The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-18

W ~
WHEN SUDDENLY THE SPADE OF
ONE OF THE SPAHIS STRUCK
SOMETHING HARD.
ment later, with a whispered "Allah
iselemeck!" she sped away, with her
unbound hair flying behind her, and was
instantly lost in the darkness.
On realizing that she was gone was
seized with regret, but feeling that at
least had saved her from horrible
doom, returned to my little shed, and,
wrapping myself in my burnouse, slept
soundly until the sun had risen high in
the heavens.
Opening my eyes, I at once remem-
bered Khadidja's quaint souvenir, and
on examining it was astonished to find
both diverse and reverse of the rough
ly fashioned disc covered with an in
scription in English crudely engraved
or rather scratched apparently with
the point of a knife. Investigating 1t
closely, l was enabled, after some diff
curly, to read the following surprising
words:
This record I leave for the person in
to whose hands it may fall. for 1 am
starving. Whosoever reads this let
him hasten to Zemnou, in the Zelas
desert, two days from the well Of Ell
Ameima,, and from the Babel-Qued
pace twenty steps westward outside the
city wall, and under the second bastlon
let him dig. There will he be rewarded
John Edward Chatteris, held captive in
the Kasbah of Borku by order of the
sultan Othman. Sunday, June l3,
1S43"
Chatteris! Instantly it occurred to me
that celebrated English explorer,
Archaeological and Fellow of the Royal
Geographical society of that name. had
years ago been lost and his fate had re-
mained a complete mystery. This, then.
was a message inscribed with apparent
difficulty within the impregnabe cit
adel OF the warrior sultan of Borku,
whose little mountain kingdom was sit
uate five hundred miles south of Mour-
Zouk, between the Tibesti mountains
and Lake Tsad, a secret that for half q
century had been in the keeping of
Arabs who could not decipher it,
| What might not be buried at the spot
indicated by this curious relic of the
great traveller? My curiosity was ex-
cited to the utmost Impatient to in
vestigate the truth, but compelled, new
ertheless. to remain silent until such
time as ] could escape from my unde-
sirable companions. concealed the disc
in my ganduora and rose to join Abdul
Melik at his morning meal.
Khadidja's escape caused the old out
law intense chagrin. and his anger
knew no bounds. but luckily no sus-
picion fell upon me. and, having re-
manned with them during two whole
moons, l succeeded one day, when we
were near the town of Rhat. in evading
them and getting away. AS quickly as
possible. returned to In Salah. where
] exhibited the metal disc with It's
strange inscription to Capt Chandioux
who became at once interested in 1t, an
nouncing his intention to accompany
me next day to investigate the truth of
the engraved record.
| With an escort of twenty Spahis, all
well monted and armed. we rode out
Of In Salah at dawn. and for nine days
continued our journey across the desert
due eastward, first taking in the caravan
route to Tarz Quill, beyond the French
boundary. and continuing through the
rocky region of the 1behaouen and
across the Djedid Oasis, until one even
ing. at the maghrib hour. the high
white walls and three tall minarts of
the desert city of Zemnou came within
view. 1t was unsafe to take the Spahis
nearer, therefore we returned and
bivouacked until darkness set in
Then. dressed in the haick and burnouse
Of the Arab of the plain. Chandioux
with myself and three Saphis, carrying
| spades concealed beneath our floOwing
drapery, approached the town and crept
under the shadow of the walls until we
reached the Bab-el-Oued, or principal
gate. Guarded by strong watch towers
on either side. the gate was closed and
silently we crept,anxious and breath
less, on over the sand westward. until
we had counted twenty PAGES and
reached the second bastion.
| Then, after glancing eagerly around
to reassure ourselves that we were not
observed, We all five commenced to dig
beneath the wall. Discovery. we knew
would mean death. Th sand was loose
but full of stones, and for some time we
worked without result. Indeed, 1 be.
gan to fear that some one had already
been able to decipher the record and
obeyed its injunctions. when suddenly
the spade of one Of the Spahis struck
something hard. and he uttered ar
ejaculation. With one accord we
worked with will, and within ten min.
utes were unearthing an object of ex.