DR. JACK'S TALISMAN.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 138, 10 June 1905, Page 14

DR. JACK'S TALISMAN.

j By ST. GEORGE RATHBORNE, Author of "My Hildegarde." "The Spider'e Web, 1, "A Cbase for * Btide," j . "Dr. Jack," "Bewn in Dixie," etc, etc. j +.» I

j CHAPTER XVIII. I TITE COMING OF THE PHILISTINES. Larry uttered a cry of dismay when this tableaux so suddenly burst upon them : but his words of alarm were swallowed, lip in the roar of delight with which the trouble-seeking Texan greeted this glorious opportunity to spread himself. Dr. Jack did not experience any pleasure in the anticipated conflict. He had been ever ready to stand up and take his shjin-' of whatever the fates chose to se_nd in times past, hut that was when ha was alone. Now liis anxiety concerning his ; beloved wife made him reluctant u> engage in battle, especially while sho must lx' exposed id its terrors. Still, lie was a man who had never been known lo shirk, ami since the issue j asemed forced upon them they must meet I it like Americans. j One tiing of his sturdy arm. and Avis ' was crouching bshind the stonea, with j her husband's figure standing before her like, v human Gibraltar.. The wild Araos came praneiug on as though they anticipated an easy vic-j • tory. j Possibly they had often terrorised J parties of timid tourists, and had no i idea that resistance would be offered. ! Thai was because they had never ran I across such men as -)ack Evans and his friends, who strenuously objected to being held up by the scum of the desert. They had be-gnn to screech a'bit themI solves, whereupon Kirke though! it bpst ( lo iioase his wild Western war cries and i husband hi* strength for the business ; in hand. When it came to noise, he I knew the folly of trying to outdo these Bc'hmins with their shrill voices. •lack made ext ravagnnt gestures, earring the fpllows back —not that he had the slightest, idea they would pay ! any attention to Lim. but in view of what lay in store lu> considered it his duty to go through the motions, after which their blood must be on their own heads. Wrll, it did nut have any effect, save to Increase the whonping. for these rascals thoroughly enjoyed the prospective demoralisation which they presumed would follow their appearance on-the si-mi c. ami were quite disposed to make t'if most of the frolic. They had a divngerom appearance, too. which prevented -tack from interfering when Kirke. unable to restrain the Hatnn in his veins longer, started \o open the ball with a plunging shot from his "vriu-kor-jaek." as he was wont to term the revolver which he had carried through liis arduous iampai<rns out I West. That ancient tomb had doubtless looked upon many a weird rercmoni.il in the ilrus lung since gone. but. never anything that enuld compare with what was now transpiring within its walls. The rattle of firearms* added to the clamour of human voices running the gamut of fear, fury, ami pain, made i> ciiorii* Hard to beat. Our friends, standing back to back., gave a good account of themselves, and no bit of lea<l went from their hands without finding it- billet; so that there was a grand can-ran dance amftng the barelegged pons of the desert, in wS*fh each strii-kon wretch endeavoured to outdo his fellows. • lack was not easy in Ins mind. Hβ jaw I hat there did nol appear to be r>ny sign of demoralisation among the (unatif*. and remembered that ir has ever been the crowning glory of Mohammedans (that they do not know how to give way: for a precious tenet in tbeir religion teaches that the man who falls in bottle for the right gDes straight lo Paradise, to repose in the bosom of the Propher. Jirnee they have ever fought i like fearing naught. While the enemy disdained to scatter in flight, the weapons of himself ami comrades muse speedily be exhausted. What would happen then was not pleasant to enntemplate. U seemed like the irony of fate that they should have passed thro-j<;h the many dangers of the days gone by to meet despair in this. land of ' the lotos eaters. It was enoueh to j make a convert to predestination when j a man. in seeking to avoid perils, anj to enjoy himself in r!vean:y content, rushes madly to his doom. ' At least, their shots, however efiicipnt is a method of increasing the. uproar i through uie;jns of agonising shouts, did j ' not appe.nr to keep the surging (-rowel j ! back: for there were many who' hod no j wounds, and the*.-' sepmorl filled with I 1 the desire to lay hands on the person--, i ! of the foreigners: not in tb<> benign!' •pirit of healing, but u> do them injury, i 1 A hnnd-to-haiid struggle with a pack! 1 3f haif-savage fanatics was not a vrrv i llluring |iro<.-p»ef. but i; could not be; 1 wrrtPd in any manner that -lack was i ' lble to see, for now the Arabs had ' ' louncdl upon them and were enger to J ■ut the unbelievers down. j ! Kirltp met the first warrior o( the j i lesovt on the jump, and despatched him i c vhh a iiratne.~.s and celerity th:tt set a ! ' 'liannmg example the others of the trio! l night well pattern after. { ' What followed was ; i confused jumble i , n the mind of Dr. Evans. He felt sure . ;heir time had come, am] the agony j hat wrung his heart was solely on ; J iccnunt of -Avis, who stiJl crouched be- ' lind that rock, her horror-dilated eyes j 1 aking in the desperate scene. What would become of her? ! g (Hi. God! it was maddening to even ' v hink of il! Hr fought like a crazy £ nan, knocking the ruffians to the right \i ijjil to the left, as though gifted with v he strength -of a legion; yet they came <, t him time and again, indefatigable, n indisniayed. spurred on by religious P eal. togcLber with the promise of a \ at reward in case of success. I Surely the tomb of a Pharaoh hart ' p iever Ijcfore been the scene of so t txanjte an orgie. ; c Larry and the Texan were both do- j\ ng their best to reduce the number of n he. assailants, and Kirke. in particular, o on«jht as a man of dauntless heart to \\ liiom physical contest was a delight, or he raged up and flown the lb;e. d triking io.rror to the hearts of thuse t! rho t-fttue in his way. Yet behind him n !•■■', waves of the heaving sea closed in & gain, showing no sign of his cleavage. <! Apparently Kirke. long held in leash, li .onld find the flood too much for even p is amazing vitality. j 0 Dr. Ja-ck realised that the end was a E cad certainty, -with so vast a number itted against theni. -« Yet he still fought a good fight, c< no-wing -whose eye? were upon him. a 'recently t,b<" tjjne came when, exhaust-, h A. panting for. biißat.h. and without a \

