Beadle's Half Dime Library, No. 103 — page 9: what you’re looking at

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

—— a The Lion of the Sea, 9 ** By the beard of the Prophet! she is a splen- did creature!” Selim exclaimed in the ears of the Holy Man. He had taken advantage of his = rior hight to peep over the shoulder of El okar. ‘* Yes, as fair as one of the angels of paradise.” ¢ » Se og emai — rig ee 8 asked the Greek, a culty in the way of carryin out the mission upon which he had been sent suddenly occurring to him. ‘*Oh, yes.” . “It is not to kill the girl, but to bring her bodily and unharmed to her.” ‘‘T know—I know!” the Holy Man answered, hastily. ‘‘Woman-like, Gulnare wishes to gaze upon the beautiful face of her rival. She will look and then kill.” ‘*‘ Ah! but how are we going to carry this girl away? She will most surely wake and give an alarm the instant we lay our hands upon her.” El Tokar chuckled a moment before he spoke: “Selim, thy head will never endanger the peace of Algiers!” then he answered: ‘Of course if you should attempt to seize her as she is, most certainly she would squall loud enough to wake the d But you’ve come on no fool’s errand; all has been provided for; see!” And then, with a step as noiseless as the pan- ther stealing in upon its prey, El Tokar stole forward until he reached the side of the slee ing girl; he bent over her as if to assure himse that she was sleeping soundly; and so indeed she was, for the sole heiress of the old house of Cra- ven was in vigorous health—in the full blush and bud of glorious womanhood, and she slept as sleeps the young and honest soul, innocent as yet of this world’s cankering care. Then, with a horrid grin upon his gross and ugly face, the Holy Man produced from a secret pocket a small vial and a piece of sponge, about as big as one’s fist. He removed the stopper from the vial and a strange, subtle perfume floated on the air. Selim and his SS looked on in amaze- ment —— tin with awe. oly Man as El Tokar was, and redolent with the aioe of sanctity, as naturally should cling to the lucky mortal who had made two leg to the tomb of the Prophet at far-off Mecca, yet it was commonly believed that he had some knowledge of the black art, and at a pinch could raise a devil or two from the uttermost fires be- low. And this action of El Tokar, letting loose the stran e, rather impressed the with the idea that something unnatural and unholy was about to take place, and so, ready to retreat upon the first signs of danger to th recious rsons, Selim and his companion withdrew in- the passageway, their heads alone being visi- ble through the parted silken hangings. El Tokar poured the contents of the vial upon the sponge, and then, with a dextrous hand, applied it to the nostrils of the sleeping girl. trong in the full flush of youth, even in her sleep the maiden resisted the strange attack. But, El Tokar was wonderfully strong; he threw himself upon the girl and held her quiet until her senses yielded to the influence of the werful narcotic, and then helpless in every imb she lay erless at the mercy of her foes. From his shoulders the Holy Man stripped the dark cloak he wore and carefully wra it around the maid so as to completely ise her. This ormed, he beckoned for the two roach. Bene fully convinced now that no fiends from the upper air were to figure in the scene, the two men came forward, readily enough. They raised the girl in their strong arms, and, guided by El Tokar, proceeded through the un- prt A woe , not returning as they came but by another winding path which proceed for at least a mile under ground and finally reached the surface of the earth ry in a dense grove, evidently without the walls of Algiers. A trap-door, cunningly covered with earth, concealed the entrance to the passage. ‘Push straight on!” El Tokar commanded; ‘three or four hundred yards will bring you to the edge of pre pk Wait there and I will send your co es with the horse to you.” 4 An rs the Hol oa disappeared in the un- ath, thet way, and the astonish rs with their prize walked forward in the aieeo- tion indicated. CHAPTER XI. ON THE BEACH, | As El Tokar had said, a scant four hundred yards bro ht the y to the ed f ae and then Selim at once recognived the spo The secret passage had carried them under the walls of Algiers, and they were a good mile to the east of the city, close to the beach; in fact, just about alter between the town and the princely palace of the French woman. The sea was in plain sight, for the round, full moon rising slowly, cast a dim light over the scene. On the hill the walls of the Emperor’s Fort looked down grimly upon the scene, while be- hind the grove to the eastward appeared the roof-tops of Algiers. But not on the grim walls of the strong forta- lice on the hill, not on the roof-tops of the city, were the eyes of the trusted renegade of the Frenchwoman fixed. No! his a rested on the sea—on a strange craft which, with all sails set, was gliding over the glassy, shimmering waters. The vessel was standing in to the land, and both the renegade and his companion gazed with astonishment upon her. Well known to them was every Algerine ves- sel, and at the first glance they saw that this craft was a stranger. No peaceful merchantman, judging from the outward signs, and, indeed, s Siait trader would dare, even in the “‘ dead waste and middle of the night,” to venture so near to the nest of the pirates. Halting just at the edge of the grove they —— the girl carefully on a grass hillock, be- ind a thick clump of bushes, and then, seve J through the foliage of the grove, earnestly they watched the movements of the strange craft. A presentiment of danger had fallen upon them; what harm the single vessel could do they knew not, nor could they imagine; still they ap- prehended mischief. And then, as they watched, graceful as the wee, of a sea-bird on the wing, the vessel rounded in its course, showing its broadside to the beach, and at the same moment a boat was dextrously lowered, the ship never losing its eee and commenced to pull stoutly for the shore. Straight for the lurking-place of the abduc- tors the boat headed, and by the aid of the dim light afforded by the moon, the two watchers were enabled to discover that the boat con- tained, besides the