With eyes eagerly strained in the direction of the harbour, where
hundreds of lights shimmered upon the dark, restless waters, I leaned
over the taffrail of the steam yacht in anxious expectation. We were
anchored some distance outside the harbour, with our bows seaward.
The clock of the mosque had struck half-past one. There was dead
silence everywhere, save for the lazy lapping of the waves upon the
sides of the steamer, and an occasional distant shout among the shipping
inside the breakwater. Moon and stars had become obscured, but ever and
anon the revolving light shed its white beams over many miles of shining
water, appearing and disappearing with monotonous regularity. From the
glass-covered roof of the saloon came a mellow glow of electricity that
showed the bearded, rugged face of the solitary British sailor who paced
the deck. On the extreme left of the White City, half concealed by the
huge breakwater, loomed the great dark walls of Fort Bab Azzoun, wherein
Zoraida was incarcerated, and from the shadows of which I expected every
moment to see a boat emerge. But though time dragged on, and the
escaping steam, increasing in volume, showed that we should soon weigh
anchor, I could distinguish nothing. Minutes dragged like days. What
if, after all, my efforts failed?
Sailors tramped the deck, orders were shouted from the bridge, ropes
were coiled, and a steam-winch whirred with metallic ring. At last the
ship's bell tolled. It was two o'clock!
Still I strained my eyes towards the land, but could detect no moving
object. Had the Governor-General deceived me? As each precious moment
went by, I began to think he had. From above an order was given, four
seamen rushed past me, and in a few moments the anchor was being slowly
hauled up. Three long dismal shrieks from the steam siren echoed over
the water and among the hills, and just as they died away I heard a
distant shout. Dashing headlong to the opposite side of the ship, and
peering away into the darkness, my heart gave a bound, for approaching
gradually nearer was a boat containing three occupants.
It was hailed by the officer on the bridge, the electric signal rang
into the engine-room, and the propeller, that had already begun to
revolve, was immediately silent. Quickly the oars dipped, and the two
rowers strained every muscle, until at last they drew alongside. A rope
was thrown, made fast, and without delay a female figure, enveloped in a
long dark travelling-cloak, the hood of which, drawn over her head,
concealed her features, was hauled unceremoniously on board.
"Where am I?" I heard her cry in Arabic, alarmed at finding herself
standing on deck between two rough sailors, whose language was strange
to her.
Advancing quickly, I placed my hand upon her arm, replying in her own
tongue--
"Have no fear. I have at last secured thy release. Thou art free!
See! already we are on our way to England!"
"Ah!--Ce-cil!" she cried gladly, flinging her arms around my neck, and
shedding tears of joy. "I--I thought thou wert lost to me for ever!"
"I made a promise which I have fulfilled," I said, leading her back to
the taffrail, where, alone and unobserved, I kissed her fondly, she
returning my caresses with a passion that showed how well she loved me.
The dress she wore, though fitting her badly, was of a thick, coarse
material, well adapted for travelling, but the cloak covered it, and
beyond her speech there was nothing about her to show she was a child of
the Desert. Her skin was almost as fair as an Englishwoman's, and her
bright, luminous eyes had not become dimmed by the weeks of
imprisonment, harsh treatment, and mental agony.
As the captain signalled "full steam ahead," and the boat that had
brought my idol from the shore was cast off with a shout of farewell, I
told her briefly that I was taking her away to my own people, where we
should be married and live always in ease and comfort. Locked in each
other's arms, I related how I, at the last moment, had learned the key
to the Great Secret from Mohammed ben Ishak, and how subsequently I had
discovered the wonderful Treasure of Askia.
"Yes," she said, bowing her head. "I knew of its existence, but dared
not break my oath. Forgive me--forgive me!--I am not worthy to be thy
wife."
"Why?"
"Because--because I allowed thee to risk thy life when I might have
obviated thy danger by confessing all to thee," she answered, her
trembling hand grasping my wrist.
"Wilt thou explain everything to me now?" I asked.
"Yes, everything," she said. "I have left my people. The bond between
the Senousya and myself is broken, for I go now with thee to the country
of the Roumis, and nothing have I to conceal. Ah! thou knowest not the
grim tragedy of my life."
"But thou hast given me wealth, and with thee I shall obtain perfect
happiness."
"I trust in thee," she said. "I go to thine unknown world with thee,
for I know thou lovest me. Now that thou hast given me freedom and a
new life, I will relate unto thee the story of my bitter past."
