Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 146 No. 4 — page 40: what you’re looking at

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

“B10 | Further, there we12 entertainments by com- ‘panies of dancing women, both of the town and desert, and by magicians of the Aissoua tribe. An hour before midnight the scene waxed riotous, for Hassan Bey and his cap- tains were roaring drunk. It was then that Patrick Spence quietly departed. At his quarters he secured his few be- longings, cloaked himself in a dark bur- noose, and left the kasbah. He entered the gardens, found the guards in drunken slum- ber, and encountered no one until he came near the square tower of the astrologer. Then a_dark shape arose before him, the starlight glittered on a naked blade, and he recognized the distorted shape of Yimnah, the eunuch. Spence threw back the cowl of his bur- noose, and the eunuch gestured toward the tower. A voice reached him. “Captain Spence? Thank Heaven! I was afraid you could not get away—” “Let us go at once, Mistress Betty! May I have your hand?” He bowed over her hand, guided her to the waiting eunuch, and led the way from the gardens. Near the entrance he spoke again to the girl, quietly. “We must ride to Tlemcem at once, and there meet Mulai Ali and our party. Do you speak any Arabic?” “ Enough to get along with,” said the girl quietly. Outside the kasbah, in the shadow of its high turreted walls, the starlight shone on the waiting Spahis and horses. From the girl came a deep sigh of relaxation. “Tt seems a dream,” she murmured. ‘““ To leave thus, unhindered, unquestioned.” “Let us assign the honor to Providence, and make the most of it,” said Spence. “Now, mount quickly! We must be far from here when the muezzin mounts again to the minaret!” The Spahis brought up the horses. Spence aided the girl into the high saddle, _ lashed behind her the small bundle she had iy mM, ; Ge Gat a. s . es i ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. PN canter, and swept away from the unwalled — city to the southwest. No commen steeds — were these, but blooded barbs, the finest in Hassan’s stables, calmly appropriated by the Spahis. Hour after hour through the night they rode, past the long sandy salt pits and the lake of Sibka, through silent and dark vil- lages, along lonely wastes. Spence talked with the girl as they rode, telling his own story and touching upon their errand. “It is a mad errand,” he concluded, “ yet Mulai Ali is a kingly man and may suc- ceed.” “His horoscope truly reads him into a throne,” said Mistress Betty. “ Do not laugh at me! This business is not all char- latanry, although I have shamed the as- tronomer’s art with my wiles. I knew of your presence in Algiers, through gossip, and set out to effect my rescue. Was that selfish? Perhaps. And yet—” ‘No, not selfish; it was wholly admir- able!” exclaimed Spence. ‘“‘ We ride south; you are free; Mulai Ali goes to friends and a throne; Shaw goes to pull down Ripperda —and all by a woman’s wit! I am humble before you.” So they rode until the stars were paling into the false dawn. Then one of the Spahis called softly in his own tongue. Mistress Betty heard the words, and trans- lated. “He says that some one is riding hard on the road behind us!” Spence drew rein. “Forward! No protest, dear lady—for- ward, all of you!” The party swept on, disappeared along the dim road. Spence waited. Presently he caught the hard beat of hoofs and sight- ed a vague figure. With a hail he sent his beast out into the center of the road. The onsweeping rider uttered a sharp, harsh cry, then a musket roared out and Spence heard the bullet as it whined past his. head. His ready pistol made instant reply. ha other horse plunged; the rider fell headlong and lay motionless. Spence dismounted and fell to searching the man. | Heiaed teaat ree