iat which Chundermeyer was seated. 
 
 "I have met your partner, sir," he said, "and I 
 gathered that you were on your way to Amsterdam 
 with a parcel of rough stones; in fact, I supposed 
 that you had arrived there by now." 
 
 "I am fond of Cairo during the Christmas sea- 
 son," explanied the other, "and I broke my journey. 
 But now I sincerely wish I were elsewhere." 
 
 "Oh, I shouldn't worry!" said the detective 
 cheerily. "There are enough of us on the look-j 
 out." 
 
 But Mr. Chundermeyer remained palpably uneasy. 
 
 m 
 
 The gardens of the hotel on the following night 
 presented a fairy-like spectacle. Lights concealed 
 among the flower-beds, the bloom-covered arbors, 
 and the feathery leafage of the acacias, suffused a 
 sort of weird glow, suggesting the presence of a 
 million fire-flies. Up beneath the crowns of the lofty 
 pahns little colored electric lamps were set, produc- 
 ing an illusion of supernatural fruit, whilst the foun- 
 tain had been magically converted into a cascade 
 of fire. 
 
 In the ball-room, where the orchestra played, and 
 
OMAE OF ISPAHAN 97 
 
 a hundred mosque lamps bathed the apartment in 
 soft illumination, a cosmopolitan throng danced 
 around a giant Christmas free, their costumes a 
 clash of color to have filled a theatrical producer 
 with horror, outraging history and linking the ages 
 in startling fashion. Thus, St, Antony of the 
 Thebaid danced with Salome, the luresome daughter 
 of Herodias; Nero's arm was about the waist of 
 Good Queen Bess; Charles II cantered through a 
 two-step with a red-haired Vestal Virgin; and the 
 Queen of Sheba (Daphne Collis) had no less appro- 
 priate a partner than Sherlock Holmes. 
 
 Doubtless it was all very amusing, but, personally, 
 I stand by my commonplace dress-suit, having, per- 
 haps, rather a ridiculous sense of dignity. Inspector 
 Carlisle also was soberly arrayed, and we had sev- 
 eral chats during the evening ; he struck me as being 
 a man of considerable culture and great shrewdness. 
 
 For Abu Tabah I looked in vain. Following our 
 conservation on the previous afternoon, he had 
 vanished like a figment of a dream. I several times 
 saw Chundermeyer, who had elected to disguise 
 himself as Al-Mokanna, the Veiled Prophet of 
 Khorassan. He seemed to be an enthusiastic dancer, 
 and there was no lack of partners. 
 
 But of these mandarins, pierrots, Dutch girls, 
 monks, and court ladies I speedily tired, and sought 
 refuge in the gardens, whose enchanted aspect was 
 completed by that wondrous inverted bowl, jewel- 
 studded, which is the nightly glory of Egypt. In 
 the floral, dim-lighted arbors many romantic couples 
 
98 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 shrank from the peeping moon; but quiet and a 
 hushful sense of peace ruled there beneath the stars 
 more in hartnony with my mood. 
 
 One corner of the gardens, in particular, seemed 
 to be quite deserted, and it was the most picturesque 
 spot of all. For here a graceful pahn upstood before 
 an outjutting mushrahiyeh window, dimly lighted, 
 over which trailed a wealth of bougainvillia blossom, 
 whilst beneath it lay a floral carpet, sharply bisected 
 by the shadow of the palm trunk. It was like some 
 gorgeous illustration to a poem by Hafiz, only lack- 
 ing the figure at the window. 
 
 And as I stood, enchanted, before the picture, 
 the central panels of the window were thrown open, 
 and, as if conjured up by my imagination, a woman 
 appeared, looking out into the gardens — an Oriental 
 woman, robed in shimmering, moon-kissed white, 
 and wearing a white yashmak. Her arms and fingers 
 were laden with glittering jewels. 
 
 I almost held my breath, drawing back into the 
 sheltering shadow, for I had not hitherto suspected 
 myself of being a sorcerer. For perhaps a minute, 
 or less, she stood looking out, then the window 
 closed, and the white phantom disappeared. I re- 
 covered myself, recognizing that I stood before the 
 isolated wing of the hotel known as the Harem 
 Suite, and that Fate had granted me a glimpse of 
 the daughter of the Mudir of the Fayum. 
 
 Recollecting, in the nick of time, an engagement 
 to dance with Lady Collis, I hurried back to the 
 ball-room. On its very threshold I encountered 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN 99 
 
 Chundermeyer. I could see his spectacles glitter- 
 ing through the veil of his ridiculous costume, and 
 even before he spoke I detected about him an aura 
 of tragedy. 
 
 "Mr. Kemaby," he gasped, "for Heaven's sake 
 help me to find Inspector Carlisle! I have been 
 robbed!" 
 
 "What?" 
 
 "My diamonds!" 
 
 "You don't mean " 
 
 "Find the inspector, and come to my rooms. I 
 am nearly mad!" 
 
 Daphne Collis, who had seen me enter, joined 
 us at this moment, and, overhearing the latter part 
 of Chundermeyer 's speech: 
 
 "Oh, whatever is the matter?" she whispered. 
 
 As for Chundermeyer the effect upon him of her 
 sudden appearance was positively magical. He 
 stared through his veil as though her charming 
 figure had been that of some hideous phantom. Then 
 slowly, as if he dreaded to find her intangible, he 
 extended one hand and touched her rope of pearls. 
 
 "Ah, heavens!" he gasped. "I am really going 
 Itnad, or is there a magician amongst us?" 
 
 Daphne Collis 's blue eyes opened very widely, and 
 the color slowly faded from her cheeks. 
 
 "Mr. Chundermeyer," she began. But — 
 
 "Let us go into this little recess, where there is 
 a good light, ' ' mumbled Chundermeyer shakily, * ' and 
 I will make sure." 
 
 The three of us entered the pahn-screened alcove. 
 
100 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Chundermeyer leading. He stood immediately imder 
 a lamp suspended by brass chains from the roof. 
 
 "Permit me to examine yonr pearls for one mo- 
 ment," he said. 
 
 Her hands trembling, Daphne CoUis took off the 
 costly omainent and placed it in the hands of the 
 greatly perturbed expert. Chundermeyer ran the 
 pearls through his fingers, then lifted the largest 
 of the set towards the light and scrutinized it closely. 
 Suddenly he dropped his arms, and extended the 
 necklace upon one open palm. 
 
 "Look for yourself," he said slowly. "It does 
 not require the eyes of an expert." 
 
 Daphne Collis snatched the pearls and stared at 
 them dazedly. Her pretty face was now quite 
 colorless. 
 
 "This is not my rope of pearls," she said, in a 
 monotonous voice; "it is a very poor imitation!" 
 
 Ere I could frame any kind of speech — 
 
 "Look at this," groaned Chundermeyer, "as you 
 talk of a poor imitation!" 
 
 He was holding out a leather-covered box, plush- 
 lined, and bearing within the words, "Isaacs and 
 Chundermeyer, Madras." Nestling grotesquely 
 amid the blue velvet were six small pieces of coal ! 
 
 Chundermeyer sank upon the cushions of the 
 settee, tossing the casket upon a little coffee table. 
 
 ' ' I am afraid I feel unwell, ' ' he said feebly. ' ' Mr. 
 Kernaby, I wonder if you would be so kind as to 
 find Inspector Carlisle, and ask a waiter to bring 
 me some cognac." 
 
OMAE OF ISPAHAN 101 
 
 *'0h, what shall I do, what shall I do?" whispered 
 poor Daphne Collis. 
 
 "Just remain here," I said soothingly, "with Mr. 
 Chundermeyer. " And I induced her to sit in a big 
 cane rest-chair. "I will return in a moment with 
 Bertram and the inspector." 
 
 Desiring to avoid a panic, I walked quietly into 
 the ball-room and took stock of the dancers, for a 
 waltz was in progress. The inspector I could not 
 see, but Sir Bertram I observed at the further end 
 of the floor, dancing with Mrs. Van Heysten, the 
 Chicago lady whom I had warned to keep a close 
 watch upon her diamonds. 
 
 I managed to attract Collis 's attention, and the 
 pair, quitting the floor, joined me where I stood. 
 A few words sufficed in which to inform them of 
 the catastrophe, and, pointing out the alcove wherein 
 I had left Chundermeyer and Lady Collis, I set off 
 in search of Inspector Carlisle. 
 
 Ten minutes later, having visited every likely spot, 
 I came to the conclusion that he was not in the 
 hotel, and with M. Balabas I returned to the alcove 
 adjoining the ball-room. Dancing was in full swing, 
 and I thought as we passed along the edge of the 
 floor how easily I could have checked the festivities 
 by announcing that Omar of Ispahan was present. 
 
 The first sight to greet me upon entering the 
 little palm-shaded alcove was that of Mrs. Van 
 Heysten in tears. She had discovered herself to be 
 wearing a very indifferent duplicate of her famous 
 diamond tiara. 
 
102 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 I think it was my action of soothingly patting 
 her upon the shoulder that drew Chundermeyer's 
 attention to my Hatshepsu scarab. 
 
 "Mr. Kernaby!" he cried— "Mr. Kemaby!" 
 And pointed to my finger. 
 
 I had had the scarab set in a revolving bezel, 
 and habitually wore it with the beetle uppermost 
 and the cartouche concealed. As I glanced down 
 at the ring, Chundermeyer stretched out his hand 
 and detached it from my finger. Approaching the 
 light, he turned the bezel. 
 
 The flat part of the scarab was quite blank, bear- 
 ing no inscription whatever. Like Lady Collis 's rope 
 of pearls, Mrs. Van Heysten's tiara, and Chunder- 
 meyer's diamonds, it was a worthless and very in-^ 
 different duplicate 1 
 
 tv 
 
 Never can I forget the scene in that crowded little 
 room — ^poor M. Balabas all anxiety respecting the 
 reputation of his establishment, and vainly endeavor- 
 ing to reason with the victims of the amazing Omar 
 Khan. Finally— 
 
 "I will search for Inspector Carlisle myself," said 
 Mr. Chundermeyer; "and if I cannot find him, I 
 shall be compelled to communicate with the local 
 police authorities." 
 
 M. Balabas still volubly protesting, the unfor- 
 tunate Veiled Prophet made his way from the alcove. 
 I cannot say if the inspiration came as the result 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN 103 
 
 of a sort of auto-hypnosis induced by staring at the 
 worthless ring in my hand — the stone was not even 
 real lapis-lazuli — ^but a theory regarding the manner 
 in which these ingenious substitutions had been 
 effected suddenly entered my mind. 
 
 Three minutes later I was knocking at the door 
 of Chundermeyer's room. I received no invitation 
 to enter, and the door was locked. I sought M. 
 Balabas; and, without confiding to him the theory 
 upon which I was acting, I urged the desirability 
 of gaining access to the apartment. As a result, a 
 master key was procured, and we entered. 
 
 At the first glance the room seemed to be empty, 
 though it showed evidence of having recently been 
 pccupied, for it was in the utmost disorder. Perhaps 
 we should have quitted it unenlightened, if I had 
 not detected the sound of a faint groan proceeding 
 from the closed wardrobe. Stepping across the 
 room, I opened the double doors, and out into my 
 arms fell a limp figure, bound hand and foot, and 
 having a bath-towel secured tightly around the head 
 to act as a gag. It was Mr. Chundermeyer ! 
 
 I think, as I helped to unfasten him, I was the 
 most surprised man in the land of Egypt. He was 
 arrayed only in a bath-robe and slippers, and his 
 bare wrists and ankles were cruelly galled by the 
 cords which had bound him. For some minutes 
 he was unable to utter a word, and when at last 
 he achieved speech, his first utterance constituted a 
 verbal thunderbolt. 
 
 *'I have been robbed!" he cried huskily. "I was 
 
104 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 sand-bagged as I came from my bath, and lo(^-^ 
 everyone of my cases is gone!" 
 
 It was M. Balabas who answered him. 
 
 "As yon returned from your hath, Mr. Chunder- 
 meyer ?" he said. "At what time was that f " 
 
 "About a quarter-past seven," was the amazing 
 reply. 
 
 "But, good Heaven!" cried M. Balabas, "I was 
 speaking to you less than ten minutes ago !" 
 
 "Ton are mad!" groaned Chundermeyer, rubbing 
 his bruised wrists. "Have I not been locked in the 
 wardrobe all night!" 
 
 "Ah, merciful saints," cried M. Balabas, dramatic 
 cally raising his clenched fists to heaven, "I see it 
 all! You understand, Mr. Kemaby. It is not Mr, 
 Chundermeyer with whom we have been conversing, 
 in whose hands you have been placing your valuables, 
 it is that devil incarnate who three years ago im- 
 personated the Emir al-Hadj, in order to steal the 
 Holy Carpet; who can impersonate anyone; who, it 
 is said, can transform himself at will into an old 
 woman, a camel, or a fig tree ; it is the conjuror, the 
 wizard — Omar of Ispahan!" 
 
 My own ideas were almost equally chaotic; for 
 although, as I now recalled, I had never throughout 
 the evening obtained a thoroughly good view of the 
 features of the veiled Prophet, I could have sworn 
 io the voice, to the carriage, to the manner of Mr. 
 Chundermeyer. 
 
 The puzzling absence of Chief Inspector Carlisle 
 now engaged everybody's attention ; and, aotiag upon 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN" 105 
 
 the precedent afforded by the finding of Mr. Chunder- 
 meyer, we paid a visit to the detective's room. 
 
 Inspector Carlisle, fuUy dressed, and still wearing 
 a soft felt hat, as though he had but just come in, lay 
 on the floor, unconscious, with the greater part of 
 a cigar, which examination showed to be drugged, 
 close beside him. 
 
 * Tp tF * ^ 1F 
 
 As I entered my room that night and switched 
 on the light, iu through the open window from the 
 balcony stepped Abu Tabah. 
 
 His frequent and mysterious appearances in my 
 private apartments did not surprise me in the least, 
 and I had even ceased to wonder how he accom- 
 plished them; but — 
 
 "You are too late, my friend," I said. "Omar 
 of Ispahan has outwitted you." 
 
 "Omar of Ispahan has outwitted men wiser than 
 I," he replied gravely; "but covetouSness is a 
 treacherous master, and I am not without hope that 
 we may yet circumvent the father of thieves." 
 
 "You are surely jesting," I replied. "In all 
 probability he is now far from Cairo." 
 
 "I, on the contrary, have reason to believe," re- 
 plied Abu Tabah calmly, "that he is neither far 
 from Cairo, far from the hotel, nor far from this 
 very apartment." 
 
 His manner was strange and I discoverd excite-: 
 ment to be growing within me. 
 
 "Accompany me on the balcony," he said; "but 
 first extinguish the light. " 
 
106 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 A itnoment later I stood looking down upon the 
 moon-bathed gardens, and Abu Tabah, beside me, 
 stretched out his hand. 
 
 "You see the projecting portion of the building 
 yonder?" 
 
 "Yes," I replied; "the Harem Suite." 
 
 "Immediately before the window there is a palm 
 tree." 
 
 "I have observed it." 
 
 "And upon the opposite side of the path there 
 is an acacia." 
 
 "Yes; I see it." 
 
 "The moon is high, and whilst all the side of the 
 hotel is in shadow the acacia is in the moonlight. 
 Its branches would afford concealment, however; 
 and one watching there could see what would be 
 hidden from one on this balcony T request you, 
 Kernaby Pasha, to approach that lehiehh tree from 
 the further side of the fountain, in order to remain 
 invisible from the hotel. Climb to one of the lower 
 branches, and closely watch four windows." 
 
 I stared at him in the darkness. 
 
 "Which are the four windows that I am to 
 watch?" 
 
 "They are — one, that immediately below your 
 own ; two, that to the right of it ; three, the window 
 above the Hareln Suite ; and, four, the extreme east 
 window of this wing, on the first floor." 
 
 Now, my state of mystification grew even denser. 
 For the windows specified were, in the order of 
 mention, that of Inspector Carlisle, who had not 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN lOT 
 
 yet recovered consciousness ; of Mr. Chundermeyer; 
 of Major Redpath, a retired Anglo-Indian who had 
 been confined to his room for some time with an 
 attack of malaria ; and of M, Balabas, the manager. 
 
 "For what," I inquired, "am I to watch?" 
 
 "For a man to descend." 
 
 "And then?" 
 
 "You will hold your open watch case where it is 
 clearly visible from this spot. Instant upon the 
 man's appearance you will cover it up, and then 
 uncover it, either once, twice, thrice, or four times." 
 
 "After which?" 
 
 "Remain scrupulously concealed. Have the 
 collar of your dinner jacket turned up in order to 
 betray as little whiteness as possible. Do not inter- 
 fere with the man who descends; but if he enters 
 the Harem Suite, see that he does not come out 
 again! There is no time for further explanation, 
 Kemaby Pasha; it is Omar of Ispahan with whom 
 we have to deal!" 
 
 Perched up amid the foliage of the acacia, I com- 
 menced that singular guard imposed upon me by 
 Abu Tabah. Did he suspect one of these four per- 
 sons of being the notorious Omar? Or had his 
 mysterious instructions some other significance? 
 The problem defied me ; and, recognizing that I was 
 hopelessly at sea, I abandoned useless conjecture 
 and merely watched. 
 
108 TALES OF SECEET EGYPT 
 
 Nor was my vigil a long one. I doubt if I had 
 been at my post for ten minutes ere a vague figure 
 appeared upon the shadow-veiled balcony of one 
 of the suspected windows — ^that of Major Eedpath, 
 above the Harem Suite ! 
 
 Scarcely daring to credit my eyes, I saw the 
 figure throw down on to the projecting top of the 
 mushrahiyeh window below a slender rope ladder. 
 I covered the gleaming gold of my watch-case with 
 my hand, and gave the signal — three. 
 
 The spirit of phantasy embraced me; and, un- 
 moved to further surprise, I watched the unknown 
 swarm down the ladder with the agility of an ape. 
 He seemed to wear a robe, surely that of the VeUed 
 Prophet! He silently manipulated one of the side- 
 panels of the window, opened it, and vanished within 
 the Harem Suite. 
 
 Eaising my eyes, I beheld a second figure — ^that 
 of Abft Tabah — descending a similar ladder to the 
 balcony of Inspector Carlisle's room. He gained 
 the balcony and entered the room. Four seconds 
 elapsed ; he reappeared, unfurled a greater length 
 of ladder, and came down to the flower-beds. Lithely 
 as a cat he came to the projecting mushrahiyehf 
 swung himself aloft, and as I watched breathlessly, 
 expecting him to enter in pursuit of the intruder, 
 climbed to the top and began to mount the ladder 
 descending from Major Redpath's room! 
 
 He had just reached the major's balcony, and 
 was stepping through the open window, when a most 
 alarming din arose in the Harem Suite ; evidently a 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN 109 
 
 fierce struggle was proceeding in the apartments of 
 the Mudir's daughter! 
 
 I scrambled down from the acacia and ran to the 
 spot immediately below the window, arriving at the 
 very moment that the central lattice was thrown 
 open, and a white-veiled figure appeared there and 
 prepared to spring down ! Perceiving my approach : 
 
 "Oh, help me, in the name of Allah!" cried the 
 wolnan, in a voice shriU with fear. "Quick — catch 
 me!" 
 
 Ere I could frame any reply, she clutched at the 
 pahn tree and dropped down right into my extended 
 arms, as a crashing of overturned furniture came 
 from the room above. 
 
 "Help them!" she entreated. "You are armed, 
 and my women are being murdered. ' ' 
 
 "Help, Kemaby Pasha!" now reached my ears, 
 ia the immistakable voice of Abu Tabah, from some- 
 where within. "See that he does not escape fro!m 
 the window!" 
 
 "Coming!" I cried. 
 
 And, by means of the palm trunk, I began to 
 mount towards the open lattice. 
 
 Gaining my objective, I stumbled into a room 
 which presented a scene of the wildest disorder. It 
 •was a large apartment, well but sparsely furnished 
 in the Eastern manner, and lighted by three hanging 
 lamps. Directly under one of these, beside an over- 
 turned cabinet of richly carven wood inlaid with 
 mother-o '-pearl, lay a Nubian, insensible, and 
 arrayed only in shirt and trousers. There was no 
 
110 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 one else in the room, and, not pausing to explore 
 those which opened out of it, I ran and unbolted 
 the heavy door upon which Abu Tabah was clamor- 
 ing for admittance. 
 
 The imam leaped into the room, rebolted the door, 
 and glanced to the right and left; then he ran 
 into the adjoining apartments, and finally, observ- 
 ing the insensible Nubian upon the floor, he stared 
 into my face, and I read anger in the eyes that were 
 wont to be so gentle. 
 
 "Did I not enjoin you to prevent his escape from 
 the window?" he cried. 
 
 "No one escaped from the window, my friend," 
 I retorted, "except the lady who was occupying 
 the suite." 
 
 Abu Tabah fixed his weird eyes upon me in a 
 hypnotic stare of such uncanny power that I was 
 angrily conscious of much difficulty in sustaining it ; 
 but gradually the quelling look grew less harsh, 
 and finally his whole expression softened, and that 
 sweet smUe, which could so transform his face, dis- 
 turbed the severity of the set lips. 
 
 ' ' No man is infallible, ' ' he said. * ' And wiser than 
 you or I have shown themselves the veriest fools 
 in contest with Omar Ali Khan, But know, O 
 Kernaby Pasha, that the lady who occupied this 
 suite secretly left it at sunset to-night, bearing her 
 jewels with her, and he" — ^pointing to the insensible 
 Nubian on the floor — ^"took her place and wore her 
 raiment " 
 
 "Then the Mu<Mr's daughter " 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN 111 
 
 "Is my sister Ayesha!" 
 
 I looked at him reproachfully, but he met my gaze 
 with oahn pride. 
 
 "Subterfuge was permitted by the Prophet, (on 
 whom be peace)," he continued; "but not lying! 
 My sister is the daughter of the Mudir el- 
 T'ayum." 
 
 It was a rebuke, perhaps a merited one; and 1 
 accepted it in silence. Although, from the moment 
 that I had first set eyes on him, I had never doubted 
 Abu Tabah to be a man of good family, this modest 
 avowal was something of a revelation. 
 
 "Her presence here, which was permitted by my 
 father," he said, "was a trap; for it is well known 
 throughout the Moslem world that she is the pos- 
 sessor of costly ornaments. The trap succeeded. 
 Omar of Ispahan, at great risk of discovery, re- 
 mained to steal her jewels, although he had already 
 amassed a choice collection." 
 
 Someone had begun to bang upon the bolted door, 
 and there was an excited crowd beneath the window. 
 
 "You supposed, no doubt," the imam resumed 
 calmly, "that I suspected Major Eedpath and M. 
 Balabas, as well as Mr. Chundermeyer and the 
 English detective? It was not so. But I regarded 
 the room of M. Balabas as excellently situated for 
 Omar's purpose, and I knew that M. Balabas rarely 
 retired earlier than one o'clock. Even more suitable 
 was that of Major Eedpath, whose illness I believe to 
 have been due to some secret art of Omar's." 
 
 "But he is down with chronic malaria!" 
 
112 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "It may even be so; yet I believe the attack to 
 have been induced by Omar of Ispahan," 
 
 "But why?" 
 
 "Because, as I learned to-night, Major Redpath 
 is the only person in Cairo who has ever met Mr. 
 Chundermeyer ! I will confess that until less than 
 an hour ago I did not know if Inspector Carlisle 
 was really an inspector! Oh, it is a seeming ab-. 
 surdity; but Omar of Ispahan is a wizard! There- 
 fore I entered the inspector's room, and found him 
 to be still unconscious. Major Redpath was in deep 
 slumber, and Omar had entered and quitted his 
 room without disturbing him. I did likewise, and 
 visited Mr. Chundermeyer 's — the door was ajar — 
 on my way downstairs." 
 
 "But, my friend," I said amazedly, "with my 
 own eyes I beheld Mr. Chundermyer gagged and 
 bound in his wardrobe ! I saw his bruised wrists ! ' ' 
 
 "He gagged, bound, and bruised himself!" 
 replied Abu Tabah calmly. "With my own eyes 
 I once beheld a blind mendicant hanging by the neck 
 from a fig tree, a bloody froth upon his lips. I cut 
 him down and left him for dead. Yet was he neither 
 dead nor a blind mendicant ; he was Omar Ali Khan! 
 Oblige me by opening the door, Kernaby Pasha." 
 
 I obeyed, and an excited throng burst in, headed 
 by M. Balabas and Inspector Carlisle, the latter 
 looking very pale and haggard ! 
 
 "Where is the man posing as Chundermeyer?" 
 began the detective hoarsely. "By sheer sleight- 
 of-hand, and under ye 're very noses" — excitement 
 
OMAR OF ISPAHAN 113 
 
 rendered him weirdly Caledonian— "he has robbed 
 ye ! I cabled Madras to-day, and the real Chunder- 
 meyer arrived at Amsterdam last Friday! As I 
 returned with the reply cable in my pocket to-night 
 I became so dizzy I was only just able to get to my 
 room. He'd doctored every smoke in my case! 
 Where is he?" 
 
 "I 9,ssisted him to escape, disguised as a woman, 
 some ten minutes ago," I replied feebly. "I should 
 be sincerely indebted to you if you would kick me." 
 
 "Escaped!" roared Inspector Carlisle. "Then 
 what are ye doing here? Pursue him, somebody! 
 Are ye all mad?" 
 
 "We should be," said Abu Tabah, "to attempt 
 pursuit. As well pursue the shadow of a cloud, the 
 first spear of sunrise, or the phantom heifer of Pepi- 
 Ankh, as pursue Omar of Ispahan! He is gone — ■ 
 but empty-handed. Behold what I recovered from 
 'Mr. Chundermeyer's' room." 
 
 From beneath his black gibbeh he took out a 
 leather bag, opened it, and displayed to our startled 
 eyes the tiara of Mrs. Van Heysten, the rope of 
 pearls, and — my Hatshepsu scarab ! 
 
 Ere anyone could utter a word, Abu Tabah in- 
 clined his head in dignified salutation, turned^ and 
 walked stately from the room. 
 
V 
 BREATH OF ALLAH 
 
 FOR close upon a week I had been haunting 
 the purlieus of the MusM, attired as a respect- 
 able dragoman, my face and hands reduced to 
 a deeper shade of brown by means of a water-color 
 paint (I had to use something that could be washed 
 off and grease-paint is useless for purposes of actual 
 disguise) and a neat black moustache fixed to my lip 
 with spirit-gum. In his story Beyond the Pale, 
 Rudyard Kipling has trounced the man who inquires 
 too deeply into native life ; but if everybody thought 
 with Kipling we should never have had a Lane or a 
 Burton and I should have continued in unbroken 
 scepticism regarding the reality of magic. Whereas, 
 because of the matters which I am about to set forth, 
 for ten minutes of my life I found myself a trembling 
 slave of the unknown. 
 
 Let me explain at once that my undignified mas- 
 querade was not prompted by mere curiosity or the 
 quest of the pomegranate, it was undertaken as the 
 natural sequel to a letter received from Messrs. 
 Moses, Murphy and Co., the firm which I represented 
 in Egypt, containing curious matters affording much 
 food for reflection. "We would ask you," ran the 
 communication, "to renew your inquiries into the 
 
 114 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 
 
 partciular compositoin of the perfume 
 Allah,' of which you obtained us a sample 'at?<a^ 
 which we regarded as excessive. It appeat'^ 
 sist in the blending of certain obscure essei 
 and gima-resins ; and the nature of some of tl 
 defied analysis to date. Over a hundred 
 ments have been made to discover substitute 
 the missing essences, but without success ; and 
 are now in a position to arrange for the manuf acf 
 of Oriental perfume on an extensive scale 
 should be prepared to make it well worth your while 
 (the last four words characteristically underlined 
 in red ink) if you could obtain for us a correct 
 copy of the original prescription." 
 
 The letter went on to say that it was proposed 
 to establish a separate company for the exploita- 
 tion of the new perfume, with a registered address 
 in Cairo and a "manufactory" in some suitably 
 inaccessible spot in the Near East. 
 
 I pondered deeply over these matters. The scheme 
 was a good one and could not f aU to reap consider- 
 able profits^ for, given extensive advertising, there 
 is always a large and monied public for a new smell. 
 The particular blend of liquid fragrance to which the 
 letter referred was assured of a good sale at a high 
 price, not alone in Egypt, but throughout the capitals 
 of the world, provided it could be put upon the 
 market; but the proposition of manufacture was 
 beset with extraordinary difficulties. 
 
 The tiny vial which I had despatched to Birming- 
 ham nearly twelve months before had cost me close 
 
116 j^P^ALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 tip^ttlvto procure, for the reason that "Breath 
 of JHHV was the secret property of an old and 
 aBptossraiic Egyptian family whose great wealth and 
 e^^upiveness rendered them unapproachable. By 
 fdiligent inquiry I had discovered the attar 
 was entrusted certain final processes in 
 ^paration of the perfume — only to learn that 
 IS ignorant of its exact composition. But al- 
 iQugh he had assured me (and I did not doubt 
 his word) that not one grain had hitherto passed 
 out of the possession of the family, I had succeeded 
 in procuring a small quantity of the precious fluid. 
 
 Messrs. Moses, Murphy and Co. had made all the 
 necessary arrangements for placing it upon the 
 market, only to learn, as this eventful letter advised 
 me, that the most skilled chemists whose services 
 "were obtainable had failed to analyse it. 
 
 One morning, then, in my assumed character, I 
 was proceeding along the Sharia el-Hamzawi seek- 
 ing for some scheme whereby I might win the con- 
 fidence of Mohammed er-Eahman the attar, or per- 
 fumer. I had quitted the house in the Darb el-Ahmar 
 which was my base of operations but a few minutes 
 earlier, and as I approached the corner of the street 
 a voice called from a window directly above my 
 head: "Said! Said!" 
 
 "Without supposing that the call referred to my- 
 self, I glanced up, and met the gaze of an old Egyp- 
 tian of respectable appearance who was regarding 
 me from above. Shading his eyes with a gnarled 
 hand — 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 
 
 "Surely," he cried, "it is none other 
 the nephew of Ynssnf Khalig ! Es-seldm 
 Said!" 
 
 "Aleyhum, es-seldm," I replied, and sti 
 looking up at him. 
 
 "Would you perform a little service 
 Said?" he continued. "It will occupy you*»'Wf^«tt 
 hour and you may earn five piastres." ''WJ 
 
 "Willingly," I replied, not knowing to what thei 
 mistake of this evidently half -blind old man might 
 lead me. 
 
 I entered the door and mounted the stairs to the 
 room in which he was, to find that he lay upon a 
 scantily covered dtwan by the open window. 
 
 "Praise be to Allah (whose name be exalted) !" 
 he exclaimed, "that I am thus fortunately enabled 
 to fulfil my obligations, I sometimes suffer from 
 an old serpent bite, my son, and this morning it 
 has obliged me to abstain from all movement. I am 
 called Abdul the Porter, of whom you will have 
 heard your uncle speak; and although I have long 
 retired from active labor myself, I contract for the 
 supply of porters and carriers of all descriptions 
 and for all purposes; conveying fair ladies to the 
 hammdm, youth to the bridal, and death to the 
 grave. Now, it was written that you should arrive 
 at this timely hour." 
 
 I considered it highly probable that it was also 
 written how I should shortly depart if this garrulous 
 old man continued to inflict upon me details of hisf 
 absurd career. However — 
 
fiS OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 « contract with the merchant, Mohammed 
 
 of the Suk el-Attarin," he continued, 
 
 as always been my custom personally to 
 
 ^ords almost caused me to catch my breath ; 
 opinion of Abdul the Porter changed extra- 
 lary. Truly my lucky star had guided my foot- 
 that morning! 
 
 "Do not misunderstand me," he added. "I refer 
 not to the transport of his wares to Suez, to Zagazig, 
 to Mecca, to Aleppo, to Baghdad, Damascus, Kan- 
 dahar, and Pekin; although the whole of these vast 
 enterprises is entrusted to none other than the only 
 son of my father: I speak, now, of the bearing of a 
 small though heavy box from the great magazine and 
 manufactory of Mohammed er-Rahman at Shubra, 
 to his shop in the Suk el-Attarin, a matter which I 
 have arranged for him on the eve of the Molid en- 
 Nebi (birthday of the Prophet) for the past five- 
 and-thirty years. Every one of my porters to whom 
 I might entrust this special charge is otherwise em- 
 ployed; hence my observation that it was written 
 how none other than yourself should pass beneath 
 this window at a certain fortunate hour." 
 
 Fortunate indeed had that hour been for me, and 
 my pulse beat far from normally as I put the ques- 
 tion: ""Why, Father Abdul, do you attach so much 
 importance to this seemingly trivial matter?" 
 
 The face of Abdul the Porter, which resembled 
 that of an intelligent mule, assumed an expression 
 of low cunnins*. 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 119 
 
 "The question is well conceived," he said, raising 
 a long forefinger and wagging it at me. '.'And who 
 in all Cairo knows so much of the secrets of the 
 great as Abdul the Know-all, Abdul the Taciturn! 
 Ask me of the fabled wealth of Karafa Bey and I 
 will name you every one of his possessions and 
 entertain you with a calculation of his income, which 
 I have worked out in nuss-faddah!* Ask me of the 
 amber mole upon the shoulder of the Princess Aziza 
 and I will describe it to you in such a manner as to 
 ravish your soul! Whisper, my son" — ^he bent to- 
 wards me confidentially — ' ' once a year the merchant 
 Mohammed er-Rahman prepares for the Lady 
 Zuleyka a quantity of the perfume which impious 
 tradition has called 'Breath of Allah.' The father 
 of Mohammed er-Rahman prepared it for the mother 
 of the Lady Zuleyka and his father before him for 
 the lady of that day who held the secret — ^the secret 
 which has belonged to the women of this family since 
 the reign of the Khalif el-Hakim from whose favorite 
 wife they are descended. To her, the wife of the 
 Khalif, the first dirhem (drachm) ever distilled ot 
 the perfume was presented in a gold vase, together 
 with the manner of its preparation, by the great 
 wizard and physician Ibn Sina of Bokhara" 
 (Avicenna). 
 
 "You are well called Abdul the Kiiow-all!" I 
 cried in admiration. "Then the secret is held by 
 Mohammed er-Rahman?" 
 
 "Not so, my son," replied Abdul. "Certain of 
 
 * A nHss-faddah equals a quarter of a farthing. 
 
120 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 tUe essences employed are brouglit, in sealed vessels, 
 from the l^ouse of the Lady Zuleyka, as is also the 
 brass coffer containing the writing of Ibn Sina ; and 
 throughout the measuring of the quantities, the 
 secret writing never leaves her hand." 
 
 "What, the Lady Zuelyka attends in person?" 
 
 Abdul the Porter inclined his head serenely. 
 
 "On the eve of the birthday of the Prophet, the 
 Lady Zuelyka visits the shop of Mohammed er- 
 Bahman, accompanied by an imam from one of the 
 great mosques." 
 
 "Why by an imam, Father Abdul?" 
 
 "There is a magical ritual which must be observed 
 in the distillation of the perfume, and each essence 
 is blessed in the name of one of the four archangels ; 
 and the whole operation must commence at the hour 
 of midnight on the eve of the Molid en-Nebi." 
 
 He peered at me triumphantly. 
 
 "Surely," I protested, "an experienced attar such 
 as Mohammed er-Rahman would readily recognize 
 these secret ingredients by their smell?" 
 
 "A great pan of burning charcoal," whispered 
 Abdul dramatically, "is placed upon the floor of the 
 room, and throughout the operation the attendant 
 imam casts pungent spices upon it, whereby the 
 nature of the secret essences is rendered unrecog- 
 nizable. It is time you depart, my son, to the shop 
 of Mohammed, and I will give you a writing making 
 you known to him. Your task will be to carry the 
 materials necessary for the secret operation (which 
 takes place to-night) from the Imagazine of 
 
BREATH OF ATT;A TT 121 
 
 Mohammed er-Kahman at Shubra, to his shop in the 
 Suk el-Attarin. My eyesight is far from good, Said. 
 Do you write as I direct and I will place my name to 
 the letter." 
 
 The words "well worth your while" had kept 
 time to my steps, or I doubt if I should have sur- 
 vived the odious journey from Shubra. Never can 
 I forget the shape, color, and especially the weight, 
 of the locked chest which was my burden. Old 
 Mohammed er-Rahman had accepted my service on 
 the strength of the letter signed by Abdul, and of 
 course, had failed to recognize in "Said" that Hon. 
 Neville Kemaby who had certain confidential deal- 
 ings with him a year before. But exactly how I was 
 to profit by the fortunate accident which had led 
 Abdul to mistake me for someone called "Said" 
 became more and more obscure as the box grew 
 more and more heavy. So that by the time that I 
 actually arrived with my burden at the entrance to 
 the Street of the Perfumers, my heart had hardened 
 towards Abdul the Know-all; and, setting my box 
 upon the ground, I seated myself upon it to rest and 
 to imprecate at leisure that silent cause of my 
 present exhaustion. 
 
 After a time my troubled spirit grew calmer, as I 
 sat there inhaling the insidious breath of Tonquia 
 musk, the fragrance of attar of roses, the sweetness 
 of Indian spikenard and the stinging pungency of 
 
122 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 BayrrK, opoponax ,and iMang-ylang. Faintly I eould 
 detect the perfume which I have always counted 
 the most exquisite of all save one — ^that delightful 
 preparation of Jasmine peculiarly Egyptian. But 
 the mystic breath of frankincense and erotic fumes 
 of ambergris alike left me unmoved ; for amid these 
 odors, through which it has always seemed to me that 
 that of cedar runs thematically, I sought in vain f oS 
 iany hint of "Breath of Allah." 
 
