Dick Merriwell’s Pranks

o were lounging in their rooms after the midday meal, "what do

place, with its narrow, dirty streets, its swarms of people of many races, its veiled

minaret and utter the call to prayer. The way he chants it kind of stirs something inside of me: 'God is great; there is but one God; Mohammed is t

with plenty of interesting things," said Dick. "The thing tha

pine I've got good nerves, but it certain came near driving me cra

e way they wailed, and groaned, and cried, 'Allah, hough

lers had their eyes set and their lips covered w

me, p

get tired of Constantinople

atever became of Major Fitts

as a great relief when they both took themselves out of t

ghed Dick. "That was a fearful encounter

"Boys, you want to remember what will happen t

art g

ught the major was dying. I don't wonder, for the sounds he emitted after being

he found the major's yellow blood w

ds after putting her arms about him

s willing to carry out the programme and use eggs, but it was beneath my d

were somewhat timid over the result before you

n blood on my hands. It was entirely

one. It is my judgment that the old pirate wanted to see the professor and the

we might have no end of trouble with him while in this place. However, I fancy he found out he was wasting his time spyin

ice?" exclaimed Zenas.

y decided that we were exactly what we represented ourselves to be, ordinary travelers. Miss Ketchum, however, belongs to a society that i

h she turned out to be a hatchet-faced old maid, I

r Fitts will look out for her. All I a

ckled Brad. "I'm sure he wouldn't fancy having the s

rnoon in talk, or shall we go out an

ready to go out, and once more rose

cried the o

t," urg

erground

t's

t; I'll send for Mustapha. Hope he's not engaged, for we must go over into Stambo

lace just made to get lost in it's Stamboul, with its maze

heap sight worse in Stamboul than on a trackless desert. We

mmoned and instructed to send out for the dragoman engaged by Dic

eared, salaming in true Turkish fashion,

d, addressing the profess

to visit

man. I guide

t underground cistern sometimes

from there!" Mustapha

questioned the professor. "I

your life som

re be dangerous about a visi

af not hear

ot hear

eeshman go there. T

ppened t

ith his hands indicative

it the quest

enas. "What do you think

," answered Dick. "I want t

e some wrought up to see it

," said Mustapha, with a

this dragoman will not act as guide

ide; but that they should pay him before visiting the Underground Palace, as they might neve

t from the hotel in Pera, eager to see the mysterious p

sed the Golden Horn and plunged into the city all its impressiveness vanished. At intervals they cam

end and inspect the Underground Palace, but he declined to enter with them. For that

Bayazid," he sai

d the professor, with a s

d one more s

called in English, was engaged to

d boat, effendi

sked Buckhart. "Do we

see," answ

ing down into the darkness of the place. The guide found and lighted two torche

d Brad, as they found themselves i

purpose was to guard against a famine of water in time of war. Some of the old cisterns

ing to see a palace," sai

see one-s

hile their voices came back hollowly

stretching away into an unknown distance and filled with a shadowy maze of marble columns, row on row. The floor of this wonderful place was

the lips of the two lads. The professor grasped the

farther on fo

e. "Look at that floor! Wouldn't it be gre

et if you attempted to dan

y-why, it

act

rywhere except where the li

ray of light rea

s hand in the water, which

worth seeing!

plained the professor. "Think, boys, what you now behold is the work of man,

iests as drowned in that flood of black water. In fancy I seem to see their restless spirits floating

ults often echo to hollow laughter, and that the place is haunted by the ghosts of murdered sultans of past ages, whose places were usurped by the very monsters who intrigued to bring about the murders. Some claim that the spirits of the beautiful

I blame Mustapha for not coming here!" exclaimed B

they wished to take a boat and vent

I think it will be a novel experience,

er you go I go, you bet your boots! Mebbe

the light of his torch fall on a black boat that lay motionless at the edge of the

boat, which was large enough to accommodate tw

gested that the others should extinguish theirs, as too much light close at

slowly the boat slipped out upon

e head of the professor, who uttered a squawk of alarm, struck out wildly with bo

" gasped Buckhart.

endi," answ

lau

confess it did frighten me, boys. Made me think of those restless ghosts which ar

hall we go?"

d they saw nothing but marble pi

xan. "I confess I couldn

, don't you, Bayazid?" anx

di," was the assu

breathed Zenas. "I think

er, as Bayazid was thoroughly familiar with the plac

ick, and the two overr

they might have become suspicious and alarmed, but the shado

out the guide, not one of them could have told which course to

n and stood up in the boat, staring in

eir heads to look, wondering wha

rous guide snatched the torch from its socket and plunged it i