The Washington times. [volume], February 23, 1919, NATIONAL EDITION, American Weekly, Image 28

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
I
I ' II C I yffjl 'l J I i It lS''mmmm Z-1 LJ60TQ& kJlPD) ,
Synopsis of Preceding Chapters.
BEFORE the outbreak of the war Constance Masterson tells Alan Jessup she
cannot marry him because he has no worthwhile purpose in life. She takes
up Red Cross nursing while he ?nils for Africa on his yacht, taking as his
guest, von Hengel, whom he learns later is a German spy. At Gibraltar von Hengel
goes ashore and brings back the famous Kaba Stone, which he intends to use to
sway the fanatical natives to the sids cf Germany.
At Cairo von Hengel slips away. While searching for him Jessup meets Con
stance, whose hospital ship lies in the harbor. Von Hengel kidnaps Constance and
carries her to a Sheik's house, where she meets Amneh, a slavo girl, who tries to
help her escape. When Jessup effects her rescue von Hengel dtwppenrs. Constance
brings Amneh with her to Alexandria and then rejoins her ship. Amneh .s to bo
sent to England, but she run3 away and hides. Later she reappears on Jessup s
yacht and persuade him into taking her with him, because sho has some informa
tion concerning the movements of vcn Hengel. .... t
After making arrangements with Northby, of the British Intelligence Depart
ment, to capture the German spy. Jessup has $10,000,000 in gold brought on board
the yacht to bribe the native leaders. In the Red Sea, off Jeftum, the Turkana runs
on a shoal of sand, where she remains until the hospital ship comes along and hauls
the yacht off, greatly to Jessup's relief. The surgeon of the Mercy decides to leave
Constance to care for the sick men on board the Turkana. But when Constance
sees Amneh and observes her somewhat too friendly attitude toward Jessup, she
becomes indignant and. requests that her own meals be served to her with her
patients in another part of the ship. At Yambu, Alan and Daoud go ashore dressed
as Arabs, heavily armed and with their holts full of gold, and secure the assistance
of an Arab chieftain who does not believe in the virtues of the Kaba Stone.
On their return to the Turkana they find that Dawson has discovered a dupli
cate of the famous stone. He suggests substituting it for the original one. After
Alan, accompanied by Daoud and Amneh, has left to join the native pilgrimage on
its way to pay honor to the Kaba Stone, Constance learns that he has intrusted to
Dawson a letter to be given to her in ths event of his death. When she reads this
letter and sees how she has misjudged Alan she insists on joining the party of
anned sailors led by Capt. Hoagland and Jessup which is to se out at midnight
Just as Alan, standing in the long line of pilgrims, is face to face with the Black
Stone, the silence of the place is shattered by the sounds of shots.
CHAPTER XXL (Continued).
In the Wadi.
THE confusion around the Kaba Stone
lasted perhaps less than ten sec
onds, when Ali Agha, his skirts fly
ing, leaped toward the sacred emblem, and
the soldiers stood again at guard. The
tall figure, interrupted in his devotions,
had straightened slowly, his eyes closed,
with every mark of devotion, and with
bent head and hands folded before him
slowly moved away and was lost in the
crowd, wliich was now surging this way
and that, shouting and praying.
The guards upon the cliffs were leaping
and firing and a squad of the Nizam under
their leader were pushing toward the spot
from which the sounds had come. But the
most commanding figure in all the throng
was the Sheykh Omar Hilal, the man
of mystery, who had suddenly sprung into
a galvanic activity. He stood upon a high
rock shouting and directing, and at his
commands men gave one look and obeyed.
Order miraculously came out of chaos, the
!Nizam and Sheykhs, their weapons ready,
ran up the rocks and clambered along the
top of the defile. The people grew quiet,
ffhe attack of the Harami, if attack there
vras, had been driven off.
Alan had noted all these things, and
seeking a place for himself near a large
boulder in the sand sank down as though
in one of the attitudes of prayer. He was
praying, really, for the safety of Daoud
and Amneh, but while he prayed he was
accomplishing something definite, some
thing extremely practical. To be exact,
he was "digging in."
"Under the folds of his aba his long
fingers, without perceptible motion, were
clawing the soft sand, digging a hole at
least a foot deep, into which he slipped
the Black Stone and carefully covered it
over with sand. His head was bowed and
he would have felt like grinning if he had
been sure that Daoud and Amneh had got
ten clean away. But the interment nicely
completed, he raised his head and looked
around. The Nizam by twos and threes
were coming down the rocks, shaking their
heads and reporting to von Hengel. And
suddenly a dark figure appeared and sank,
palpitant, beside him.