 Fashionable Europe and America were well repre- 
 sented as usual in the Suk el-Attarin, but the little 
 shop of Mohammed er-Rahman was quite deserted, 
 although he dealt in the most rare essences of all. 
 Mohammed, however, did not seek Western patron- 
 age, nor was there in the heart of the little white-* 
 bearded merchant any envy of his seemingly morei 
 prosperous neighbors in whose shops New York^ 
 London, and Paris smoked amber-scented cigarettes, 
 and whose wares were ioarried to the uttermost cor- 
 ners of the earth. There is nothing more illusory 
 than the outward seeming of the Eastern merchant. 
 The wealthiest man with whom I was acquainted iti 
 the Muski had the aspect of a mendicant ; and whilst 
 Mohammed's neighbors sold phials of essence and 
 tiny boxes of pastilles to the patrons of Messrs, 
 Cook, were not the silent caravans following the 
 ancient desert routes laden with great crates of 
 sweet merchandise from the manufactory at Shubra? 
 To the city of Mecca alone Mohammed sent annually 
 perfumes to the value of two thousand pounds ster- 
 ling; he manufactured three kinds of incense ex- 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 123 
 
 dusively for the royal house of Persia ; and his wares 
 were known from Alexandria to Kashnur, and prized 
 alike in Stambul and Tartary. Well might he watch 
 with tolerant smile the more showy activities of his 
 less fortunate competitors. 
 
 The shop of Mohammed er-Rahman was at the 
 end of the street remote from the Hamzawi (Cloth 
 Bazaar), and as I stood up to resume my labors 
 my mood of gloomy abstraction was changed as 
 much by a certain atmosphere of expectancy — I can- 
 not otherwise describe it — as by the familiar smells 
 of the place. I had taken no more than three paces 
 onward into the Suk ere it seemed to me that all 
 business had suddenly become suspended; only the 
 Western element of the throng remained outside 
 whatever influence had claimed the Orientals. Then 
 presently the visitors, also becoming aware of this 
 expectant hush as I had become aware of it, turned 
 almost with one accord, and following the direction 
 of the merchants' glances, gazed up the narrow 
 street towards the Mosque of el-Ashraf. 
 
 And here I must chronicle a curious circumstance. 
 Of the Lnam Abu Tabah I had seen nothing for 
 several weeks, but at this moment I suddenly found 
 myself thinking of that remarkable man. Whilst 
 any mention of his name, or nickname — for I could 
 not believe "Tabah" to be patronymic — amongst 
 the natives led only to pious ejaculations indicative 
 of respectful fear, by the official world he was tacitly 
 disowned. Yet I had indisputable evidence to show 
 that few doors in Cairo, or indeed in all Egypt, were 
 
124 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 ielosed to him; he came and went like a phantom. 
 I should never have been surprised, on entering my 
 private apartments at Shepheard's, to have found 
 Mm seated therein, nor did I question the veracity 
 of a native acquaintance who assured me that he had 
 met the mysterious imam in Aleppo on the same 
 morning that a letter from his partner in Cairo had 
 arrived mentioning a visit by Abu Tabah to el-Azhar. 
 But throughout the native city he was known as the 
 Magician and was very generally regarded as a 
 master of the ginn. Once more depositing my burden 
 upon the ground, then, I gazed with the rest in the 
 direction of the mosque. 
 
 It was curious, that moment of perfumed silence, 
 and my imagination, doubtless inspired by the mem- 
 ory of Abu Tabah, was carried back to the days of 
 the great JchaUfs, which never seem far removed 
 from one in those mediaeval streets. I was trans- 
 ported to the Cairo of Harun al Raschid, and I 
 thought that the Grand Wazir on some mission from 
 Baghdad was visiting the Suk el-Attarin. 
 
 Then, stately through the silent group, came a 
 "black-robed, white-turbaned figure outwardly similar 
 to many others in the bazaar, but followed by two 
 tall muffled negroes. So still was the place that I 
 could hear the tap of his ebony stick as he strode 
 along the centre of the street. 
 
 At the shop of Mohammed er-Rahman he paused, 
 exchanging a few words with the merchant, then 
 resumed his way, coming down the Suk towards 
 me. His glancj met mine, as I stood there beside 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 12S 
 
 the box; and, to my amazement, he saluted me with 
 smilmg dignity and passed on. Had he, too, mis- 
 taken me for Said— or had his aU-seeing ga^ 
 detected beneath my disguise the features of NeviUe 
 Kernaby? 
 
 As he turned out of the narrow street into the 
 Hamzawi, the commercial uproar was resumed in- 
 stantly, so that save for this horrible doubt whic^ 
 had set my heart beating with uncomfortable rapidi- 
 ty, by all the evidences now about me his coming 
 might have been a dream. 
 
 m 
 Filled with misgivings, I carried the hox along 
 to the shop; but Mohammed er-Rahman's greeting 
 held no hint of suspicion. 
 
 "By fleetness of foot thou shalt never win Paca- 
 dise," he said. 
 
 "Nor by unseemly haste shall I thrust others from 
 the path," I retorted. 
 
 "It is idle to bandy words with any acquaintance 
 of Abdul the Porter's," sighed Mohammed; "well 
 do I know it. Take up the box and follow me." 
 
 With a key which he carried attached to a chain 
 iabout his waist, he unlocked the ancient door whick 
 alone divided his shop from the out jutting wall mak- 
 ing a bend in the street. A native shop is usually 
 noihing more than a double cell; but descending 
 three stone steps, I found myself in one of those 
 cellar-like apartments which are not uncoinmon in 
 this part of Cairo. Windows there were none, if I 
 
126 TALES OF SECEET EGYPT 
 
 (except a small square opening, high up in one of the 
 walls, which evidently communicated with the narrow 
 courtyard separating Mohammed's establishment 
 from that of his neighbor, but which admitted scanty 
 light and less ventilation. Through this opening I 
 could see what looked like the uplifted shafts of a 
 cart. From one of the rough beams of the rather 
 lofty ceiling a brass lamp hung by chains, and a 
 quantity of primitive chemical paraphernalia littered 
 the place; old-fashioned alembics, mysterious look- 
 ing jars, and a sort of portable furnace, together 
 with several tripods and a number of large, flat brass 
 pans gave the place the appearance of some old 
 alcheinist's den. A rather handsome ebony table, 
 mtricately carved and inlaid with mother-o '-pearl 
 and ivory, stood before a cushioned Mwan which 
 occupied that side of the room in which was the 
 ssquare window. 
 
 "Set the box upon the floor," directed Mohammed, 
 "but not with such undue dispatch as to cause thy- 
 self to sustain an injury." 
 
 That he had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of 
 the box and was now burningly anxious to witness 
 any departure, grew more and more apparent with 
 every word. Therefore — 
 
 "There are asses who are fleet of foot," I said, 
 leisurely depositing my load at his feet; "but the 
 wise man regulateth his pace in accordance with 
 three things: the heat of the sun; the welfare of 
 ©thers ; and the nature of his burden. ' ' 
 
 "That thou hast frequently paused on the way 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 127 
 
 from Sliubra to reflect upon these three things,"' 
 replied Mohammed, "I cannot doubt; depart, there- 
 fore, and ponder them at leisure, for I perceive that 
 thou art a great philosopher." 
 
 "Philosophy," I continued, seating myself upon 
 the box, "sustaineth the mind, but the activity of 
 the mind being dependent upon the welfare of the 
 stomach, even the philosopher cannot afford to labor 
 without hire." 
 
 At that, Mohammed er-Rahman unloosed upon me' 
 a long pent-up torrent of invective — and furnished 
 me with the information which I was seeking. 
 
 "0 son of a wall-eyed mule!" he cried, shaking 
 his fists over me, "no longer will I suffer thy idiotic 
 chatter ! Return to Abdul the Porter, who employed 
 thee, for not one faddah will I give thee, calamitous 
 mongrel that thou art ! Depart ! for I was but this 
 moment informed that a lady of high station is about 
 to visit me. Depart! lest she mistake my shop for 
 a pigsty." 
 
 But even as he spoke the words, I became aware 
 of a vague disturbance in the street, and — 
 
 "Ah!" cried Mohammed, running to the foot of 
 the steps and gazing upwards, "now am I utterly 
 undone! Shame of thy parents that thou art, it 
 is now unavoidable that the Lady Zuleyka shall find 
 thee in my shop. Listen, offensive insect — ^thou art 
 Said, my assistant. Utter not one word; or with 
 this" — to my great alarm he produced a dangerous- 
 looking pistol from beneath his robe — "will I blow 
 a hole through thy vac?ious skull!" 
 
128 TALES OF SECRET EOYPT 
 
 Hastily concealing the pistol, he went hurrying up 
 Sie steps, in time to perform a low salutation before 
 a veiled woman who was accompanied by a Sudanese 
 servant-girl and a negro. Exchanging some words 
 with her which I was unable to detect, Mohammed 
 er-Rahman led the way down into the apartment 
 herein I stood, followed by the lady, who in turn 
 was followed by her servant. The negro remained 
 above. Perceiving me as she entered, the lady, who 
 was attired with extraordinary elegance, paused, 
 ^ancing at Mohammed. 
 
 "My lady," he began immediately, bowing before 
 her, "it is Said my assistant, the slothfulness of 
 •whose habits is only exceeded by the impudence of 
 Ms conversation." 
 
 She hesitated, bestowing upon me a glance of her 
 beautiful eyes. Despite the gloom of the place and 
 the yashmak which she wore, it was manifest that 
 she was good to look upon. A faint but exquisite 
 perfume stole to my nostrils, whereby I knew that 
 Mohammed's charming visitor was none other than 
 the Lady Zuleyka. 
 
 "Yet," she said softly, "he hath the look of an 
 active young man." 
 
 "His activity," replied the scent, merchant, 
 **resideth entirely in his tongue." 
 
 The Lady Zuleyka seated herself upon the diwan, 
 looking all about the apartment. 
 
 "Everything is in readiness, Mohammed?" she 
 asked. 
 
 "Everything, my lady." 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 129 
 
 Again the beautiful eyes were turned in my direc- 
 tion, and, as their inscrutable gaze rested upon me, 
 a scheme — which, since it was never carried out» 
 need not be described — presented itself to my mind. 
 Following a brief but eloquent silence — for my an- 
 BW^ering glances were laden with significance : — 
 
 "0 Mohammed," said the Lady Zuleyka indolent- 
 ly, "in what manner doth a merchant, such as thy- 
 self, chastise his servants when their conduct 
 displeaseth him?" 
 
 Mohammed er-Eahman seemed somewhat at a loss 
 for a reply, and stood there staring foolishly. 
 
 "I have whips for mine," murmured the soft 
 voice. "It is an old custom of my family." 
 
 Slowly she cast her eyes in my direction once 
 more. 
 
 "It seemed to me, Said," she continued, grace- 
 fully resting one jeweled hand upon the ebony table, 
 "that thou hadst presumed to cast love-glances upon 
 me. There is one waiting above whose duty it is to 
 protect me from such insults. Miska!" — ^to the ser- 
 vant girl — "summon El-Kimri (The Dove)." 
 
 Whilst I stood there dumbfounded and abashed 
 the girl called up the steps : 
 
 ' ' El-Kimri ! Come hither ! ' ' 
 
 Instantly there burst into the room the form of 
 that hideous negro whom I had glimpsed above; 
 and — 
 
 "0 Kimri," directed the Lady Zuleyka, and 
 languidly extended her hand in my direction, "throw 
 this presumptuous clown into the street!" 
 
130 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 My discomfiture had proceeded far enough, an'd 
 I recognized that, at whatever risk of discovery, 
 I must act instantly. Therefore, at the moment that 
 El-Kimri reached the foot of the steps, I dashed 
 my left fist into his grinning face, putting all my 
 weight behind the blow, which I followed up with 
 a short right, utterly outraging the pugilistic pro- 
 prieties, since it was well below the belt. El-Kimri 
 bit the dust to the accompaniment of a human discord 
 composed of three notes — and I leaped up the steps, 
 turned to the left, and ran off around the Mosque 
 of el-Ashraf, where I speedily lost myself in the 
 crowded Ghuriya. 
 
 Beneath their factitious duskiness my cheeeks 
 were burning hotly : I was ashamed of my execrable 
 artistry. For a druggist's assistant does not lightly 
 make love to a duchess ! 
 
 IV 
 
 I spent the remainder of the forenoon at my house 
 in the Darb el-Ahmar heaping curses upon my own 
 fatuity and upon the venerable head of Abdul the 
 Know-all. At one moment it seemed to me that I 
 had wantonly destroyed a golden opportunity, at 
 the next that the seeming oportunity had been a 
 mere mirage. With the passing of noon and the 
 approach of evening I sought desperately for a plan, 
 knowing that if I failed to conceive one by midnight, 
 another chance of seeing the famous prescription 
 .would probably not present itself for twelve months. 
 
BEEATH OF ALLAH 131 
 
 At about four o'clock in the afternoon came the 
 dawn of a hazy idea, and since it necessitated a visit 
 to my rooms at Shepheard's, I washed the paint off 
 my face and hands, changed, hurried to the hotel, 
 ate a hasty meal, and returned to the Darb el-Ahmar, 
 where I resumed my disguise. 
 
 There are some who have criticized me harshly 
 in regard to my commercial activities at this time, 
 and none of my affairs has provoked greater acerbi- 
 tude than that of the perfume called "Breath of 
 Allah." ITet I am at a loss to perceive wherein my 
 perfidy lay; for my outlook is sufficiently socialistic 
 to cause me to regard with displeasure the conserv- 
 ing by an individual of something which, without loss 
 to himself, might reasonably be shared by the com- 
 munity. For this reason I have always resented the 
 way in which the Moslem veils the faces of the pearls 
 of his harem. And whilst the success of my present 
 enterprise would not render the Lady Zuleyka the 
 poorer, it would enrich and beautify the world by 
 delighting the senses of men with a perfume more 
 exquisite than any hitherto known. 
 
 Such were my reflections as I made my way 
 through the dark and deserted bazaar quarter, fol- 
 lowing the Sharia el-Akkadi to the Mosque of el- 
 Ashraf. There I turned to the left in the direction 
 of the Hamzawi, until, coming to the narrow alley 
 opening from it into the Suk el-Attarin, I plunged 
 into its darkness, which was like that of a tunnel, 
 although the upper parts of the houses above were 
 silvered by the moon. 
 
332 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 I was making for that cramped little courtyard 
 adjoining the shop of Mohammed er-Rahman in 
 which I had observed the presence of one of those 
 aarrow high-wheeled carts peculiar to the district, 
 and as the entrance thereto from the Suk was closed 
 by a rough wooden fence I anticipated little diffi- 
 eolt in gaining access. Yet there was one difficulty 
 ^chich I had not foreseen, and which I had not met 
 with had I arrived, as I might easily have arranged 
 to do, a little earlier. Coming to the corner of the 
 Street of the Perfumers, I cautiously protruded my 
 tead in order to survey the prospect. 
 
 Abu Tabah was standing immediately outside the 
 shop of Mohammed er-Eahman ! 
 
 My heart gave a great leap as I drew back into 
 the shadow, for I counted his presence of evil omen 
 to the success of my enterprise. Then, a swift 
 levelation, the truth burst in upon my mind. He 
 was there in the capacity of imam and attendant 
 magician at the mystical "Blessing of the per- 
 fumes"! With cautious tread I retraced my steps, 
 eircled round the Mosque and made for the narrow 
 street which runs parallel with that of the Perfumers 
 and into which I knew the courtyard beside 
 Mohammed's shop must open. What I did not know 
 was how I was going to enter it from that end. 
 
 I experienced unexpected difficulty in locating the 
 place, for the height of the buildings about me ren- 
 dered it impossible to pick up any familiar land- 
 mark. Finally, having twice retraced my steps, I 
 determined that a door of old but strong workman- 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 133 
 
 ship set in a high, thick wall inust communicate with 
 the courtyard; for I could see no other opening to 
 the right or left through which it would have been 
 possible for a vehicle to pass. 
 
 Mechanically I tried the door, but, as I had antici- 
 pated, found it to be securely locked. A profound 
 silence reigned all about me and there was no window 
 in sight from which my operations could be observed. 
 Therefore, having planned out my route, I deter- 
 mined to scale the wall. My first foothold was offered 
 by the heavy wooden lock which projected fully six 
 inches from the door. Above it was a crossbeam 
 and then a gap of several inches between the top of 
 the gate and the arch into which it was built. Above 
 the arch projected an iron rod from which depended 
 a hook; and if I could reach the bar it would be 
 possible to get astride the wall. 
 
 I reached the bar successfully, and although it 
 proved to be none too firmly fastened, I took the 
 chance and without making very much noise found 
 myself perched aloft and looking down into the little 
 court. A sigh of relief escaped me ; for the narrow 
 cart with its disproportionate wheels stood there 
 as I had seen it in the morning, its shafts pointing 
 gauntly upward to where the moon of the Prophet's 
 nativity swam in a cloudless sky. A dim light shone 
 out from the square window of Mohammed er-Rah- 
 man's cellar. 
 
 Having studied the situation very carefully, I pre- 
 sently perceived to my great satisfaction that whilst 
 the tail of the cart was wedged under a crossbar, 
 
134 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 which retained it in its position, one of the shafts 
 was in reach of my hand. Thereupon I entrusted 
 my weight to the shaft, swinging out over the well 
 of the courtyard. So successful was I that only a 
 faint creaking sound resulted; and I descended into 
 the vehicle almost silently. 
 
 Having assured myself that my presence was un- 
 discovered by Abu Tabah, I stood up cautiously, my 
 hands resting upon the wall, and peered through 
 the little window into the room. Its appearance 
 had changed somewhat. The lamp was lighted and 
 shed a weird and subdued illumination upon a rough 
 table placed almost beneath it. Upon this table were 
 scales, measures, curiously shaped flasks, and odd- 
 looking chemical apparatus which might have been 
 made in the days of Avicenna himself. At one end 
 of the table stood an alembic over a little pan in 
 which burnt a spirituous flame. Mohammed er-Rah- 
 man was placing cushions upon the '^dtwcm immedi- 
 ately beneath me, but there was no one else in the 
 room. Glancing upward, I noted that the height of 
 the neighboring building prevented the moonlight 
 from penetrating into the courtyard, so that my 
 presence could not be detected by means of any light 
 from without; and, since the whole of the upper 
 part of the room was shadotp^ed, I saw little cause 
 for apprehension within. 
 
 At this moment came the sound of a car approach- 
 ing along the Sharia esh-Sharawani. I heard it 
 stop, near the Mosque of el-Ashraf , and in the almost 
 perfect stillness of those tortuous streets from which 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 135 
 
 by day arises a very babel of tongues I heard ap- 
 proaching footsteps. I crouched down in the cart, 
 as the footsteps came nearer, passed the end of the 
 courtyard abutting on the Street of the Perfumers, 
 and paused before the shop of Mohammed er-Rah- 
 man. The musical voice of Abu Tabah spoke and 
 that of the Lady Zuleyka answered. Came a loud 
 rapping, and the creak of an opening door : then — 
 
 "Descend the steps, place the coffer on the table, 
 and then remain immediately outside the door," con- 
 tinued the imperious voice of the lady. "Make sure 
 that there are no eavesdroppers." 
 
 Faintly through the little window there reached 
 my ears a sound as of some heavy object being placed 
 upon a wooden surface, then a muffled disturbance 
 as of several persons entering the room; finally, the 
 muffled bang of a door closed and barred . . . and 
 soft footsteps in the adjoining street ! 
 
 Crouching down in the cart and almost holding my 
 breath, I watched through a hole in the side of the 
 ramshackle vehicle that fence to which I have already 
 referred as closing the end of the courtyard which 
 adjoined the Suk el-Attarin. A spear of moonlight, 
 penetrating through some gap in the surrounding 
 buildings, silvered its extreme edge. To an accom- 
 paniment of much kicking and heavy breathing, into 
 this natural limelight arose the black countenance of 
 "The Dove." To my unbounded joy I perceived 
 that his nose was lavishly decorated with sticking- 
 plaster and that his right eye was temporarily off 
 duty. Eight fat fingers clutching at the top of the 
 
136 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 woodwork, the bloated negro regarded the apparent^ 
 ly empty yard for a space of some three seconds, 
 ere lowering his nngainly bulk to the level of the 
 street again. Followed a faint "pop" and a gur- 
 gling quite uimaistakable. I heard him walking bacfe 
 to the door, as I cautiously stood up and again sur- 
 veyed the interior of the room. 
 
 Egypt, as the earliest historical records show, has 
 always been a land of magic, and according to native 
 belief it is to-day the theater of many super-natural 
 dramas. For my own part, prior to the episode 
 which I am about to relate, my personal experiences 
 of the kind had been limited and unconvincing. That 
 Abu Tabah possessed a sort of uncanny power akin 
 to second sight I knew, but I regarded it merely as 
 a form of telepathy. His presence at the prepara- 
 tion of the secret perfume did not surprise me, for 
 a belief in the efficacy of magical operations pre- 
 vailed, as I was aware, even among the more cultured 
 Moslems. My scepticism, however, was about to be 
 rudely shaken. 
 
 As I raised my head above the ledge of the window 
 and looked into the room, I perceived the Lady 
 Zuleyka seated on the cushioned diwan, her hands 
 resting upon an oren roll of parchinent which lay 
 upon the table beside a massive brass chest of an- 
 tique native workmanship. The lid of the chest was 
 raised, and the interior seemed to be empty, but 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 137 
 
 Hear i? upon the table I observed a number of gold- 
 stoppered vessels of Venetian glass and each of 
 which was of a different color. 
 
 Beside a brazier wherein glowed a charcoal fire, 
 Abu Tabah stood; and into the fire he cast alter- 
 nately strips of paper bearing writing of some sort 
 and little dark brown pastilles which he took from 
 a sandalwood box set upon a sort of tripod beside 
 him. They were composed of some kind of aromatic 
 gum in which benzoin seemed to predominate, and 
 the fumes from the brazier filled the room with a 
 blue mist. 
 
 The imam, in his soft, musical voice, was reciting 
 that chapter of the Koran called "The Angel." Th6 
 weird ceremony had begun. In order to achieve my 
 purpose I perceived that I should have to draw my- 
 self right up to the narrow embrasure and rest my 
 weight entirely upon the ledge of the window. There 
 was little danger in the maneuver, provided I made 
 no noise ; for the hanging lamp, by reason of its form, 
 cast no light into the upper part of the room. As I 
 achieved the desired position I became painfully 
 aware of the pungency of the perfume with which 
 the apartment was filled. 
 
 Lying there upon the ledge in a most painful atti- 
 tude, I wriggled forward inch by inch further into 
 the room, until I was in a position to use my right 
 arm more or less freely. The preliminary prayer 
 concluded, the measuring of the perfumes had now 
 actually commenced, and I readily perceived that 
 without recourse to the parchment, from which the 
 
138 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Lady Zuleyka never once removed her hands, it 
 would indeed be impossible to discover the secret. 
 For, consulting the ancient prescription, she would 
 select one of the gold-stoppered bottles, unscrew it, 
 direct that so many grains should be taken from it, 
 and never removing her gaze from Mohammed er- 
 Rahman whilst he measured out the correct quantity, 
 would restopper the vessel and so proceed. As each 
 was placed in a wide-mouthed glass jar by the per- 
 fumer, Abu Tabah, extending his hands over the 
 jar, pronounced the names : 
 
 "Gabrail Mikail, Israfil, Israil." 
 
 Cautiously I raised to my eyes the small but 
 powerful opera-glasses to procure which I had gone 
 to my rooms at Shepheard's. Focussing them upon 
 the ancient scroll lying on the table beneath me, I 
 discovered, to my joy, that I could read the lettering 
 quite well. "Whilst Abu Tabah began to recite some 
 kind of incantation in the course of which the names 
 of the Companions of the Prophet frequently 
 occurred, I commenced to read the writing of 
 Avicenna. 
 
 "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the 
 Merciful, the High, the Great. ..." 
 
 So far had I proceeded and no further when I 
 became aware of a curious change in the form of 
 the Arabic letters. They seemed to be moving, to 
 be cunningly changing places one with another as 
 if to trick me out of grasping their meaning ! 
 
 The illusion persisting, I determined that it was 
 due to the unnatural strain imposed upon my vision, 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 13» 
 
 and altKough I recognized that time was precious 1 
 found myself compelled temporarily to desist, since 
 nothing was to be gained by watching these letters 
 which danced from side to side of the parchment, 
 sometimes in groups and sometimes singly, so that I 
 found myself pursuing one slim Arab A ( 'Alif) en- 
 tirely up the page from the bottom to the top where 
 it finally disappeared under the thumb of the Lady 
 Zuleyka ! 
 
 Lowering the glasses I stared down in stupefac- 
 tion at Abu Tabah. He had just cast fresh incense 
 upon the flames, and it came home to me, with a 
 childish and unreasoning sense of terror, that the 
 Egyptians who called this man the Magician were 
 wiser than I. For whilst I could no longer hear his 
 voice, I now could see the words issuing from his 
 mouth! They formed slowly and gracefully in the 
 blue clouds of vapour some four feet above his head, 
 revealed their meaning to me in letters of gold, and 
 then faded away towards the ceiling ! 
 
 Old-established beliefs began to totter about me 
 as I became aware of a number of small murmuring 
 voices within the room. They were the voices of the 
 perfumes burning in the brazier. Said one, in a 
 guttural tone : 
 
 ' ' I am Myrrh. My voice is the voice of the Tomb. ' ' 
 
 And another softly: "I am Ambergris. I lure 
 the hearts of men. ' ' 
 
 And a third huskily: "I am Patchouli. My pro- 
 mises are lies." 
 
 My sense of smell seemed to have deserted me 
 
140 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 and to have been replaced, by a sense of hearing. 
 And now this room of magic began to expand before 
 my eyes. The walls receded and receded, until the 
 apartment grew larger than the interior of the 
 Citadel Mosque; the roof shot up so high that I 
 knew there was no cathedral in the world half so 
 lofty. Abu Tabah, his hands extended above the 
 brazier, shrank to minute dimensions, and the Lady 
 Zuleyka, seated beneath me, became almost invisible. 
 
 The project which had led me to thrust myself 
 into the midst of this feast of sorcery vanished from 
 my mind. I desired but one thing: to depart, ere 
 reason utterly deserted me. But, to my horror, I 
 discovered that my muscles were become rigid ban is 
 of iron! The figure of Abu Tabah was drawing 
 nearer ; his slowly moving arms had grown serpen- 
 tine and his eyes had changed to pools of flame 
 which seemed to summon me. At the time when this 
 new phenomenon added itself to the other horrors, 
 I seemed to be impelled by an irresistible force to 
 jerk my head downwards : I heard my neck muscles 
 snap metallically: I saw a scream of agony spurt 
 forth from my lips . . . and I saw upon a little 
 ledge immediately below the square window a little 
 mibTcharah, or incense burner, which hitherto I had 
 not observed. A thick, oily brown stream of vapor 
 was issuing from its perforated lid and bathing my 
 face clammily. Sense of smell I had none; but a 
 chuckling, demoniacal voice spoke from the 
 mibhharah, saying — 
 
 "I am Hashish! I drive men mad! Whilst thou 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 141 
 
 hast lain up there like a very fool, I have sent my 
 vapors to thy brain and stolen thy senses from thee. 
 It was for this purpose that I was set here beneath 
 the window' where thou couldst not fail to enjoy the 
 full benefit of my poisonous perfume. ..." 
 
 Slipping off the ledge, I fell . . . and darkness 
 closed about me. 
 
 VI 
 
 My awakening constitutes one of the most painful 
 recollections of a not uneventful career; for, with 
 aching head and tortured limbs, I sat upright upon 
 the floor of a tiny, stuffy, and uncleanly cell! The 
 only light was that which entered by way of a 
 little grating in the door. I was a prisoner; and, 
 in the same instant that I realized the fact of my 
 incarceration, I realized also that I had been duped. 
 The weird happenings in the apartment of 
 Mohammed er-Rahman had been hallucinations due 
 to my having inhaled the fumes of some preparation 
 of hashish, or Indian hemp. The characteristic 
 sickly odor of the drug had been concealed by the 
 pungency of the other and more odoriferous per- 
 fumes; and because of the position of the censer 
 containing the burning hashish, no one else in the 
 room had been affected by its vapor. Could it have 
 been that Abu Tabah had known of my presence 
 from the first? 
 
 I rose, unsteadily, and looked out through the 
 grating into a narrow passage. A native constable 
 
142 TALES OF SECKET EGYPT 
 
 stood at one end of it, and beyond him I obtained 
 a glimpse of the entrance hall. Instantly I recog- 
 nized that I was under arrest at the Bab el-Khalk 
 police station! 
 
 A great rage consumed me. Eaising my fists I 
 banged furiously upon the door, and the Egyptian 
 policeman came running along the passage. 
 
 "What does this mean, shawesh?" I demanded. 
 "Why am I detained here? I am an Englishman. 
 Send the superintendent to me instantly." 
 
 The policeman's face expressed alternately anger, 
 surprise, and stupefaction. 
 
 "You were brought here last night, most disgust- 
 ingly and speechlessly drunk, in a cart!" he replied. 
 
 "I demand to see the superintendent." 
 
 "Certaialy, certainly, effendim!" cried the man, 
 now thoroughly alarmed. "In an instant, effen- 
 dim!" 
 
 Such is the magical power of the word "Inglisi" 
 (Englishman). 
 
 A painfully perturbed and apologetic native oflfl- 
 cial appeared almost immediately, to whom I ex- 
 plained that I had been to a fancy dress ball at the 
 Gezira Palace Hotel, and, injudiciously walking 
 homeward at a late hour, had been attacked and 
 struck senseless. He was anxiously courteous, send- 
 ing a man to Shepheard's with my written instruc- 
 tions to bring back a change of apparel and offering 
 me every facility for removing my disguise and mak- 
 ing myself presentable. The fact that he palpably 
 
BREATH OF ALLAH 143 
 
 disbelieved my story did not render his concern one 
 whit the less. 
 
 I discovered the hour to be close upon noon, and, 
 once more my outward self, I was about to depart 
 from the Place Bab el-Kialk, when, into the super- 
 intendent's room came Abu Tabah! His handsome 
 ascetic face exhibited grave concern as he saluted 
 me. 
 
 "Hov^ can I express my sorrow, Kernaby Pasha," 
 he said in his soft faultless English, "that so unfor- 
 tunate and unseemly an accident should have be- 
 fallen you? I learned of your presence here but a 
 few moments ago, and I hastened to convey to you 
 an assurance of my deepest regret and sympathy." 
 
 * * More than good of you, ' ' I replied. * ' I am much 
 indebted." 
 
 '*It grieves me," he continued suavely, "to leam 
 that there are footpads infesting the Cairo streets, 
 and that an English gentleman may not walk home 
 from a ball safely. I trust that you will provide 
 the police with a detailed account of any valuables 
 which you may have lost. I have here" — ^thrusting 
 his hand into his robe — "the only item of your prop- 
 erty thus far recovered. No doubt you are somewhat 
 short-sighted, Kernaby Pasha, as I am, and experi- 
 ence a certain difficulty in discerning the names of 
 your partners upon your dance programme." 
 
 And with one of those sweet smUes which could 
 so transfigure his face, Abu Tabah handed me my 
 opera-glasses ! 
 
VI 
 
 THE WHISPERING MUMMY 
 
 FELIX BRSTON and I were the only occupants 
 of the raised platform at the end of the hall; 
 and the inartistic performance of the bulky- 
 dancer who occupied the stage promised to be inter- 
 minable. From motives of sheer boredom I studied 
 the details of her dress — a white dress, fitting like 
 a vest from shoulder to hip, and having short, full 
 sleeves under which was a sort of blue gauze. Her 
 hair, wrists, and ankles glittered with barbaric 
 jewelery and strings of little coins. 
 
 A deafening orchestra consisting of tambourines, 
 shrieking Arab viols, and the inevitable dardbukeh, 
 surrounded the performer in a half -circle ; and three 
 other large-sized ghawasi mingled their shrill voices 
 with the barbaric discords of the musicians. I 
 yawned. 
 
 "As a quest of local color, Breton," I said, "this 
 evening's expedition can only be voted a dismal 
 failure." 
 
 Felix Breton turned to me, with a smile, resting his 
 elbows upon the dirty little marble-topped table. 
 He looked sufficiently like an artist to have been 
 merely a painter; yet his gruesome picture "Le Roi 
 S 'Amuse" had proved the salvation of the previous 
 Salon. 
 
 144 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 145 
 
 "Have patience," he said; "it is Shejeret ed- 
 Durr (Tree of Pearls) that we have come to see, 
 and she has not yet appeared." 
 
 "Unless she appears shortly," I replied, stifling 
 another yawn, "I shall disappear." 
 
 But even as I spoke, there arose a hum of excite- 
 ment throughout the crowded room; the fat dancer, 
 breathless from her unpleasing exertions, resumed 
 her seat; and all the performers turned their heads 
 towards a door at the side of the stage. A veiled 
 figure entered, with slow, lithe step; and her ap- 
 pearance was acclaimed excitedly. Coming to the 
 centre of the stage, she threw off her veil with a swift 
 movement, and confronted the audience, a slim, bar- 
 baric figure. I glanced at Felix Breton. His eyes 
 were glittering with excitement. Here at last was the 
 ghaziyeh of romance, the ghasiyeh of the Egyptian 
 monuments ; a true daughter of that mysterious tribe 
 who, in the remote past of the Nile-land, wove 
 spells of subtle moon-magic before the golden 
 Pharaoh. 
 
 A monstrous crash from the musicians opened 
 the music of the dance — ^the famous Gazelle dance 
 — ^which commenced to a measure of long, monoto- 
 nous cadences. Shejeret ed-Durr began slowly to 
 move her arms and body in that indescribable manner 
 which, like the stirring of palm fronds, speaks 
 the veritable language of the voluptuous Orient. 
 The attendant dancers clashing their miniature 
 cymbals, the measure quickened, and swift passion 
 informed the languorous body, which magically be- 
 
146 TALES OF SECEBT EGYPT 
 
 came transformed into that of a leaping nymph, a 
 bacchante, a living illustration of Keats' wonder- 
 words : 
 
 "Like to a moving vintage, down they came, 
 Crown'd with green leaves, and faces all aflame; 
 AD madly dancing through the pleasant valley, 
 To scare thee, Melancholy 1" 
 
 At the conclusion of her dance, Shejeret ed-Durr, 
 resuming her veil, descended to the floor of the hall 
 and passed from table to table, exchanging light 
 badinage with those patrons known to her. 
 
 "Do you think you could induce her to come up 
 here, Kernaby?" said Breton excitedly; "she is 
 simply the ideal model for my 'Danse Funebre.' " 
 
 "Any inducement other than our presence in this 
 select part of the establishment," I replied, offering 
 him a cigarette, "is unnecessary. She will present 
 herself with all reasonable despatch." 
 
 Indeed, I had seen the dark eyes glance many 
 times towards us, as we sat there in distinguished 
 isolation ; and, even as I spoke, the girl was ascend- 
 ing the steps, from whence she approached our table, 
 smiling in friendly fashion. Breton's surprise was 
 rather amusing when she confidently seated herself, 
 giving an order to the cross-eyed waiter in close 
 attendance. It would be our privilege, of course, 
 to pay the bill. Of its being a privilege, no one could 
 doubt who had observed the envious glances oast in 
 our direction by less favored patrons. 
 
 As Breton spoke no Arabic, the task of interpreter 
 devolved upon me; and I was carrying on quite 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 147 
 
 mechanically when my attention was drawn to a 
 peculiarly sinister-looking person seated alone at a 
 table close beside the corner of the stage. I remem- 
 bered having observed him address some remark to 
 Shejeret ed-Durr, and having noted that she seemed 
 to avoid him. Now, he was directing upon us a glare 
 so electrically baleful that when I first detected it 
 I was conscious of a sort of shock. The man was* 
 rather oddly dressed, wearing a black turban and a 
 sort of loose robe not unlike the burnus of the desert 
 Arabs. I concluded that he belonged to some re- 
 ligious order, and that his bosom was inflamed with 
 a hatred of a most murderous character towards 
 myself, Felix Breton, and the dancer. 
 
 I endeavored, without attracting the girl's notice 
 to indicate to Breton the presence of the Man of the 
 Giare; but the artist was so engrossed in contem- 
 plation of Shejeret ed-Durr and kept me so busy in- 
 terpreting, that J abandoned the attempt in despair. 
 Having made his wishes evident to her, the girl 
 readily consented to pose for him; and when next I 
 glanced at the table near the stage, the Man of the 
 Glare had disappeared. 
 
 What induced me to look towards the rear of the 
 platform upon which we were seated I know not, 
 unless I did so in obedience to a species of hypnotic 
 suggestion; but something prompted me to glance 
 over my shoulder. And, for the second time that 
 night, I encountered the gaze of mysterious eyes. 
 From a little square window these compelling eyes 
 regarded me fixedly, and presentlv I distinguished 
 
148 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 the outline of a head surmounted by a white turban. 
 
 The second watcher was Abu Tabah ! 
 
 What business could have brought the mysterious 
 imdm to such a place was a problem beyond my 
 powers of conjecture, but that he was silently direct- 
 ing me to depart with all speed I presently made out. 
 Having signified, by a gesture, that I had grasped 
 the purport of his message, I turned again to Breton, 
 who was struggling to carry on a conversation with 
 Shejeret ed-Durr in his native French. 
 
 I experienced some difficulty in inducing him to 
 leave, but my arguments finally prevailed, and we 
 passed out into the dimly lighted street. About 
 us in the darkness pipes wailed, and there was the 
 dim throbbing of the eternal dardbukeh. We were 
 in that part of El-Wasr adjoining the notorious 
 Square of the Foimtain. Discordant woman voices 
 filled the night, and strange figures flitted from the 
 shadows into the light streaming from the open 
 doorways. It was the centre of secret Cairo, the 
 midnight city; and three paces from the door of 
 the dance hall, a slim, black-robed figure suddenly 
 appeared at my elbow, and the imusical voice of 
 Abu Tabah spoke close to my ear : 
 
 "Be on the terrace of Shepheard's in half an 
 hour." 
 
 The mysterious figure melted again into the 
 shadows about us. 
 
 n 
 
 On the deserted hotel balcony, Abu Tabah awaited 
 me. 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 149 
 
 "It was indeed fortunate, Kemaby Pasha," he 
 said, "that I observed you this evening." 
 
 "I am greatly obliged to you," I replied, "for 
 watching over me with such paternal solicitude. 
 May I inquire what danger I have incurred?" 
 
 I was angrily conscious of feeling li^§ a school- 
 boy suffering reproof. 
 
 "A very great danger," Abi Tabah assured me, 
 his gentle, musical voice expressing real concern. 
 "Ahmad es-Kebir is the lover of the dancer called 
 Shejeret ed-Durr, alhtough she who is of the ghawazi, 
 of Keneh does not return his affections." 
 
