you, and if you look sharp you'll be able to break up this conspiracy.
But I don't want any reward. Good day, sir."
He turned the indicator of his traveling machine and immediately rose
into the air, followed by a startled exclamation from the President of
France.
Moving leisurely over the city, he selected a deserted thoroughfare
to alight in, from whence he wandered unobserved into the beautiful
boulevards. These were now brilliantly lighted, and crowds of pleasure
seekers thronged them everywhere. Rob experienced a decided sense
of relief as he mixed with the gay populace and enjoyed the sights
of the splendid city, for it enabled him to forget, for a time, the
responsibilities thrust upon him by the possession of the Demon's
marvelous electrical devices.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
_CHAPTER THIRTEEN_
ROB LOSES HIS TREASURES
Our young adventurer had intended to pass the night in the little
bed at his hotel, but the atmosphere of Paris proved so hot and
disagreeable that he decided it would be more enjoyable to sleep while
journeying through the cooler air that lay far above the earth's
surface. So just as the clocks were striking the midnight hour Rob
mounted skyward and turned the indicator of the traveling machine to
the east, intending to make the city of Vienna his next stop.
He had risen to a considerable distance, where the air was remarkably
fresh and exhilarating, and the relief he experienced from the close
and muggy streets of Paris was of such a soothing nature that he
presently fell fast asleep. His day in the metropolis had been a busy
one, for, like all boys, he had forgotten himself in the delight of
sight-seeing and had tired his muscles and exhausted his strength to an
unusual degree.
It was about three o'clock in the morning when Rob, moving restlessly
in his sleep, accidently touched with his right hand the indicator of
the machine which was fastened to his left wrist, setting it a couple
of points to the south of east. He was, of course, unaware of the
slight alteration in his course, which was destined to prove of serious
importance in the near future. For the boy's fatigue induced him to
sleep far beyond daybreak, and during this period of unconsciousness he
was passing over the face of European countries and approaching the
lawless and dangerous dominions of the Orient.
When, at last, he opened his eyes, he was puzzled to determine where
he was. Beneath him stretched a vast, sandy plain, and speeding across
this he came to a land abounding in luxuriant vegetation.
The centrifugal force which propelled him was evidently, for some
reason, greatly accelerated, for the scenery of the country he was
crossing glided by him at so rapid a rate of speed that it nearly took
his breath away.
"I wonder if I've passed Vienna in the night," he thought. "It ought
not to have taken me more than a few hours to reach there from Paris."
Vienna was at that moment fifteen hundred miles behind him; but Rob's
geography had always been his stumbling block at school, and he had
not learned to gage the speed of the traveling machine; so he was
completely mystified as to his whereabouts.
Presently a village having many queer spires and minarets whisked by
him like a flash. Rob became worried, and resolved to slow up at the
next sign of habitation.
This was a good resolution, but Turkestan is so thinly settled that
before the boy could plan out a course of action he had passed the
barren mountain range of Thian-Shan as nimbly as an acrobat leaps a
jumping-bar.
"This won't do at all!" he exclaimed, earnestly. "The traveling machine
seems to be running away with me, and I'm missing no end of sights by
scooting along up here in the clouds."
He turned the indicator to zero, and was relieved to find it obey with
customary quickness. In a few moments he had slowed up and stopped,
when he found himself suspended above another stretch of sandy plain.
Being too high to see the surface of the plain distinctly he dropped
down a few hundred feet to a lower level, where he discovered he was
surrounded by billows of sand as far as his eye could reach.
"It's a desert, all right," was his comment; "perhaps old Sahara
herself."
He started the machine again towards the east, and at a more moderate
rate of speed skimmed over the surface of the desert. Before long he
noticed a dark spot ahead of him which proved to be a large body of
fierce looking men, riding upon dromedaries and slender, spirited
horses and armed with long rifles and crookedly shaped simitars.
"Those fellows seem to be looking for trouble," remarked the boy, as he
glided over them, "and it wouldn't be exactly healthy for an enemy to
get in their way. But I haven't time to stop, so I'm not likely to get
mixed up in any rumpus with them."
