DOCTOR JACK.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 110, 9 May 1895, Page 6

DOCTOR JACK.

BTST.GEOIiOE RATHBOIISriS.

BOOK FOUR

THE MEETING IN CON- ."■• STANTINOPLE. • -. •

CHAPTER XIX.

!' STAMfiptri;, the Magnificent. ■; . Tnysfoi are no tjecrots between the devoted qaartbtce now-~even Madame Sophie is interested 'in effecting bhe release of Aleck ■ ■ ' Morton, Her favourite nephew,' so Dr.. Jack '■■■'■■• chows them- the note, and they laugh voyer, --the' lovely '■ : situation —the-Turk 'tindjs; bimaelf In this early spring morning. How, ho.jinusb fume and fret at. the Seb'ention jusb at this timo^when time ii(,of bo much .value.to him, Perhapsa glimmer of the truth may creep into his i>rain, and if so his state of mind will certainly he anything but improved by the. cmisciouineis {h"ab his cralty onemy has outwitted bim again. • Whab is our course?' asks Larry, who has fallen back upon bhe cushions, and seems to; be taking life easy—indeed, the little ia&ti oW a way of doing this quite his own. ';,Wo:Shall take the most direct line now .open—that there has been ,an,unfortunate series of acdidents'happening that "temporarily closes several routes. To reach Vienna and then Buda-Peslh, w9 "inusfc ' pass through' Baden "and , other portions of Germany., Waib, I wilt'fry; and mark pur" course on this guide-book' I Diap.' ' '■■''■'■/' I So Jaok busies himself, while Avis leans ; over bia sKouiaer looking Sn offering euggestions now and then. A very, pretty pigfcfiro, Larrv thinks, aa he watches them ' tn'rotip his half-closed eyes, and ib would bei a/shamei for1 any man to evor come between two who seem to be so mutually Smitten—do he nobly reaolvea to give up fats 6wn chances "in1 the affair, and let Jack have a clear field—a resolution which does him credit under bhe circumstances, seeing that he has'three" times asked Avis to have ,him,,and on each occasion sent the New y^rk'gifl off into a spasta of laughing, for which she has always apologized, though ■ declining to enter into any partnership &friiiiffem"ertb with a cousin. •"'■' Jl^ey are making good time, and before 'the #ay ends sbop ati a station on the border, wherei a cusboms official makes a pf^t^hde of searching their luggage, receives Ms tip, glances, ab their paseports, and they are free to enter Germany.^ * ft is long after darknessa sets in fchab (hey crcfaß the historic Bhiiie, and feel they ' • ire id: the heart of the German empire. ■#ow irid'then the gentlemen step out ab -.'. tip" st&tipna to stretch their limbs and Ittioke. The nighb passes, away. Once tti<M aeoms a long delay, and Jack fears lesb this, the last mebhod'bf reaching Vienna, ihay. be closed bo therii, as the_re has been an accident ahead. In case it; is a landelido!, that tnay be hours and days in being cleared tip, he soon makes up bis mind whab bhey will do. . ' 'In Europe money Will accomplish wonders, oven as in' bur own counbry, and ) in the mornifig.they may find d conveyance of some sort that will take them beyond the obstruction, where they can find a train. "ia' :> :- ;-■•'- ■ * iSbpuld thiafailygne more course remains —to.pasa^lown^thro^Kt tho St. Gobhard 13^'Adriaticrand- there-taking a steamer for Jack, lays his plans and, goes to steep— he is awakened by a jarring motion* and finds that they aro en the move again. Good* only an hour or so has been loab. . 