Of time I had no idea, my mind having lost its balance. My lapse into
unconsciousness may have lasted for minutes or for days, for aught I
knew. At last, however, I found myself again wrestling with the
terrible calenture of the brain. My temples throbbed painfully, my
throat was so contracted that I scarce could swallow, and across my
breast acute pains shot like knife-stabs.
Dazed and half conscious, I lay in a kind of stupor. In the red mist
before my heavy, fevered eyes a woman's countenance gradually assumed
shape. The pale, beautiful face of Zoraida, every feature of which was
distinct and vivid, gazed upon me with dark, wide-open, serious eyes.
Across her white brow hung the golden sequins and roughly-cut gems, and
upon her bare breast jewels seemed to flash with brilliant fires that
blinded me. Nearer she bent towards me, and her bare arm slid around my
neck in affectionate embrace.
Almost beside myself with joy, I tried to speak, to greet her, to tell
her of the treachery of the outlaw who had struck me down; but my lips
refused to utter sound. Again I exerted every effort to articulate one
word--her name--but could not. A spell of dumbness seemed to have
fallen upon me! Her lips moved; she spoke, but her words were
unintelligible. Again I tried to speak, yet, alas! only a dull rattle
proceeded from my parched throat. Upon her face, flawless in its
beauty, there was an expression of unutterable sorrow, a woeful look of
blank despair, as slowly and solemnly she shook her head. Her arm rose,
and its sight shocked me. The hand had been lopped off at the wrist!
Then, with her beautiful eyes still fixed upon mine, she bent still
closer, until I felt her lips press softly upon my cheek.
Her passionate kiss electrified me. From my brain the weight seemed
suddenly lifted, as the phantom of the woman I loved faded slowly from
my entranced gaze. So distinctly had I seen her that I could have sworn
she was by my side. Her warm caress that I had been unable to return,
was still fresh upon my cheek, the tinkle of her sequins sounded in my
ears. The sweet breath of attar of rose and geranium filled my
nostrils, and the fair face, full of a poignant, ever-present sorrow,
lived in my memory.
Thus, slowly and painfully, I struggled back to consciousness.
It was sunset when the villain Labakan struck me down, but, judging from
the brilliance of the bar of sunlight that fell across me when at last I
opened my eyes, it was about noon. At least twenty hours must have
elapsed since I had fallen under the assassin's knife; perhaps, indeed,
two whole days had run their course!
As I stretched my cramped, aching limbs, a sudden spasm shot through my
breast, causing me to place my hand involuntarily there, and I was
amazed to discover that my gandoura had been torn open and my wound
hastily but skilfully bandaged with strips torn from a clean white
burnouse. Who could have thus rendered me aid? Labakan certainly had
not, therefore it was equally apparent that some other person had
discovered and befriended me. Again I glanced at the bandages in which
I was swathed, and found they were fastened by large jewelled pins that
were essentially articles of feminine adornment. It seemed cool and
dimly-lit where I was lying, and presently, when full consciousness
returned, I made out that I was in a subterranean chamber built of stone
and lighted from the top by a crevice through which the ray of sunlight
strayed. Let into the dark walls were iron rings. They showed that the
place was a dungeon!
With some of my clothing removed and my body covered by a coarse rug, I
was lying upon a broad stone bench, and when presently I felt
sufficiently strong to investigate, I was astonished to discover that my
couch had been rendered comfortable by a pile of silken and woollen
garments--evidently the contents of a woman's wardrobe--which had been
placed on the stone before I had been laid thereon. Upon the floor
beside me lay a small skin of water, some dates, Moorish biscuits, and
sweetmeats. Whoever had brought me there had done all in their power to
secure my bodily comfort, and it seemed evident that I owed it all to a
woman. Apparently she had emptied the contents of her camel's bags in
order to make me a bed, for my head was pillowed on one of the soft
silken cushions of a _jakfi_, and the blanket that covered me bore a
crude representation of Fathma's hand in order to avert the evil eye.
[Jakfi: A kind of cage mounted on a camel in which the wealthier Arabs
carry their wives across the desert. Sometimes called a _shugduf_.]
