The caravan tales and some others

8/7/2019 The caravan tales and some others

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ARAV


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PTKG\1U

CORNELLUNIVERSITYLIBRARY

eiFT OFMalcolm F. T-Jhyte


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3 1924 052 645 243

All books are subject to recall after two weeks.OLIN LIBRARtMtlBODIiilOr^'**'"r'ilMM


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Cornell UniversityLibrary

The original of tiiis book is intine Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions inthe United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924052645243


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CARAVAN TALES


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'. '/A Caravanin the Desert."


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CARAVAN TALESAND SOME OTHERS

BYWILHELM HAUFF

FREELY ADAPTED AND RETOLDBY

J. G. HORNSTEIN

3Ilustrate& bgNORMAN AULT

NEW YORKFREDERICK A. STOKES COjVIPANYPUBLISHERS


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TO DONALDTHIS heading will, I am sure, be a verygreat surprise to you, but I think it

is only right that I should in this waythank you for the help you have given towardsmy share of the making of this beautiful book.

It was to amuse you on our many longwalks over the fields and by the river meadowsof the country-side you love so well that Itook to telHng you about the Eastern storieshere printed.They were very familiar stories to me, not

only because I had first heard them when Iwas a child of your age, but also because itwas to become part of the business of mylife as a man to read them over and overagain with a whole generation of schoolboys.The great charm about these stories was

that they somehow never seemed to growstale, and that, although they had to be readwith much labour, they never failed in thelong-run to arouse interest, and to repay in


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To Donaldpleasure what they had cost in trouble tostudy and understand.

It had often been remarked to me what apity it was that such good stories should bepractically buried away in forbidding class-books, and remain unknown to the greaternumber of happy-hearted, adventure-lovingEnglish boysand girls, too, for the matterof thatin these freer and better times.But it was not till your own belated appear-ance in my little world gently led me back oncemore to the golden gates of Eastern story-landthat these delightful tales began again to fasci-nate me ; and it was your delight in themwhichfinally inspired me to write them down.The more or less easy task I had proposed

to myself was, however, to be made a harderone than I expected by the lack of interestyou showed in my work.My stories on paper were not the storiesyou liked to hear on our rambles ; there wassomething wrong with them they wereinsipid and unreal.Then it was that I put away that little

blue book with its crowded pages of quaintand unintelligible characters which puzzledyou so much, and wrote the words down asif they came out of my own head.

It was a bold thing to do ; I sometimes feltvi


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To Donaldit was almost a wicked thing, and there maybe many who will blame me harshly for doingit, but I must not mind the worst that canbe said of me, for it is the approval my under-takingmetwith from youwhich makes me hopethat, although the grave and the learned maybe against me, I shall have aU you young andhappy children to stand up and fight for me.

It is for you who can still wander so freeand merrily in realms of fancy that this bookis intended, and if it can please you, I shallnot only have my reward, but also the happi-ness of having done something to spread thefame of Wilhelm HaufE, to whose genius thisbook owes its existence.

There is very little to be said about the lifeof WHhelm HaufC.He was born at Stuttgart, the capital of thesmaU kingdom of Wiirtemberg, in the Southof Germany, on the 29th of November, 1802.His father died when he was seven years old,but he was fortunate in having a wise andgifted mother, who carefully watched overhim, and lovingly encouraged the talent heearly showed as a teller of good stories.He was what is called a dehcate boy, and,like many such boys, he was a great reader,and was passionately fond of history, and oftales of romance and adventure. The famous

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To DonaldNorthern Africa, where vast tracts of dreary,uninhabited, and trackless wastes have to becrossed with valuable camel and mule loadsof silk stuflfs, woven fabrics, and delicately-wrought metal and other precious goods.For mutual company, support, and protec-

tion against the lawless bands of fierce robberswho rove murdering and plundering in thosesolitary places of the earth, the traders havebeen wont from time immemorial to combineinto big and strongly armed travelling-parties.The success of his " Karavane " led HaufE

to produce two other collections of stories ona similar plan.From one of these, " Das Wirtshaus imSpessart," I have extracted and retold in myown way " The Golden Whistle " ; whilefrom the other, " Der Scheik von Alessan-dria," I have borrowed the foundation ofthe story of " The Wonder Child."

Hauff's " Marchen," or fairy-tales, werethe turning-point in his life, and started himon what promised to be a brilliant career asa writer.He gave up his tutorship in 1826, spentsome months in travel in order to seek freshinspiration and materials for work, and settleddown at Stuttgart as the editor of a magazine.He was married early in 1827, and was


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ContentsFAOE

The Rusty Key - 281i. the boy and the stbanoeb 283

11. the shop nbab the habbottb 292in. STOBM AND WRECK - 303IV. THE PACKET OP PAPERS - 317V. THE GOBGE OP SERVICE - - 328

XIV


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List of IllustrationsTO FACE PAGE

" POOR LITTLE WONDEK ! WHAT A HIDEOUSSPECTACLE HE PRESENTED

" - 252" SHE DARED NOT EAT ; SHE DARED NOT SLEEP " - 268" ABDTTLRAHMAN WAS PORING OVER A GREAT

BUNDLE OF PAPERS " - - - 292" THROUGH THE RUGGED GORGE " - 330

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" The Caliph bought the snui(f'boXywtd dismissed the Pedlar. "


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The Mystic WordThe word had scarcely passed their lips

when their legs shrank up and became thinand reddish ; their beautiful, soft, yellowslippers were changed into the crinkled yellowfeet of a stork ; their arms expanded intowings

;

their necks suddenly shot out of theirshoulders, and soft white feathers coveredtheir birdlike bodies.

" Upon my soul. Grand Vizier, what anexquisite beak you have got !" said theCaliph, astonished beyond measure by thechange that was wrought in his faithfulminister. By the holy beard of the GreatProphet," he added, " I can hardly believemy eyes !"

