The Green Flag

ry-Craggs

all white gloves over their hands They advanced from their corners and shook hands, Montgomery gravely, Craggs with a smile. Then they fell into position. The crow

And he could pivot round upon it with extraordinary quickness; but his advance or retreat was ungainly. His frame, however, was so much larger and broader than that of the student, and his b

h little in-and-out steps, breaking to the left, breaking to the right, feeling his way, while Craggs, with a dull, malignant eye, pivoted slowly upon his weak leg, his left arm half extended, his right sunk low across the mark. Montgomery led with his left, and then led again, getting lightly home

reak away!" sa

he people buzzed into comment and applause. Montgomery was quite fresh, but the hairy chest of the Master was rising and falling. The m

ded him. The Master stopped, grinned, and shook his head. Then he motioned with his hand as an invitation to Montgomery to come to him. The student did so and led with his left, but got a swinging right counter in the ribs in excha

ng for him," said a sm

likely lad. Happen we

joomp r

rarely. Happen he'll mak' him joo

nding smack upon the master's forehead. There was a shout from the colliers, and "Silence! Order!" from the referee. M

emen, if you please

bit!" growl

ht!" said the r

mouth, and the Master shambled back to his corner lik

" shouted Purvis, the publi

ere no

e to

at. Purvis booked them

ed hand upon each rope. What a delicious minute it was between each round. If he could only keep out of harm's way, he

ight," Ted Barton whispered in his ear. "Go

tudent suddenly saw a flash of triumph upon the grim face, and a gleam in the dull, malignant eyes. The Master was upon him. He sprang aside and was on the ropes. The Master smashed in one of his terrible upper-cuts, and Montgomery half broke it with his guard. The st

light. "Gentlemen, I will not have this noise!" Stapleton roared. "I have been accustomed to preside at a well-conducted club, and not at a bear-garden." This little man, with the tilted hat and the b

at her, as she flapped her towel in front of him. Montgomery was weary and a little sore

refused to be herded into a corner. Sometimes the Master succeeded in rushing him to the side-ropes, but the younger man slipped away, or closed and then disengaged. The monotono

of a touch, but his breathing was the more laboured, and a long line of ticks upon the referee's paper showed that the student had a good show of points. But one of this iron-man's blows was worth three of his, and he knew that with

on champion had held his own much better than had been expected. But those who knew the ring-craft as we

he sent his man up to the scratch. "Have

ir position. His own youth and condition were beginning to tell. He sprang in and brought off a fine left-handed lead. The Master's return la

foul! A foul!" yell

full of referees," said he. The people laughed and applauded, but their favour was as i

might as well make hay while the sun shone. The Master was looking all abroad. Montgomery popped one upon his blue jowl and got away witho

in!" cried

t instant was lying half senseless, with his

y had sprung in so hotly he had exposed himself to such a blow as neither flesh nor blood could stand. Whizzing up from below with a rigid arm, which put the Master's eleven stone into its force, it struck him under the jaw; he whirle

feree, for the Master was standing over his man

s, this instant!"

is fallen antagonist. The timekeeper called the seconds. If ten of them passed before Montgomery rose t

, sick, swimming, faint, but resolute to rise. Eight-he was up, and the Master was on him like a tiger, lashing savagely at him with both hands. Folk held t

which could have saved him-that blind eye of which the Master's son had spoken. It was the same as the other to look at, but Montgomery remembered that he had said th

Yark him!" scr

ongue!" said

way. Montgomery's knees weakened under him, and he fell with a groan on the floor. This time he knew that he was done. With bitter agony he realised, as he groped blindly with hi

hree-four-

said the

over. The referee looked round with relaxed features and laughing eyes. He loved this rough game, this school for humble heroes, and it was pleasant to him to intervene as a Deus ex machina at so dramatic a moment. His chair and his hat were both tilted at an extreme angle; he and the timekeeper smile

some brandy into his mouth. The mists cleared a little, and he realised where he was and what he had

he ring!" cried t

er sprang eagerl

it," said Barton, and Montgomery wa

he frigate manoeuvring always so as to avoid it. The Master tried all his ring-craft. He coaxed the student up by pretended inactivity; he rushed at him with furious rushes towards the ropes. For three rounds he exhausted every wile in trying to get at him. Montgomery during all this time was conscious that his strength was minute by minute coming back to him. The spinal jar from an upper-cut is overwhelming, but evanescent. He was losing all sense of it beyond a great stiffness of the neck. For the first round after his downfall he had been content to be entirely on the defensive, onl

ago the battle had been in his hands; now it was all to do over again. Round by round his man was recovering his strengt

" she whispered. "Why else should he be gulpin

contents. Then, with his face a little flushed, and with a curious look of purpose, w

ied the publican, as he lo

an Nature had made it. Montgomery had two or three livid marks upon his body, and his face was haggard, save for that pink spot which the brandy had brought into either cheek. He rocked a little as he stood opposite his man, and his hands drooped as if he felt the gloves to be an unutterable weight. It was evident that he was spent and desperately weary. If he receive

im have strength to take full advantage of the opening when it came. It was thrilling and tingling through his veins at the very moment when he was lurching and rocking like a beaten man. He acted his part admirably. The Master felt that there was an easy t

and a head which was swift to duck. And yet he contrived to present the same appearance of a man who is hopelessly done. The Master, weary from h

t comes. The Master fell backwards, flat, prostrate, striking the ground with so simultaneous a clap that it was like a shutter falling from a wall. A yell, which no referee could control, broke from the crowded benches as the giant went down. He lay upon his back, his knees a little drawn up, his huge che

one rushing towards him; he caught a glimpse of a flushed face and an aureole of flying red hair, a gloveless fist struck him between the eyes, and he was on his back in the ring beside his antagonist, while a dozen of his supporters were endeavouring to secure t

he Master with the grin of a bulldog upon his face, and his three

e down-I have not had a better since my second fight wi' Billy Edwards in '89. Happen thou might think o' goin' further wi' this business. If thou dost, and want a trainer,

so received some share of the gate-money. Then, with young Wilson escorting him on one side, Purvis on the other, and Fawcett carrying his bag behind

f ecstasy by the events of the day. "There's a chap over Barnsley way who fancies himself a bit. Let us spring you on

m behind him, I am, for twenty rounds,

t champion of the world, that's what he

ry was not t

my own wor

at may

money to get my

ster off his legs. However, I suppose you know your own business best. When you're a doctor, you'd be

oking at the door, and the doctor was just back from his long journey. Sev

l, Mr. Montgomery!" he snarled. "When next you elect to t

at you should have b

the first time, he looked hard at the assistant. "Good Heavens

had lodged her protes

hing, sir,

rrible that my representative should be going about in so di

, there was a little gl

xle

xed up with tha

er mixed up

assault

the fi

h of

ter of C

erhaps you inter

the truth, I

associated as it is with the highest and most progress

ars, and an instant later the Wilson Colliery brass band was in full cry with, "See the Conquering

does it mean?" cri

is necessary for my education. It is my duty, Dr. Oldacre, to warn you that I am about t

OF CHAT

streams of armed men had rolled slowly but irresistibly from the Rhine, now meandering to the north, now to the south, dividing, coalescing, but all uniting to form one great lake round Paris. And from this lake there

e masterful guns-they had tried and tried to make head against them. In battalions their invaders were not to be beaten, but man to man, or ten to ten, they were their equals. A brave Frenchman might still make a single German

im, and yet morning after morning he had to listen to a black report of sentries found dead at their posts, or of foraging parties which had never returned. Then the colonel would go forth in his wrath, and farmsteadings would blaze and villages tremble; but next morning there

would be paid for information. There was no response. Then 800frs. The peasants were incorruptible. Then, goaded on by a murdered corporal, he

sked the Prussian colonel, eyeing with loathing

colo

it

sand francs

has been tested. Come! Who i

Eustace of

rily. "A gentleman and a nobleman

even at the best time he was a hard man. But of late he has been terrible. It was his son's death, you know. His son was under Douay, and he was taken, and then in escaping from Germany he met his death. It was the count's only

ed across their brows, as by a hunting-knife. The colonel bent his st

s not more than fou

a kilometre

ow the

to wor

n Gramm ra

and detain him," sai

colonel? I can t

need you

count? If I were to

colo

him away. "Send Captain Baumg

white where his helmet had sheltered it. He was bald, with a shining, tightly stretched scalp, at the back of which, as in a mirror, it was a favourite mess-joke of

