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4 CHAPTER I
Allan Gives a Shooting Lesson
NOW r. Allan Quatermaln, come to tho
utorv of v.hat was, perhaps, ono of tho
strangest of nil tho adventure:! which havo
befallen mo In tho course of a llfo that
bo far ran scarcely ho called tamo or
humdrum
Among many other tilings. It tells of tho
war against the lllaclt Kendall pcoplo nnd
tho death of Jana, tholr elephant god
Often slnco then I hnrve wondered If this
creature was or was not nnythlng moro
than n mere clsantlc beast of tho forest.
It seomi Improbable, evon Impossible, but
tho reader of future days may Judgo ot
this matter for hlmaolf.
Also, ho can form hla own pplnlon at
to tho religion cf Uio -Whlto Kendall ami
""their pretensions to a certain dogroo ot
magical skill. Of this maglo I will mako
only ono remark: If It existed at nil, It
was by no means infallible. To tako a
single Instance: Harut and Marut wcro
convinced by dtvinatlon that I, and I only,
could Hit Jana, which was why they In
vited me to Kond.ihiand. Vet In tho end
It was Hans who killed him. Jana noarly
killed me!
Now to my tale
I came to England with a young; sentlo
man of tho nanio of Seroopo, partly to
bco him safely homo after a hunting acci
dent and partly to try to dlspooo of a
unique orchid for a friend of mlno called
Brother John by tho white people and
Dogeelah by the natives, Mho was pop
ularly supposed to be mad, but. lu fact,
was "ery sano, rndeed.
Whllo In this country I itayod for a few
....., wiiii srrnone. or. rather, with his
fiancee and her people, at n. flno houso in
Essex. During: my visit I was taken to
seo a much liner place, n splendid old
castlo with brick gateway tow era that
had been wonderfully well restored and
turned Into a most luxurious modern dwell
ing house. Lot us call It Ilagnall, tho seat
of a baron of that name.
I had heard a good deal about Lord Itag
nall, who, according to all accounts, seemed
a kind ot Admirable Crlchton. Ho was said
to bo wondirfully hanrtsomo. a great scholar
ho had taken a doublo first at oollcEO ; a
great athlete ho had been captain of tho
Oxford boat In the university race; a very
Jjromlstng spoaker, wno nau aircauy muuu
his mark In tho Houso of Lords; a sports
man, who hod shot tigers and other largo
same In India: a poet, who had purjlishcu
a successful volumo of verso under a
pseudonym ; a good soldier until ho left tho
service, und. lastly, a man of nnormous
wealth, owning. In addition to his estates,
several coal mines and an entile town In tho
north ot England.
"Dear mo :" I said when tho list was fin
ished, ''he seems to have been born with a
whole case of gold spoons In his month. I
hopo one of them will not choke him," add
ing;, "Perhaps ho will bo unlucky In love."
That a just wnero no is muai. ,uw.j .
all," answered tho young lady to whom I
was talking it was Rcroope's fiancee. MM
Manners Tor ho Is engaged to a lady that.
I am told, is tho loveliest, sweetest, clever
est girl in ull England, and, they absolutely
adoro each other."
"Dear mo !" I repeated. "I wonder what
Fate has got up Its slcevo for Lord llagnall
and his perfect lady love-.'"
I was doomed to find out one day.
So It came about that when, on tho fol
lowing muiiilng, I was asked If I would llko
to seo the wonders of Ilagnall castlo, I an
swered, Ves." Ileally. howover, I wanted
to have a look at I.ord Ilagnall himself. If
possible, for tho account of his many per
fections had Impressed tho Imagination of a
poor colonist liko myself, who had never
found an opportunity of setting his eyes
upon a kind of human nngeb Human devils
I hail met in plenty, but necr a singlo
angelat least, of the male hex. Also thero
was always tho posiiblllty that I might get
a silmpso of tho Btlll moro angello lady to
whom h was engaged, whoso name. 1 un
derstood, was tho Hon. Miss Holmes, feo I
said that nothing would pleat. mo more
than to seo tho cabtle. .... .
Thither we drove accordingly through
tho flno frosty air, for tho month was De
cember reaching the castlo Mr. Seroopo
was told that laird Ilagnall. whom ho knew
well was out shooting somewhere In tho
park, but that, of course, ha could show his
friend over the place. So we went In. tho
thrco of us, for Miss Manners, to whom
Scroope was tn be married very fehortly. had
driven us oxer In her pony carriage. The
porter at the gateway towers took us to
the main door of tho castlo and handed us
over to another man. whom he addressed as
Mr Savage, whispering to mo that ho was
his lordship's personal attendant.
He conducted us round the castle, or,
rather, Its more publio rooms, showing us
many treasures and, I should think, at
least two hundred pictures by eminent and
departed artists, which save him an op
portunity of exhibiting a peculiar, If some
what erratic, knowledge of history.
At length we took a short cut from the
largo to the little gallery through a. warmed
and comfortable room, which I understood
was Lord Hagnall's study. Halting for a
moment by one of the tires, I observed a
picture on the wall, over which a curtain
was drawn, and asked Mr. Savage what It
might be.
That, Ir," he replied with a kind of
haughty reserve, "la the portrait of her
future ladyship, which his lordihtp keeps
for his private heye."
Miss Manners sniggered, and I said:
'Oh thank you. What an Ill-omened kind
ot mum v "w ...
