The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-06

Amazed, I held my breath and gazed
about me- Around the sides of the cavern
were ranged many other smaller female
figures. seated Ike the central one, the
face of each bearing a hideous repulsive
grin, as if in mockery of my msfortunes.
Before the great central colossus was a
small triangular stone altar, upon which
was some object. l crossed, and slancing
at It, found 10 my d.smay that 1t was
beautiful and very ancient Illuminated
manuscript of our holy Koran. But
through it had been thrust a pOignard,
now red with rust and 1t had been torn,
slashed and otherwise. defiled. Then it
dawncd upon me, The noisone place into
which 1 had plunged was the temple of
that ancient accursed sect who worship
ped Eblis as their god.
AS L gazed wonderingly about me 1 saw
everywhere evidence that for ages no foot
of man had entered that silent chamber.
The dest Of centuries lay smooth ana I'M
trodden.
Again passed beneath the ponderous
feet of the gigantic statue, when suddenly
my eyes were attracted by an inscription
in Kuhc, the ancient writings of the
marabouts traced In geometrical design
upon the hem of the idors garments.
My torch had burned DIM so lit another
and by its fickeUing rays succeeded in de
clphering the following words
''Lol am Azour, wife of Ebis, and the
Queen Of an the Things Beneath the
Earth To me oil bow. for l hold ats
riches in the hollow of my hand"
/ glanced mp quickly, and there far above
I distinguished that the IDOLS open palm
there lay some object which the tickle
flame of my torch could not reveal But,
consumed by curiosity, I a once resolved
to Chamber up and ascertain what riches
lay there. With extreme difficulty, and
holding my fambeau in my left hand. l
NJ Ia MIA r.r,,
formed by the knees OF the figure, and
then scrambled up the breast and along
the outstreched arm on mounting the
latter | was dismayed to discover that the
object for which I had toiled was neither
gold, silver, nor gems, but merely brown
and mouldy parchment scroll Standing
at last upon the open hand l bent and
picked It up. but next instant l recognized
that my find was of price .ess value. Ere
I had read three lines of the beautifully
formed but sadly-faded Arabic characters
l knew that this scroll was none other than
the long-sought manuscript of the Fatassi,
the mysterious phantom book.
Ages ago il had evidently fallen into the
hands Of the accursed worshippers of
Eblis. and they had placed Il there because
1t was a key to the enormous wealth OF
buried treasure.
With my find beneath my burnouse,
at once descended, eager to discover some
iiSdi4S VI 1SNdPe rum AiAdN NNAAA eAtAN
gloomy cavern peopled by It's hideous
ghosts of pagan past. In frantic haste
l sought means of exit from that temple
where so many rites, hideous and horri-
BILE. had been practiced, but not until
many hours had elapsed did 1 succeed in
finding a narrow burrow which, leading
as it did out into a barren ravine in the
desert had once no doubt been used as
entrance to the secret place of worship
of that now forgotten sect who believed
not in the One Merciful. but in Ebls and
Azour, his queen.
After wandering many days I succeeded
in rejoining my people at a spot four
marches from Gao. bearing hidden be-
meath my robe the priceless history of
my ancestors, with its minute instruc-
tons for the recovery of their hidden
treasure.
AT this moment the Fatassi, traced by
the hands of Koti, the marabout, and so
long coveted By the French, is in my pos
session though only to Two Of my tribes
men have l impaired the secret that
have recovered IL.
At one spot indicated 1 have already