Adventure Magazine, April 10, 1924 — page 38: what you’re looking at

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

36 Adventure allegiance of a host of chiefs, whereas a fair woman will 2? ‘Please the eye of Muhammad more than countless swords.” Osman. signed for the palanquin bearing the captive girl to be taken to one of the buildings about the central garden, and ‘gave over the knight and the priest to some guards, who led them to a postern door and} up a winding stair for so great a distance that Robert knew they must be ascending a tower. Upon a landing of the stair a narrow door was unbarred, and they were pushed into ‘darkness. Robert bade the priest stand still while he investigated, and discovered that they were in a small, semicircular chamber furnished only with a rug and mat- tresses to sleep upon. An oval window, barely. large enough to admit his head through, enabled him to look out over the garden, and he heard a voice like a nightin-. gale’s where lights glowed under the trees beneath the tower— “Wilt to Bokhara? O fool for thy pains!” Osman’s tower proved to be the highest of the many minarets and cupolas of Bok- hara—higher even than the emperor’s palace, as Robert observed the next morn- ing. Moreover in the open square and market-places near the tower were the’ tents of several thousand Kankalis—easily distin- guished by their black cloaks and trappings. Beyond the mosques and academies were the tents and picket-lines of a host of mounted warriors. Where the caravan roads led into the gates of Bokhara’s wall other pavilions were pitched. Although the distance was too great for the knight to be sure of the numbers, he estimated forty thousand men under arms within his range of vision and guessed at as many more elsewhere. Hourly long lines of camels threaded through the gates and pushed into the already crowded market-places. Passing along the alleys beneath him, he made out throngs of mullahs, followed by their dis- ciples, jostled by swaggering Turkomans and pushed aside by the riders that were continually entering and leaving Osman’s palace. ~ And four times a day there floated out over the humming confusion of alley and bazaar the musical call of the summoner-to- prayer. “Allah akbar! God is great. . .. There is no God but God... . Pray ye! Prayer is good, and the hour of prayer is at hand!”’ The gigantic concourse, the uproar of voices, the smells—that rose even to the tower—wrought upon .the senses of the watcher even as Osman’s music and incense had failed to do and brought home to him the power of the stronghold of Islam. It was during the first dawn-prayer, when the light was strong enough to read by, that he took out Abdullah’s scroll and scanned it in the window niche-where. the guards in the outer corridor could not see him through the aperture in the door that served to pass in food and enable’ them to spy upon the prisoners. The | tter‘began abruptly. Salaam, yah ahmak—egreeting, O fool! I have brought you to Bokhara, in spite of your folly which nearly made the Gate the end of the road. Have you never learned that one rider can pass where four may not go abreast? Why then strive to befriend three others, and two of them weaklings? But what is done is done, arid what will be, will be. I have claimed on your behalf that you are the greatest of all the Franks, and it is well that the name of Longsword has penetrated even to the borders of Khar. The Shah will desire to see you, and until his arrival you are safe, for I swore on the Koran that your disguise was needed to take you through the desert tribes: I also swore that you had been cast out by your peers of Palestine and sought the service of Mu- hammad, for that also was nécessary to keep you from being put into a shroud by the followers of Inalzig. = Your sword is more eloquent than your tongue;. keep silence and listen, for Bokhara breeds more gossip than a dunghill vermin. Take these mat- ters to heart, chiefly: Osman is only lip-loyal to the Shah. The treasurer is the companion of Muhammad’s mother, Lurkhan khatun, who holds tthe allegiance of the Kankalis, who in turn are the backbone of the Kharesmian host. Osman secretly poisoned the ameer who commanded the garrison of Bokhara, and would do away with the council of the imams, who are the Moslem elders. The Shah fears him, the zmams hate him. If he could lay hand on the throne treasure he would be master of Khar. Ponder these matters and gather your strength again, for you will have need of wit and daring when [I seek you. Bakator, a new path will be opened up by the next moon, and we will ride again. Three times Robert pored through the delicate Arabic scroll writing and then thrust it into a crack between the bricks outside the window, wondering more than a little what manner of man might be Abdul- lah, who seemed to go freely wherever he willed and to judge any situation with a clear mind. The crusader was beholden to -—6 COMICLOOKS. CO