Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-07
CHAPTER X-Continued.


mounted and often paused to make sure
of the deepest inches. 1t must be con-
fessed that no thought OF other danger
entered into his calculations. His mill
tary training should have made him more
wary. but what had either experience or
text book to do with this quest Of jewel.
hidden for safety in a Moorish tomb so
many years ago?
And he was armed. too. quite sufficient
ly to account for any prowlng thieves
who might be tempted to attack a
stranger. A service revolver reposed in
one pocket and the chisel in another-but
there did not seem to be the remotest
probability of human interference: he had
not seen a living thing save the birds
since he breasted the hill.
When his hands rested on the broken
stonework of the window he was natur-
ally elated. Soon his eyes drew level
with 1t. and he could peer into the In
terror 1t was all one great apartment
not lofty, though an arched roof gave an
impression of height A staircase led to
the upper stories, but it was broken
Desolation reigned supreme. Some star
tied pigeons flew out with loud clutter of
wings at the sight of him. Then he
raised himself steadily up and leaped in
side. while the walls echoed the noise Of
his spring with the hollow sound of sheer
emptiness
There was plenty Of light but after a
first hasty glance he gave no further
spying out the land in an enemy's coun-
try he would have looked at the Uttered
floor to find traces OF any recent visitor
Most certainly he would not have begun
operations in Garcia's hiding place with
out first visiting the upper rooms. But
he was too eager and excited to be pru-
dent. Evelyn seemed to be very near
him at that moment He remembered
how her impetuous attempt to throw the
calabash into the Solent had led to the
discovery of Garcia's amazing manuscript,
and there was the spice of true romance
in the fact that now, little more than
two months later, he should actually be
standing in 1.-The tomb of the infidel buried
outside the WALL of Rabat. His fingers
an intense curiosity. He felt that the
finding Of the ruby would lend credence
to an otherwise unbelievable story. 1t
connected Oku and the wild Benue of
two and a half centuries ago with Cowes
and the Solent in regatta week. 1t made
real the personality of long-forgotten
tyrant, who perchance lived again today
in one of those three negroes he had seen
In F'iguero's company. No wonder. then.
that Warden was impatient. Ten sec
onds after he had reached the interior of
the building he was bent over the deep
crack between the center stones of the
window described by Garcia.
There could be no doubling now which
window the scribe meant. 1t stood next
to that by which Warden had entered.
and, sure enough. just in that place the
stones were more than ordinarily wide
apart The word crack was amblgu-
Gus. 1t might be applied more accurately
to break in one particular stone, but
Warden was no adept in the Portuguese
tongue. and the dictionary-maker might
be translating "interstice," or "crevice,'
or division" when he wrote crack Al
any rate, the center stones were sound
but the mortar between them was partly
eaten away. and Warden saw at once
that In order to make good his search one
of the stones must be prised out bodily
A crowbar would have ended the job In
leverage. but, in the absence of crow
bar. he set to work with the chisel.
The mortar became flintlike when the
deodorizing influence of the weather
ceased to make itself felt Nevertheless,
the amateur housebreaker labored man
fully. Half an hours persistent chipping
and twisting of the tool was rewarded by
a sullen loosening of the stone.
Then he lifted it out of it's bed, and
there nesting between it and its fellow.
hidden beneath a layer of dust and feath-
ers. lay ring!
Now Domenico Garcia spoke of
ruby" not Of a ring. but it needed no
skilled eye to detect the cause of that
seeming discrepancy: The ring was a
crude affair, made of gold, 1t is true, but
fashioned with rough strength merely to
provide a safe means Of carrying the
great, dark stone held in its claws. Garcia
did not waste words. To him the ring
was naught, SO why mention 1T?
The gold was discolored. of course, and
the ruby did not reveal it's red splendOr
until Warden had cleansed it with his
handkerchief and breathed on it repeated
ly to soften the dirt deposited on Its
bright facets by thousands of transforms
Then 1t was born again before his eyes.
With a thrill of pity rather than sratifi-
cation he gazed on it's new and glowing
life Friend, l am many marches from
Rabat, but few from DEATH" said the
man who placed it there, thinking that
perchance he might escape" Now his
very bones were as the dust which mad
shrouded 1t during all those years. yet
the wondrous fire in Its heart shone forth
as though 1t had left the lapidary's bench
when he realized that no matter how his
wooing Jared such a huge gem could
never shine on Evelyn Danes slim finger
1t was large enough to form the center
piece of some stately necklace or tiara
He knew little about the value or pre-
cious stones, but this ruby was the size of
a large marble He had once seen a
diamond that weighed twenty-four carats,
and the ruby was much the larger or the
two. He fancied he had read somewhere
that a hawless ruby was of considerably
higher intrinsic worth than a diamond of
the same dimensions. The diamond he
had in mind was priced at three thousand
pounds If. then. this ruby were fiawless.
it's appearance in England would create
something of sensation.
And Garcia's story was true-that was
the most astounding part of the business.
The magnificent jewel winked and blinked
In the sunlight 1t might almost be alive.
and telling him in plain language that
the gods do not lead men into strange
paths without just cause.
Suddenly he caught a blood-red flash
that reminded him of. the uncanny CLEAN
In the eyes of the face on the gourd. The
thought was disquieting, but he laughed.
II am becoming mere bundle or
nerves." he said, aloud. 1.-The sooner l
get soaked with quinine the filter l shall
be- 1t must be the malaria in my system
that makes me see things. Really, the
proper thing to do now is to give tina.
beastly mask to the head ju-ju man at
Oku. Then it will be off my hands, and
he will own the boss fetish of the whole
west coast"
He was about to pocket the ring. when
the question of it's subsequent disposal
occurred to him. 1t was such remark
able object that any one who saw II could
not fail to question him as to its history.
Under existing circumstances. lie did not
court inquiry In that shape. and the queer
notion came that in all likelihood Its
prior owner carried 1T slung round his
neck
"Yes. by Jove and the cord strangled
him" murmured Warden Nevertheless.
not being in the least superstltious. ne
41 hot 40 n IL