 "Ahmad es-Kebir? — do you refer to a malignant, 
 looking person in a black turban?" I inquired. 
 Abu Tabah gravely inclined his head, 
 "He is one of the Rifa'tyeh, the Black Bar wishes. 
 They practise strange rites and are by some ac- 
 credited with supernatural powers. For you the 
 danger is not so great as for your friend, who seemed 
 to be speaking words of love to the ghaziyeh." 
 I laughed shortly. 
 
 "You are mistaken, Abu Tabah," I replied; "his 
 interest was not of the character which you suppose. 
 He is an artist and merely desired the girl to pose 
 for him." 
 Abu Tabah shrugged his shoulders. 
 "She is an unveiled woman," he said contemp- 
 tuously, "but love in the heart of such a one as 
 Ahmad is a terrible passion, consuming the vitals 
 and rendering whom it afflicts either a partaker of 
 Paradise or as one of the evil gimn." 
 
150 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "In the particular case under consideration," I 
 said, "it would seem distinctly to have produced the 
 latter and less agreeable symptoms." 
 
 "Let your friend step warily," advised Abu 
 Tabah; "for some who have aroused the enmity of 
 the Blaekj^arwishes have met with strange ends, 
 nor has it been possible to fix responsibility upon 
 any member of the order." 
 
 "You think my poor friend, Felix Breton, may 
 be discovered some morning in an unpleasantly 
 messy condition?" 
 
 "The Black Darwishes do not employ the knife," 
 answered Abu Tabah; "they employ strange and 
 more subtle weapons." 
 
 I stared hard at him in the darkness. I thought 
 I knew my Cairo, but this sounded unpleasantly 
 mysterious. However — ^ 
 
 "I am indebted to you, Abu Tabah," I said, "for 
 your timely warning. As you know, I always per- 
 sonally avoid any possibility of misunderstanding 
 in regard to my relations with Egyptian women- 
 folk." 
 
 "With some rare exceptions," agreed Abu Tabah, 
 "particulars of which escape my memory at the 
 moment, you have always been a model of discretion, 
 Kemaby Pasha." 
 
 "I will warn my friend," I said hastily, "of the 
 view of his conduct mistakenly taken by the gentle- 
 man in the black turban." 
 
 "It is well," replied Abu Tabah ; "we shall meet 
 again ere long." 
 
THE WHISPERINa MUMMY 151 
 
 With that and the customary dignified salutations 
 he departed, leaving me wondering what hidden 
 significance lay in his words, "we shall meet again 
 ere long," 
 
 Experience had taught me that Abu Tabah's warn- 
 ings were not to be lightly dismissed, and I knew 
 enough of the fanaticism of those strange Eastern 
 sects whereof the Rifa'iyeh, or Black Darwishes, 
 was one, to realize that it would prove an unhealthy 
 amusement to interfere with their domestic affairs. 
 Felix Breton, who possessed the rare gift of captur- 
 ing and transferring to canvas the atmosphere of the 
 East with the opulent colorings and vivid contrasts 
 which constitute its charm, had nevertheless but little 
 practical experience of the manners and customs ot 
 the golden Orient. He had leased a large studio 
 situated on the roof of a fine old Cairene palace 
 hidden away behind the Street of the Booksellers 
 and almost in the shadow of the Mosque of el-Azhar. 
 His romantic spirit had prompted him after a time 
 to give up his rooms at the Continental and to take 
 up his abode in the apartment adjoining the studio ; 
 that is to say, completely to cut himself off from 
 European life and to become an inhabitant of the 
 Oriental city. With his imperfect knowledge of the 
 practical side of native life in the East, I did not 
 envy him ; but I was fully alive to his danger, isolated 
 as he was from the European community, indeed 
 from modernity; for out of the boulevards of modem 
 Cairo into the streets of the Arabian Nights is but 
 a step, yet a step that bridges the gulf of centuries. 
 
152 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 As I entered his studio on the folowing morning, 
 I discovered him at work upon the extraordinary 
 picture "Danse Funebre." Shejeret ed-Durr was 
 posing in the dress of an ancient priestess of Isis. 
 Breton briefly greeted me, waving his hand towards 
 a cushioned diwom before which stood a Kttle coffee- 
 table bearing decanters, siphons, cigarettes, and 
 other companionable paraphernalia. Making myself 
 comfortable, I studied the picture and the model. 
 
 "Danse Funebre" was an extraordinary concep- 
 tion, representing an elaborately furnished modem 
 room, apparently that of an antiquary or Egyptolo- 
 gist; for a multitude of queer relics decorated the 
 walls, cabinets, and the large table at which a man 
 was seated. Boldly represented immediately to the 
 left of his chair stood a mummy in an ornate sarco- 
 phagus, and forth from the swathed figure into the 
 light cast downwards from an antique lamp, floated 
 a beautiful spirit shape — ^that of an Egyptian: 
 priestess. Upon her face was an expression of in- 
 tense anger, as, her fingers crooked in sinister 
 fashion, she bent over the man at the table. 
 
 The mummy and sarcophagus depicted on the 
 canvas stood before me against the wall of the 
 studio, the lid resting beside the case. It was 
 moulded, as is sometimes seen, to represent the face 
 and figure of the occupant and was as fine an example 
 of the kind as I had met with. The mummy was that 
 of a priestess and dancer of the Great Temple at 
 Philae, and it had been lent by the museum authorities 
 for the purpose of Breton's picture. 
 
THE WHISPEEING MUMMY 153 
 
 His enthusiasm at first seeing Sliejeret ed-Durr 
 was explainable by the really uncanny resemblance 
 which the girl bore to the modeled figure. Studying 
 her, from my seat on the Mwcm, as she posed in that 
 gauzy raiment depicted upon the lid of the sarco- 
 phagus, it seemed indeed that the ancient priestess 
 was reborn in the form of Shejeret ed-Durr the 
 ghasiyeh. Breton had evidently tabooed make-up, 
 with the exception of the characteristic black border- 
 ing to the eyes (which appeared iu the presentment 
 of the servant of Isis) ; and seen now iu its natural 
 coloring the face of the dancing-girl had undoubted 
 beauty.- 
 
 Presently, whilst the model rested, I informed 
 Breton of my conversation with Abu Tabah; but, 
 as I had anticipated, he was sceptical to the point 
 of derision. 
 
 "My dear Kemaby," he said, "is it likely that 
 I am going to interrupt my work now that I have 
 found such an inspiriug model, because some ridicu- 
 lous darwish disapproves?" 
 
 "It is highly unlikely," I admitted; "but do not 
 make the mistake of treating the matter lightly. You 
 are right off the map here, and Cairo is not Paris. ' ' 
 
 "It is a great deal safer!" he cried in his bois- 
 terous fashion, "and infinitely more interesting." 
 
 But my mind was far from easy ; for in the dark 
 eyes of the model, when their glance rested upon 
 Felix Breton, there was that to have aroused 
 poisonous sentiments in the bosom of the Man of 
 the Glare. 
 
154 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 m 
 
 During the course of the following month I saw 
 Felix Breton two or three times, and he was enthu- 
 siastic about the progress of his picture and the 
 beauty of his model. The first hint that I received 
 of the strange idea which was to lead to stranger 
 happenings came one afternoon when he had called 
 upon me at Shepheard's. 
 
 "Do you believe in reincarnation, Kemaby?" he 
 asked suddenly. 
 
 I stared at him in surprise. 
 
 "Regardless of my personal views on the matter," 
 I replied, "in what way does the subject interest 
 you?" 
 
 Momentarily he hesitated; then — t 
 
 "The resemblance between Yasmina" (this was 
 the real name of Shejeret ed-Durr) "and the 
 priestess of Isis," he said, "appears to me too 
 marked to be explainable by mere coincidence. If 
 the mummy were my personal property I should 
 unwrap it " 
 
 "Do you seriously desire me to believe that you 
 regard Yasmina as a reincarnation of the elder 
 lady?" 
 
 ' ' That or a lineal descendant, ' ' he answered. ' * The 
 tribe of the Ghawasi is of unknown antiquity and 
 may very well be descended from those temple 
 dancers of the days of the Pharaohs. If you have 
 studied the ancient wall paintings, you cannot have 
 failed to observe that the dancing girls represented 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 155 
 
 have entirely different forms froin those of any, 
 other women depicted and from those of the ordinary 
 Egyptian women of to-day." 
 
 His enthusiasm was tremendous; he was one of 
 those uncomfortable fanatics who will ride a theory 
 to the death. 
 
 "I cannot say that I have noticed it," I replied. 
 "Your knowledge of the female form divine is doubt- 
 less more extensive than mine." 
 
 "My dear Kemaby," he cried excitedly, "to the 
 trained eye the difference is extraordinary. Until 
 I saw Yasmina I had believed the peculiar form to 
 which I refer to be extinct like the blue enamel and 
 the sacred lotus. If it is not reincarnation it is 
 heredity." 
 
 I could not help thinking that it more closely re- 
 sembled insanity than either; but since Breton had 
 made no reference to the wearer of the black turban, 
 I experienced less anxiety respecting his physical 
 than his mental welfare. 
 
 Three days later there was a dramatic develop- 
 ment. Drifting idly into Breton's studio one morn- 
 iug I found him pacing the place in despair and glar- 
 ing at his unfinished canvas like a man distraught. 
 
 "Where is Shejeret ed-Durr?" I inquired. 
 
 "Gone!" he replied. "She disappeared yester- 
 day and J can find no trace of her." 
 
 * ' Surely the excellent Suleyman, proprietor of the 
 dancing establishment, can assist you?" 
 
 "I tell you," cried Breton savagely, "that she has 
 disappeared. No one knows what has become of her. ' ' 
 
156 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 I looked at him in dismay. He presented a mourn- 
 ful spectacle. He was unshaven and his dark hair 
 was wildly disordered. His despair was more acute 
 than I should have supposed possible in the circmn- 
 stances ; and I concluded that his interest in Yasmina 
 was deeper than I had assumed or that I was 
 incapable of comprehending the artistic tempera- 
 ment. I suppose the GaUie blood in him had some- 
 thing to do with it, but I was unspeakably distressed 
 to observe that the man was on the verge of tears. 
 
 Consolation was impossible, and I left him pacing 
 his empty studio distractedly. That night at an 
 unearthly hour, long after I had retired to my own 
 apartments, he came to Shepheard's. Being shoT\Ti 
 into my room, and the servant having departed — 
 
 "Yasmina is dead!" he burst out, standing there, 
 a disheveled figure, just within the doorway. 
 
 "What!" I exclaimed, standing up from the table 
 at which I had been writing and confronting him. 
 * 'Dead ? Do you mean ' ' 
 
 "He has murdered her!" said Breton, in a dull 
 monotonous voice — "that fiend of whom you warned 
 me." 
 
 I was appalled ; for I had been utterly unprepared 
 for such a tragedy. 
 
 * ' "Who discovered her ? ' ' 
 
 "No one discovered her; she Avill never be dis- 
 covered! He has buried her body in some secret 
 spot in the desert. ' ' 
 
 My amazement grew with every word that he 
 uttered, and presently — 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 157 
 
 "Then how in Heaven's name did you learn of 
 her murder?" I asked. 
 
 Felix Breton, who had begun to pace up and down 
 the room, a truly pitiable figure, paused and looked 
 at me wildly. 
 
 "You will think that I am mad, Kemaby," he 
 said; "but I must teU you — ^I must tell someone. 
 I could see that you were incredulous when I spoke 
 to you of reincarnation, but I was right, Kernaby, 
 I was right ! Either that or my reason is deserting 
 me." 
 
 My opinion inclined distinctly in the direction of 
 the latter theory, but I remained silent, watching 
 Breton's haggard face. , 
 
 "To-night," he continued, "as I sat looking at 
 my unfinished picture and trying to imagine what 
 could have become of Yasmina, the mummy — the 
 mummy of the priestess — spoke to me!" 
 
 I slowly sank back into my chair. I was now 
 assured that Felix Breton had formed a sudden and 
 intense infatuation for Yasmina and that her mys- 
 terious disappearance had deranged his sensitive 
 mind. Words failed me; I could think of nothing 
 to say; and bending towards me his haggard face — 
 
 "It whispered to me," he said, "in her voice — in 
 my own language, French, as I have taught it to her ; 
 just a few imperfect words, but sufficient to convey 
 to me the story of the tragedy. Kernaby, what does 
 it mean? Is it possible that her spirit, released 
 from the body of Yasmina, has returned to that 
 which I firmly believe it formerly inhabited? ..." 
 
158 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 I had had the misfortune to be a party to some dis- 
 tressing scenes, but few had affected me so unpleas- 
 antly as this. That poor Felix Breton was raving 
 I could not doubt, but having persuaded him to 
 spend the night at Shepheard's and having seen him 
 safely to bed, I returned to my own room to en- 
 deavor to work out the problem of what steps I 
 should take regarding him on the morrow. 
 
 In the morning, however, he seemed more com- 
 posed, having shaved and generally rendered him- 
 self more presentable ; but the wild look still lingered 
 in his eyes and I could see that the strange obsession 
 had secured a firm hold upon him. He discussed 
 the matter quite calmly during breakfast, and invited 
 met to visit the scene of this supernatural happening. 
 I assented, and hailing ardbiyeh we drove together 
 to the studio. 
 
 There was nothing abnormal in the appearance 
 of the place, but I examined the mummy and the 
 mummy case with a new curiosity; for if Felix 
 Breton was not mad (and this was a point upon 
 which I recognized my incompetence to decide) the 
 phantom voice was clearly the product of some trick. 
 However, I was unable to discover anything to ac- 
 count for it. The sarcophagus stood against the 
 outer wall of the studio and near to a large lattice 
 window before which was draped a heavy tapestry 
 curtain for the purpose of excluding undesirable 
 light upon that side of the model's throne. There 
 was no balcony outside the window, which was fully, 
 thirty feet from the street below; therefore unless 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 159 
 
 someone had been hiding in the window recess be- 
 side the sarcophagus, trickery appeared to be out of 
 the question. Turning to Breton, who was watching 
 me haggardly — 
 
 "You searched the recess last night?" I said. 
 
 "I did — ^immediately. There was no one there. 
 There was no one anywhere in the studio ; and when 
 I looked out of the open window, the street below 
 was deserted from end to end." 
 
 Naturally, I took it for granted that he would 
 avoid the place, at any rate by night ; and I said as 
 much, as we passed along the Miiski together. I 
 can never forget the wildness in his eyes as he 
 turned to me. 
 
 "I must go back, Kemaby," he said, "It seems 
 like desertion, base and cowardly." 
 
 IV 
 
 Breton did not join me at dinner that evening as 
 we had arranged that he should do, and towards the 
 flour of ten o'clock, growing more and more uneasy 
 on his behalf, I set out for the studio, half hopiag 
 that I should meet him, I saw nothing of him, how- 
 ever, as I crossed the Ezbekiyeh Gardens and the 
 Atabet el-Khadra into the Muski. From thence on- 
 ward to the Rondpoint the dark and narrow streets 
 were almost deserted, and from the comer of the 
 Sharia el-Khordagiya to the Street of the Book- 
 binders I met with no living thing save a lean and 
 furtive cat. 
 
160 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 My footsteps echoed hollowly from wall to wall 
 of the overhanging buildings, as I approached the 
 door giving acess to the courtyard from which a 
 stair communicated with the studio above. The 
 moonlight, slanting down into the ancient place, 
 left more than half of it in densest shadow, but just 
 touched the railing of the balcony and the lower 
 part of the mushrdbiyeh screen masking what once 
 had been the harem apartments from the view of one 
 entering the courtyard. Far above me, through an 
 open lattice, a dim light shone out, though vaguely. 
 This part of the house was bathed in the radiance 
 of the moon, which dimmed that of the studio lamp ; 
 for the open window was the window of Breton's 
 studio. 
 
 The door at the foot of the stairs was partly open, 
 and I ascended slowly, since the place was quite dark 
 and I was forced to feel my way around the eccentric 
 turnings introduced by an Arab architect to whom 
 simplicity had evidently been an abomination. 
 
 A modem door had been fitted to the studio ; and 
 although this door was also unfastened, I rapped 
 loudly, but, receiving no answer, entered the studio. 
 It was empty. The lamp was lighted, as I had ob- 
 served from below, and a faint aroma of Turkish 
 tobacco smoke hung in the air. Clearly, Breton had 
 left but a few moments earlier; and I judged it 
 probable that he would be returning very shortly, 
 for had he set out for Shepheard's he would not 
 have left his door unlocked, and in any event I 
 should have met him on the way. Therefore, having 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 161 
 
 glanced into the inner room, which, latterly, Breton 
 had been using as a bedroom, I sat down on the diwan 
 and prepared to await his return. 
 
 The lamp whose light I had seen shining through 
 the window was that which hung before the model's 
 throne, and the curtain which usually draped the 
 window recess had been partially pulled aside, so 
 that from where I sat I could see part of the centre 
 lattice, which was open. My mind at this time was 
 entirely occupied with uneasy speculations regard- 
 ing Breton, and although I had glanced more than 
 once at the large unfinished picture on the easel, 
 from which the face of Shejeret ed-Durr peered out 
 across the shoulder of the seated man, and several 
 times had looked at the mummy set upright in its 
 painted sarcophagus, no sense of the uncanny had 
 touched me or in any way prepared me for the amaz- 
 ing manifestation which I was about to witness. 
 
 How long I had sat there I cannot say exactly; 
 possibly for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour: 
 when, suddenly, an eerie whisper crept through the 
 stillness of the big room ! 
 
 Since I had more than once been temporarily 
 tricked into belief in the supernatural, by means of 
 certain ingenious devices, I did not readily fall a 
 victim to the mysterious nature of the present oc- 
 currence. Yet I must confess that my heart gave a 
 great leap and I was forced to exert all my will to 
 control my nerves. I sat quite still, listening intently 
 for a repetition of that evil whisper. Then, in the 
 stillness, it came again. 
 
162 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "Felix," it breathed, "because of you I lie dead in 
 a grave in the desert. ... I died for you, Felix, 
 and now I am so lonely. ..." 
 
 The whispering voice offered no clue to the age or 
 the sex of the speaker ; for a true whisper is toneless. 
 But the words, as Breton had declared, were uttered 
 in broken French and spoken with a curious accent. 
 
 It ceased, that ghostly whispering; and I realized 
 that my nerves could stand no more of it ; for that 
 it came or seemed to come from the mummy of the 
 priestess was a fact as undeniable as it was horrible. 
 
 Resorting to action, I sprang up and leaped across 
 the room, grasping first at the curtain draped in 
 the window on the right of the sarcophagus. I jerked 
 it fully aside. The recess was empty. All three 
 lattices were open, on the right, left, and in the 
 centre of the window; but, craning out from the 
 latter, I saw the street below to be vacant from end 
 to end. 
 
 Stepping back into the room, and metaphorically 
 clutching my courage with both hands, I approached 
 the sarcophagus, peered behind it, all around it, and, 
 finally, into the swathed face of the mummy itself. 
 Nothing rewarded my search. But the studio of 
 Felix Breton seemed to have become icily cold; at 
 any rate I found myself to be shivering; and walk- 
 ing deliberately, although it cost me a monstrous 
 effort to do so, I descended the dark winding stair- 
 way into the courtyard, and, on regaining the street, 
 discovered to my intense annoyance that my brow 
 was wet with cold perspiration. 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 163 
 
 I had taken no more than ten paces in the direction 
 of the Suk es-Sudan when I heard the sound of 
 approaching footsteps, and for some reason (I can 
 only suppose as a result of my highly strung con- 
 dition) I stepped into the shelter of a narrow gate- 
 way, where I could see without being seen, and there 
 awaited the appearance of the one who approached. 
 
 It was Felix Breton, his face showing ghastly in 
 the moonlight as he turned the comer. I could not 
 be certain if a mere echo had deceived me, but I 
 thought I could detect faintly the softer footfalls 
 of someone who was following him. From my cover 
 I had an uninterrupted view of the entrance to the 
 house which I had just left; and without showing 
 myself I watched Breton approach the door. At its 
 threshold he seemed to hesitate; and in that brief 
 hesitancy were illustrated the conflicting emotions 
 driving the man. I recalled the words he had spoken 
 to me that morning. "I must go back, Kernaby; it 
 seems like desertion, base and cowardly." He 
 opened the door and disappeared. 
 
 As he did so, a second figure crossed from the 
 shadows on the opposite side of the street — ^that is, 
 the side upon which I was concealed; and in turn 
 advanced towards the door. As he passed my hid- 
 ing-place I acted. Without an instant's hesitation. 
 I hurled myself upon him. 
 
 How he avoided that furious attack — ^if he did 
 avoid it — or whether in the darkness I miscalculated 
 my spring, I do not know to this day: I only know 
 that I nussed my objective, stumbled, recovered my- 
 
164 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 self . . . and turned with clenched fists to find Abu 
 Tabdh confronting me I 
 
 "Kernaby Pasha!" he cried. 
 
 "Abu Tabah!" said I dazedly. 
 
 "I perceive that I am not alone in my anxiety 
 for the welfare of M. Felix Breton." 
 
 "But why were you following him? I narrowly 
 missed assaulting you." 
 
 * ' Very narrowly, ' ' he agreed in his gentle manner ; 
 "but you ask me why I was following M. Breton. 
 I was following him because I have seen so many 
 of those who have crossed the path of the Black 
 Darwishes meet with violent and inexplicable 
 deaths." 
 
 "Murder?" I whispered, 
 
 "Not murder — suicide. Therefore, observing, as 
 I had anticipated, a strangeness in your friend's 
 behavior, I have watched him. ' ' 
 
 "The strangeness of his behavior is easily ao- 
 counted for," I said. And excitedly, for the horror 
 of the episode in the studio was still strongly upon 
 me, I told him of the whispering mummy. 
 
 "These are very dreadful things of which you 
 speak, Kernaby Pasha," he admitted, "but I warned 
 you that it was ill to incur the enmity of the Black 
 Darwishes. That there is a scheme afoot to com- 
 pass the self-destruction or insanity of your friend 
 is now evident to me ; and he has brought this calami- 
 ty upon himself; for the words which he believed to 
 be spoken by the spirit of the girl Yasmma would not 
 have affected him so unpleasantly if his attitude 
 
THE WHISPEEIJJG MUMMY 165 
 
 towards her had been marked by proper restraint 
 and the affair confined within suitable limitations." 
 
 "Quite so. But although the Black Darwishes 
 may be both malignant and clever, that uncanny 
 whispering is beyond the control of natural forces." 
 
 "Such is not my opinion," replied Abu Tabah. 
 "A spirit does not mistake one person for another; 
 and the whispering voice addressed itself to 'Felix' 
 when Felix was not present. I believe, Kemaby 
 Pasha, that you are the possessor of a pair of ex- 
 cellent opera-glasses ? May I suggest that you return 
 to Shepheard's and procure them." 
 
 The platform of the minaret seemed very cold to 
 the touch of my stockinged feet; for I had left my 
 shoes at the entrance to the mosque below ia ac- 
 cordance with custom; and now, from the wooden 
 balcony, I overlooked the neighboring roofs of Cairo, 
 and Abu Tabah, beside me, pointed to where a vague 
 patch of light broke the darkness beneath us to the 
 left. 
 
 "The window of M. Felix Breton's studio," he 
 said. 
 
 Raising the glasses to his eyes, he gazed in that 
 direction, whilst I also peered thither and succeeded 
 ia making out the well of the courtyard and the 
 roofs of the buildings to right and left of it. It v/as 
 not evident to me for what Abu Tabah was looking, 
 and when presently he lowered the glasses and turned 
 to me I expressed my doubts in words. 
 
166 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "It is surely evident," I said, speaking, as I now 
 almost invariably did to the imam, in English, of 
 which he had a perfect mastery, ''that we have little 
 chance of discoveriag anything from here, since 
 nothing was visible from the studio window. 
 Furthermore, who save Yasmina could have spoken 
 in the manner which I have related and in broken 
 French?" 
 
 "An eavesdropper," he replied, " might have 
 profited by the lessons which Yasmina received from 
 M. Breton; and all vocal ch9,racteristics are lost in 
 a whisper. In the second place, Yasmina is not 
 dead." 
 
 "What!" I cried. 
 
 Although, when Breton had informed me of her 
 death, I myself had doubted him, for some reason 
 the ghostly whisper had convinced me as it had con- 
 vinced him. 
 
 "She has been kept a prisoner during the past 
 week in a house belonging to one of the Black 
 Darwtshes," continued Abu Tabah; "but my agents 
 succeeded in tracing her this morning. By my 
 orders, however, she has not been allowed to return 
 to her home." 
 
 "And what was the object of those orders?" 
 
 "That I might learn for what purpose she had 
 been made to disappear," replied Abu Tabah; "and 
 I have learned it to-night." 
 
 "Then you think that the whispering mum- 
 my " 
 
 He suddenly clutched my arm. 
 
THE WHISPERING MUMMY 167 
 
 "Quick! raise your glasses!" he said softly. "On 
 ihe roof of the house to the left of the light. There 
 is the whispering mummy!" 
 
 Strung up to a high pitch of excitement, I gazed 
 through the glasses in the direction indicated hy 
 my companion. Without difficulty I discerned him 
 : — a man wearing a black turban — ^who crept like 
 some ungainly cat along the flat roof, carrying irt 
 his hand what looked like one of those sugar canes 
 which pass for a delicacy among the natives, but 
 which to European eyes appear more suitable for 
 curtain-poles than sweetmeats. Springing perilously 
 across a yawning gulf, the wearer of the black turban 
 gained the roof of the studio, crept along for some 
 little distance further, and then, lying prone, began 
 slowly to lower the bamboo rod in the direction of 
 the lighted window. 
 
 I found that unconsciously I had suspended my 
 respiration, and now, breathlessly, as the truth came 
 home to me — 
 
 "It is a speaking-tube!" I cried, "I cannot see 
 the end of it, but no doubt it is curved so as to 
 protrude through the side of the lattice window. Do 
 you look ,Abu Tabah: / propose to act." 
 
 Thrusting the glasses into the imam's hand, I 
 took my Colt repeater from my pocket, and, having 
 peered for some seconds steadily in the direction 
 of the dimly visible Darwish, I opened fire ! I had 
 fired five shots in the heat of my anger at that 
 sinister crouching figure, ere Abu Tabah seized my 
 wrist. 
 
168 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "Stop!" lie cried; "do you forget where you 
 stand?" 
 
 Truly I had forgotten in my indignation, or I 
 should not have outraged his feelings by firing from 
 the minaret of a mosque. But sufficient of my wrath 
 remained to occasion me a thrill of satisfaction, 
 when, peering through the dusk, I saw the Darwzsh 
 throw up his arms and disappear from view. 
 
 "There is blood in the courtyard," said Abu 
 Tabah; "but Ahmad es-Kebir has fled. Therefore 
 he stiU lives, and his anger will be not the less but 
 the greater. Depart from Cairo, M, Breton: it is 
 my counsel to you." 
 
 "But," cried Felix Breton, glaring wildly at the 
 big canvas on the easel, "I must finish my picture. 
 As Yasmina is alive, she must return, and I must 
 finish my picture!" 
 
 "Yasmina cannot return," replied Abu Tabah, 
 fixing his weird eyes upon the speaker. "I have 
 caused her to be banished from Cairo." He raised 
 his hand, checking Breton's hot words ere they were 
 uttered. "Eecriminations are unavailing. Her 
 presence disturbs the peace of the city, and the peace 
 of the city it is my duty to maintain." 
 
PART II 
 
 OTHER TALES 
 
 I 
 
 LORD OF THE JACKALS 
 
 IN those days, of course (said the French agent, 
 looking out across the sea of Yussuf Effendis 
 which billowed up against the balcony to where, 
 in the moonlight, the minarets of Cairo pointed the 
 way to God), I did not occupy the position which 
 I occupy to-day. No, I was younger, and more ambi- 
 tious; I thought to carve in the annals of Egypt 
 a name for myself such as that of De Lesseps. 
 
 I had a scheme — and there were those who be- 
 lieved in it — ^for extending the borders of Egypt. 
 Ah ! my friends, Egypt after all is but a double belt 
 of mud following the Nile, and terminated east and 
 west by the desert. The desert ! It was the dream 
 of my life to exterminate that desert, that hungry 
 gray desert ; it was my plan — a foolish plan as I know 
 now — ^to link the fertile Fayum to the Oases ! How 
 was this to be done ? Ah ! 
 
 Why should I dig up those buried skeletons? It 
 was not done; it never could be done; therefore, 
 let me not bore you with how I had proposed to do 
 it. Suffice it that my ambitions took me far off the 
 beaten tracks, far, even, from the caravan roads — 
 far into the gray heart of the desert. 
 
 169 
 
170 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 But I was ambitious, and only nineteen — or scarce- 
 ly twenty. At mneteen, a man who comes from St. 
 Remy fears no obstacle which Fate can place in his 
 way, and looks upon the world as a grape-fruit to be 
 sweetened with endeavor and sucked empty. 
 
 It was in those days, then, that I learned as your 
 Eudyard Kipling has also learned that "East is 
 East"; it was in those days that I came face to face 
 with that "mystery of Egypt'' about which so much 
 is written, has always been written, and always will 
 be written, but concerning which so few people, so 
 very few people, know anything whatever. 
 
 Yes, I, Rene de Flassans, saw with my own eyes , 
 a thing that I knew to be magic, a thing whereat my 
 reason rebelled — a thing which my poor European 
 intelligence could not grapple, could not begin to 
 explaia. 
 
 It was this which you asked me to tell you, was it 
 not? I will do so with pleasure, because I know that 
 I speak to men of honor, and because it is good 
 for me, now that I cannot count the gray hairs in my 
 beard, to confess how poor a thing I was when I 
 could count every hair upon my chin — and how grand 
 a thing I thought myself. 
 
 One evening, at the end of a dreadful day in the 
 saddle — beneath a sky which seemed to reflect all 
 the fires of hell, a day passed upon sands simply 
 smoking in that merciless sun — ^I and my native com- 
 panions came to an encampment of Arabs. 
 
 They were Bedouins* — ^the tribe does not matter 
 
 • This incorreet but familiar spelling is retained ttrougbout. 
 
LOED OF THE JACKALS 171 
 
 at the moment — and, as you may know, the Bedouin 
 is the most hospitable creature whom God has yet 
 created. The tent of the Sheikh is open to any 
 traveller who cares to rest his weary limbs therein. 
 Freely he may partake of aU that the tribe has to 
 offer, food and drink and entertainment; and to seek 
 to press payment upon the host would be to insult a 
 gentleman. 
 
 That is desert hospitality. A spear that stands 
 thrust upright in the sand before the tent door signi- 
 fies that whosoever would raise his hand against 
 the guest has first to reckon with the Sheikh. 
 Equally it would be an insult to erect one's own 
 tent in the neighborhood of a Bedouin encampment. 
 
 Well, my friends, I knew this well, for I was no 
 stranger to the nomadic life, and accordingly, with- 
 out fear of the fierce-eyed throng who came forth 
 to meet us, I made my respects to the Sheikh Said 
 Mohammed, and was reckoned by him as a friend 
 and a brother. His tent was placed at my disposal 
 and provisions were made for the suitable entertain- 
 ment of those who were with me. 
 
 Tou know how dusk falls in Egypt? At one 
 moment the sky is a brilliant canvas, glorious with 
 every color known to art, at the next the curtain — 
 the wonderful veil of deepest violet — ^has fallen; the 
 stars break through it like diamonds through the 
 finest gauze; it is night, velvet, violet night. You 
 see it here in this noisy modem Cairo. In the lonely 
 desert it is ten thousand times grander, ten thousand 
 times more impressive ; it speaks to the soul with the 
 
172 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 voice of the silence. Ah, those desert nights! 
 
 So was the night of which I speak; and having 
 partaken of the fare which the Sheikh caused to be 
 set before me — and Bedouin fare is not for the 
 squeamish stomach — I sipped that delicious coffee 
 which, though an acquired taste, is the true nectar, 
 and looked out beyond the four or five palm trees 
 of this little oasis to where the gray carpet of the 
 desert grew black as ebony and met the violet sweep 
 of the sky. 
 
 Perhaps I was the first to see him; I cannot say; 
 but certainly he was not perceived by the Bedouins, 
 although one stood on guard at the entrance to 
 the camp. 
 
 How can I describe him? At the time, as he 
 approached in the moonlight with a shambling, stoop 
 uig gait, I felt that I had never seen his like before. 
 Now I know the reason of my wonder, and the reason 
 of my doubt. I know what it was about him which 
 inspired a kind of horror and a revulsion — a dread. 
 
 Elfin locks he had, gray and matted, falling about 
 his angular face, shading his strange, yellow eyes. 
 His was dressed in rags, in tatters ; he was furtive, 
 and he staggered as one who is very weak, slowly 
 approaching out of the vastness. 
 
 Then it appeared as though every dog in the camp 
 knew of his coming. Out from the shadows of the 
 tents they poured, those yapping mongrels. Never 
 have I seen such a thing. In the midst of the yellow- 
 ish, snarling things, at the very entrance to the camp, 
 the wretched old man fell, uttering a low cry. 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 173 
 
 But now, snatching up a heavy club which lay 
 close to my hand, I rushed out of the tent. Others 
 were thronging out too, but, first of them all, I burst 
 in among the dogs, striking, kicking, and shouting. 
 I stooped and raised the head of the stranger. 
 
 Mutely he thanked me, with half-closed eyes. A 
 choking sound issued from his throat, and he clutched 
 with his hands and pointed to his mouth. 
 
 An earthenware jar, containing cool water, stood 
 beside a tent but a few yards away. Hurling my 
 club at the most furious of the dogs, which, with 
 bared fangs, still threatened to attack the recumbent 
 man, I ran and seized the dorak, regained his side, 
 and poured water between his parched lips. 
 
 The throng about me was strangely silent, until, 
 as tue poor old man staggered again to his feet, sup- 
 ported by my arm, a chorus arose about me — one 
 long, vowelled word, wholly unfamiliar, although 
 my Arabic was good. But I noted that all kept a 
 respectful distance frotn myself and the man whom 
 I had succored. 
 
 Then, pressing his way through the throng came 
 the Sheikh Said Mohammed. Saluting the ragged 
 stranger with a sort of grim respect, he asked him 
 if he desired entertainment for the night. 
 
 The other shook his head, mumbling, pointed to 
 the water jar, and by dint of gnashing his yellow 
 and pointed teeth, intimated that he required food. 
 Food was brought to him hurriedly. He tied it 
 up in a dirty cloth, grasped the water jar, and, with 
 never a glance at the Arabs, turned to me. With 
 
174 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 his hand he touched his brow, his lips, and his breast 
 in salute; then, although tottering with weakness, 
 he made off again with that queer, loping gait. 
 
 The camp dogs began to howl, and a strange silence 
 fell upon the Arabs about me. All stood watching 
 the departing figure until it was lost in a dip of the 
 desert, when the watchers began to return again to 
 their tents. 
 
 Said Mohammed took my hand, and in a few 
 direct and impressive words thanked me for having 
 spared him and his tribe from a grave dishonor. 
 Need I say that I was flattered? Had you met him, 
 my friends, that fine Bedouin gentleman, polished 
 as any noble of old France, fearless as a lion, yet 
 gentle as a woman, you would know that I rejoiced 
 in being able to serve him even so slightly. 
 
 Two of the dogs, unperceived by us, had followed 
 the weird old man from the camp; for suddenly in 
 the distance I heard their savage growls. Then, 
 these growls were drowned in such a chorus of howl- 
 ing — ^the howling of jackals — as I had never before 
 heard in all my desert wanderings. The howling 
 suddenly subsided . . . but the dogs did not return. 
 
 I glanced around, meaning to address the Sheikh, 
 but the Sheikh was gone. 
 
 Filled with wonder, then, respecting this singular 
 incident, I entered the tent — it was at the farther 
 end of the camp — ^which had been placed at my dis- 
 posal, and lay down, rather to reflect than to sleep. 
 With my mind confused in thoughts of yellow-eyed 
 wanderers, of dogs, and of jackals, sleep came. 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 175 
 
 How long I slept I cannot say ; but I was awakened 
 as the cool fingers of dawn were touching the crests 
 of the sand billows. A gray and dismal light filled 
 the tent, and something was scratching at the flap. 
 
 I sat up immediately, quite wide awake, and taking 
 my revolver, ran to the entrance and looked out. 
 
 A slinking shape melted into the shadows of the 
 tent adjoining mine, and I concluded that a camp 
 dog had aroused me. Then, in the early morning 
 silence, I heard a faint call, and peering through the 
 gloom to the east saw, in black silhouette, a solitary 
 figure standing near the extremity of the camp. 
 
 In those days, my friends, I was a brave fellow — ■ 
 we are all brave at nineteen — and throwing a cloak 
 over my shoulders I strode intrepidly towards this 
 figure. I was within ten paces when a hand was 
 raised to beckon me. 
 
 It was the mysterious stranger! Again he 
 beckoned to me, and I approached yet nearer, asking 
 him if it was he who had aroused me. 
 
 He nodded, and by means of a grotesque kind of 
 pantomine ultimately made me understand that he 
 had caused me to be aroused in order to communicate 
 something to me. He turned, and indicated that we 
 were to walk away from the camp. I accompanied 
 him without hesitation. 
 
 Although the camp was never left unguarded, no 
 one had challenged us ; and, a hundred yards beyond 
 the outermost tent, this strange old man stopped 
 and turned to me. 
 
 First, he pointed back to the camp, then to myself, 
 
176 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 then out along the caravan road towards the Nile. 
 
 "Do you mean," I asked him — ^for I perceived 
 that he was dumb or vowed to sUence — "that I am 
 to leave the camp?" 
 
 He nodded rapidly, his strange yellow eyes gleam- 
 ing. 
 
 "Immediately?" I demanded. 
 
 Again he nodded. 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 Pantomimically he made me understand that death 
 threatened me if I remained — ^that I must leave the 
 Bedouins before sunrise. 
 
 I cannot convey to you any idea of the mad earnest- 
 ness of the man. But, alas ! youth regards the coun- 
 sels of age with nothing but contempt ; moreover, I 
 thought this man mad, and I was unable to choke 
 down a sort of loathing which he inspired in me. 
 
 I shook my head then, but not unkindly; and, 
 waving my hand, prepared to leave him. At that, 
 with a sorrow in his strange eyes which did not fail 
 to impress me, he saluted me with gravity, turned, 
 and passed out of sight. 
 
