Adventure Magazine Cover — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

The Witch of Aleppo * ¢F that am lord of lords, conqueror of Christian- dom, King tn Babylon and Istambul, governor of the holy cities of Damascus and Mecca—I give command to all pashas, governors and captains in my domain to slay the wandering dog who bears this letter and send his head to my court. The unbeltever is an escaped slave who hath lefted his voice against a true follower of the prophet. Aly favor to him who carries out my wish. The Circassian servant ts to be trusted. Peace to him who directs his steps aright—M usta pha.” ” To Demid’s surprize Michael burst out in hearty laughter. “The of a’ safe conduct!” he mut- tered to himself, and wondered whether he was to believe the Cossack; but there was no doubting the candor of the young chief. ‘“Your head—”’ Demid followed out his own train of thought—‘‘Giorgos would have had it to bear back with him, if my sword had slain you. The jackal did not think that a Cossack could read, so he gave the paper and spurred it on with an insult. Who was this true follower of the Prophet?” It was Sir Michac!’s turn to reflect. His countrymen, he explained, carried on a trade between Baghdad and Damascus by cara- van, and recently they had been forced to give a third of their goods to a certain pasha—the Governor of Aleppo—to gain passage for the caravans. The English ambassador at court knew of this, and Sir Michael had urged him to demand justice from the Sultan for the rob- bery. But the ambassador was afraid to act, aware that Sidi Ahmad, the pasha in question, was the favorite of Mustapha and the most powerful noble among the Moslems. “There are eyes and ears hidden about the Imperial City,” grunted Demid, “and they reach even to here. Have you been in Aleppo?” Sir Michael shook his head. ““No Christian can pass the gates.”’ “‘Hearken, Frank: Have you a master? Whom do you serve?” ‘““Myself.”’ The adventurer shook his head slightly. English, French and Turkish monarchs, he had served them with his youth and he bore the scars of this service; yet faith in princes he had none. “Good! We Zaporoghians are master- less men. Do you believe in God and Christ?” ‘fAye, so.” “Then make the Sign of the Cross.” 15 When the Irishman had done so, Demid nodded approvingly. ‘‘We are on the trail of a treasure and a mighty one. It is a hard trail and a steep one, and not often will we breathe our horses. Join us, and you can claim a sotntk’s share in gold and silver, if we find what we seek. If we fail, you will not have a knightly death. Nay, you will taste fire or the stake.” For a full moment Sir Michael of Rohan studied the impassive countenance of the young chief, wondering a little at its dark beauty which was more than a woman’s, being without fear or consciousness of self. “No raftk, no road companion will I be, unless you make known to me the end of the road.”’ It was not Demid’s liking to speak of his plans, and he was silent a while. Then, with the tip of his scabbard he drew a rough triangle in the snow and dotted the three corners, explaining that the one to the southeast was Baghdad, the one to the north, Trebisond, on the Black Sea, and the third Aleppo. During this season in Midwinter, the caravan trade from India, Persia and Arabia came partly overland to the Euphrates, but mainly up that river, through Baghdad. Then—the passes of the Caucasus being under deep snow—it was born over the desert from Baghdad to Aleppo, thence to the ports in the Levant. This flow of silks—even from China— ivory, woven carpets and worked leather, amber, jewels and cotton, spices and gold gave to the Sultan of the Turks his great wealth. Heretofore the Cossacks had some- times raided the trading-galleys on the Black Sea, but they had never gone into the coast of Asia Minor, the stronghold of Islam. Demid sought the value of ten thousand pieces of gold. Few cargoes were coming out of the port of Trebisond, from the northern corner of the triangle. He meant to make himself master of a seaworthy craft when they reached the sea-coast, and sail to Asia Minor. Sir Michael shook his head. ‘“‘To win through to the caravans you would need to cross the upper passes of the Caucasus in Winter. Then, on the trade Youtes you would meet the wolf packs, the Kurdish and Arab robbers, out of the hills and desert. So the merchants of the oO COmicloo S (©