The Eye of Zeitoon

on, thou whose

sings Eliza

entle smiths

est verse, what

id the lines

hour no bard h

asterly disdain

n the truths

d not slave o

what no othe

minded on the

ade and chaff f

erseas slang-

the new voca

s, and watched Monty ride away in the midst of Kagig's motley command, he not turning to wave back to us bec

led him for a title in giving his other eye-the one he kept on us-too little credit. It was a good-looking crowd of irregulars that he reviewed, and every bearded, goat-skin clad veteran in it had a word to say to him, and he an answer-sometimes a sermon by

idges each for rifle, and six each for pistol must be all. You

g her gray stallion for another look at Will, he left us no alternative than to take to the mountains swiftly unless we cared to starve. W

from their friends. But there was fear, too, expressed in their manner of riding close together, and in the

the lurch I'm going to waste exactly one cartri

them if they turned up wi

ven hard enough. But from first to last those men of Zeitoon never showed a symptom of treachery

red sought to improve their temper by singing the songs that had hitherto acted like charms on

e?), and with a gesture that made the blood run cold he

ed to keep in front of us that within half an hour from the start our horses were sweating freely. Then we be

a line of ants under the brow of a gravel bank. But they were too far away to discern which of the moving specks might be Monty, a

ttered up with roots and bushes, that led not straight, but persistently toward an up-towering crag like an eye-tooth.

s were drooping lazily toward their perches for the night when we drew near the edge of the forest at last, and were suddenly brought to a halt by a challenge from

in shadow while an invisible somebody, whose rifle scraped rathe

n Armenian, and one of our three men

tch-dark, we heard the breaking of twigs, and low voices as three or four men descended together among the trees. Then we were examined again from close qu

familiar attitudes, and asked again who we might be. And, weary of explanations t

are Ame

s no less than five men flung themselves out of Cimmerian gloom and seized us in welcoming arms. I was lift

us help!" he panted in my ear. His breath

the embrace of an enthusiastic host, and somewhere out of sight Will was

y! Bring the horses, oh

ard us-there have

our unaccustomed eyes were simply slightly denser blot

en taken for an Englishman because of partnership with us that he had almost ceased to mind; but he spared himself no

nks for all you've got. If you can make blind men be

nd me, shepherded like us by hard-breathing, unseen men. But he was much too

hese parts 'll know without being told what neck o' the

Will. "We don't talk t

ssiona

in Hocuspocus County, Wis.! I can sing The Star-Spangled Banner with my head under water, and eat a chain of frankforts two link

and rocks left purposely for the confusion of an enemy. At first it filled Will with despair that set me laughing at him. Then Will threw serio

dreadfuls, convince more firmly than any written proof the products of the mission schools, whose one ambition was to be American themselves

remarked an Ar

emlocks!" s

s the genuine article; Will, perhaps a rather doubtful quantity with his conservative grammar and quiet speech, was accepted for our sakes. They took an arm on either side of us to help us up the hill, and in proof of heart-to-heart esteem shouted "Oopsidaisy!" when we

e cracked glass had been reenforced with patches of brown paper. He was armed to the teeth-literally. He had a long knife in his mouth, a pistol in his left h

ause I was nearest, and thrust his Mauser repeater under my

" remar

bering my new part, "It'll have to be

n the wall of what looked like the dungeon of an ancient castle, and followed him presently up the narrow stone steps leading to a trap-door in the floor above. The trap-door

up and they made way for us, closing in each time to scan the next-comer's face; and when we were all up they laid the planks again, and piled heavy stones in place. Then an old man lighted another lantern, using

horses?" demanded Fred,

twenty men surrounding us, but no woman. Two trade-blankets sewn together with string hanging over an openin

demanded again, a

us smirked and made apologe

e attended t

y the ace of brute force, if

ee Zeitoonli s

events you, return and tell me." Then he turned to our hosts. "Some natives of Somaliland once ate

hey were standing all about us, and perfectly able to murder us i

heir twenty!" I whisp

ed matters wit

hem to show them where

ly one man was least of all, for they all began a

no meat at all," said the

look hungry,"

es are on their backs and have been there for a week past. All sorts of clothes they wore-odds a

ve no meat, and soon we shal

need horse-meat, gosh durn

ned three or four men

r life, a desire to be extremely friendly, and a new suspicio

anderman?" he de

ody could get behind him. He did not produce his pistol, but there was that in his eye that sugges