"I I have been so frightened, Mon
sieur Alan."
"Sh! Whisper! What has happened?"
"Since I would not go to my camel the
Effendi hid me in a hole in the rocks be
hind the trees. Then mounted the cliff"
"You should have gone," he muttered.
And then, "What has become of him?"
"I don't know. I watched you. And
when the soldiers ran by me I came."
It was ridiculously simple. "Thank God
you're safe," muttered Alan. "Do you
think the Effendi got away?"
"I don't know. When the shots were
fired I heard him running up the rocks."
"He's off, then. They'll never catch
Daoud."
"But you. Monsieur Alan. You arc in
great danger here."
"I have something else to accomplish,
Amneh," be whispered. And then, "I want
to find out where the sacred parchments
are. Go thou to the fat wife of the Sheykh
of the leather trade and question but not
to arouse suspicion."
"And leave you here alone, Monsieur
Alan?"
"I will come to you later. You are safe
with her. Go, Amneh, for daylight will
be soon and then there will be great dan
ger." "But I"
"Obey, child," he said softly. "It is
my command."
Slowly she rose and joined the stout
wife of the leather sheykh. while Alan re
mainedfifor a while in an attitude of deep
contemplation. But he missed nothing of
what went on. The line of Muslims kiss
ing the stone, broken for a moment by the
interruption, was resumed, and he watched
them with mingled feelings. None of the
Pilgrims could be aware of the substitu
tion, because none of them knew one black
stone from "another. And neither von
Hengel nor Ali Agha had as yet examined
the object. What if they all went on using
Dawson's substitute until the end of time
without knowing the difference? That was
precisely what had happened at Mecca.
Rather bitterly Alan began to wonder
whether he was to have all his labor for
his pains while he sat like a Cochin hen
on this extraordinary egg that he had
8 '
hatched, which might after all -prove only
to be an ugly duckling. He fell to blaming
Dawson. It was rather stupid of Dawson
to think that it would make any difference.
What did these benighted creatures care
what they kissed as long as they kissed
something? Awf'ly stupid! Now if Daw
son had only thought of some way to get
those papers the documents of attestation
that went with the blooming rock. . . .
Alan Jessup straightened and stared
toward the scene of religious activity.
Ali Agha had come down from the
rock pulpit, for the line of Pilgrims
was nearly ended. Alan saw him
bend over the pillow and stone,
heard his muttered exclamation, then saw
the soldier fetch the meshal, the glare of
which was thrown upon the pillow.
Suddenly a cry went up to Heaven, such
a cry of anguish as Alan had never heard
before, a cry that was taken up, before
von Hengel had the opportunity to prevent
it, by all those nearest, and spread like
lightning down its radii to the outskirts
of the crowd. He did not understand the
words that were uttered, but he knew their
meaning.
"The Kaba Stone is gone! Gone! A
false stone has been put in its place. Oh,
woe unto us! May Allah the Compassion
ate and Merciful look softly upon us in
our anguish. Allah! Allah!"
Ali Agha was like a man bereft of his
senses and cried out continuously, his arms
upraised. Alan saw von Hengel try to
restrain him, first by command, then by
threat, and at last by persuasion. Then
with his own arms he thrust the excited
crowd back away from the miserable
creature and talked pleadingly with him.
Alan knew what von Hengel's arguments
would be. Silence, secrecy, the carrying
out of the plan at all costs, for anything
cIsp meant rum to his own intrigue. If
not the real stone, this stone must do.
Alan read von Hengel's iw-aning in the
attitudes of the two men, and the upraised
arms of thp Sheykhs commanding silence.
Il was a tremendous moment for those
who understood its meaning.
Hut Ali Aha was a man of force and
character. He had come upon this Pil
grimage because Allah had demanded it
of him. because Allah had told him the
Black Stone that the Sheykh Omar Halil
had brought was the genuine Kaba Stone
stolen from Mecca many centuries ago.
And now it was lost. A substitute such as
this! By the blessed name of the Prophet,
lie would not' Death were better here and
now than this deception. And so he wailed,
shrieked and cried for the curse of Allah
upon those who had committed this sac
rilege. And the crowd took up his plaint
as if by the mere volume of their voices
they could induce Allah to listen. But
from the high heavens came no sign,
though the arms of All Agha shook with
anguish and terror as he plucked at his
beard in the biblical manner, still calling
vainly upon his Lord.
