The San Francisco call., 1904-04-17

plish its own deathly end without the
fact of the destruction Of the body be-
ing known?
1 could not believe the Tuen agents
would trust blindly to this ridiculous
old wifes fable. 1 remembered the
Kings face, grave and stern; he was
still fearing Tuen; and what could he
fear but an interruption of the funeral
procession? They certainly knew that
no Queens body was in Keinning; they
knew the pageant was a stupendous
hoax. Yet did not believe they would
interrupt the funeral procession-since
1t would be heavily guarded-but 1 felt
sure that by some terrible means the
crowd would be led to believe it was all
a sham and demand a sight of the
Queens body. And Dulcine would bet
ter be thrown to Siberian wolves than
be exposed to such a multitude mad
dened by the knowledge of this unholy
deception.
My wild ideas galloped on through
host of fears and sickening doubts,
even as my fine charger broke on
through the great tides of white-robed
humanity that blocked his way. If 1
could have confided the terrible dan
ger to another, l might have borne my
anxieties more easily, but / could not.
If could have reached one single clear
conclusion concerning the next move
of Tuen's people, 1 might have pre-
pared to thwart them; but could not.
1t all resolved itself now to fight for
Dulcine's life with an enemy whose
power and tactics could not be guessed.
And the Kings fears now increased
my own an hundredfoldi
When l galloped up to the plaza be-
fore the legation, / heard the steady
tramp of my columns, FASTENED by
Kim from the barracks. I knew my
control over them. While the ammu-.
milton dealt to others might be blank
cartridges. my men carried heavier
shells. The men knew it and respected
themselves and me the more. And we
were to surround the bier on the march
to the tomb.
We are apt to so to- extremes in times
OF trying suspense. AS l rode forward
I. at the head of these hundreds of we'll
armed men who respected me, 1 tried
to laugh at my fears.
We drew UP in a hollow square on
the plaza before the Kings wing. With
in. the antechamber and the throne
room were seething masses of ser
wants, royal eunuchs, military officers,
palace officials and aides-all hurrying
to and fro silently. but, to the eye, in
utter confusion. Far up the room, be-
fore the throne, stood the elaborate
catafalque banked with lotus leaves
and chrysanthemums. Upon 1T lay the
magnificent sarcophagus glittering and
resplendent in the swinging lights.
Around it moved three stalwart eu-
nuchs in gorgeous apparel. To it my
eyes ran, and on it they rested long.
1t seemed as If 1 had not begun to
realize Dulcine's situation before. AS
I looked over the heads of the con-
course of people upon her glittering cell
I groaned in anguish. For twelve
hours she had lain as one dead, without
a crumb of food or drop of water to
moisten the parched lips. But the
physical strain was nothing, perhaps,
to the mental. With eyes bound over
with faxen bands she could not know
whether she was plain in view or COM
pletely screened from the gaze of the
people.
Was a woman ever so placed? A
sneeze or cough might cost her
fathers and a lovers life too. And yet
1 could have trusted no one else there
as. l could the dauntless, stern Dull
cine. While the perspiration streamed
from my face 1 sank on a chair. my
head in my shaking hands, and prayed
God to guide and guard.
A roll of drums brought me to my
foo+ rrha Ktrc woc ooroipCf Ty,1n1Il-
sively 1 began to press forward to be
as near Dulcine as possible until my
troops could surround her. OF the cere-
mony now begun / knew absolutely
nothing more than Dufcine herself had
told me-that the King was to close
the lid of the sarcophagus. l Won
dered anxiously If the girl was right.
Would his Majesty attempt to identify
the remains? This doubted since they
were embalmed.s No, that fear was
groundless. But fear of Tuen hung
over me like the sword of Damocles. L
felt it might fall any moment at the
raising of finger.
My very audacity IN approaching
near the sarcophagus was the best Gre
Dental / could have had, and Dejneff's
uniform now stood me in good stead.
and 1 advanced unchallenged until 1
could survey the golden, flower
strewn casket.
1t seemed strange that I had only
given 1t a passing notice before. But
how different 1t seemed, now that
knew what a precious charge it con-
tained. 1t was a very long, deep case,
beautifully ornamented with gold and
mother OIL pearl inlaid. It measured,
as ran my eye over 1t, perhaps nine
feet in length by four in depth, and
was three feet wide; the great orna-
mented cover which the King was to
draw on was hollow, and was at least
two feet in height. Dulcine could even
stand up In her golden prison-house.
The cover locked itself automatically
when once shot into place-this much
l had ascertained when Kim placed
Dulcine in 1t that morning-and it
could only be opened from within. Thus
when the King drew the cover on, he
locked the Queens remains in their
eternal cell. making them proof against
all but violence. This was the signifi-
canoe Of the present ceremony and di-