Then, observlug through an open door the
pan lu which my hat had been taken from
me I lingered, and as the others vanished
in tha little gallery, slipped Into it, recov
ered my belongings, and passed out to the
garden, purposing to walk there till I was
warm again and Scroope, reappeared. While
I saanhed up and down a terrace, on which,
I remember, several very cold-looking; pea
cocks were seated, like conscientious birds
that knew It was their duty to be orna
mental, however low the temperature, I
heard some shot flred. apparently In a
clump of Ilex oaks which grew about Ave
hundred yards away, and reflected to my
self that they managed to be those of a
small rifle, not of a shotgun.
My curiosity being excited as to what
was to me an almost professional matter.
T:.w - .i,.UAn At lane-lh I found H
myself nr to ha edge of a glade oodU
pgr.6iW42 siauuiue - --
lIiBi.ilKciit Uex two men Oae of thwie
a a -i'S Weeper aud the other, from
u vaiM. " mut be U"d
jMHtaa-U lUlisMJX VWMWT fe M a
tHd-Iookmg man, very tall, vorv broad, very
handsome, with a penhed beard, a kind and
charming fnco and larne dark eei
Standing bark behind Iho other oak, t
observed that ho was trying to shoot wood
pigeons nn they descended to feed upon the
acorns, for which the hard weather had
mado them croedy I'rom tune tn time
Uicso beautiful blun birds appealed anil
hovered a moment before thev milled,
whereon tho sportsman fired nnd they
llew aay. "Dang! Uang'" went, tho
dnubla-barreled rlllo, and oft Hod tho pigeon.
"Damn '" said tho sportmnun In n plens
nnt, laughing voice; "that's tho twelfth 1
havo missed, I'harles."
"Vou hit hln tall, my lord. T saw n.
feather cuma out. Hut, my lotd, as 1 told
vou, thero ain't no man living what can
kill pigeons on the wing with a bullet, even
when thoy seem to sit still In the air.
"I li.ivo heard of one, i'harles. Mr.
Rrroopo has a friend from Africa staying
with him who, ho swears, could knock over
four out of six."
'Then, my lnrd. Mr. Seroopo has a friend
what lies," replied Charles, as ho handed
him tho Kocond rlllo.
This was too much for mo. I stepped
forward, raining my hat politely, nnd said-
"Sir, lorgivo tno ior iniBrniuuiis .
but you am not shooting nt those wood
plgeoni in tho right way. Although they
Beom to hovor Just heforo thoy settle, they
aro dropping much faster than vou think.
Your koeper was mistaken when ho said
that you knocked a feather out of tho tnil
of that last bird, nt which you fired two
barrels. In both cases you shot nt least
a foot abovo It. and what fell was a leaf
from tho Ilex tree."
"Hlr." ho said, "I thank you for your
advice which no doubt Is excellent, for It
Is certninly truo that I havo missed every
... ...1.I..1. T talari 4r nhnat ulLll tllOSO
iiiKeuii win.. .... - . ,,
confounded llttlo rifles. But if you eou d
demonstrate In prnctlce what you so kindly
sot out In precept, tho vuluii of your
counsel would bo enhanced."
Thus ho tpoko. mimicking. I havo no
doubt (for ho had a eenso of humor), tho
manner ot my address, which nervousness
had mado somewhat pompous.
"Olvo mo tho rllle," I answered, taking
oil my greatcoat.
"Mind what you aro about, growled
Charles. "That thero thing Is full cocked
and 'alr-trlggored.' "
I withered, or, rather, tried to wither
him with a glanco, but this uiililieving
keeper only stared hack nt me with In
solcnco In his round and blrdlilto c.vcs.
Nover beforo had I felt nulto so angry with
u menial. Then a horrlblo doubt struck
mo. Supposing I should miss! I know
very llttlo of tho manner of flight or l.ng
ll3h wood plgeoni. which aro not dilllcult
to miss with a bullet, and nothing at all
of theso particular rllles, though a glance
showed mo that they were exijulslto
weapons of their sort and by a great fiinker.
If I muffed the thing now, how should I
bear tho scorn of I'harles and tho polito
.... i.iu m.hin rniiHtur? Almost I
amuEciiieiifc ui "..- " ,. . ,
prayed that no moro pigeons would put In
an appearance, and thus that the Issue of
my supposed skill might be left in doubt.
Hut this was not to bo. These birds
oamu from far In ones and twos to kearch
for their favorlto food, and the fact thnt
others had been scared away did not cause
thorn to cease from coming. Presently I
heard Charles mutter:
Now. then, look out, guv-nor. Hero s
vour chanco of teaching his lordship how
to do It. though ho does happen to be tho
beit shot In these counties." .,.,
Whllo ho fpoko two pigeons nppearcd,
ono a llttlo behind tho other, coming down
very Mraight. As they reached tho open
In" In tho iler. grovo they hovered, prepar
ing o alight, for of us they cou Id see
nothing, ono at a dlbtance of about fifty
an 1 tho other of, say. seventy yards away,
"took tho nearest, got on to It. allowing
from the drop and tho nngle. und touched
tho trigger of tho rllle. which fell to my
ShouW.rv.iy sweetly. The bullet strut k
that pigeon on tho crop, out of which fell
a shower of acorns that it had been eating
as It sank to tho ground stone dead. Num
ber two pigeon, roaming S"; ueean u
mount upwards almost straight. I fired
the second barrel, and by good lutl; shot
lis head off. Then I snatched the other
rllle which Charles hud been loading auto
matically, from his outstretched hand, for
at that moment I saw two moro p geons
coming. At tho flrt I lisked u dilllcult
shot and hit It far back, knocking out Its
tail but bringing . "till fluttering, to tho
ground The other, too, I covereu, out wnen
I touched tho tilgger thero vvua a click, no
ThlH was my opportunity of coming oven
with Charles, and I availed myself of It.