"A guide has been provided. You will arrest the count and bring

n shall I ta

pon him before he knows that we are on the way. A large force will at

could turn down this road which I see upon your map, and get to Chat

pe to see you with your p

her side. The captain walked first with Moser, a veteran sergeant, beside him. The sergeant's wrist was fastened to that of the French peasant, and it had been whispered in his ear that in case of an ambush the first bullet fired would be through his head. Behind them the twenty infantrymen plodded along through the darkness with their faces sunk

he wall in which it had been the opening had crumbled away, but the great gate still towered above the brambles and weeds which had overgrown its base. The Prussians made their way round i

a low arched door in front, and lines of small windows like the open ports of a man-of-war. Above was a dark roof, breaking at the corners into little round overhangi

e front door, some to the back. Some were to watch the east, and some

the light of a guttering candle. He leaned back in his wooden chair with his feet upon a box, while a bottle of white wine stood with a hal

and you cannot escape. Come round and open the d

s paper still crumpled up in his hand. An instant later, with a groaning of old locks and a ra

nt Eustace de

r! He is

e of night? Your

ue, sir.

he

not

ng w

your pistol, sir. You may kill me, but you can

en out at

quen

does he

e dayb

e back, the sergeant and he drove the trembling butler in front of them- his shaking candle sending strange, flickering shadows over the old tapestries and the low, oak-raftered ceilings. They searched the whole house, from the huge stone-flagged kitchen below to the dining-hall

ected lines of tortuous corridors. The walls were so thick that each room was cut off from its neighbour. Huge fireplaces yawned in each, while the windows were 6ft. deep in the wall

to the sergeant. "You will place a guard over this fe

capt

ront and at the back. It is likely enough that

others,

will serve you with meat and wine. It is a wild night,

rself, c

gs are laid and we can light the fire. You will call me i

swered, 'What you wish!' but now it is all that we can

ut with him, sergeant, and let him feel the

crackling merrily, and sending spurts of blue, pungent smoke into the room. The captain walked to the window and looked out. The moon had gone in again, and it was raining heavily. He could hear the deep sough of the wind, and see the dark loom of the trees, all swaying in the one direction. It was a sight which gave a zest to his comfortable quarters, an

tside that circle things were vague and shadowy in the old dining-hall. Two sides were oak-panelled and two were hung with faded tapestry, across which huntsmen and dogs and stags wer

. Captain Baumgarten, heavy with his repast, lay back in his chair looking up at them through the clouds of his tobacco smoke, and pondering over the strange chance which had sent him, a man from the Baltic coast, to ea

a huge man, silent, motionless, with no sign of life save his fierce-glinting eyes. He was black-haired, olive-skinned, with a pointed tuft of black beard, and a great, fierce nose, towards which all his features seemed to run. Hi

ad been laid. "You have been, if you will allow me to say so, a little indiscreet to make yourself so much at home in a house every wall

The Frenchman held up tho revolver which he grasped in his right

vided for. It is astonishing with these stone floors how little one can hear what goes on beneath. You h

garten of, the 24t

ymen, to turn the 'p' into a 'b.' I have been amused to hear them cry '

t of Chat

I had been unable to have a word with you. I have had to do with many German

in creep with apprehension. His eyes glanced to right and to left, but his weapons were gone, and in a struggle he saw

re could do for you? I am ashamed to look you in the

whistle which hung fro

nt was in the ro

ey bottle, streaked with cobwebs, was carried in as a nurse

en and Paris. Drink, sir, and be happy! There are cold joints below. There are two lobs

lass, however, and his host filled it once more, pr

u a story while you drink your wine. I have so longed to tell it to some German officer. It is about my son, my only child, Eustace

of his mother. She died within a week of the news of his death reaching us. It was brought by a brother offi

upon the 5th to a village called Lauterburg, where he met with kindness from the German officer in command. This good colonel had the hungry lad to supper, offered

his companion had increased as he sat watchin

fortunate there. The officer who guarded them was a ruffian and a villain, Captain Baumgarten. He took a pleasure in humiliating and ill-treating t

face fell forward, his hand up, and blood oozing through h

that you had been getting into mischief. To continue, however, my boy's youth and his destitution-for his pockets were empty-moved the pity of a kind-hearted major, and he advanced him ten Napoleons from his own

se the spirit of the Chateau Noirs would not stoop to turn away his wrath by a feigned submission. Ay, this cowardly villain, whose heart's blood shall

e raining upon him. When at last, blinded and half-senseless, he staggered to his feet, it was on

less in the hands of an insolent and remorseless enemy. On arriving at Carlsruhe, however, his face, which had been wounded by the brutality of his guard, was bound up

but the German da

" he cried; "I can endure your br

hrugged his

ossess. At Carlsruhe, my lad was shut up in the old caserne, where he remained for a fortnight. The worst pang of his captivity was that some unmannerly curs in the garrison would taunt him with his position as he sat by his window in the evening. That reminds me, captain, that you are not quite situated upon a be

y had to take the clothes of two peasants, whom they waylaid in a wood. Hiding by day and travelling by night, they had got as far into France as Remilly, and were within a mile-a single mile, captain-of crossing the German li

at these men were French soldiers in civilian dress within the German lines, proceeded to

ned the room. The cord was slipped over his head, and he felt its harsh grip round his throat. The three peasants seized the other end

he being himself a father-that he ordered his Uhlans away, and he remained with his aide-de-camp only, beside the condemned men. And when he heard all the lad had to tell-that he was the only child of an old family, and that his mother was in failing health-he

ed, blinded, and bleeding, staggered out into t

TRIPE

ke of her, Alla

d yards, like the broken wing of a wounded gull upon the water beside her. The foremast was still standing, but the foretopsail was flying loose, and the headsails were streaming out in long, white pennons in front of her. Never have I seen a vessel which appeared to have gone through rougher handling. But we could not be surprised at that, for there had been times during the last three days when it was a question whether our own barque would ever see land again. For thirty-six hours we had kept her nose to it, and if the Mary Sinclair had not been as good a seaboat as ever left the Clyde, we could not have gone through. And yet here we were at the end of it with the loss only of our gig and of part of the starboard bulwark. It

I'm thinking," sa

eck, and there was no answer to the friendly wavings from our seamen. The crew

red way. "She may put her nose down and her tail up any

er flag?"

led with the halyards. Yes, I've got it now, clear eno

one. I took the mate's glass and looked round over the tumultuous face of the deep blue Atlantic, still veine

living men a

lvage," muttered

n a hundred yards from her when we swung our foreyard aback, and there we w

id I. "Take four men, Mr. Allardyce

es off his watch. It would interest me to go myself to this abandoned vessel and to see what there might be aboard of her. So

down there, and it was cold and dark in the hollows of the waves, but each passing billow heaved us up into the warmth and the sunshine once more. At each of these moments, as we hung upon a white-capped ridge between the two dark valleys, I caught a glimpse of the l

thought was to provide for our own safety in case-as seemed very probable-the vessel should settle down beneath our feet. With this object two of our men held on to the painter of the boat, and fended her off from the vessel's side, so that she m

it was certain that the crew had abandoned the vessel. The cabin was in a deck-house, one side of which had been beaten in by a heavy sea. Allardyce and I entered it, and found the capta

lack aboard a South American trader, and they don't do more than they can

ooks and papers," said I. "Ask the

there was no immediate danger of her sinking. Probably she would never sink, but would drift a

said I. "See what you can make of her and find out how much of her c

bills of lading was sufficient to show me that we were not likely to profit much in the way of salvage. Her cargo consisted of nuts, ginger, and wood, the latter in the shape of great logs of valuable tropical growths. It was these, no doubt, which had prevented the ill-fated vessel from going to the bottom, but they

ontfoot & Neuman of Oxford Street, London, should be put in some place where there may be no danger of these very valuable and unique articles being injured

ere was a chance of salvage after all. I had risen to my feet with

d of this ship, sir," said he. He was a hard-faced

s the

r. There's a man here wi

the storm

be surprised if you think

is he

; here in the

ped red and white, though the red was so faded and the white so dirty that it was only where the light fell directly upon it that one could see the colouring. The box was, by subsequent measurement, 4ft. 3ins. in length, 3ft. 2ins. in height, and 3ft. across-considerably larger than a seaman's chest. But it was not to the box that my eyes or my thoughts were turned as I entered the store-room. On the floor, lying across the litter of bunting, there was stretched a small, dark man with a short, curling beard. He lay as far as it was possible from the box, with his feet towards it and his head away. A crimson patch was printed upon the white canvas on which his head w

ent, Captain Barclay?" aske

murdered-struck down from above by a sharp and heavy

k at his fingers." He turned out his pockets as he spoke and brought to li

ok at this

teel was shining and bright, so that we could not associate it with the crime, and yet the dead m

