"Translation."

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 124, 29 May 1886, Page 3

"Translation."

'• To his Excellency the high and mighty Sahib Borisford—whom may the gods protect from a'l harm—l, the humble and unworthy Pendah Sahab, do lie on my face before him, and throwing dust on my head. I make this greeting: "The Sahib Berisford has destroyed many of my paoplß. the Thugs, in open war, which is not the way of sacrificing men to the dread god whom we worship; but the.great Sahib made me prisoner, and when I placed my neuk under his feet and told him to slay me. he lifted me up, Baying: "' It is not the habit of my race to strike those who are dowD, or those who are unarmed. Go back to your wife and children, but bear in mind I BhaU kill them and kill you if again any of my peoDle are murdered by the Thugs' " The Sahib gave me my life, and hcnc forth gratitude will make me his slave. "If I ownod all lhe wealth beneath the sun, it would be too small to repay tbe Sahib for the kinane?B he has done to me. But I sand him that which of all my acquired possessions I value moat, namely, the twin dagger once worn in the girdle of the goddess Siva, at Benares. " And this, O, Sahib, is the hi3tory of the twin daggers which of old were made for Siva, the Destroyer. Two only were fashioned, and then the artisan who made them was nut to death, that he migfrt never make a third kreeso like unto those two. " When the Sepoys from tbe North deat-oyed the temple of Biva. they carried off the daggers in boxes, which of old held the diamonds of the beauteous Viahnu. "So long as the daggers were together, Death came to those who held them as well as to those who were struck, and co it camo about that the plunderers of the temple of the Deb troy er were thomselves destroyed. "The Thujre, O, Sabib, are the sons of the destroyer. They came upon the remnant of tbe raorilegions Sepoys and tbe rest of them di> d. Only one of the boxes containing a dagger was found ; it is that which I send you. "For many centuries my forefathers have owned it, passing it down to tho eldest sor, bnt I havn no sons. Alas! they are all slain. So to you, the first white man who has shown the first kindness to a Thuor. I bequeath the remaining dagger of Siva—its mate is lost. " Touch it not with sour fingers, or it will bring death and ruin. Keep it ooncealed in the mystio casket, and long years of happiness will "Thiaiatho kreese of life—the other Is the kreese of death, fo I counsel yon to seek it not. •• Press not the eyes of the serpent, lest its fangs pierce thy hand. " I have said and done all this from my heart, and I Close, O, Sahib, with wishing; you all joy. "Pbndah Sabab."

"That is certainly very curious," said Clarence, as he held the brown paper in hia hand and looked at the glittering eyes of the serpent ia the handle of the kreese, as if fascinated.

We are all more or less superstitious, but there was as little of it in Clarence Ashworth's nature as in that of any living man ; yet the odour of the box, the letter, and above all, the beautiful, cruel blade, with the crimson stain on the polwhed side, appealed bo powerfully to his imagination that he felt that all that he read was true. He had some knowledge of Sanwrit, but

he did not attempt to decipher tn'e'iUuminated parchment he found enveloped by the papefhe had read. With a feeling of awe which he could neither resist nor account for, Clarence replaced everythin'g4 as be had found it, and let down the lid of the box, which locked with a spring. He undressed mechanically, and lay down after having put out the light. It was a beautiful moonlight night, with a mountain breeze stirribg_ that swayed the branches of the trees outside the windows,causittg the shadows of the leaves and twigs to fly up and down, and about the gauzy curtains liko a fairy shadow dance. The whistling of the wind in the wide, Open chimney across the room from the bed enchanced the weird effect of the young mans* surroundings, and played upon his excited nerVee1. ..'•«," ~ Young and strong, be Had never before been troubled with sleeplessness ; but now he in vain resorted to all the devices he had ever heard of for producing sleep,- but all to "T'have heard of old castles having haunted rooms," said Clarence aloud, as if explaining. " I am inclined to think that Berieford Manor is equipped in the some i He smiled at the conceit, and turning his ifaCS to the wall, he closed his eyes with :much'fe"3ofetion, ac if fully determined to make a success 6i this attempt. t His persistency was abbot to bo rewarded, for he was dropping off info » doze, when he was called back to consciousness by a icold puff of wind across" his face, and the i ru-tling of the curtains about his bed. He reasoned that the wind had forced open one of the doors, and he turned for the purpose of getting up arid closing it, when he became awsre'of another presence in the room, and drew back/ : Fearless and strong taough Clarence Ash worth was, a cold- shudder passed over him now, and he could hear his own heart j throbbing on at a great rate. ! Secreted behind the curtain, he was able, P without exposing himself,- to look about the The box, (kit held the strange dagger . stood in a dark corner' of the room; but there was sufficientlightforC&reftee todfstinguiah a tall figure in white, standing witfc-its back to him. , " Some one sleep-walking, he reasoned. He listened as he watched, and he heard . the turning of a key in a lock. 1 An instant more and he caught sight of a ''■ something that swept above the figure's head with a pale-green flash " It is the dagger 6f Siva," said Clarence, under his breath.

lie had thought about leaping out of bed, and rousing the figure into wakefulness, for. he reasoned that this was a somnambulist, but at sight of the fatal weapon he changed his mind, and prepared to make a shield of the bed-covers.

He would have been either less or more than a man if he had not now been thoroughly alarmed. For his own defence he watched the figure, but he could not make out the face; and as he watched he heard the box snap as the lid fell down. Then the curtains rustled again about the bed, and the figure in white was • gone.

(To be Continued.)