"Young man." I said, while ho gaped
at me open-mouthed, "you should learn to
be careful with rifles, which oro dangerous
weapons. If you give one to a shooter
that Is not loaded. It shows that you are
capable of anything "
Then 1 turned, and addressing Lord Hag-
""I must apologise for that third shot
of mlno. which was Infamous, for J com
mitted a similar fault to that against which
t warned you, sir, and did not lire fur
enough ahead However, It may serve to
bhow your attendant the difference between
the tall of a pigeon and an oak leaf,"
and I pointed to one of the feathers of the
poor bird, which was still drifting to the
ground.
Well, if this here snlpa of a chap aln t
tho devil In boots!" exclaimed Charles to
nut bis master out him short with a
-. aia.n.l Vilu hat in tnn nnd sniil !
looK. men niw " - - -
"Sir the practice much surpasses tho pre
cept which Is unusual. 1 congratulate you
upon a skill that almost partakes of the
marvelous, unless. Indeed, chance " And
lie stopped.
'it is natural that you should think so."
I replied; "but if more pigeons come, ami
Mr Charles will make sure that lie loads
the' rifle. I hope to undeceive you."
At this moment, however, a loud shout
from Scroope, who was looking for me. re
inforced by a shrill cry uttered by Miss
Manners, banished every pigeon within half
a miU. a tact of which I was not sorry,
since who knows whether I should have hit
all or any. ' In "xt ,bre birds?
' think my friends are calling me. so I
will bid you good morning," I said awk
wardly.
oae moment, sir." he exclaimed "Might
I first ask your nanuT Mine Is Kagoall
Lord lUgiuU.
'And into is Allan Quatermaln," I said.
'Oh'" he answered 'that explains mat
ters Charles, this ut Mi i-n-ripe s friend
in. geiitWmaa that you baid exaggerated
I tfctak you b4 bajur apologue. '
IJut Charles uhm gone to pick up the
pigeons, I suppuse.
At this moment Si-mope and Ihe young
lady appeared, having heard our voIcbb,
and n gonernl explanntlon ensued
' Mr, qunlermiiln has been giving tno
a lesson In shooting pigeons on 'he wing
with a small-boro rllle." said liril IUiBn.HI.
pointing to the dead birds that still lay
upon tho ground.
"It Is tho only thing I can do. 1 ex
plained modestl). "Uitle-shot.HnK Is my
trade, and I havo made n habit of practic
ing: at birds on the wing with ball. I
havo no doubt that with iv fhotgun your
lordship would leave mo nowhere, for that
Is a game nt which 1 liuve had little pruc
tlcc. except when shooting for tho pot in
Africa." , , ,,
"Yes" Intel riiptt-fl Scroope "you wouldn t
have any clmnro ut Hint. Allan, against
one of the tlnest shots In Knglmd
"I'm not so sure,'' snld Uirrt llaRnnll,
laughing pleasantly. "I have nn Idea, that
Mr Quatcrmnln Ix full of surprises. How
over, Mr. Quutermaln. will you. Hcroopo
und Miss Manner!' come to dine und sleep
tomorrow evening? I would llko to Intro
duce you to my future wife."
1t.... UlnnAa l.nlttf- ilflftliretl Willi CUTl-
osity an to thu wonderful Miss Holmes, of
whom she hud heard much but never
actually seen, nccepted at once, heroic
her lover could get out a word I leplled
that I should be very grateful, and o tho
thing wuh .settled.
I boned not knowing wh.il In sin l.oid
IllKIIlll I.IIIHhlll llllll VHIllnhed ImvliiK us
("Kithci Dinner was iinnoui I 1'iesentlv
vm vvero wendlni; In the center of ,i long nnd
Kliltcilng pun esslort ncrnss the central hall
to the biiniiuetlug linmlier, n splendid room
with n mot like n iliurch Hint was n.iid to
bnvo been built In the times r tlio Plan
Ingciiels Here Mr SuviiBe, who evidently
hid been looking nut Tor her future Indv
Rhlp. conducted us to our places, which were
upon tho Icrt or l.oid Itugnnll. who Rat nt
tho head of the brunil table Willi Lady
l.oitsdcii on his right. Then the old cletgy
man, Doctor Jeffreys, n pompous and rather
frowsy ecclesiastic, mild (trine, for grnco
wns still In fashion nt such feasts In those
days, asking heaven to mnke us truly
Ilia nk fill for the dinner we were nliout to
consume
t'eilalnly (here was a great deal to be
thankful for lu the entlug and drinking
line; but of nil this I rcmeniln r little, ex
cept a gcneiiil vision of kIIwi iIIhIicm, chiiin
pngne, splendor nnd things I did not want
to eat being ciinlanllv handed to me What
I do remember is Miss Holme nnd nothing
but Mlns Holmes the charm of her conver
sation, tho light n. her bcniitllul eves. Ihe
fragrance of her hair her moM flattering
Interest in my unworthy self To till ihe
truth, we got on "like lire In the winter
grass," us the Kulu H.iy. mid when thai
dinner was over the giuss was still burn
ing. Klrst, 1 congratulated her upon her ap
proaching inurrlnw. saving what n Joyful
thine It was now nnd again t i nee ever.v-
She smiled nnd even laughed occasionally.
