Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-05
CHAPTER XVIu-Continued.

The way was difficult and Amber tired
After while. having seen nothing but
the jackals. an owl or two. several thou
sand bats and crawling thing which
had lurched along in the shadow of a
wall some distance away, giving an adj
mirable imitation OF a badly wounded
man pulling himself over the ground, and
making strange cultural noises-AmbeI
concluded to wait for the guide Narain
had promised him. He turned aside and
seated himself upon the edge of a broken
sandstone tomb. The silence was appal-
ling and for relief he took refuge in cheap
trreverence. Home" he observed aloud
never was like this"
A heartrending sigh from the tomb
behind him was followed by rattle OF
dislodged rubbish. Amber found himself
unexpectedly in the middle of the street
and. without stopping to debate the
method of his getting there with such I'm.
precedented rapidity. looked back hope
fully to the tomb. At the same momen,
black-shrouded figure swept out Of II
and moved a few PAGES down the street
then paused and beckoned him with q
gaunt arm.
L WISH" said Amber earnestly. II had
that gun
The figure was apparently that of a
native swathed in black from his head
to his heels, and seemed the more strik-
ingly peculiar In view of the fact that
as far as Amber could determine. he had
neither eyes nor features. although his
head was without any sort of covering
He gulped over the proposition for an in
slant. then stepped forward.
Evidently my appointed cicerone." he
considered. "Unquestionabl this ghost
dance is excellentiy stage-manaked.
Though. of course, i had to pick out that
particular tomb.
He followed in the wake of the figure,
which sped on with singular motion,
something between a walk and a glide,
conscious that his equaniInity had been
restored rather than shaken by the Incl
dent you wouldn't think he reflected
that a man like Salig Singh would lend
himself to anything 30 childish. Still.
I'm not through with 1t yet" He con-
ceived a scheme to steal up behind his
but though he mended his pace he got no
nearer. and eventually abandoned 1t on
the consideration that it was probably
most inadvisable. After all, he had to re-
member that he was there for a purpose,
and a very serious one. and that properly
to further that purpose he must comport
himself with dignity submissively accept
ing. at least with d show of ease, each
new development OF the AFFAIR along its
prearranged lines. And so he held on in
pursuit of the black shadow. passing for
saken temples and, lordly pleasure houses.
all marble tracery and fretwork. stand
Ing apart in what had once been noble
gardens, sunken tanks all weed grown
and rank with slime, humber dooryards
and cots. on whose hearthstOnes the fires
for centuries had been cOld-his destina-
ton evidently the temple Of the unspeak-
able Eye.
AS they drew nearer the leading shadow
forsook the shade Of the walls which he
had seemed to favor. sweeping hastily
across q plaza white with moonglare and
without pause on into the black, gaping
hole beyond the marble arch.
Here for the first time Amber hung
back, stopping a score of feet from the
door, his nerves a-jangle He did not
falter in his purpose: he was going to en-
ter the inky portal, but would he