Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 1 — page 102: what you’re looking at

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

92 shoulders. ‘Why should I bleed a dog that flees, when there are those whose task it is? Presently you will hear the death of the dog. Ah!” He had noticed the telescope. Straight- way he swung himself up into the branches, Climbing swiftly, for all his loose robe. Edith waited, feeling like a criminal caught red-handed. She wished ardently for John Donovan, but he was below in the village. The Arab swung himself beside her on the branch and took the telescope. Evi- dently he was familiar with such things. For some time, while the girl observed him, and Mahmoud squatted patiently beneath them, Iskander swept the valley. When the tower came within his vision his dark face tensed. -His lips bore a slight smile as he turned to the girl, who was still nervous —an after-effect of the scene just enacted under the pines. ‘“Ohé, my little winged bird,’”’ murmured Iskander. ‘“ What do you think of those—. riders upon the cliff?” Edith fancied that he was trying to sound her, to learn what she had seen. “ Yahka Arik seems well guarded,” was her response. : “It is.” He spoke dryly, his glance probing her. >“ Yonder is the kurgan, the tower, where, as many hundred years ago as I have fingers on two hands, the men of Han—what you call Chinese—built a square castle. Many were the wars and the slaying of peoples in those times. Nor is it otherwise now.” With a snap, he closed the telescope and thrust it into his girdle, drawing at the ciga- - rette he had not ceased to smoke. ‘‘ Then came the Russians, without any right to these lands. They were strong men, but covetous and stupid. They put up a flag and made a speech about a boundary and customs. Because of the cold, they stayed close to the kurgan—all but one.” He nodded reflectively. “ All’but one. Just a few years ago. He was like a vulture, and this vulture and his native allies alone knew of Yahka Arik. They came—once. They took many of our women, who were bathing in the women’s pools in the shadow of the mosque. They _took my daughter and her mother.” THE ARGOSY. Iskander let the cigarette fall from his fingers. He spoke caimly, but Edith saw the glow in his deep eyes, and the veins that pulsed in his temples. “Yess. It was the Vulture, Mees Rand. When the Sayaks came to the kurgan and asked for the thirty-nine women, the Rus- sian commandant said he knew nothing of — the matter. He said that the Alamans and Turkish followers had taken them. An Englishman. who was hunting mountain- sheep—although I think he was never seen to shoot very many—had pitched his tent not far from the kurgan, and to him I car- ried our grievance. He said very little, but he talked with the Russian commandant, and after that there was much confusion and sending of messages from the kurgan. ‘‘ And presently the commandant and his men went away from the tower, journeying back, out of our sight. The Englishman was Dono-van Khan, and although his words were very mild, the Russian feared that he could call upon thousands of sword- points from the British in India.” The girl listened eagerly, gleaning for the first time an insight into the SESE! of the adventurer. “And _ so,” explained ete “ we called him khan. Yet he would not admit that he was a soldier, like the Vulture. Ate! My daughter had seen fourteen sum- mers. Her eyes were like twin moons, and the scent of her hair was like the jessamine flower. Her teeth were like white pearls. I did not see her again. It was told to me that her mother was sold in the Yarkand bazaar. But when I traced her to Khoten, and the slave-house of a merchant, she had died. But I have not forgotten the Vulture. Come, Mees Rand, I will help you.” He assisted her to the ground. Mah- moud rose and stalked down toward the village. Edith glanced at Iskander pity- ingly and curiously. Then she gave a startled cry. Gun-shots had sounded from the moun- tain overhead. Two quick reports, fol- lowed by another. and smiled. “The dog is dead,” anid Iskander, with the assurance of one whe knew he was voicing the truth. ‘“ Come!” comicloool< Mahmoud looked up | C@