Who, I wondered, had snatched me from the grave and placed me in that
silent underground tomb?
The painful throbbing in my head that had caused my temporary madness
was now gradually abating, and after considerable difficulty I succeeded
in raising myself upon my elbow, gazing anxiously on all sides with calm
consciousness. The opposite end of the curious stone chamber was
plunged in cavernous darkness, and I strained my eyes to ascertain what
mystery might there be hidden. While doing so, my gaze fell upon a
piece of paper which lay upon the water-skin close to my hand. Taking
it up eagerly, I held it in the golden streak of sunshine, and saw upon
it Arabic characters that had been rudely traced, apparently with a
piece of charred wood. After considerable difficulty, on account of the
hurried manner in which the words had been scrawled, I deciphered it to
be a message which read as follows:--
"Praise be to Allah, opener of locks with His name and withdrawer of
veils of hidden things with His beneficence. Upon thee, O stranger from
beyond seas, be the best of blessings, and salutation, and perfect
peace. O Elucidator of the Great Mystery, know thou that a friend hath
given thee succour and will not forsake thee, even though the vials of
murderous wrath have been poured out upon thee. If thou readest these
words, hope for thou mayest yet confound the plots of thine enemies and
discover that which thou seekest. Though strange things may meet thine
eyes, fear not, for in the darkness there is yet light. Thy presence
will be demanded ere long. Therefore rest and recover, in the knowledge
that thou art under the secret protection of an unknown friend. Praise
be upon thee, and may Allah's wrath fall heavily upon those who seek thy
destruction!"
A sudden faintness again seized me. The paper fell from my nerveless
grasp, as with a strange, sinking feeling I lapsed again into
unconsciousness. Hours must have passed; how many I know not, but when
I again awoke, the grey light of early dawn was struggling through the
small crevice. My wound felt easier, and, supporting myself upon one
arm, I drank a few drops of water from the skin. Close to my hand I
found a tiny paper packet bearing the label of a French pharmacy in
Constantine which showed it to contain quinine. The drug would, I
thought, prove beneficial to me, so I swallowed some of the powder, and
ate two or three dates to remove the bitter taste. As the light
increased, and I found myself in full possession of my faculties, I
re-read the mysterious message, and commenced a minute examination of my
bandages. The latter had been skilfully adjusted, evidently by a woman.
With the exception of a dull soreness in my chest, the pain had left
me, and my temperature had fallen considerably. The fever had abated,
and I felt confident that the drug that had so frequently been of
benefit to me in the past would once more prove serviceable. I tried to
rise, but could not, therefore I lay throughout that day, vaguely
wondering where I was and how I came to be there alone, yet not uncared
for. My eyes fixed themselves upon the impenetrable darkness of the
opposite end of the mysterious chamber, vainly striving to pierce the
gloom. Now and then a lizard or some other reptile would emerge from
the crevices and scuttle along over the stones in search of food,
otherwise there prevailed the dead silence of the tomb.
I desired to rise, in order to ascertain whether I was actually a
prisoner. The entrance to the strange chamber was apparently at the
opposite end, hidden in the darkness. As the light grew stronger, I
examined the walls, finding they were constructed of huge blocks of
stone now black with age. Indeed, my surroundings were decidedly
uncanny, and although the place was cool, yet light and air would have
been preferable. Satisfying my hunger with some _ajwah_ [dates stoned
and pressed into a paste] and _kahk_, [a kind of bread], I spent the day
in alternate dozing and silent thoughtfulness until the single ray of
sunlight disappeared, and night crept slowly on. For hours I slept, and
when I awoke refreshed, it was again day. My wound seemed even less
painful, and, having eaten and drawn some water from the skin, I
succeeded, after some difficulty, in rising. The woman's dresses of
silk and gauze that had formed my couch were sadly creased and tumbled,
and upon some of them were dark, ugly stains where blood had flowed from
my breast.
But it was my intention to explore thoroughly and without delay the
sepulchral place into which I had been so mysteriously introduced. I
had not the slightest knowledge of where I was; and could only suppose
that some persons, having found me, had taken me to that chamber, and,
being compelled to continue their way, had left all they could devise
for my comfort. Yet, whoever had done this knew me, and was well aware
of the object of my journey, facts which were plainly proved by the
message traced in charcoal.