 Although I did not know it at the time, I had chosen 
 of two paths the one that led through fire. 
 
 I slept little after this interview — if it was a real 
 interview and not a dream — and feeling tired and 
 imrefreshed, I saw the sun rise purple and angry 
 over the distant hUls. 
 
 You know what Tihamsm is like, my friends? But 
 you cannot know what simoom is like — simoom io- 
 the heart of the desert! It came that morning — C 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 177 
 
 wall of sand so high as to shut out the sunlight, so 
 dense as to turn the day into night, so suffocating 
 that I thought I should never live through it ! 
 
 It was apparent to me that the Bedouins were 
 prepared for the storm. The horses, the camels and 
 the asses were tethered in an enclosure specially 
 strengthened to exclude the choking dust, and with 
 their cloaks about their heads the men prepared 
 for the oncoming of this terror of the desert. 
 
 My God! it was a demon which sought to bhnd 
 me, to suffocate me, and which clutched at my throat 
 with strangling fingers of sand! This, I told myself, 
 was the danger which I might have avoided by quit- 
 ting the camp before sunrise. 
 
 Indeed, it was apparent to me that if I had taken 
 the advice so strangely offered, I might now have 
 been safe in the village of the Great Oasis for which 
 I was bound. But I have since seen that the simoom 
 was a minor danger, and not the real one to which 
 this weird being had referred. 
 
 The storm passed, and every man in the 
 encampment praised the merciful God who had 
 spared us all. It was in the disturbance attendant 
 upon putting the camp in order once more that I 
 saw her. 
 
 She came out from the tent of Said Mohammed, 
 to shake the sand from a carpet; the newly come 
 sunlight twinkled upon the bracelets which clasped 
 her smooth brown arms as she shook the gaily 
 colored mat at the tent door. The sunlight shone 
 upon her braided hair, upon her slight robe, upon 
 
178 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 her silver anklets, and upon her tiny feet. Trans- 
 fixed I stood watching — ^indeed, my friends, almost 
 holding my breath. Then the sunlight shone upon 
 her eyes, two pools of mysterious darkness into 
 which I found myself suddenly looking. , 
 
 The face of this lovely Arab maiden flushed, 
 and drawing the corner of her robe across those 
 bewitching eyes, she turned and ran back into the 
 tent. 
 
 One glance — ^just one glance, iny friends! But 
 never had Ulysses' bow propelled an arrow more 
 sure, more deadly. I was nineteen, remember, and 
 of Provence. What do you foresee ! You who have 
 been through the world, you who once were nine- 
 teen. 
 
 I feigned a sickness, a sickness brought about by 
 the sandstorm, and taking base advantage of that 
 desert hospitality which is unbounded, which knows 
 no suspicion, and takes no count of cost, I remained 
 in the tent which had been vacated for me. 
 
 In this voluntary confinement I learned little of 
 the doings of the camp. All day I lay dreaming of 
 two dark eyes, and at night when the jackals 
 howled I thought of the wanderer who had counseled 
 me to leave. One day, I lay so; a second; a third 
 again; and the women of Said Mohammed's house- 
 hold tended me, closely veiled of course. But ia 
 vain I waited for that attendant whose absence was 
 rendering my feigned fever a real one — ^whose eyes 
 burned like torches in my dreams and for the coming 
 of whose little bare feet across the sand to my tent 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 179 
 
 door I listened hour by hour, day by day, in vain — 
 always in vain. 
 
 But at nineteen there is no such thing as despair, 
 and hope has strength to defy death itself. It was 
 in the violet dusk of the fourth day, as I lay there 
 with a sort of shame of my deception struggling for 
 birth in my heart, that she came. 
 
 She came through the tent door bearing a bowl 
 of soup, and the rays of the setting sun outlined her 
 fairy shape through the gossamer robe as she 
 entered. 
 
 At that my poor weak little conscience troubled 
 me no more. How my heart leaped, leaped so that it 
 threatened to choke me, who had come safe through 
 a great sandstorm. 
 
 There is fire in the Southern blood at nineteen, 
 my friends, which leaps into flame beneath the 
 glances of bright eyes. 
 
 With her face modestly veiled, the Bedouin maid 
 knelt beside me, placing the wooden bowl upon the 
 ground. My eager gaze pierced the yashmak, but 
 her black lashes were laid upon her cheek, her 
 glorious eyes averted. My heart — or was it my 
 vanity? — ^told me that she regarded me at least with 
 interest, that she was not at ease in my company; 
 and as, having spoken no word, having ventured no 
 glance, she rose again to depart, I was emboldened 
 to touch her hand. 
 
 Like a startled gazelle she gave me one rapid 
 glance, and was gone ! 
 
 She was gone — and my very soul gone with her! 
 
180 .TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 For hours I lay, not so much as thinking of the 
 food beside me— dreaming of her eyes. What were 
 my plans? Faith! Does one have plans at nine- 
 teen where two bright eyes are concerned? 
 
 Alas, my friends, I dare not tell you of my hopes, 
 yet upon those hopes I lived. Oh, it is glorious to 
 be niaeteen and of Provence ; it is glorious when aU 
 the world is young, when the fruit is ripe upon the 
 trees and the plucking seems no sin. Yet, as we 
 look back, we perceive that at nineteen we were 
 scoundrels. 
 
 The Bedouin girl is a woman when a European 
 woman is but a chUd, and Sakina, whose eyes could 
 search a man's soul, was but twelve years of age — 
 twelve ! Can you picture that child of twelve squeez- 
 ing a lover's heart between her tiny hands, entwining 
 his imagination in the coils of her hair? 
 
 You, my friend, may perhaps be able to conceive 
 this thing, for you know the East, and the women 
 of the East. At ten or eleven years of age many of 
 them are adorable; at twenty-one most of them are 
 passe; at twenty-six all of them — ^with rare excep- 
 tions — are shriekrag hags. 
 
 But to you, my other friends, who are strangers 
 to our Oriental ways, who know not that the peach 
 only attains to perfect ripeness for one short hour, 
 it may be strange, it may be horrifying, that I loved, 
 with all the ardor which was mine, this little Arab 
 maiden, who, had she been bom in France, would 
 not yet have escaped from the nursery. But I 
 digress. 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 181 
 
 The Arabs were encamped, of course, in the neigh- 
 borhood of a spring. It lay in a slight depression 
 amid the tiny palm-grove. Here, at sunset, came flie 
 Women with their pitchers on their heads, graceful 
 of carriage, veiled, mysterious. 
 
 Many peaches have ripened and have rotted since 
 those days of which I speak, but now — even now — I 
 am still enslaved by the mystery of Egypt's veiled 
 women. Untidy, bedraggled, dirty, she may be, but 
 the real Egyptian woman when she bears her pitcher 
 upon her head and glides, stately, sinuously, through 
 the dusk to the well, is a figure to enchain the 
 imagination. 
 
 Very soon, then, the barrier of reserve which, like 
 the screen of the harem, stands between Eastern. 
 \yomen and love, was broken. My trivial scruples I 
 had cast to the winds, and feigning weakness, I' 
 would sally forth to take the air in the cool of the 
 evening ; this two days later. 
 
 My steps, be assured, led me to the spring; and 
 you who are men of the world will know that Sakina, 
 braving the reproaches of the Sheikh's household, 
 neglectful of her duties, was last of all the women 
 who came to the well for water. 
 
 I taught her to say my name — ^Rene ! How sweet 
 it sounded from her lips, as she strove in vain to 
 roll the 'e' in our Provengal fashion. Some ginnee 
 most certainly presided over this enchanted fountain, 
 for despite the nearness of the camp our rendezvous 
 was never discovered, our meetings were never 
 detected. 
 
182 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 With her pitcher upon the ground beside her, she 
 would sit with those wistful, wonderful eyes up- 
 raised to mine, and sway before the ardor of my 
 impassioned words as a young and tender reed sways 
 in the Nile breeze. Her budding soul was a love 
 lute upon which I played in ecstasy; and when she 
 raised her red lips to mine. ... Ah! those nights 
 in the boundless desert ! God is good to youth, and 
 harsh to old age ! 
 
 Next to Said Mohammed, her father, Sakina's 
 brother was the finest horseman of the tribe, and 
 his white mare their fleetest steed. I had cast 
 covetous eyes upon this glorious creature, my 
 friends, and secretly had made such overtures as 
 were calculated to win her confi^dence. 
 
 Within two weeks, then, my plans were complete 
 — ^up to a point. Since they were doomed to failure, 
 like my great scheme, I shall not trouble you with 
 their details, but an hour before dawn on a certain 
 night I cut the camel-hair tethering of the white 
 mare, and, undetected, led the beautiful creature over 
 the silent sands to a cup-like depression, a thousand 
 yards distant from the camp. 
 
 The Bedouin who was upon guard that night had 
 with hitn a gourd of 'erhsoos. This was customary, 
 and I had chosen an occasion when the duty of filling 
 the sentinel's gourd had fallen upon Sakina; to his 
 'erksoos I had added four drops of dark brown fluid 
 from my medicine chest. 
 
 It was an hour before dawn, then, when I stood 
 beside the white mare, watching and listening; it 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 183 
 
 ■was an hour before dawn when she for whom my 
 great scheme was forgotten, for whom I was about 
 to risk the anger, the just anger, of men amongst 
 the most fierce in the known world, came running 
 fleetly over the hillocks down into the little valley, 
 and threw herself into my arms. . . . 
 
 When dawn burst in gloomy splendor over the 
 desert, we were still five hours' ride from the spot 
 where I had proposed temporarily to conceal myself, 
 with perhaps an hour's start of the Arabs. I knew 
 the desert ways well enough, but the ghostly and 
 desolate place in which I now found myself neverthe- 
 less filled me with foreboding. 
 
 A seam of black volcanic rock split the sands for 
 a great distance, forming a kind of natural wall of 
 forbidding aspect . In places this wall was pierced 
 by tunnel-like openings ; I think they may have been 
 prehistoric tombs. There was no scrap of verdure 
 visible, north, south, east or west; only desolation, 
 sand, grayness, and this place, ghostly and wan with 
 that ancient sorrow, that odor of remote mortality 
 which is called "the dust of Egypt." 
 
 Seated before me in the saddle, Sakina looked up 
 into my face with a never-changing confidence, hav- 
 ing her little brown fingers interlocked about my 
 neck. But her strength was failing. A short rest 
 was imperative. 
 
 Thus far I had detected no evidence of pursuit 
 and, descending from the saddle, I placed my weary 
 companion upon a rock over which I had laid a rug, 
 and poured out for her a draught of cool water. 
 
184 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Bread and dates were our breakfast fare; but 
 bread and dates and water are nectar and ambrosia 
 when they are sweetened with kisses. Oh ! the glori- 
 ous madness of youth! Sometimes, my friends, I am 
 ahnost tempted to believe that the man who has 
 never been wicked has never been happy ! 
 
 Picture us, then, if you can, set amid that deso- 
 lation, which for us was a rose-garden, eating of 
 that unpalatable food — ^which for us was the food 
 of the gods ! 
 
 So we remained awhile, deliriously happy, though 
 death might terminate our joys ere we again saw 
 the sun, when something . . . something spoke to 
 iue . . . 
 
 Understand me, I did not say that someone spoke, 
 I did not say that anything audible spoke. But I 
 know that, unlocking those velvet arms which clung 
 to me, I stood up slowly — and, still slowly, turned 
 and looked back at the frowning black rocks. 
 
 Merciful God! My heart beats wildly now when 
 I recall that moment. 
 
 Motionless as a statue, but in a crouching atti- 
 tude, as if about to leap down, he who had warned 
 me so truly stood upon the highest point of the rocks 
 watching us ! 
 
 How long did I remain thus? 
 
 I cannot pretend to say; but when I fumed toi 
 Sakina — she lay trembling on the ground, with her 
 face hidden in her hands. 
 
 Then, down over the piled-up rocks, this mys- 
 terious and ominous being came leaping. Old maii 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 185 
 
 though he was, he descended with the agility of a 
 mountain goat — and sometimes, in the difficult 
 places, he went on all fours. 
 
 Crossing the iatervening strip of sand, he stood 
 before me. Tou have seen the reproach in the eyes 
 of a faithful dog whose master has struck him un- 
 justly? Such a reproach shone out from the yellow 
 eyes of this desert wanderer. I cannot account for 
 it ; I can say no more. . . . 
 
 It was impossible for me to speak; I trembled 
 violently; such a fear and such a madness of sorrow 
 possessed me that I would have welcomed any death 
 — ^to have freed me from that intolerable reproach. 
 
 He suddenly pointed towards the horizon where 
 against the curtain of the dawn black figures 
 appeared. 
 
 I fell upon my knees beside Sakina. I was a 
 poor, pitiable thing; the madness of my passion had 
 left me, and already I was within the great Shadow; 
 I could not even weep; I knew that I had brought 
 Sakina out into that desolate place — ^to die. 
 
 And now the man whose ways were unlike human 
 ways began to babble insanely, gesticulating and 
 plucking at me. I cannot hope to make you feel 
 one little part of the emotion with which those 
 instants were laden, Sakina clung to me trembling 
 in a way I can never forget — ^never, never forget. 
 And the look in her eyes ! even now I cannot bear 
 to think of it, I cannot bear 
 
 Those almost colorless lizards which dart about 
 in the desert places with incredible swiftness were 
 
186 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 now coming forth from their nests ; and all the while 
 the black figures, unheard as yet, were approaching 
 along the path of the sun. 
 
 My mad folly grew more apparent to me every 
 moment. I realized that this which so rapidly was 
 overtaking me had been inevitable from the first. 
 The strange wild man stood watching me with that 
 intolerable glare, so that my trembling companion 
 shrank from him in horror. 
 
 But evidently he was seeking to convey some idea 
 to me. He gesticulated constantly, pointing to the 
 approaching Arabs and then over his shoulder to 
 the frowning rock behind. Since it was too late for 
 flight — ^for I knew that the white mare with a double 
 burden could never outpace our pursuers — ^it ocr 
 curred to me at the moment when the muffled beat 
 of hoofs first became audible, that this hermit of 
 the rocks was endeavoring to induce me to seek some 
 hiding-place with which no doubt he was acquainted. 
 
 How I cursed the delay which had enabled the 
 Arabs to come up with us ! I know, now, of course, 
 that even had I not delayed, our ultimate capture 
 was certain. But at the moment, in my despair, I 
 thought otherwise. 
 
 And now I cursed the stupidity which had pre- 
 vented me from following this weird guide ; I even 
 thought wrathfully of the poor frightened child, 
 whose weakness had necessitated the delay and 
 whose fears had contributed considerably to this 
 later misunderstanding. 
 
 The pursuing party, numbering four, and led by 
 
LOED OF THE JACKALS 187 
 
 Said Mohammed, was no more than five hundred 
 yards away when I came to my senses. The hermit 
 now was tugging at my arm with frightful insist- 
 ence; his eyes were glaring insanely, and he chat- 
 tered in an almost pitiable manner. 
 
 "Quick!" I cried, throwing my arm about Sakina, 
 "up to the rocks. This man can hide us!" 
 
 "No, no!" she whispered, "I dare not " 
 
 But I lifted her, and signing to the singular being 
 to lead the way, staggered forward despairingly. 
 
 The distance was greater than it appeared, the 
 climb incredibly difficult. My guide held out his 
 hand to me to assist me to mount the slippery 
 rocks; but I had much ado to proceed and also to 
 support Sakina. 
 
 Her terror of the man and of the place to which 
 he was leading us momentarily increased. Indeed, 
 it seemed that she was becoming mad with fear. 
 When the man paused before an opening in the 
 rocks not more than fifteen or sixteen inches in 
 height, and wildly waving his arms in the air, his 
 elfin locks flying about his shoulder, his eyes glassy, 
 intimated that we were to crawl in — Sakina writhed 
 free of my grasp and bounded back some three or 
 four paces down the slope. 
 
 "Not in there!" she cried, holding out her little 
 hands to me pitifully. "I dare not! He would de- 
 vour us!" 
 
 At the foot of the slope. Said Mohammed, who 
 had dismounted from his horse, and who, far ahead 
 of the others, was advancing towards us, at that 
 
188 TALES OF SECEET EGYPT; 
 
 moment raised his gun and fired. . . . 
 
 Can I go on? 
 
 It is more years ago than I care to count, but 
 it is fresher in my mind than the things of yesterday. 
 A lonely old age is before me, my friends — for I 
 have been a solitary man since that shot was fired. 
 For me it changed the face of the world, for me it 
 ended youth, revealing me to myself for what I was. 
 
 Something more nearly resembling human speech 
 than any sound he had yet uttered burst from the 
 lips of the wild man as the report of Said Moham- 
 med's shot whispered in echoes through the mys- 
 terious labyrinths beneath us. 
 
 Fate had stood at the Sheikh's elbow as he pulled 
 the trigger. 
 
 With a little soft cry — ^I hear it now, gentle, but 
 having in it a world of agony — Sakina sank at my 
 feet . . . and her blood began to trickle over the 
 
 black rocks on which she lay. 
 
 ****** 
 
 The man who professes to describe to you his 
 emotions at such a frightful moment is an impostor. 
 The world grew black before my eyes; every 
 emotion of which my being was capable became 
 paralysed. 
 
 I heard nothing, I saw nothing but the little 
 huddled figure, that red stream upon the black rock, 
 and the agonized love iu the blazing eyes of Sakina. 
 Groaning, I threw myself down beside her, and as 
 she sighed out her life upon my breast, I knew — 
 God help me — that what had been but a youthful 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 189 
 
 amour, was now a life's tragedy; that for me the 
 light of the world had gone out, that I should never 
 again know the warmth of the sun and the gladness 
 of the morning. . . . 
 
 The cave man, with a dog-like fidelity, sought 
 now to drag me from my dead love, to drag me into 
 that gloomy lair which she had shrunk from enter- 
 ing. His incoherent mutterings broke in upon my 
 semi-coDaa; but I shook him off, I shrieked curses 
 at him. . . . 
 
 Now the Bedouins were mounting the slope, not 
 less than a hundred yards below me. In the grow- 
 ing light I could see the face of Said Mohammed. 
 
 The man beside me exerted all his strengl3i t® 
 drag me back into the gallery or cave — I know not 
 what it was ; but with my arms locked about Sakina 
 I lay watchiag the pursuers coming closer and closer. 
 Then, those persistent efforts suddenly ceased, and 
 dully I told myself that this weird being, having 
 done his best to save me, had fled in order to save 
 himself. 
 
 I was wrong. 
 
 You have asked me for a story of the magic of 
 Egypt, and although, as you see, it has cost me tears 
 — oh! I am not ashamed of those tears, my friends! 
 ■■ — ^I have recounted this story to you. You say^ 
 where is the magic? and I might reply? the magic 
 was in the changing of my false love to a true. But 
 there was another magic as well, and it grew up 
 around me now at this moment when I lay iner^ 
 waiting for death. 
 
190 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 From behind me, from above me, arose a cry — 
 a cry. You may have heard of the Bedouin song, 
 the 'Mizmune': 
 
 "Ta men meiek ana dSri waat sa jebb, 
 Id el' ish boos' a beb hatsa az^t ta lebb." 
 
 You may have heard how when it is sung in a 
 certain fashion, flowers drop from their stalks? 
 Also, you may have doubted this, never having 
 heard a magical cry. 
 
 I do not doubt it, my friends ! For I have heard 
 a magical cry — ^this cry which arose from behind 
 me ! It started some chord in my dulled conscious- 
 ness which had never spoken before. I turned my 
 lead — and there upon the highest point of the rocks 
 stood the cave man. He suddenly stretched forth 
 Ms hands. 
 
 Again he uttered that uncanny, that indescribable 
 ery. It was not human. It was not animal. Yet 
 it was nearer to the cry of an animal than to any 
 Eoxtnd made by the human species. His eyes gleamed 
 with an awful light, his spare body had assumed a 
 strange significance; he was transfigured. 
 
 A third time he uttered the cry, and out from one 
 of those openings in the rock which I have men- 
 tioned, crept a jackal. You know how a jackal avoids 
 &e day, how furtive, how nocturnal a creature 
 il is? but there in the golden glory which pro- 
 claimed the coming of the sun, black silhouettes 
 moved. 
 
 A great wonder possessed me, as the first jackal 
 was followed by a second, by a third, by a fourth, 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 191 
 
 by a fifth. Did I say a fifth? ... By five hundred 
 — by five thousand ! 
 
 From every visible hole in the rocks, jackals 
 poured forth in packs. Wonder left me, fear left 
 me ; I forgot my sorrow, I became a numbed intelli- 
 gence amid a desert of jackals. Over a sea of moving 
 furry backs, I saw that upstanding crag and the 
 weird crouching figure upon it. Eight and left, 
 above and below, jackals moved . . . and all turned 
 their heads towards the approaching Bedouins ! 
 
 Again — again I heard that dreadful cry. The 
 jackals, in a pack, thousands strong, began to ad- 
 vance upon the Bedouins ! . . . 
 
 Not east or west, north or south, could yom 
 hope to find a braver man than was the Sheikh Said 
 Mohammed; but — ^he fled! 
 
 I saw the four horsemen riding like furies into 
 the morning sun. The white mare, riderless, gal- 
 loped with them — and the desert behind was yellow 
 with jackals! For the last time I heard the cry. 
 
 The jackals began to return! 
 
 Forgive me, dear friends, if I seem an emotional 
 fool. But when I recovered from the swoon which 
 blotted out that unnatural spectacle, the wizard — 
 for now I knew him for nothing less — ^had dug a 
 deep trench — and had left me, alone. 
 
 Not a jackal was in sight; the sun blazed cruelly 
 upon the desert. With my own hands I laid my 
 love to rest in the sands. No cross, no crescent 
 marks her resting-place; but I left my youth upoa 
 her grave, as a last offering. 
 
192 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 You may say that, since I had sinned so griev- 
 ously, since I had betrayed the noble confidence of 
 Said Mohammed, my host, I escaped lightly. 
 
 Ah! you do not Imow! 
 
 And what of the strange being whose gratitude I 
 had done so little to merit but yet which knew no 
 bounds? It is of him that I will tell you. 
 
 Years later — ^how many it does not matter, but I 
 was a man with no illusions — ^my restless wander- 
 ings (I being still a desert bird-of -passage) brought 
 me one night to a certain well but rarely visited. It 
 lay in a depression, like another well that I am 
 fated often to see in my dreams, and, as one ap- 
 proached, the crowns of the palm trees which grew 
 there appeared above the mounds of sand. 
 
 I was alone and tired out ; the next possible camp- 
 ing-place — for I had no water — ^was many miles 
 away. Yet it was written that I should press on to 
 that other distant well, veary though I was. 
 
 First, then, as I came up, I perceived numbers of 
 vultures tu the air ; and I began to fear that someone 
 near to his end lay at the well. But when, from the 
 top of a mound, I obtained a closer view, I saw a 
 sight that, after one quick glance, caused me to spur 
 up my tired horse and to fly — ^fly, with panic in my 
 heart. 
 
 The brilliant moon bathed the hollow in light and 
 cast dense shadows of the palm stems upon the slope 
 beyond. By the spring, his fallen face ghastly ia 
 the moonlight, in a clear space twenty feet across, 
 lay a dead man. 
 
LORD OF THE JACKALS 193 
 
 Even from where I sat I knew him; but, had I 
 doubted, other evidence was there of his identity. 
 As I mounted the slope, thousands of fiery eyes were 
 turned upon me. 
 
 God! that arena all about was alive with jackals 
 — jackals, my friends, eaters of carrion — ^which, 
 silent, watchful, guarded the wizard dead, who, 
 living, had been their lord I 
 
n 
 
 LURE OF SOULS 
 
 THIS is the story which Bernard Fane told 
 me one afternoon as we sat sipping China 
 tea in the Heliopolis Palace Hotel, follow- 
 ing a round upon the neighboring links. 
 
 The life of a master at the training college (said 
 Fane) is beastly uneventful, taken all around; not 
 even your keen sense of the romantic could long 
 survive it. The duties are not very exacting, cer- 
 tainly, and in our own way I suppose we are Empire 
 builders of a sort; but when you ask me for a true 
 story of Egyptian life, I find myself floored at once. 
 
 We aU come out with the idea of the mystic East 
 strong upon us, but it is an idea that rarely survives 
 one summer in Cairo. Personally, I made a more 
 promising start than the average; an adventure 
 came my way on the very day I landed in Port Said, 
 ia fact it began on the way out. But alas ! it was not 
 only the first, but the last adventure which Egypt 
 has offered me. 
 
 I have not related the story more than five hun- 
 dred times, so that you will excuse me if I foozle 
 it in places. I will leave you to do the polishing. 
 
 On my first trip out, then, I joined the ship at 
 Marseilles, and saw my cabin trunk placed in a nice 
 
 194 
 
LURE OF SOULS 19i 
 
 deck berth, with the liveliest satisfaction. Walking 
 along the white promenade deck, I felt no end of a 
 man of the world. Every Anglo-Lidian that I mst 
 seemed a figure from the pages of Kipling, and whem 
 I accidentally blundered into the ayahs' quarters, I 
 could almost hear the jangle of the temple bells, so 
 primed was I with traditions of the Orient — ^the 
 traditions one gathers from books of the lighter 
 sort, I mean. 
 
 You wUl see that in those days I was not a bit 
 blase; the glamour of the East was very real to me. 
 For that matter, it is more real than ever, now? 
 Near or Far, the East has a call which, once heard, 
 can never be forgotten, and never be unheeded. But 
 the call it makes to those who have never been there 
 is out of tune, I have learned; or rather, it is not 
 in the right key. 
 
 Well, I had a most glorious bath — ^I am sybarite 
 enough to love the luxuriance of your modem liner 
 — got into blue serge, and felt no end of an adven- 
 turer. There was a notice on the gangway that the 
 steamer would not leave Marseilles untU ten o'clock 
 at night, but I was far too young a traveller to risk 
 missing the boat by going ashore again. You know 
 the feeling? Consequently I took my place in the 
 saloon for dinner, and vaguely wondered why nobody 
 else had dressed for the function. I was a proper 
 Johnny _Eaw, no end of a Johimy Eaw, but I enjoyed 
 it all immensely, nevertheless. I personally super- 
 intended the departure of the ship, and believed that 
 every deck-hand took me for a hardened globe- 
 
196 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 trotter ; and when at last I sought my cosy cabin, all 
 spotlessly white, with my trunk tucked under the 
 l)unk, and, drawing the little red curtain, I sat down 
 to sum up the sensations of the day, I was thoroughly 
 satisfied with it aU. 
 
 Gad! novelty is the keynote of life, don't you 
 think? When one is young, one envies older and 
 more experienced men, but what has the world left 
 ©f novelty to offer them? The simple matter of 
 joining a steamboat, and taking possession of my 
 berth, had afforded me thriUs which some of my 
 fellow-passengers — ^those whom I envied the most 
 for the stories of life written upon their tanned 
 features — could only hope to taste by means of big- 
 game hunting, now, or other far-fetched methods of 
 thriU-giving. 
 
 It wore off a bit the next day, of course, and I 
 found that once one has settled down to it, ocean 
 traveling is merely floating hotel life. But many of 
 my fellow-passengers (the boat was fairly full) still 
 appealed to me as books of romance which I longed 
 to open. And before the end of that second day, 
 I became possessed of the idea that there was some 
 deep mystery aboard. Since this was my first voy- 
 age, something of that sort was to be expected of 
 me ; but it happened that I stood by no means alone 
 in this belief. 
 
 In the smoking-room, after dinner, I got into con- 
 versation with a chap of about my own age who was 
 bound for Colombo— tea-planting. We chatted on 
 different topics for half an hour, and discovered 
 
LUEE OF SOULS 197 
 
 that we had mutual friends, or rather, the other 
 fellow discovered it. 
 
 "Have you noticed," he said, "a distinguished- 
 looking Indian personage, who, with three native 
 friends, sits at the small comer table on our left?" 
 
 Hamilton — that was my acquaintance's name — 
 was my right-hand neighbor at the chief officer's 
 table, and I recollected the group to which he re- 
 ferred immediately. 
 
 " Yes, " I replied ; ' * who are they ? ' * 
 
 "I don't know," answered Hamilton, "but I have 
 a suspicion that they are mysterious." 
 
 "Mysterious?" 
 
 "Well, they joined at Marseilles, just before your- 
 self. They were received by the skipper in person, 
 and two of them were closeted in his cabin for twenty 
 miuutes or more." 
 
 "What do you make of that?" 
 
 "Can't make anything of it, but their whole be- 
 havior strikes me as peculiar, somehow. I cannot 
 quite explain myself, but you say that you have 
 noticed something of the sort, yourself?" 
 
 "They certainly keep very much to themselves," 
 I said. Hamilton glanced at me quickly. 
 
 "Naturally," he replied. 
 
 Not desiring to appear stupid, I did not ask him to 
 elucidate this remark, although at the time it meant 
 nothing to me. Of course I have learned since, as 
 everyone learns whose lines are cast among Orien- 
 tals, that iron barriers divide the races. But at the 
 time I knew nothing of this — as will shortly appear. 
 
198 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 During breakfast on the following morning, I 
 glanced several times at the mysterious quartette. 
 They had been placed at a separate table and were 
 served with different courses from the rest of the 
 passengers. I was not the only member of the com- 
 pany who found them interesting, but the Anglo- 
 Indians on board, to a man, left the native party 
 severely alone. You know the icy aloofness of the 
 Anglo-Indians? 
 
 My second day at sea wore on, uneventfully 
 enough; the bugle had already announced the hour 
 for dressing, and the boat-deck outside my berth, 
 where I had had my chair placed, was practically 
 deserted, when something occurred to turn my 
 thoughts from the four Indians. It was a glorious 
 evening, with the sun setting out across the Mediter- 
 ranean in such a red blaze of glory that I sat watch- 
 ing it fascinatedly, my book lying unheeded on the 
 deck beside me. Eight and left of me men occupying 
 the other deck cabins had lighted up, and were busily 
 dressing. Right aft was a corner cabin, larger than 
 the others, and suddenly I observed the door of this 
 to open. 
 
 A slim figure glided out on to the deck, and began 
 to advance toward me. It proved to be that of a 
 woman or girl dressed in clinging black silk, and 
 wearing a yashmakl She had a richly embroidered 
 shawl thrown over her head and shoulders, and in 
 that coy half-light she presented a dazzlingly beau- 
 tiful picture. 
 
 It was my first sight of a yashmak, and, because 
 
LUEE OF SOULS 199 
 
 it was worn by a marvelously pretty woman, the 
 thousands seen since have never entirely lost their 
 charm for me. I could detect the lines of an ex- 
 quisitely chiseled nose, and the long dark eyes of 
 the apparition were entirely unforgettable. The 
 hand with which she held her shawl about her was 
 of ivory smoothness, and, Uke a little red lamp, a 
 great ruby blazed upon the index finger. 
 
 With her high-heeled shoes tapping daintily upon 
 the deck she advanced; then, suddenly perceiving 
 that the promenade was not entirely deserted, she 
 turned, but not hastily or rudely, and glided back 
 to her cabin. 
 
 I have endeavored to outline for your benefit the 
 state of my mind at this period, hinting how keenly 
 alive I was to romance of any sort, provided it wore 
 the guise of the Orient ; so that it will be unnecessary 
 for me to explain how strong an impression this 
 episode made upon me. The Indian party was for- 
 gotten, and as I hastily dressed and descended to 
 dinner, I scarcely listened to Hamilton when he bent 
 toward me and whispered something about the 
 "Strong Room." 
 
 My gaze was roaming about the spacious saloon. 
 Even in those days I might have known better; 
 I might have known that no Mohammedan woman 
 would take her meals in a public saloon. But I was 
 too dazzled by my memories to summon to my aid 
 such fragments of knowledge respecting Eastern 
 customs as were mine. 
 
200 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Well, some little time elapsed before I saw or 
 heard anything further of the houri. I began to 
 settle down to the routine of the trip, and (you 
 know how news circulates through a ship?) it was 
 not veiy long before I knew as much as any of the 
 other passengers knew. 
 
 Hamilton was a sort of filter through which it 
 all came to me, and of course it was not undiluted, 
 but colored with his own views. The lady of the 
 yashmak, he informed me, was a member of the 
 household of a wealthy Moslem in the neighborhood 
 of Damascus. She was travelling via Port Said, 
 and taking a Khedivial boat from there to Beyrut. 
 He was a perfect mine of information, but his real 
 interest was centered all the time on the party of 
 four Indians. 
 
 "They are emissaries of the Rajah of Bhotana," 
 he informed me confidentially. "The mystery be- 
 gins to clear up. You must have read about a month 
 ago that Lola de I'Iris was selling some of her 
 jewelery and devoting the proceeds to the founding 
 of an orphanage or something of the kind; quite a 
 unique advertisement. Well, the famous Indian dia • 
 mond presented to her by one of the crowned heads 
 of Europe was amongst the bunch which she sold; 
 and after staying in the West for over fifty years, 
 it is again on its way back to the East where it came 
 from." 
 
 I began to recollect the circumstances, now; the 
 historic Indian diamond^ — I do not know Hindustani, 
 but its name translated means "Lure of Souls" — 
 
LUEE OF SOULS 201 
 
 had been in the possession of the dancer for many- 
 years, and its sale for such a purpose had turned 
 the limelight upon her most enviably. It was a new 
 idea in advertising, and had proved an admirable 
 success. 
 
 So the four reticent gentlemen were the guardians 
 of the diamond. Under normal circumstances this 
 might have been interesting, but, as I have tried to 
 make clear, another matter engrossed my attention. 
 In fact, I was living in a dream-world. 
 
 Of course, my opportunity came, in due course. 
 One evening, as I mooned on the shadowy deck—* 
 which was quite deserted, because an extempore 
 dance was taking place on the deck below — she came 
 gliding along towards me. I could see her eyes 
 sparkling in the moonlight. 
 
 At first I feared that she was going to turn back. 
 She hesitated, in a wildly alluring manner, when 
 first she saw me sitting there watching her. Then, 
 turning her head aside, she came on, and passed me. 
 I never took my eyes off that graceful figure for a 
 moment. 
 
 Coming to the rail, she leaned and looked out 
 toward the coast of Crete, where silver tracings in 
 the blue marked the mountain peaks ; then, shivering 
 slightly, and wrapping her embroidered shawl more 
 closely about her shoulders, she retraced her steps. 
 
 Not a yard from where I sat, she dropped a little 
 silk handkerchief on the deck! 
 
 How my heart leapt at that ! the rest was a magical 
 whirl ; and ten seconds later I was chatting with her. 
 
202 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 She spoke fluent French, but little English. 
 
 She appealed to me in a way that was new and 
 almost irresistible ; it was an appeal quite Oriental, 
 sensuous — ^iudescribable. I just wanted to take her 
 in my arms and kiss those tantalizing lips; talking 
 seemed a waste of time. Of course, I cannot hope 
 to make you understand; but it was extraordinary. 
 I felt that I was losing my head; the glances of 
 those long dark eyes were setting me on fire. 
 
 Suddenly, she terminated this, our first tete-d-tete. 
 She raised her finger to her veiled lips and glided 
 away into the shadows like a phantom A sentence 
 died, unfinished, on my tongue. I turned, and looked 
 over my shoulder. 
 
 Gad ! I got a fright ! A most hideous Oriental of 
 some kind, having only one eye but that afire with 
 malignancy, was watching me from where he stood 
 half concealed by a boat. 
 
 My lily of Damascus was guarded! 
 
 Humming, with an assumption of unconcern, I 
 strolled away and joined the dancers below. 
 
 That was the beginning, then. I cursed to think 
 how short a time was at my disposal; but since, 
 the very next morning, I found myself enjoying 
 a second delicious little stolen interview, I perceived 
 that my company was not unacceptable. 
 
 What? oh, I had lost my head entirely; I admit it. 
 
 It was an effort to speak of matters ordinary, 
 
LUEE OF SOULS 203 
 
 topics of the ship; my impulse was to whisper de- 
 licious nonsense into those tiny ears. However, I 
 forced myself to talk about things in general, and 
 told her that the famous diamond, Lure of Souls, 
 was aboard. 
 
 This was news to her, and she seemed to be 
 tremendously interested. Her interest was of such a 
 childish sort, so naive, that the project grew up in 
 my mind at that very moment — ^the project that was 
 to terminate so disastrously. It was hardly a matter 
 of so many words ; there was nothing definite about 
 the thing at all, and this, our second interview, was 
 cut short in much the same manner as the first. 
 
 "8sh! Mustapha!" 
 
 With those whispered words, and a dazzling smile, 
 this jewel of Damascus who interested me so much 
 more deeply than the Eajah's diamond, departed 
 hurriedly — and I turned to meet again the malignant 
 ^aze of the wall-eyed guardian. 
 
 The sort of romance in which I was steeped at 
 that time flourishes and grows fat upon incidents 
 of this kind. I have searched my memory many a 
 time since then, for some word or hint to prove that 
 the conversation about the diamond was opened and 
 guided in a desired direction by the lady of the 
 yashmak; but excluding transmission of thought, I 
 could never find any evidence of the kind — ^have 
 never been able to do so. 
 
 Certainly my memories of that period are hazy 
 except in regard to Nahemah. If I were an artist, 
 I could paint her portrait from memory without 
 
204 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 the slightest error, I thiiik. She occupied my 
 thoughts to the exclusion of all else. But the project 
 was formed and carried out. Hamilton was one of 
 those popular men who seem bom to occupy the 
 chair at any kind of meeting at which they may be 
 present; he organized almost every entertainment 
 that took place on board. At first he was not at all 
 keen on the idea. 
 
 "There are all sorts of difficulties," he said; "and 
 one doesn't care to ask a favor of a native. At any 
 rate one doesn't care to be refused." 
 
 But I had set my heart upon gratifying Nahe- 
 mah's curiosity, and, with the aid of Hamilton, it 
 was all arranged satisfactorily. The native guar- 
 dians of the diamond were rather flattered than 
 otherwise, and a select Kttle party of the "best" 
 people on board met in the chief officer's cabin to 
 view Lure of Souls. 
 