" My humble and obedient thanks for thecompliment," Mansor replied, " but if I mayventure to take a liberty with yoUr graciousperson under these changed circumstances,will you allow me to congratulate you on yourappearance. You are even more handsomeas a stork than you were as a Caliph, dreadMaster. But we are losing time, methinks.Shall we go and listen to our bird-mates there,and discover if we really can understandwhat they say ?"The second stork had meanwhile gravely

approached the edge of the pond, and wasdaintily trimming its feet and preening the13


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The Mystic Wordme among his guests. Practise, by all means ;no one likes to see good dancing better thanT do."

" You shall judge in due course whether itis good or not, but I will do my best," youngMiss Clatterbill archly remarked, and, poisingherself gracefully on tiptoe, with outstretchedwings and elongated neck, she sped roundand round the field in the most extraordinarygyrations.The Caliph and Mansor, standing discreetly

aloof, were astounded at the rapidity of hermovements, but when she suddenly came toa dead stop and remained transfixed withone leg tucked up to her body in the mostcomical of stork attitudes, they both burstout together into a fit of uncontrollablelaughter.They laughed and laughed till human tears

ran down their bird beaks, and it was quite along time before the Caliph, having recoveredhis breath, was able to say :" Mansor, that's the biggest joke I haveever seen in my life ! Man, it was perfectlyscreaming, but what a pity those birds weresuch fools as to be scared by our amuse-ment. I wonder what they would have donenext ?"

" Holy Prophet, Master, what have we15


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The Captive Owl" Mu . . . Mu . . . Mu . . . !" gasped the

Caliph Stork." Mu . . . Mu . . . Mu . . . !" his Stork Vizier

sadly responded.

IllTHE CAPTIVE OWL

Who shall describe the feeling of those twomiserable and bewitched creatures as theywandered piteously and timidly about in themost lonesome fields they could find ?The horror of their woeful plight was

aggravated by the pangs of hunger which theysuffered, for there was little in the way offruit or wholesome vegetable in the sohtaryhaunts they frequented that they could chewwith their long beaks, and they had still toacquire an appetite for such dainty but in-digestible titbits as frogs and lizards.They had sneaked about in this disconso-

late fashion for some days, when the happyidea occurred to them that, shyly though theymust shun the company of other storks andbirds who might ill-use them as impostors,there was no need for them to hide from men,to whom, as storks, they were sacred and notto be molested. When they had therefore

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Caliph Storkexercised their wings sufficiently to makethe attempt, they soared upwards at last,and flapped their way to the roofs ofBagdad.Perched aloft, they looked down on the

familiar streets and open places. How bitterlythey rued their unhappy craving for adventureas they watched their fellow-men go in andout in anxious pursuit of their humanavocations.But as they watched they gradually began

to perceive a bustle and commotion that wasanything but usual even among so lively apeople as the dwellers in Bagdad. Groupsbegan to form at various points in the streets

;

frantic gesticulations marked the emphasisof their speech ; there were fear and anger inthe words that were spoken, much appealingwith outstretched bare arm to the blue skyabove, and wherever women and childrencongregated many wailings of grief and manytears of sorrow." What does it all mean, Mansor ?" askedthe Caliph." They are deploring your untimely disap-pearance, Masterand mine, too, perhaps.""Oh, why can't we speak to them ?"" Would they believe you if you could ?"" They would hardly have me for their

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Caliph Storkrighteousness will prevail if we seek it wherealone it may be found. Let us hie to thetomb of the Prophet, he will understand thedire extremity of our phght. Who shall saybut what he will give us the clue to thatmystic word we have forgotten ?"

" You have spoken wisely, Master. Letus go and implore the only help that canrelieve us in our misery," said Mansor, andforthwith they spread their wings and flewtowards Medina.But though they flew bravely, they were

still very unskilled in the art, and at the endof a few hours, Mansor' s strength began tofail, and his efforts to keep pace with hisyounger companion began to flag.

" Alas ! alas !" he groaned at length, " youare going too quickly for me, my Lord. Iam old, and I really can go no farther."" Cheer up ! cheer up ! I will slackendown. . . ."

" No, Master, I am utterly worn out andexhausted. Besides, see, it is evening; thenight will soon be upon us ; and we should dowell to find some shelter for ourselves beforeit is too dark."" Poor Mansor ! I am sorry for you. Butyou are wise to counsel prudence, and if Isee rightly, down there in the vaUey below

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Caliph Stork" How weirdly human ....!" he remarked

uneasily." Let us flee, Master ; it is not good for us to

linger here !"" Flee ! Never !" retorted the Caliph, im-

petuously dashing forwards to the room fromwhich the noise seemed to come. The GrandVizier shot out his beak, and would haveseized his master by the body to restrain himfrom entering the ghostly chamber. But hewas too late to do more than pluck a fewfeathers from the Caliph's wing, for a braveheart beat beneath the form of a stork, thatdisguised a valiant and noble-minded man.Reminded thus of his own duty faithfullyto abide by his Lord through all dangers, theVizier limped painfully after the Caliph, who,j"eaching the door of the chamber, quicklypushed the crazy latch open, darted in, andthen drew back in consternation.

It was a tumble-down, damp room, spar-ingly lighted by a small, barred window, closeby which, just visible in the settling gloom ofnight, was a great big owl-like creature.For a brief second or two there was a strainedpause ; then the uncanny bird came hoppingjoyfully across the wet, dank floor.

" Welcome, welcome to me, blessedstorks !" the bird almost shrieked, in a human

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The Captive Owllanguage that was their own. " Truly wasit told me once upon a time that through astork I should live to know what it was tobe happy !"The Caliph could scarcely believe such ears

as he had ; yet even as a Stork he could benothing but the most gallant of birds. Hetherefore brought his thin legs into the mostcourteous of attitudes, gracefully inclined hislong neck, and rephed :

" Kind Owl, if Owl you are, though fromyour human speech I would venture to pre-dict a fellow-sufferer in adversity, even aswe are. Alas ! that I cannot cheer you withany hope of deliverance, so far as we areconcerned, for we, indeed, are the most abjectof deluded mortals, as our story shall suffi-ciently convince you."