'She plaveil with tho golden fultoellnr III
fiolit of her nnd. upxottlng a little of tlio
sail, threw II over her left shoulder, ap
pearing to n mo If I were a victim of
that undent habit, nnd so on.
Hut ull the while nlio was Miking deeply
or deep things, such as 1 should never have
thought would puss her mind. This wa
Hip Biibsiiitice of what pile said, for I can
not set It all down verbatim; after so many
yenis my tnemorv falls me
"l am nol like other women Something
moves ino to teH vou so. sptncthlng very
renl nnd powerful which pushes me ns a
strong man might 1t Is odd. becausa I have
nover spoken to nnv ono else like that, not
to my mother, for instance, or even to Lord
llngnall Thev would neither of them un
derstand, although they would misunder
stand ilirferenlly Mv mother would iblnk
I ought to sic n doctor -and If vou know
Hint doctor' lie." and Rhe nodded toward
Lord Ibignall. "would think Hint my in
gngement hud upset me. or that I hud
grown rathci moro religious than I ought
to be nt my age. nnd been reflecting too
much- will, on tho end of nil things Krom
n child I have understood that I nm n
mysterv set In the midst of nianv other
niysteiies It all cume to me suddenly one
night when I was about nlno wars old. t
seemed to see the past and the ruturo. al
though I lould giasp neither Sin h a long,
long pin-1 anil such nn inlliilte future I
don't know what I and 111 uine
tlnies II coin- In ii II ' -li and i- in i fla-li
fnrgntttti Mv in i 'I i iniioi I" li ' "
talking to somo voui.c man who sh" said
wus her cousin, nnd told me M run .ibout
with mv hoop and not to bother I drove
the hoop acro-s the Rr.i"" t ' """ ' I"'
IreeB Krom behind one of these tree- mine
out two Inll men. dressed In whit- ''""
and turbans, who looked to mo like sirlp
tural rharncleiM In a picture book, "ne
ws's nn elderly man. with ll.ishlng, bla.k
eves, hooked noso nnd n long grav beard
The other was much younger, but I no
not remember him bo well They were
both brown In color, bul ntherwl.ie nlmost
llko while men: nol negroes bv nnv means
Mv hoop hit the elder limn, anil I stood
still, not knowing what to ay. Ho bowed
polltflv nnd picked It up. but did tint offer
l tetnrn It to me Thev talked toitelhcr
nililulv. and one of them pointed In the
moon-Mhaped blrtbmsik which you seo I
havo upon mv tie. k. for It wus Hot weiitliei
and I was weming ft low-cut frock. It
was because of this murk that tn.v fatlier
named me l.unu Thn fldet or Ihe two
said In broken Kngbsli .
What Is your name, prell.v llttlo flirl .
"I told htm It was I.utia Holmes Then
he drew from bis robe a box made or
scented wood, nnd. opening it. look ou
Millie sweetmeats, which looked as If It "ml
liLeti frozen, nnd fcuv mo a pieco that,
brliis vorv fond r fivveets. t put Into my
mouth Nett he liowlod the hoop along
the ground Into the shadow or the trees
ii wuh evening ti anil beginning to grow
,i,,u suv.ng Hun it nine Kirr
I ic ,,i I., i ii " ' --"m! thing lu the
, , , It, ,1 ,.!,. I in- ' ' 'l'"P I
CHAPTER II
Miss Holmes
rpllll company was large thai night
JL think thirty iut down to the dum
which wna given to liitrodiuc I.ohI It.
null's future wife to tho igl I"
whuio she wus destined to be the 1- ul- i
I'resotitly the large door nt Ihe end
the roum was Ihrown open and Ihe iinnuj
!.. un.,in,. vh,, nun iicHiil: lis .i kind
,,.- .-.. ... -
master of ceremonies, iiinioum id m
well-bred but penetrating toius I
Longden and tho Honoioble Miss Holm.
I stared, like everybody else but t i
...uii.. i lixlvMhlo llllml mv eve Mu w
nn nmnlo anil, to my mind, latliir aw i
looking person, clad III black hat in she w ,
a widow and very largo diamonds !!
hair was white, her nose was ho.ilod l.r
daik i-vis wcio penctintlng. and --he h.id a
had cold In her head That was .'II I f'.-iicl
time to notlco about her. foi smlibiiU b. r
daughter came Into my lino of vwm
Truly she wus a mveiy bii .m,
young woman, for hhu must hm I
two or three und twenty Nut v.iv '.ill
her proportions were rounded and v.ihi lie
nnd her moveineiits as graceful ii- tin - ot
.i Altot'lhHe rIih was d.,i iil.c -
ol..llv In Ihe flucncbs of her lui. - .mil I
her largo and Ikiuid eyes She i.i -durk
bcuuty, with rich brown, waving h m
a clear olive complexion, u ietf.ii- -ii-i' d
mouth and very red lips. To me the bndv-l
more Italian or Spanish Hiun Angl-i-Mv n
and I beltove Hint, as u mallei of fa, t
alio had some southern blood in In i
her father's side. Mho worn a di.ss .,i
soft rose color, nnd her unl nin.iiiii-ni-were
u strlnn of pearls und a smulu led
cumullln.