. "However, we can't help the poor beggar now. I can't make out these things that are lashed

are likely to get from the cargo. Hail the barque and tell them t

nestly requested, upon no account, to open this box." The same warning was repeated underneath in Spanish. As to the lock, it was a very complex and heavy one of engraved steel, with a Latin motto, which was above a seaman's comprehension. By the time I had finished this examination of the peculiar box, the other quarter-boat with Mr. Armstrong, the first officer, had come alongside, and we began to carry out and place in her the various curiosities which appeared to be the only objects worth moving from the derelict ship. When she was full I sent her back to the barque, and then Allardyce and I, with the carpenter and one seaman, shifted the striped box, which was the only thing left, to our boat, and lower

mained during supper, and after that meal the mates remained with me, and discussed over a glass of grog the event of the day. Mr. Armstrong was a long, thin, vulture-like man, an excellent seaman, but famous for his

t you like to name. You wouldn't believe the sums that the rich collectors give. A thousan

s I can see, they are not very differen

chest before. That's worth a pile of money, just as it stands. But it's so heavy that surely

ill spoil it, as likely as

ith his head on one side, and his long, t

with age. If I had a chisel or a strong-bladed knife I c

ed knife made me think of th

n on the job when someone came

uld open the box. There's a screwdriver here in the locker. Just ho

over this matter. You've read that card which warns us not to open it. It may mean anything or it may mean nothing, but somehow I feel inclined to obey it. Aft

emed bitterly disapp

neer upon his thin lips. "If it gets out of our own hands, and we don't see

ou may have every confidence that you will get your

d. "Because a box is a treasure-box is no reason that it has treasures inside it now. A g

river down upon the table

poke upon many subjects, I noticed that his eyes were continually coming ro

t the end of the little passage which led to the companion. No regular watch was kept by me, except in cases of emergency, and the three mates divided the watches among them. Armstrong had the middle watch,

emed to have come from some place quite close to me. I sprang from my bunk, and, pulling on some clothes, I made my way into the cabin. At first I saw nothing unusual there. In the cold, grey light I made out the red-clothed table, the six rotating chairs, the walnut lockers, the swinging barometer, and there, at the end, the big striped chest. I was turning away, with the intention of going upon deck and asking the second mate if he had heard anything, when my eye

table, and as we looked at his dripping head we exchanged

the Spanish s

eserve us! It's that i

ong's

d there was the screwdriver which he

ep. He knelt down in front of it, and he pushed the lock back with that to

ered, "what could ha

hand upon my sleeve an

o may be listening to us in there. What do y

rd, Allardyce, th

l-work which may conceal any number of holes. Look at the weight of it; it took four men to carry it. On top of that, remembe

there is a

nt one week and hunted like a dog the next-they are for ever flying for their lives. My idea is that there is

food an

s stowed away. As to his drink, he had a friend among th

sking people not to open the box w

a. Have you any other way

onfess tha

s what we are t

and tow it alongside for half an hour; then we could open it at our ease. Or if we just tied the box up and kept him from get

be terrorised by a single man in a box. If he's there, I'll engage to fetch him out!" I went to my room and ca

ied the mate. "Two men have lost their lives over i

on why we shou

he carpenter. Three are better tha

d old relic of the Spanish Main. In the growing light of morning the red and white striping was beginning to appear, and the curious scrolls and wreaths of metal and carvi

g his head, as he looked at the body of the mate.

n who needs to brace his courage. "I'll drive the lock back if you will both stand by. If he rises le

by!" yelled the mate, and with a heave he threw open the massive top of the box. As it swung up we all three sprang back, I with my pistol leve

peared to be as old as the box itself. Its rich yellow tone and artistic shape suggested that it was an object

cried Allardyce, st

the weight c

k at the lid. Why, it's five inches through.

e mate. "You see, it won't lean back. Wh

ade by Johann Rothstein

n what has passed, does it, Captain Barclay? That candlestick lo

pulled him straight again. It may have been some story of the Middle Ages which had come back to my mind, or it may have been that my eye had caught some

aid I. "Give me the crook

gs shot out from below the upper lip, and the great striped chest snapped at us like a wild animal. Clang came the huge lid into its place, and

life, Captain B

en candlestick from the other articles of value, and the instant that he laid hand upon it the terrible spring was unloosed and the murderous steel pikes were driven into his brain, while the shock of the blow sent the victim backward and e

three men, and c

hrow it ove

a rule, but there are some things which are mo

Barclay, with such a thing on board. The glass is

ds over the bulwarks. There was a white spout of water, and it was gone. There it lies, the striped chest, a thousand fathoms deep, and

DOW B

he had earned during the single day that he was within its walls. There is a romance of finance yet to be written, a story of huge forces which are for ever waxing and waning, of bold operations, of breathless suspense, of agonised failure, of deep combinations which are baffled by others still more

olitical sky had been clouded and the public had refused to invest. Everything which he had touched had gone wrong, and now, on the eve of his marriage, young, clear-headed, and energetic, he was actually a bankrupt had his creditors chosen to make him one. But the Stock Exchange is an indulgent body. What is the case of one to-day may be that of another to-morrow, and everyone is interested in seeing that the stricken man is given time to rise again. So the burden of Worlington Dodds was lightened for him; many shoulders helped to bear it, and he was able to go for a little summer tour into Ireland, for the doctors had ordered him rest and change of air to restore his shaken nervous system. Thus it was that upon the 15th of July, 1870, he found himself at his breakfast in the fly-blown coffee-room of the "George Hotel" in

rom far an' near-from England an' Scotland an' iverywhere. If you look out of the winder, your honour, you'll see the horses, and

, when he looked through the window, he saw the cause of it. The square was packed with horses from end to end-greys, bays, browns, blacks, chestnuts-young ones

re of the horse-bradin' districts of Oireland, so where should they come to be sould if it wasn't to Dunsloe?" The waiter had a telegram

name. "No, I don't know," said he. "I never heard i

cheeked gentleman, who was breakfasting at the

foreign name,

haus is t

ellenhaus, of Liverpool. I was expect

so that no eye but his own could see them. Then he took out a note-book, and, with an anxious face, he began to make entries in it, glancing first at the telegram and then at the book, and writing apparently one letter or figure at a time. Dodds was interested, for he knew exactly what the man was doing. He was working

man has had bad news, sorr,"

at that moment his thoughts were sudd

the room with a telegr

" said he to

quare names about. W

Ah, there he is!" and he handed the telegram to a ge

aired, eagle-nosed gentleman, with a waxed moustache and a carefully pointed beard-an aristocratic type which seemed out of its elem

wn any translation of it, but he sat for some time with his nervous, thin fingers twitching amongst the hairs of his white beard, and his shaggy brows bent in the deepest and most absorbed attention whilst he mastered the meaning of it

, each in cipher, and each causing keen emotion to the man who received it. One turned pale. The other sprang excitedly to his feet. It might be a coincidence, but it was a very curious one. If it was not a coincidence, then what could it mean? Were they confederates who pretende

m to maturity. They were largely of thoroughbred blood, and were being bought by English dealers, who would invest a few pounds now on what they might sell for fifty guineas in a year, if all went well. It was legitimate speculation, for the horse is a delicate creature, he is afflicted with many ailments, the least accident may destroy his value, he is a certain expense and an uncertain profit, and f

hbour, whose spurs and gaiters s

, he went into details. "Sure he's the head of Holloway & Morland, of London," said he. "He's the buying partner, and he buys cheap; and the other stays at home and sells, and he sells dear. He owns more horses than any

rove all other bidders out of it. With a careless nod he would run the figure up five pounds at a time, until he was left in possession of the field. At the same time he was a shrewd observer, and when, as happened more than once, he believed that someone was bidding against him simply in order to run him up, the head

were reached; the full-grown, perfect horses, at their prime, and ready for any work or any fatigue. Seventy magnificent creatures had been brought down by

two of them together are the two first breeders in Ireland." A crowd had gathered in front of the horses. By common consent a place had been made for Mr. Holloway, and Dodds could c