" Oh, the joy of your presence !" the OwlrepUed. " But speak, speak ; tell me all.Who knows . . . ?"The Caliph then narrated in all its details

what had befallen him and his trusty servant.

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liMilllltll!

ii,W/

/ did not hesitate to drink whatthe man so Jnunbly qff'ci-cd vie."


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The Hall of the Sorcerersing the cool in our garden, what I took to beone of the palace slaves came up, bearing arefreshing-looking iced drink on a salver.Utterly unsuspicious of all harm, and grateful,indeed, for a mark of such thoughtfulness, Idid not hesitate to drink what the man sohumbly offered me. I had no sooner swal-lowed the first mouthful when, to my horror,I found myself suddenly changed into thisgruesome form, and fainted away in an agonyof terror. I only came to my senses as themonster, now restored to himself, thrust meinto this building.

" 'You are to remain here,' he hissed withrage into my ears, ' ugly and hateful, shunnedalike by man and beast till you die, unless,'and he laughed with withering scorn, ' joucan ever find any creature unnatural enoughto ask you of his own will, to be his wife.Thus do I take vengeance on you and yourproud father !'

" Months have gone by since that terribleday. Lonely and sad, I have been hauntingthis forsaken and ill-reputed building, anabomination to myself and a loathing toothers. Nature itself abhors me, for I amnot allowed even to look out on her beauty.I am blind by day, and, not being born tothis condition, my poor eyes can make little

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Caliph Storkof what they see by night. But for thisdoubtful light and the contrast your featherspresent against the darker walls of this prisoncell of mine, I doubt if I should have beenable to see you. Can you believe now thatmy lot is even more to be deplored thanyours ; you, at any rate, can enjoy the reliefof sight and movement."The poor Owl having ended her story, burstinto a pitiful flood of tears, which plunged the

Caliph into deep thought." Princess Lusa," he said at length, " there

would seem to be a mysterious kinship oftrial and affliction between our sufferings andyours, but who shall give us the key to thisstrange riddle ?"

" I cannot help thinking as you do," theOwl answered, controlling her grief. " Yearsago, when I was a mere child, an old gipsy-woman once told my fortune, and she pro-phesied to me that a stork would bring memy greatest happiness. That is why I was sorejoiced to see you appear."

" How can we serve you. Princess ?"retorted the Caliph. " You know full wellthat we are more than helpless to relieve ourown sad case."

" There is only one hope, Caliph. At night,when I have been roaming disconsolately26


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Caliph Stork" Then which of you will undertake freely

and honourably to offer me your hand andmake me your wife ?"The condition gave the two storks seriouspause.

" Come, Mansor," the Caliph at last sug-gested. " This is a dehcate question, and Iam sure the good Princess will excuse us for aminute while we discuss the matter outsidethe room in private."Both storks courteously bowed themselves

out, and, having closed the door behind them,they stood looking at one another for a longtime in grim silence.

" You know, Lord and Master, how faith-fully I have always striven, and will everstrive, to serve you, but you must realisethat the present matter is outside the boundsof my ability to be of any use to you," theGrand Vizier ventured at last most respect-fully to say.

" But you must help me out of this diffi-culty !" the Caliph exclaimed sternly.

" I am an old man. Master, besides a marriedone."

" You will not disobey my commands,Mansor ?"

" I shall have no choice if you insist onasking me to do what is impossible."28


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The Hall of the Sorcerers" Impossible ! What are you talking

about ? I can make it possible !"" No, my Lord ; you would not do me andmy wife this wrong. In any circumstances,

kindly reflect what the conditions of thePrincess are. Our release, if haply it maybe effected, depends on one of us freely offeringthe Princess marriage."

" Hm ! Yes "" Could I make the o&ev freely ? You mustsee, Master, that you alone could honestlyundertake this bargain. You are young, youare unmarried, what could be more fittingthan that you should give your hand to aKing's young and beautiful daughter ?"" How do you know she is young andbeautiful ?" the Caliph snapped out im-patiently.

" I shall hope she is both, for your gallantsake. In any case. Master, for me to- pretendeven to comply with the condition could beof no use to us, and unless you agree to takethe risks, I am afraid we shall have to remainstorks."

It was some time, and not without a gooddeal of further discussion, before the Caliphfinally decided not to throw away the chanceof being restored to his human shape." Princess," he said, stepping reverently

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Caliph Storkinto the room again, " pardon our longabsence, but I come now to ask you, if youwill, to do me the honour and pleasure ofbecoming my wife ?"

" My Lord, you are making me the happiestof living creatures ; may you find me worthyof your love and of your exalted station.And now that I am assured of sharing thejoy of being transformed into my naturalstate when that joy is yours, let me lead youto the hall I spoke of. It may be that to-night we shall find those wicked sorcerersassembled."

Fluttering and flapping with painful efforts,the Owl guided the storks through manyintricate turns and windings till they saw agleam of light shining through a crack in thewall.

" They are here ! they are here !" the Owlwhispered hoarsely. " You must move veryquietly and keep very still while I bring youto a place where you can see and hear themdistinctly."They stole along silently, and soon reached

a broken doorway that led on to a galleryoverlooking the hall. Gazing down, theywere surprised at the splendour of the greatroom. Many coloured lamps lit up thepaintedwalls and gilded columns, and shed their

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"Mutabor!"soft light on a round table richly furnishedwith beautiful plate and laden with choiceand costly meats. Reclining on a luxuriouscouch that encircled the table were eightelderly men. The storks quickly picked outthe form and features of that cunning pedlarwho had sold them the magic powder. Evenas they watched him, his neighbour ad-dressed him in a loud voice, and bade himrelate howthetreacherous act he had evidentlypreviously undertaken to perform on CaliphChasid, had succeeded.

" MUTABOR !"The attention of the whole party was imme-

diately centred on Kashnur." My friends," he said, with a wicked smile

on his crafty face, " I am avenged !"" Indeed !" they all exclaimed." Yes, the grudge I have cherished for so

long against the House of Chasid is fed andsatisfied ; and my son is now reigning on thethrone of Bagdad."

" You wonderful magician ! Well may weacclaim you as our chief !"31


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Caliph 5tork" You do me great honour, brothers of the

mystic arts and hidden secrets of magic. IfI can pretend in any way to deserve the rankyou award me, it is in the skill I have ac-qtiired by study and practice of transformingmen into beasts,"

" We had better look to ourselves withKashnur," waggishly remarked the youngestof the eight." By Mahound, yes ; but into what did youchange that fastidious, handsome, and popularcoxcomb of a Chasid ?" inquired another.

" Guess, if you can ?" said Kashnur." We give it up," they replied after a pause." Why, into a stork, of course !"They all laughed uproariously, and agreed

that no other bird could have suited thecharacter of the Caliph better.

" And, what's more," Kashnur continued," as luck would have it, I caught that shrewdold rascal of a Mansor in the same trap. Ishould somehow or other have had to dealwith that loyal pillar and support of theChasid dynasty, but the silly old thing fairlysold himself into my power."

" Good ! good ! Fancy Mansor a stork !But how did you do it, Kashnur ?"

" One of my choice powders and a prettystiff Latin word."32


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Caliph Stork" I was that hideous creature," she coyly

rephed." Take my hand, sweet lady, and with it

all my heart. I would have honestly offeredyou both for the happiness you have givenme. To offer you either, now that I canappreciate your exquisite charms, would bepresumptuous, unless I dared to hope thatyou would accept me for your husband."The fair Princess would, indeed, have beenhard to please if the comely and courteousyoung Caliph had not instantly ingratiatedhimself in her esteem and affections.

It was difficult at first for the three toresume their ordinary human gait and easeof movement. The Princess, who had sufferedlonger than her companions in aflfiiction, andwas besides the weakest by nature, requiredmuch support and care on the long and tediousreturn journey to Bagdad. But the far roadthrough dreary and desolate regions was atlast happily accomplished.The crowds that were gathered about thechief gate of Bagdad, as was their wont on afine summer evening when the first coolbreezes tempted them out of their homes,could scarcely believe their senses at thesight of their weU-beloved young sovereigncalmly entering his capital. No sooner had

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Caliph StorkQuaking in every limb, Mizra snuflEed the

black powder, and at the word of the Caliph,to the wondering eyes of all beholders, theluckless usurper became a stork.The story of what had really befallen Chasid

and Mansor soon spread like wildfire in thecity. That very night an angry crowd sur-prised the ruined castle in the desert, and,storming it on all sides, they battered the lastremnants of its decayed splendour into a heap,and burnt it and the eight old Sorcerers withfire.

Caliph Chasid and his good Vizier livedmany a happy year after their great adven-ture. " My Lady Night-Owl," as the Caliphaffectionately called her, proved the sweetestof wives, and her royal father, whose Indiandominions adjoined those of the Caliph, madefrequent visits to Bagdad, to the greatdelight of its loyal populace, and also to theirgreat benefit as regards trade and the wealththat follows in its train.As the CaHph and Mansor grew older, the

cares of state and the burden of life con-stantly weighed more heavily on their minds,but there was one relaxation that neverceased to provoke them into a riotouslyhilarious mood, and that was to " play stork "

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The Death Shipslackness of trade, my poor father had of latebeen venturing on some bold speculations,that he had been losing money in his attemptsto retrieve his fortunes, and that my pros-pects in life were neither as safe nor as goodas I had been led to believe.Though worry rather than disease, as I now

realised, had killed my over anxious father,I was young and ardent enough not to be dis-mayed by the situation that confronted me.I quickly calculated that if I sold up mystock-in-trade I should have money enoughnot only to satisfy my youthful ambition foradventure, which had been sadly restrictedhitherto, but also to enable me to try myfortunes in less narrow and well-beaten pathsthan Balsora was ever likely to afford.My anticipations were more than justifiedby the success of my sale. The shop wasspeedily cleared of its contents, and the onlything, if thing it might be called, that wasleft to me after the disposal of all my goodfather's belongings, was his old and trustyslave Ibrahim ; to have sold him, devoted ashe was to me, would have been the crime ofmy life.

Poor Ibrahim shook his head rather ruefullywhen I discussed my plans and projects withhim, but, although I offered to release him

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The Death Shipsounded from the deck and hold, filling us allwith a horrible sense of terror and dismay.Turning for someinformation aboutthis strangevessel to the captain, by whose side I wasstanding, I saw that he was livid with frightand trembling in every limb.

" My ship is lost !" he exclaimed in despair-ing accents.

" Lost ! How so ?" I inquired." Don't you know ? That was the DeathShip !"

" The Death Ship . . . ?" I began, seekingfor information, but before I could say anymore, the crew came rushing on the scenehowling and crjdng

:

" You have seen it ! You have seen it

!

We are lost ! We are lost !"The panic of his men seemed to nerve the

captain." My children, let us ask Allah to help us !"

he said, and, taking charge of the helmhimself, he began to recite prayers from theKoran, and urged the sailors to add theirfervent supplications to his.But it was all in vain. The sky had in the

meanwhile become overcast ; the wind, whichhad been moaning sullenly in the rigging,began to roar with hurricane force ; the wavesgrew higher and higher, tossing and tumbling

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The Death Shipcalm but for the angry swell that heaved itstired bosom.

" Allah be praised, master !" cried Ibrahim,when he was satisfied that I was still living."If I am aUve, my first thanks are due

to you," I replied." Give Allah the glory, my son, for he alone

decrees the issues of Life and death," rejoinedthe pious old man, in all humility and sincerityof heart.As we rose and fell on the restless expanse

of waters, we could see nothing of our ownship or of the many poor souls who had sharedour cruel fate ; but not very far away from us,rocking aimlessly on the deep, was a derelict,a miserable victim, so we surmised, of theawful tempest that had so suddenly overtakenus.Of land there was no sign, in whatever direc-

tion we looked. Our only chance of life,therefore, was to propel our crazy crafttowards this wreck that had so marvellouslysurvived complete destruction.We kicked out with our legs and shovedour boat along nearer and ever nearer to theforlorn vessel, but a weird fear began topossess us the more closely we approached it.It was a big felucca (or trading-ship), and itsgeneral lines and rig reminded us forcibly of

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The Death Shipthat mysterious harbinger of woe that hadsailed up from nowhere and dashed past usbefore the outburst of the storm. We triedto comfort one another that we might afterall be mistaken, and hoped to the last thatsome human form, hearing our shouts forhelp, would appear and gladden us with ananswering voice.But no ; the ship was deserted, and we

managed at last to paddle up to a cable thathung from its bows. Again and again wecalled as we clung to the rope, but all in vain.An uncanny silence brooded over the vessel.

" What shall we do, Ibrahim ?" I askednervously." There is little choice left us, master. Wemust either get on board this ship or drown."Never did life seem to mie to be sweeter

than at that moment, and, clutching the ropefirmly, I scrambled with painful effort on tothe vessel. My first care then was to helpIbrahim to join me. The old man was quiteexhausted when I dragged him at length overthe ship's side.When he was safe, and both of us somewhatrecovered from our exertions, we were able toturn our attentions to our surroundings.

But, oh horror ! what a gruesome sight itwas that presented itself to our terrified gaze47


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The Death Shipas we stood on the fore-peak and looked downon the deck ! The boards of the ship werestrewn with the corpses of some thirty sea-men in Turkish garb, all slashed about andmutilated, and lying in the ghastly posturesof their death-throes. Fearful as this sightwas to look at, it was less awful than thesoHtary figure standing upright by the main-mast. He was a taU, stern-looking man,richly clad, and holding a gleaming sword inhis right hand. We expected at everymoment to be challenged by him, but as welooked we noted the livid pallor of his face,and the rigid attitude in which he stood. Hewas transfixed to the mast by a great nailthrough his forehead !Who shall describe the agony of mind withwhich we ventured at last to grope our waycautiously on to the main deck and past thoseawful spectres ?At every step we took we dreaded to see

that formidable - looking Captain turn hiswrathful eyes upon us, or one of those manymurdered men raise his head to dispute ourright of trespass, but they were dead, everysingle man of them. We two and the ever-restless sea were the only living things in thisworld of horrors.We had thus reached the hatchway that

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The Death Shipwould admit us to the hold. Involuntarilywe both hesitated, for neither of us dared atonce to acknowledge what each of us secretlyfeared.

Ibrahim was the first to speak." Master," he said, with studied delibera-

tion, " something dreadful has happened here ;but for good or ill we are where we are, andwhat we may chance to see below must of asurety be less appalling than the terriblespectacle we have witnessed on this deck.You were the first to bring me here. Maythe Great Prophet stand by me, I will leadyou below !"

I was not sorry to mark the old man'sspirit. Such courage was hopeful, and I fol-lowed him down the companion ladder withan easier heart than I had yet felt.A deathlike silence greeted our steps. Weput our ears to the cabin-door, but there wasno sound to arrest us. With quaking heartswe turned the handle, to see a most extra-ordinary sight. The whole place was turnedtopsy-turvy. Clothes of various kinds andweapons of all sorts were lying about ; glassesand decanters were strewn about the table.The crew and the Captain must have beenholding high revel when the catastrophe thatended their existence had taken place.

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The Death Shiponce, and it was with a better heart that hefollowed me in due course on deck.More comfortable in dry clothes, and very

much more comforted after a good repast, wehad made up a pleasant little scheme ofridding ourselves of the gruesome corpses onboard. It would be easy enough, we thought,to hurl them into the sea one after the other.It was a sickening business to be once moreamid that scene of horror on deck, but youmay judge of our awe-stricken feelings whenwe discovered that no power within us, tugand pull and strain as we would, could availto shift any single body from its rigid contactwith the deck. From the Captain at themast down to the meanest sailor every oneof these dreadful men was rooted, spellboundas it were, to the spot !

It would be difficult indeed to describe thecondition of mind in which we spent the restof that terrible day in this welter of crimeand death. There was only one way in whichwe could have put an end to our agony ofsoul, but neither of us would be the first toplunge overboard and risk the chance of beingsaved again ffom mortal peril.As time wore on, and my senses becameblunted to the horrors about us, I was glad

of the gathering darkness, and having accom-61


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The Death Shippanied Ibrahim below, we refreshed ourselvesonce more with food and drink. The old manwas very worn out and tired, and even as wesat and talked in the settling gloom of nighthe nodded off repeatedly.

" Lie down and stretch yourself out," Ibade him at length ; and fain to yield to myadvice, he did so, and was soon wrapped inthe deepest slumber.

I watched by his side in the cabin for anhour or two, and, having convinced myselfthat he was fast asleep, I stole up on deck tolook at the night and the weather.Remembering that the fore-peak was un-

encumbered by those ghastly corpses, Istealthily picked my way thither. The seawas still troubled, but the sky was clear andjewelled with myriads of stars.

It must have been about eleven o'clock

I

judged in my ignorant way by the generallook of thingsand after standing about fora space of time till the fresh night-breezebegan to penetrate to my skin, I sat downbetween a great coil of cordage and a pile ofcasks to watch in comparative comfort, as Ihoped, for the first gleams of dawn.But I was more exhausted than I had

imagined, for, once in repose, and protectedfrom the shrewd wind, I was gradually over-

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The Death Shipcome by an irresistible desire to close my eyes.To sleep, I would say if I truthfully could, butit was a strange kind of stupefaction ratherthan the blissful gift of sleep which gained nomy weary senses, for I could distinctly hearthe waves lapping at the ship's sides and thewind lisping in the swaying and creakingrigging.

Curiously enough, as I listened with- thatvivid yet unreal tension of nerve so charac-teristic of dreamland, I could hear the soundof human voices and human footsteps. Itwoxdd have seemed as if the whole ship hadsuddenly become alive and manned by ajoyous crew, busily racing up and down themain deck, adjusting spars, setting sails andtrimming the vessel in obedience to the com-mands and directions of a stern voice thatrose ever and again above the hubbub ofshout and song.Such consciousness as I had, however, soon

forsook me. In a terrible tumult and clashof arms I dropped off into mere oblivion, andwhen I came to myself at last the sun washigh in the heavens and scorching down onme with its fierce rays.

I rubbed my eyes and looked about me inbewilderment ; then bit by bit I collected myscattered senses, rose to my feet, and was soon

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The Death Shipgazing down once more on that horrible sceneof carnage that had so appalled me on theday beforewith this difference, however,that the gruesome spectacle afforded me someslight relief of mind. I could only have beendreaming, and I hurried below to see how mypoor old servant had fared.

I found Ibrahim sitting in a dazed conditionin the cabin." Oh, master !" he exclaimed in a chokingvoice, when his troubled eyes at last realisedwho I was.

" Well, man, what ?""Let us agree to die, for I would sooner

be lying in the deepest depths of the sea thanspend another night on this terrible hauntedship."

" Nonsense, Ibrahim ! You and I wereworn-out by our experiences and sufferings.We were both a ready prey to all the horrorsthat affrighted imagination conjures forth todisturb the sleep of tired men."

" No, no," he retorted violently ; " theterrors of the night were far too real to allowme to deceive myself. I don't know howlong I had been sleeping, but I was graduallyaroused to wakefulness by the noise offootsteps overhead. Thinking it might beyou, I would have dosed off again, when

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The Death ShipI distinctly heard the sound of manyvoices ..."" Ha, ha !" I laughed, with an affectationof gaiety ; " only my silly dream under alteredcircumstances."

" Patience, master ! Uncanny thoughtswere far enough away from my mind, and Iwould have composed myself for another goodsleep, when I heard heavy steps descendingthe companion ladder out there. For a spaceof timehow long or how short it was I donot knowI was stunned, as it were ; but,looking up again from where I lay, I saw theman transfixed to the mast sitting at thattable, drinking and bawling at the top of hisvoice, and he had for his companion thatother man in a scarlet dress who is Ijdng athis feet on the deck above."You may imagine with what emotions ofterror and dismay I listened to the old man'swords. I had not been dreaming, then. Thosemurdered men had really been astir duringthe midnight hours, and this terrible ship washaunted.

" Must we trust ourselves to the cruel sea,to live or die as Allah shall decree ?" I asked,after a long pause.

" There's nothing for it, unless my grand-father, who was a man of many strange ex-55


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The Death Shipperiences after his world-wide travels, wasright . . ."

" And what did he tell you ?" I inquiredeagerly.

" I can remember a little verse he used toquote, which he maintained to be most effec-tive against spells, witchcraft, and super-natural visitations of all kinds ..."

" We can but try it for one night more, atleast !" I exclaimed." We can, my son, but I will only consent

to the experiment if you promise to remainby my side, and exhort me to fervent prayer,so that I may resist the desire to sleep."

" I promise not to leave you if you, too,will undertake to keep me awake."

" We must not remain in this cabin, though.Let us investigate the hold."We examined the interior of the shipthoroughly. Nowhere below deck did we findany corpse or any sign of blood or violence.Satisfied on that score, we decided to postourselves in a small compartment immedi-ately adjoining the Captain's cabin. It wasan empty space, and whatever the use forwhich it was intended, there was nothing inor about it which seemed likely to lead to itsbeing invaded. We took the precaution ofboring several holes into the partition that

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The Death Shipamid the ever-increasing noise and commotionof a ship that was putting out to sea in a stiffgale of wind. To our horror, as we listenedwith bated breath and thumping hearts, therewere footfalls on the companion ladder, andIbrahim began to drone the magic words hisgrandfather had taught him :

" Spirits of heaven, or hell, or earth.Where'er you come, whate'er your birth,Know well that Allah is your lord.And rest obedient to his word.Hurt not nor with your powers dismayThe creatures frail who to him pray."

I must confess that, having once heard thissomewhat trivial adjuration, the hairs of myhead stood on end when I peered through oneof the holes we had bored into the cabin, andsaw the door of the latter violently flung open.

In stepped that tall commanding figure Ihad seen nailed to the mast overhead. Thecruel nail was still protruding from his fore-head, but his sword was sheathed, and as headvanced I became aware of the figure in ascarlet robe that followed him. The Captainfor it was clear by his general demeanourthat he was nothing lesswas deathly pale,and his eyes were rolling wildly. Not for amoment did our close presence cause him topau ::e or hesitate. He walked straight into

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The Death Shipthe cabin, evidently in a highly overwroughtmood, flung himself on to a seat, and vehe-mently upbraided the individual who accom-panied him in a language I could not com-prehend. They drank as they talked andshrieked at one another, while the din over-head became ever more fierce and continuous.Then the Captain brought his fist down onthe table, so that every glass and bottle on itrang, ahd, bursting into a wild laugh, he un-sheathed his sword and dashed madly out ofthe cabin, closely pursued by his companion,who likewise drew his sword as he staggeredafter his leader.We breathed more freely when the twomen had gone, but our mental anguish was

far from being at an end. Ever louder andlouder grew the noise on the deckshoutsand laughter, yells and groans, accompaniedthe stampings of many feet ; then it seemedas if all the demons of hell had been let looseon a frenzied errand to batter the ship topieces in their most fiendish rage.

All of a sudden, and just at the momentwhen Ibrahim and I, harassed beyond allhuman powers of endurance, collapsed in ourconfined retreat, everything became still.

It was not till daybreak that we dared todrag ourselves, absolutely exhausted, on to the59


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The Death Shipdeck, only to gaze again with undiminishedhorror at the dreadful spectacle of thosecorpses bound fast as they lay in their agoniseddeath-throes to the planks beneath them.Our one consolation under the terrible cir-

cumstances in which we found ourselves wasthat for two nights we had been spared aliveand in our rational senses on this hauntedship.We mused in long and thoughtful silenceover the matter. Awful as our situationwas, the strange Fate that had guided us intoit, and the marvellous manner in which wehad been preserved, appealed no less stronglyto the more mature and sage mind of my oldIbrahim than to my own more ardent youthfulimagination.

" We have had a horrible experience,master !" Ibrahim at length ventured toremark, after long and grave reflection.

" Yes, horrible indeed, if one word canpossibly describe it."

" We might, in our own misguided humanway of ending all our troubles, end our suffer-ings by jumping overboard."

I looked at him closely, but waited for himto speak.

" You say nothing," he continued. " Per-haps, like myself, you are meditating on the60


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The Death Shipexample this ship affords us of the dangers thatawait mankind from a violent end."" Go on ; you can see further than I do,Ibrahim," I replied, after a pause, muchstruck by his words.

" Providence has a purpose, and, old as Iam, I have no mind to thwart it with delibera-tion," he pursued ; and then, bending aneager eye on me : " Can you face anothernight ?" he asked.

" Yes, and more than one night, if you areprepared to meet the terrors we may have toendure with hope and courage."

" It has occurred to me, since we have beenup here, and I have looked about, that weseem to be exactly in the same place as wewere in when we first got on board this , en-chanted vessel, and yet the sails are set andwe are clearly drifting eastward in the lightbreeze."The rapid observations I made as he spokeconfirmed the justice of Ibrahim's impres-

sions." A great gale was blowing when that

devilish crew revived in the midnightwatches," the old man continued.

" We were certainly pitching and tossingin the most alarming manner."

" Exactly. How comes it, then, that if61


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The Death Shipand difficult job, but it is worth trying, andin order that no impious hands may undoour labours, we will inscribe on our work aswe complete it that Name which can alonedefy the powers of hell and darkness. Whatdo you say ? We can but make the attempt,master, and see what happens."

I agreed to the experiment, but, unskilledas we were in handling ropes and tackle, itwas night before we had hauled in half themainsail, which Ibrahim proceeded to bindabout with strips of parchment he had dis-covered in the hull, whereon he had cunninglyindited the supreme titles of the GreatAllah.

Beating a hasty retreat to our hiding-place,we awaited events with fevered pulses. Itwould be impossible to describe _the franticcommotion that prevailed" on board thatdevoted ship for the short space of an houror so, when its butchered crew awoke toresume the toil of their troubled career in life.But when we emerged in the daylight to findthem lying stiff and stark in their wontedattitude, the sail we had shortened was un-touched. ..

It was, therefore, with renewed energy andzest that we worked to draw in more sail,binding it up again with the all-prevailing

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The Death Shipthe awful uproar that arose when the frenziedcrew awoke to find that they were thwartedin every attempt to set the vessel in motion.The scene in the cabin was of the wildest, and,worst of all for us, of the most prolonged.How we escaped detection I cannot conceive,unless it was that Ibrahim recited his spellagainst witchcraft without intermission.Happily for us the ordeal had its Limits,

though, when quiet was finally restored, wewere both so exhausted that we sank help-lessly down and slept till the sun was blazingat its meridian.When I looked forth on this seventh dayof our trial, we were steadily drifting towardsa town, Ibrahim was at my side, closelyfollowing the course of the ship. As thedomes and minarets loomed up more dis-tinctly, he touched me on the shoulder andsaid

:

" We should do well to drop anchor now.We are quite near enough to land to row outand discover the kind of country we havereached."The advice seemed practical. We heaved

out the anchor, were rejoiced to find that ittook, lowered a boat, and rowed with mightand main towards the land.In less than an hour we ran into a river,

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The Death Shipand, pulling up-stream for a short distance,we reached the town. We fastened our boatto the quay-side and jumped ashore.The town proved, curiously enough, to beBulsara name that had a homely ring aboutit for us. We soon ascertained by the speechand characteristics of its inhabitants that itwas in India, and further discreet inquiriesshowed that it was not very far from Surat,the port forwhichwe had shipped from Balsora.Ibrahim and I noted these strange coinci-

dences as favourable omens in the strangescheme of events which Fate had so mysteri-ously designed for us.The landlord of the modest inn at which we

stopped to refresh ourselves indirectly helpedto confirm our growing belief in the guidinghand of Providence. He was a man who hadtravelled about the world, and could speakour language well. When we had chattedwith him for a while in friendly fashion, Iasked him casually if he could recommend usto some wise and learned man in the townwho had some skill in medicine or science.

His face brightened up at once as he un-hesitatingly informed us that there was asingularly gifted Hakim, or doctor, who livedhard by, a very peculiar person in his way,yet for all that, one who had never been known

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The Death Shipto err in his judgment and treatment of themost difficult cases that had ever been sub-mitted to his learning. So unbounded washis confidence in this Hakim Muley that,although we feigned not to require the servicesof such a pre-eminent adviser for our whollytrivial needs, our host insisted on conductingus himself, and forthwith, to a secluded streetin a mean quarter of the town, where he leftus outside a modest doorway with strict in-junctions to knock hard and often.

This piece of advice was very necessary,for without it we should have abandoned ourquest as hopeless, and not waited patientlytill the door was at last opened by a deaf oldslave.The feeble creature required no explanation

of our wants, but mutely signed to us tofollow him into a barely-furnished, coolchamber.We were kept waiting for half an hour,when I began to lose patience.

" You are wrong to fret, master, for byevery token that I can discern, this HakimMuley is the likeliest person in the world tosolve the riddle of our haunted ship," Ibrahimremarked very dutifully, in due course.

" Why is he so long about coming, then ?Time is fleeting,"67


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The Death Ship" Genius never takes account of Time any

more than it does of circumstances. Thistown, this house, this room, the slave, andthis delay are eloquent of the reckless vagariesof the really inspired man who neither seeksto impose nor schemes to profit."

I was musing over what Ibrahim had saidwhen a shrivelled-up little man with a greybeard and beady nose came into the room." Sirs, I hear you are inquiring for me," heremarked, peering shrewdly at us out of hiskeen little deep-set eyes.

" Have we the honour of speaking to thelearned Hakim Muley, whose fame has beenmade known to us in the town ?" I askedrespectfully.

" My name is indeed Muley, ever ready toserve to the best of such skill as I possess."We bowed respectfully to one another, andthen, having been bidden to seat ourselves onthe divan, he took a place between us andbegged to be informed of our errand.He listened silently but most attentively tothe story of the adventure we unfolded tohim.