Together we leaned upon the rail, and with the cool sea-breeze fanning
our temples, we watched the ever-lengthening line of foam left by the
propeller, as the distant, twinkling lights of the city faded in the
gloom. The other passengers were below in their berths, and as we stood
together unobserved, she explained to me things that I had through so
many months regarded as impenetrable mysteries.
"My traducers and my persecutors have always spoken of me as a daughter
of the Ennitra," she commenced. "They were mistaken. I was in no way
related to any of that fiendish band. My father was Sheikh of the Beni
M'zab, and at his death he entrusted to me, his only child, an ancient
tablet of wood, together with the Crescent of Glorious Wonders, telling
me that for generations these had been in the possession of our family,
and that they would lead to an extraordinary discovery; at the same
time, causing me to take solemn oath to divulge nothing that he told me.
I was held to secrecy by a bond of blood. About one moon after my
father's death, our caravan encamped at the palms of El Maessifer, on
the border of the Touat Oasis, and at night we were attacked by the
Ennitra. The massacre was awful. The majority of our men were
slaughtered, our caravan looted, and the women and children, myself
included, carried off to Hadj Absalam's palace in the mountains.
Already I had learned many feats of magic of the sorcerer of our tribe,
and my father had initiated me as a priestess of the Senousya; so with
the Crescent and the strangely-carved wooden tablet in my possession, I
resolved to try, if possible, to preserve mine honour by declaring
myself possessed of miraculous powers. Already had I heard that our
enemies the Ennitra were highly superstitious, therefore I strove to
impress my captors by performing some simple but astonishing feats of
legerdemain. This so impressed the men who held me in bondage, that
when we arrived at the palace, they brought me before Hadj Absalam, who
himself witnessed some of my feats. He acknowledged himself astounded,
and ordered me to be sent to his harem as a portion of the spoils of
war."
"To his harem?" I cried, interrupting.
"Yes. An hour later he came to me, and it was then I produced the
Crescent of Glorious Wonders, declaring that it bestowed upon its
rightful owner good fortune and victory in the field. At once he
desired to possess it, but I pointed out that the strange talisman would
only bring ill-fortune to one who possessed himself of it forcibly, and
at length succeeded in making a compact with him, whereby I should exert
its mystic powers on behalf of his tribe, in return for which, he would
refrain from taking me to his harem, and treat me as a daughter, and not
as a wife. The arrangement was a perfectly equitable one, and proved
satisfactory, for a week later, bearing the Crescent, I led an
expedition against the Tedjehe-n'ou-Sidi with such success that we
secured nineteen camel-loads of booty, and took one hundred and ninety
prisoners. From that moment, though I hated Hadj Absalam and his crafty
councillor Labakan, I became their leader and their prophetess. Through
the regions of the Tanezrouft, the Ahaggar, and the Tidjoudjelt we
rushed with fire and sword, always proving victorious. We were feared
on every hand. Against the Spahis, Turcos, and Chasseurs we advanced
time after time with the Drum of Nar--which had been captured from my
tribe--spreading terror, panic, and death, until the people, with one
accord, acknowledged that I was possessed of power supernatural. I
became revered as a prophetess, and earned the appellation of Daughter
of the Sun. Meanwhile, from the lips of a soothsayer, Hadj Absalam had
learned a romantic, and not altogether unfounded, legend regarding the
Crescent, and having obtained a vague suspicion of its mysterious
connection with the Treasure of Askia, offered me my liberty if I could
discover the whereabouts of the hidden jewels. Mohammed ben Ishak, who
held the key to the mystery, was, however, in Agadez, and though I was
striving always to elude the vigilance of my captors, yet I was utterly
helpless."
Briefly I told her of the _imam's_ tragic death at the hands of the
marabout.
"The old tomb-dweller, whom both Mohammed and I could cause to assume
cataleptic rigidity at will, and who assisted at the Ramadan seances of
the Senousya, was a deaf mute and a fanatic," she observed. "Doubtless
he struck the blow, because he considered that by thine introduction to
that place--one of the principal sanctuaries of the sect--Mohammed ben
Ishak was revealing unto thee, an unbeliever, the secrets he had sworn
to preserve." Then, continuing her story, she said: "At last, after the
attack on the caravan of the worthy Ali Ben Hafiz, which resulted in thy
capture, I saw thee for the first time and released thee. I confess I
loved thee, and was determined to escape and become thy wife. Knowing
so little of the manners of the Roumis, I believed that the most secure
way in which to cause thee to reciprocate my affection, was to impress
thee with an idea of my magical powers. With that object I caused thee
to be conducted to Hadj Absalam's house in Algiers, where I took thee
below to the subterranean meeting-place of the supreme council of the
Senousya, and there showed thee some marvels of magic to mystify thee.