" said Dodds's acquaintance. "They are a beautiful string, anyhow. I shouldn't be su

haven face overlooked the crowd. Mr. Jack Flynn's grey whisk

ave a guarantee of their quality. They are the best that Ireland can produce, and in this class of horse the best that Ireland can produce are the best in the world, as every riding man knows well. Hunters or carriage horses, all warra

tent. By a single sweep all the small dealers had been put out of it. It was only a long

ere for the sake of the scenery. You may travel the country and

are a fine lot of horses, and I won't deny it. They do you credit, Mr. Flynn, I am sure. All the sa

the salesman. "It was rather for the convenience of a wholesale customer that

s, these, and I will give you a bid to start you. I will

heads to catch a glimpse of the speaker. The sa

r. Strellenhaus

ighbour. "I thought I knew them al

lf again. "Thank you for giving us a lead, sir," said he. "Now, gentlemen, you have heard the offer of Mr. Stre

," said

d. You are not the man to let such a string of horses

ounds," said M

nty-

irt

increased his bids by fives and the other only by ones. Those fives meant determination and also wealth. Hol

t thirty pounds a hea

s with you, M

as a device of some sort-an agent of Flynn's perhaps-for running up the price. Little Mr. Strellenhaus, the same apple-faced gentleman who

with the air of a man who h

said Strellenh

persistent opposition. His r

hree!" he

r," said St

three figures. On the other hand, there was the feed and keep of them for three months, the danger of the voyage, the chance of influenza or some of those other complaints which run through an entire stable as measles go through a nursery. Deducting all this, it was a question whether at the present price any profit would be

Holloway?" asked the salesman,

," cried Hol

x," said S

aid Holloway. "I don't buy at that price

was still looking critically at the horses. The

" said he. "Mr. Jack Fl

ol, at thirty-six pound

d a high, thi

of the second stranger in the coffee-room. A sudden personal interest added itself to the scene. He felt that he was on the verge of something-something dimly seen- which he could himself turn to account. The two men with strange names, the telegram

sir?" asked

Man

dre

cune of

, sir. Forty pounds a h

sgow. Any adva

," said St

ve," said

llenhaus now to advance by ones, while his rival spr

six," s

" cried

uld possibly average at a retail price was as

lam," whispered the an

olour of their money be

t is usual in such cases to put down a small deposit as a guarantee of bona fides. You will understan

sked Strellen

e say fiv

te for a thou

another," s

a treat to see such a spirited competition. The last bid was fifty p

e buyers, it would, perhaps, be a convenience to you if he was to add the string of Mr. Tom Flynn, which consists of se

, s

Mr. Stre

ld pref

man. "Then I understand, Mr. Mancune, that your offer of

s,

owd. Seven thousand pounds at one

ce, Mr. St

ty-o

ty-f

ty-s

ix

f him. The salesman tried hard to look as if such bidding and such prices were nothing unusual. Jack

upon his round face, like a little automatic figure which bid by clockwork. His rival was o

five,"

ty-s

ven

d run down. No answe

llen

ty bid

aus shrugged

her, and I have reach

mit me to send f

ir, that the sa

he turned towards his rival, and their glances crossed like s

and his white, waxed moustach

the wires, for, after dim guesses and vague conjecture, he had suddenly caught a clear view of this coming event which had cast so curious a shadow before it in this little

hat a fortune lay either way, for every rumour set the funds fluctuating; but without special information it was impossible to act, and no one dared to plunge heavily upon the strength of newspaper surmise and the gossip of the street. Warner knew that an hour's work might resuscitate the fallen fortunes of himself and his partner, and yet he could not afford to make a mist

German and French. Sell, se

to the house, and, dealing upon that curious system by which a man can sell what he has not got, and what he could not pay for if he had it, he disposed of heavy parcels of French and German securities. He had caught the market in one of its little spasms of hope, and there was no lack of buying until his own persistent sel

dds's information. What could he p

gathered round it in an instant One of them waved his hat in the air; another shouted to a friend

LARES WAR O

rner. "Old Dodds wa

G OF TH

y rider in the field had been pounded. As the port circulated the runs became longer and more apocryphal, until we had the whips inquiring their way and failing to understand the dialect of the people who answered them. The foxes, too, became mere eccentric, and we had foxes up pollard willows, foxes which were dragged by the tail out of horses' mangers, and foxes which had raced t

passed to old Lathom, and then to me. It may possibly have been just after Lathom took them over, but my strong

is father died he came into a very good thing, for his only brother was drowned when the Magna Charta foundered, so he inherited the whole estate. It was but a few hundred acres, but it was good arable land, and those were the great days of farming. Besi

that time, and Danbury got drawn in among them; and, being an amiable fellow who liked to do what his friends were doing, he very soon took to drinking a great deal more than was good for him. As a rule, a man who takes his exercise may drink as much as he likes in the evening, and do himself no very grea

ard as a nail, it was seldom that there was anything amiss with him; but at last the drink began to tell, and he woke one morning with his hands shaking and all his nerves tingling like over-stretched fiddle-strings. He had been dining at some very wet house the night before, and the win

e occasion by taking his case very seriously, and lecturing him upon the danger of his ways. He shook his head and talked about

ing to get anything of

say that you are out of danger. Your system is very much out of order. At any

shall be saf

ning, I think you may consider yourself safe," the doctor answered. A little f

may I expect?'

kes the form of o

cks floatin

rung, and he did not wish to overdo it. 'I daresay that you will have no symptoms of the kind,

ee anything

d for me;' and so, with a promise

legs. At last he could stand it no longer, and an overpowering longing for the fresh air and the green grass came over him. Why should he stay indoors when the Ascombe Hunt was meeting within half a mile of him? If he was going to have these delusions which the doctor talked of, he would not have them the sooner nor the worse because he was on horseback in the open. He was sure, too, it would ease his aching head. And so it came about that i

gh to make it cling. There was a field of forty, all keen men and good riders, so when they came to the Black Hanger they knew that there would be some sport, for that's a cover which never draws blank. The woods were thicker in those days than now

cted, and there he waited. He had a feeling that the faster and the farther he galloped the better he should be, and so he was chafing to be off. His mare, too, was in the height of fettle and one of the fastest goers in the county. Wat was a splendid lightweight rider-under ten stone with his saddle-and the mare was a powerful creature, all quarters and shoulders, fit to carry a lifeguardsman; and so it was no w

stream across one of the drives and disappear upon the other side, and an instant later the three red coats of the hunt servants flashed after them upon the same line. He might have made a shorter cut down one of the other dr

l the wood began to thin at the edges, and they found themselves in the long bottom where the river runs. It is clear going there upon grassland, and the hounds were running very strong about two hundred yards ahead, kee

finish, for there was no check and no pulling, and it was clear cross-country racing from start to finish. If you had drawn a line right across the map with a pencil you couldn't go straighter than that fox ran, heading for the South Downs and the sea, and the hounds ran as surely as if

the whips dropped back, however, as some of the hounds were tailing off, and that brought them down to five. Then Foley's thoroughbred strained herself, as these slim-legged, dainty-fetlocked thoroughbreds will do when the going is rough, and he had to take a back seat. But the other four were still going stro

r the up or the down is the more trying for the horses. This sort of switchback work is all right for a cobby, short-backed, short-legged little horse, but it is killing work for a big, long-striding hunter such as one wants in the Midlands. Anyhow, it was too much for Pars

me, and the place was pitted with rabbit-holes; but the hounds were still streaming along, and the riders could not afford to pick their steps. As they race

rash and a thud at his elbow, and looking round he saw a pair of white cords and top-boots kicking out of a tussock of brambles. The whip's horse had stumbled, and the whip was out

orseman upon his back, and he was going as well as when he started. As to Wat Danbury, he was going better. With every stride his own feelings improved, and the mind of the rider had its influence upon the mind of the horse. The stout little roan was ga

this accursed wire came into the country, and you could generally break a hedge where you could not fly it, so they did not trouble the gates more than they could help. Then they were down in a hard lane, where they had to slacken their pace, and through a farm

woods, into which the hounds were streaming, running now in a long, straggling line, and shedding one here and one there as they ran. You could see the white-and-tan dots here

f itself, for the ground is hard enough to give him clean going and yet springy enough to help him. Wat Danbury got alongside

all to oursel

d old Joe Clarke. 'If we get this fox it's worth while 'a

un I ever had in my

t we've never 'ad a look at the beast. 'E must leave an amazin' scent be'ind 'im when these 'ounds can fo

nd he added, 'at least, I shall,' for the huntsman's horse was gasping as i

s horse clumping along heavily behind him, while his own mare was going with less spring than when she had started. She answered to a touch of his crop or spur, however, and he felt that there was something still left to draw upon. And then he looked up, and there was a heavy wooden stile at the end o

