The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-01-08
Beneath that, eh?" muttered billy
Blake. dra wing a long breath.
~ think SO" said John proudly.

| 1OLu.
"You two slide out. while I remain
behind | can conceal myself in one
Of the anterooms until dusk Their
you two return with tools. and I'll lei
you in. We can remove the altar In &
jiffy and have the treasure out and
away in no time"
How about the guard? Isn't there
some kind Of watchman on duty
here?"
Hardly. The priests have trouble
enough in rounding up the sinners i'll
the daytime. No danger Of the rns-
calls haunting the mosque at night.
Most of them are drinking sweet COT
fee in some cafe until morning"
Every WE'LL John Pick out your hid
ing place. Tom and I will 60 now.
! There. behind that carved screen in
/ the corner. So long. old chap"
When John Fleming had lodged be-
hind his screen and the footsteps OF
his friends had died away on the stone
| floor he saw shaft Of golden light
pierce the gloom Of the mosque and
then vanish. He knew that the door
had opened and closed behind the
forms Of his friends.
Hours passed. People came and
went. and ut the hour of sunset the
place was crowded. A priest went up
into the tower. and far below in his
place Of concealment Fleming heard
the whining musical chant Of the
muezzin call to prayer.
After that all was quiet. He was
entirely alone. " ...
When it was dark. the thick, velvety
blackness Of an Asiatic night, he step
ped softly to the outer door and, open
ing it gently. whistled softly.
A dark figure glided toward him.
Lean fingers gripped his throat and
choked him into silence. He struggled
and tried to cry out, but he was pow
erless in the grip of q giant.
He was borne back into the mosque.
and far away from the entrance in a
tiny niche he was set down, and his
captor produced vile smelling oil Ian
tern.
Then it was that Fleming saw his
captor was tall. fanatical looking in.
dividual, with wisp Of dirty green
silk wound around his disordered head.
Come to the AFFAIR." Kissed the man
in French you will show me and
will dig for the emeralds Of the great
shah" He pressed the blade Of a
knife suggestively against Fleming's
throat, and there was nothing to do
save to obey.
With i'll grace John Fleming consent
ed and. going to the altar. directed it's
removal as we'll as the displacement
of the great block of stone upon which
1t stood.
Together they worked in silence, u.s.
ing the rough tools the man had
brought with him. When the altar
had been removed from its bed of
cement they pried up the stone slab
beneath it and found nothing but a
solid bed of cement.
Then it was that the fanatical priest
few madly at John Fleming and
would have killed him had he not been
the swifter of the two and managed
to outrun his enemy in the dark cor
ners of the mosque. Happily at this
moment Billy Blake and Tom Pike
appeared. and while John Fleming
snatched up his precious roll of rugs
they covered his escape to the street
and followed him to the hotel.
"Dished" said Billy Blake, disgust
eddy humping the bundle of rugs.
"say anything you like; I'll take it
ALP groaned John, sitting on the edge
of his lumpy bed in grim despair.
Tom Pike. who said little, but in his
slow and cautious way did much
thinking. removed his pipe from his
lips and dragged out his suit case.
.I've got inside information that the
emeralds of the great shah will be in
America when we get there" he said
mysteriously. If you want to be in at
the finish come with me and catch the
next steamer for home"
It was significant Of the subdued
mood of the two younger enthusiastic
treasure seekers that they merely fol-
lowed his suggestion.
During the homeward voyage John
Fleming did not display the same So
licitous care concerning the Tabriz car
pet. For him it had lost its value
When they landed in New York Tom
Pike showed signs Of excitement
Fellows" he said cautiously, "soon
as we're through the customs get q
taxi and beat it to Johns studio"
Two hours later three excited young
men flung themselves from taxicab
and dashed up the stairs to Fleming's
studio. Once there. they locked the door
and opened wide the closed windows.
"Well, Tom, what is it," demanded
Fleming and Blake in the same
breath.
"Unroll your precious rug" said the
silent one.
They obeyed, spreading the silky
oblong on the dusty floor.
"Find the peacock altar" went or
Tom.
Here it is" said John. his finger on
| the rich mass of color.