The Washington herald., 1921-09-11
THE PALACE OF JACKAIS By HOMER ! COUNCIL
camaigu HowhsDa

inf jackal. From the arched ceiling. ms.
pended BY great bronse chains. were hesvy
swinging lamps In the form OF jackals with
upturnsd hesds from the mouths Of which
The wicks protrpded In spite Of their sire
and number these served only to tighten the
cenffaI acsrridor, leaving the remainder In
seGzi -dsriness So unexpected wa this
that We could but sswk and gasp .. be-
. vildered surprise.
The Palace Of the Jsckals:',
We were not allowed to marvel long bow
esef, before the faint sound Of voices a.
from q dist,nce reminded us of our position
and our mission. With no attempt at con-
cealment We entered the corridor, passed to
the right and buried eurseives In the deep
gloom The rooms of various sises, opening
- this aisle were furnished lrIuriousiy,
while stacked against the walls Of one or
the chambers were several hundred new
rides.
Treason. ss live" muttered Lord
Harry.
fTrue," i agreed, "but these rides did
long"
Ne4rtnx tne fuf enc OF tne corr1oor w
were conscious that the voices were grow
! iny In Intensity, a. we could now distinguish
an occaiional word. Intent upon ferretins
out the truth, we were drawn as BY a mag
nef to the room from which the voices
,irifted. Peering through the curtains cover
ing the doorway. we received aisecond and
even greater shock. Loungins about. smot-
ns and taikinf were q score OF Arab sheiks.
notorious slave traders every one, men
arainst whom the Crown was wagins uR-
ceasinf war.
The animated discussion dealt with the
subject Of whether certain pockets Of eI-
piosives had been properly placed to effect
the destruction Of certain walls. 1t soon
aswnSd apon Us that the walls in question
we're none other than those Of the residency
III. objects of destruction the members Of
IN. Black Horse Troop. 1t developed that
mines had already been laid and plans per.
t.cted whereby all the defenses Of the resi-
..,.x we're 10 be destroyed simultaneously,
.,d while hopelessly bewildered the Esrri-
.,n xs. to be maxacred. Judging from the
,..r,iption of the location Of the several
to-. there seemed little doubt as TO the
s,ccess Of their project il carried into ac-
,ion. The plot in itself was sufficiently
d.bol,csl, but the full measure Of tresch-
x,s disclosed when we saw that old
Iha.l K.der was the actuating spirit.
Everything is then ready?
everything waits upon Zobeir Pashs. y"
..Tomorrow he will arrive, the following
day We will strike.
when finally we had determined upon our
.,,ur. course, I sccompa MED Lord Harry to
-. cellar where We parted, he returning to
-. barracks and l remaining.
Uhsn the captain had disappeared behind
con of chest and casks, scraped to-
-.tber q small pile Of dirt on the floor and
-, this with wine from the first flask
,a,nins to my hand. l soon had large ball
:, h.,yy mud paste. Continuing to work
~. returned to the hall OF columns,
ni.r. lslily dragging my feet to ailay sus-
r;.;on ,bould be seen, shufded my way to
,h. irnnroyised armory. EItinEuishinE the
~, Tsbtinr the room ! was for the time
.,t. IN the darkness. Losing not q moment,
forced into the printing tube Of each Of the
,,a.s g portion Of the mud in my hand. By
a.. time this task was completed the mud in
-. rnon which had frst> worked was
-, and to remove all trace Of the deed,
.ho,ou,hly polished the rides, lowering the
h,nm,r in each case. Let the uprising
.on. when II might, there would be no death;
dealing missiles fred from these gums.
u1TIE details Of the next eighteen or twenty
i hours. while intensely interesting in
themselves, had no great bearing on the 6nal
.H.t Sufn f0 haf n
accordance with my understanding with
Lord Harry, I remained in the subterranean
chambers preparing the carry our general
plan into effect. escaping detection by my
simulated indifference to everything about
me-
An air Of impatient expectancy pervaded
the atmosphere as the afternoon wore itself
away. The traders paced the corridor in
groups. discussing their plans and conjec-
turing upon the possible safe arrival Of
Zobeir Pashs. The situation had reached a
point Of almost impossible nervous tension
when q servant dsrted In through the
portieres saying something could not catch
and Immediately disappeared again.
The effect was miraculous. All chatter
ceased as impelled by . common impulse all
the company gathered in the corridor before
the great bronze doors. A few breathless
seconds and then the hanginrs parted. In
the doorway. cold and hsuEhty, stood the
most, powerful and dreaded ehieftisn Of the
entire desert country, cruel, hard faced and
unspeaksbly selfish. Zobefr Pasha had ar
rived! Behind him Abdel Kader entered
the hall.
Those sheits who. but q moment before