 The difficulty in regard to Nahemah was readily 
 overcome by Hamilton the energetic, and Dr. Patter- 
 son's wife "took her up" for the occasion in a de- 
 lightfully patronizing manner. The four swarthy, 
 polite Orientals were there, of course ; several other 
 ladies in addition to Mrs. Patterson and Nahemah, 
 the chief officer, myself, Hamilton, and a sepulchral 
 Scotch curate, the Rev. Mr. Rawlingson, whom I 
 had scarcely noticed hitherto, and whose presence at 
 this "select" gathering rather surprised me. 
 
 The sea was like a sheet of glass, and this was 
 the hottest day which I had yet experienced. It 
 was about an hour before lunch-time when we 
 
LTJRE OF SOULS 205 
 
 gathered to view the diamond; and Mr. Brodie, the 
 chief officer, exercised his pawky humor in a series 
 of elaborate pantomimic precautions, locking the 
 door with labored care, and treating the ladies of 
 the company to Bluebeard glances of frightful 
 intensity. 
 
 Phew ! if we had only known ! . . . 
 
 Finally one of the Indians took out the diamond 
 from its case — ^which had been brought from the 
 strong-room a few minutes before. It was a wonder- 
 ful thing, I suppose, of quite unusual size, and it 
 sparkled and gleamed in the sunlight streaming 
 through the open porthole in an absolutely dazzling 
 fashion. I had ranged myself close beside Nahemah. 
 Each of us was permitted to handle the stone. It 
 was I who passed it to her, Mr. Eawltngson having 
 passed it to me. She held it in the palm of her 
 little hand, and her eyes sparkled with childish de- 
 light as she bent to examine the gem. Then a very 
 strange thing happened. 
 
 From somewhere behind me — ^I was sitting with 
 my back to the porthole — a dull gray object came 
 leaping and twirling; and a scorpion — I have never 
 seen a larger specimen — fell upon Nahemah 's wrist! 
 
 She uttered a piercing cry, dropped the diamond 
 and brushed the horrid insect from her wrist; then 
 fell swooning into my arms. . . J 
 
 A scene of incredible confusion followed. The 
 four Indians, ignoring the presence of the scorpion, 
 dropped like cats upon the floor, seeking for Lure 
 of Souls. Mrs. Patterson and I carried Nahemah 
 
206 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 to the sofa hard by and laid her upon it. Just a» 
 we did so the scorpion darted from between the end 
 of the sofa and the wardrobe, and the chief officer 
 put his foot upon it. 
 
 Ensuing events were indescribable. Since the dia- 
 mond had not yet been picked up, obviously the 
 cabin door could not be unlocked; so in the stuify 
 atmosphere of the place it was a matter of some diiE- 
 culty to revive Nahemah. Meanwhile, four wild-eyed 
 Indians were creeping about amongst our feet — ^like 
 cats, as I have said before. 
 
 In the end, just as the girl began to revive some- 
 what, it became evident that Lure of Souls was miss- 
 ing. A pearl shirt button, the ownership of which 
 we were unable to establish, was picked up, but no 
 diamond. 
 
 The chief officer showed himself a man of price- 
 less tact. He rang for the stewardess, and the ladiee 
 were shepherded to a neighboring, vacant cabin 
 Then the door was relocked, and Mr. Brodie pro- 
 ceeded to strip, placing his garments one by one 
 upon the little folding table for examination. He 
 was not satisfied until every man present had over- 
 hauled them. We all followed his example, the Rev. 
 Mr. Rawliagson last of aU . . . and Lure of Souls 
 was still on the missing list I 
 
 Then we gave the chief officer's cabin such a turn- 
 out as it had never had before, I should assume. 
 Our quest was unrewarded. Meanwhile, the ladies 
 had been submitted to a similar search in the adjoin 
 ing cabin ; same result. 
 
LURE OF SOULS 207 
 
 With great difficulty we succeeded in hushing up 
 the matter to a certain extent; but the captain's 
 language to the chief officer was appalling, and the 
 chief officer's remarks to Hamilton were equally un- 
 parliamentary; whilst Hamilton seemed to consider; 
 that he was justified in placing the whole blame upon 
 me, which he did in terms little short of insulting. 
 The four Indians apparently regarded all of us with 
 equal suspicion and animosity. 
 
 I could not foresee the end. The thing was so 
 sudden, so serious, that at the time it banished even 
 thoughts of Nahemah from my mind. I anticipated 
 that we should all find ourselves arrested when we 
 reached Port Said. 
 
 Later in the day Hamilton walked into my cabin 
 and placed a little cardboard box upon the dressing- 
 table. It contained the crushed body of the scorpion. 
 
 "Where did that scorpion come from?" he de- 
 manded abruptly. 
 
 It was a question which already had been asked 
 fully a thousand times, yet no one had discovered 
 ^n intelligent reply. 
 
 I shook my head. 
 
 **It came from the open porthole," he replied, 
 "and as it's a thousand to one against a scorpion 
 being aboard, somebody was carrying it for this 
 very purpose — somebody who was on the deck out- 
 side the chief officer's cabin and who threw the 
 scorpion into the cabin." 
 
 "But such a deadly thing. ..." 
 
 "Have a good look," said Hamilton, turning the 
 
208 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 insect over with a lead pencil; "this one isn't deadly 
 at all. See ! — ^his tail has been cut off ! " 
 I looked and stifled an exclamation. It "was as 
 
 Hamilton had said. The scorpion was harmless. 
 
 ****** 
 
 I never once set eyes upon Nahemah again nntU 
 we arrived at Port Said. Then I saw her preparing 
 to go ashore in one of the boats. I managed to join 
 her, ignoring the scowls of her one-eyed attendant, 
 and we arrived at the quay together. Right there 
 by the water's edge a most curious scene was being 
 enacted. Surrounded by two or three passengers 
 and a perfect ring of uniformed officials, Hamiltca, 
 very excited, watched his baggage being turned out 
 upon the ground. He saw me approaching. 
 
 "Hang it all. Fane," he cried, "this is disgrace- 
 ful! — I don't know upon whose orders they are 
 acting, but the beastly police are searching my 
 baggage for the diamond. ..." 
 
 I thought it very extraordinary and said as mucl^ 
 to the Rev. Mr. Rawlingson, who was one of the 
 onlookers. 
 
 "It is very strange mdeed," he said mildly, turn- 
 ing his gold-rimmed spectacles in my direction. 
 
 A moment later, to my horror and indignation, 
 Nahemah was submitted to the same indignity ! The 
 crowd had been roped off from the part of the 
 quay upon which we stood, and I could see that the 
 whole thing had been arranged beforehand in some 
 way, probably by wireless from the ship. Curiously, 
 as I thought at the time, my own baggage was not 
 
LTJEE OF SOULS 209 
 
 texamined in this way, but I was detained long enough 
 to lose sight of Nahemah and her one-eyed guardian. 
 When I got to the hotel I indulged in some reflection. 
 It occurred to me that Hamilton was bound for 
 Colombo, which made it rather singular that he 
 should have had his baggage put ashore at Port 
 Said. 
 
 I should have liked to have searched the town 
 for my lady of the yashmak, but having no clue 
 to her present whereabouts, realized the futility of 
 such a proceeding. My last thought before I fell 
 asleep that night was that some day in the near 
 future I should visit Damascus. 
 
 I saw very little of Port Said, for we had arrived 
 in the early morning and I was departing for Cairo 
 by a train leaving shortly before midday. I wan- 
 dered about the quaint streets a bit, however, and 
 wondered if, from one of the latticed windows over- 
 hanging me, the dark eyes of Nahemah were peering 
 out. 
 
 Although I looked up and down the train fairly 
 carefully, I failed to find among the passengers any- 
 one whom I knew, and I settled down into my comer 
 to study the novel scenery uninterruptedly. The 
 shipping in the canal fascinated me for a long time 
 as did the figures which moved upon its shores. The 
 ditches and embankments, aimlessly wandering foot- 
 paths, and moving figures which seemed to belong to 
 
210 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 a thousand years ago, seized upon my imagination 
 as they seize upon the imagination of every traveller 
 when first he beholds them. 
 
 But, properly speaking, my story jumps now to 
 Zagazig. The train stopped at Zagazig; and, walk- 
 ing out into the corridor and lowering a window, I 
 was soon absorbed in contemplation of that unique 
 town. Its narrow, dirty, swarming streets; the 
 millions of flies that boarded the train; the noisy 
 vendors of sugar cane, tangerine oranges and other 
 commodities ; the throng beyond the barriers gazing 
 open-mouthed at me as I gazed open-mouthed at 
 them — it was a first impression, but an indelible one. 
 
 I was not to know it was written that I should 
 spend the night in Zagazig; but such was the case. 
 Generally speaking, I have found the service on 
 the Egyptian State Eailway very good, but a hitch 
 of some kind occurred on this occasion, and after 
 an hour or so of delay, it was definitely announced 
 to the passengers that owing to an accident to the 
 permanent way, the journey to Cairo could not be 
 continued until the following morning. 
 
 Then commenced a rush which I did not under' 
 stand at first, and in which, feeling no desire to 
 exert myself unduly, I did not participate. Half 
 an hour later I ascertained that the only two hotels 
 which the place boasted were full to overflowing, 
 and realized what the rush had meant. It was aU 
 part of the great scheme of things, no doubt; but 
 when, thanks to the kindly, if mercenary, offices of 
 the International Sleeping Car attendant, I found 
 
LUEE OF SOULS 211 
 
 myself in possession of a room at a sort of native 
 Tchdn in the lower end of the town, I experienced no 
 very special gratitude towards Providence. 
 
 I have enjoyed the hospitality of. less pleasing 
 caravanserai since, but this was my first experience 
 of the kind, and I thought very little of it. 
 
 My room boasted a sort of bed, certainly, but 
 without entering into details, I may say that there 
 were earlier occupants who disputed its possession. 
 The plaster of the walls — the place apparently was 
 built of a mixture of straw and dried mud — ^pro- 
 vided residence not only for mosquitoes, but also for 
 ants, and the entire building was redolent of an 
 odor suggestive of dried bones. That smell of dried 
 bones is characteristic, I have learned, of the sites 
 of ancient Egyptian cities (Zagazig is close to the 
 ruins of ancient Bubastis, of course) ; one gets it in 
 the temples and the pyramids, also. But it was 
 novel to me, then, and not pleasing. 
 
 I killed time somehow or other until the dinner 
 hour; and the train, which now reposed in a siding, 
 became a rendezvous for those who desired to pat- 
 ronize the dining-car. Evidently no sleeping-cars 
 were available (or perhaps that idea was beyond the 
 imagination of the native officials), and having left 
 a trail of tobacco smoke along the principal native 
 street, I turned into my apartment which I shared 
 with the ants, mosquitoes — and the other things. 
 
 An examination of my rooms by candle-light re- 
 vealed the presence of a cupboard, or what I thought 
 to be a cupboard, but opening the double doors I 
 
212 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 saw that it was a window, latticed and overlooking 
 a lower apartment; so much I perceived by the light 
 of an oil lamp which stood upon the table. Then, 
 stifling a gasp of amazement, I hastily snuffed my 
 candle and peered down eagerly at that incredible 
 scene. . . . 
 
 Nahemah, longer veiled, was sitting at the table, 
 and opposite to her was seated the hideous wall- 
 eyed attendant! 
 
 They were conversing in low tones, so that, strive 
 as I would, I could not overhear a word. You ask 
 me why I spied upon the lady's privacy in this man- 
 ner? For a very good reason, 
 
 Midway between the two, upon the rough boards 
 of the table, lay Lure of Souls, twinkling and glitter- 
 ing like a thing of incarnate light. 
 
 I observed that there was a door to the room 
 below, almost immediately opposite the window 
 through which I was peering . . . and this door was 
 opening very slowly and noiselessly. At least, I 
 could hear no noise, but the one-eyed man detected 
 something, for suddenly he started up and did a 
 remarkable thing. Snatching up the diamond from 
 the table, he clapped it into the eyeless cavity of 
 his skull and turned in a twinkling to face the 
 intruder. 
 
 Then the door was thrown open, and Hamilton 
 leapt into the room. 
 
 I could scarcely credit my senses. Honestly, I 
 thought I was dreaming. Hamilton's whole face 
 was changed: a hard, cunning look had come over 
 
LUEE OF SOULS 213 
 
 it, and he held a revolver in his hand. Nahemah 
 sprang to her feet as he entered, but he covered the 
 pair of them with his revolver, and pointing to the 
 one-eyed man muttered something in a low voice. 
 Eage, fear, rebellion chased in turn across the evil 
 features of One-eye ; but there was something about 
 Hamilton's manner that cowed. 
 
 Manipulating the sunten eyelids as though they 
 had been of rubber, the guardian of the veiled lady 
 slipped the diamond into the palm of his hand and 
 tossed it, glittering, on to the table. 
 
 Hamilton's expression of triumph I shall never 
 forget. One step forward he took and was about 
 to snatch up the gem when — out of the dark cavity 
 of the doorway behind him stepped a second 
 intruder. 
 
 It was the Eev. Mr. Eawlingson! 
 
 The reverend gentleman's behavior was most un- 
 clerical. He leapt upon the unsuspecting Hamilton 
 like a panther and screwed the muzzle of a revolver 
 into that gentleman's right ear with quite unneces- 
 sary vigor. 
 
 "You have been wasting your time, Farland!" 
 he snapped in a voice that was quite new to me. 
 * * That is, unless you have turned amateur detective. ' ' 
 
 He made no attempt to reach for the diamond, 
 but just held out his hand, and with his eyes fixed 
 upon Hamilton, silently commanded the latter to 
 hand over the gem. This Hamilton did with pal- 
 pable reluctance. Mr. Eawlingson, who, though still 
 clerically garbed, had discarded his spectacles. 
 
214 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 slipped the stone into his pocket, snatched the re- 
 volver from Hamilton's hand and jerked his thumb 
 in the direction of the open door. Hamilton shrugged 
 his shoulders and walked out of the room. For 
 scarce a moment did Rawlingson's eyes turn to fol- 
 low the retreating figure, but the chance was good 
 enough for the wall-eyed man. 
 
 He launched himself through space like nothing 
 so much as a kangaroo, bearing Eawlingson irre- 
 sistibly to the floor! With his lean hands at the 
 other's throat he turned his solitary eye upon Nahe- 
 mah, muttering something gutturally. After a 
 
 moment's hesitation she ran from the room. 
 
 ****** 
 
 Twenty seconds later I was downstairs, and ten 
 seconds after that was helping Eawlingson to his 
 feet. He was considerably shaken and boasted a 
 very elegant design in bruises which was just be- 
 ginning to reveal itself upon his throat; but other- 
 wise he was unhurt. 
 
 "I have lost her, Mr. Fane!" were his first words. 
 "She knows this part of the world inside out. I 
 have no case against Farland, but I am sorry to 
 have lost the woman. ' ' 
 
 Was my mind in a whirl? Did I think that mad- 
 ness had seized me ? Replies both in the affirmative ; 
 I was simply staggered. 
 
 I always go to pieces with this part of the yarn, 
 being an unpractised narrator, as I have already ex- 
 plained ; but I may relieve your mind upon one point. 
 I never saw Nahemah and the one-eyed man again, 
 
LUEE OF SOULS 215 
 
 nor have I since set eyes upon Hamilton. Mr. Baw- 
 lingson, the last time I heard from him, was in 
 similar case. 
 
 The explanation of the whole thing was something 
 of a blow to me, of course. The lily of Damascus 
 who had fascinated me so hopelessly was no Eastern 
 at all; you will have guessed as much. She was a 
 Frenchwoman, I believe ; at any rate they had a long 
 record up against her in Paris. She had gone out 
 after Lure of Souls, and very ingeniously had made 
 me her instrument. As Mr. Eawlingson explained 
 to me, what had probably taken place was this : 
 
 The harmless scorpion, specially brought along for 
 some such purpose, had been thrown into the chief 
 officer's cabin from the open porthole by the one- 
 eyed villain. That had been the cue for Nahemah 
 to drop the shirt button, and, whilst the occupants 
 of the cabin were in confusion, to toss the diamond 
 out on to the deck where her accomplice was waiting. 
 The search of their effects had been futile, of course ; 
 no one had thoughts of searching the eye-cavity of 
 her Eastern companion. 
 
 Where did Hamilton come in? Hamilton was one 
 James Farland, an American crook of the highest 
 accomplishments, known to the police of the entire 
 civilized world. He, too, had gone out for Lure of 
 Souls, but the woman, his professional competitor, 
 had proved too clever for him. 
 
 The Eev. Mr. Eawlingson? He was Detective- 
 Inspector Wexford of New Scotland Yard. Yes, 
 it's a rotten story, from a romantic point of view. 
 
m 
 
 THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 
 I 
 
 MUSTAPHA MIRZA knew it— Mustapha 
 Mirza, the blind Persian who makes shoes 
 hard by the Bab ez-Znwela and in the very- 
 shadow of the minarets of Muayyad; Hassan es- 
 Siwa of the Street of the Carpet-sellers in the Muski, 
 Hassan, who, where another man has hands, has 
 but hideous stumps, knew it, and because of him it 
 was that Abdul Moharli sought it — ^Abdul the men- 
 dicant who crouches on the steps of the Blue Mosque 
 muttering, guttural, inarticulate, and pointing to the 
 tongueless cavity of his mouth. Now I know it ; but 
 not from Abdul Moharli : may Allah, the Great, the 
 Compassionate, defend me! 
 
 I say "May Allah defend me," yet I am no Mos- 
 lem ; I have no spot of Egyptian blood in my veins. 
 No, I am a pure Greek of Cos, of Cos the home of the 
 loveliest women in the world; and my mother was 
 one of these, whilst my father was a Cretan, and a 
 true descendent of Minos. My story perhaps will 
 not be believed, for always it has been my fate to 
 be maligned. You will ask, perhaps, what I was 
 doing in the Mazi Desert between Beni Suef and the 
 Red Sea, but I reply that my cotton interests — ^for 
 I have cotton interests in the Delta — often lead 
 
 216 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 2ir 
 
 me far afield. You do not understand the cotton in- 
 dustry or this explanation would be unnecessary. 
 It is only those who do not understand the cotton 
 industry that speak of hashish. Hashish! I leave 
 it to the Egyptians and the Jews to deal in hashish; 
 I am neither a Jew nor an Egyptian, but a Greek of 
 Cos, who would not soil his hands with such a trade 
 — ^no. 
 
 Upon my business, then, my legitimate business, 
 I found myself with a small company of servants 
 encamped by the Wadi Araba. At the Wadi Araba 
 I had a commercial acquaintance, a sheikh of the 
 Mazi Arabs. Those villains who say that he was a 
 "go-between," that my business was not with him, 
 but through him with a port of the Eed Sea, dare 
 not say as much to my face; for there is a law in 
 the land — even in the land of Egypt, now that the 
 British hold power here. 
 
 I had reached the point, then, whereat it was my 
 custom to meet my business acquaintance and to 
 discuss certain affairs in which we were interested. 
 My servants had erected the tent in which I was to 
 sleep, and the camels lay in a little limestone valley 
 to the west, their eyes mild because they knew that 
 the day's work was ended; for it is a foolish mistake 
 to suppose that the eye of a camel is mild at any 
 other time. The camel knows the secret name of 
 Allah — and that name is Best. 
 
 The violet after-glow, which is the most wonder- 
 ful thing in Nature, crowned the desert with glory 
 right away to the porphyry mountains. I stood at 
 
218 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 my tent door looking westward to the Nile. I stood 
 looking out upon the waste of the sands, the eternal 
 sands which are a belt about Egypt ; and my thoughts 
 running fleetly before me, crossed the desert, crossed 
 the Nile, and came to rest in the verdant, fertile 
 Payum, its greenness sweet to look upon in the heat 
 of such an evening, its palms fashioned in ebony 
 black against the wondrous sky. Yes, I, who am a 
 Greek, love the Fayum more than any spot on earth ; 
 the modem clamor and dust of Cairo are hateful to 
 me, although my business often takes me there, and 
 also to Alexandria, the most European city in the 
 East, and to me the most detestable. But my busi- 
 ness is in the Delta and it is a good business, so why 
 should I complain? 
 
 I stood at my tent door, and 1 thought of many 
 things, though little of the matters which had brought 
 me there; a faint cool breeze fanned my brow, and 
 about me was that great peace which comes to Egypt 
 with the touch of night. My servants were silent in 
 their encampment, and the shrieking of the camels 
 had ceased. About me, then, all was sleeping ; only 
 I was awake, only I was there to receive Abdul 
 Moharli and his secret — ^the secret of Ismail. 
 
 By the pattering of his bare feet upon the sand, 
 I first learned of his coming, but for a long time I 
 could not see him, for his way led him through the 
 valley where the camels slept, and a mound obscured 
 my view. But presently I heard his panting breaths 
 and his little delirious cries of fear, which were like 
 sobs, and presently, again, I saw him staggering 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 219 
 
 over the slope. At the sight of me he uttered one 
 last gasping cry and fell forward on his face uncon- 
 scious — like a dead man. 
 
 I hurried to him, stooped and raised him. His 
 face was dreadful to look upon. His eyes were 
 sunken in his skull, and his flesh shrivelled as by 
 long fasting. His beard was filthy, knotted and 
 unkempt, and his hair a black mat streaked with 
 dirty gray. He was thin as a mummy and the bones 
 protruded through his skin. He was as one who is 
 dying from excess of hashish. 
 
 Ah ! I know how they look, those poor fools who 
 poison themselves with the Indian hemp. I wonder 
 Allah does not strike down the villain who places 
 that 'poison within their reach. I use the term 
 "Allah" because my business brings me much in 
 contact with the natives, but I am no Moslem, as I 
 have related. Father Pierre of Alexandria can tell 
 you how devoted a Christian I am. 
 
 Drink and food revived him somewhat; and as I 
 sat beside him in my tent that night he babbled to 
 me, half deliriously; he raved, and to another it 
 might have seemed the fancies of a poor madman 
 which he poured into my ears. For he spoke of a 
 secret oasis and of a sheikh who had lived since the 
 days of Sultan Kalaun; of a treasure vast as that of 
 Suleyman — and of magic, black magic ; of the trans- 
 muting of gold and the making of diamonds. 
 
 But I, who am a Greek, and one who has lived all 
 his life between Alexandria and the Red Sea; I who 
 know the Garden of Egypt as another knows the 
 
220 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 palm of his hand — I detected in this delirium the 
 shadow of a truth. To me it became evident that 
 this wretched being who had fled, a hunted thing, 
 over the trackless desert for many days and nights 
 — it became evident to me, I say, that he spoke of 
 the far-famed secret of IsmaU. 
 
 You would ask: What is the secret of Ismail? 
 I would tell you, ask it of Hassan the Handless, of 
 Mustapha, the blind Persian of the Bab ez-Zuwela; 
 better stfll, ask it of any son of the Fayum, of any 
 man of the Mazi. None of them, will answer you, 
 for none save Hassan and Mustapha knows the 
 strange truth — Hassan and Mustapha, and Abdul 
 Moharli . . . and no one of these three knows all, 
 nor wiU reveal what he knows. 
 
 Ah! how my heart leapt and how my eyes must 
 have gleamed in the darkness of the tent, yet how 
 cold a fear clutched at the life within me. The night 
 seemed suddenly to become a thin curtain veiling 
 eyes that watched, the empty desert a hiding-place 
 for unseen multitudes that listened; the faint breeze 
 raising the flap of the tent, ever so gently, ever so 
 softly, assumed the shape of a malignant hand that 
 reached for my throat, that sought to stifle me ere 
 the secret, the deathly secret of Ismail should be 
 mine. 
 
 Abdul Moharli was the name of this wanderer; 
 and as he spoke to me, gulping down great draughts 
 of water between the words, ever he glanced to right 
 and left, over his shoulder and all about him. 
 
 "It is four days from here," he whispered hoarse- 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 221 
 
 ly; "due south in the direction of the porphyry 
 quarries and the Mountain of Smoke. There is a 
 tiny village and all the inhabitants are of the race 
 of Said Ebn al As, being descendants of the com- 
 panion of the prophet. I had long supposed that this 
 race of heretics was extinct; but it is not so, my 
 benefactor; with these eyes, have I seen the houses 
 wherein they dwell. By the strategy of which I have 
 spoken did I penetrate to their secret dwelling-place 
 and win their unsuspecting love." 
 
 And then, clutching me to him with his bony 
 hands, he spoke in hushed and fearful tones of the 
 house of the Sheikh Ismail Ebn al As. It was the 
 fabled treasure of this holy man which had been the 
 lodestone drawing Abdul Moharli out into the desert. 
 Something of his fear, of his constant apprehension 
 seized upon me too; and as he glanced tremb'ingly 
 first over this shoulder and then over that, so like- 
 wise did I glance, until I seemed to crouch in a world 
 of spies listening to a secret greater than that of the 
 Universe. 
 
 I pronounced the Tahbir, "Great is the Lord!" 
 — a superstitious custom which I have acquired from 
 my business acquaintances. I made the sign of the 
 Cross and called upon the name of the Holy Virgin. 
 Almost I feared to listen further, yet I lacked the 
 courage to abstain. 
 
 "Not with mine eyes have I beheld the treasure 
 of Ismail," he whispered to me, this shadow of a 
 man,' this living mummy, those same eyes rolling in 
 their sunken sockets; "nor with mine ears have I 
 
222 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 heard it named. These hands have never touched 
 it; yet the secret of Ismail is my secret." 
 
 So far he had proceeded and no further, when a 
 slight noise, that was not of my imagination, came 
 from immediately outside the tent. On the instant 
 I sprang forth . . . but no one was there and nothing 
 now disturbed the solitude of the desert about me. 
 A moment I stood, peering to left and right, into 
 the void of the velvet dusk ; no more than a moment, 
 I can swear, yet long enough for that dreadful thing 
 to happen — ^that thing which sometimes haunts my 
 dreams. 
 
 Shrill and awful upon the silence it burst; the 
 scream of a stricken man. It stabbed me like a 
 knife; and as a creature of clay I stood, unable to 
 stir or think. It died away, in a long wail of pain, 
 that gave place to a guttural, inarticulate babbling 
 — a choking, sobbing sound indescribable, but that 
 jnay not be forgotten once it has been heard. 
 
 No living thing, as I can tesitfy, entered or left 
 the tent ; so far the evidence of my senses bears me. 
 But that one had entered and left it, unseen, I 
 learned, when, throwing off this palsy of horror, I 
 staggered back to the side of the one who knew the 
 secret of Ismail. 
 
 He lay writhing upon the ground; blood issued 
 from his mouth. The tongue of Abdul Moharli had 
 been torn out ! 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 223 
 
 Three weeks later I had my first sight of the 
 secret oasis. The fate from which Abdul had fled 
 had overtaken him as I have related, in my tent, 
 and from that moment until we parted company — 
 for this poor wretch survived his mutilation — not 
 another hint could I glean from him respecting the 
 discovery for which he had paid so terrible a price. 
 
 In the first place, he lacked the accomplishment 
 of writing and in the second place his fear of the 
 vengeance of Ismail had become a veritable mad- 
 ness. I left him at Beni Suef, filled with a determi- 
 nation to probe this mystery for myself. Suitably 
 prepared for such an undertaking I set out alone 
 from Der Byad, and undertook the four days' jour- 
 ney which I had planned. 
 
 In a little gorge, arid, shadeless, in which only a 
 few stunted tamarisks grew, but affording a sort 
 of hiding-place for myself and my camel, I made 
 my base of operations. Provisions of a sort I had 
 plenty, but for water I must depend on the secret 
 oasis, which I estimated to be not more than four 
 miles distant. In the dead of night I set out, raaking 
 for a series of mounds or hillocks rising up from the 
 rocky face of the plateau. Cautiously I ascended 
 their slopes, ever watchful and with eagerly beating 
 heart ; and it was lying prone upon the crest of the 
 greatest of these that I first saw the village and 
 the oasis. 
 
 There was nothing extraordinary in the appear- 
 
224 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 ance of the village ; it presented to the eye the usual 
 group of small, squat houses clinging to the trunks 
 of the palm trees and surrounding a shrine or 
 mosque boasting a wooden minaret. There were 
 tilled fields and palm groves to the left of the 
 village and a large house surrounded by white walls 
 embracing extensive gardens. My spirits rose high. 
 Within that house lay the secret of Ismail. 
 
 I determined to approach from the left, where I 
 should be able to take advantage of the far-cast 
 shadows of the palm groves and of the direction of 
 the faint breeze; for most of all I feared the dogs, 
 without which no Arab village is complete. Sure 
 enough, although I had elected to approach the left 
 of the village and although I crawled laboriously 
 upon hands and knees, the accursed brutes appar- 
 ently scented me or heard me and made night hideous 
 with their clamor. 
 
 Flat upon the ground I lay, awaiting the dogs 
 who bore down upon me snarling, their fangs bared, 
 I had come prepared for this; but, mysteriously, 
 at a point by the end of the palm grove and some 
 twenty yards away from me, the pack halted, and 
 after a time became silent. This was unaccountable 
 but fortunate; and after waiting a while longer to 
 learn if anyone had been aroused by the outcry, I 
 advanced towards the wall of the garden, passing 
 stealthily from palm to palm. 
 
 I observed that the mosque was a more important 
 building than I had supposed, with a tomb on the 
 right of the entrance surmounted by a white dome. 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 225 
 
 'A. passage leading to the courtyard, whicli presented 
 a charming picture in the moonlight, its fountain 
 overshadowed by acacias, reminded me very much 
 of that in the Mosque of Muayyad in Cairo. As in 
 the latter, a double arcade surrounded it on three 
 sides and the columns were of some kind of marble 
 and sculptured with inscriptions in Arabic. I had 
 a glimpse of a blue-tiled sanctuary, through a fine 
 mushrahtyeh screen beneath the pointed arches. 
 Arabesques in colored glass rendered the windows 
 very beautiful to look upon. Nothing stirred within 
 the village, as I crept along the narrow lane separat- 
 ing the mosque from the wall of the garden. Beyond 
 prospecting the ground, I had no definite plans for 
 to-night ; but Fate had willed it that I was to become 
 2iore deeply involved in the affair than I had de- 
 signed or intended. 
 
 A side door opened from the garden at a spot 
 nearly opposite the little wooden platform which 
 served as the minaret of the mosque; and the mud 
 bricks of the porch were so broken and decayed 
 by time that I perceived here an opportunity of 
 mounting to the top of the wall, an opportunity of 
 which I instantly availed myself. 
 
 Yes, in spite of my peaceful calling (I have ex- 
 plained that I have cotton interests in the Delta) 
 iny life has not been unadventurous nor have I 
 ever hesitated to incur risk where profit might be 
 gained. Therefore, having climbed to the top of 
 the wall, unmolested, and perceiving at a spot some 
 little distance to the right a sort of trellis overgrown 
 
226 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 with purple blossom, I did not hesitate to make for 
 it and to descend into the garden. I had just com- 
 pleted the descent, and stood looking cautiously 
 about me, when a sound disturbed the silence — ^a 
 sound so entirely unexpected, m that place, at such 
 an hour, that it turned my blood cold, bringing to my 
 mind all those stories of the black magic for which 
 the people of this oasis were famed. 
 
 It was the sound of a woman singing ; and although 
 the song she sang was a familiar Arab love song 
 and the voice of the singer was sweet, if very mourn- 
 ful, the effect, as I have said, was weird to a degree. 
 
 Ashih yekul I'il hammdm hdt le gendhdk yom 
 (A lover said to a dove, "Lend me your -wings for 
 a day," etc.) 
 
 Overcoming the fear and astonishment which 
 momentarily had deprived me of action, I advanced 
 with the utmost caution ia the direction from whence 
 this mysterious singing seemed to proceed. Passing 
 an angle of the house, where the stucco wall ran 
 sheerly up to a mushrabiyeh window, I perceived 
 before me a smaller, detached building in the form 
 of a sort of pavilion. Some fine acacias overhung its 
 white and glistening dome, in which were little win- 
 dows of colored glass. Concealed in the shadow of 
 the house, I stood looking towards this smaller buUd- 
 ing, observing with astonishment that it possessed 
 a massive, bronze-mounted door. 
 
 Indeed, in many respects, and in spite of the 
 charming picture which its jeweled appearance pre- 
 sented, it might weU have been the tomb of some holy 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 227 
 
 Sheikh. But seated on an old-fashioned mastdbah 
 before the entrance were two huge negroes of most 
 ferocious aspect, armed with scimitars which glit- 
 tered evilly in the light of the moon ! 
 
 I drew back sharply into the shslter of the pro- 
 jecting wall. One of the negroes seemed to slumber, 
 but the wicked black eyes of his companion were 
 widely open and he revealed his ivory teeth in a 
 frightful leer. The beating of my heart almost 
 euffocrited me, for I ascribed that ghastly grimace 
 to the fact that the negro had detected my presence 
 and was already gloating over the pleasing prospect 
 of my swift and bloody despatch. For many 
 agonized moments I lurked there, one hand clutching 
 the stucco wall and the other resting upon the butt 
 of a new Colt magazine pistol which I had taken the 
 precaution to purchase in Alexandria a week earlier. 
 
 "When again I ventured to protrude my head, I 
 learned how groundless my fears had been ; I realized 
 that the loathsome contortion of the negro's counte- 
 nance represented a smile of appreciation. He was 
 listening to the unseen singer whose voice now stole 
 ftgain upon the silence of the night! His blubber 
 lips drooped open cavemously and his fierce little 
 eyes blinked in stupid rapture. 
 
 It appeared to me, now, that the sweet voice pro- 
 ceeded from some subterranean place : I thought that 
 I was listening to the song of a ginneyeh. I remem- 
 bered how the Sheikh Ismail was reputed to be the 
 son of an Efreet and an Arabian princess, and to 
 have lived in that oasis for generations, since the 
 
228 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 reign of the Sultan Mohammed Nasir ibn-Kalaun, 
 who had expelled him from Cairo as a magician. 
 He was said to possess the secrets of Geber and of 
 Aviceima— the great Ibn Sina of Bokhara ; to possess 
 the Philosophers' Stone and the Elixir Vitce. In this 
 pavilion with the bronze door I beheld the magician's 
 treasure-house, guarded, within, by a ginneyeh and, 
 -without, by ghouls or black Efreets! 
 
 You will understand that these childish super- 
 stitions sometimes overcome me, because I have lived 
 so long among those who believe them; but to me, 
 a Greek, possessing the consolation of the true re- 
 ligion, it was only momentary, this cold fear which 
 belongs to ignorance and is bred in the blood of the 
 Moslem but finds no place in the heart of a true 
 Christian. 
 
 And now the Fates again took a hand in the 
 game. The pack of curs in the distant palm grove 
 set up a sudden tempest of sound, so that they 
 seemed to have become possessed of a million devils. 
 It was a disturbance infinitely louder and more 
 prolonged than that with which the dogs had greeted 
 my appearance, and I had barely time to throw 
 myself flat in the depths of a black and friendly 
 shadow ere the two negroes, monstrous in the moon- 
 light, passed me silently and trotted off in the direc- 
 tion from whence the uproar proceeded. You will 
 say, no doubt, that a madness as great as that of the 
 dogs possessed me; but because what I tell you is 
 true, you must not be surprised to find it strange. 
 
 Allowing the negroes time to readi the gate for 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 229 
 
 which I divined them to he makiiig, I ran across 
 the moon-bathed garden to the door of the pavilion. 
 
 You must imderstand that my madness was not 
 entirely without method; for I had a vague plan 
 in my mind: it was to ascertain the character of 
 the lock upon the bronze door (for you must kaow 
 that I am skilled in the craft of the locksmith), and 
 then, passing beyond the pavilion, which I was 
 assured was the treasure-house of Ismail, to make 
 my escape over the garden wall at some point to 
 the west and return to my base ia the desert ravine 
 armed with a knowledge of the enemy's dispositions. 
 
 But, as I have said, the Pates took a hand. The 
 sweet-voiced singer ceased her song as I approached 
 the pavilion; and, at the moment that I set foot 
 upon the lower step, her voice — ^by Allah! whose 
 Name be exalted, it was sweet as honey ! — addressed 
 to me these words : 
 
 "0 my master, at last thou art come! Here is 
 the key! enter ere they return." 
 
 Whilst I stared blankly upward to the open lattice 
 from whence the invisible speaker thus addressed 
 me, an antique key wrapped in a piece of perfiuned 
 sUk, fell almost upon my head! 
 
 in 
 
 Dazed though I was by the complete unexpected- 
 ness of this happening I doubt if I should have had 
 the temerity to pursue the matter further that night 
 
230 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 but for the sound of fleetly running footsteps of 
 whicli at this moment I became aware. 
 
 My escape was cut off! If I endeavored to pass 
 around the pavilion in accordance with my original 
 plan I should undoubtedly be perceived. My only 
 hope lay in accepting the invitation so singularly 
 given. With trembling hands I fitted the key to 
 the cumbersome lock, opened the door, and entered 
 the pavilion. My presence of miud had not com- 
 pletely deserted me and before closing the door I 
 withdrew the key. 
 
 I found myself in a saloon of extraordinary mag- 
 nificence, furnished with mattresses covered with 
 silk and lighted by hanging lamps and by candles, 
 and having at its upper end a couch of alabaster 
 decorated with pearls and canopied by curtains of 
 satin peacock-blue. From a carved wooden archway 
 draped with cloth of gold there leaped forth a girl 
 of such surpassing loveliness that her image must 
 forever reside in my heart together with those of 
 the saints. 
 
 Conceive all the dark-eyed beauties of Oriental 
 poetry, of Hafiz, of Omar, of Attar, and from each 
 distil the very essence of female loveliness ; though 
 you combine them all in one rapturous vision of 
 delight you will have conceived but a feeble shadow 
 of shadows of this wondrous reality who now stood 
 panting before me, her red lips parted and her bosom 
 tumultuous. 
 
 I think if the light in her eyes had been for me 
 I could gladly have died for her and found death 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 231 
 
 sweet; but as her gaze met mine a pitiful change 
 took place in that lovely countenance. Her color 
 fled and she swayed and almost fell. 
 
 "Oh," she whispered, "thou art not my beloved! 
 O Allah ! this is some snare that Ismail hath set for 
 my feet! Who art thou? who art thou?" 
 
 But because of the excess of the loveliness of the 
 speaker, from whom I could not remove my eyes, 
 and because as I stood in that perfumed apartment 
 it seemed to me that I was no longer a real man, but 
 a figment of some Ef reefs dream, I found myself 
 incapable of both speech and action. 
 