[Illustration: "Those fellows seem to be looking for trouble"]
However, the armed caravan was scarcely out of sight before Rob
discovered he was approaching a rich, wooded oasis of the desert, in
the midst of which was built the walled city of Yarkand. Not that he
had ever heard of the place, or knew its name; for few Europeans and
only one American traveler had ever visited it. But he guessed it was a
city of some importance from its size and beauty, and resolved to make
a stop there.
Above the high walls projected many slender, white minarets, indicating
that the inhabitants were either Turks or some race of Mohammedans; so
Rob decided to make investigations before trusting himself to their
company.
A cluster of tall trees with leafy tops stood a short distance outside
the walls, and here the boy landed and sat down to rest in the
refreshing shade.
The city seemed as hushed and still as if it were deserted, and before
him stretched the vast plain of white, heated sands. He strained his
eyes to catch a glimpse of the band of warriors he had passed, but they
were moving slowly and had not yet appeared.
The trees that sheltered Rob were the only ones without the city,
although many low bushes or shrubs grew scattering over the space
between him and the walls. An arched gateway broke the enclosure at his
left, but the gates were tightly shut.
Something in the stillness and the intense heat of the mid-day sun made
the boy drowsy. He stretched himself upon the ground beneath the dense
foliage of the biggest tree and abandoned himself to the languor that
was creeping over him.
"I'll wait until that army of the desert arrives," he thought,
sleepily. "They either belong in this city or have come to capture it,
so I can tell better what to dance when I find out what the band plays."
The next moment he was sound asleep, sprawling upon his back in the
shade and slumbering as peacefully as an infant.
And while he lay motionless three men dropped in quick succession
from the top of the city wall and hid among the low bushes, crawling
noiselessly from one to another and so approaching, by degrees, the
little group of trees.
They were Turks, and had been sent by those in authority within the
city to climb the tallest tree of the group and discover if the enemy
was near. For Rob's conjecture had been correct, and the city of
Yarkand awaited, with more or less anxiety, a threatened assault from
its hereditary enemies, the Tatars.
The three spies were not less forbidding in appearance than the horde
of warriors Rob had passed upon the desert. Their features were coarse
and swarthy, and their eyes had a most villainous glare. Old fashioned
pistols and double-edged daggers were stuck in their belts and their
clothing, though of gorgeous colors, was soiled and neglected.
With all the caution of the American savage these Turks approached
the tree, where, to their unbounded amazement, they saw the boy lying
asleep. His dress and fairness of skin at once proclaimed him, in their
shrewd eyes, a European, and their first thought was to glance around
in search of his horse or dromedary. Seeing nothing of the kind near
they were much puzzled to account for his presence, and stood looking
down at him with evident curiosity.
The sun struck the polished surface of the traveling machine which was
attached to Rob's wrist and made the metal glitter like silver. This
attracted the eyes of the tallest Turk, who stooped down and stealthily
unclasped the band of the machine from the boy's outstretched arm.
Then, after a hurried but puzzled examination of the little instrument,
he slipped it into the pocket of his jacket.
Rob stirred uneasily in his sleep, and one of the Turks drew a slight
but stout rope from his breast and with gentle but deft movement passed
it around the boy's wrists and drew them together behind him. The
action was not swift enough to arouse the power of repulsion in the
Garment of Protection, but it awakened Rob effectually, so that he sat
up and stared hard at his captors.
"What are you trying to do, anyhow?" he demanded.
The Turks laughed and said something in their own language. They had no
knowledge of English.
"You're only making fools of yourselves," continued the boy,
wrathfully. "It's impossible for you to injure me."
The three paid no attention to his words. One of them thrust his hand
into Rob's pocket and drew out the electric tube. His ignorance of
modern appliances was so great that he did not know enough to push
the button. Rob saw him looking down the hollow end of the tube and
murmured:
"I wish it would blow your ugly head off!"
But the fellow, thinking the shining metal might be of some value to
him, put the tube in his own pocket and then took from the prisoner the
silver box of tablets.
Rob writhed and groaned at losing his possessions in this way, and
while his hands were fastened behind him tried to feel for and touch
the indicator of the traveling machine. When he found that the machine
also had been taken, his anger gave way to fear, for he realized he was
in a dangerously helpless condition.