six oarsmen, whose muscular powers propelled it, two dark figures, well wrapped in cloaks, the persons who were evi- dently coming on shore. ‘** See!” exclaimed the Greek’s companion, an Algerine, Hafiz by name, ‘‘ they will land quite near tous. Will we not be discovered?” ‘* Very little danger of that,” Selim replied. ‘“‘After they land they will keep to the open ground. hat should bring them into this grove?” ‘True enough; but, what should bring them on shore at all? and what is this strange vessel?” ‘* One question is enough without the other,” Selim replied. ‘ By my hand, I swear the mys- tery is too great for me!” teadily the boat parted the glistening waves, the drops of spray falling from the bows shining like molten silver. At last her bow grated on the sandy beach, and the cloaked men landed on the strand. Although Selim and his companion were quite near enough to the water to distinguish the faces of the strangers, he the two men had so arranged the hoods of the cloaks they wore that it was impossible for the watchers to get a look at their features. ‘* What are they?’ the Algerine exclaimed, in e the ear of the renegade. The sailors could be plainly distinguished, al- though the passengers ed recognition. baff ~- ks, I think,” Selim responded, a little Soeneey, as if he was not quite certain of the act. ‘Are they not Greeks?’ asked Hafiz; his keen eyes had detected some peculiarities about the dress of the strangers which led him to this eS tam “I think not, and t—” Selim paused abruptly. (pk ep ee ermeey ‘* They are dressed like Greeks.” “Yet their heads—such heads, I'll swear, wt sat on Greek shoulders!” he replied, de- cidedly. f The two strangers exchanged a few words with the men in the boat, and then came straight up toward the grove. Hafiz grasped Selim by the arm and drew the long, heavy gee which he carried. “Do not alarmed, and above all avoid hasty action!” Selim cautioned, at the same time drawing bis pistol so as to be ready for action. “They do not know that we are here—why should they suspect that any one besides them- selves should be abroad at such an hour as this? We must keep perfectly quiet; they will pass us by and go an Their way; and if they discover us, there are but two of them against us two, for the boat has put to sea again and is pulling for the ship as fast as possible; we shall have the advantage, even if we are discovered, for our weapons are out.” ‘‘'That’s true,” the other muttered, and then they both crouched down close to the ground. The strangers came straight on, evidently in- tending to enter the thicket at a point not ten feet from where the Greek renegade and his companion with the captive girl were con- cealed. Selim chuckled in his sleeve and nudged his companion as the two unknowns walked right by them and their tall figures disappeared amid _ the dark shadows of the trees. It was plain that the strangers had no sus- picion that any one was concealed within the wood, Fate seemed resolved that the beautiful English girl should be the prey of the jealous Frenchwoman’s passions, and the two abduct- ors felt perfectly secure against the chances of ill-fortune. But, neither Selim nor his companion knew a of the subtle drug which the Holy Man had used to insnare the senses of the sleeping girl, and as the wily El Tokar had neglected to inform them that, in time, she would recover from the effects of it, and that they must keep their eyes upon her, he supposing that they would naturally do so; therefore, they had not the slightest suspicion that little by little she had been recovering from the por into which her senses had been plunged by the use of the powerful drug, and that, awakening to a consciousness of what was passing around her, she had been shrewd enough to remain per- fectly quiet and so conceal the fact from the renegade and his companion. Wonderful self-possession had the English 1 and a strong and resolute will; and so ying perfectly still, listening to the muttered conversation of the two abductors, she formeda plan of escape. She waited until the two strangers were fair- ly within the wood; then she sprung suddenly to her feet, and with a shrill cry for help ran rapidly in the direction from whence came the sound of their footsteps. Who and what the strangers were she knew not, more than what she had gathered from the disjointed remarks which had fallen from the < * of her two captors, but she had faith that, whoever they were, they could not be any. worse than the two men into whose hands she had fallen. For a moment Selim and the Algerine were taken utterly by surprise, for the sudden action on the part of the girl was entirely unexpected by them; but then, realizing that a desperate effort must be made to recapture the maid, they sprung to their feet and dashed after her. e two strangers halted at the shrill cry on the moment; then, alarmed by the noise of the abductors rushing through the bushes, and be- lieving that an ambuseade was at hand, rushed from the wood back into the open space, draw- ing their weapons as they ran. e girl, guided by the sound of their foot- steps, followed, and the Greek renegade and the Algerine came close behind. n the open a midway between the sea and the wood, the disguised men halted and turned about, prepared to give battle. The girl rushed to them and fell exhausted at their feet. ‘Save me! for the love of Heaven, save me!” she cried. An exclamation of astonishment came from the lips of the taller of the two as his eyes fell Bar the girl; it appeared asif he had recognized er. Weapons in hand the renegade and his com- nion had burst from the wood, but, upon be- holding the strangers prepared to receive them, they halted. In truth it did not seem wise for the two to rush upon the leveled weapons of the unknowns. The t’s crew, too, which had been pulling lustily away from the shore, were at once at- tracted by the strange scene transpiring upon the strand, and, laying upon their oars, gave earnest heed, ready to return and take a baled in the fray if there was need of their services. Brave men were the trusty servitors of the Frenchwoman but no idiots to rush to certain death. They hesitated to advance. They were two to two, now, but if the boat’s crew returned the odds would be overwhelm- ing. JOO (COLUM <S Ld (E@)