Alan, having smoothed out to his satis
faction the last grain of sand above the
Stone, rose in a leisurely fashion and
joined the thickest of the throng. Here
until daylight at least he believed himself
j&$zmmKKtKKKIEBB&M!BmaUffimWk v to! m VHTnSiliillPnw? lM?BMmnm&imr- -&SEol9E3yB
BMIWWWMffi MiBnM W WT it f 1 fin t
to be safe, and here he meant to stay un
til his men came and the principal part of
the evening's performance took place. His
job was to keep an eye on von Hengel and
to catch him if he tried to get away.
In the meanwhile Amneh might hear
something about the documents. Alan
would have given all of the ten millions
on the Turkana to have been able to lay
hands on them at that moment If he
could only manage to get Conrad von Hen
gel aside for a moment. If the rotter
would only give him the chance . . .
And then, as suddenly as the commotion
had arisen, silence fell upon the multitude.
AH Agha had stopped wailing and stood in
bis pulpit, facing them, finding a new calm,
a new earnestness in the words that he
was to speak. But his black eyes burned
like coals and the sweat gathered on his
brow.
Alan could not know what it was that
he said, but the silence of the throng was
burdened with meaning,, for each man in it
turned and looked at his neighbor in mis
trust "and suspicion.
.hen, as tnoug at a
signal, pandemonium
broke loose. Each man,
threatening, tore at the
clothes of his neighbor,
all of them shrieking
like Kilkenny cats.
Two men. and a woman
came at Alan, but he
spread his arms out
calmly and let them
"Would you kill this Christian
dog and lose the Kaba
stone forever?" cried
yon Hengel.
search, meanwhile muttering "Sulay-mani-Sulaymani,"
that they might under
stand why it was that he did not converse
with them. But, of course, their quest was
futile and they moved on to the next per
son and ended by tearing at each other.
Alan blessed the moments that he had sat
upon the sand, burying his egg ... If
the scuffling beggars didn't unearth the
thing . . .
But he was beginning to feel uncomfort
able, for out of this madness he saw
method was coming. Von Hengel had
given three sharp commands. And imme
diately the Nazam and the Sheykhs drew
their weapons and rushed out to the fur
thermost limits of the crowd, herding the
pilgrims like sheep toward the centre of
the amphitheatre.
Alan found himself wishing that he had
fled after burying the Stone, for the sin
cerity of Sheykh Ali Agha showed him that
in stealing it Alan had already dealt a dis
astrous blow to Conrad von Hengel's
strategy. But he had come to watch Con
rad von Hengel. and to get the documents
if he could, and he had hoped through
Amneh and '.the voluble leather Sheykh
lady to find where they were kept before
the men of the Turkana arrived and the
real shooting began. Even now it was a
matter of pride with him not to be beaten
in the last and most dangerous stage of
the game. He still believed in his luck, as
Northby did, still believed that no matter
what happened he would be able to come
through successfully.
Already the Kaba Stone was his again,
it seemed by a miracle, and yet, after all
how simple it had been! He had done
Dawson an Injustice. With Dawson hero
now to suggest something in this predica
ment he might ... He searched the
line of road and cliff eagerly for a sign, but
he knew that it would be an hour or more
before he could look for help from outside.
And even then what could his twenty men
do against so many unless the Sherlf badl
came along? . . .
Copyright. 1919, by Star Company.
But he was in a predicament and he real
ized its seriousness presently, trying to
make himself small by bending his knees,
for von Hengel, putting Ali Agha aside,
stood forward, peering down at the pil
grims and seemed to search their faces one
by one, while he spoke to them in their
own tongue.
"Brothers! Pilgrims of the Holy Stone!
We have been betrayed. There is one
among us who has dared to trifle with this
holy relic. Allah grant that it has not de
parted from amongst us. For the roads
have been watched .and no one save the
one who fixed the shots can have fled away,
for the moon is bright upon the desert and
our soldiers keep watch. But those shots,
my brothers, were fired with a purpose.
There was no attack of the Harami. Even
they would not have dared fire on such a
pilgrimage as yours, upon which the bless
ings of the Most High have been show
ered." He paused a moment to. let the murmur
of prayer subside. Then he leaned for-
OWL' i i aUtJI
ward, pointing toward the cliffs from which
Daoud Effendi's shots had come.
"Those shots were born of the fires of
Shaytan, my brothers, for they were a sig
nal to one in our midst a note of alarm to
throw us into a panic while the Kaba
Stone was stolen."
A sound like the braying of a pack of
hungry wolves went up from the assembled
mob, which seethed with fury, and the
speaker quieted them with difficulty.
"Who has taken the Kaba Stone? 1 will
tell you, Faithful of Allah. It vas the one
who kissed the Stone as the shots were
fired."