I could see but ono blemish If it wne
a blemish, in her perfect person, aim thai
was a curious white maru upon In i hr. .ist
which, III Its shape, exactly icM-inbbd lb.
crescent moon.
Tho face, however. Impressed mo with
other than Its physical nualltics It wus
bright. Intelligent, sympathetic and, Jii"t
now. happy. Hut I thought It nwie. f
thought It mystical. Something that her
mother said to bur, probablv about lu i
dress, caused her Bmilo to vanish fm a
moment, and then, from beneath it m "
were, appeared this shadow of innate m-.-ticism.
In a second It was gone and elm
was laughing ugaln; but I. who am ui cus
tomed to observe, had caught It. pel baps
ulono of all that company Moreover. It
ismlnded mo of something.
What was It? All. I knew A look that
sometimes 1 had seen upon tha faco of a
certain Zulu ludy named Mumeena. espe
cially ut tho moment of her wonderful and
tragic death The thought mudo mo shiver
a little: I could not tell why, for certainly,
I reflected, this high-placed und fortunate
Lngllsh girl had milling In common with
thut fate-driven Child of Hturm whoso dark
and Imperial spirit dwelt in the woman
tailed Momeena. They were ns far apart
us Kululsiid Is fiom Usses. Vet I was
nulto sure that both of them had touch
with hidden things.
Lord nagnaii, luouing moro niu . iiico
dld Vandyke than ever In his evening drebs.
stopped forward to greet his fluliceu and
her mother with it lourtly bow. Presently
I was nwuro of a soft voice a very rich
and thrilling voice asking dulte close to
nio :
Which Is he'? Oh. you need not answer,
deur I know him from the description "
"Yes," replied lojru iKignau io im
Holmes for It wus she "you are uu!ie
right. I will Introduco ou to hint pres
ently But, love, whom do you wish to take
you In to dinner? I can't your mother,
ou know; and us there are no titles here
tonight, ou may moke your choice. Would
you like old Doctor Jeffreys, tho clergy-
'""No" she replied, with quiet firmness.
"J know him ; he took me In onco before. I
wish Mr. Allan Quatermaln to take me In.
He l Interesting, and I want to hear about
Africa." . , u t i .
"Very well.' he answered, "and he Is
mora Interesting than all the rest put to
gether. Jlut, Luna, why aro ou always
thinking and talking about Africa? cine
might Imagine that you were going to live
"So I may ono day." &he answered dream
ily. "Who knows where one has lived, or
.' nna will live" And naain I saw
that mystic look come into her face
1 heard no more of that conversation
which it Is Improbable that any one whose
ears liad not been sharpeind by a lifetime
of listening in great slleuces would have
caught at all. To, tell the truth. 1 made my
self scarce, slipping off to the other end of
the big room lit the hope of evading the
kind Intentions of Miss Holmes. 1 have a
great dislike of being put out of my place,
and 1 felt that among all these local celebri
ties it was not flttln that I should be se
lected to take In the future bride on an oc
casion of this sort But it was of no use.
for presently ojru jmsuii uumcu mv up,
bringing the young lady with him.
"Let me introduce you to Miss Holmes,
Quatermaln," he said "She Is anxious that
you should take her In to dinner. If you
will be so kind She Is very interested In
in-"
Africa I sug-gekled.
In Mi Quaunnain who 1 am told, Is
one of the greatest hanter In Afr ca. ' she
torrefied me with a dazxllog smile.
I : i-4v;'MWfelgMl
a.',-', iSWilN.' S'r-'fr'JfvnsSimfSsus!tPr - aWSfivierl v,r&W'Yv.JKtti''JW5
mm ; WwWWmhc m
mmmmffifflmmmmmmjm $. m a vr s m
iW&W,'WtrI' -"-Jw , -. -?V.-,V.y..: '' j. :-,."-" '.!"T..vV.V ' .''J'Mt'Sfine'W '.rKr
ai-iiTwp- .j - - - ji;-"'- -' - v. .- ' .- ,i ,'i-c ' ? ."( w.yzxL .c. ,,t;.''.-i
.. in. ... . Iroinlt r.11,111 Inll or tirtlnc h
1I',1 ,," ,..,... ... ... ma
MtBnlcd thereto bv Miss Holmes 1 know not
whkh. came up and begnn to chat Willi mt
iibuiit Afncnii liig-gnme shooting lso
lie nked me what was mv permanent ml
dies'i In Hint counlrv I told him luir
li.in anil in my tutn nskod why he wanted
In know
"Hecailse Mls Holmes seems uulte crnry
about tho plilce. and 1 oxpect t shall he
dragged out thero olio day." ho isplied,
...,ltn tlMnliilll
l" -.-' .
