Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-06-10

you have brought into this dirty novel.
Come again. my friends!'
Again he bowed and again he gave US
courteous words. We left the place OF
the feast and walked toward Macao.
1 looked at the gan beside me: An
impostor. said to myself. put ora ",
steeiy game for the love Of his race
and his land. as was playing It Tor
the love of mine.
1t was late when we reached the
house OF Manuel Mercado.
told the whole story to Manuel Mer-
cado and to the old servant. They
were for cutting the impostor's throat
at once. But I pacined them.
oadc s sSs' a What 4. wo se ssys
wished you to do--help me. Treat the
Mascasenhas. You will not be cheated
of your revenge"
ali right. M. vandswatsf,. he said.
Il shall DO =. you tsll mo to. But pres
And there Eas A. expression Exp sc1s II his a.
the impostor.
saw nothing Of Yuan Kee during
the days that followed. I felt perfect
ly secure. For knew that Yuan Kee
and his confsderates would not kill
postor. had not discovered what he had
doubtless been sent to discover.
And 1 took good care that he didn't.
went about freely. In my character
as an Arab Shayki and wealthy mer-
out causing suspicion, and so gath
cred a mass of information. military
as well as economic. which forwarded
to headquarters while waiting for my
chances to slip into the interior and to
arNOn1n1fah
But I was always careful to mail my
original report personally and inn
mediately. and then to have the I'M
poster take another report from my
to be convincing to him and to his en-
ployers. but in reality mass Of cum
ningly embroidered lies. 1 knew that
he would send q copy OF this report
to Yuan Kee.
It was the same thing with the re-
plies from headquarters. I would read
them aloud to the impostor. but change
the contents in such way that. while
having the appearance Of truth. they
would give him carefully edited in
formation that was altogether false.
The fmpostor would also give me in
formation. true to his assumed role as
the real Mascassnhas. But would
turn It to good account by doing OK
actly the opposite OF what he told me.
/ discovered that the organization Of
this new Asia was a perfect machine, a
machine that worked with absolute
French efficiency and logic And I did
not wonder.
l mingled a good deal with the local
colonies OF central Asians, Punjaubis,
Gulf Arabs, Bengal and MadrAssi, and
found peculiar undercurrent which
seemed to weld together these widely
separated races and faiths.
But l was positively shocked when I
discovered that some Chyzzerati Hindus
mad recently erected q temple in Macao.
where they worshiped the Hindu trim
lty. chieny Doorgha, the malign god
dess of destruction.
l spoke to the impostor about It quite
casually, but carefully watching the
expression of his face from under half
closed eyelids
knew" he replied, and a shadow
passed over his statuesque features
which momentariiy exposed the depths
OF an unfathomable, wicked hatred. Il
have heard" He paused. then he added
with a little unconscious bravado:
And ! have also heard that at the
festival of the Doorgha-Puja they will
consecrate the temple with a great
human sacrifce-with the blood Of n
traitor"
The words haunted me for manv a
day, until finally. last Monday, I solved
the riddle Of them.
Meanwhile. I was arranging for nv
ehance to make getaway.
Sooner or later the impostor, when.
ever Yuan Kss gave him the word,