The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-08-13
MI i S G ell a n @ O III s,
SCIPIO'S DIVE.

"That's queer looking ring you have
on" said to my friend, Gerald Marston,
as we sat smoking in his little snuggery, a
few weeks after his marriage. "Looks old,
too"
II shouldn't be surprised if it did. Have
you noticed it 2" and he took it off and
handed it to me.
1t did look old; it was an amethyst,
heavily set in solid gold, with sphynx
trampling on man, and some Egyptian
symbols engraved on it. The stone was a
good deal scratched and worn, and the ring
bent little out of shape.
"What does it mem ?" I asked. "What
do the symbols stand for2 Do you
know ~
"The sahynx means the king, and the
man means his foe, on whom he is tramp.
ling after the manner of kings of his date.
The legend is, Good God, Lord of the
World"
"And how came you by it? Took it
from some mummied Pharaoh's fingers 2"
mot exactly. It's rather long story,
but if you're inclined 10 hear it, I'll call
Scipio, get the glasses filled, and tell you
it,"
He called Scipio, stout, intelligent
looking negro, who was the maior-domo
of the establishment, told him to get q
fresh bottle and then said to him:
II am going to tell my friend about this
ring. and how you saw Old Nick"
"Ycs, massa, thought see the dcbbil
himself that time anyhow, l did. That
very good story, massa, anyhow. Ifmassa'd
only let me stay, I'd freshen up his memory
a bit, perhaps"
joined in the request, and the black
sat down in the corner Of the room, grin
ming from car to ear.
"You know of course" began my friend,
show | went out to Egypt to make my
fortune, when I found there were more en-
gineers here than profitable work to en-
ploy them; and you know, also, that was
then engaged to your cousin Kate. Well,
| was pretty successful. In two months
got an appointment to superintend the
erection and working of some large irriga-
ton works. The owner was all old Turk
who had served the government, made
some money, and proposed to make more
by this scheme.
at took some little trouble to get the
machinery that came from England fitted
up SO as to enable us to commence opera
tions; and if it hadn't been for 'Scipio AT
rcanus' Gas we christened him) it would
have been as long again. The people out
there have no idea of work. They don't
do half as much in week rs aborer
does here in day. The proprietor left
everything to me, and left all the labor to
Scipio.'
Oats true, massa. You left it to dis
child, and dis child showed the black men
how to work. He made them fly round
he did so, massa !" And Scipio chuckled
in his corner.
"Scipio did persuading some and beat
ing Others, he used to get something like a
fair days work out of them. We had been
at it some two years, digging and trench
ing to get the water to our machinery,
when one day the old Turk came down to
see how we were getting on, and told me
he was going to have pleasurc-trip on the
sea-of course the Red Sea.
II asked him to let me go and so il
was arranged that, as we should be all
ready in another week, the people should
have couple of days holiday, and we
should go and recruit little. We ran down
by the rail to Suez, and then took boat
to take us down for trip. OF course you
never sailed on the Red Sea; but l can as.
sure you it's not the most unpleasant sen,
sation in the world to glide over its wa
tiers. Here and there the water is cleal
enough to see in that dazzling light the
bottom some six or eight fathoms deep
and dcliciously cool and inviting it looks
We sailed about Tor the two days, and or
the evening of the second returned to Suez
Here, as ill luck would have it, some mis-
management on the part of the boatmen al
we landed turned us all into the water
fortunately without danger or hurt more
than wetting.
1--WE were congratulating ourselves ant
cursing the boatmen, when the old Turl
exclaimed, with an expression of despair
"Allah is great; but have lost it,
Allah is greatw 3 .al.... ID b..
"Lost what2" said l.
my preserver, my fortune, my ring ant
chain"
az soon found out that the old man llaC
! lost heavy gold chain, and with it an