It was n propnetia remnra
CHAPTER III
Hand and Marut
Al'TNtl Lord Hngnnll hud seen his guesii
2o tint door In Ihe old-tnshioned manner,
he returned nnd nsked me If I plated cards,
or whether I preferred music 1 was is
siirlliR him Hint I hated the sight of n rant
when Mr. Snvnge iippeured in his silent
w.iv and respectfully Inquired of his io-i-ship
whether liny gentleman w.is staving
In the house whoso Chiisilim name wai
lleri-conie-o-Ennv Lord It.iguall looked at
him with n senrehlnr, etc ns though he
suspected him of lining drunk, and then
naked Wh.it be nieiint by sin li a i idiruloiis
MUeslloii
"I inenn. mv lord, replied Mr Savnat
with touch of olTeiitn In hlu tones, tbift
two foreign Individuals In w hit, elolbes
have in lived lit the liiHtle. siuting that thev
wish to speak nt otiee with ,i Mi Here.
omc-n-'.anv who Is slaving brie 1 told
Iheltl to go llVVHy I1H Hie bllllel -.llll llO
. mild make nothing or their talk bin they
i.nlv sat down In the nnow nnl s.iiil tin v
Miiild wait for lleri-coine-.i-r.nnv
"Then -on had better put I hem in Hie
ihl t'liaidiooiii lock thcni tin with mw
ilimr l.i nit nil send tho stable bov for tht
,,,l M.iii who Is a r.anv If over ambnuV
v,,4 . xpi ct ihev are nfler the plie.iK-inis"
Mim a bit 1 slid, Tor nn Idea had oo-
iMiiied to inc The mesfagc nin be meant
f i me I bough 1 can't conceive who -.ciU
.1 n.iti.c i.nmo is .Mncumnsann w n in
I sii iv Mi Savage lias not raiigni quite
. , ins llv Shall 1 go to pee thee nun '
1 wouldn't do that In this c id (Jiialir
nmin l.niil ll.ignall niiHwered liidiliey
.mv whin thev lire. Sll.BKO.'"
I in. ule out that they were con hirers,
n iniil t lead, when I told them to go
iw'av cue of them said. 'Vou will go llrst.
e. nil. limn Then, my lord I heard a hiss
mg .-,iinil in mv nial-tiill poik.t a.id. put
i,.,K in ha.nl Hit- It. I fuund n Inige bnakc.
wh'-h diopped on the ground nnd vanished
li quit- pn.ilvr.ed me. my lord, nnd while
I si ,v,l il.ere wondering whether I was
l,ni..ii ii mouse Jumped out of the kitchen
maul s hull She had been laughing at
their div-i mv lord, but now she s ccrcim
inir In liv-t- ,cs "
lb,, b .iciiiii aspeil of Mr Savage as ha
narialcd tlu-e unholy marvels was such
mat like Ihe kitchen maid, we both burst
mlo'ill-limed iiieilment At traded bv our
laughter Mini Holmes, Miss Mannets with
whom fhe vvas linking, nnd some "f the
, .I.e.- itii'its upproachi'd and n-1- d what
v .,'. i lie matter.
Sa Migu bore declares thnt there are two
, ..ii.ii-.oi i iii the kitchen piem see who have
.,, , ndlllillg BIllllH'S Olll in iii
,. ,1 ,i. ,v fiom Hie hull' or one m " -
. .Cm want to nee Mr rjiiat-rmnin
!..id lli'inall answered
i-oiLwiors' Oh do have them In liroige
..Mlai.iml Mi-s Holmes, wii'lc Mi- M ul
m.,s an I Hie o'lhers. who weic g I'u A I t
lletindul pnimlhcllollltcolivi'is.ltio.i Hoed
'a''''liv''"irmeiinK" he nnswered tlmngb w-e
iinc".'iii.uKh nib - bei without their brng
, inn mor,. Savag.'. K- ,..ul t. II -"tie
iw,, iiu-nd- that Mr. lleu- .nii-.i-"'
,vi .: fm- tu-m i"'- :,i:,,w",.b ,,""";,1".
that !.- coiupan.. W'liuld I'kc I ' -" """
of vbi Ir tricks."
savage bowed and deparfd nu- u b'ro
, , x.e.itlon. for by his p.ilh.1 I .oi.l -
Hi.it he wus in a great flight. V 'ie he
bud gone we set I., work and cle..d .. sn..e
ii Hi. m'ddle or the loom, in fiont ..f vvli Hi
we ariaugcd .hairs for the coiiilianv t- -It
said
e ta
sio-
iit
ftJWivjt
mmm
it.- - . -eK1!
1 . t:r i
ihW2SiP 11
F fx$
' .III
,-ti i" ? H
''K-Awsf
I ti.uk tho cenbor mul held it umior my nose. At Hist these fumes were imjilensant, hut just uh 1 waa ebout to
drop the howl thoy seemeU to become uRrceaiim unit i" pcncn uic, w mo imni ivs,. . ..., mw....
. . . 11 4... ( CM-.... ..... II.... US I II ......
tiling going In real, huppy, stor.v-book
fashion, beauty, main und female, united
bv love, high rank, wealth, troops of friends
heulth of budy. n lovely and an undent
homo in a settled land where dangers do
not come at present respect mid uffevtlun
of crowds of dependents, the prospect of a
high oml useful caieer of a sort whereof
tho door Is shut to most people everything
In short that human beings who uro not
actuully ruvul could desire ur deserve In
deed, ufter my second glass of thumpagnu
1 grew uulte con,ueut on these and kindred
points, being moved thereto by memories
of tho misery that Is In the world wit tell
formed so great a contrast to tho lot of this
sinking and brilliant pair
Hho listened to mu uhoiuiisi ...... ..-
swered:
"Thank you for your kind thoughts and
wishes. Itut Ones It not strike jot, Mr.