'Morning finds them at Munich, and if all goes well they should reach Vienna some time before the eun goes down in the west. Breakfast is eaten hero, time being given the travellers. Avis looks a little 3aded, ' bub she seems to stand the rack of travel eupon a Continental railway wonderfully ' 'well Jack thinks, as he helps her back into tM carriage. Again they are off, over tb6 Inn River, and. along its bank, until finally another official appears. Ib is at Simbach, and they, are now on the border Of Austrian territory. Travellers in Europe grow accustomed to those tlunga, ~»~s bub bhey are a terrible nuisance, and we never realise whati this business is like in the States until \ve have a yellow fever epidemic'like the one ab Jacksonville, Florida, iri'the cummer of 1888. 1 " Vienna'ab last, and all well. They are otili&ea to remain -over nighb in bhe Austriaft capital. AS th^re ia no train until morning. True, they mighb take one of the boats down the Danube, bub this would foe slow work" Indeed. f ■■' '.; _ _ ~ • Whoro shall we go?' asks Aunt Sophie, ss they roll into the stabioni and see the omnibuses and cabs waiting in line jusb as ift Now York; _- --" 'There is only one hotel, here bo my tnind. That ia called the Engliscber Hof, d'ecl&resJack* y'" '.\ ";. . ... , ''■]'.■ • Ah, yon have been here before,' cries ; Avi9,j',we shall benefit by your knowledge.' ; - - -: "■' ■ ' And they do. ... . , • Jack secures whab information he desires tff. begin with, engages a carriage, .and in >a s^birb time they have"entered the city, and are v- in. tho pleasant rooms o f the hotel. ijve\iing is near'ab hand, bub after enioyit)* tl»^ luiury o!'.a little fresh water, tho pvrty start) bub to vie*1 the crowds on 1 ifte RJ.ng»trftßse near by. _ _* Ond ban spend mosb of his time in Vienna on tho streets or in the cafes—it is amusing 51 to study the characters to be mebupon the streets o.f the great :City ; ,-.for Austria- is made up-of ft dozen-sma!! nationahtjes, from Hungarians and Germans to Poles and Serviane. „ ~ . , They mig.hb'ab any other time have gone toihb^Tpetft1 in the evetiing, for Vienna is a second! Parifci,. and, her .inhabitants must always 1 bave-iiumorous amusements going ~ on— eacli Ptrsisae, '■■'•■ eapecially if a boulevard seems to\ be .thton^ed all day lonp— music sounds from every qnarter, and one eoo'n fretsTfln idßa.,bh" at the Viennese are a lively people, arid the city one "of the finest ,-; ih-Europen X■,■;■::■;/^. ■■■;;> ..;i.i,i ,:.' ..■ In tlie morn'Jng they leave Vienna, and ■■■■ once more thei^'ctiuYee -is south-east. A tone-journey still: lies before thorn, and at tho end of iti-la %t. Turkish ciby.whore they expect to find "the prisoner of Abdal- ' lafrfaeha: ■;• '"• ■ •■;■; ~ • Buda-Posth is reachedN)jr noon," and to their Rurprise they find a inagnificenb city on both Bides'".of the Danube, connected by a splendid bridge. Buila being on one shore and Pesth on the other. >, v > During tlie afternoon they pas 3 neav the bordor of Servia, bufc.night-still finds theijti ; \ in Austria. Another examination of passes 1 \__t,hi« lime is ia by t)\& Turkish^officials sure w*i)U2h. r'They risJtke Blow progress now, f'nr •> ii'^ifc"'"l-' express in Turkey would be pu^V^VWoveliy t'ha?) the Sultsn's people m'itjHtt-^Wo'trom fright. •The ■,vu>:W°rae jouyney draws near an find! iinfi VitlVthe monijng.they find'them?eiv»s etosw -to ktnoißiSoaJ.,. Great inroads '. iiuvti•'-b'ertt mdde'in the ,oJd-timo^habUs^p|. : the Turks? hy tl>« RrbtjresaVJofe. cmliisalnjn' nb^iiiJ-feiistvva^.'-^^^dyeTib^f the rajlrfi»ii liiis ch"aii«etl m^.py; 6j their custpmsy: *v.\ -nirrtj of tho-mo-t ■j.itelligevifi among the '■'■ t IHo.^U^^oujd-f^Vow'aQ-or the^ays of'their 1 l.\ o-i-rn iisiahbours if tto mass of peoples . -fm'rvcfuitll^-the TorkJis .bei^&.pushed out h*t, forrpinf? a coalition,'wilisput a ..fi.ti.in between Austria and the Black Sea. ■■••■'■■.■■ . ■ •„'.■ ■ . \ - m