?" asked three Ar

try to cover a secret b

emselves between Fred and the opening where the blan

m. But it was not his pistol that he drew. He carries his concertina slung to him by a strap

ady named Miss Vanderma

we do not

and then in Turkish, bu

y Country, 'Tis of Thee or Suwannee River or Poor Blind Joe. You know Poor Bli

th it yet from where the Arctic night shuts down on Behring Sea to the Solomon Islands and beyond-a song that achieved popularity by lacking national significance, and won a war by imparting reckles

the blanket hanging; and a minute later a woman broke through-an unmistakable Armenian, still good-looking but a little past the prime of life, and very obviously mentally distressed. She scarcely took notice of us, but poured forth a

trouble. We heard another woman's voice, behind two or three sets of curtains by the soun

ne again, whoever yo

under

nced Will, diag

d!" Fred shouted, and clanged

falling on her shoulders and her dress all disarrayed but looking simply serene in contrast to the women who tried to restrain her. They tried once or twice to thrust her back through the curtain, althoug

asked, and Will l

iss Vanderman?' sugge

t. She stare

derman. Who ar

e loveliness as well as health and strength. Will was our only ladies' man (for Fred is no more than random troubadour, decamping before any love-af

red, with rather the air of a man who lets a tr

ame is Oakes-Fre

he looked from one

Fred's intention was at least as much to continue their contentment as to extract humor from the situat

eeping her prisoner, yet without hurt. She looked down at them pathetically

find you bewildering. Can you contrive

our young

e none of us drew pistol yet. We had no r

this room one minute from now, or who comes back to the room with

elled to learn Turkish for all official purposes, and unconsciously they gave obedience to the hated conquerors' tongue, repressing the desire to arg

ing that lady alone wi

e dames f

the stone stairs, leaving us alone-although by the trembling blankets it was easy to tell that the women had not gone far. The last man who went below handed the spluttering torch to Miss Vanderman, as if she might need it to defend herself, and she stood there

ne in place. "First, what kind of Americans can you possibly be?

nd?" objected Fred. "Sit down on this

but as perfectly assured and fearless as only a well-bred woman can be in the presence of u

erkes, Miss

O

Vanderman at

e spoke

akes he

them, yes, I know! Why

with the spots unchangeable!" said

e both

see, b

They're death on all other sorts of non-Armenians now they've taken to the

course. But ho

us first why you're here,

angerous, but I know how short-handed they are at Marash, and I wouldn't listen. Besides, they picked the best men they could find to bring me on the

"Any young woman in your p

ifle. "Women and men are equa

that! I get you, Miss Vander

we reached a sort of crossroads-if you can call those goat-tracks roads without stretching truth too far-and there three men came galloping toward us on blown horses from t

y would have done

ehind them like men afraid of ghosts, that the Turks in Marash-which by all accounts is

ked them. 'The Tur

rmenian much too fast for me to understand a word of it. Then they pointed to som

asked them. And they answered that it was because

d hurry there and help. If the mission staff was overworked before that they would be simpl

hey say?" we de

talked together for five minutes, and then without consulting me they seized my brid

y hold you

than that is the determination to keep me safe and be able to produce me afterward in proof of their bona fides. They've got me here as witness, for another thing. And then, I've started a sort of hospital in thi

n-twenty-one-two-not more tha

d sex in England." she retorted, an

aid Will.

d the-ah-music, the women tried to prevent me. They knew A

essing good!"

lamed a man who had desired her in that lawless land and sought to carry her off. The

me. There are babies-daily-almost hourly-here in these le

e you been he

till I've been here a

We've a friend of our own in a tight pla

need to b

ere you'll be safe until the trouble's over

own man? Tell

a pr

all

te. White all through to the wish-bone. Whi

ned you for an ingrate!" Fred ann

an nodded. "

lace called Zeitoo

on the Turks. Kagig-the Armenians, that's to say-let us go to rescu

t your frien

What do yo

go with you to T

ride herd on the c

ll

particular young hell. Then bac

one to Tarsus exc

hesit

. Do you think I'd consent to your leaving your fine friend in pawn while you dance attendance on me? T