Quatermaln. that there Is someth ng Ill
omened In buch talk" 1 believe that It does
thnt tt you finished speaking it occurred
to you that after ull the futuro is us much
veiled fiom all of us at- -as the picture
which hangs benlnd Its curtain of iue
colored llk " ' ""' sluur ' fro,n
y"ilow do you know that? ' I asked sharply
In a low voice. For by the sttangeit ol
"olncldenccs. as I concluded mj eomovvhat
oUbfa"hloned little spwch of compliments.
OH'!" -"'"' .,, hail entered my mind,
and with it tle memory of the veiled picture
which Mr. Savage had pointed out to me on
tha previous morning-
"I can't say, Mr Qujtenuatn. but 1 did
l-now It Vou were thluklug of the picture,
"And if I was." I said avoiding a direct
reulv "what of UV Though It Is hidden
from 'everybody else, he has only to draw
iha curtain and ou"
Supposing he slu-uld draw ihe curtain
one day and see nothing. Mr. Quatermaln?
V hen the picture would have been stolen,
ibat Is oil. und lie would have to search for
It till l 'uuna " aBaln' whUsU UuuuU,u
sooner or later Iw would do."
Yes sooner or later Hut where? Ter
tians you have lost a picture or two In your
time Mr- Qua tei main, and are better abe
to answer the cuestlon than 1 am." ,
There was a sileiu-e for a few moments,
for this talk of lost pictures brought back
memories which choked me '
Then sue began to sueak again, low.
ouUkly and with suppressed passion, but
acting wonderfullj all the while Knowing
that yea wt'r(S on n'''r ,1r Se:urC! and tha
expression of her fiie wire such as might
have been those of 'an, j.uag lady of
fashion tut- was talk-i's" of evcrj'da affairs,
susb as dancing, or nu.rs, or jewels.
i,, I. !,. r, ,i- mv mind, vim might as well tiv
to pack Ooclor JrfTrrjH Ihne into the wine
kuss Hilly two facta remain written on
my heart. The llrst in that there Is (rouble
uhi'iid of Hlu. i-uiiuus and uuusu.il iroublu;
and thu second, thut permaiiently, con
Huuully.' 1. or a part of nn buve something
to do Willi Africa, u country of which 1
know nothing evuept from it few very dull
books. Alto, by the wa this is u new
thought-that 1 have a great deal to do
with you. That is why I unt so Interested
In Africa and ou Tell me about Africa
ami yourself nutv. while we havo the
chance." And she ended lather abruptly.
udillng In u louder voice. "You liave lived
there nil your life, have ou nut, Mr. Quat
ermaln?" "I rather think your mot Iter would be
light about the doctor, I mean." I ald.
"You say thut. hut von don't believe it
oh! j'otl are very transparent. Mr. Uuutrr
umln nt le.-ut, to me."
So. hurrledlj enough, for these subjects
seemed to mu uncomfortable, even danger
ous in u sense, I began to talk of tho llrht
thing about Afrlt-a that I renumbered
natively, of the legend of tho Holy I'lower
that was guarded by u hugo ape. of which
I had heard from a white man who was
supposed to be rather mad. who went by
the name of Ilrother Jdhn. Also I told her
that there was something in it, as 1 had
with me a specimen of the (lower
"Oh ! show It me," she said.
I replied that I feared I could not. ns It
was locked away tn a safe In London,
whither I was returning on the morrow. I
promised, however, to send Iter a life-Bized
water-color drawing o( which I had caused
several to be made Hhe asked me If I
were going to look for IhU Mower, and I
said that 1 hoped so If I could make the
necessary urranseiiisms
Next she uskwl me If there chanced to
be any other African quests upon which
I had set my mind I replied that there
were several I'or Instance, I Imd heard
vaguely through Ilrother John, and Indi
rectly from one or two other sources, of
the existence of a certain tribe in Uast
Central Africa Arabs or semi-Arabs
who were reported to worship a child that
always remained a child This child I
took It, was a dwarf: but as I was in
terested In native religious customs, which
were inllnlte In their variety I should much
like to nnd out the truth of the matter
Talking of Arabs," she broke in, "J will
tell you a curious story. Once when I
was a UtH sirl. eight or nine years of
age It was just before t'ist kind of awak
ening of which 1 havo spoken ta j'ou J
vvas playing n Kensington Hardens for
u.a lived in London at the time in the
charge of wy nurs-guernes She was
from mv litis. Then ull grew m!My. und
the next IIi1.il; I lenieinber was lll.dinu
invnelf In tho arms of the .vi.inirjer Kaitciu
with the nurse and her 'cousin.' a stalwart
person like u soldier, standing in front
of us.
distils
" i.ilH. i?lrl t;o ill mid! it,.. mIiU,. Arul.
Yn seel; policeman '
".'You drop thin child.' uuswernl the
'cousin.' doubling his nts Then f crew
lulnt again, u ml when I cume to mjsclf the
two ivhite-rubod men had gono. All thu
wuy home my governess srolded me for
accepting sweets from etrungers. saying
thai if my parents came to know of it I
shuuld Im whipped and vent to bed of
course, I begged her not to tell them, unit
at last she consented Do ou know. I
think you are the llrst lu whom I have
ever mentioned the mutter, uf which I am
sure Hiu governess never bieathed a word,
though after that, whenever wo walked in
the gurdens. her 'cousin' always came to
look ufter us. In the end I think she
mm r lei lilm."