weapon in his hand*, he found himself unable to even grapple with a desperate wretch who flourished a greedy 1 blade above his. head, and vrhosc gliti tering eyes glared into his own with . all the. malevolent hatred inspired by religious bigotry. l i He even fancied his hour had came, l Long had he held the grim monster j off. when, upon other occasions, he had felt the hot. breath upon his cheek; ) bur now a temporary blackness came I before his vision, inspired, no doubt, by • the superhuman efforts he had made. i' He instinctively threw up an arm I wearily, as if to ward off the deadly I blow. -Something struck him ever so 'jjrcutJy. something that fell to the ground with a clatter as of steel forged :in a Damascus tire. and. looking through (he mist, lie saw the fellow a|)iuning around like a drunken man or j a dancing dervish. What miracle had been wrought? Mad a bolt of lightning from on high descended through the mountain and stricken tJie desperado it could not have surprised Evans more. And yet there was really no mystery ! about it at all, as be speedily realised j when his eyes instinctively turned toward the spot where his devoted wife 'crouched. Her face vras ghastly white, and her blue eyes sparkied like twin Mars through the puff of powder smoke fliaf floated lazily upward — and Dr. Jack had taught her "how to shoot! had saved liLs life, though it might he but warding off the inevitable n little longer. •lus!, then there .seemed (o be a rush all around, aud from every quarter he found the bodies of Arabs thrust again** hi? own lignre until it became utterly impossible to raise even a hand in defence. Dr. .luck accepted the situation as philosophic-ally us possible. He shouted out words that told of surrender, and which were, well known to every man around him. They had .<epn what ;i gallant fight he had put up. and by ihis he had won their respect for the time being, at least: so that loud cries of satisfaction greeted this , sijxn of yielding. Tim storm was followed by n enhn. yet in its way the scene presented juist ;;s dramatic as when the fight raged at it> height.* Order began to come out of L-haos: the wounded : were thrust aside to h»ve their hurts attended to. and the prisoners placed under guard—prisoners-, becausp Lurry had given up when he saw that his loader continued the mad struggle no longer: and as for that hurricane from tip prairies, :it Juek*« earnest soiieitaj lion he had deigned to nail a halt upon his extraordinary efforts to depopulate • poor old Egypt, and willingly shared the fortunes of his chief. What was , lit for Dr. .I,ick should be good enough for him, he declared. i .So the four of them were in the hands j of the enemy. Kirke told himself ho felt a thousand