A single cry nearby went up. followed
by another roar of fury. Alan felt that his
face was getting red. He didn't remember
ever having been self-conscious before, but
he felt so now even embarrassed. Also
he was very uncomfortable, for the pil
grims were packed together like sardines
and two of his neighbors had an odor of
being too long In the box.
"Who was it." von Hengel's voice went
on with a tragic calmness "that kissed
the Sacred Stone when the shots were
fired? Who saw? Who remembers the one
who stood at the Kaba Stone before the
shots were fired. Was he short or tall?"
"A tall Sheykh." cried a voice; "I saw
him. He was before me in the Tawaf."
"And I." cried another voice. "I saw him,
too. A Sheykh a very tall Sheykh."
Alan didn't know what they were say
ing, but as many persons near him were
now turning hideous frowning faces in his
direction, he seemed quite sure that the
inquiry was narrowing. He tried to dimin
ish his height, but he still remained above
those nearest him. He saw Conrad von
Hengel's gaze wander over the faces of
the crowd and then suddenly fix itself on
his. His kufiayh was down over his fore
head and from beneath it he tried to look
unconcerned, but von Hengel still stared,
and then Alan saw his eyes suddenly dilate
in recognition.
Great Britain Rights Reserved.
Alan was trapped. He knew it now. The
slightest movement to escape would be
fatal to remain, equally so. And still the
eyes that glared at him grew in number,
eyes that showed white all around the pu-
pils, animal eyes the wild eyes of beasts
that have not been born to captivity. They
began crowding him a little and one lame
fellow prodded him in the short ribs with
a crutch.
"Oh, I say," muttered Alan in spite of
himself. And then quickly grunted, "Su
laymani," as Daoud had instructed.
"A tall Sheykh!" von Hengel cried.
"There are not many tall Sheykhs such as
this one." And then, pointing his finger
straight at Alan, commanded loudly, "In
the name of the Prophet, stand forth, then,
thou tall Sheykh."
The crowd of pilgrims in front of Alan
fell away as though in fear of a plague,
closed In again, then swayed back.
"Sulaymanl," cried Alan hoarsely.
But Ali Agha here suddenly came to life
and rushing forward shrieked some unin
telligible question in the Afghan vernacu
lar It might have been, for all Alan knew.
"Sulaymanl," cried Alan again.
"An impostor! An unbeliever! A
Christian!"
The words were taken up by the mad
dened throng and fists, claws, 'neboots and
p'3t-Is were brandished under Alan's nose.
They were getting too close for comfort,
but Alan stood grinning and muttering his
fatuous pass word. Then
suddenly some one behind
him snatched the knflyah
bodily from his head, reveal
ing the line of the clean
white muscular neck where
the stain s.opped. A howl
of fury and they closed on
him.
Alan thrust with his shoulders right and
left until he found room to use his arms
and then he let them out like flails. A
man went down another, and he had more
room another. He had almost drawn his
automatic when the crowd closed in again
and smothered him by sheer weight of
numbers and he fell.
But von Hengel sprang down from the
rock and fought his way into the nJass.
"Dogs," he cried, "let him up. Would
you destroy the only clue to the Kaba
Stone? Let be, I say In the name of
Allah!"
And seizing the neboot of the man near
est him, he set about him, belaboring the
shoulders of the combatants, dragging
them off the struggling Jessup, whom he
finally reached, bruised and bloody, but
grinning cheerfully.
"Christian! Unbeliever!" cried the
wolves, and tried to close in again, until
von Hengel drew his automatic and swore
that he would kill the first dog who touched
the prisoner. And so at last, cowed but
still furious, the crowd held back until the
Nizam came with their bayonets fixed and
held the crowd at hay.
Alan shrugged and mechanically dusted
at what would ordinarily have been the
knees of immaculate trousers, and followed
von Hengel to the rock where the speakers
had stood.
Conrad von Hengel's lips curled trium
phantly as he disarmed him. "Clever,
Alan." he muttered in English, "but you've
ventured once too often."
There was no reply needed, so Alan made
none. Some of the soldiers brought thongs
and they bound him hand and foot and laid
him like a mummy upon the rocks. Mean
while All Agha. whose eyeballs still shone
white In the torchlight, approached and
kicked the prisoner in the ribs, while the
crowd howled with fury. But von Hengel
led Ali Acha aside and held up a stately
arm for attention.
"Patience, my brothers!" he called.
"Allah, whose greatness is over the earth
and heavens, has listened to our prayers
with compassion, and delivered into our
hands the unbeliever who has done this
sacrilege. It is a miracle."
"Klll him! Kill the Christian dog!"
