Beadle's Half Dime Library Vol. IX, No. 230: The Yankee Rajah; or, The Fate of the Black Shereef — page 8: what you’re looking at

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

re} : Tel he paused suddenly and clapped his hands, A moment later Aruna appeared, "The white girl,” he said, in a questioning tone. “ Has she retired?” _ No, Lord Shereef, From her window she has watched the battle, and has seen the de- somculon of the proas, The lady Zarina is with | her, | With an ejaculation of rage he pushed open | the doorand entered, and saw Zarina and Nellie | sitting in the window, their arms twined about each other, looking seaward. “ Aw ne Zarina,” he exclaimed, savagely. ‘| would speak with the prisoner,” — ee _ Zarina arose with sparkling eyes and faced “thought [told you, long ago, that it was not well to threaten me, Shereef. Beware what you do, for you know that I can protect myself,” ; He took a step toward her, when she drew a small silver whistle from her belt and breathed through tt softly, when with a cat-like bound a huge black panther sprung through the open | door and crouched at her feet facing the Shereef, The eyes of the black beast glistened like stars as she looked at him, and the Shereef re- coiled, half drawing his kreese. ‘ Lay a finger on me or this prisoner and you know your fate,” cried Zarina, ‘Ha, Zadee, my beauty, will you defend your mistress? If I give her the word, she will tear you into pieces,” The panther extended her white claws and showed her long fangs, giving utterance to & snarling cry, but did not move. The Shereef trembled, for he knew that the savage brute, trained under the hand of Zarina, would spring upon him if hey mistress but pointed at him. | “*Go,” said Zarina. ‘Something whispers to me that I should do well to let loose the beast upon you. I know not how it is, but it seems that the past is coming back to me, and that in that past you have wronged me cruelly, Woe to you if | remember all.’ The Shereef recoiled, and with a savage cry rushed from the room. A moment more and the sound of a horn rung through the palace. He was calling the Malays to his aid, and | Zarina flung the door to and began to pile the furniture against it. The sound of hurrying feet could be heard in the passage, and a heayy blow struck the door. _‘! Open this door, Zarina,” cried a voice so hoarse and strained that she scarcely knew it. ** You shall have no mercy for this act.” ‘* Let me see the one, Malay or white, who dare pass this door,’ was the reply, as she drew ise revolvers. Stand back, Nellie; they may re, * ¥ou can only die, Zarina, bub you cannot aid ane.” said Nellie. ‘‘It is perhaps better to yield.” , **Tdonotcare so greatly for my life as to hesitate when death threatens me,” was the reply. ‘‘Go into the alcove yonder, and leave me to deal with these villains.” | . ‘Beat in the door,” shouted the Shereef, “Down with it, I say!” The sound of axes was heard and the heavy door began to splinter, and then came crashing in, but could not fall on account of the heavy furniture piled against it. To enter the room the Malays must clamber over this beap, and the first had scarcely showed himself above it when he fell, shot through the brain. The) others recoiled in dismay, and the girl laughed “Who is next?’ she cried. ‘Show yourself if you dare, Shereef, I will die gladly if I can get a shot at you first.” _ Another crash was heard, and a second door, leading into the next suite of rooms, suuddenly burst open, and the Malays came pouring in. Aarina dragged a heavy divan before the alcove and intrenched herself there, and two men who ied abe rush fell dead by weill-directed revolver shots. “Spring, Zadee,” she exclaimed, in her clear, bell-like voice. “Tear the villains limb from limb, my darling.” | _ She had scarcely spoken when the body ofthe black panther was seen in the air, and the long, lithe creature sprung into themidst of the crowd of Malays, who, shrieking in terror, fell back | before the rush of the angry beast, but not be- fore two of them had fallen under the strokes of her. powerful paws. But at this juncture the Malays in the hall succeeded in pushing aside the furniture and rushed into the room. _ The panther first,” shouted the Shereef. xy i her, I tell you, and attend to the mad girl Forty