splinters, the horse on its belly, and the huntsman on hands and knees half a dozen yards in front of him. Wat pulled up for an instant, for the fall was a smasher; but he saw old Joe spring to his feet and get to his horse's bridle. The horse staggered up, but the moment it put one foot in front of the other, Wat saw that it was hopelessly lame-a slipped shoulder and a s

for she was stepping out rarely and tossing her head as she went. They were two miles over the green shoulder of a hill, a rattle down a stony, deep-rutted country lane, where the mare s

oping hard over the short, springy turf when he came over the lip of one of these depressions, and there was the dark clump of wood lying in front of and beneath him. There were only a dozen hounds still running, and they were just disappearing among the trees. The sunlight was shining straight upon the long olive-green slopes which curved down towards this wood, and Danbury, who had the eyes of a hawk, swept them over this great expanse; but there was n

this run- its length and its straightness, and the fact that from the first find no one had ever caught a glimpse of the creature. Some silly talk which had been going round the country about the king of the foxes-a sort of demon fox, so fast that it could outrun any pack, and so fierce that they could do nothing with it if they overtook it-suddenly came back into his mind, and it did not seem so laughable now in the dim fir-wood as it had done when the story had been told

ep the brush and pads from being destroyed. Of course, Wat Danbury knew all about that, and he tried to force his mare through the trees to the place where all this hideous screaming and howling came fro

s as these. They were not the cries of triumph, but of fear. Every now and then came a shrill yelp of mortal agony. Holding his breath, he ran on until he br

running out into the clearing, and at the sight of him the hounds took heart again, and one of them sprang with a growl into the bushes. At the same instant, a creature the size of a donkey jumped on to its feet, a huge grey head, with monstrous glistening fa

of savage red eyes fixed upon him, and fairly took to his heels. It might only be a passing delusion, or it might be the permane

nly stopped when he found himself at a country station. There he left his mare at the inn, and made back for home as quickly as steam would take him. It was even

e creatures, optical delusions, and everything. All I ask you now is to save

ar case,' said he. 'This must

f I only come safely t

nb

is case is to know where fact ends and fancy begins. You see, it is not as if there was only one delusion. T

l as clearly

that what you see is even clearer than reality. I was w

oots still lying upon the floor, neck

attack upon yourself. Well, whatever the cause, our treatment is clear. You will take the soothing mixture which I

of gear and so difficult to mend. And so he repeated and repeated his oath that this first lesson should be his last, and that from that time forward he would be a sober, hard-working y

d lad and I the greatest numskull in the county. Listen to this!' And he sat down

and mangled, had been found in Winton Fir Wood upon the South Downs. The run had been so severe that half the pack were la

ing up, 'that I was wrong when I put

cause?'

se from an item which has been inser

an enormous dog worrying one of his sheep. He shot the creature, which proves to be a grey Siberian wolf

e had cured him of all wish to run such a risk again; and he never touches anything stronger than l

E CORRES

rds the Ambigole Cataract, fitting a little frill of foam round each of the boulders which studded its surface. Above, out of a naked blue sky, the sun was beating down upon the sand, and up aga

his forehead, "you'd pay five sh

d a water-bottle and a whole Christmas-treeful of things dangling from you. The hot-house at Kew is excellent as a conservat

intermittent line appeared to have been cut through the rugged spurs which ran down to the river. It was the bed of the old railway, long destroyed

ees or nothin

y hour until we catch the force up. What would

need to be told that no sane modern genera

Anerley. "I thought we were looked

t-Book,'" cried Scott. "We know all about that, Anerley;" and he winked behind his blue spectacles. "If there was going to be a battle we should

t the enemy may be le

tim

trong enough to

rmish,

upon the rear. In that case w

ore over Reuter's man

and have our tiffi

ennies upon camels were twenty miles behind. And among them they represented the eyes and ears of the public-the great

of them already veterans in camps, the other setting out upon h

Chandler, now no longer in a condition to take the field. They were a singular contrast, Mortimer and Scott, and it was in their differences that the secret of their close friendship lay. Each dovetailed into the other. The strength of each was in the other's weakness. Together they formed a perfect unit. Mortimer was Saxon-slow, conscientious, and deliberate; Scott was Celtic-quick, happy-go-lucky, and brilliant. Mortimer was the more solid, Scott the more attractive. Mortimer was the deeper thinker, Scott the brighter talker. By a curious coincidence, though each had seen

panion to help his paper. Never did a jockey yearn for a winning mount as keenly as each of them longed to have a full column in a morning edition whilst every other daily was blank. They were perfe

ad induced the proprietors of the Gazette to give him a trial as a war-special. There was a pleasing diffidence about his bearing which recommended him to his experienced companions, and if they had a smile sometimes at his guileless ways, it was soothing to them to have a comrade from whom nothing was to be feared. From the day that they left the telegraph-wire behind them at Sarras,

pointing pegs which bristle from the trunk. "As a shade tree, however, it isn't an unqualified success. Curious that i

banyan i

Ashantee, where a whole regimen

has all come loose in the saddle-bag! That long-cut mixture smo

here in fi

e the first rising of the moon, at the weary camel-drag of two and a half miles an hour, but now they brightened, both beasts and men, at the sight of the grove and the riderless horses. In a few minutes the loads were unstrapped, the animals tethered, a fire lighted, fresh water carried up from the river, and each camel-boy provided with his own little heap of tibbin laid in the centre of the

ata of tinned soups, bully beef, potted chicken, and sardines to reach the jams which lay beneath. The conscientious Mortimer, with his notebook upon his knee, was jotting down what

ere's Mer

her at that hand-gallop for hours, by th

s though he would ride past their camp without word or halt. Now he swe

e croaked. "My tongue is stu

e whisky-flask, and Anerley with the tin pannikin

aid he, striking the dro

y n

way construction. I

l not having

report?" Out came

after I've se

dervi

ves. Hud-up, J

a clatter among the stones the weary p

uppose?" said Mortime

and done to a turn! Pull the box up, Anerley. Come on, Mortimer, stow that notebook! T

r what we have just see

rdid money considerations are not for us. We must wire abou

is there

our profession to give each other tips," said he. "However, as my telegram is written, I've no objection t

p the slip of

confer general stop nature difficu

sed," said Anerley,

language would crack the lamp-shades. I'd cut out half this; for example, I'd have out 'journey,

ow

e that stylo." He scribbled for a minute in his n

aged in superintending the construction of the line from Sarras to the front, ha

her is, and what he is about, so the word

r to facilitate the work. Further particulars of the exact nature of the difficulties met with will be made public at a later date. All is quiet upon the

e teeth gleamed suddenly through his black beard. "Th

interes

t it; and they like to think that there is a man who is ge

of you to teac

must take it out in jam. Of course, as Mortimer says, such a telegram as this is of no importance one way or another, except to prov

quite n

f cours

e their news, they would do better than if they were each to ac

and-jam in their hands, and an expressi

es. "We are here to do our best for our papers. How can they score over each other if we

ay the whole glory of

smartest man gets his s

e to be smart if we all

lancing across at the shot-silk polo ponies and the cheap little Syrian grey. "That is the

if he had not played always off his own bat. You've heard how he pretended to break his leg, sen

to say that w

timate. It's your w

all it dish

ler's paper got the battle and the ot

d Mortimer, cramming th

e the dishes! Westlake

Government courier, a

Westlake's paper so

e also?" asked Ane

y n

little like horse-

ling and lying if I could have a column to mys

hort of man

ure that I'd t

if you are going to handicap yourself with scruple you may just as well be in Fleet Street as in the Soudan. Our life is irregular. Our work has never been systematised. No doubt it will be some day, but the time is not yet. Do what you can and how you can, and be first on the wires

