Evening star., 1909-04-11

given that the boast of the day before was no
empty one He asked them to bring their entire
outfit with them as he wished this to be their
wager on the contest. A sum of money
equal to its value. raised among the rich Arabs
of the town that morning, would be Ben
Mesrours wager.
At first the two scientists were afraid of
some plot to decoy them away to place where
they would be robbed, perhaps killed; but the
commandant of the garrison having offered to
GO with them accompanied by twenty troopers
they set forth with their van and reached the
oasis at noon
The oasis of Derber could hardly be called an
oasis anv longer. Since the coming of the
French and the boring of artesian wells, the
populace had abandoned the oasis with its in
termittent spring for locations where water
flowed the year round and the desert resumed
its sway where gardens had been. Two great
tents were pitched on the sand outside the circle
of the crumbling houses of the deserted village.
and everywhere We're the horses and camels
of Sheik Mehemet ESdras, to whose tribe Ben
Mesrour belonged.
1t was with a nien different from the one he
had Worn as he skunk from the marketpace the
day before that Ben Mesrour welcomed his
visitors My camel driver spoke the truth
when he made what seemed an empty boast
yesterday. You cause money to pass from one
box to another Behold. l will make Your great
van there with all its contents pass unseen from
the big tent of the men to the tent of the Sheiks
harem. If fail give you sum of money
equal to the worth of the van If l succeed, l
keep the van What say you?'
THE apparent confidence of the Arab caused
the scientists some misgivings; vet it
clearly impossible for him to do what he said he
could. To look into the harem tent was of
course not allowed; but they were invited to
inspect the great tent Of the men Within it
there nothing to be except the desert
sand on which it was pitched, several heaps
of arms and horse trapplngs, and an immense
rug in the center of ali. upon which dozen
tribesmen were lolling. pipes in mouth.
.! have it, whispered Dubois. 1t is i'm
possible for him to make good his boast We
can see that from an examination of the tent.
He thinks that his air of confidence will frighten
us that shall be afraid to accept his chal-
lenge and thus his reputation will be restored
and ours will suffer Accept his challenge by
all means, and then see him back out"
But Ben Mesrour did not back out. He gave
shlver of delight the scientists ordered the
to be hauled into the tent, and at once
handed the commandant several bags of silver
COINS.
The confidence of the Frenchmen began to
evaporate, and they anxiously took precautions
to catch and expose Ben Mesrour in the at
tempted trick. Ducardanoy took his position
on one side of the tent and Bouchardy on the
other, and presently the twenty troopers posted
themselves at intervals in a circle entirely SUR
rounding it. But look hard as they could, never
a thing could they see. and beyond slight
creaking not thing could they hear. Before
the closed entrance stood Ben Mesrour with
drawn sword in his hand. Ten minutes went
by. A whistle was heard from within the tent.
Ben Mesrour sprang into the air, waved his
sword and shouted in a voice of thunder:
presto, changel"
The side curtains of the tent shot up, and the
French looked within. There was the sand
floor, the heaps of arms and horse trappings,
the great rug with the tribesmen loling on it ;
but, as for the van, it had completely vanished
He is certainly the victor" said the COM
mandant. 1T is a square defeat; though
whether fair or not I'll not say. The money
seems to be his
"But we do not know whether the van is in
the harem or not" said Dubois. LET us go in
and see
'Allah akhbar.' yelled the Sheik Mehemet
Esdras. Enter my harem? l will kill the
first dog who tries. The van has gone from
where you put it. You do not see it. Is not
that enough?"
EARLY next morning Ben Mesrour passed
- through Makeef on his way to Morocco.
His train was now large one: for with him
rode many of the followers of the Sheik and at
the head of the procession was the great van
of Dubois and Laramie
Overcome by curiosity. the two scientists and
the commandant rode to Derber to endeavor to
solve the mystery of Ben Mesrour's magic
and there in the sand where the immense rug
had laid in the center of the tent yawned the
great mouth of an empty cistern, one used by
the former inhabitants of the oasis to store the
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