 Yet I was speedily to know that the Fates, which 
 had thrust me into that saloon — ^nay, which had 
 brought me across the desert to that secret oasis — 
 were not yet wearied of their sport. 
 
 A soft call, a lover's signal (for no true Believer 
 will whistle at night, since to do so is to summon the 
 evil ginn) sounded from immediately outside the 
 bronze door, followed by a muffled rapping upon 
 the door itself! 
 
 "Said, my beloved!" cried the girl wildly, and 
 ran towards the door. 
 
 At that very moment, and whilst I stood there 
 like a man of clay, I heard the negro guardians 
 returning to their posts ; I heard the clatter of their 
 sandals and I heard their guttural cries of rage! 
 Uttering a long tremulous sigh, the beautiful occu- 
 pant of the pavilion fell swooning upon the floor. 
 
 A loud imperious voice now rose above the sounds 
 of conflict which had commenced outside the pavilion ; 
 
•232 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 I heard the sound of many running feet, and — ^my 
 blood turned to ice — that of a key being Inserted 
 in the lock of the bronze door! Power of action re- 
 turned to me, though I confess that I now grew sick 
 with dread. . Only one hiding-place was possible : the 
 first I could reach. 
 
 I leaped across the lovely form extended upon the 
 floor and dropped, almost choking with emotion, be- 
 hind the alabaster couch. I had barely gained this 
 cover when the door was hurled open and a tall, 
 excessively gaunt, and hawk-faced old man entered, 
 his eyes blazing, his thin nostrils quivering, and his 
 lean hands opening and closing at his sides iu a sort 
 of clutching movement horribly suggestive and 
 terrifying. 
 
 He was followed by the two negroes, who were 
 dragging between them a young Egyptian of pre- 
 possessing appearance down whose pale face blood 
 was pouring from a wound in the brow. 
 
 Several other persons, principally servants of the 
 harem, brought up the rear. 
 
 Towering over the recumbent body of the girl, 
 the terrible old man — in. whom I could not fail to 
 recognize the Sheikh Ismail — glared down at her 
 for some moments in passionate silence; then he 
 made as if to spurn her with his foot; then he 
 clutched his long white beard with both hands and 
 plucked at it f renziedly, whilst tears began to course 
 down his furrowed cheeks, which had the frightful 
 appearance of those of a mummy. 
 
 "0 light of mine eyes!" he exclaimed; "0 shame 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 233 
 
 of my house ! reproacli of my white hairs !" 
 
 He recovered himself by diat of a stupendous 
 effort and turning a fiery glance upon the captive : 
 
 "Cast him down upon the floor," he cried, "that 
 I may spit upon him, who is a scorn among swine 
 and the son of a disease!" 
 
 To my unspeakable horror, the Sheikh then strode 
 across the saloon and seated himself upon the 
 alabaster couch ! I almost choked with fear ; I felt 
 my teeth beginning to chatter and the beating of my 
 heart sounded in my ears like the throb of a 
 darabuheh. The Sheikh, fortunately ignorant of my 
 proximity, thus addressed the unfortunate young 
 man who lay at his feet : 
 
 "Know, disgrace of thy mother, that thy death 
 hath been decided upon, and it shall visit thee in a 
 most painful and unfortunate manner. thou spawn 
 of offal, learn that I have been aware of thy male- 
 volent intentions since first thou didst seek to pene- 
 trate into my secret. What! am I heir to all the 
 wisdom of the ages, that I should remain ignorant 
 of the presence of such as thee, thou gnat's egg, 
 in my house? When the partner in thine infamy 
 didst steal the key of the door from me, thinkest thou 
 that mine eyes were blind to the theft, thou fore- 
 doomed carrion? It was in order that thy culpability 
 should be made manifest that I permitted thee to 
 enter. Thy double stratagem for quelling and then 
 exciting the dogs, in order that the guards might be 
 drawn from their posts, was known to me, and the 
 negroes had received my orders to run to the gate 
 
234 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 in seeming accordance with thine accursed desires, 
 
 filthy insect!" 
 
 Throughout the time that this dreadful old man 
 thus addressed his victim, the latter crouched upon 
 the floor, apparently paying no heed to his words 
 but keeping an agonized glance fixed upon the lovely 
 form of the girl. I was now in a condition of such 
 profound and dejected fear as I had never known 
 before and trust I may never know again. The 
 Sheikh continued : 
 
 "Learn of the fate of some of those who sought 
 the secret of Ismail before thee. One there was, 
 Mustapha Mirza, a Persian, who came hither to de- 
 spoil me. With his eyes did he behold my treasure. 
 To-day he hath no eyes! And there was one Hassan 
 of the Khan Khalil. He dared to lay violent hands 
 upon the treasure of my house — ^the 'treasure' not 
 of gold nor jewels but of fairest flesh and blood. 
 To-day he hath no hands I Wouldst like to know of 
 Abdul Moharli, who learned much of this "secret" 
 of mine, and would have spoken of it? His tongue 
 
 1 threw to the carrion crows! Thou, O sink of 
 iniquity, hast not only seen with thine eyes, heard 
 with thine ears and laid thy filthy hands upon the 
 treasure of Ismail; thou hast approached thy foul 
 lips to this peach of Allah's garden! thou hast ..." 
 
 He choked in his utterance and seemed upon the 
 point of hurling himself upon the young man before 
 him: but again he recovered his composure after 
 a great effort and proceeded: 
 
 "The unpleasant punishments visited upon those 
 
THE SECRET OF ISMAIL 235 
 
 iolliers shall likewise fall to thy portion, since thou 
 hast committed like crimes; but this shall only be 
 in order to prepare thee for a most protracted and 
 painful death. Bear him forth into the courtyard." 
 
 As one who dreams an evil dream, I saw the com- 
 pany stream out of the saloon, the wretched prisoner 
 in their midst. "When at last the bronze door was 
 reclosed and I found myself alone with the swooning 
 girl, I could scarce believe that even this respite was 
 mine. 
 
 I offered a prayer to St. Antony of the Thebaid — 
 my patron saint — as I listened to the sound of their 
 receding footsteps; when I was aroused from the 
 lethargy of fear into which I had fallen by a distant 
 scream — a long wailing cry. . . . 
 
 * * flp W W IF 
 
 I have often asked myself: How did I make my 
 escape from that dreadful village? You will re- 
 member that I had the purloined key of the bronze 
 door in my possession? Then it was to this in the 
 first place that I owed my preservation. To regain 
 the garden was a simple matter, for the Sheikh and 
 his bloodthirsty following were engaged in the court- 
 yard of the house, but to St. Antony be all praise for 
 the circumstance that the little door opposite the 
 mosque had been left open — ^possibly by the unhappy 
 Said, — and to St. Antony be aU praise that a second 
 time I avoided the dogs. . . . 
 
 Dawn found me staggering down into that friendly 
 ravine which sheltered my camel. I was utterly ex- 
 hausted, for I bore a burden, but triimiphant, dehri- 
 
236 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 ous with joy and rapture, because my burden was so 
 sweet. You may question me of these matters, and I 
 shall reply: As well as my cotton interests I have 
 now another interest in the Delta — the lovely 
 "Secret" of the Sheikh Ismail Ebn al As !* 
 
 * Eeaders of Tales of Abii Tdbdh will recognize Mizmfina, "The 
 Lady of the Lattice," the story of whose recovery by the bereaved 
 She^ has already been related. 
 
IV 
 HAE0N PASHA 
 
 I WILL tell you this story (said Ferrier of the 
 Egyptian Civil) with one reservation; com- 
 ments are to be reserved for some future time. 
 I can only tell you what I saw with my own eyes 
 and heard with my own ears ; I offer no explanation ; 
 I pass on the story; you can take it or leave it. 
 
 Some of you will remember Dunlap — I don't mean 
 Bobert Dunlap, who is chief officer of the Pehin, 
 but Jack Dunlap his cousin, the irrigation man who 
 nsed to be stationed at Assuan. 
 
 You remember the build of the beggar? — the im- 
 pression of scaffolding his figure conveyed? I al- 
 ways used to think of him as an iron framework, 
 and he had the most hard-bitten head-piece I have 
 ever struck; steel blue eyes and a mouth that was 
 bom shut. The dash of ginger in his hair, com- 
 plexion, and constitution made up a Scotch brew that 
 was very strongly flavored. 
 
 He came down to Cairo one spring, and a lot of us 
 got together in the club — on a Sunday night, I 
 remember, it was. The conversation got along 
 that silly line; what we were all doing, and why 
 we were doing it, what we had really intended to 
 do, and how Fate had butted in and made sailors 
 
 237 
 
238 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 of those that had meant to be parsons, engineers 
 of the poets, and tramps of the chaps who had pro- 
 posed to become financiers. 
 
 Well, we had traveled up and down this blind 
 alley for hours, I should think, when Dunlap mounted 
 on his hind legs and took the rug with the proposi- 
 tion that nothing — nothing — ^was impossible of 
 achievement to the man of single purpose. Some- 
 one put up an extreme case; asking Dunlap how 
 he should handle the business of the son of a respect- 
 able greengrocer who, with singleness of purpose, 
 proposed to become king of England. 
 
 He said it was not a fair case, but he accepted 
 the challenge; and the way this junior greengrocer, 
 under Dunlap 's guidance, plunged into politics, got 
 elected M.P., wormed himself into the confidence of 
 the entire Empire by a series of brilliant campaigns 
 conducted from John o* Groats to Van Diemen's 
 Land; induced the reigning monarch, publicly, to 
 advocate his own abdication; established a sort of 
 commonwealth with his ex-Majesty on the board and 
 Dunlap occupying a post between that of a protectol 
 and a Roman Caesar — ^well, it was wonderful. 
 
 Of course, you can judge of the lateness of thr 
 hour from the fact that a group of moderately intel- 
 ligent men tolerated, and contributed to, a chat of 
 this nature. But what brings me down to the story 
 is the few words which I exchanged with Dunlap at 
 the break-up of the party, when he was leaving. 
 
 His cousin Robert, as you know, is well on the 
 rippity side ; but Jack, with all his fine capacity for 
 
HARtJN PASHA 239 
 
 heather-dew, had always struck me as something of 
 a psalmster. I've heard that Bacchus holds the keys 
 of truth, and it may be right; for out on the steps 
 of the club, I said to Jack Dunlap : 
 
 "It seems you don't practise what you preach?" 
 
 "Don't I?" he snapped hardly. "What do you 
 suppose I am doing here?" 
 
 "Engineeriug, I take it. Do you aspire to a pede- 
 stal beside De Lesseps?" 
 
 "De Lesseps be damned!" he retorted sourly. 
 "Look at these." 
 
 He held out his hands, hardened with manual toil 
 — the hands of a grinder. 
 
 "Clearly you are a glutton for work," I said. 
 
 "I am aiming at never doing another hand's stroke 
 in my life," he replied, with an odd glint in his blue 
 eyes. "My idea of life — life, mind you, not mere 
 existence — ^is to be a pasha — one of the old school, 
 with gate porters, orange trees, fountains, slaves, 
 mosaic pavements, a marble bath. ' ' 
 
 He mixed his ambitions oddly. 
 
 "Someone to do all the shifting for me, and even 
 the thinking ; to hold a book in front of me if I wanted 
 to read, to poke my pipe in my mouth, and to take 
 it out when I wanted to blow smoke rings — and to 
 know when I wanted it taken out without being told. ' ' 
 "On your showing, you are traveling by the 
 wrong road." 
 
 "Am I?" he snapped viciously. "Just wait 
 awhile." 
 
 That was all the indication I had of Dunlap 's 
 
240 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT, 
 
 ideas, and remembering the time of night and other 
 circumstances, I did not count upon it worth a brass 
 farthing; putting it down to the heather-dew rather 
 than to any innate viciousness of the man. But 
 listen to the sequel, which shifts us up just about 
 twelve months, to the spring of the following year, 
 in fact. 
 
 I had seen no more of Dunlap, and concluded 
 that he was back in Assuan, or somewhere on the 
 river, foozling with his irrigation again. I never 
 had the clearest conception of the work of his depart- 
 ment, by the way. An irrigation man once started 
 to explain to me about his section, mixing up survey- 
 ing paraphernalia in his talk, telling me something 
 about an allowance of half an inch variation in half 
 a mile of bank, or chat to that effect; but I couldn't 
 quite make it out. My impression of Dunlap at 
 business was very hazy; I pictured him measuring 
 the bank of the Nile with a six-foot rule, and peri- 
 odically kneeling down in the smelly mud to footle 
 with a spirit-level. But he was a Senior Wrangler, 
 as you remember, and a man, too, of more substantial 
 accomplishments, and he drew five hundred a year 
 from the Egyptian Government ; so that probably I 
 underestimated his usefulness. 
 
 At any rate, I had forgotten his iron framework 
 and mahogany countenance, together with his re- 
 sponse (under the afflatus of heather-dew) at the 
 time of which I am now speaking. 
 
HARtrN PASHA 241 
 
 A little matter had cropped up which touched me 
 on a weak spot ; and with a mob of jabbering Egyp- 
 tians and one very placid Bedouin flooding my room, 
 I found myself thinking again of Dunlap and envy- 
 ing him his intimate acquaintance with Arabic. 
 
 Although I had been in the country quite twice 
 as long as Dunlap, my Arabic was far from perfect, 
 for I have always been a rotten linguist. Dunlap, 
 as I now remembered, might have passed for a native 
 (excepting his Scottish headpiece), and I ascribed 
 his proficiency to an inherent trick of mimicry. 
 There was something of the big ape about him ; and 
 after one function at which we both were present, 
 I remember how he convulsed the entire club with 
 an imitation of a certain highly placed Egyptian 
 dignitary, voice and gesture being equal iu comic 
 effect to Cyril Maude at his best. In fact, if you 
 notice, you will find that the best linguists, as a rule, 
 have a marked apish streak in their composition. 
 
 Well, here was I at my wits' ends to grasp twenty 
 poiyts of view at one and the same time; no two 
 expressed in quite the same dialect, and each orator 
 more excited than another. You know the brutes ? 
 
 That got me thinking of Dunlap, and even after 
 the incident was closed, I found myself thinldng 
 of him. Some friends from home were staying at 
 Shepheard's, and of course they had claimed me as 
 Jragoman; not that I objected in the least, for one 
 of the party — ^when it was possible to dodge her 
 mother — ^was, well, a very agreeable companion, you 
 understand. 
 
242 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 On this particular morning we were doing the 
 bazaars. I have found by comparison that the 
 average tourist knows far more of the Muski than 
 the average resident; in the same way, I suppose 
 that for information regarding the Tower of London 
 or the British Museum, one must go, not to a Cock- 
 ney, but to an American visitor. At any rate, my 
 party told me more than I could tell them, and my 
 job degenerated into that of a mere interpreter. In 
 the matter of purchases, I possibly saved them 
 money, but their knowledge of the wares was miles 
 ahead of my own. These up-to-date guide books 
 must be very useful reading, I think. 
 
 Although I had tried hard to rush them past that 
 dangerous quarter, the Gohargtya, the ladies of the 
 party had discovered a shop where little trays of 
 loose gems, turquoises, rubies, bits of lapis-lazuli, 
 and so forth, were displayed snarefuUy. 
 
 After that I knew where I could find them up to 
 any time before lunch ; I knew they were safe enough 
 for the rest of the morning ; and accepting my defeat 
 at the hands of the jewel merchant who turned his 
 slow eyes upon me and shrugged apologetically, I 
 drifted off, after a decent interval (leaving young 
 Forrest, who, mysteriously, had turned up, to do the 
 cavalierly), intending to visit my acquaintance, 
 Hassan, in the Suk el-Attarin (Street of the Per 
 fumers), not twenty yards away. 
 
 You know Hassan? A large, mysterious figure 
 in the shadows of his little shop, smoking amber- 
 scented cigarettes as though he liked them, and turn- 
 
HARCN PASHA 24& 
 
 ing his sleepy eyes slowly upon each passer-by. Well, 
 I drifted around in his direction. 
 
 Right at the corner of the street, a big limousine 
 was standing; an up-to-date car, fawn cushions, sil- 
 ver-plated fittings, and simply stuffed with fresh-cut 
 flowers. A useful-looking Nubian was chauffeur, and 
 on the step squatted a fat and resplendent beiag in 
 all the glory of much gold braid. 
 
 These harem guards are rarely seen in Cairo 
 nowadays — ^they belong to the other picturesque 
 Oriental institutions which have begun to fade with 
 the cresent of Islam. There was something start- 
 lingly incongruous about this full-grown specimen, 
 that bloated representative of Eastern despotism 
 squatttag on the step of an up-to-date French car. 
 
 It was a kind of all-round shock ; I cannot describe 
 how it struck me. It was something like running 
 into Martin Luther at the Grand National or Nero, 
 say, at an aviation meeting. 
 
 This was a frightfully hot morning, and the 
 adipose object on the car step was slumbering bliss- 
 fully. A moment later I spotted the charge which 
 he was guarding with such sedulous care. She was 
 seated in Hassan's shop — ^well back in the shadows — ■ 
 a gauzy white vision, all eyes and yashmak. A con- 
 fidential female servant accompanied her. They 
 made a pleasing picture enough, and a more suitable 
 setting could not well be found. It was an illustrated 
 page of the Arabian Nights, and it appealed strongly 
 even to my jaded perceptions. 
 
 Of course, I was not going to interrupt thh 
 
244 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 tete-a-tete; but from where I stood I could observe 
 the group very well whilst remaining myself un- 
 observed. It presently became evident that the lady 
 of the yashmak, under the pretence of purchasing 
 perfumes, was merely killing time, and my interest 
 increased as the hour of noon grew near and the 
 artistic group remained unbroken. You know the 
 Mosque of El-Ashraf by Hassan 's shop ? Its minaret 
 almost overhung the place. Well, ia due course, 
 out popped the mueddin. 
 
 "La il aha ilia Allah. . . ." 
 
 There he was a very sweet-voiced singer, as I 
 noted at the time, telling them there was no God 
 but God, and all the rest of it; and presently he 
 worked round to the side of the gallery overlooking 
 Hassan's shop. 
 
 Then I could see which way the wind blew. He 
 seemed to be deliberately singing at the picturesque 
 trio — and the dark eyes of the lady of the yashmak 
 were lifted upward — ^in reverence, perhaps; but I 
 hardly thought so. 
 
 There was no doubt about the mueddin' s final 
 glance, as he turned and retired from the gallery. 
 I remained where I was until the yashmak left the 
 shop; and as she had to pass quite close to me m 
 order to rejoin the waiting car, I had a good look 
 at her. 
 
 It was just an impression, of course, an impres- 
 sion of red lips under the white gauze, an oval 
 Oriental outline, with very fine eyes — ^notably fine, 
 where fine eyes are common — and a little exquisitely 
 
HARtTN PASHA 245* 
 
 chiseled nose; a bewitching face. Just that one 
 glimpse I had and a vague impression of rustling 
 silk -with the tap of high heels. A faint breath of 
 musk still proclaimed itself above the less pleasing 
 odors of the street ; then, the female attendant hav- 
 ing cuffed the slumbering SUenus into wakefulness, 
 the car moved off and this harem lily vanished 
 from the bazaar. 
 
 I knew that my party was safe for another half 
 an hour, at any rate, so I nipped along to Hassan's 
 shop. Of course, he began brazenly by declaring 
 that no ladies had been there that morning. I 
 had expected it, and the attitude confirmed my 
 suspicions. 
 
 Presently, when his boy had made fresh coffee, 
 and Hassan, from the black cabinet, had produced 
 some real cigarettes, we got more intimate. There 
 was a scarcity of European visitors that morning; 
 and excepting one interruption by a party of four 
 American ladies, I had Hassan to myself for half 
 an hour. 
 
 He raised his fat finger to his lips when I pressed 
 my question, and rolled his eyes fearfully. 
 
 "She is from the palace of Harun Pasha," he 
 whispered with more sidelong glances. "Ah I 
 eifendim, I fear. . . . 
 
 We smoked awhile; then — 
 
 "The Pasha's wife?" I inquired. 
 
 "It is the Lady Zohara," he said. 
 
 This did not add greatly to my information; but 
 I continued: "And the mueddin?" 
 
246 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "All! — do not whisper it. . . . That is my brother, 
 Said!" 
 
 "He raises his eyes very high?" 
 
 "Not so, effendim; it is she who raises her eyes. 
 I fear — I fear for Said. The Pasha . . . you have 
 heard of him?" 
 
 "I may have heard his name," I replied; "but 
 I am quite unfamiliar with his reputation." 
 
 Hassan shook his head gloomUy. 
 
 "He is the last of his race," he explained; "the 
 race of the Khalif s. He inhabits the ancient palace 
 — ^but much has been rebuilt, and much added — ^in 
 Old Cairo, close behind the Coptic Church. ..." 
 
 "I did not know that such a palace even existed." 
 
 Again Hassan raised his finger to his lips. 
 
 "He is not like the other pashas," he said; "in 
 the house of Harun Pasha are observed to-day all 
 the old customs as in the day of his great ancestor 
 Harun al-Raschid." 
 
 ' ' But a motor-car ! ' ' 
 
 "Ah, effendim, he does not scoi^ to employ 
 modem comforts, nor do I mean that he is a strict 
 Moslem. But you saw the one who sat upon the 
 step? The harem of the Pasha is well guarded; 
 not only by such as he, but by the Nubians and by 
 the other mutes." 
 
 "Mutes!" 
 
 "He has many slaves. His agent in Mecca pro- 
 cures for him the pick of the market." 
 
 "But there is no such thing as slavery in 
 Egypt!" 
 
HAEUN PASHA 247 
 
 "Do the slaves know that, ejfendimf" he asked 
 simply. "Those who have tongues are never seen 
 outside the walls — unless they are guarded by those 
 Vho have no tongue!" 
 
 It was a curious sidelight upon a more curious 
 possibility and I was much impressed. 
 
 * '■ Your brother ' ' 
 
 "Alas! I have warned him! I fear, most sin- 
 cerely I fear, that one dark night the same will befall 
 him that befell the son of my cousin, Ali." 
 
 "And what was that?" 
 
 "He climbed the wall of the Pasha's garden. 
 There is a fig tree growing close beside it at one 
 place. Someone assisted him to descend on the other. 
 But he had been betrayed; the Nubian mutes took 
 him — and they ' ' 
 
 He bent and whispered in my ear. 
 
 ' ' Impossible ! " I cried — * ' impossible ! hdss! hdss!" 
 
 "Not so, effendim — ^nor was that all. After that 
 they " 
 
 "Enough, Hassan, enough!" I cried. "Ushur!" 
 
 Hassan sighed, raising fearful eyes to the minaret. 
 
 m 
 
 There has been nothing you are likely to disbe- 
 lieve so far ; but now — ^well, I specified at the begin- 
 ning — ^no comments. Let me tell the story in my 
 own way, and you have permission to think what you 
 please. 
 
 There was a dance at Shepheard's that night, and 
 
248 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 young Forrest rather interfered with my plans agaiij 
 as to one of the members of the English party; I 
 think I have referred to her before? That sent me 
 home in a bad hranor — at least not home; for as I 
 was standing over by the Ezbekiyeh Gardens, won- 
 dering whether to go along to "Jimmy's" or not, I 
 formed a sudden determination to go and have a 
 look at the abode of Harun Pasha instead! 
 
 Mind you, I was not surprised to have lived rq 
 Cairo all these years without having heard of the 
 place ; I had learned things about the Muski in the 
 Inoming, from my tourist friends, which had re- 
 vealed to me something of my pitiable ignorance 
 But I was determined to mend my ways, so to speak, 
 and I thought I would turn my restless mood to good 
 purpose, by improving my knowledge of my neigh- 
 bors. 
 
 I induced the torpid driver of an arabiyeh to 
 drive me out to Old Cairo. He obviously consid- 
 ered me to be even more demented than the rest of 
 my countrymen, but since the fare would be a sub- 
 stantial one, he tackled the job. Mad expedition? 
 Quite so ; but you appreciate the mood I 
 
 After we had passed a certain quarter — a quarter 
 which never sleeps — ^there was nothing livelier than 
 decayed tombs en route. In the chilli of the evening 
 I began to weigh up my own foolishness apprecia- 
 tively, but having got so far as the Coptic Church 
 — ^you know the church I mean? — ^I was not going 
 back unsatisfied; so I told my man to wait, and 
 started off to look for the famous palace. 
 
HARtrN PASHA 249 
 
 I must say the scene was impressive; a sky full 
 of diamonds and a moon just bursting ■with light. 
 The liquid night — sounds of the Nile alone disturbed 
 the silence, and the buildings might have been made 
 of mother-o '-pearl, so flawless and pure did they 
 seem, gleaming there under the moon. 
 
 Well, I wandered up some narrow streets — ^past 
 ruins of former important houses, and all that — 
 until I found myself in the shadow of a high wall 
 which obviously was kept in good repair. I followed 
 this for some distance, and I could see trees on the 
 other side ; at one place a perfect mat of those purple 
 flowers hung over the top; gorgeous things; the 
 name begins with a B, but I can never remember it. 
 This seemed promising, and as there was not a soul 
 in sight, nor, on the visible evidences, a habitable 
 building near me, I began to fossick for a likely 
 place to climb up. 
 
 Presently I found the spot, and at the same time 
 confirmation of my belief that these were the pre- 
 cincts of the Pasha. A fig tree grew beside the wall, 
 affording an admirable means of reaching the top 
 — a natural ladder. In a jiffy I was up . . . and 
 overlooking one of the most glorious gardens I had 
 ever seen or dreamt of ! 
 
 It must have been planned by an artist simply 
 soaked in the lore of the Orient. It set me thinking 
 of Edmond Dulac's illustrations to the Arabian 
 Nights. Apart from those pages, you never saw 
 anything like it, I swear. The position of each tree 
 was a study ; the arrangement of the flowerbeds was 
 
250 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 poetic — that is the only word for it; there was a 
 pond with marble seats around and a flight of steps 
 with big copper urns filled with growing flowers, 
 mosaic paths, and lesser pools with fountains play- 
 ing. I peered down into the water, and the moon 
 rays glittered magically upon the scales of the golden 
 carp which darted there. And all this fairy prospect 
 was no more than an introduction, as it were, a sort 
 of lead-up, to the Aladdin's Palace beyond. 
 
 I saw now that what with palms and the natural 
 rise of the land back from the Nile, the wonderful 
 palace, with its terraces and gleaming domes, must 
 actually be invisible from all points ; a more secret 
 locality one could not well imagine. 
 
 As to this magician's abode, which lay before me, 
 I shall not attempt to describe it. But turn to the 
 illustrations which I have menioned, or to those of 
 Burton's big edition; I will leave it to the artist's 
 and your imagination to fill up the canvas. 
 
 Lights shone out from a hundred windows. Out 
 of the ghostly, tomb-like silence of Old Cairo, I 
 had clambered into a sort of fairyland; I stood 
 ^here with the spray from a fountain wetting me, 
 and rubbed my eyes. Honestly, I should not have 
 been surprised to find myself dreaming. Well, you 
 may be sure I was not going back yet; there was 
 not a living soul to be seen in the gardens, and I 
 meant to have a peep into the palace, whatever the 
 chances. 
 
 The likeliest point, as I soon determined, was to 
 ithe west — ^where a long, low wing of the building 
 
HAR0N PASHA. 251 
 
 extended, and was lost, if I may use the term, in a 
 great bank of verdure and purple blooms. I took 
 full advantage of the ample shadow cast by the trees, 
 and came right up under the white wall without 
 mishap. 
 
 To my right, the wall was obviously modem, but 
 to my left, although in the distance and under the 
 moon it had seemed uniform, it was built of sand- 
 stone blocks and was evidently of great age. The 
 palace proper, you understand, was fully forty yards 
 east ; the place before me was a sort of low extension 
 and evidently had no real connection with the resi- 
 dential part. 
 
 Just above my head was a square window, iron- 
 barred, but this did not look promising, and cau- 
 tiously, for I was hampered by the creepers which 
 grew under the wall, I felt my way further west. 
 Presently I encountered a pointed door of black, 
 time-seared wood, and heavily iron-studded. Then, 
 with alarming suddenness, the quietude of my ad- 
 venture was broken; things began to move with 
 breathless rapidity. 
 
 A most dreadful screaming and howling split the 
 stillness and made me jump like a startled frog! 
 
 The sound of a lash on bare flesh reached me from 
 some place behind the pointed door. Screams for 
 mercy in thick, guttural Arabic, mingled and punc- 
 tuated with horrifying shrieks of pain, informed my 
 ignorance unmistakably that mediaeval methods yet 
 ruled in the civilized Near East. 
 
 Screams and supplications merged into a dull 
 
252 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 moaning; but the whistle of the lash continued un- 
 interruptedly. Then that too ceased, and dimly came 
 the sounds of a muffled colloquy; a sort of gurgling 
 talk that got me wondering. 
 
 I had just time to creep away and conceal myself 
 behind a thick clump of bushes, when the door was 
 thrown open, and the most gigantic negro I have 
 ever set eyes upon appeared in the opening, out- 
 lined against the smoky glare from within. He had 
 one gleaming bare arm about the neck of an in- 
 sensible man, and he dragged him out into the 
 garden as one might drag a heavy sack; dropping 
 him all in a quivering heap upon the very spot 
 ■which I had just vacated ! 
 
 The negro, who was stripped to the waist and 
 whose glistening body reminded me of a bronze 
 statue of Hercules, stood looking down at the insen- 
 sible victim, with a hideous leer. I ventured to raise 
 myself ever so slightly; and in the ghastly, sweat- 
 bedaubed face of the tortured man — ^whose bare 
 shoulders were bloody from the lash — ^I recognized 
 the Silenus of the limousine! 
 
 In response to a guttural inarticulate muttering 
 by the black giant, a second Nubian, of scarcely 
 lesser dimensions, emerged from the dungeon with a 
 jar of water. He drenched the swooning man, evi- 
 dently in order to revive him; and, when the 
 ■wretched being ultimately fought his way back to 
 agonized consciousness — to my horror he was seized, 
 dragged in through the doorway again, and once 
 more I heard the whistle of the lash being applied to 
 
HAB0N PASHA 2o3 
 
 his lacerated back, the skin of which was already 
 in ribbons. 
 
 I suppose there are times when the most discreet 
 man is snatched outside himself by circumstances! 
 The door of this beastly torture-room had not been 
 reclosed, and before I could realize what I was about, 
 I found myself inside ! 
 
 The wretched victim had been hauled up to a beam 
 by his bound wrists, and the huge Nubian was pui> 
 ting all his strength into the wielding of the cat-o - 
 nine-tails, drawing blood with every stroke ; whilst 
 his assistant hung on to the rope running through a 
 pulley-block in the low ceiling. 
 
 All in a sort of whirl (I was raving mad with 
 indignation) I got amongst the trio, and landed a 
 clip on the jaw of the son of Erebus which made his 
 teeth rattle like castanets. 
 
 Down came the fat sufferer all in a heap in his 
 own blood. Down went my man, and began to cough 
 out broken molars. Then it was my turn ; and down 
 I went with the second mute on top of me, and the 
 pair of us were playing hell all about the blood- 
 spattered floor — up, down, under, over — ^straining, 
 punching, kicking . . . then my antagonist introduced 
 gouging, and I had to beat the mat. 
 
 It had been a stiff bout, and the stinking shambles 
 were whirling about me like a bloody maelstrom. 
 Wheii things settled down a bit, I found myself lying 
 in a small cell skewered up like a pullet, and with a 
 prospect of iron grating and stone-flagged passage 
 before me. I was more than a trifle damaged, and 
 
254 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 my liead was singing like a kettle. If I had thoughl 
 that I dreamed before, it was a struggle now to con- 
 vince myself that this was not a nightmare. 
 
 Amid the rattling of chains and dropping of barsj 
 a fantastic procession was filing down the passage, 
 First came a hideous, crook-backed apparition, hook- 
 nosed, and bearing a lantern. Behind him appeared 
 two guards with glittering scimitars. Behind the 
 guards walked a fourth personage, black-robed and 
 white-turbaned — a sort of dignified dragoman, car^ 
 rying an enormous bunch of keys. 
 
 The iron grating of my dungeon was unlocked and 
 raised, and I was requested, in Arabic, to rise and 
 follow. Realizing that this was no time for funny 
 business, I staggered to my feet, and between the two 
 Scimitars marched unsteadily through a maze of 
 passages with doors unlocked and locked behind us, 
 stairs ascended and stairs descended. 
 
 From empty passages, our journey led us to pass- 
 ages richly carpeted and softly lighted. By a heavy 
 door opening on to the first of the latter, we left the 
 squinting man; and, with the two Scimitars and 
 Black Robe, I found myself crossing a lofty pavilion. 
 
 The floor was of rich mosaic, and priceless carpets 
 were spread about in artistic confusion. Above my 
 head loomed a great dome, lighted by stained glass 
 windows in which the blue of lapis-lazuli predomi- 
 nated. By golden chains from above swung golden 
 lamps burning perfumed oil and flooding the pavilion 
 with a mellow blue light. There were inlaid tables 
 and cabinets; great blue vases of exquisite Chinese 
 
HARtrN PASHA 255 
 
 porcelain stood in niclies of the wall. The walls 
 were of that faintly amber-tinted alabaster which 
 is quarried in the Mokattam HiUs; and there were 
 fragile columns of some delicately azure-veined 
 marble, rising, graceful and slender, ethereal as 
 pencils of smoke, to a balcony high above toy head; 
 then, from this, a second series of fairy columns 
 crept in blue streaks up into the luminous shadows 
 of the dome. 
 
 We crossed this place, my heel taps echoing hol- 
 lowly and before a curtained door took pause. An 
 impressive interval of perfumed silence; then in 
 response to the muffled clapping of hands, the curtain 
 was raised and I was thrust into a smaller apartment 
 beyond. 
 
 I found myself standing before a long diwcmj 
 amid an opulence of Oriental appointment which sur- 
 passed anything which I could have imagined. The 
 atmosphere was heavy with the odor of burning 
 perfumes, and, whereas the lofty pavilion afforded 
 a delicate study in blue, this chamber was voluptu- 
 ously amber — amber-shaded lamps, amber cushions, 
 amber carpets ; everywhere the glitter of amber and 
 gold. 
 
 Amid the amber sea, half immersed in the golden 
 Bilks of the dais, reclined a large and portly Sheikh; 
 full and patriarchal his beard, wherein played amber 
 tints, lofty and serene his brow, sweeping up to the 
 snowy turban. From a mouthpiece of amber and 
 gold he inhaled the scented smoke of a narghli. Be- 
 hind him, upon a cushioned stool, knelt a female 
 
256 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 wliose beauty of face and form was unmistakable, 
 since it was undisguised by the filmy artistry of 
 ker attire. With a gigantic fan of peacock's feathers, 
 she cooled the Sheikh, and dispersed the flies which 
 threatened to disturb his serenity. A second houri 
 received in her hands the amber mouthpiece as it fell 
 from her lord's lips ; a third, who evidently had been 
 playing upon a lute, rose and glided from the apart- 
 ment like an opium vision, as I entered between the 
 guardian Scimitars. 
 
 I foimd myself thinking of Saint Saen's music 
 to Samson and Delilah; the barbaric strains of the 
 exquisite bacchanale were beating on my brain. 
 
 Black Eobe advanced and knelt upon the floor of 
 the diwan. 
 
 "We have brought the wretched malefactor into 
 your glorious presence," he said. 
 
 The Pasha (for I knew, beyond doubt, that I stood 
 before Harun Pasha) raised his eyes and fixed a 
 stem gaze upon me. He gazed long and fixedly, and 
 an odd change took place in his expression. He 
 seemed about to address me, then, apparently chang- 
 ing his mind, he addressed the recumbent figure at 
 Ms feet. 
 
 "Have the slaves returned with the female mis- 
 creant and her partner in Satan!" he demanded 
 sternly. 
 
 "Lord of the age," replied the other, rising upon 
 Ms knees, "they are expected." 
 
 "Let them be brought before me," directed the 
 Pasha, "upon the instant of their arrival. Has 
 
HAE0N PASHA 257 
 
 Misrun confessed his complicity?" 
 
 "He fainted beneath the lash, excellency, but con- 
 fessed that he slept— that pig who prayed without 
 washing and whose birth was a calamity— on several 
 occasions when accompanying the lady Zohara." 
 
 " Leave us ! " cried the Pasha. ' * But, first, unbind 
 the prisoner." 
 
 He swept his arm around comprehensively, and 
 everyone withdrew from the apartment, including 
 the Scimitars (one of whom cut my lashings) and 
 the lady of the fan. I found myself alone with 
 Harun Pasha. 
 
 ly 
 
 **Sit here beside meV directed the Pasha. 
 
 Being yet too dazed for wonder or protest, I 
 obeyed mechanically. My exact situation was not 
 clear to me at the moment and I was a long way off 
 knowing how to act. 
 
 "I am much disturbed in mind, and my bosom is 
 contracted," continued the Pasha, with a certain 
 benignity, "by reason of a conspiracy in my harem^ 
 which came to a head this night, and which led to 
 the loss of the pearl of my household, a damsel wha 
 cost me her weight in gold, who entangled me in the 
 snare of her love and pierced me with anguish- 
 Know, young Inglisi, that love is difiScult. Alas! 
 she who had captivated my reason by her loveliness 
 fled with a shame of the Moslems who defamed the 
 sacred office of mueddin! In truth he is naught but 
 the son of a disease and a consort of camels. My 
 
258 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 soul cries out to Allah and my mind is a nest of 
 wasps. Eelate to me your case, that it may turn me 
 from the contemplation of my sorrows. At another 
 time, it had gone hard with you, and penalties of a 
 most unfortunate description had been visited upon 
 your head, disturber of my peace ; but since this 
 child of filth and progeny of mules has shattered it 
 forever, your lesser crime comes but as a diversion. 
 Relate to me the matters which have brought you 
 to this miserable pass." 
 
 There was some still little voice in my mind which 
 was trying to speak to me, if you understand what 
 I mean. But what with the suffocating perfume of 
 ambergris (or it may have been frankincense), my 
 incredible surroundings, and the buzzing of my mal-, 
 treated skull, I simply could not think connectedly. 
 
 A memory was struggling for identification in my 
 addled brain; but whether it was due to something 
 I had seen, heard, or smelled, I could not for the 
 life of me make out. I heard myself spinning my 
 own improbable yarn as one listens to a dreary and 
 boresome recitation; I didn't seem to be the ra- 
 conteur ; my mind was busy about that amber room, 
 furiously chasing that hare-like memory, which 
 leaped and doubled, dived under the silken cushions, 
 popped up behind the Pasha, and flicked its ears at 
 me from amid the feathers of the peacock fan. 
 