You are aware, of course, that though a horse beats a c

ied Anerley in astonishment. Th

he kind of beast the dervishes ride w

he way, and it wants neither halt nor drink, and it takes rough ground much better than a

are not very likely to have to carry a thirty-mile m

ut at the pr

efore the house. Load baggles at five o'clock; so you have

rn horizon with his binoc

care of your match, Anerley. These palm groves go up like a powder magazine if you set them alight. Bye-bye." The two

he heads of the profession, these men, and it was not for him, the newcomer, to reform their methods. If they served their papers in this fashion, then he m

it. A messenger from the army, thought Anerley; and then, as he watched, the sun suddenly struck the man on the side of the head, and his chin flamed into gold. There could not be two horsemen with beards of such a colour. It was Merryweather, the engineer, and he was returning. What on earth was he returning for? He had been so keen to see the general, and yet he was coming back with his mission unaccomplished. Was it that his pony was hopelessly foundered? It seemed to be moving well. Anerley picked up Mortimer's binoculars, and a foam-bespattered horse and a weary koorbash-cracking man came cantering up the centre of the

ed. "I believe Merryweather

ans, exultantly clutching at their noteboo

nerley explained

eard n

thi

ery easily among rocks. By G

deep blue heaven. As Scott spoke they circ

leaves of his book. "'Merryweather headed dervishes stop retu

he was he

should h

t of him and others cut him off, there

uld ju

t the 'mu

t against A

are you

rra

race you in,

ir camp, and their servants were all in the lion's mouth. But even as they talked there came the harsh, importunate rat-tat-tat of an irregular volley from among the rocks, and the

and his stern face, soon had the servants in hand. "Tali henna! Egri! What the deuce are you frightened about? Put the camels between the palm trunks. That's right. Now get the knee-tethers on them. Quies! Did you never hear bul

ott, as they heard a soft, splashi

hit,

e the creature, its jaw still working, laid its long

" said Mortimer, ruefully. "H

, I t

at any rate; there m

little raiding-party o

ver been under fir

an, who was conscious of a cur

s over those cartridges. This is a very mild baptism that you are undergoing, for behind t

ance! Think of the general's feelings when he hears that the first action of the war has been fought by the Press column. Think of Reuter, who h

f the donk

ll end in our having t

rto

the headlines-'Raid on Communications'; 'Murder of Britis

e next line will

added, gathering himself up again; "only a chip off my knee. This is getting sultry. I

some dia

're having a 'appy day

he woul

coming

to stimulate his digestion. O Lord, there's our kettle gone!" With a boom like a dinner-gong a Remington bullet h

ey'll rush us now, as sure as fate; then it will

uble-barrelled

in the world at this sort of rough

n-sh

d pistol loaded with slugs. You might as well try to stop one

d south of the first cataract. It's easy to make a bullet mushroom by a lit

r, adjusting his glasses. "

ng up his watch, "being exactl

but never once had they caught a glimpse of the attackers. To him there was something weird and awesome in these unseen, persistent men who, minute by minute, were drawing closer to t

and Anerley thought his nerve might be be

ehind their zareba as best they might on the chance that the sound might bring up help. But, luckily for them, the African has never taken kindly to the rifle, and his primitive instinct to close with his enemy is always too strong for his sense of strategy. They were drawing in, there

ire?" aske

. Your shot would scat

ured brown Arab, with a black, pointed beard, was peeping from behind another boulder. He wore the green t

piebald crowd

he real fighting Bagga

danger

vicious. There'

don't mind who it's for; but if the idiots had only sense enough to understand, they would know that the Arab is their hereditary e

't you

en he comes a little nearer. Now

he school sports when he held the tape for the hurdle-race. It was magnificent, the wild spirit and abandon of it, the flutter of the chequered galabeeahs, the gleam of steel, the wave of black arms, the frenzied faces, the quick pitter-patter of the rushing feet. The law-abiding

w! Take the Arab!

he face grew larger and fiercer with every stride. Again and again he tugged. A revolver-shot rang out at his e

ss, shoot!" s

. There were two more pistol-shots, and the b

te camel and came down with his bare feet upon Anerley's chest. In a dream he seemed to be struggling frantically with someone up

" It was Mortimer's voice, and he became dimly conscious of a

we are in time for the morning editions."

don't hear from you. If Reuter or the evening pennies come up, don't give the thin

first of the war, and the great public at home were all athirst for news. They would have it in the Courier; they would have it in the Intelligence, and not a word in the Gazette. The thought brought him to his feet, though he had to throw his arm round the stem of the palm tree to steady his swimming head. There was a big black man

im your gun," said a v

eaking bod

n to cock his gun; and yet he knew that it was not fear but interest which had so absorbed him

he two other

ay. One got

happened

atch bad man by arms, and Scott eff

t, perhaps, was a more serious matter. Was it enough to prevent him getting to the telegraph-office at Sarras? The only way was to try and see. But there was only that poor little Syrian grey of his. There it stood in the evening sunshine, with a sunk head and a bent knee, as if its morning's work was still heavy upon it. What hope was there of being able to do thirty-five miles of heavy going upon that? It would be a strain upon the splendid ponies of his companions-and

nt to save themselves? The brass gleam from a litter of empty Remington cases caught his eye, and showed where the enemy had been crouching. And then he could have shouted for joy, for there, in the hollow, some little dista

hich nearly snapped his loins, he was thrown forward again. But the camel was on its legs now, and the young pressman was safely seated upon one of the fliers of the desert. It was as gentle as it was swift, and it stood oscillating its long neck and gazing round with its large brown eyes, whilst Anerley coiled his legs round the peg and grasped the curved camel-stick which Abbas had handed up to him. There

upon a tea-tray. He gripped the two sides with his hands to hold himself steady. The creature had got into its long, swinging, stealthy trot, its sponge-like feet making no sound upon the hard sand. Anerley leaned back with his two hands gripping hard behind him, and he whooped the creature on. The sun had already sunk behind the line of black volcanic peaks, which look like huge slag-heaps at the mouth of a mine. The western sky had taken that lovely light green and

o one. Then the messages took a good two hours to go through, for they had to be transcribed at Cairo. At the best he could only hope to have told his story in Fleet Street at two or three in the morning. It was possible that he might manage it, but the chances seemed enormously against him. About three the morning edition would be made up, and his chance gone for ever. The one thing clear was that onl

ckwards, forwards he swung, with a tingling jar at the end of each sway, until he ached from his neck to his knees. It caught him across the shoulders, it caught him down the spine, it gripped him over the loins, it marked the lower line of his ribs with one heavy, dull throb. He clutched here and there with his hand to try and ease the strain upon his muscles. He drew up his knees, altered his seat, and set his teeth with a grim

muned with the moist-faced military clerk. A French Premier had demanded a pledge, and an English marquis had passed on the request to the General in command, with a question as to how it would affect the situation. Cipher telegrams had nearly driven the clerk out of his wits, for of all crazy occupations the taking of a cipher message, when you are without the key to the cipher, is the worst. Much high diplomacy had been going on al

n a voice which appeared to be

at the expense of khaki-clad men. He contented himself, therefore, with the bald statement that it was after two. But no retort that he c

his face was crimson, and he stood with his legs crooked as if the pith had all gone out

t take to get a

two h

I could not get it

re th

ou

thr

said tw

e than an hour's diff

y, and staggering to a packing-case, he b

es of their editors. And so, too, it happened that when two weary men, upon two foundered horses, arrived about four in the morning at the Sarras post-office, they l

ew Ca

Kennedy, "I do wish that

rlooking the Corso. The night was cold, and they had both pulled up their chairs to the

the rich young English archaeologist, there was only old Rome to be seen. Cracked and time-worn friezes hung upon the walls, grey old busts of senators and soldiers with their fighting heads and their hard, cruel faces peered out from the

nch of research, and was, moreover, provided with that long purse which either proves to be a fatal handicap to the student's energies, or, if his mind is still true to its purpose, gives him an enormous advantage in the race for fame. Kennedy had often been seduced by whim and pleasure from his studies, but his

e, and above them rose a square, massive forehead, with a fringe of close yellow curls lying round it. His strong, firm jaw was clean-shaven, and his companion had frequently remarked how much it suggested those old Roman busts which peered out from the shadows in the

d both been far more arduous. Twelve years before he had come as a poor student to Rome, and had lived e

an Universities. But the singleness of purpose which had brought him to the same high level as the rich and brilliant Englishman, had caused him in everything outside their work to stand infinitely below him. He had never found a pause in his studies in which to cultivate the social graces. It w

who had knowledge and enthusiasm enough to properly appreciate the other. Their common interests and pursuits had brought them together, and each had been attracted by the other's knowledge. And then gradually something had been added to this. Kennedy had been amus

bachelor circles of students and artists in which he preferred to move there is no very rigid code of honour in such matters, and though a head might be shaken or a pai

hard at the placid face of his companion,

nd in the direction of a ru

r of objects, inscribed tiles, broken inscriptions, cracked mosaics, torn papyri, rusty metal ornaments, which to the uninitiated migh

ssing links of social development which are of such interest to the student. It was the G

t," he continued, while Burger very deliberately lit a cigar. "It is evidently a discove

here are so many that a dozen savants might spend a lifetime over t

forehead wrinkled and his fingers p

he at last. "Your words can only apply to o

ady come to that conclusion from

remarks make it certain. There is no place except a catacomb

stery about that. I have

he

reserved for the burial of the highest Christians, so that the remains and the relics are quite different from anything which has ever been seen before. If I was not aware of your knowledge and of your energy, my friend