men flung themselves, with pistols and | The Yankee Rajah. lreeses, upon the noble beast, and the room was the theater of a savage battle for ten minutes, in the midst of which the crack of Zarina’s revol- vers was heard again and again. Sucha battle could only end in one way, aud the brave beast | fell at last, pierced by a hundred gaping wounds, but not until she had killed four men and des- perately wounded several more, and Zarina had fired her last shot, when the Malays turned upon her. But she had caught up two kreeses from the blood-stained floor, and, still intrenched be- hind the divan, stood ready to fight to the last Basp. “We must lose no more men,” cried the sherecf. ‘“ Fire upon her, and bring the mad demondown.” | eas “Fire at me!” said the musical voice of Nellie Darrel, forcing herself in front of her brave de- fender, who strove in vain to push her aside, ‘You shall kill me befcre your shots reach this brave woman.” — i “Tire not a shot!” screamed the Shereef. “The man who injures her shall die by my hand. Dashin and take them alive.” . As he spoke there was a commotion at the back of the room, and a man came dashing through the Malays to the front, with a bare sa- ber in one hand aud a revolver in the other. It was Tom Heid, his eyes flashing and his whole frame trembling with rage, : : “Stand back, you bounds! he shouted, in a voice of thunder. “‘l have often drawn the sword beside you, Shereef, but I never did you better service than when I warn you not to harm Zarina.” ‘Out of the way, Reid,” replied the Shereef, hoarsely. “*You only invite your own fate.” “Have you not done this poor girl wrong enough in your day? Back, | say, or much as T have loved you, [ will let you feel the temper of iny blade,” With a hoarse ery of rage the Shereef drew his sword and sprung forward and the blades erossed. Both were practiced swordsmen and it was hard to say which would have won the mastery, had not the foot of Tom Heid slipped in the blood of one of the dead Malays as he made a sweeping stroke, Before he could recover a dozen of the band hurled themselves | upon him and flung him to the floor, when he was quickly bound. Zarina threw down her Be) 90ns and came forward with a vacant lauzh, “Ha, ba, ha, Shereef, that was a merry time; I don’t know when [have had so much sport in many a day. But why do you bind Tom Reid? he has done no harm. Ha! Malays —back; touch not one upon whom the finger of the gods has been laid.’ at The Shereef made a step toward her, but one of the Malay chieftains interposed and laid his pene cently upon the broad breast of his ‘Listen, great Shereef,” he pleaded in the musical voice so often heard in Oriental nations. ‘Tt isalaw of the Ruler of all things that the one whose brain is touched shall not be held to account for any evil done. Zarina has run a muck and killed our brothers; she has turned | the wrath of the black Javan panther upon us | —and yet see; we, who have lost friends, say to you—' let Zarina go free; do not punish her, | for we have forgiven her.’” “Say all the Malays thus? demanded the — Shereef!, ‘* Ye who would not see Zarina pun- ished, step forward a pace,” | Every Malay made a step in advance. _ “Tt is well,” said the Shereef, inclining his head. ‘'Go, Zarina; you shall not be punished this time, but beware of the next, for | swear to you that I will never again forgive you.” Zarina went out slowly, casting a strange look at Tom Reid as he lay bound before her. Once she paused and madea step toward him, but seemed to think better of it, turned away, and was gone, 4 . 7 “Take up these bodies and give them burial, sons of the Malay,” was the order of the Black Shereef. ‘'Zarack, Tonadi, Malo and Terrai, I ive the Shereef Reid into your bands, Guard im well to-night, and in the morning bring him to the Hall of Judgment. take the power which he has held. Guard the port, and if you see the schooner come again, let me know.” ; | _ He approached Nellie Darrel and caught her by the wrist. ee ae TOO. ‘*Come with me,” he said. ‘I will give you a prison more secure than this.” e led herthrough thelong halls of the palace and into the lower rooms, where the stone walls dripped with moisture, and the air was heavy and fetid. She shuddered as he door of a dark cell, and he felt the tremor in pesned