 I driveled right on to the end of my story, 
 mechanically, without having got my mind in proper 
 working order; and when the Pasha spoke again — 
 there was that wretched memory still dodging me, 
 
HAR0N PASHA 259 
 
 sometimes almost within my grasp, but always just 
 eluding it. 
 
 "Your amusing narrative has diverted me," said 
 the Pasha; and he clapped his hands three times. 
 
 It never occurred to me, you will note, to assert 
 myself in any way ; I accepted the lordly condescen- 
 sions of this singular personage without protest. 
 You will be wondering why I didn't kick up a devil 
 of a hullabaloo — declare that I had come in response 
 to screams for assistance — ^wave the dreaded name 
 of the British Agent under the Pasha's nose, and all 
 that. I can only say that I didn't; I was subdued; 
 in fact I was down, utterly down and out. 
 
 Black Robe entered with eyes averted. 
 
 "Well, .wretched vermin!" roared the Pasha in 
 sudden wrath; "do you tell me they are not here?" 
 
 The man, with his head bumping on the carpet, 
 visibly trembled. 
 
 "Most noble," he replied hoarsely, "your lowly 
 slave has exerted himself to the utmost— — " 
 
 "Out! son of a calamity!" shouted the Pasha — 
 and before my astonished eyes he raised the heavy 
 narghli and hurled it at the bowed head of the man 
 before him. 
 
 It struck the white turban with a resounding crack, 
 and then was shattered to bits upon the jSoor. It 
 was a blow to have staggered a mule. But Black 
 Bobe, without apparent loss of dignity, rose and de- 
 parted, bowing. 
 
 The Pasha sat rocking about, and plucking madly 
 at his beard. 
 
260 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "0 Allah!" he cried, "how I suffer" He turned 
 to me, "Never since the day that another of your 
 race (but, this one, a true son of Satan) came to my 
 palace, have I tasted so much suffering. You shall 
 judge of my clemency, imprudent stranger, and 
 pacify your heart with the spectacle of another's 
 punishment." 
 
 He clapped his hands twice. This time there was 
 a short delay, which the Pasha suffered impatiently; 
 then there entered the squint-eyed man, together 
 with the two Scimitars. 
 
 "I would visit the dungeon of the false Pasha," 
 said my singular host; and, rising to his feet, he 
 placed his hand upon my shoulder and indicated 
 that we were to proceed from the apartment. 
 
 Led by Crook Back, in whose hand the gigantic 
 bunch of keys rattled unmelodiously, and followed 
 by the Scimitars, we proceeded upon our way; and 
 it was beyond the powers of my disordered brain 
 to dismiss the idea that I was taking part in a Christ- 
 mas pantomime. Many steps were descended ; many 
 heavy doors unbolted and unbarred, bolted and 
 barred behind us; many stone-paved passages, re- 
 minding me of operatic scenery, were traversed ere 
 we came to one tunnel more gloomy than the rest. 
 
 Upon the right was a blank stone wall, upon the 
 left, a series of doors, black with age and heavily 
 iron-studded. The only illumination was that fur- 
 nished by the lantern which Crook Back carried. 
 
 Before one of the doors the Pasha paused. 
 
 "In which is Misrun?" he demanded. 
 
HAEtTN PASHA 261 
 
 "In the next, excellency," replied the jailer — for 
 such I took to be the office of the hunchback. 
 
 As he spoke, he held the lantern to the grating. 
 
 I found myself peering into a filthy dungeon, the 
 reek of which made me ill ; and there, upon the stone 
 floor, lay poor Silenus! He raided his eyes to the 
 Ught. 
 
 "Lord of the age," he moaned, lifting his manacled 
 wrists, "glory of the universe, sun of sims! I have 
 confessed my frightful sin, and most dire misfor- 
 tunes. Of your sublime mercy, take pity upon the 
 meanest thing that creeps upon the earth " 
 
 "Proceed!" said the Pasha. 
 
 And with the moaning cries of Misrun growing 
 fainter behind us, we moved along the passage. Be- 
 fore a second door, we halted again, and the jailer 
 raised the lantern. 
 
 "Look upon this!" cried the Pasha to me — "look 
 well, and look long!" 
 
 Shudderingly I peered in between the bars. It 
 had come home to me how I was utterly at the mercy 
 of this man's moods. If he had chosen to have me 
 hurled into one of his dungeons, what prospect of 
 release would have been mine? Who would ever 
 know of my plight? No one! And beyond doubt I 
 was in the realm of an absolute monarch. I silently 
 thanked my lucky stars that my lot was not the lot 
 of him who occupied this second dungeon. 
 
 As the dim light, casting shadow bars across the 
 filthy floor, picked out the features of the prisoner, 
 I gave a great start. Save that the beard was more 
 
262 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 gray, longer, filthy and unkempt, and that, in place 
 of the nearly shaven skull, this unhappy being dis- 
 played dishevelled locks, the captive might easily 
 have passed for the Pasha. 
 
 I met the eye of this terrible despot. 
 
 "Look upon the false Pasha," he said; "look upon 
 the one who thought to dispossess me ! For years, 
 by his own miserable confession, he studied me in 
 secret. When I journeyed to my estates in Assuan" 
 (I started again) "he was watching — ^watching — 
 always watching. His scheme, which was whispered 
 into his ear by the Evil One, was no plant of sudden 
 growth, but a tree, that, from a seed of Satan planted 
 in fertile soil, had flourished exceedingly, tended by 
 the hand of villainous ambition." 
 
 I clutched at the bars for support. The stench 
 of the place was simply indescribable; but it was 
 neither the stench nor the bizarre incidents of the 
 night which accounted for my dizziness : it was the 
 sudden tangibility of that hitherto elusive memory. 
 
 In build, in complexion, in certain mannerisms 
 underlyiQg the dignified assumption, Harun Pasha 
 might well have been the twin bi-other of Jack 
 Dunlap ! 
 
 A frightful possibility burst upon me like a bomb ; 
 clutching the bars with quivering hands, I stared 
 and stared at the wretched impostor in the cell. 
 Pould it be ? Had he been mad enough to make some 
 attempt upon the Pasha? And was this his end? 
 
 I looked around again. I searched the bearded 
 features of the Pasha with eager gaze. Good God! 
 
HARtN PASHA 263 
 
 either I was going mad, or incredible things had 
 been done, were being done, in Cairo. 
 
 I had not seen Dunlap for a year, remember, and 
 in the ordinary way I did not see him more than half 
 a dozen times in twelve months, so that, all things 
 considered, it was not so remarkable that I had over- 
 looked the resemblance. A fuU beard and mustache, 
 artificially darkened eyelashes, a shaven head and a 
 white turban, are effectual disguises ; but if you can 
 imagine Dunlap — the Dunlap you remember — so 
 arrayed, then you have Harun Pasha. Imagine 
 Harun Pasha, dirty, bedraggled, a hopeless cap- 
 tive . . . and you have the prisoner who crouched 
 upon the straw in that noisome dungeon ! 
 
 For the second time that night I was lifted out of 
 myself. I turned on the man beside me in a blazing 
 fury. 
 
 "You villain!" I shouted at him, and clenched 
 my fists — *'do you dare to confine a Britisher in 
 your stinking cellars. By God! sir . . ." 
 
 Harun Pasha clapped his hand over my mouth; 
 the two guards had me by the arms from behind. 
 But my cries had aroused the man in the dungeon, 
 and, as I was dragged down the passage, these moan- 
 ing words reached me, spoken in Arabic: 
 "Help! help! Englishman! A crime has been 
 
 committed! I appeal to Lord ." 
 
 A door was slammed fast with a resounding bang, 
 and the rest of the captive's appeal was lost to me. 
 One of my guards had substituted his hand for that 
 of the Pasha, but now it was removed; and, speech- 
 
264 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 less with rage, I found myself being thrust up stone 
 stairs — and I realized that by a moment's indis- 
 cretion, I had ruined everything. 
 
 Back in the amber apartment once more, with the 
 two Scimitars at the door and Harun Pasha reclin- 
 ing upon the cushions, I found speech. 
 
 "What are you going to do with mel" I de- 
 manded. 
 
 "My son," replied the Pasha with benignity, "I 
 pardon all! Your great courage and address, to- 
 gether with the modesty of your deportment, and 
 the spirit of adventure which has brought you to 
 your present unfortunate case, plead for you in a 
 manner which my clemency cannot resist. It is my 
 unhappy lot often to be called upon to punish. To- 
 night, those gloomy dungeons which you have seen 
 will echo, alas, with the howls of miserable wretches 
 who are responsible for the loss of the pearl of my 
 soul; for I am persuaded that she has fled with the 
 son of offal who profaned the words of AUah from 
 the minaret. This being so, I would temper my 
 proper severity with a merciful deed. You shall 
 never speak of what you have seen within these walls, 
 save in terms suitably disguised. You shall never 
 seek to return, nor, by speech with any man, to con- 
 firm whatsoever you may suspect. Upon this war- 
 ranty, you shall depart in peace." 
 
 He clapped his hands twice, and a houri of most 
 bewitching aspect glided into the dwocm. 
 
 "Bring sherbet!" ordered the Pasha. 
 
 The maiden departed; and whilst I was yet trying 
 
HAR0N PASHA 265 
 
 to come to a decision (the Pasha had mentioned no 
 alternative, but my imagination was equal to the task 
 of supplying one!) she returned with a tray upon 
 which were porcelain cups and two vessels of beauti- 
 fully chased gold. 
 
 Harun Pasha deqocted a sparkling beverage, and, 
 with his own hands, passed the brimming cup to me. 
 
 I knew you would not believe it ; but I warned you, 
 and I made a stipulation. Your idea is that I must 
 be a poor sort of animal to accept so dishonorable a 
 compromise? I agree. But the situation was even 
 more peculiarly difficult than is apparent to you at 
 the moment. Without seeking the information, I 
 learned from Hassan of the Scent Bazaar that his 
 brother had indeed fled with the beauteous Lady 
 Zohara, no one knew whither; and this confirma- 
 tion of the Pasha's sorrows touched a very tender 
 spot in my heart ! 
 
 Then there is another little point. 
 
 When the Pasha removed the elaborate stopper 
 from the first of the golden vessels to which I have 
 just referred, my eye alone perceived that a bottle, 
 bearing a familiar black and white label, was con- 
 tained in this golden casing. The flavor of the 
 decoction with which we sealed our infamous bargain 
 clinched the matter. 
 
 I was absolutely thrust out of the presence cham- 
 ber before I had time for another word ; but, looking 
 back from the door and meeting the eye of the Pasha, 
 
266 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 I encountered a most portentous wink. Therefore 
 I have stuck to my bargain. 
 
 Oh! I have not given much away. The Pasha 
 is not called Harun, and the palace is nowhere near 
 the Coptic Church in Old Cairo. Because, you see, 
 I only knew one man who winked in quite that 
 elaborate fashion — and his name was Jack Dunlap ! 
 
V 
 
 IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 
 
 CONDOR wrote to me three times before 
 the end (said Neville, Assistant-Laspector 
 of Antiquities, staring vaguely from his open 
 window at a squad drilling before the Kasr-en-Nil 
 Barracks). He dated his letters from the camp at 
 Deir-el-Bahari. Judging from these, success ap- 
 peared to be almost within his grasp. He shared my 
 theories, of course, respecting Queen Hatasu, and 
 was devoting the whole of his energies to the task 
 of clearing up the great mystery of Ancient Egypt 
 which centres around that queen. 
 
 For him, as for me, there was a strange fascination 
 about those defaced walls and roughly obliterated 
 inscriptions. That the queen under whom Egyptian 
 art came to the apogee of perfection should thus 
 have been treated by her successors; that no per- 
 fect figure of the wise, famous, and beautiful Hatasu 
 should have been spared to posterity ; that her very 
 cartouche should have been ruthlessly removed from 
 every inscription upon which it appeared, presented 
 to Condor's mind a problem only second in interest 
 to the immortal riddle of Gizeh. 
 
 You know my own views upon the matter? My 
 monograph, "Hatasu, the Sorceress," embodies my 
 
 267 
 
268 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 opinion. In short, upon certain evidences, some 
 adduced by Theodore Davis, some by poor Condor, 
 and some resulting from my own inquiries, I have 
 come to the conclusion that the source — real or im- 
 aginary — of this queen's power was an intimate 
 acquaintance with what nowadays we term, vaguely, 
 magic. Pursuing her studies beyond the limit which 
 is lawful, she met with a certain end, not uncommon, 
 if the old writings are to be believed, in the case of 
 those who penetrate too far into the realms of the 
 Borderland. 
 
 For this reason — ^the practice of black magic — ^her 
 statues were dishonored, and her name erased from 
 the monuments. Now, I do not propose to enter into 
 any discussion respecting the reality of such prac- 
 tices; in my monograph I have merely endeavored 
 to show that, according to contemporary belief, the 
 queen was a sorceress. Condor was seeking to prove 
 the same thing; and when I took up the inquiry, it 
 was in the hope of completing his interrupted work. 
 
 He wrote to me early in the winter of 1908, from 
 his camp by the Rock Temple. Davis's tomb, at 
 Biban el-Muluk, with its long, narrow passage, 
 apparently had little interest for him; he was 
 at work on the high ground behind the temple, 
 at a point one hundred yards or so due west of the 
 upper platform. He had an idea that he should 
 find there the mummies of Hatasu — and another; 
 the latter, a certain Sen-Mut, who appears in the 
 inscriptions of the reign as an architect high in the 
 queen's favor. The archaeological points of the letter 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 269 
 
 do not concern us in the least, but there was one odd 
 little paragraph which I had cause to remember 
 afterwards. 
 
 "A girl belonging to some Arab tribe," wrote 
 Condor, "came racing to the camp two nights ago 
 to claim my protection. What crime she had com- 
 mitted, and what punishment she feared, were far 
 from clear; but she clung to me, trembling like a 
 leaf, and positively refused to depart. It was a 
 difficult situation, for a camp of fifty native ex- 
 cavators, and one highly respectable European en- 
 thusiast, affords no suitable quarters for an Arab 
 girl — and a very personable Arab girl. At any rate, 
 she is still here ; I have had a sort of lean-to rigged 
 up in a little valley east of my own tent, but it is 
 very embarrassing. ' ' 
 
 Nearly a month passed before I heard from Con- 
 dor again; then came a second letter, with the news 
 that on the eve of a great discovery — as he believed 
 — his entire native staff — the whole fifty — had de- 
 serted one night in a body! "Two days' work," he 
 wrote, "would have seen the tomb opened — for I 
 am more than ever certain that my plans are accu- 
 rate. Then I woke up one morning to find every man 
 Jack of my fellows missing ! I went down into the 
 village where a lot of them live, in a towering rage, 
 but not one of the brutes was to be found, and their 
 relations professed entire ignorance respecting their 
 whereabouts. What caused me almost as much 
 anxiety as the check in my work was the fact that 
 Mahara. — the Arab girl — had vanished also. I am 
 
270 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 wondering if the thing has any sinister significance." 
 
 Condor finished with the statement that he was 
 making tremendous efforts to secure a new gang. 
 "But," said he, "I shall finish the excavation, ii 
 I have to do it with my own hands." 
 
 His third and last letter contained even stranger 
 matters than the two preceding it. He had suc- 
 ceeded in borrowing a few men from the British 
 Archaeological camp in the Fayum. Then, just as 
 the work was restarting, the Arab girl, Mahara, 
 turned up again, and entreated him to bring her 
 down the Nile, "at least as far as Dendera. For 
 the vengeance of her tribesmen," stated Condor, 
 "otherwise would result not only in her own death, 
 but in mine ! At the moment of writing I am in two 
 minds what to do. If Mahara is to go upon this 
 journey, I do not feel justified in sending her alone^ 
 and there is no one here who could perform the 
 duty," etc. 
 
 I began to wonder, of course; and I had it in 
 mind to take the train to Luxor merely in order to 
 see this Arab maiden, who seemed to occupy so 
 prominent a place in Condor's mind. However, Fate 
 would have it otherwise ; and the next thing I heard 
 was that Condor had been brought into Cairo, and 
 was at the English hospital. 
 
 He had been bitten by a cat — ^presumably from the 
 neighboring village; and although the doctor at 
 Luxor dealt with the bite at once, traveled down with 
 him, and placed him in the hand of the Pasteur man 
 at the hospital, he died, as you remember, in the night 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 271 
 
 of his arrival, raving mad; the Pasteur treatment 
 failed entirely. 
 
 I never saw him before the end, but they told me 
 that his howls were horribly like those of a cat. 
 His eyes changed in some way, too, I understand; 
 and, with his fingers all contracted, he tried to 
 scratch everyone and everything within reach. 
 
 They had to strap the poor beggar down, and 
 even then he tore the sheets into ribbons. 
 
 Well, as soon as possible, I made the necessary 
 arrangements to finish Condor's inquiry. I had 
 access to his papers, plans, etc., and in the spring 
 of the same year I took up my quarters near Deir- 
 el-Bahari, roped off the approaches to the camp, 
 stuck up the usual notices, and prepared to finish 
 the excavation, which, I gathered, was in a fairly 
 advanced state. 
 
 My first surprise came very soon after my arrival, 
 for when, with the plan before me, I started out to 
 find the shaft, I found it, certainly, but only with 
 great difficulty. 
 
 It had been filled in agaia with sand and loose 
 rock right to the very top ! 
 
 u 
 
 All my inquiries availed me nothing. "With what 
 object the excavation had been thus closed I was 
 unable to conjecture. That Condor had not reclosed 
 it I was quite certain, for at the time of his mishap 
 he had actually been at work at the bottom of the 
 shaft, as inquiries from a native of Suefee, in the 
 
272 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Fayum, who was his only companion at the time, 
 had revealed. 
 
 In his eagerness to complete the inquiry, Condor, 
 by lantern light, had been engaged upon a solitary 
 night-shift below, and the rabid cat had apparently 
 fallen into the pit; probably in a frenzy of fear, it 
 had attacked Condor, after which it had escaped. 
 
 Only this one man was with him, and he, for some 
 reason that I could not make out, had apparently 
 been sleeping in the temple — quite a considerable dis- 
 tance from Condor's camp. The poor fellow's cries 
 had aroused him, and he had met Condor running 
 down the path and away from the shaft. 
 
 This, however, was good evidence of the existence 
 of the shaft at the time, and as I stood contemplat- 
 ing the tightly packed rubble which alone marked 
 its site, I grew more and more mystified, for this 
 task of reclosing the cutting represented much hard 
 labor. 
 
 Beyond perfecting my plans in one or two particu- 
 lars, I did little on the day of my arrival. I had 
 only a handful of men with me, all of whom I knew, 
 having worked with them before, and beyond clear- 
 ing Condor's shaft I did not intend to excavate 
 further. 
 
 Hatasu's Temple presents a lively enough scene 
 in the daytime during the winter and early spring 
 months, with the streams of tourists constantly pass- 
 ing from the white causeway to Cook's Rest House 
 on the edge of the desert. There had been a goodly 
 number of visitors that day to the temple below, and 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 273 
 
 one or two of the more curious and venturesome had 
 scrambled up the steep path' to the little plateau 
 which was the scene of my operations. None had 
 penetrated beyond the notice boards, however, and 
 now, with the evening sky passing through those in- 
 numerable shades which defy palette and brush, 
 which can only be distinguished by the trained eye, 
 but which, from palest blue melt into exquisite pink, 
 and by some magical combination form that deep 
 violet which does not exist to perfection elsewhere 
 than in the skies of Egypt, I found myself in the 
 silence and the solitude of "the Holy Valley." 
 
 I stood at the edge of the plateau, looking out at 
 the rosy belt which marked the course of the distant 
 Nile, with the Arabian hills vaguely sketched beyond. 
 The rocks stood up against that prospect as great 
 black smudges, and what I could see of the causeway 
 looked like a gray smear upon a drab canvas. Be- 
 neath me were the chambers of the Rock Temple, 
 with those wall paintings depicting events in the 
 reign of Hatasu which rank among the wonders of 
 Egypt. 
 
 Not a sound disturbed my reverie, save a faint 
 clatter of cooking utensils from the camp behind 
 me — a desecration of that sacred solitude. Then a 
 dog began to howl in the neighboring village. The 
 dog ceased, and faintly to my ears came the note 
 of a reed pipe. The breeze died away, and with it 
 the piping. 
 
 I turned back to the camp, and, having partaken 
 of a frugal supper, turned in upon my campaigner's 
 
274 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 bed, thoroughly enjoying my freedom from the rou- 
 tine of oflScial life in Cairo, and looking forward to 
 the morrow's work pleasurably. 
 
 Under such circumstances a man sleeps well; and 
 when, in an uncanny gray half-light, which probably 
 heralded the dawn, I awoke with a start, I knew that 
 something of an unusual nature alone could have 
 disturbed my slumbers. 
 
 Firstly, then, I identified this with a concerted 
 howling of the village dogs. They seemed to have 
 conspired to make night hideous ; I have never heard 
 such an eerie din in my life. Then it gradually 
 began to die away, and I realized, secondly, that the 
 howling of the dogs and my own awakening might 
 be due to some common cause. This idea grew upon 
 me, and as the howling subsided, a sort of disquiet 
 possessed me, and, despite my efforts to shake it off, 
 grew more urgent with the passing of every mo- 
 ment. 
 
 In short, I fancied that the thing which had 
 alarmed or enraged the dogs was passing from the 
 village through the Holy Valley, upward to the 
 Temple, upward to the plateau, and was approach- 
 ing me. 
 
 I have never experienced an identical sensation 
 since, but I seemed to be audient of a sort of psychic 
 patrol, which, from a remote pianissimo, swelled 
 fortissimo, to an intimate but silent clamor, which 
 beat in some way upon my brain, but not through 
 the faculty of hearing, for now the night was deathly 
 still. 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 275 
 
 Yet I was persuaded of some approach — of the 
 coming of something sinister, and the suspense of 
 waiting had become ahnost insupportable, so that 
 t began to accuse my Spartan supper of having given 
 me nightmare, when the tent-flap was suddenly 
 raised, and, outlined against the paling blue of the 
 sky, with a sort of reflected elfin light playing upon 
 her face, I saw an Arab girl looking in at me ! 
 
 By dint of exerting all my self-control I managed 
 to restrain the cry and upward start which this 
 apparition prompted. Quite still, with my fists 
 tightly clenched, I lay and looked into the eyes which 
 were looking into mine. 
 
 The style of literary work which it has been my 
 lot to cultivate fails me in describing that beautiful 
 and evil face. The features were severly classical 
 and small, something of the Bisharin type, with a 
 cruel little mouth and a rounded chin, firm to hard- 
 ness. In the eyes alone lay the languor of the Orient ; 
 they were exceedingly — indeed, excessively — ^long 
 and narrow. The ordinary ragged, picturesque 
 finery of a desert girl bedecked this midnight visi- 
 tant, who, motionless, stood there watching me. 
 
 I once read a work by Pierre de I'Ancre, dealing 
 with the Black Sabbaths of the Middle Ages, and 
 now the evil beauty of this Arab face threw my 
 memory back to those singular pages, for, perhaps 
 owing to the reflected light which I have mentioned, 
 although the explanation scarcely seemed adequate, 
 those long, narrow eyes shone catlike in the gloom. 
 
 Suddenly I made up my mind. Throwing the 
 
276 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 blanket from me, I leapt to the ground, and in a 
 flash had gripped the girl by the wrists. Confuting 
 some lingering doubts, she proved to be substantial 
 enough. My electric torch lay upon a box at the 
 foot of the bed, and, stooping, I caught it up and 
 turned its searching rays upon the face of my cap- 
 tive. 
 
 She fell back from me, panting like a wild creature 
 trapped, then dropped upon her knees and began to 
 plead — ^began to plead in a voice and with a manner 
 which touched some chord of consciousness that I 
 could swear had never spoken before, and has never 
 spoken since. 
 
 She spoke in Arabic, of course, but the words fell 
 from her lips as liquid music in which lay all the 
 beauty and all the deviltry of the "Siren's Song." 
 Fully opening her astonishitig eyes, she looked up 
 at me, and, with her free hand pressed to her bosom, 
 told me how she had fled from an unwelcome mar- 
 riage ; how, an outcast and a pariah, she had hidden 
 in the desert places for three days and three nights, 
 sustaining Me only by means of a few dates which 
 she had brought with her, and quenching her thirst 
 with stolen water-melons. 
 
 "I can bear it no longer, effendim. Another night 
 out in the desert, with the cruel moon beating, beat- 
 ing, beating upon my brain, with creeping things 
 coming out from the rocks, wriggling, wriggling, 
 their many feet making whisperings in the sand — 
 ah, it will kill me ! And I am for ever outcast from 
 my tribe, from my people. No tent of all the Arabs^ 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 277 
 
 though I fly to the gates of Damascus, is open to me, 
 save I enter in shame, as a slave, as a plaything, as 
 a toy. My heart" — furiously she beat upon her 
 breast — "is empty and desolate, effendim. I am 
 meaner than the lowliest thing that creeps upon the 
 sand; yet the God that made that creeping thing 
 made me also — and you, you, who are merciful and 
 strong, would not crush any creature because it was 
 weak and helpless. ' ' 
 
 I had released her wrist now, and was looking 
 down at her in a sort of stupor. The evil which at 
 first I had seemed to perceive in her was effaced, 
 wiped out as an artist wipes out an error in his draw- 
 ing. Her dark beauty was speaking to me in a 
 language of its own; a strange language, yet one 
 so intelligible that I struggled in vain to disregard it. 
 And her voice, her gestures, and the witch-fire of 
 her eyes were whipping up my blood to a fever heat 
 of passionate sorrow — of despair. Yes, incredible 
 as it sounds, despair ! 
 
 In short, as I see it now, this siren of the wilder- 
 ness was playing upon me as an accomplished musi- 
 cian might play upon a harp, striking this striug 
 and that at will, and sounding each with such full 
 notes as they had rarely, if ever, emitted before. 
 
 Most damnable anomaly of all, I — Edward Neville, 
 archaeologist, most prosy and matter-of-fact man in 
 Cairo, perhaps — knew that this nomad who had burst 
 into my tent, upon whom I had set eyes for the first 
 time scarce three minutes before, held me enthralled ; 
 and yet, with her wondrous eyes upon me, I could 
 
278 TAIjES of secret EGYPT 
 
 euminon up no resentment, and conld offer but poor 
 resistance. 
 
 "In the Little Oasis, effendim, I have a sister who 
 will admit me into her household, if only as a ser- 
 vant. There I can be safe, there I can rest. Inglisi, 
 at home in England you have a sister of your own ! 
 Would you see her pursued, a hunted thing from rock 
 to rock, crouching for shelter in the lair of some 
 jackal, stealing that she might live — and flying al- 
 ways, never resting, her heart leaping for fear, fly- 
 ing, flying, with nothing but dishonor before her?" 
 
 She shuddered and clasped my left hand in both 
 'ler own convulsively, pulling it down to her boBom. 
 
 "There can be only one thing, effendim," she 
 whispered. "Do you not see the white bones bleach- 
 ing in the sun?" 
 
 Throwing all my resolution into the act, I released 
 my hand from her clasp, and, turning aside, sat down 
 upon the box which served me as chair and table, too. 
 
 A thought had come to my assistance, had 
 strengthened me in the moment of my greatest weak- 
 ness ; it was the thought of that Arab girl mentioned 
 in Condor's letters. And a scheme of things, an 
 incredible scheme, that embraced and explained 
 some, if not all, of the horrible circumstances atten- 
 dant upon his death, began to form in my brain. 
 
 Bizarre it was, stretching out beyond the realm 
 of things natural and proper, yet I clung to it, for 
 there, in the solitude, with this wildly beautiful crea- 
 ture kneeling at my feet, and with her uncanny 
 powers of fascination yet enveloping me like a cloak, 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 279 
 
 I found it not so improbable as inevitably it must 
 have seemed at another time. 
 
 I turned my head, and through the gloom sought 
 to look iQto the long eyes. As I did so they closed 
 and appeared as two darkly luminous slits in the 
 perfect oval of the face. 
 
 "You are an impostor!" I said in Arabic, speak- 
 ing firmly and deliberately. "To Mr. Condor" — I 
 could have sworn that she started slightly at sound 
 of the name — "you called yourself Mahara. I know 
 you, and I will have nothing to do with you." 
 
 But in saying it I had to turn my head aside, for 
 the strangest, maddest impulses were bubbling up 
 in my brain in response to the glances of those half- 
 shut eyes. 
 
 I reached for my coat, which lay upon the foot 
 of the bed, and, taking out some loose money, I 
 placed fifty piastres in the nerveless brown hand. 
 
 "That will enable you to reach the Little Oasis, 
 if such is your desire, ' ' I said. " It is all I can do for 
 you, and now — ^you must go." 
 
 The light of the dawn was growing stronger 
 momentarily, so that I could see my visitor quite 
 clearly. She rose to her feet, and stood before me, 
 a straight, slim figure, sweeping me from head to 
 foot with such a glance of passionate contempt as 
 I had never known or suffered. 
 
 She threw back her head magnificently, dashed 
 the money on the ground at my feet, and, turning, 
 leaped out of the tent. 
 
 For a moment I hesitated, doubting, questioning 
 
280 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 my humanity, testing my fears ; then I took a step 
 forward, and peered out across the plateau. Not 
 a soul was in sight. The rocks stood up gray and 
 eerie, and beneath lay the carpet of the desert 
 stretchiug xmbroken to the shadows of the Nile 
 VaUey. 
 
 in 
 
 We commenced the work of clearing the shaft at 
 an early hour that morning. The strangest ideas 
 were now playing in my mind, and in some way I 
 felt myself to be in opposition to definite enmity. 
 My excavators labored with a will, and, once we 
 had penetrated below the first three feet or so of 
 tightly packed stone, it became a mere matter of 
 shoveling, for apparently the lower part of the shaft 
 had been filled up principally with sand. 
 
 I calculated that four days' work at the outside 
 would see the shaft clear to the base of Condor's 
 excavation. There remained, according to his own 
 notes, only another six feet or so; but it was solid 
 limestone — the roof of the passage, if his plans were 
 correct, communicating with the tomb of Hatasu. 
 
 With the approach of night, tired as I was, I felt 
 little incliniation for sleep. I lay down on my bed 
 with a small Browning pistol under the pillow, but 
 after an hour or so of nervous listening drifted off 
 into slumber. As on the night before, I awoke 
 shortly before the coming of dawn. 
 
 Again the village dogs were raising a hideous out- 
 cry, and again I was keenly conscious of some ever- 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 281 
 
 Hearing menace. This consciousness grew stronger 
 as the howling of the dogs grew fainter, and the 
 sense of approach assailed me as on the previous 
 occasion. 
 
 I sat up immediately with the pistol in my hand, 
 and, gently raising the tent flap, looked out over the 
 darksome plateau. For a long time I could perceive 
 nothing; then, vaguely outlined against the sky, I 
 detected something that moved above the rocky edge. 
 
 It was so indefinite in form that for a time I was 
 unable to identify it, but as it slowly rose higher 
 and higher, two luminous eyes — obviously feliue 
 eyes, since they glittered greenly in the darkness — 
 came into view. In character and ia shape they 
 were the eyes of a cat, but in point of size they were 
 larger than the eyes of any cat I had ever seen. 
 Nor were they jackal eyes. It occurred to me that 
 some predatory beast from the Sudan might con- 
 ceivably have strayed thus far north. 
 
 The presence of such a creature would account 
 for the nightly disturbance amongst the village dogs ; 
 and, dismissing the superstitious notions which had 
 led me to associate the mysterious Arab girl with 
 the phenomenon of the howling dogs, I seized upon 
 this new idea with a sort of gladness. 
 
 Stepping boldly out of the tent, I strode in the 
 direction of the gleaming eyes. Although my only 
 weapon was the Browning pistol, it was a weapon 
 of considerable power, and, moreover, I counted upon 
 the well-known cowardice of nocturnal animals. I 
 was not disappointed in the result. 
 
282 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 The eyes dropped out of sight, and as I leaped t'd 
 the edge of rock overhanging the temple a lithe shape 
 went streaking off in the greyness beneath me. Its 
 coloring appeared to be black, but this appearance 
 may have been due to the bad light. Certainly it 
 was no cat, was no jackal; and once, twice, thrice 
 my Browning spat into the darkness. 
 
 Apparently I had not scored a hit, but the loud 
 reports of the weapon aroused the men sleeping in 
 the camp, and soon I was surrounded by a ring of 
 inquiring faces. 
 
 But there I stood on the rock-edge, looking out 
 across the desert in silence. Something in the long, 
 luminous eyes, something m the siauous. flyiag shape 
 had spoken to me intimately, horribly. 
 
 Hassan es-Sugra, the headman, touched my arm, 
 and I knew that I must offer some explanation. 
 
 "Jackals," I said shortly. And with no other 
 word I walked back to my tent. 
 
 The night passed without further event, and in 
 the morning we addressed ourselves to the work 
 with such a will that I saw, to my satisfaction, that 
 by noon of the following day the labor of clearing 
 the loose sand would be completed. 
 
 During the preparation of the evening meal I be^ 
 came aware of a certain disquiet in the camp, and I 
 noted a disinclination on the part of the native labor-, 
 ers to stray far from the tents. They hung together 
 in a group, and whilst individually they seemed to 
 avoid meeting my eye, collectively they watched me 
 in a furtive fashion. 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 283 
 
 A gang of Moslem workmen calls for delicate 
 handling, and I wondered if, inadvertently, I had 
 transgressed in some way their iron-bomid code of 
 conduct, I called Hassan es-Sugra aside. 
 
 ' ' What ails the men ? " I asked him. ' ' Have they 
 some grievance?" 
 
 Hassan spread his pahns eloquently. 
 
 "If they have," he replied, "they are secret about 
 it, and I am not in their confidence. Shall I thrash 
 three or four of them ia order to learn the nature 
 of this grievance?" 
 
 "No thanks aU the same," I said, laughiog at 
 this characteristic proposal. "If they refuse to 
 work to-morrow, there will be time enough for you 
 to adopt those measures." 
 
 On this, the third night of my sojourn in the Holy 
 Valley by the Temple of Hatasu, I slept soundly 
 and uninterruptedly. I had been looking forward 
 with the keenest zest to the morrow's work, which 
 promised to bring me within sight of my goal, and 
 when Hassan came to awaken me, I leaped out of bed 
 immediately. 
 
 Hassan es-Sugra, having performed his duty, did 
 not, as was his custom, retire ; he stood there, a tall, 
 angular figure, looking at me strangely. 
 
 "Well?" I said. 
 
 ' * There is trouble, ' ' was his simple reply. * ' Follow 
 me, Neville Effendi." 
 
 Wondering greatly, I followed him across the 
 plateau and down the slope to the excavation. There 
 I pulled up short with a cry of amazement. 
 
284 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Condor's shaft was filled in to the very top, and 
 presented, to my astonished gaze, much the same 
 aspect that had greeted me upon my first arrival! 
 
 "The men " I began. 
 
 Hassan es-Sugra spread wide his palms. 
 
 "Gone!" he replied. "Those Coptic dogs, those 
 eaters of carrion, have fled in the night." 
 
 "And this" — I pointed to the little mound of 
 broken granite and sand — "is their work?" 
 
 "So it would seem," was the reply; and Hassan 
 sniffed his sublime contempt. 
 
 I stood looking bitterly at this destruction of my 
 toUs. The strangeness of the thing at the moment 
 did not strike me, in my anger; I was only con- 
 cerned with the outrageous impudence of the miss- 
 ing workmen, and if I could have laid hands upon 
 one of them it had surely gone hard with him. 
 
 As for Hassan es-Sugra, I believe he would cheer- 
 fully have broken the necks of the entire gang. But 
 he was a man of resource. 
 
 "It is so newly filled in," he said, "that you and 
 I, iu three days, or in four, can restore it to the 
 state it had reached when those nameless dogs, who 
 regularly prayed with their shoes on, those devourers 
 of pork, began their dirty work." 
 
 His example was stimulating. 7 was not going 
 to be beaten, either. 
 
 After a hasty breakfast, the pair of us set to work 
 with pick and shovel and basket. We worked as 
 those slaves must have worked whose toil was di- 
 rected by the lash of the Pharaoh's overseer. My 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 285 
 
 back acquired an almost permanent crook, and every 
 muscle in my body seemed to be on fire. Not even 
 in the midday heat did we slacken or stay our toils ; 
 and when dusk fell that night a great mound had 
 arisen beside Condor's shaft, and we had excavated 
 to a depth it had taken our gang double the time 
 to reach. 
 
 When at last we threw down our tools in utter 
 exhaustion, I held out my hand to Hassan, and 
 wrung his brown fist enthusiastically. His eyes 
 sparkled as he met my glance. 
 
 "Neville Effendi," he said, "you are a true 
 Moslem!" 
 
 And only the initiated can know how high was the 
 compliment conveyed. 
 
 That night I slept the sleep of utter weariness, 
 yet it was not a dreamless sleep, or perhaps it was 
 not so deep as I supposed, for blazing cat-eyes en- 
 circled me in my dreams, and a constant feline 
 howling seemed to fill the night. 
 
 When I awoke the sun was blazing down upon 
 the rock outside my tent, and, springing out of bed, 
 I perceived, with amazement, that the morning was 
 far advanced. Indeed, I could hear the distant 
 voices of the donkey-boys and other harbingers of 
 the coming tourists. 
 
 Why had Hassan es-Sugra not awakened me ? 
 
 I stepped out of the tent and called him in a loud 
 voice. There was no reply. I ran across the plateau 
 to the edge of the hollow. 
 
 Condor's shaft had been reclosed to the top ! 
 
286 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Language fails me to convey the wave of anger, 
 amazement, incredulity, which swept over me. I 
 looked across to the deserted camp and back to my 
 own tent; I looked down at the mound, where but a 
 few hours before had been a pit, and seriously I 
 began to question whether I was mad or whether 
 madness had seized upon all who had been with me. 
 Then, pegged down upon the heap of broken stones, 
 I perceived, fluttering, a small piece of paper. 
 