e to a wealthy and dissipated young man. He had ambition, but his ambition was secondary to his mere abstract joy and interest in ever

have your express permission. I quite understand your feeling, and I think it is most natural, but you have really nothing whatever to fear from me. On the other hand, if you don't tell

thoughtfully o

"that when I want information over any poin

you? You remember, for example, my giving you the mat

me intimate thing, would you give me an answer, I wonder! This new catacomb is a very

mean that you will answer my question about the catacomb if I answer any qu

ettee, and puffing a blue tree of cigar-smoke into the air,

chair and glared angrily

t sort of a question is this? You may mean i

ld and women and social life and that sort of thing, and such an incident has the fascination of the unknown for me. I know you, and I knew her by

tell yo

e to give up my secret of the new catacomb. You wouldn't, and I didn't expect you to. But why should yo

s to wish to know about an old love affair which has burned out months ago. You know

n, he must be so. But in this case, as you must be aware, it was a public matter which was the common talk of Rome, so that you are n

keen upon this catacomb business, and I can't let it drop quite so easily. Would yo

his basket on his arm. "No doubt you are quite right not to answer, and n

nnot be helped. "Hold on, old fellow," said he. "I think you are behaving in a most ridiculous fashion, but still, if this is your condition, I suppose that I must submit to it. I

r?" said he. "Thank you very much! I never smoke when I work, but I enjoy a chat much more when I am under the influence o

ome with her

lly-in E

es

of Englan

Twick

e world. No doubt it is quite a simple thing to persuade a young lady to go off with you for t

cken

it. For example, if you had loved this girl your love could hardly disappear in three weeks, so I presume that you could not h

s a big word, and it represents a good many different shades of feeling. I liked her, and- well, you say you've seen her-y

Kennedy, why

e thing had a great

re so fond o

e, but there's no chase like that of a pretty woman. There was the piquant difficulty of it also, for, as she was the companion of Lady Emily Rood it was almost im

ott! To

tioned n

ows that. So that made the adv

ly give a spice to it

am very ignorant

rom your neighbour's tree was always sweeter than that which

-at o

nderstood that my judicial separation from my wife made it impossible for me to do the right

bout the o

fittest," said he. "If he had been the better man she would not hav

How did you get rid o

y to me, and I was already pining to be back at my work-so there was one obvious cause of separation. Then, again, her old father turned up at the hotel in London, and there was a scene, and

f looking at things, which is entirely different from mine, for I have seen so little of life. And now you want to know about my new catacomb

uld be s

d you like

tter. I am all imp

hour. We must be very careful to keep the matter to ourselves. If anyone saw

autious," said Ken

e mi

o far t

could walk t

ions would be aroused if he dropped us both a

the Gate of the Appian Way at midnight. I must go back

and I promise you that I will write nothing about it until you have published

s as Burger, wrapped in an Italian overcoat, with a lantern hanging from his h

as well as in love!" s

waiting here for n

no clue as to whe

to the bone! Come on, Burger, let us war

alixtus, and saw against a rising moon the great circular bastion of Cecilia Metella in front of them. Then Burger stopped with his hand to his side. "Your legs are longer than mine, and you are more accustomed to walking," said he, laughing. "I think that the place where we turn off is somewhere here. Yes, this is it, round the corner of the trattoria. Now, it is a very narrow path, so perhaps I had better go in front, and you can follow."

b is not inside a ho

ust the safeguard which we have a

roprietor k

his house was built on the entrance to such a place. So I rented it from hi

overcoat round it. "It might excite remark if anyone saw a light in this lonely place," said he. "Just help me to move this boarding." The flooring was loose in the corner, and plank

rfect rabbits'-warren below, and if you were once to lose your way there, the chances wou

our own way if it

when I am going far into the catacomb. You can see for yourself that it is difficult, but every one of these passages divides and subdivides a dozen times before you go a hundred yards." They had descended some twenty feet from the level of the byre, and t

t marks of his own, for he neither stopped nor hesitated. Everywhere along the walls, packed like the berths upon an emigrant ship, lay the Christians of old Rome. The yellow light flickered over the shrivelled features of the mummies, and gleamed upon rounded skulls and long, white arm-bones crossed over fleshless chests. And everywhere as he passed Kennedy looked with wistful eyes upon inscriptions, funeral v

and a box of matches in

ave you an

d better gi

ht. There is no chan

ms to me that we have walked

ying it out as he advanced. Kennedy saw that it was no unnecessary precaution, for the passages had become more complexed and tortuous than ever, with a perfect network of intersecting corridors. But these all ended in one large circular hall with a square pedestal of tufa topped with a sla

alls, for they are the early popes and bishops of the Church, with their mitres, their croziers, and full canonicals. Go over to t

experience goes, it is unique. Bring the lantern over, Burger, for I want to see them all." But the German

No doubt it was one of the means of protection which the Christians adopted. The odds are two thousand to one again

should

ible hand was squeezed tightly over each of Kennedy's eyes. Never had he known what such darkness was. It seemed to press upon him and to smother him. It was a soli

lar room the sound seemed to come from every side a

the candle!" said K

in the least tell by the sound in which dir

to be on eve

hich I hold in my hand I should n

a light, man, and have a

inding of your way out of this catacomb. The obstacle will be the darkness and the two thousand wrong turns which make the way a little difficult to find. But you need not hu

He was running about in little circles and cl

le thing which you appeared not to know, and I can supply it. Miss Saunderson was engaged to a poor, ungainly devil of a student, and his name was Julius Burger." There was a rustle somewhere-the v

ds the following paragra

ean P

Burger. Some months ago Mr. Kennedy, the well-known English student, disappeared suddenly from his rooms in the "Corso", and it was conjectured that his association with a recent scandal had driven him to leave Rome. It appears now that he had in reality fallen a victim to that fervid love of archaeology which had raised him to a distinguished place among living scholars. His body was discovered in the heart of the new catacomb, and it was evident from the condition of his feet and boots that he had tramped for days through the tortuous corridors

OF BIMBA

violet mists which draped them lay a land of blood and horror. From time to time some adventurer went south towards those haze-girt mountains, tempted by stories of gum and ivory, but none ever returned. Once a mutilated Egyptian and once a Greek woman, mad with thirst and fear, made their way to the lines. They were the only exports of that country of darkness. Sometimes the sunset would turn those distant mists into a bank of crimson, and the dark mountains would rise from that sinister reek like islands in a sea of blood. It seemed a grim symbol in the southern heaven when seen from the fort-capped hills by Wady Halfa. Ten years of lust in Khartoum, ten years of silent work in Cairo, and then all was read

eral; he had heard stories of his sternness to young officers, but with tact and suavity he hoped for the best. So, leaving his effects at "Shepherd's Hotel," he reported himself at headquarters. It was not the general, but the head of the Intelligence Department who received him, the chief being still absent upon that business which had called him. Hilary Joyce found himself in the presence of a

I suppose, sir, that I should

. "You see this place. It's the Oasis of Kurkur-a little quiet, I am afraid, but excellent air. You are to get out th

section of two black lines without another dot upon t

n. It's an important post, as being at the junction of two caravan routes. All rou

I presume, to p

conditions of this country to know that there is a great deal of disaffection about, and that the Khalifa is likely to try and keep in touch with his adherents. Then, again, Senoussi lives up that way"-he waved his ciga

earning

li something or other, who speaks English, and can interpret for you. Well, good-bye-I'll

ad ridden into the little camp, the guard had turned out to salute him, his native subordinate had greeted him in excellent English, and he had fairly entered into his own. It was not an exhilarating place for a lengthy residence. There was one large, bowl-shaped, grassy depression sloping down to the three pits of brown and brackish water. There was the grove of palm trees also, beautiful to look upon, but exasperating in view of the fact that Nature has provided her least shady trees on the very spot where shade is needed most. A single wide-spread acacia did something to

nturies had beaten it smooth, so that now, unused and deserted, it still wound away, the strangest of roads, a foot broad, and perhaps two thousand miles in length. Joyce wondered as he rode how long it was since any traveller had journeyed up it from the south, and then he raised his eyes, and there was a man coming along the path. For an instant Joyce

wenty horsemen at his back, he rode out again to reconnoitre. The man was still coming on in spite of these hostile preparations. For an instant he hesitated when first he saw the cavalry, but escape was out of the question, and he advanced with the air of one who makes the best of a bad job. He made no resistance, and said nothing when the hands of two troopers clutched at his shoulders

f who never forgot what was smart, or forgave what was slack. The prisoner's dress and bearing showed that he was of importance. Mean men do not ride pure-bred trotting camels. Joyce sponged his head with cold water, drank a cup of strong coffee, put on an imposing official tarboosh instead of his sun-helmet, and formed himself into a court

did so, but the stranger made no reply, save that the same sharp spasm passed once more over his face. "Well, I'm blessed!" cried Hilary Joyce. "Of all the impudent scoundrels! He keeps on winking at me. Who are you, you rascal? Give an account of yourself! D'ye hear?"