The third Turk now drew the Record of Events from the boy's inner
pocket. He knew nothing of the springs that opened the lids, so,
after a curious glance at it, he secreted the box in the folds of his
sash and continued the search of the captive. The Character Marking
Spectacles were next abstracted, but the Turk, seeing in them nothing
but spectacles, scornfully thrust them back into Rob's pocket, while
his comrades laughed at him. The boy was now rifled of seventeen cents
in pennies, a broken pocket knife and a lead-pencil, the last article
seeming to be highly prized.
After they had secured all the booty they could find, the tall Turk,
who seemed the leader of the three, violently kicked at the prisoner
with his heavy boot. His surprise was great when the Garment of
Repulsion arrested the blow and nearly overthrew the aggressor in turn.
Snatching a dagger from his sash, he bounded upon the boy so fiercely
that the next instant the enraged Turk found himself lying upon his
back three yards away, while his dagger flew through the air and landed
deep in the desert sands.
"Keep it up!" cried Rob, bitterly. "I hope you'll enjoy yourself."
The other Turks raised their comrade to his feet, and the three stared
at one another in surprise, being unable to understand how a bound
prisoner could so effectually defend himself. But at a whispered word
from the leader, they drew their long pistols and fired point blank
into Rob's face. The volley echoed sharply from the city walls, but as
the smoke drifted slowly away the Turks were horrified to see their
intended victim laughing at them.
Uttering cries of terror and dismay, the three took to their heels and
bounded towards the wall, where a gate quickly opened to receive them,
the populace feeling sure the Tatar horde was upon them.
[Illustration: Uttering cries of terror and dismay, the three Turks
took to their heels]
Nor was this guess so very far wrong; for as Rob, sitting disconsolate
upon the sand, raised his eyes, he saw across the desert a dark line
that marked the approach of the invaders.
Nearer and nearer they came, while Rob watched them and bemoaned the
foolish impulse that had led him to fall asleep in an unknown land
where he could so easily be overpowered and robbed of his treasures.
"I always suspected these electrical inventions would be my ruin some
day," he reflected, sadly; "and now I'm side-tracked and left helpless
in this outlandish country, without a single hope of ever getting home
again. They probably won't be able to kill me, unless they find my
Garment of Repulsion and strip that off; but I never could cross this
terrible desert on foot and, having lost my food tablets, I'd soon
starve if I attempted it."
Fortunately, he had eaten one of the tablets just before going to
sleep, so there was no danger of immediate starvation. But he was
miserable and unhappy, and remained brooding over his cruel fate until
a sudden shout caused him to look up.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
_CHAPTER FOURTEEN_
TURK AND TATAR
The Tatars had arrived, swiftly and noiselessly, and a dozen of the
warriors, still mounted, were surrounding him.
His helpless condition aroused their curiosity, and while some of them
hastily cut away his bonds and raised him to his feet, others plied him
with questions in their own language. Rob shook his head to indicate
that he could not understand; so they led him to the chief--an immense,
bearded representative of the tribe of Kara-Khitai, the terrible and
relentless Black Tatars of Thibet. The huge frame of this fellow was
clothed in flowing robes of cloth-of-gold, braided with jewels, and he
sat majestically upon the back of a jet-black camel.
Under ordinary circumstances the stern features and flashing black eyes
of this redoubtable warrior would have struck a chill of fear to the
boy's heart; but now under the influence of the crushing misfortunes
he had experienced, he was able to gaze with indifference upon the
terrible visage of the desert chief.
The Tatar seemed not to consider Rob an enemy. Instead, he looked upon
him as an ally, since the Turks had bound and robbed him.
Finding it impossible to converse with the chief, Rob took refuge in
the sign language. He turned his pockets wrong side out, showed the red
welts left upon his wrists by the tight cord, and then shook his fists
angrily in the direction of the town.
In return the Tatar nodded gravely and issued an order to his men.
