, 1904-06-01

Al Wv hNAS~ - SAiidn, uOlu Vnur
tongue!' came a reply in low tones
at is l."
"By that voice | should say if was
Hafz Effendi," said Hassan hopefullv
for he knew that if Hafz Effendi bod
business that necessitated a diseuiso
it would pay well.
81 am Hafiz," said the old slave trad.
er as he walked Upon the deck. "Ara
we alone?"
Sufficiently alone to talk. The men
are asleep"
LET us sit down and talk. | have
come with an offer that no man who
Is not a fool will refuse. Hassan. has,
thou a wife?"
"Thou knowest well | have two"
Are they well cared for?"
81 am poor and should have but one.
1 was once better supplied with
wealth."
"As l thought, my friend. Allah be
praised that you have SO good a friend
as l to think of you at a time when
your purse could again be filled. How
would you like to earn a thousand gold.
pieces of 25 piasters each by taking a
certain person down the Kur to the
Caspianr"
"By the prophets beard! A thou.
sand pieces of gold! Hast thor come
to make me rich?"
at is that If what | ask Is done. A
thousand pieces of 25 piasters in gold"
"In the name of Allah, what cargo
hast thou found?"
"A oman one who will be Il prin-
cess. Harken. Hassan. In Tinis there
is a certain young woman beautiful as
a goddess. Like n marble statue is she.
Pure white is her skin and like velvet.
One caress from her lips would turn
you from the Koran. She is desired in
holy marriage by a certain prince"
and she desires that | convey her to
his palace|"
may; she desires nothing. She does
not even know"
"Why Ices not the prince ask her to
accompany him to his palace?"
For two reasons, Hassan. One Is
that the prince is not here and would
not set his foot upon the dominions of
the hated M%uscovite. The other is that
were he to do so the father Of this
young woman would spurn him, fof
the Muscovite does not regard his ia
Their as q king"
''Thou speakest either of the khan OF
Khiya or his enemy, the ameer OF
ut is of Bokhara l speak,"
THAT is sufficient. No good Mus
covite would consent to that"
but this young woman is not a Mus
covite. She is q Georgian"
"Hola! That is different! A Geor
gian would sell his wife,"
This man will not. L have in thu
past tried to obtain from him the con
sent to the marriage of his daughte,
with a wealthy Osmanli. He will not
consent"
HE hates us?"
Perhaps. 1t is not that alone, but
she loves a Muscovite, the hated Ors-
koff. that captain of the Muscovites
who has watched us and prevented
our trade. She loves him. 1 saw them
together this very day"
SIS he rich?"
81 know not. l did not come to talk
of him. But let us get to our business.
Did you not sell to Ignatz Biartelk1s a
certain portion of your cargo?'
allah! Mohammed! Is 1t the daugh-
ter Of Biartelkis of whom you speakT
1.-THE same. The prince of Bokhara
desires her for his wife, and of my W
knowledge she is promised to be the
wife of Captain Orskoff. But we can
secure the girl for the prince, n a
thousand pieces of gold will fall mys-
teriously into your pocket"
"Oh, thou great and willy dealer IN
fair women, tell me how l can obtain
this rich rewardr
rs it not possible that somewhere
in this vessel are goods that have been
overlooked and that Biartelkis would
buy?"
"Ycu mean-that I am to say thai
such is the case?"
Exactly. You know that his daugh'
ter always accompanies him to pur'
chase goods"
Il know. Well, what then?'
go to the bazaar. The bands are
still playing. There Is still life in the
fair. for it is not yet midnight. Tel
Biartelkis that you have discovered
some of the finest linen hidden in the
bottom of the vessel and that you mus
start from here before morning, as al
important business demands you al
Astrakhan."
by the beard! l know not wha1
plan you have, but a thousand pieces
of gold are not picked up in a year