Some day there will be an upheaval, and Mr Turk will cross the Bosphoruß in a hurry, to return no more, when Constantinople, taken originally by force, will reverb to new owners. The Turk is nothing j if not philosophical, and when this dreadful day of disaster comeß he will probably say, resignedly : 'Kismet! Allah is Allah, and Mohatnmed is his prophet." ■' ■ • -: ' At a quarter to ten Jack calls their attention to a sight that inspires them into- a burst ot enthusiasm.1 The sun. has climbed half,way up in the heavens, and as they chance to be upon an elevation where they can see the blue waters of the Bosphorus, before their vision comes a glimpse of Constantinople. Never, while they live, will they forget thab first view of the Oriental city. It seems like the phantasy of a dream, "with the golden sunlighb flashing from numerous domes and minarets, marlsingithe moaquea, of < which there are several hundred in Stamboul—as the natives call the city. ;;■•/ "■ Soon the train reaches the station. Jack having been here before, knows the ropes, and pilots Mb party by means of what seems to be an underground railway into the city proper. •" ;•* -'• ■- ' - '■ '\ . Bere they emerge, andiind themselves in Stamboul — around them aro the thousand and one strange sights that greet the traveller in Turkey to-day. ■" Jack takes them to a house—here he finds an old friend with whom Aleck and himself lodged ontbe former occasion: and who now receives him warmly. ■ Hoteis are alinoso an unknown luxury in Turkey, and whab innß there 4 are, European visitors avoid as a general thinjj, seeking some private house to which they have been referred by friends who have been here before. , Avis .watches Jack closely—she realizes that everything depends on him, and does not desire to dive'rbhis mind -from the business on hand. She believes he will succeed, bub the position is grave, and nothing must occur to annoy him. • : As for Larry, he is in for seeing the sights, and wibhoub any loss of-time ■ proceeds .to bako them in, wandering about the crooked streets under the care of a man he has engaged, whose ordinary business is that of a hamal, or porter, but who nevertheless makes a good guide. One can spend weeks in Sbamboul sightseeing — the moeqaes, almosb always crowded, are a daily spectacle—then there are other things upon the streets to attract attention, Buch as the bazaars, with their glass roofs, where the Turkish tradesmen offer for sale the strangest things one can imagine — where are crowded in their stalls, elbow to elbow, men who carry 'on every business known to theOrienb, and the display of goods is so varied, ranging from the jeweller and seller of henna, down to the maker of the national headgear, the fez, thab one can easily imagine himself in an enchanted liind. ■■ ■■> , ... • ■ . Yes, Constantinople is a splendid lounging place to pass away a month—no weights can bo seen every day, and one doea nob even grow weary of the old ones. Jack Evans has not come here for such a purpose, however—no man has a greater weight on his mind than he. Somehow be has reached the conclusion thab is own fate depends upon his success in this game—that if he saves Aleck ho wins his sister, and indeed, remembering the desperate nature of the work before him, it is nob out of the way to believe that lie musb rescue Aleck or lose his own life in the attempt. Having seen the ladies safe in the house, Jack gives them a few directions, and then sets out to make arrangements. tyosb tourißbs when visiting the Turkish capibal lodge at Pera, on bhe outskirts, where the English and American people congregate, and where the^ copsulates are- generally located, but Jack jJrefera to be'in the city. itself,"wßere he can hear the belU-on Sty Sophia call bhe Moslem" to prayer, or the loud voice pf the muezzin upon the minaret chanting the adan at sunrise—memories thab