The King's Talisman — page 124: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE KINGS TALISMAN. 115 intruded itself in their way, they were stopped short by its movement, and a shudder ran through the frame of him who appeared to be the chief of the king’s emissaries, as he recognized Ossifrage, the old seeress of Petra. ‘‘Hold, a moment!” exclaimed the old woman, as she waved her hand toward the advancing party. ‘‘ Have any of ye seen the old counselor, Al-Bassa?” } The old man started as he heard his name thus pro- nounced, but a strong. hand forced him back, and then turning toward the seeress, his captors said: ‘‘Go your way, woman, and if you would find him whom ye seek, go ask at his dwelling.” ‘* Al-Bassa is not there,” Ossifrage returned, at the same time advancing. ‘‘I have seen him once to-night where ye followed him yourselves, and now I would see him again.” | ‘‘ Back, old woman. Interrupt not the king’s messen- gers. Back, I say.” | ‘The king’s messengers are messengers of Satan. I come from one more powerful than the king. Now back ye, while I look upon the-face of him ye lead thus unwillingly along.” As the old woman spoke, she stalked boldly forward, and with a sort of intuitive dread, the three men fell slightly back from the way. Ossifrage bent her eyes searchingly upon the form of the old man, and then turning to him who held him, said: ‘‘T pardon ye for your deception, but now I would take that old man myself. Let him go, therefore, and haste ye back to your king, and tell him to bide my pleasure.” ‘Come, come, old woman,” exclaimed the king’s man. ‘*T would not strike such as thou, but, by the royal talis- man, I tell thee I’ll stand no more of thy prating. “Ha, ha, ha! The royal talisman?’ bitterly laughed the seeress, as she shook off the hand that was menacingly laid GEomicbooks (Efe)