"You believe the ewer! was tlrtlBKed?"
I nulled.
She nodded- "There was eometlilnjE very
strange in it. It was a nisht or two utter
1 had tasted It that I had what jut now
I called my awakening, and begun to
think about Africa."
"Have j'ou ever seen these men again,
Mls-i Holmes?"
"No. never-
At this moment I heard Ijulj lomsden
saj In a severe voice:
"My dear Lima. I am Surry tg interrupt
your absorbing conversation, but ve ars
all waiting for you."
Ko they were, for to ray horror I saw
that every one vvas trtaiullna; up except our
Miss Holmes departed In a hurry, while
Scroope whispered in my ear with a snigger-
"l say. Allan, If you carry onlikv that
with his young lady bis lordship will be
growing Jealous ut jou."
"Don't be a fool." 1 said sharply But
there was something In hlg remark for
as Lord Itagnull passed on his way to the
other end of tlw table, he said In a low
voice and with rather a forced smile
"Well, Quatermaln. I liope your dinner
lias not been as dull as mine, although your
appetite seemed so poor."
Then I rellected that I could not remem
ber having eaten a thing since the first
entree. So overcome was 1 that, rejecting
all Scroope's 'attempts at conversation, 0
sat silent, drinking port and tilting up with
uiv, uiini iivi wi. miviwisiu we went into
the drawing room, where 1 sat down us far
from Miss Holmes as possible ind looked
at a book of views of Jei usalem
While I was thus engaged. Lord Itagoall.
v.. doubt thev are Indian jugglux
land Ilagnall. "Bnd will want a pi.
....... .....i.. ,., nm vree. as 1 leinemlii
i,s lb. in do in Kashmir
As ,e spike the door opened and Mi
Sawn- ..ppe.ired .hro.U5h H. w ilking ,mi. h
faster than wc bis wont 1 " :.. V'
he gripped the pociteis ot me -. -
i" I"'" '"""" ... ,..,..., I,.
"Mr llare-root uiai .in. " -
'''TlarrrootandMaro-iootV-re te-i I ..rfl
'"ft-iru. and Marut. I o-tpec ' 1 to,-.!
think I havo read H0iuo.vvi.ete Mat Ik- were
Kfeut tuagc ans, wnow ...-.
urors havo taken" .Bines . ' '-
. .. i h..t ihv nr nu'iitiuiH I
Kul .. u .. s master-of tin- "I." "."'
A moiliciit later two men l..ll-.w.d Inn
thiaugh Ihe doorwaj The llrst s H.
eliHtH'11-l.lokll.B IMfSOII Will a giav. . .on
tinan.e. a long, white beard, a hooked ...e
und MashliiK hawlt-llko evef lb - nu
was hho.ter mid rather stout .. - ;" "
!,r lie had a gem.ii
,,' i i. l.l-ii.L- ..ten mill 1.
SI1K.1I "-! .....-- ... i .
shaven They wete veiv light in .lor,
Indi.d. i have seen Italians who hi- nui.ii
darker; and there vvas about Hi-., whole
usiact a certain air or povvet
ItistantH- l remembered the tl""' lna;
Miss Holmes had told me at dinner awl
looked ut her covertly, to ne that ""'
turned uulte tale and was ti.mibli.is
little. I do not think that at.j one els.
noticed IhU however, as all were staring
... .i.- ui,nniri.rs Moreover, iiho re.overeu
ln rself in it moment, and. cat. hing mv eye.
laid her Anger on ncr up .n mi. """"';
The men were clothed in HiUk fur t.ne1
cloaks, which they took orf and, Millng tnem
ueutlv, laid upon tho tlooi standing re
vealed in robes or a beautitul wh.tenem
and iu larso plain turbans, also wliite
"High-class Somali Arabs." thought t to
myself, noting tho while that as the ar
ranged the robes they were lakltig in every
ono of us with their trolcl. eym "n8.0'
them shut tho door, leaving Savuge on this
sldo of It us though thev meant him to tn
present They they walked toward us,
each of them carrying an ornamental bas
ket inaue apparently o( spm .r- -
contained doubtless their conjuring outIK
and probably tho anake which Savage liaa
found in his pocktt To my surprise they
came straight to me, und hawng set down
the baskets, lifted their hands above their
heads, as a person about to due might do,
and bowed till tha points of their fingert
touched the Moor- Nent they spoke not
lp Arah'c, as t had expecud thai thty
would, but tn Uantu. which uf course I
understood perfectly well
"I, Marut. a ptlest and do. tui of tne
People of the While Kendall, greet ou, 0
Watcher by Nlht. whom we have ray5."a
fur to tlnd," fcatd the jouufivi iiwn Then
together.
"We both greet jou Lord vho seen,
small bul ate great. O tiuif nub o troubled
past and with a mightj futu-r t, Helovea
of Mameena who has 'gjtia down tut stm
sneaks from beneath. Mameena who wa
and Is of our company "
CONTINUED IN
MONDAY'S
.... . . J
an. 9
ttMtssssftailHfaMfciiM
uajtHium&ia&itiM