open the | out, . | missive: her frame, But, with a hollow laugh, he pushed her into the cell and closed the door with 4 crash, and then, opening a little wicket, putin a lighted lamp. ; “Rest in peace,” be said. ‘‘In the morning I will come to you again.” He went up the stairs rapidly, muttering to himself, and after reaching the next floor turned aside and followed the passage for a little dis- tance until he came to the door of a strong room, which he opened by means of a key which he kept upon bis person. He struck a match and lighted a lamp swinging from the ceiling, and after some search touched a cer- tain part of the wall and slid back alittle panel, scarcely four inches square. From this recess he drew a broad belt, apparently made to hold valuables, and unelasping his rebe, he passed this belt about his body and buckled it fast. * That is well done,” he muttered. ‘Ii com- | pelled to fly, there is wealth enough bere for the wants ofa king. But why dol talk of flying, and why does the thought of death follow me so closely lately? I dreamed of Arthur Carring- ton last night, as he looked when he walked the plank after the Cairncross went down. God help me, I had no need to murder him; I had done him wrong enough.” | | He blew out the light and stepped out, clos- ing the door carefully, As he did so there stood before him the figure of a tall man, with a pale, set face, the man whom we have seen with Saul Belton in the arrack shop at Shang- hae, whom he called Arthur, The Shereef ut- | tered 4 cry of horror and staggered back. “Away!” be cried. ‘‘Why do you appear to me?” = “Silence,” hissed the visitor. “‘ Dare to move a finger and you are dead. You know me, then? you fear me too, wretch that you are.” “What would you have?’ moaned the Black Shereef, ‘Yes, yes, I fear you more than any created being. Why are you here?” “‘T come to you for vengeance and ask you, what you have done with Hdith Carlysle,” re- plied the pale-faced ian. | A shudder passed through the frame of the | Black Shereef, but he did not reply. “T have followed like your shadow for seven years, seeking for my darling,” panted Arthur, “tut I bave rot been able to learn anything of | her, Tell me, you dog, or [ will cut the secret out of your black heart.”’ 5 “‘T have traitors all about me, Arthur Car- rington,” or you would not be here. Now that I know it is not a ghost of the dead past which haunts me, lamaman again. I will drag you a prisoner and give you up to the Malays, who will make short work of you, ‘‘for they bate the Spirit of the Waves.” Ae elt With a sudden leap, he burled himself wpon the American, who only took one step back- ward and caught him by the wrists. It seemed to the Malay chief, that those hands were steel, so cold and pitiless was the gripe upon him. He struggled a moment, and then uttered one wild ery for help, which rung with startling dis- tinctness through the vaulted passages. Arthur held him a moment and then said: _ Pea “Your hour is not yet come, I could kill you if I would, but I leave you for the veu- reance of the tongueless Malay, Marco. God | pity you when you fall into his hands.” And, releasing one band, he struck the Shereef a stunning blow in the face and vanished, just as a dozen guards, armed and bearing torches | rushed into the passage. They lifted the Shereef and bore him into an upper chamber, where he | quickly revived, when he ordered search to be made for Arthur Carrington in all the lower parts of the palace. The search was vain, for the strange man had left no trace behind, “Set a guard at my door,” whispered the Shereef, ‘and let me get some rest. I must have strength for the struggle which is coming, if heis on my track.” eae aah He slept at last, but only to dream that the” hands of Marco the Mute were on his throat choking him to death, while Arthur Carring- | ton watched his dying struggles with a pitiless | eye. — Tonan Denal, | THE MYSTERY AT WORE IN THE HARBOR—THE FATE OF TOM RELD. | He awoke with a start and the morning sun | was streaming in at the window. As he ap- | proached it something glanced by him like a yeam of light and quivered in the wall, It was an arrow, neatly made, and sent with a force which buried the head in the wall. He tore it out, and found wrapped about the shaft, this CONMIG IOOLK<S.COnn