Girding my loins with my sash, and sticking into it the jewelled-hilted
knife which I found lying near, I started, with unsteady gait caused by
weakness, on a tour of investigation. With my feet falling noiselessly
upon the dust of years, I strode to the opposite end of the chamber,
where the light did not penetrate, and then discovered that it led into
a second chamber of about the same size, situated at right angles with
the one I had been occupying. At the further end of this bare, gloomy
apartment a faint glimmer showed in the arched roof, where the light
struggled through between a long but narrow space between the massive
masonry. Groping onward, my foot suddenly caught some object, and,
stumbling, I fell prone upon my face. As I put out my hand to break the
fall, I grasped something, over which a moment later I ran my hands to
ascertain its nature. Horrified, I drew back with a cry.
My fingers had touched a heap of bones!
Regaining my feet, I stood for a few moments in hesitation, but ere I
stepped over the obstruction to move forward, my eyes had grown
accustomed to the gloom, and then, where the shaft of uncertain light
struck the wall a grim and startling spectacle met my gaze. Lying in a
niche similar to that in which I had spent so many hours of agony and
unconsciousness was a complete human skeleton! With the grey light
struggling through the roof and falling full upon it, the remains
presented an appearance hideous and ghastly. The lower part of the
skull had fallen away, an arm had dropped off, and the cavities where
eyes once gleamed gave the upturned skull a hideous appearance. A wisp
of long dark hair, twisted and matted, was still attached to the skin of
the skull, a portion of which seemed mummified, and upon the thin
finger-bones that rested upon the stone some rings of gold and tarnished
silver still remained. By the length of the hair, the character of the
rings, and the fact that on one of the ankles there still remained a
bangle, it was apparent that the remains were those of a woman.
Approaching closer, I examined the bones, and found a small collar of
iron encircling the neck, to which was attached a chain that was riveted
to a ring in the wall a few feet away. The woman, whoever she had been,
had died in captivity.
Looking around, I was surprised to notice another object crouched down
against the wall, and this proved on investigation to be the skeleton of
a second woman, chained like the first, and who had evidently died while
seated cross-legged upon the floor. In the soft dust that had been
whirled in by the sandstorms, skulls and bones of all kinds were lying
about in profusion, showing that in that dungeon captives were either
murdered or starved to death, and that the corpses of previous victims
were allowed to remain there and rot within sight of those confined
there. What horrors must those prisoners have suffered, compelled to
spend day and night with a body in the most hideous stages of decay!
I stood gazing at the gruesome remains. For several days had I lived in
this charnel-house, in ignorance that the bones of the departed were my
companions, but now, on discovering the truth, I desired to leave the
tomb-like dungeon without delay.
Near the skeletons were two saddle-bags apparently well filled, but I
did not pause to investigate their contents, for I was too anxious to
leave the place. True, the written message; said I should gaze upon
strange things, but I had been utterly unprepared for the discovery of
these hideous relics of the dead. Onward among the bones with which the
place seemed thickly strewn I groped, in eager search of some means of
exit, until I came to the wall at the further end of the dark chamber;
then, failing to discover any door, I started to go slowly around the
place, feeling the walls carefully with both hands. Nearly two hours I
spent in a search that was tedious, and which in my enfeebled condition
caused my wound to pain me considerably. All, however, was in vain.
Noon came and went, and my active fingers travelled rapidly over every
portion of the rough, dust-covered walls of the rectangular dungeon, but
no trace of a door could I discover, though I made a systematic
investigation of every portion of the place. There were no means of
escape. It seemed suspiciously as if I had been brought there and
walled in to share the fate of the other unfortunate wretches whose
whitening bones told so horrible a tale!
