The Winslow mail., 1912-05-18

of woman in the caravan, or Of
Prince Rakkim Khan.
"Will your highness not rest in the
shade and partake of coffee?" the old
Turk asked.
/ refused. Weary and dispirited,
turned away. Had they passed us or
evaded us? And then, just when all
was blacklist, my foot struck against
something half hidden beneath a bale
of goods. 1t was the dog collar that
I had seen in the apartment in Lon
don; there was no mistaking it. I
sprang upon the old Turk and grasped
him by the throat.
''You lying scoundrel, which way
have they gomez" l cried, shaking
him back and forth till his false teeth
ratified in their setting.
He gurgled feebly. released him,
and he pointed feebly with shaking
finger down the road by which they
had come.
"They had ridden on horseback-all
three" he stammered. "The prince
and she and the priest. They will
cross the mountains by the footroad
five miles away. Curses on him for
disturbing the progress of us mer-
chants; we have been in mortal fear
of him and his hereto priest, the
Persian"
cast my eye along the line of
picketed beasts, evidently the stable
which Rakkim had abandoned when
he discovered us awaiting him. must
select the best and ride swiftly. Once
over the Faurus, he could enlist un-
limited aid among the Damascenes. l
picked out two supple splendid beasts.
Two minutes later they were bridled
and saddled and l was following the
sharp hoof-tracks into the mountains,
as fast as l could pick them up.
Ten minutes afterward l saw them
ascending slope two miles away
from me. They looked back, I think,
for all halted, and the horses appeared
to be turned in irresolution. Then
they were off again, over the crest
and away.
! rode each horse alternately, which
gave my mounts an advantage of
speed. Half an hour afterward and
only the width of the valley divided
us. Now l could see them plainly;
saw the green turban of the priest
dark against the SHOWS of the sum-
nit that rose in front of them. And
then my heart leaped with joy. They
could not cross that peak before
should be upon them. They had mis-
calculated the viability of the pass in
early April, when every stream was a
torrent and every path morass. I
hurried onward.
AS my horses picked their way up
the slope | saw the prince confer
with his bishop. Then they delib-
erately turned back and rode toward
me. Less than three hundred yards
separated us now. l saw him spur his
steed he came toward me at furious
gallop; as he did so he pulled some
thing from his breast and, an instant
later, l heard the sound of the dis
charge and felt my horse give a
mighty leap into the air as the bullet
struck her. She bent at the knees,
clear of her before she toppled and
fell, pierced through the heart. At
the same instant the other steed
broke from my hand and went,
plunging and rearing, down the snowy
slope. AS I rose | felt in my pistol
pocket for my weapon. 1t was not
there. Whether the old Turk had
robbed me or whether had lost it
do not know, but at this crisis I was
totally unarmed.
Meanwhile the prince had reined in
his horse a hundred feet away in an
ticipation of an exchange of bullets.
Then he perceived my dilemma and,
with furious cry, rode me down and
encircled me in the abandonment of
his triumph, pointing pistol at my
brain.
! I had risen to my feet; I watched
him silently, because there was moth.
ing to say. At last he spoke.
I'm London" he said, his voice
trembling with rage, 'the laws do not
permit an injured husband, whatever
his rank, to take the life of the vio-
1dIOl vi DuC Ill
monsieur, why should you not die?"
l hardly understood the meaning of
his harangue; l was thinking of my
unfulfilled mission and the failure Of
my country's ends.
He raised the pistol, took deliberate
aim-then lowered it as a scream rang
through the hills. A moment later I
saw the princess come galloping down
toward US, the priest at her side, in
vain attempting to restrain her.
"You shall not kill him. she ex-
claimed in French. 81 lied to you. He
was no lover of mine.''
"What?" cried the prince. "Did
not find him at your side in the gar
den?"
She burst into tantalizing laughter.
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