The Argosy, Vol. 76, No. 3 — page 105: what you’re looking at

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

THE THING THAT WAS CAKSAR’S. is but the beginning. I have much that is interesttng to tell you concern- ing it. You are indeed fortunate in—’”’ He led the way back to the main office where he had welcomed them and after entering the room he closed the door softly behind them. Oakes turned to the table to get the package to open it when he heard a gasp from Marjorie. All the packages had been taken from the table—the silver box was one. They looked about them astonished. Dr. Emlen was thunderstruck. “That bally fool Wah Lin has taken that package of yours contain- ing the box along with those that I told him to post—” ‘ He hastened to the door in a vain attempt to intercept the boy before it was too late, but Wah Lin had already disappeared and the curator, worried, came back to his seat. . “Tt is an easy matter to reclaim it from the post,” said Oakes. “T’ll call a rickshaw—” “Wait a moment, Mr. Oakes. It is not so easy a matter as you imagine. If the authorities discover what it is that you seek, you will never get it. That box was one of the priceless articles in the temples of the For- bidden City and all China has been searching for it for the past ten ears. “They have a proverb to the effect that the peace and welfare of the empire depend upon it. Do you re- member what the old bone told you? —it is true. “Go at once to your hotel and do not leave it until I calt for you. I will do all that can be done to recover the box—I can not begin to tell you, Miss Downs, how I regret this occurrence. “Wah Lin is apparently a fool of the first water. I wish I could induce you to go through our museum before you go. We have many things that I feel sure would interest you. “For instance there is this head of 576 a wild carabao that came from Luzon. You will observe that they differ from the domestic species in that their horns grow out perpendicular to the frontal bone of the skull; sticking straight to the rear—a very unusual thing in horned animals. Look!” The head, a magnificent one, hung above the door of the office and the girl fairly started at the look of life- like bovine rage that fairly blazed from the china blue eyes. A pair of long, four-foot horns pro- jected rearwards from the skull so that the entire head had to be hung a clean six feet from the wall in order to give room for the spread of the horns. , ‘“‘T spent four months in the jungles of Luzon hunting for this specimen. They were said by the Spaniards to be the gamest animals in the archipel- ago. They said that the wild carabao would not cross a line of white tape laid upon the ground, so the natives and the Spaniards in hunting them would take a line made of the inner skin of the bamboo and stretch it across a trail and then drive the wild carabao down the trail. “ They told me that they would al- ways halt when they came to the tape. I had the tale from a native hunter, and I tested it very thoroughly. In- cidentally I may say that I found out that there was no manner of truth in it. The beast whose head you see promptly chased me up a tree, and I stood not upon the order of my going I can tell you. “ As a matter of fact, however, the number of these animals is very small indeed and they are greatly sought after, as good game animals always are all over the world. ““ Now remember, you are to go to your hotel and remain quietly there until you hear from me. If you have not yheard from or of me by four o’clock then come to the office and I may have something to tell you about the box.” The rickshaw for was waiting COMicdoo S CO@