Alan knew enough Arabic to understand
what they said, and their fury- told him '
what they meant. Rather curiously he
noted that those in the front rank nearest
.him pushed their very breasts against the .
bayonets of the Nizam, until dark blotches '
showed upon their white garments
Von Hengel raised his arm agate and -the
soldiers pushed, the crowd -back again 7
with the barrels of their rifles.
"Would you kill this Christian dog aad
lose the Kaba Stone forever? Think a mo
ment He is yours by rleht and under the
law, for It Is so written. But I, Sheykh
Omar Hilal, of Yuntah and Kurun, who
have brought the Stone to you, by the will
of Allah, demand that you be at peace.
This man must speak. He must tell us
where he has put the Kaba Stone."
''Let him speak then throw the Chris
tian to us that we may make him speak."
"No," thundered von Hengel. "To me ha.
shall speak to me only, who i.m the guard
Ian of the Sacred Stone. If ha will not"
von Hengel paused significantly "I -will
give him to you to" do with as you ploaseJ
Another commotion ensued, less violent
than the first, but von Hengel waved his
arms, the soldiers shoved, and at last the
throng gave ground and brofie up Into
groups, scattered over the sand and stood
still, gesticulating wildly, while they cast
baleful looks in Alan's direction.
His situation seemed Indeed quite hope
less, for Ali Agha and some of the Sherifs
and Sheykhs had lined up before him, star
Ing venomously. They wouldn't have been
a pretty lot to look at even under more
favorable conditions, but Alan was quits
sure that he had never seen-such' a villain?
ous looking lot of cut-throats in the whole
course of his existence. The scene at
Yambu yesterday, with its strutting
sheykhs and Mussulmans and their protrud
ing weapons and their fierce mustachios,
was amusingly like opera-bouffe. and more
than once he had smiled at the. mock
tragic atmosphere in which these people
lived. But he had to confess, as he" lay
there, that the beggars that were staring
at him seemed undeniably in earnest
Cruelly they fingered the hilts of their
jambiyahs, each of them believingas Alan
was aware, that the personal reward of
killing this Christian desecrator and blas
phemer was a high place in Paradise with
many yeleeds and hooreeyehs. His" chance
of escape seemed rather hopelessi
What von Hengel was going to do now
he could not Imagine. Try and pump him
about the whereabouts of the Kaba Stone,
perhaps, offering him freedom If he re
vealed its hiding place. That Alan would
not tell, because he now knew enough of
von Hengel and of the character of the
mob of pilgrims to believe that their prom
ises were not worth considering, and that
they meant to kill him whether he re
vealed his secret or not
As he lay there he glanced about him at
the spot on which he lay. The rock was
almost flat on top and shelved down by
ledges to the base of the amphitheatre, fif
teen feet below. But upon the other side
it fell away sheer Into a rocky cleft sixty
or seventy feet deep, thickly carpeted with
underbrush. This tiny gorge, below the
level of the camping ground, cut sharply
to the left and joined the wadi at Its lower
end. '
The thought of rolline over the edee ocr
curred to him, but a glance along the line
of rocks visible just beyond showed him
that It meant sure death If he tried it And
he soon saw that delectable possibility re
moved when von Hengel himself brought
ropes and fastened him securely to a pro
jecting crag beside him. This chance de
stroyed, Alan resigned himself to the in
evitable. Von Hengel harangued the Sheykhs for
a while, and Alan was much relieved when
they removed their fingers from their polgn
ards and retired some distance away and
ordering their shebuks sat and bean smok
ing. Indeed, he was also gratified to see
that the people in the amphitheatre below
had disintegrated into groups around their
camp fires and were now awaiting food and
drinking their coffee. The Sheykh Omar
Hilal again had assumed command of the
situation. '
Alan watched him keenly for a moment
or two as he paced up and down the rock,
stopping from time to time and peering
keenly out across the desert. Once he
mounted the rock beside Alan to gain a
greater height, but evidently satisfied with
the result of his observations, climbed
down again and lighted a cigarette. But
his face had worn a worried look, which
he tried to conceal under a cool smile of
triumph, as he seated himself tailor-fashion
just opposite Alan's head and began to
question him.
CHAPTER XXII.
The Karras.
V
ON HENGEL'S look was shrewd and
before he spoke he scanned the des
ert keenly on all sides. The discov
ery of Alan Jessup here had set new
trains of thought hurrying through his
agile brain. Who had come to Arabia with
Alan Jessup? What further forces were
back of him? What menace was to be an
ticipated and prepared for?
(Continued on Kext Page)
t
fe
1
A
A.
WJP1