per com. better. H o was wounded in n few places, but none of thp cuts were of a serious nature, though possibly they served 10 rid him of a fair portion of thai ferocious "wolf blood*' of which he so frequently spoke. Dr. Jack had shown wisdom in giving up when the game was hopeles*. As i< prisoner lie hud at least, a show, while a dead hero is of no mortal use to the wife he would serve. He viewed I lie swarming Arabs eagerly, for they held r.-ol only his fate in their hands, but that of one lie held most dear. They seemed to eomtst of two diverse elements, one committed to des]>er;ite deeds, while the other believed in diplomacy, being doubtless worshippers of Mammon.-and acquainted with Dip purchasing qualities of ransom money. Jack anticipated the coming of one whom he had known, and mildly speculated as to what would happen to them when Abdallnh Pasha came to town. Would money move the Turk? Had fortune played fast and loose with him of late, >o that he would subordinate revenue to the replenishment of his exchequer? A faint hope struggled '« the breast of the sturdy American. Money he had an abundance of. and whilp it would not just suit his ideas concerning the eternal fitness of things to buy his liberty, yet was- Avis ever in hi? miod. and for her sake he stood ready to do what ?ie might have indignantly spurned if left to himself. She had crept out. from her hiding place, and was clinging to his sid?. in low lones asking whether he had receiver! any wounds, and smiling tip into his fact; so very bravely, poor girl, thtii he Mdc her p/uek up courage. Thp. future locked dark enough. Heaven knew; but. then, they had seen hard time* together more than once, and knew how to keep up heart. At any rate, there was a.v immediate movement toward the open air, as if even thp Arabs had no especial liking for th. ; s dreary tomb, and our friends rejoiewl thfreat, being desirous of imbibing more oxygen, aiid less dust, even though it injgbt corae from the bones of royalty. Tt was a noisy and tumultuous scene that Dr. Jack gazed upon when they had issued forth. The night had indeed fallen, and darkness brooded over the land, though in the east along the horizon lay a strip of broadening light that bespoke the early appearance of the -moon. A lire of palm branches and lentil stalks had been kindled near by. around which a number of half-naked Arabs gathered, making coffee. -lack hardly knew whether to be indignant or iimuWd when he recognised their treacherous ! guides among them: and ended by demanding that some refreshment be servpd himself and friends, since they were in need of it. It was a pir-turesque scene, though perhaps our friends were not in a position to fully appreciate it. The glowing j -oals lighted up the. bared shins of the j Arabs, their swarthy faces, flowing garment.-, white turbans and :\\m. Later mi Avi* might recall it all with pleasure, ivben time had softened its harshness. I Perhaps the very manner of Jack's ad- ! lreseinp them had some influence upon heir captor.-. Hi< magnetism was altvays .strong, lor there seemed to be j ininething in his voice that instinctively i lemnnded ol«cdirnce. At any rate, the j little party of prisoners hiid some sup>er brought to them, though not a man if the guides dared approach where Dr. Evans sat, fearing his eye. All were without weapons save Avis, vho still kept her little defender con;e.iled in her bosom, determined to give i gocd account of it should the occasion leeom* desperate to the breaking point. Set they had regained their ordinary

feeling of hopefulness., and even talked in whispers of -what chances they mitrht have of breaking .their bonds, figuratively speaking, and giving the Arabs tue {slip. j Then the moon came wheeling above ! the horizon, curious to know what had 1 been taking place during her absence. j .Tack had heard sounds from afar .that j warned him others were approaching. ■ Donkeys brayed to each other, and calls ! were exchanged between those who drove j the little beasts. He saw camels sweeping into camp with their long stride that carries the ship of the desert over the sandy wastes. and could give a pretty good guess as to who was mounted on the one that seemed best attended. It was apparently a desert sheik who presently came toward them, for he wore all the toggery of a marauding Arab chief: but Dr. Jack had never forgotten that strongly-marked face, and he nerved himself to meet his old enemy without flinching, though be cringed inwardly whenever he thought of the woman he loved better than his life in those unscrupulous hands. (To hs continued on Monday.)