we've got to get some s

e are no pap

we found n

e of an

g camel does not die easily. He

must get h

e that he is d

w a man look more a

nd him across

the credit? No, thank

ing to get him to

the cook's fire. "Perhaps," said he, "if the Bimbashi though

do. No, by Jove, th

ittle mig

ul if ever it got as far as Fleet Street. But, I say," he whi

, s

hot." The prisoner watched the proceedings with an air which had more of amusement than of uneasin

imbashi, savagely. The prisoner s

low. He knows we won't do it. But I can and I will flog him, and you can tell him from me that if he hasn't found

s,

the prospect of the punishment which he must inflict next day. He had hopes that the mere sight of the koorbash and the thongs might prevail over his prisoner's obstinacy. And then, again, he thought how shocking it would be if the man proved to be really dumb after all. The possibility shook hi

ed, "the pris

on

s well. There is a slit cut in the tent, an

of the matter and forwarded it to Assouan. Five days later there came a curt order from the chief that he should report himself there. He feared the worst from the stern soldier, who spared others as little as he spared himself. And his worst forebodings wer

neral, "that you have allowed a very impor

sorry,

matters. Did you ascertain anyth

, s

was t

nothing out

you

I did wha

did yo

reatened to use

did he

id not

was he

her a desperate chara

hich we could

Grey eyes. And a nervous w

every English officer in this force is a picked man. I have the whole British army from which to draw. It is necessary, therefore, that I should insist upon the very

s,

uties again." Hilary Joyce's heart was too heavy for words. He was silent. "I will let

you beauty, and a good nig

used them? The general was standing erect. Both he and the Chief of the Intelligence were

ord!" h

u gave me a bad ten minutes with that infernal red-hot horseshoe of yours. I've done a

sir;

ittle private business with the Kabbabish. It must be done in person. I did it, and came to yo

I begin to

time I used my false beard and Arab dress? You put me in a very awkward position. But a

ahomet

nothing. I had a sco

aptain Joyce. We live p

tle better than yo

N OFFICE

nine in the evening, and going when he could find no one to talk with. It took some self-restraint to listen to the old diplomatist, for his stories were beyond all belief, and yet he was quick at detecting the shadow of a smile or the slightest little raising of the eyebrows. Th

cond bottle had been uncorked) of the Emperor's escape from St. Helena-how he lived for a whole year in Philadelphia, while Count Herbert de Bertrand, who was his living image, personated him at Longwood. But of all his stories ther

ould never get over. Then when old Kleber died and Menou came to the top, I felt that it was time for me to go. It is not for me to speak of my own capacities, monsieur, but you will readily understand that the man does not care to be ridden by the mule. I carried my Koran and my papers to London, where Monsieur Otto had been sent by the First Consul to arrange a treaty of peace; for both nations were very weary of the war, which had alread

as a terrible man that Pitt, and wherever half a dozen enemies of France were plotting together, there was his sharp-pointed nose right in the middle of them. The nation, however, had been tho

e finally signed. Now, you must know that the one great card which we held, and which we played, played, played at every point of the game, was that we had Egypt. The English were very nervous about our being there. It gave us a foot at each end of the Mediterranean, you see. And they were not sure that that wonderful little Napoleon of ours might not make it the base of an advance against India. So whenever Lord Hawkesbury proposed to retain anything, we had only to reply, 'In that case, of course, we cannot consent to evacuate Egypt,' and in this way we quickly brought him to reason. It was by the help of Egypt that we gained terms which were remarkably favourable, and especially that we ca

that he could not sit still, but ran about the room chattering and laughing, while I sat on a cushion in the corner, as I had learned to do in the East. Suddenly, in came a messenger with a letter which had been forwarded from Paris. Monsieur Otto cast his eye upon it, and then, wit

me to hurry as never man hurried before, and to put this letter in

tears. It was but a few words, but they told us that Egypt had been evacuated by our troops a month before. All our treaty was undone then, and the one consideration which had induced our enemies to give us good terms had vanish

emotions which you conceal, that we are therefore of a weak and womanly nature. You cannot read your histo

,' said he. 'This Englishman will

y head-'How do we know that the English will have news of th

from the sofa and flun

e straight to London. Theirs will come by sea through the Straits of Gibraltar. At this moment it is unlikely that anyone i

easier to go out and meet danger than to wait for it. I set forth, therefore, towards evening. I wandered here, and wandered there. I was in the fencing-rooms of Monsieur Angelo, and in the salon-de-boxe of Monsieur Jackson, and in the club of Brooks, and in the lobby of the Chamber of Deputies, but nowhere did I hear any news. Still, it was possib

en. Monsieur Otto went in alone; but presently, on excuse of getting his portfolio,

whispered. 'Ah, if the n

n when it is se

what r

r shall interrupt you. I give yo

my hand in

to the table in the window,' said he, and hurried into

hould be the messenger! What could I do? I was prepared to kill him-yes, even to kill him-rather than at this last moment allow our work to be undone. Thousands die to make a glorious war. Why should not one die to make a glorious peace? What

y. I ordered our carriage to move on, and I engaged what you call a hackney coach. Then

r guinea if you do what

ning his slow eyes upon me without

own Harley Street, and take no orders from anyone but me. When I get out

master,' sa

ofs or the rumble of wheels. It is not a cheering place, monsieur, that street of Harley, even upon a sunny day. The houses are solid and very respectable over yonder, but there is nothing of the feminine about them. It is a city to be inhabited by males. But on that raw night, amid the damp and the fog, with the anxiety gnawing at my heart, it seemed the saddest, weariest spot in the whole wide world. I paced up and down slapping my hands to keep them warm, and still str

e Cafe de Provence, cannot conceive the heights to which I rise. At that moment, when I knew that the fruits of a

g him upon the arm, 'ar

Hawke

,' sa

our,' said I. 'You are to follow me at

e such a thrill of joy that I could hardly keep from shouting aloud. He was a poor little creature, this Foreign Office messenger, not muc

question was what I should do with him. I d

' said he. 'I have a despatch

et now, in accordance with my instructi

e cried. 'W

then? '

back. Where is

see him p

s some trickery in this. Coachman,

. He made his teeth meet through the side of it. I seized his own cravat and bound it over his lips. He still mumbled and gurgled,

e gloom. He was partly stunned, I think, by the force with which I had hurled him into his seat. And also

ch and my purse if you

as honourable a man

re you,

is of no i

you want

is a

that I am on the Government service, and tha

et. That is the

re you finish,' he cried. 'What i

cite a chapter of the Koran to the first g

slation was always running in my head. He clutched at the

ill it take?

on the chapte

e, then, and

pter, I do not mean the shortest chapter, but

ealed, and I was compelled

o recite the chapter which would be of most interest to yourself. You wi

his mouth

en, quick!'

of the Camel

s, y

f the Fleet

es. Only

I knew it by heart then, as I know it by heart now. The style is a little exasperating for anyone who is in a hurry. But, then, what would you have? The people in the East ar

him in the evening, he said, I have loved the love of earthly good above the remembrance of things on high, and have spent the

to catch him by the hands. Pac, pac, he came upon my nose and upon my eye. I put down my head and thrust at him with it. Pac, he came from below. But ah! I was too much for him. I hurled myself up

t me. When I had done all this, and had stopped the bleeding of my own nose, I looked out of the coach and ah, monsieur, the very first thing which caught my eyes was that candle-that dear little candle-glimmering in the window of the minister. Alo

or myself, I sprang into our Embassy's carriage, and a moment later the door of the minister opened. He had himself escorted Monsieur Otto downstairs, and now so deep was

importance for Milord

ry caught the paper from his hand, and read it by the light of the carriage

e signed this treaty upon a false u

Monsieur Otto

It fell to Abercr

ur Otto, 'it is very fortuna

,' cried Milord Hawkesbury, a

not run across salt water, and Alphonse Lacour was receiving the congratulations of Mon