 Dully I walked across and picked it up. Hassan, 
 a man of some education, clearly was the writer. 
 It was a pencU. scrawl in doubtful Arabic, and, not 
 without difficulty, I deciphered it as follows : 
 
 ' ' Fly, Neville Effendi ! This is a haunted place ! ' ' 
 
 Standing there by the mound, I tore the scrap of 
 paper into minute fragments, bitterly casting them 
 from me upon the ground. It was incredible; it 
 was insane. 
 
 The man who had written that absurd message, 
 the man who had undone his own work, had the repu- 
 tation of being fearless and honorable. He had been 
 with me before a score of times, and had quelled 
 petty mutinies in the camp in a manner which marked 
 him a born overseer. I could not understand; I 
 could scarcely believe the evidence of my own senses. 
 
 What did I do? 
 
 I suppose there are some who would have aban- 
 doned the thing at once and for always, but I take 
 it that the national traits are strong within me. I 
 went over to the camp and prepared my own break- 
 fast ; then, shouldering pick and shovel, I went down 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SORCERESS 287 
 
 into the valley and set to work. What ten men 
 could not do, what two men had failed to do, one 
 man was determined to do. 
 
 It was about half an hour after commencing my 
 toUs, and when, I suppose, the surprise and rage 
 occasioned by the discovery had begun to wear off, 
 that I found myself making comparisons between 
 my own case and that of Condor. It became more 
 and more evident to me that events — ^mysterious 
 events — ^were repeating themselves. 
 
 The frightful happenings attendant upon Condor's 
 death were marshaling in my mind. The sun was 
 blazing down upon me, and distant voices could be 
 heard in the desert stUlness. I knew that the plain 
 below was dotted with pleasure-seeking tourists, yet 
 nervous tremors shook me. Frankly, I dreaded the 
 coming of the night. 
 
 WeU, tenacity or pugnacity conquered, and I 
 worked on until dusk. My supper despatched, I sat 
 down on my bed and toyed with the Browning. 
 
 I realized already that sleep, under existing con- 
 ditions, was impossible. I perceived that on the 
 morrow I must abandon my one-man enterprise, 
 pocket my pride, in a sense, and seek new assistants, 
 new companions. 
 
 The fact was coming home to me conclusively 
 that a menace, real and not mythical, hung over 
 that valley. Although, in the morning sunlight and 
 filled with indignation, I had thought contemptu- 
 ously of Hassan es-Sugra, now, in the mysterious 
 violet dusk so conducive to calm consideration, I 
 
288 TALES OF SECEET EGYPT 
 
 was forced to admit that he was at least as brave 
 a man as I. And he had fled ! What did that night 
 
 hold in keeping for me ? 
 
 ****** 
 
 I will tell you what occurred, and it is the only- 
 explanation I have to give of why Condor's shaft, 
 Baid to communicate with the real tomb of Hatasu, 
 to this day remains unopened. 
 
 There, on the edge of my bed, I sat far into the 
 night, not daring to close my eyes. But physical 
 weariness conquered in the end, and, although I have 
 no recollection of its coming, I must have succumbed 
 to sleep, since I remember — can never forget — a 
 repetition of the dream, or what I had assumed to be 
 a dream, ©f the night before. 
 
 A ring of blazing green eyes surrounded me. At 
 one point this ring was broken, and in a kind of 
 nightmare panic I leaped at that promise of safety, 
 and found myself outside the tent. 
 
 Lithe, slinking shapes hemmed me in— cat shapes, 
 ghoul shapes, veritable figures of the pit. And the 
 eyes, the shapes, although they were the eyes and 
 shapes of cats, sometimes changed elusively, and 
 became the wicked eyes and the sinuous, writhing 
 shapes of women. Always the ring was incomplete, 
 and always I retreated in the only direction by 
 which retreat was possible. I retreated from those 
 cat-things. 
 
 In this fashion I came at last to the shaft, and 
 there I saw the tools which I had left at the end of my 
 day's toil. 
 
IN THE VALLEY OF THE SOKCEEESS 289 
 
 Looking around me, I saw also, with such a pang 
 of horror as I cannot hope to convey to you, that 
 the ring of green eyes was now unbroken about me. 
 
 And it was closing in. 
 
 Nameless feline creatures were crowding silently 
 to the edge of the pit, some preparing to spring 
 down upon me where I stood. A voice seemed to 
 speak in my brain; it spoke of capitulation, telling 
 me to accept defeat, lest, resisting, my fate be the 
 fate of Condor. 
 
 Peals of shrill laughter rose upon the silence. 
 The laughter was mine. 
 
 Filling the night with this hideous, hysterical mer- 
 riment, I was working feverishly with pick and with 
 shovel fiUing in the shaft. 
 
 The end? The end is that I awoke, in the morning, 
 lying, not on my bed, but outside on the plateau, my 
 hands torn and bleeding and every muscle in my body 
 throbbing agonisingly. Remembering my dream — 
 for even in that moment of awakening I thought I 
 had dreamed — I staggered across to the valley of the 
 excavation. 
 
 Condor's shaft was reclosed to the top. 
 
VI 
 
 POMEGRANATE FLOWER 
 
 THERE are not so many Antereeyeh (story- 
 tellers) in Cairo now (said my acquaint- 
 ance, Hassan of the Scent Bazaar, staring, 
 reflectively, at two American ladies paying fabulous 
 prices for the goods of his mendacious neighbor on 
 tiie left). They have adopted other, and more lucra- 
 tive, professions ; but in my father's time, it was an 
 excellent business. 
 
 For one thing, the stories which you call the 
 Arahicm Nights are no longer recited, because they 
 are said to be unlucky. This has considerably re- 
 duced the story-teller's stock-in-trade; for unless a 
 man is blessed with much originality, he cannot well 
 refrain from using in his narratives some part of 
 the thousand and one tales. 
 
 To this day, however, there is in the city of Cairo 
 a tale-teller of much repute. With his tale-teUing 
 he combines the profession of a barber; and like 
 the famous barber of the Arabian Nights bears the 
 nickname Es-Samit (the Silent). An old man is this 
 Es-Samit, who no more wiU know his ninetieth year, 
 of dark countenance, and white beard and eyebrows, 
 with small ears like the ears of a gazelle, and a long 
 nose like that of a camel, and a haughty aspect. 
 
 290 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWEE 291 
 
 This barber enjoys every comfort in his declining 
 years by reason of his amusing manner, and because 
 his ridiculous stories and disclosures respecting his 
 six brothers (for in all things he resembles, or 
 claims to resemble, his famous namesake) divert all 
 who hear them, causing him whose bosom is con- 
 tracted with woe to swoon with excessive laughter, 
 and filling the saddest heart with joy; such is the 
 absurd loquacity and impertinence of the barber 
 called Es-Samit, the SUent. 
 
 It chanced one day that I found myself at the 
 Wedding festivities of a prosperous merchant dis- 
 tantly related to me; and for the entertainment of 
 his guests, this wealthy man, ia addition to the usual 
 dances and songs, had engaged Es-Samit to divert 
 us with one of his untruthful stories. In order to 
 refresh the Anteree's mendacity, the host thus 
 addressed the barber — 
 
 "O Es-Samit, thou silent one! it hath come to 
 my ears that in thine exceeding paucity of speech 
 thou hast omitted, hitherto, to relate the story of 
 thy seventh brother. Since thou hast a seventh 
 brother, let not thy love of silence (in thee even 
 greater than in thy famous ancestor) deprive us of 
 a knowledge of his depravity, but acquaint us with 
 his case." 
 
 "0 Merchant Prince!" replied the barber, "to 
 none other than thyself — so handsome, so liberal, and 
 of such excellent morality — ^would I break my vow, 
 to speak of that Wretched villain, that malevolent 
 mule, that vilest of the vile, my twin brother Ahzab. ' ' 
 
292 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 My cousin, feigning astonishment at the manner; 
 of his speech, said — 
 
 "Thy twin brother, Es-Samit, was not, like 
 thee, a man of rectitude, of exalted mind, and of 
 enlightened intelligence?" 
 
 "Alas!" replied the barber, "he was a dog of 
 the most mongrel kind. My bosom is pierced when 
 I utter his accursed name I At the hands of Ahzab, 
 my twin brother, I met with every indignity, and 
 with penalties of a most unfortunate description." 
 
 When the host heard this, he laughed exceedingly, 
 saying— 
 
 "Acquaint us, Es-Samit, with his shameless 
 misdeeds." 
 
 The barber, sighing as though his soul sought rest 
 from all earthly aflGdctions, proceeded as follows : 
 
 Know, light of my eyes ! that my other brother, 
 Ahzab, was born in the city of Cairo, and his birth 
 was unattended by a darkening of the sun and other 
 unpleasant calamities only by reason of the fact 
 that I was born in the same hour ! 
 
 My twin brother, Ahzab, was blessed with hand- 
 some stature, an elegant shape, a perfect figure, with 
 cheeks like roses, with eyebrows meeting above an 
 aquiline nose brightly shining. In short, this shame 
 of my mother was endowed with all those perfections 
 which Allah (whose name be exalted) had also be- 
 stowed upon me; but his heart was the heart of a 
 serpent, and he lacked the nobility of mind which 
 
POMEGEANATE FLOWEE 293 
 
 thou hast observed in thy servant, Paragon of 
 wisdom! 
 
 When we were yet in the bloom and blossom of 
 handsome youth, a dispute arose between us, and 
 for many moons I saw not Ahzab, but pursued my 
 occupation as a barber and teller of wonderful stories 
 in a distant part of the city. In this way it befell 
 that I knew of his state only by report, until one 
 day as I sat before my shop observing if the ascen- 
 dent of the hour were favorable to one who waited 
 to be shaved, there came to me a negro most hand- 
 somely dressed, who said: 
 
 "My Master, Ahzab the Merchant, desires that 
 you repair as soon as possible to his magazine. He 
 hath urgent need of thee." 
 
 Upon hearing these words, and observing the rich- 
 ness of the negro's apparel, I perceived that those 
 reports which had come to me, respecting Ahzab 's 
 wealth, were no more than true; and I spoke thus 
 to myself: 
 
 "Within the vilest heart may blooin the flower of 
 brotherly affection. Ahzab desires to share with 
 me, the most enlightened of his family, this good 
 fortune which hath befallen him." 
 
 Accordingly, I shut up my shop, dismissing the 
 one who waited to be shaved, and followed the black 
 to the Khan Khalil, where were the shops of the 
 wealthy silk merchants. My brother received me 
 affectionately, embracing me and saying : 
 
 "0 Es-Samit, ever have I loved thee. Lo! Thou 
 growest more like myself each year. Save that thou 
 
294 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 art more dignified and noble. Enter into this private 
 apartment with me, for it is important that no one 
 shall see thee." 
 
 Much surprised at his words, I followed him to an 
 elegant apartment above the shop, and there he 
 ordered the servants to roast a lamb and to bring 
 to us fruit and wine ; and whUe we thus pleasantly 
 employed ourselves, he unfolded to me his case. 
 
 "Know, my brother, that I have accumulated 
 great wealth; and this I have done by observing 
 those wise precepts of conduct laid down by thee. 
 By the charm of my speech, which I have fashioned 
 upon thine, and the elegance of my manner, in which 
 I have, though poorly, imitated thine own, and by 
 the dignity and the modesty of my conduct, I have 
 endeared all hearts and am esteemed above all the 
 other merchants in Cairo. 
 
 "It is necessary that I repair to Damascus, and 
 during my absence I wish nothing better than that 
 thou shouldst take my place here. This wUl be 
 favorable to both of us; for I wiU reward thy ser- 
 vices with five hundred piastres and an interest in 
 my affairs, and thou wilt pass for me; for all will 
 say, 'IjoI Ahzab the Merchant waxes more handsome 
 each day; such is the benign influence of righteous 
 prosperity and conscious rectitude!' My affairs 
 stand thus and thus, and my steward, who will be 
 in our confidences, will acquaint thee with aU matters 
 necessary. Thou wilt wear my costly garments, and 
 sit in my shop. Each evening thou wilt secretly 
 repair to thine own abode." 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWER 295 
 
 Upon hearing those words, my bosom swelled with, 
 joy; for I observed that Ahzab had not failed to 
 perceive my exalted qualities. "We sat far into the 
 night in conversation respecting our plans; and on 
 the following day, Ahzab having departed secretly 
 for Damascus, I repaired to his shop, as arranged, 
 and took my seat there. 
 
 But the number of the persons who saluted me, 
 and by the manner of their speech, I perceived, more 
 and more, the great prosperity of my brother ; and 
 being of a thoughtful mind, I passed the days very 
 pleasantly in contemplation of my good fortune. 
 
 Upon the fourth day after the departure of my 
 brother, as I sat in his shop, there came past a 
 damsel accompanied by female attendants. This 
 damsel was riding upon a mule with a richly em- 
 broidered saddle, with stirrups of gold, and she was 
 covered with an isar of exquisite fabric; and about 
 her slender waist was a girdle of gold-embroidered 
 silk. I was stricken speechless with the beauty and 
 elegance of her form; and when she alighted and 
 came into the shop, the odors of sweet perfumes 
 were diffused from her, and she captivated my rea- 
 son by her loveliness. 
 
 Seating herself beside me, she raised her isar, and 
 I beheld her black eyes. And they surpassed in 
 beauty the eyes of all human beings, and were like 
 the eyes of the gazelle. She had a mouth like the 
 Seal of Suleyman, and hair blacker than the night 
 of aflfliction; a forehead like the new moon of 
 Ramadan, and cheeks like anemones, with lips 
 
296 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 fresher than rose petals, teeth like pearls from the 
 sea of distraction, and a neck surpassing in white- 
 ness molten silver, above a form that put to shame 
 the willow branch. 
 
 She spoke to me, saying: 
 
 ' ' Ahzab ! I have returned as I promised thee ! ' ' 
 
 At the sound of her voice, by Allah (whose name 
 be exalted!) I was entangled in the snare of her 
 love ; fire was burning up my heart on her account ; 
 a consuming flame increased within my bosom, and 
 my reason was drowned in the sea of my desire. 
 
 Perceiving my state, she quickly lowered her veil 
 in pretended displeasure, and desired to look at 
 some pieces of silk. While she thus employed her- 
 self, she surpassed the branches in the beauty of 
 her bending motions, and my eyes could not remove 
 themselves from her. I thus communed with my- 
 self : 
 
 "0 Es-Samit, thou didst contract with thy brother 
 to do this and that, and to render unto him a proper 
 account of thy dealings. But though he hath made 
 thee no mention of his affair with this damsel — ^it is 
 important that thou conductest this matter as he 
 would have done, so that he cannot reproach thee 
 with negligence!" For I was ever a just as well 
 as a discreet and silent man. 
 
 Accordingly I spoke as follows : 
 
 "0 my mistress, who art the most lovely person 
 God has created, rend not my heart with thy dis- 
 pleasure, but take pity upon me. Know that love 
 is difficult, and the concealment of it melteth iron 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWER 297 
 
 and occasionetli disease and infirmity. Thou hast 
 returned as thou didst promise ; therefore I conjure 
 thee, conceal not thy face from thy slave!" 
 
 The damsel thereupon raised her head and put 
 aside her veil, casting a glance upon me and looked 
 sideways at the attendants, and placed one finger 
 upon her lips ; so that I knew her to be as discreet 
 as she was lovely. She laughed in my face, and said : 
 
 "I will take this piece of embroidered silk that 
 I have chosen. "What is the price?" 
 
 And I answered: 
 
 "One hundred piasters; but I pray thee let it 
 be thine, and a gift from Ahzab!" 
 
 Upon this, she looked into my eyes and the sight 
 of her face drew from me a thousand sighs, and took 
 the sUk, saying: 
 
 "0 my master, leave me not desolate!" 
 
 So she departed, while I continued sitting in the 
 market-street until past the hour of afternoon 
 prayer, with disturbed mind enslaved by her beauty 
 and loveliness. I returned to my house and supper 
 was placed before me, but reflecting upon the damsel, 
 I could eat nothing. I laid myself down to rest, 
 but passed the whole night sleepless, communing 
 with myself how I could best carry out this affair 
 and obtain possession of the damsel . . . for my 
 brother, Ahzab! 
 
 n 
 
 Scarcely had daybreak appeared when I arose 
 and repaired to the market-place and put on a suit 
 
298 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 of my brother's clothing, richer and more magnifi- 
 cent than that I had worn the day before ; and having 
 dnmk a cnp of wine, I sat in the shop. But all that 
 day she came not, nor the next, but upon the third 
 day she came again, attended only by one attendant, 
 and she saluted me and said in a speech never sur- 
 passed in softness and sweetness : 
 
 "0 my master, reproach me not that I thus reveal 
 the interest I have in thee, but I could not speak to 
 thee when my women were in hearing ; and this one 
 is in my confidence. I have told thee that my father 
 will never give me to thee because of my rank, but 
 thou hast wounded my heart, and more and more do 
 I love thee each day — ^for each day thou growest 
 more beautiful and elegant. Forever I must be 
 desolate. Alas ! I have placed thy letter in the box 
 thou didst give me, and no day passes that it is not 
 wet with my tears. Farewell! my beloved!" 
 
 On hearing this, my love and passion grew so 
 violent that I almost became insensible. The damsel 
 rose to leave the shop, and the one who was with her 
 spoke softly in her ear; but she shook her head, 
 expressing displeasure, and went away. 
 
 When I perceived that indeed she was gone, verUy 
 the tears descended upon my cheek like rain, and my 
 soul had all but departed. My heart clung to her — 
 I followed in the direction of her steps through the 
 market-place, and lo! the attendant came running 
 back to me, and said : 
 
 "Here is the message of my mistress : 'Know that 
 my love is greater than thine, and on Friday next 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWER 299 
 
 my servant will come to thee and tell thee how thou 
 mayest see me for a short interview before my 
 father comes back from prayers. ' ' ' 
 
 When I heard these words of the girl, the anguish 
 of my heart ceased, and I was intoxicated with love 
 and rapture, and in my joy and longing, I omitted 
 to ask the girl the abode of her mistress — ^neither 
 did I know the name of my beloved; but reflecting 
 upon these matters, I returned to my brother's shop, 
 and sat there untU late, and then I repaired secretly 
 to my abode. 
 
 I paused in a quiet street, and seated myself upon 
 a mastabah to scent the coolness of the air, and to 
 abandon myself to exquisite reflections. 
 
 But no sooner had I thus seated myself than a 
 negro of gigantic stature, and most hideous aspect, 
 suddenly appeared from the shadow of a door, and 
 threw himself upon me, exclaiming : 
 
 "This is thine end, as it was written, Ahzab the 
 Merchant!" 
 
 By Allah ! (whose name be exalted) I thought it 
 was even as he said; and none but myself had fallen 
 into sudden dissolution, but that everything slippery 
 is not a pancake, and the jar that is struck may yet 
 escape unbroken. 
 
 So it befell that by great good fortune and by the 
 exercise of my agility and intelligence, I tripped 
 the negro and his head came in contact with the 
 mastabah, and before he could recover himself, I 
 held to his ebony throat the blade of a razor which, 
 by the mercy of God, and because it was a custom 
 
300 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 of my profession, I carried in my Tea/mar. 
 
 "0 thou dog!" I exclaimed, "prepare to depart 
 to that utter darkness and perdition that awaits 
 assassins! For assuredly I am about to slay thee!" 
 
 But he humbled himself to the ground before me, 
 and embraced my feet, crying : 
 
 "Have mercy, my master! I but obeyed the 
 commands ! ' ' 
 
 "Of whom, thou vile and unnamable vermin?" 
 I asked of him. 
 
 "Of whom else but Abu-el-Hassan, the son of the 
 Kadi! For hath he not revealed to thee that for 
 what has passed with JuUanar (Pomegranate 
 Flower), the daughter of the Wall, he will slay 
 thee?" 
 
 "He hath revealed this to me?" I asked of him, 
 astonished at his words. 
 
 And he replied: "Thou knowest, master, it was 
 by my hand that the message was borne." 
 
 Whereupon I praised Allah (whose name be ex- 
 alted) and spurned the slave with my foot, saying: 
 
 "Depart, thou black son of filth, and report 
 that I am dead. I give thee thy wretched life; 
 depart!" 
 
 But when he had gone, I again lifted up my voice 
 in thanksgiving. And having come to my abode, 
 I performed the preparatory ablution, and recited 
 the prayer of night-fall; after which I recited the 
 chapters "Ya-Sin" (The Cow) and "Two Preventa- 
 tives." For I perceived that this was the true pur- 
 port of my brother's absence, and that in his love 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWEE 301 
 
 and affection he had resigned to me this affair, well 
 knowing that I should perish ! 
 
 It was by the mercy of Allah, the Compassionate, 
 the Merciful, that my case was not as he had fore- 
 seen. The damsel called JuUanar, daughter of the 
 Wall, was famed from Cairo to the uttermost islands 
 of China for her elegance and loveliuess, and I knew 
 that my beloved could be none other than she, and 
 that Abu-el-Hassan, son of the Kadi, could be none 
 other than the betrothed chosen of her father the 
 Wall. 
 
 I slept not that night, but passed the hours until 
 sunrise reflecting upon this matter, and upon the 
 dangers which awaited my father's handsome son 
 on Friday. And I went not to the market on the 
 next day, but sent a message to my brother's 
 steward saying that I was smitten with sickness and 
 enjoining him to acquaint the girl, who presently 
 would come, where I was to be found. 
 
 Thus it befell that at noon on Friday the same 
 girl that had been with JuUanar came to me, sent 
 thither from the shop of Ahzab by the steward, 
 saying: 
 
 "0 my master, answer the sumons of my mistress. 
 This is the plan that I have proposed to her : Con- 
 ceal thyself withia one of the large chests that are 
 in thy shop, and hire a porter to carry thee to the 
 house of the Wall. I will cause the howwab to admit 
 the chest to the apartment of the Lady JuUanar. 
 She doth trust her honor to thy discretion, by reason 
 of her love for thee, and because she w/51 die if she- 
 
302 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 eee thee not to bid thee farewell. I will arrange 
 for thee to be secretly conveyed from the house, ere 
 the Wall returns." 
 
 And at her words I was like to have swooned with 
 ecstasy; and I forgot, in the transport of love and 
 delight, the black assassin and the threatened venge- 
 ance of Abu-el-Hassan. I set at naught my fears at 
 trusting my father's favorite son withia the walls of 
 the Wall's house. I thought only of JuUanar of the 
 slender waist and heavy hips, of the dewy lips, more 
 intoxicating than wine, and the eyes of my beloved 
 like wells of temptation to swallow up the souls of 
 men. 
 
 I shaved and went to the bath, and repaired to 
 the shop of Ahzab. My brother's steward was not 
 there, whereat I rejoiced, and arrayed myself in the 
 most splendid suit that I could find, and having 
 perfumed myself with essences and sweet scents, I 
 summoned a boy and said: 
 
 "Go thou and bring here a porter. Order him to 
 carry yon large chest to the house of the Wall, near 
 the Mosque of Ibn-Mizheh, and ask for the lady 
 JuUanar who hath purchased this box and a number 
 of things which are in it. See that he be a strong 
 man, for the box is very heavy, ' ' 
 
 The boy replied. "On the head," and departed 
 on his errand. 
 
 Thereupon I commended my soul to Allah, and 
 entered the box, closing the lid upon me. Scarcely 
 had I concealed myself, when the porter entered and 
 lifted the chest. The boy assisted him to take it upon 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWER 303 
 
 his back, and he bore it out into the market-street. 
 "Now by the beard of the Prophet ( on whom be 
 peace)," I exclaimed to myself, "it is well that I am 
 named Es-Samit, the Silent; for had it been other- 
 wise, I naust have lifted up my voice against this 
 son of perdition who carries me with my soles raised 
 to heaven!" 
 
 The porter conveyed me for some distance, pant- 
 ing beneath the weight of the box, and, presently, 
 coming to a mastabah, dropped one end of the box 
 upon it, whilst he rested himself. 
 
 "Now as Allah is great, and Mohammed his only 
 prophet," I said in my beard, "I am fortunate in 
 that I have acquired a paucity of diction. There 
 is no other in Cairo, but the joy of my mother, that 
 could refrain from speech when dropped upon his 
 ikull on a stone bench!" 
 
 After a while, the porter raised the chest again, 
 and resumed his journey, presently coming to the 
 house of the Wall, and dropping the box into the 
 courtyard. 
 
 "AUah be praised!" I said. "For if this porter, 
 whose name be accursed, did but carry me a quinary 
 further, my silence would become even more sur- 
 prising than it is; for my affair would finish, and 
 I should speak no more to any man!" 
 
 The howwdb now cried out : 
 
 "What is in this chest?" 
 
 "Purchases of the lady Jullanar," said the girl, 
 whom I recognized by her voice. ' ' Permit the porter 
 to carry it to her apartments." 
 
304 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 "I must obey the orders of the Wall my master," 
 replied the door-keeper. ' ' The box must be opened. ' ' 
 
 I was bereft of the power to control myself, and 
 seized with a colic from excess of fear; I almost 
 died from the violent spasms of my limbs. 
 
 "0 Es-Samit!" I said, "this is the reward of 
 him whom love leads to the house of the Wall!" 
 
 I felt certain that my destruction approached. 
 The intoxication of love now ceased in me, and re- 
 flection came in its place. I repented of what I had 
 done, and prayed a happy solution of my dangerous 
 case. 
 
 "Whether as a result of my prayers, I know not, 
 but some arrangement was come to, and the porter 
 once more raised the chest, and, striking my head 
 upon the end of it at each step, bore me up to the 
 apartments of JuUanar, which I thus entered feetl 
 first. 
 
 He deposited the box, lid downward, upon the 
 soft mattress of a dtwan, so that I found myself upon 
 all fours, like a mule with my face between my hands ! 
 Ere I could break my habitual silence, he lifted some 
 heavy piece of furniture — ^I know not what— ^and 
 placed it on top of the box ! 
 
 A voice sweeter than the songs of the Daoo4 
 spoke : 
 
 "Slave! what art thou doing!" 
 
 "I am thy slave!" spoke another voice, at the 
 accursed sound whereof I almost died of spleen. 
 "Knowest thou me not, my beloved? I have devised 
 a new stratagem and come to thee in the guise of a 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWEE 305 
 
 porter ! But lo ! beneath my uncomely garments, I 
 am Ahzab, thy lover!" 
 
 m 
 
 As a man who sleeps ill after a protracted feast, 
 I heard her answer, saying : 
 
 "Is it true thou hast come to me, or is this a 
 dream?" 
 
 ''Verily, it is true!" answered the accursed, the 
 vile, the unspeakable Ahzab, my brother — for it was 
 he. "Prom the time when I first saw thee, neither 
 deep hath been sweet to me, nor hath wine possessed 
 the slightest flavor ! I have come to thee thus, frag- 
 rant bloom of the pomegranate, because I would not 
 have thee see me in a posture so undignified as that 
 of one crouched in a box ! So that thy people might 
 be compelled to give me access to thine apartments, 
 I have put a mendicant in my place, rendering the 
 chest heavy!" 
 
 And she said, "Thou art welcome!" and embraced 
 him. 
 
 By AUah (whose name be exalted), I gnawed my 
 beard until I choked! 
 
 "Thou art changed, beloved!" she said to him; 
 "thou art always beautiful, but to-day thou seemest 
 less rosy-cheeked to mine eyes!" 
 
 The accursed Ahzab, like an enraged mule, kicked 
 the box wherein I dissolved in flames of wrath. 
 
 "I am burnt up with love and longing for thee!" 
 Lie replied. "0 my love! how beautiful thou art!" 
 
306 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Whereat my eonunand of silence forsook me ! As 
 Allah is the one god, and Mohammed his only Pro- 
 phet, I became as one possessed of a devil ! 
 
 "Bobber!" I cried; and my words lost them- 
 selves within the box. ''Cheat! accursed disgrace 
 of my father ! infamy of my race ! dog ! unut- 
 terable dirt!" 
 
 Jullanar cried out in fear, but my accursed brother 
 took her in his bosom, soothing her with soft words. 
 
 "Fear not, O my beloved!" he said. "I gave the 
 mendicant wine that his heart might warm to his 
 lowly task, but I fear he has become intoxicated!" 
 
 ' * thou liar ! " I cried. ' ' malevolent scoundrel ! 
 son of a disease!" And with all my strength I 
 sought to raise the weight that bore me down; but 
 to no purpose. 
 
 "Know, my beloved," continued my thrice- 
 accursed brother, "what I have suffered on thy 
 account. But three days since I was attacked by 
 four gigantic negro assassins despatched by Abu-el- 
 Hassan to slay me ! But I vanquished them, killiug 
 one and maiming a second, whilst the others escaped 
 and ran back to their wretched master." 
 
 "0 unutterable Kar!" I groaned. For I was near 
 to hastening my predestined end both from suffo- 
 cation and consuming rage. "Thou didst fly, thou 
 jackal ! from that peril, and reapest the fruits of my 
 courage and dexerity! 0, mud! 0, stench!" 
 
 "Lest he should despatch a number too great for 
 me to combat, I have lurked in hiding, delight, of 
 souls ! in a most filthy hovel belonging to a barber !" 
 
POMEGEANATE FLOWER 307 
 
 "May thy tongue turn into a scorpion and bite 
 thee !" I cried. "My abode is as clean as the palace 
 of the Khedive ! Thou hast never entered it, thou 
 gnat's egg! Thou hast hidden in I know not what 
 hole, like the uuclean insect thou art, until thy 
 steward (may his beard grow backward and smother 
 him!) informed thee of this! Allah! (to whom 
 be ascribed all might and glory) give me strength 
 to move this accursed box that I may crush him!" 
 
 Scarce had I uttered the last word, when a girl 
 came running into the apartment, crying: "Fly, my 
 master! O my mistress! The Wali! the Wall!" 
 
 Upon hearing these words, my rage departed from 
 me and in its place came excessive fear. My breath 
 left my body, and my heart ceased to beat. 
 
 "He that falleth in the dirt be trodden on by 
 camels," I reflected. "It is not enough, Es-Samit, 
 that thou hast suffered the attack of the assassin; 
 that thou hast aU but died of fear at the door of the 
 Wall's house; that thou hast been torn from the 
 arms of the loveliest creature God hath created ; thou 
 are destined, now, most unfortunate of men, to be 
 detected by the Wa|li in his daughter's apartments, 
 concealed in a box!" 
 
 And I pronounced the Tahhlr, crying, "0 Allah! 
 thy ways are inscrutable!" 
 
 "Fly, my beloved!" cried JuUanar to Ahzab. 
 "My women will conceal thee!" Wherewith she 
 swooned and fell upon the floor senseless. 
 
 "Quick! follow me closely, O my master!" cried 
 the girl, and I heard my perfidious brother depart 
 
308 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 from the room by one door, as the Wali entered by 
 another. 
 
 "Ah!" cried the Wali, clapping his hands. 
 "Slaves! what is this? 
 
 And people came running to his command; some 
 carrying out the lady JuUanar to her sleeping apart- 
 ment, and sprinkling rose-water upon her, and some 
 remaining. 
 
 "What is in this box upon the diwan!" demanded 
 the Wali. * * Bring it hither and open it ! " 
 
 At that I knew that I was lost, and my soul as good 
 as departed, and I bade farewell to life and invoked 
 Mohammed (whom may God preserve) to intercede 
 for me that I might die an easy death. 
 
 The chest was dragged into the middle of the floor 
 and thrown open. 
 
 "Name of my mother!" exclaimed the Wali. "It 
 is Ahzab the Merchant! It is the villain who hath 
 presumed to make love to my daughter! Allah! 
 my daughter hath disgraced me! By the beard of 
 the Prophet, I can no more hold up my head among 
 honest men!" 
 
 And he slapped his face and plucked his beard, 
 and fell insensible upon the floor. As he did so, I 
 leaped from the box and would have escaped, but 
 two blacks seized me ; and the noise, or the refresh- 
 ing quality of the rose-water with which the women 
 were sprinkling him, revived the Wali, who re- 
 covered, fixing upon me a terrible gaze. 
 
 "0 thou dog!" he said; "thou who hast wrought 
 my disgrace! As thou didst enter my house in 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWER 309 
 
 yonder box, in yonder box shalt tbou quit the world! 
 Cast him back again, fasten the box with ropes, and 
 throw it into the Nile at nightfall!" 
 
 IV 
 
 Now were my powers of silence most surprisingly 
 displayed. For I spoke no word, but dumb as si 
 tohgueless man, I allowed myself to be knocked back- 
 ward into the box. The lid closed upon me, ropes 
 bound about the box, and the seal of the Wali affixed 
 to it. Negroes carried it out, and threw it into some 
 cellar to await nightfall. 
 
 "0 Es-Samit!" I said, "this is the end that was 
 appointed to thy father's wisest son! To this pass 
 thy silence and wisdom have brought thee ! AUah 
 (to whom be all glory), grant that one of the fishes 
 that eat me in the Nile shall be served up to Ahzab, 
 my twin brother, and choke him!" 
 
 And then my thoughts turned to JuUanar, and I 
 sighed and groaned; and the torments I suffered 
 through lying drawn up in the box were delights to 
 the agonies that my reflections respecting her case 
 occasioned in me ; so that, with the excess of my woe 
 and misery, I became insensible. How long I re- 
 mained so T know not, but I was awakened by a 
 knocking at the lid of the box, and the voice of the 
 "Wali spoke, saying : 
 
 "Prepare to die, wretch! for my servants are 
 about to convey thee to the river and cast tliee in! 
 
310 TALES OF SECRET EGYPT 
 
 Thou dog! who didst presume to raise thine eyes 
 to my daughter! — 'know that this is the reward of 
 such malefactors; for assuredly if thou escapest 
 alive, thou shalt wed Jullauar!" 
 
 "Whereat he laughed until he almost swooned and 
 kicked the box until I thought he had burst it. 
 Blacks raised me, and I was borne down a long flight 
 of steps and onward in I know not what direction. 
 
 "From here?" said one of them, and through a 
 crack in the lid, I saw the light of a torch, and the 
 whispering of the river came to my ears. 
 
 "Yes!" replied another. 
 
 And I commended my soul to Allah as tha box 
 was swung to and fro and hurled through the air. 
 With a sound in my ears as of the shriekiag of ten 
 thousand efreets, I was plunged into the water ! 
 
 Far under the surface I went and knew all the 
 agonies of dissolution; but the box was strongly 
 and cunningly made and rose agaia; then it began 
 to fill and sink once more, and again I tasted of the 
 final pangs. Throughout all this time, a strong 
 current was bearing the box along, and presently, 
 as, for the fiftieth occasion, I was seeking to die and 
 to end my misery, I heard voices. 
 
 The most miserable life is sweet to him who feels 
 it slipping from his grasp, and I summoned sufficient 
 strength to raise a feeble cry. 
 
 "0 Allah!" I cried, "if it be thy will, grant that 
 these persons whose voices I hear take pity upon my 
 unfortunate condition, and draw me forth." 
 
 Even as I spoke, something stayed the onward 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWEE 311 
 
 progress of the box. It was a fisherman's net! 
 And the fishermen began to draw me into the boat, 
 I praising Allah the while. 
 
 But when they had the box upon the edge of the 
 boat, and heard my voice proceeding from within, 
 and saw the Wall's seal upon the lid — "Bj the beard 
 of the Prophet!" cried one, "this is some evil ginn 
 or magician whom the Wali hath imprisoned in this 
 chest! Allah avert the omen! Cast him back, 
 comrades!" 
 
 Alas ! I could find no words wherewith to entreat 
 them to take pity; never had paucity of speech 
 served me so ill! A great groan issued from my 
 bossom as I was consigned again to the NUe ! 
 
 Allah is great, and it was not written that I should 
 iperish in that manner. For another current now 
 seized upon the box, and just as I was on the point 
 of dissolution, cast it upon a projecting bank, where 
 it was perceived by a band of four robbers, who 
 derived a livelihood from plundering such vessels 
 as lay tmprotected in the river. 
 
 These waded out and dragged the box ashore. I 
 was too near my end to have spoken had I desired 
 to speak, but from my unfortunate adventure with 
 the fishermen, I had learned that silence was wisdom, 
 now as always. Thus I lay in the box like a dog that 
 has been all but drowned, and listened to the words 
 of my rescuers. 
 
 These were arguing respecting the contents and 
 value of the box, one holding this opinion and another 
 ihat. One, who seemed to be their leader, was about 
 
312 TALES OF SECRET EGfTPT 
 
 to unfasten the ropes, but another claimed that this 
 ■was his due. So, from angry words, they came to 
 "blows, and by the grace of God (whose name be ex- 
 alted) they drew their knives, and three of the four 
 were slain. The fourth removed the ropes and 
 opened the box, thinking to enjoy, alone, the treas- 
 ures which he supposed it to contain. 
 
 "Whereupon I uprose and looked up to where 
 Canopus shone, and said: 
 
 "There is no God but God! Praise be to Allah 
 who has preserved me from an unfortunate and un- 
 seemly end!" 
 
 At that, the robber, with wild cries of fear, turned 
 and ran, and I saw him no more. Such, bountiful 
 patron, is the disgraceful story of the dog Ahzab, 
 my seventh and twin broteher. But all that which 
 I endured happened by Fate and Destiny, and from 
 that which is written there is no escape nor flight. 
 
 ■ff ^ *ff ^ ^ tI- 
 
 Our worthy host (concluded Hassan) laugheo 
 heartily at this story, saying : 
 
 "0 Es-Samit, it is evident to me that thy paucity 
 of speech alone preserved thee from drowning! But 
 acquaint us, I beg, with the fate of thy dog of a 
 brother, and of thy beautiful Pomegranate Flower." 
 
 "0 glory of beholders!" replied the barber, "by 
 the mouth of the girl who was in JuUanar's confi- 
 dence — ^Ahzab, that shame of mules, learned, whilst 
 in hiding, how the Walt had said in the presence of 
 many witnesses: 'Assuredly if thou escapest alive, 
 thou shalt wed JuUanar.' " 
 
POMEGRANATE FLOWEE 313 
 
 "Tellest thou me that he had the effrontery to de- 
 mand the fulfihnent of a pledge so spoken, Es- 
 Samit?" 
 
 "Alas!" replied the barber, with tears pouring 
 like rain down the wrinkles of his aged /cheek, "he 
 lived with her the most joyous, and most agreeable, 
 and most comfortable, and most pleasant life, until 
 they were visited by the terminator of delights, and 
 the separator of companions!" 
 
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