The snakes thou sawest were those used in the religious rites of the
Aissawa, but quite harmless, being kept merely to create an impression
of mystical power. I raised from his tomb a marabout,--who, though
apparently dead, was only in a cataleptic state,--by an effort of the
will, the secret of which was imparted to me by my dead father; and by a
feat of magic I caused to be revealed to thee the Crescent of Glorious
Wonders, sending thee away to distant Agadez, in order that thou
shouldest learn the key of the mystery from the chief _imam_, the only
person besides myself who knew of the inscription upon the wooden
tablet. He was my father's half-brother, and had left our tribe to
devote his life to the administration of the daily prayers in the City
of the Sorcerers. At the moment thou hadst left me, Hadj Absalam
returned. He had detected thy presence, and in a frenzy of passion
struck me down, causing the wound in my side that thou hast already
witnessed. While alone with me, thou hadst promised to seek no
explanation of any of the mysteries until thou hadst returned to Agadez.
In order, therefore, to test thy faith in me, I caused to be sent thee
the hand of a dead servant, upon the finger of which I placed my rings
with thine. I little dreamed, however, that I was so closely watched,
or that Hadj Absalam had ordered Labakan to follow, regain possession of
the Crescent, and assassinate thee. After thou hadst left for Agadez, I
heard from time to time of thee, until suddenly there came the startling
news of thy capture and thy detention within the Fada. At once I
proposed to the Ennitra an attack upon Agadez, pointing out that, owing
to the assassination of the Sultan, the country was in a disturbed
state. A great council was held, and the prospect of the enormous
amount of loot that might be secured caused them to decide upon carrying
out my proposal. Little time was lost, although, alas! in the meantime
Labakan had followed thee, and secured thy release in order to kill
thee. Of the attack, the victory, and the horrible massacre thou art
well aware."
"I am. It was frightful."
"Ah! believe me, it was not my fault. True, I suggested the attack, but
it was in order to secure thy release, so that thou couldst gain the
Great Secret, and discover the Treasure that would bring me liberty, and
wealth unto thee. I had no idea but that thou wert still a slave within
the palace, until thy sudden arrival with my waiting-maid Halima at our
camp. Then I dared not withdraw, and was compelled to send forth the
Drum of Nar, and lead our fierce band onward into battle. Then, alas!
even before we had fully occupied the city, the French troops descended
upon us, and after a desperate conflict we fell into their hands."
"Hadj Absalam and Labakan will receive their due reward. They will be
hurried to the guillotine," I said.
"None will mourn for them. Both were equally crafty and brutal;
incapable of fidelity, even to their firmest friends. They plotted to
take thy life; and at the moment they had secured possession of Agadez,
Hadj Absalam was prepared to break his compact with me, and compel me to
become his wife."
"But thou hast escaped it all," I said cheerily. "In London thou wilt
become my wife, and we shall live together always."
"Ah! Cecil, I--I love thee so dearly. I regret nothing, if only thou
wilt grant me forgiveness."
"I do forgive thee, dearest," I answered. "Thou hast broken the fetters
that have bound thee to Al-Islam, and, on the threshold of a new life, I
wish thee all the happiness that a devoted lover can wish his bride.
Thou knowest well how strong is my affection; how utterly I am thine."
She kissed me, holding her lips to mine in a lingering, passionate
caress.
"Thou hast not explained to me the Secret of the Crescent," I continued,
presently.
"How can I?" she answered, looking away to where the yellow streak of
dawn was widening. "I know so little--so very little of it myself."
"But the strange inscription upon it? Hast thou never deciphered it?"
"Yes. It is in the Cufic character, and the words are, `In the name of
Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.'"
"And the mystic picture I witnessed on gazing into the mirror of the
_imam_. What was it?"
"It was a representation of the death of Askia, that was already
prepared for thee, in order that thou mightest more readily recognise
the spot where the Treasure lieth hidden."
"Canst thou not explain the reason of the strange phenomenon induced by
the application of the Crescent to my brow?" I inquired.
"The only explanation is rendered here," she replied, drawing from the
breast of her dress a small oblong tablet of some dark, hard wood, about
six inches long by four wide, worn and polished by age. "See!" and,
taking it across to where the light shone through the stained glass roof
of the saloon, she added, "Dost thou behold a carved inscription?"
"Yes," I answered, glancing at it eagerly.
"Therein lieth the secret. Mohammed ben Ishak--on whom may the Merciful
have mercy!--was well learned in occult things, and it was he who
translated it to me, for, as thou seest, it is likewise carved in Cufic.