By this time the warriors were busily pitching tents before the walls
of Yarkand and making preparations for a formal siege. In obedience to
the chieftain's orders, Rob was given a place within one of the tents
nearest the wall and supplied with a brace of brass-mounted pistols and
a dagger with a sharp, zigzag edge. These were evidently to assist the
boy in fighting the Turks, and he was well pleased to have them. His
spirits rose considerably when he found he had fallen among friends,
although most of his new comrades had such evil faces that it was
unnecessary to put on the Character Markers to judge their natures with
a fair degree of accuracy.
"I can't be very particular about the company I keep," he thought, "and
this gang hasn't tried to murder me, as the rascally Turks did. So for
the present I'll stand in with the scowling chief and try to get a shot
at the thieves who robbed me. If our side wins I may get a chance to
recover some of my property. It's a slim chance, of course, but it's
the only hope I have left."
That very evening an opportunity occurred for Rob to win glory in the
eyes of his new friends. Just before sundown the gates of the city flew
open and a swarm of Turks, mounted upon fleet horses and camels, issued
forth and fell upon their enemies. The Tatars, who did not expect the
sally, were scarcely able to form an opposing rank when they found
themselves engaged in a hand-to-hand conflict, fighting desperately
for their lives. In such a battle, however, the Turks were at a
disadvantage, for the active Tatars slipped beneath their horses and
disabled them, bringing both the animals and their riders to the earth.
At the first onslaught Rob shot his pistol at a Turk and wounded him
so severely that he fell from his horse. Instantly the boy seized the
bridle and sprang upon the steed's back, and the next moment he had
dashed into the thickest part of the fray. Bullets and blows rained
upon him from all sides, but the Garment of Repulsion saved him from a
single scratch.
When his pistols had been discharged he caught up the broken handle
of a spear, and used it as a club, galloping into the ranks of the
Turks and belaboring them as hard as he could. The Tatars cheered and
followed him, and the Turks were so amazed at his miraculous escape
from their bullets that they became terrified, thinking he bore a
charmed life and was protected by unseen powers.
This terror helped turn the tide of battle, and before long the enemy
was pressed back to the walls and retreated through the gates, which
were hastily fastened behind them.
In order to prevent a repetition of this sally the Tatars at once
invested the gates, so that if the Turks should open them they were as
likely to let their foes in as to oppose them.
While the tents were being moved up Rob had an opportunity to search
the battlefield for the bodies of the three Turks who had robbed him,
but they were not among the fallen.
"Those fellows were too cowardly to take part in a fair fight,"
declared the boy; but he was much disappointed, nevertheless, as he
felt very helpless without the electric tube or the traveling machine.
The Tatar chief now called Rob to his tent and presented him
with a beautiful ring set with a glowing pigeon's-blood ruby, in
acknowledgment of his services. This gift made the boy feel very proud,
and he said to the chief:
"You're all right, old man, even if you do look like a pirate. If you
can manage to capture that city, so I can get my electrical devices
back, I'll consider you a trump as long as I live."
The chief thought this speech was intended to express Rob's gratitude,
so he bowed solemnly in return.
During the night that followed upon the first engagement of the Turks
and Tatars, the boy lay awake trying to devise some plan to capture the
city. The walls seemed too high and thick to be either scaled or broken
by the Tatars, who had no artillery whatever; and within the walls lay
all the fertile part of the oasis, giving the besieged a good supply of
water and provisions, while the besiegers were obliged to subsist on
what water and food they had brought with them.
Just before dawn Rob left his tent and went out to look at the great
wall. The stars gave plenty of light, but the boy was worried to find
that, according to Eastern custom, no sentries or guards whatever had
been posted and all the Tatars were slumbering soundly.
The city was likewise wrapped in profound silence, but just as Rob was
turning away he saw a head project stealthily over the edge of the wall
before him, and recognized in the features one of the Turks who had
robbed him.
Finding no one awake except the boy the fellow sat upon the edge of
the wall, with his feet dangling downward, and grinned wickedly at his
former victim. Rob watched him with almost breathless eagerness.
After making many motions that conveyed no meaning whatever, the Turk
drew the electric tube from his pocket and pointed his finger first at
the boy and then at the instrument, as if inquiring what it was used
for. Rob shook his head. The Turk turned the tube over several times
and examined it carefully, after which he also shook his head, seeming
greatly puzzled.
