Evening star., 1922-12-16
from Yesterdays star.)

the harem could offer He much pre-
| ferred to be on his own horse, gallop-
| ing with the sultan or some OF his
| men along the desert tracks about the
| city. And knowing Annette loved
years together. the sultan did all he
! could to win the boys affection and
| wean him from his mother.
! He might have succeeded, except
| for one thing. The boy loved learn
! ing, and to hear OF the great world
| that seemed as remote from El-Am-
| meh as the paradise his Moslem
| teachers spoke of.
The sultan was not averse to the
mother teaching her son. He was a
| shrewd man, II savage and cruel. And
| that France from where the girl came
| was growing even more powerful. 1t
! would be to the boys advantage to
| learn all the arts and cunning OF his
| mothers people.
The sultan Casim gave Annette put
one present that she took from him
| willingly: a sandaiwood bureau with
| shelves and drawers and little sliding
panels. an elaborately carved and
handsome piece Of furniture. stocked
| with slate and pencil, paper, quilts
| and ink-such as the priests at the
| mosques used themselves. For this
1 strange girl who hated him had more
learning than all tho. priests put to-
| gether.
But. for all that. the youngster had
| to sit at their feet At appointed tinees,
| and be taught all the sultan had ever
| been taught. to read and write. and
| recite scraps from the Koran. and to
| be a true Moslem.
| Annette hated this wild. profigate
| religion. and into her son she tried
to instil her own Roman Catholic
| faith.
But lat eight years. although he
/ learnt with avidity all her other
teachings. he laughed at her religion.
| Yours is woman's religion. niue
| mother" he said one day. ITS an
/: to a woman, but il Is not suitable for
men. Give me my fathers religion.
| A religion where men rule. In that,
one does not bow the knee to a
woman. A good religion. my fathers,
not a pulling thing where one prays TO
a woman and a babe. No, little
mother, keep your religion. and be
happy with it. 1 prefer my father
and my own"
"Raoul, my son. you mustn't forget
the white side when you are Wild the
| sultan" she said gently. touch OF
Gliding in her sad voice.
The boy looked at her speculatively,
knowing already that his mother had
no affection for the man he called
father"
be the sultan's wife" he remarked.
| "It is an honor for any woman to be
loved by the sultan. Even woman
as lovely and learned as you' little
mother
Al twenty-seven Annette was even
more beautiful than on the day the
| sultan Casim Ammeh first saw her
but more fragile and ethereal. Al
though her captors fancy oiten
strayed to other women. he never lost
his passion for her.
"Oh, my boy, you don't understand,
she said sadly. when you are a man
I'll tell you. and then perhaps youi
think differently"
when l am a man, I shall be like
my father but richer and more pow
erful. because shall have more
knowledge. thanks to you. my
Il hope yo. will be like your
father. Raoul. ask for nothing bet'
ter"
| nette intended to tell MIN the run,
and to leave him 10 deai Win the
| situation as he would.
At ten years. her soJ had as much
general knowledge as the average
! French boy of his age, thanks to ms
mothers teachings. And he knew,
| too, great oedA ihoie ."o" o
He was big lad for his years
handsome and quick-tempered, the
sultan's acknowledged heir. On every
side there were. people anxious u
spoil him and curry favor with MINI
| In the scented. sensual atmosphere
of the harem he learnt things his
mother would have kept from HIM
But she was powerless among SO
many. all ready to flatter her boy and
gain his good graces.
when I grow up he said to her
one day. II shall have a hundred
wives, like my father"
| "In the France I come from a man
has but one. You must always remem-
Der that, Raoul."
"Only one! Then, mother, l can
that a poor country. How can man
be satisfied with one woman? MY
! father has promised me wives OF my
own when l am sixteen.
| 1t Seemed to Annette that In this
| profiigate atmosphere her boy was
| from her and his own nation; becom :
ing daily more akin to the barbaric
( people around him: 49,,
Every day she felt she must tell
him the truth. Yet every day she pu.
| still, and in his anger and rage he
| would not be able to keep his knowl.
| edge from the sultan; then evil would
befall him.
| we're to pass before Raoul LIE Breton
learnt the truth, about himself.
| Soon after this episode the sultan
| took the boy with him on some thieH-
| ing expedition.
/ Whilst they were away, one OF the
deadly epidemics that occasionally
1 city. claiming among its many VIC
| time Annette LIE Breton.
CHAPTER ".
with the passing years, the sultan
Casim Ammeh increased In wealth
| and power. He gave very little
! thought to France now. 1t was
| vague power. too far away to trouble
him, and onlyonce had 1t really sent
a feeler in his direction; that Inflated
expedition headed by Col. lie Breton.
Emboldened by his success, he had
extended his marauding. But. If he
heard nothing more OF France. france
| occasionally heard of him, in the form
Of complaints from various parts OF
the protectorate. from other chiefs
whose territory he had raided. The
government knew his name but 1t
! had no idea where he came from.
ON one occasion the sultan and his
| robber hordes swept down to within
a hundred miles OF st. LOUIS. S9t
there he met with q severe defeat. He
retired to his desert stronghold, de-
Gliding not to adventure in that direc-
| tion again. And he owed his defeat
| to strange guns such as had not come
into his iife before. Guns that fired
| not a couple of"shots. but a whole
voiley: an endless fusillade that even
his wild warriers could not face.
He went back to -El-Ammeh deter
mined to get hold Of some OF those
wonderful gu"e.
Obviously. was out of the question
to attack st. Louis. where they came
lfrom. II they were to be obtained,
I they must be searched Tor In some
other direction: