Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-01-02


The serang stitfened, his eyes glist.
ening in the moonlight. "Sahib!' he
cried as If in duplication.
mo words, dog" cried O'Rourke
sternly. do as bid ye, or abide the
result OF disobedience!"
"The sahib," said the serang slow,
~, ''is full of eyes and wisdom. He
sees what no man would believe he
could see. l am content He bowed
his head with curious submissiveness,
stretching forth his palms as if in
token of surrender.
O'Rourke caught at his breath. He
had scarcely hoped for this; be had
merely called the serang aft as the
leader of the lascars. hoping to fright.
en- him into revealing whichever OF
his comrades had stolen the great
Tuby-if he knew.
eye have, then, the leather bag?" he
demanded. exultation in his voice.
AYE, sahib; or. if not that, I have
that which was therein"
1.-THE stone?"
AYE. sahib."
Then give it me-
81 am the sahibs slave" The Sc.
rang flashed a strange smile at the
revolver in O'Rourke's hand. His at.
titude puzzled ORourke; he would
hardly have believed this of the man;
rather be could have conceived Of him
as denying the theft to the last and
fighting like an unclaimed fiend to re.
tain his booty. His present pose was
out of character, or the Irishman mis-.
judged him.
Out Of character or no, it was com.
Portable. The serang, with head bent,
was fumGling in the folds of his sash;
O'Rourke thought him over long about
it, yet was inclined to give him time
in view Of bis abiect surrender.
At length. still smiling oddly, the
man lifted his eyes and stretched
forth hand tight closed. The sa-
hib." he said gently, shall see that
his servant spoke truth. Let this
weigh with the sahib for mercy. BE.
hold"
The brown fingers Enclosed and in
the hollow of his palm trembled that
which seemed a ball of crystalized
rose fire, the stone that man has
named the Pool Of Flame. O'Rourke
uttered low cry of satisfaction, step.
orJ Lob, tha al
simultaneously he was aware Of a
quick gasp from the direction of the
woman, followed. ere he could account
for them, by two pistol shots.
The adventurer groaned, pitching
forward blindly, one side of his head,
from the ear to the temple. a-quiver
with an agony as fla whitehot iron
had scared him there. He stretched
forth an arm aimlessly and gripped an
iron stanchon. stopping his fall, and
hung there for what seemed an con,
sea and skies swimming blood-red be-
fore his eyes, in his ears thunder
Gus rushing as of mighty waters.
BY supreme effort OF will be kept
himself half-erect, clinging to the rail,
and opened his eyes. So briefly had
pain blinded him that it was patent
barely a second had elapsed since the
firing oil the shots. To his left a
stricken lascar was still in the act OF
falling: before him Mrs. Prynne stood
motionless. her face mask Of horror,
revolver still poised; to the right the
serang, drawing kris. was smiling
sardonically, his eyes fixed upon the
woman who had set al naught his
plans
JORourke tried to call warning TO
Der. for it was plain that she was ap-
palled by what she had done. needless
OF all but the man she had killed; but
it was as if the bull ct that creased his
temple had temporarily paralyzed
him; his tongue clave to the roof OF
his mouth and he could neither move
nor speak.
Powerless The believedl, be watched
the serang gather himself together,
like some gaunt cat, and spring; In
two strides he would have been upon
the woman and the night had been
crowned with its most pitiful crime.
Yet in midair. O'Rourke saw the man
falter and fall back. dropping the
kris and clutching frantically at moth.
ing.
Stupidity the adventurer saw the
smoke trucking from the muzzle OF
his own revolver and knew that, some
how, he had managed TO pull the trig-
ger. His heart leapt in his breast, so
keen was his gratitude. Trembling
in every limb, ne essayed a second
tims~to FIRE and put final period TO
the serang's career. But his shot
went wide and the cylinder damned
SO that the hammer would not rise
q second time With an oath he let
go the rail and attempted to bridge
the distance between himself and the
lsScar. 10 mas NOV q ccnsidsra.