According to his rendering, this writing is a record of the Sultan
Askia, who states hereby that whomsoever believeth in the legend of his
hidden treasure a thousand years after his decease, so shall he take the
Crescent to the spot--which was indicated to thee by the dead _imam_--
and then shall the whereabouts of the concealed jewels be revealed."
"But to what unseen force dost thou attribute its marvellous power of
producing an exteriorised image?"
"The inscription further states that so wealthy was the Sultan that he
discarded his Great White Diadem, which was of purest gold and diamonds
of the first water, and had caused to be constructed a strange
semicircle of steel, tempered like a Damascus blade. This emblem of
strength he wore upon his head instead of a crown, and it is this which
we now know as the Crescent of Glorious Wonders."
"His crown?" I exclaimed, in abject amazement.
"Yes. The inscription telleth us that the steel was treated in such a
manner that when placed upon the head of one possessed of a more
powerful will than his fellows, it would, in manner most remarkable,
retain the thoughts of its wearer, and transfer them to the person who
next assumed it. The Crescent was worn by Askia at the time he
concealed his treasure, and though a thousand years have elapsed since
that day, yet, by placing it upon thy brow, unto thee there was
transmitted the dead Sultan's secret thoughts, which, reproducing the
scene in thy mind, have enabled thee to unearth the jewels."
"Extraordinary!" I ejaculated. "But could not another person have
learned the clue to the Great Mystery by the same method?"
"No, not unless he knew the spot whereon to stand before he put the
Crescent to the test. I myself have secretly tried it, but the cave
wherein the Treasure lieth hidden hath never been revealed unto me.
Only Mohammed ben Ishak knew in what direction or in what country to
seek it. The Crescent was in my possession, and he alone could furnish
the key to its secret."
"Wonderful!" I said. "The story is astounding, and would be absolutely
beyond belief were it not for the fact that I have already in my cabin
below some of the jewels recovered from the dead Sultan's hoard. The
transference of thought by means of this crescent of magnetised steel,
the horns of which acted as positive and negative poles, must be one of
the many marvels which, though known to the ancients, have been lost to
us for ages."
I had read much of Dr Luys' extraordinary discoveries regarding
hypnotic suggestion, which seemed to deny the existence of free will,
for the assertion that the will of one person could be implanted into
that of another had been proved over and over again; yet the power to
produce this mysterious _rapport_ was, I felt certain, a strange and
startling development of what the European scientific world now terms
magnetism; in fact, nothing less than a confirmation of Dr Burq's
metalo-therapeutic theory that for so many years has puzzled the doctors
of the Salpetriere, and to the investigation of which Dr Chareot
devoted so much earnest labour.
The love of the marvellous is one of the characteristics of the human
race; and contemporary discoveries do not tend to diminish our
inclination. Indeed, they extend the limits of the impossible,
rendering us more credulous in regard to new ideas. Yet, were not many
of the startling phenomena that have recently been discovered at the
Charite known in the East ages ago; were not the facts that we believe
new and miraculous, common knowledge at that time, and utilised in daily
practice?
The absorption of thought by a band of magnetised steel was a startling
fact, nevertheless the theory was, as I afterwards found, not an
altogether unknown one. In the scientific domain nothing can be
declared absolute, and this disclosure, marvellous and incomprehensible
as it appeared, was, nevertheless, but a re-discovery of a mystical
force which the ancients had accepted without seeking the cause, and the
knowledge of which had been lost and forgotten by later generations.
"Is there nothing more thou hast to tell me, Zoraida?" I asked, my arm
stealing around her waist, as I drew her towards me.
"Nothing," she answered. "This carved tablet, a portion of the strange
heirloom that hath been in my family through so many years, and hath
brought thee wealth, I give unto thee. I have no further explanation to
make regarding my past--only to tell thee that from the first hour we
met, when I was enabled to sever the bonds that held thee to the asp, I
have, loved thee;" and as her head pillowed itself upon my breast, I
bent, kissing her white brow with fervent devotion.
"Thou art snatched from an ignominious death,--or a fate worse even than
the guillotine,--and thou art mine for ever, Zoraida. Thou goest with
me to mine own world, a world that to thee will be strange and full of
marvels; nevertheless, we shall be happy in each other's love always--
always."
Her tiny hand clasped in mine tightened and trembled as she raised her
beautiful face.
"I have looked with thoughts of love upon no man but thee, Cecil," she
said. "To thee I owe my liberty, my life! Thou art mine own--mine
own;" and our lips met, sealing a lifelong compact.