Sinking upon the couch that had been arranged for me by unknown hands, I
endeavoured to devise some means of extricating myself. If it had been
intended that I should die in that gloomy tomb, why had means of
sustenance been provided for me; why had my janitors provided me with a
bed composed of a woman's wardrobe? The letter told me to rest and to
recover in order to pursue my search. Alas! had I not been pursuing a
will-o'-the-wisp? Had I not been actually in Agadez, and passed under
the shadow of the mosque, yet unable to seek the old _imam_ who held the
key to the mystery? The Crescent of Glorious Wonders--the strange
object that was to bring Zoraida and me prosperity and happiness--was
lost, and, weak and ill, I was now a shattered and rudderless derelict
drifting on the lonely sea of despair.
Time after time I deciphered the mysterious message I had found by my
side when consciousness returned to me, but it brought no satisfaction.
Anxious to escape from that grim sepulchre, yet failing to discover any
way out, I paced to and fro, wildly agitated. It was indeed strange. I
had certainly been brought there, yet there was no door through which I
had passed. I examined the whole of the roof minutely as far as I was
able, but there was nothing whatever to show that entrance was gained
from the top, while every part of the walls was of stone, which led me
to the conviction that there was no secret door. Again and again I
stumbled onward, with eager hands feeling the ancient, roughly-hewn
blocks, but failing to discover anything to raise my hopes. Indeed, as
the afternoon wore by and the light slowly faded, I became dejected,
feeling that at last I had fallen hopelessly into the hands of enemies
who had resolved that, walled up in that sepulchre, I should endure the
tortures of hunger and thirst, and afterwards die a horrible and
lingering death.
I ate only a few mouthfuls of _kahk_ and took only a few drops of water,
just sufficient to moisten my parched throat, for I was determined not
to give in without a struggle, and therefore intended to make my
supplies last as long as possible. After an elaborate calculation, I
arrived at the conclusion that with economy I should have sufficient to
sustain life for about a week, therefore I partook only of what was
absolutely necessary for subsistence.
Through the crack above my couch I could see daylight had faded, and at
last, in despair, I cast myself down, wearied and faint, and fell
asleep.
My wound became very painful, and I think the delirium must have again
crept over me, for during the night strange phantoms seemed to haunt me
with horrifying vividness, and my mind became partially unbalanced by
the mental torture which fastened itself upon me. Through those long
dark hours wild words that had neither context nor meaning fell from my
fevered lips, as periods of imaginary joy were succeeded by hideous
debauches of despair. Consciousness returned after I had indulged in a
_kaylulah_, [a sleep about 9 a.m. It is believed among the Arabs to
cause poverty and wretchedness], and when the narrow bar of sunlight
fell across me, I rose and ate the few mouthfuls of food I allowed
myself. Then once more there commenced a search for means of egress.
Every crevice and corner I searched diligently, hoping to discover some
secret door; but in an hour I paused to rest. Feeling weaker, for the
least exertion overcame me, I suddenly remembered the two saddle-bags,
and out of sheer curiosity, and perhaps a desire to occupy my time,
resolved to see what they contained. Dragging one of them into the
light close to my couch, I drew the knife from my sash and ripped it
open. It contained a miscellaneous collection of articles almost
valueless, yet to me they were of considerable interest, as they were
mostly of European manufacture, and at some time or another had
evidently belonged to unfortunate travellers. A couple of watches bore
the names of London makers, and there were knives from Sheffield,
several British-made revolvers, a sovereign purse, and other things
which belonged unmistakably to Western civilisation.
After I had turned out the first bag, I dragged in the second and cut it
open in a like manner, finding a similar assortment inside. One by one
I pulled them out, inspected them, and cast them in a heap upon the
floor, when suddenly I grasped some object larger than the rest and drew
it forth.
Its appearance amazed me. I could scarcely believe my eyes, half
persuaded for the moment that I had again lapsed into delirium, and that
it was merely a chimera of my disordered imagination. But no, I was in
perfect possession of all my senses. My eager, trembling fingers tore
open the worm-eaten leathern case, and a second later there was
disclosed to my gaze an object which caused me to utter a loud cry of
joy.
I had regained that for which I had long mourned as lost. Reposing in
its case, uninjured and apparently untouched, was that half-hoop of
cabalistically-engraven iron upon which all my hopes were founded--the
Crescent of Glorious Wonders!