By this time the boy was fairly trembling with excitement. He longed
to recover this valuable weapon, and feared that at any moment the
curious Turk would discover its use. He held out his hand toward the
tube, and tried to say, by motions, that he would show the fellow how
to use it. The man seemed to understand, but he would not let the
glittering instrument out of his possession.
Rob was almost in despair, when he happened to notice upon his hand the
ruby ring given him by the chief. Drawing the jewel from his finger he
made offer, by signs, that he would exchange it for the tube.
The Turk was much pleased with the idea, and nodded his head
repeatedly, holding out his hand for the ring. Rob had little
confidence in the man's honor, but he was so eager to regain the tube
that he decided to trust him. So he threw the ring to the top of the
wall, where the Turk caught it skilfully; but when Rob held out his
hand for the tube the scoundrel only laughed at him and began to
scramble to his feet in order to beat a retreat. Chance, however,
foiled this disgraceful treachery, for in his hurry the Turk allowed
the tube to slip from his grasp, and it rolled off the wall and fell
upon the sand at Rob's very feet.
The robber turned to watch its fall and, filled with sudden anger,
the boy grabbed the weapon, pointed it at his enemy, and pressed the
button. Down tumbled the Turk, without a cry, and lay motionless at the
foot of the wall.
Rob's first thought was to search the pockets of his captive, and to
his delight he found and recovered his box of food tablets. The Record
of Events and the traveling machine were doubtless in the possession of
the other robbers, but Rob did not despair of recovering them, now that
he had the tube to aid him.
Day was now breaking, and several of the Tatars appeared and examined
the body of the Turk with grunts of surprise, for there was no mark
upon him to show how he had been slain. Supposing him to be dead, they
tossed him aside and forgot all about him.
Rob had secured his ruby ring again, and going to the chief's tent
he showed the jewel to the guard and was at once admitted. The
black-bearded chieftain was still reclining upon his pillows, but Rob
bowed before him, and by means of signs managed to ask for a band of
warriors to assist him in assaulting the town. The chieftain appeared
to doubt the wisdom of the enterprise, not being able to understand how
the boy could expect to succeed; but he graciously issued the required
order, and by the time Rob reached the city gate he found a large group
of Tatars gathered to support him, while the entire camp, roused to
interest in the proceedings, stood looking on.
Rob cared little for the quarrel between the Turks and Tatars, and
under ordinary circumstances would have refused to side with one or
the other; but he knew he could not hope to recover his electrical
machines unless the city was taken by the band of warriors who had
befriended him, so he determined to force an entrance for them.
Without hesitation he walked close to the great gate and shattered its
fastenings with the force of the electric current directed upon them
from the tube. Then, shouting to his friends the Tatars for assistance,
they rushed in a body upon the gate and dashed it open.
The Turks had expected trouble when they heard the fastenings of the
huge gate splinter and fall apart, so they had assembled in force
before the opening. As the Tatars poured through the gateway in a
compact mass they were met by a hail of bullets, spears and arrows,
which did fearful execution among them. Many were killed outright,
while others fell wounded to be trampled upon by those who pressed on
from the rear.
Rob maintained his position in the front rank, but escaped all injury
through the possession of the Garment of Repulsion. But he took an
active part in the fight and pressed the button of the electric tube
again and again, tumbling the enemy into heaps on every side, even the
horses and camels falling helplessly before the resistless current of
electricity.
The Tatars shouted joyfully as they witnessed this marvelous feat and
rushed forward to assist in the slaughter; but the boy motioned them
all back. He did not wish any more bloodshed than was necessary, and
knew that the heaps of unconscious Turks around him would soon recover.
So he stood alone and faced the enemy, calmly knocking them over as
fast as they came near. Two of the Turks managed to creep up behind the
boy, and one of them, who wielded an immense simitar with a two-edged
blade as sharp as a razor, swung the weapon fiercely to cut off Rob's
head. But the repulsive force aroused in the Garment was so terrific
that it sent the weapon flying backwards with redoubled swiftness, so
that it caught the second Turk at the waist and cut him fairly in two.