The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-02
!, TIL LAST CONFESSION.
Published by Special Arrangement
BY HALL GAME.


SU6rIlAUlOu. IcdN6 ISH UOulR0GY' he
said. Impossible, my Sultan, impos.
sible! My lord has not heard the orderp''
what order?" l asked. 1 was
alarmed. Must be prisoner in Moroc-
co while my child lay dying in England
That the gates be closed and no Chris.
tian allowed to leave the city until morn
ing. 1t is the order of the kaleefa, nv
ouIfan, since the outrage of the Christian
IN the mosque this morning"
suspected the meaning ofsthis move
IN an instant, and the guides answers to
my questions ratified my fears. One
man, out of madness or thirst for re-
vehge, mad led the attack upon the Amer
lean. and crowd of fanatics had killed
him-g1ving him no chance of retreat
WIN MS life, either by circumcision or
the profession of Islam. But cooler heads
had already found time to think of the
penalty OF shedding Christian blood. That
penalty was twofold: first, the penalty
OF disgrace which would como of the idea
that the lives of Christians were not safe
in Morocco, and next, the penalty of hard
dollars to be paid to the American Minis
ter at Tangier. To escape from the
double danger the outrage was to be
selves to this artifice. True, that the
passage of the American across country
had been known in every village through
which he had passed; hut at the gates of
Fee he had himself cut off all trace of
his identity. He had entered the CITY
alone or in disguise. His arrival as q
stranger had not been notified at any of
the clubs or bazaars. Only one man
had recognized him. That man was Lar
by, his guide.
The body was to be buried secretly, no
christian being allowed to see it. Then
the report was to be given out that the
dead man had been a Moorish subiect.
that ne had been killed in blood feud
ana that the rumour that he was a Chris
tan caught in the act of def1ling the
mosque was an error without the shadow
OF truth IN 1T. But until all this had
Deen done no Christian should be allowed
to pass through the gates. AS things
stood at present the first impulse of a
european would be to fly to the Consul
with the dangerous news.
knew something of the Moors and
their country by this time, and I left
Fee that night, but it cost me fifty pounds
TO get out OF 1t: There was bride for the
kaid, bride for the kaleefa, and brides
for every ragged Jack of the underlings,
down to the porter at the gate.
With ali my horror and the fever of
my anxiety | could have laughed in the
face of the first of these funotionaries.
Between his greedy desire for the pres
emit i was offering him, his suspicion
that l knew something Of the identity of
the Christian who had been killed. his
misgivings as to the reasons Of my sud
den Hight, and his dread that l would
discover the circumstances Of the Ameri-
can death, the figure he cut was fool
ish one. But why should reproach the
mans duplicity? l was practising the
Ii ke of 1t myself. Too well l knew that if
betrayed any knowledge of what had
happened it would be impossible that /
should be allowed to leave Fee. So pre-
tended to know nothing. 1t was ridic
ulous interview
On my way back from it 1 crossed a
little company of Moors leading, sur
rounding and following donkey. The
donkey was heavily laden with what ap-
peared to be two great panniers of rub
bish. 1t was dusk, but my sight has al
ways been keen, and 1 could NOT helm
seeing that hidden under the rubbish
there was another burden on the donkey 3
back. 1t was the body of dead man.
had little of doubt of who the dead man
must be; but hastened on and did not
look again. The Moors turned into a
garden as passed them. 1 guessed what
they were about to do there, but my own
danger threatened me, and l wished to
see and know no more.
AS was passing out of the town in
the moonlight an hour before midnight,
with my grumbling tentmen and mule
teers at my heels man stepped out of
the shadow of the gateway arch and
leered in my face and said In broken
English, $50 your Christian friend is
corrected by Allah!''
1t WAS the scoundre1 whom l had seen
In the coffee-house. l knew he must be
Larby, and that he had betrayed his mas
ter at last Alas, 1 knew that he was
aware that / had seen all. At that mo.
ment, looking down from my horses
back into the mans evil face my whole
nature changed. I remembered the one
opportunity which the American had lost
out of wandering impulse of human
tenderness-of saving his own life by
taking the life of him that threatened it:
and said In my heart of hearts, ''Now
God in heaven keep me from the like
temptation"
All, Father, do not shrink from me ;:
think Of 1t, only think of it, was fifteen
hundred miles from home and was 90
ing back to my dying boy.
Ito be continued.)