never leave the mind in labor years. | , He haa another motive... If tho pasha reaches Stamboul before bhe grand finale of the game, be will look for his enemy In Pera or Galata, the fashionable suburbs of the old city, where, of course, he will nob find bim. • The detective force of Constantinople is hardly equal to that of Paris—when a man desires to hide himself in the former city he can easily do so, and it will only be by accident that his whereabouts maybecome known. So Jack believes himself secure. He purchases a reel fez the first thing, and adopting this renders himself loss conspicuous, for many of the Turks have come to wearing just such garments as Frenchmen —they cannot quite go the-usually loud costume of bhe average English tourist. Ib may be set down for granted that Jack has his hands full, but he is feeling like a fighting cock, and was never bebter in his life, so if he fails ho cannob offer as an excuse thab he was not in condition. Two days and nights—that is the moat he can count on ere Abdallah Pasha turn 3 up—perhaps even now the Turk is on the way, driving fast as an European train can take him for the city on the Bosphorus, eager to thwarb the schemea of his shrewd Yankee enemy. Jack's firsb desire is to find this ont— there is a telegraph line to Paris, and he seeks the Hotel de Londres, in Pera, where he sands a message to the prefect of police, carefully worded, and desires an answer. Then, knowing thab ib will be some hours before he can receive his reply, he asks-the operator, a Frenchman, to hold ib for him, after which he saunters away. The Turks are accustomed to seeing Franks in all places, and derive much inO.ome from them, so that they pay no attention to them So long as they saunter about. • Hence Jack is too wine to rush along, no matter What eagerness he may be restraining, but makes up for this by persistence, so that he gets there all the same. Leaving Pora, he makes inquiries; and finally enters the shop of an armourer in a bazaar. Tho man looks ab him closely, give 9 a cry of 'Allah is great J it is, my master,' and kisses his hand impulsively. This Turk is a man whom Doctor Jacik has made his slave—when here, before, circumstances allowed, hjm to do Achmed_ a great favour, and the man fairly worships the ground he.walks on. jack needs him now—he tells him whab the risk is, bub the man shrugs his shoulders. His life would have been taken before but for Jack; and he is quite willing to jeopardise ib now, if by so doing lie may prove his gratitude. ~, ; ... Such words f)leaße the American, and he knows Acbmed means ib, too. .He will do I whatever .he is told, to the beeb of bis ability. .: . ~ „ Jack becomea more positive in : his belief that if Aleck is alive they will save him. Ho i 3 very dogged in his way,-and ha/ring set his course* will sail it until, the mast is blown out, before changing. ~ . -'. # Ho gives .the. Turkish armourer certain work to do, and declareß thab he will return to the shop to hear his report at dusk, Achmed knows where Abdallah.Pasha has hia residence—jusb oub?ide of the, great city, and overlooking the blue Bosphorus— one of the loveliest sites the human mind could,cbriteive. His grounds are noted- for their Certain . European | friends ; 6f the x paßha, who have travelled a j greab deal, hWe seen and admired, the j '•■ p'aTbce "and \ts surroundings, bub none of I them have, with tho owner's consent, ever ! set eyes on tlieintertor of the harem or the seraglio, where t!hp beautiful houris of the | • Orienb pnss their life^of luxury. ;• ix, Achmed has a harct\task before him, but" •;|.l»^-JB;;rapre than ordinarily NihrevW. far a 3J(T«rk. It was from him^Jac^ot hia hint 3,U)athis friend-Alefck ihad'-ijobi'-bfe^n'killed; i , bufc was a prisoner ;in the. Turk'sNpalace, x I and i<s is now senb oub, well supplied with ,rmoney» to ascertain bhe exact truth.

As for Docbor Jaok himself, he hies away to the wabor fronb. Hia idea is to buy a fasb boab of some sort, and have ib in readiness for immediate flight. , There are a number of.men-of-war at) bhe Golden Horn, and among obhers Jack sees one bearing the Stars and Stripes. What a thrill the eight of the dear old flag, gives him. If ha could only rescue Aleck, and all ot them geb under the shelter of that flag, they would be safe; bub he knows bhe commander would nob dare shelter them after they have entered a Turkish palace and defied the power of a pasha, sp he makes up his mind to depend Only on himself. .Making inquiries be finds a vessel for sale, and discovers -she is an English yacht, small in build, but well manned. He meets the owner on board, have a private talk, and'in half an hour the Thistledown is his. The crew greet their new master, and Jack is in charge. He has a talk with the captain, and examines the interior■"oPsthe yacht, making some suggestions regarding the hold, where a fine hiding-place can bo made between two bulkheads, i '>. •

i Having given explicit orderß, Docbor Jack again lands. Ib is long past high noon, and ho has done remarkably well for bhe few. hours he has been ab work.

Something to eat is easily obtained aba cafe, and Jack is enough of a Turk to know whab is besb, so that he fares well where a sbranger mighb almoßb starve. . : i After this is'over he again seeks the hotel in thePera suburb/eager to see whab tho news may be from -Paris. A despatch is waiting him—it is brief and bo the point. 'He lefb Paris on the night of the fourth.' Jack calculates quickly, consulbs bis redcovered vade mecum, which gives the arrival and departure of trains. Unless the pasha is detained on the way, he will arrive at Stamboul some time early on the second night, but Jack has never known a train to be on time here, and he counts on having both nights enbirely. This ia as much as he' expected; The work is before them, »nd they must make haste. He hurries to bhe shop of Achmed. Thab worthy is nob in, and he has bo waib. Ab dusk he sees bhe armorer coming through the crowd. Already the smoking oil lamps have been lighted in many of the booths, giving the scene an additional weird aspecb as the dark faces and manycoloured garments of the groups are seen under the yellow glow of these illuminabing agents. , ■•' -, . - , • ■'■ \ Jack cannob bub notice those things even while his mind is engrossed with the business in hand, forthe is something of an artist in his way, and always grasps bhe picturesque. ' '; < '. Achmed makes an obeisance as he cornea in—his veneration for tho American is great. Asia his usual custom, Jack proceods to gob the facts from him immediately. l He learns that the Turk has been in the palace of.the. Pasha, bribed one of the servitors, and even looked upon Aleck Morton in his prison. This he describes to Jack aa a dungeon beneath the ground, where Aleck has been kept all these weeks and months. His garments are in batters, his face bhin, bub bis Yankee spirit unbroken. ■ ;•:-•" • » '■ •;■

Twice he has attempted to escape, and came near doing it, but the vigilance of the guard prevented him. There is a grating of iron covering an air hole that lets a ray of light into the dark dungeon during the day time. Could Achmed lead him to ib after nightfall? The faithful Turk prostrates himself and declares it is possible. Jack asks more questions, makes an appointmenb, and hurries-away. - Ho hies himself to the home of the American minister—ibis possible that this gentleman may interfere and save Aleck, for no matter whab hie offence has been, ho is an American citizen, and to the protection of Jits flag. , , " The fates.areagoinst him. He finds thab the minister, together with tho British am-, bassador, has gone off for a cruise on a new vessel thab has jusb been built for the antiquated Turkish navy. '. ,' « • When will ho bo back ?',, ■ •With rare good luck, if the engines do nob break down in a day or bo, bub,' with a Bhrug, ' we always allow for accidents in Stamboul.' .

Just so, and this sets Doctor Jack back a peg or two in hie calculations. He remembers, the Quinnebaug, tbe old sbylo American man-of war, then in porb, and wonders if her captain dares to assist him, shakes his head, grinds his teeth together, and says, emphatically : 1 Before I could seb the wheels going he would be bore—no, I see very plainly this good arm alone stands between Aleck and death.' , [To he Continued.)