" Extraordinaryvery extraordinary !" heobserved, in uncommonly grave tones. "Therecan be no doubt about it, from your narrative,that the ship you were on is under a strange

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The Death Shipcurse of some kind, and I must congratulateyou on the wisdom you displayed in acting asyou did and thus saving yourselves alive.... I should judge," he pursued, after apause, " that the crew of the vessel is undera spell on account of some horrible crime.Until I have an opportunity of inspecting theship myself, I would not venture to offer anyfurther opinion. Where did you anchor ?"

I explained the position as nearly as Icould.

" The ship is safe off that strip of coast forthe night. The sea there is much infested bysharks and dreaded by the people of Bulsar.The spot, besides that, is out of the fairwayinto the harbour. My advice to you, then,seeing the day is now far spent, is to go backto your inn and to fortify yourselves for suchtrials as may still await you by a hearty meal,the companionship of your fellow-men, and along, sound sleep. If you agree to this, andthink I may be able to render you assistance,I will promise to be at the quay, where youhave left your boat, at sunrise to-morrowmorning, with what I consider necessary forthe enterprise in hand, after careful study ofthe matter."

I looked at Ibrahim for his approval." The advice is good, master," was his out-69


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The Death Shipspoken comment, and with due formalities weretired.Our landlord was very glad to receive us

bask and to be informed that we were sowell satisfied with his recommendation of theHakim as to resolve to pass the night underhis roof. He fed us well, entertained us withmany interesting stories, and lodged us socomfortably that, but for the punctuality withwhich he obeyed our instructions to call usat daybreak, Ibrahim and I would certainlyhave slept on till noontide again.We hurried down to our boat, and just asthe first fiery streaks of light darted upwardsin the eastern sky, a huddled-up little figure,bearing a heavy basket-load of saws, hammers,and axes, dodged out of a dark, narrow street,and came towards us.

It was the Hakim Muley." Be as quick as you can," he said, seating

himself at the rudder, and cutting short ourrespectful greetings.We loosed the boat, shot down the streamwith the current, and in a short hour, by dintof hard rowing, were once more alongsidethat ill-fated ship.

In spite of being prepared, after what wehad told him, for the gruesome sight he wasto look upon, Muley was visibly appalled by

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The Death ShipThey had drawn up some twenty bucketftds,when Muley called me to join them on thedeck.

" Now, my friends," he said, " help me toprove the value of the experiment that hasoccurred to me. I am going to stand bythe Captain and make certain preliminaries.Watch me, for the moment I am ready I shallraise my right arm, and I then want you both,each with a bucketful of earth, to come for-ward hastily and pour the earth over theman. If you get on that box, which I willplace near him, you wiU be able to emptyyour buckets, so that the earth falls on hishead and trickles down between his body andthe mast. Do you understand me perfectly ?"We gave him the assurance he required.There was something peculiarly solemn and

impressive about the manner in which headvanced towards that forbidding spectre atthe mast. Having dragged the box up forour use, he then planted himself in front ofthe Captain and diligently began to pray.The monotonous sound of his voice rising andfalling on the stillness of the scene, the curiousway in which he swayed to and fro, andstooped every now and again to draw, as itwere, a magic circle about himself with a lowsweeping motion of his hands, imparted a

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The Death Shipweird and ghostly effect to the proceedingsthat thrilled and awed us.All at once his arm went up, and, mindfulof his strict commands, we dismissed our fearsand hastened to execute his orders.What happened can never sound half soincredible when told in words as it was to uswho witnessed the astounding reality.No sooner had the earth touched the Cap-tain's head than his whole frame quiveredinto life. As we continued to pour the earthout, a great sigh of unutterable relief escapedfrom his lips, the wound in his forehead beganto bleed, the nail that held him transfixedbegan to loosen, the rigid muscles of his bodybegan to relax, and then, staggering forwarda step or two, he collapsed, limp and breathingheavily, on to the deck.

" More earthmore earth !" Muley yelledfrantically.We filled our buckets as speedily as our falter-ing limbs would allow us, and strewed theircontents plentifully on the prostrate form."Thanks . . . thanks . . . thanks . . ."

the Captain gasped, and, as if refreshed andrevived beyond measure by some healingbalm, he scooped the earth closelj'^ about him.With a sudden access of strength he pre-sently propped himself up on his right elbow,

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The Death ShipAlgiers, and, like them, I might have lived tobe honoured and respected in my day andgeneration. In the frivolous recklessness ofyouth I consorted with bad companions,brought disgrace on my name, and when,persisting in bad courses, I was at lengthdisowned by my kith and kin, I embarkedas a pirate on a career of crime and plunder.While scouring the coasts of Western Moroccofor booty, I picked up a dervish, who, unsus-picious of my real character, asked to sail freeof charge with me to his home in Algiers,whither he supposed I was returning. Theidea of having such a man on board was sohumorous that I shipped him along, intend-ing to have many a pleasant joke at theexpense of himself and of my rough andvicious crew. But I made a mistake withmy man, whose integrity of heart and holi-ness of life were beyond the corrupting influ-ences of our loose society ; and when he hadat last realised in his guilelessness what wewere and the deceit I had practised upon him,he never ceased to denounce me in terms ofunmitigated scorn and condemnation. Hissteady and persistent defiance of me were notwithout their due effect on the more timorous-minded of my men, and my mate and Idecided that, if we wished to retain our

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The Death Shiphappy release from further torment take myship for his reward. I dare not bless him ifI would, but Heaven will prosper him, for hehas been chosen to fulfil its decrees on me."He spoke no more, and when we had stoodfor some moments wrapt in solemn thought,Muley bade me help him to convey the bodyto land for burial.A strange thing happened now, for as westooped and tried to lift the lifeless form it

just crumbled to earth in our hands.We had no sooner recovered from our greatsurprise than our anxious thoughts were im-mediately directed to the other bodies strewnon the deck. We had forgotten all aboutthem in the excitement of dealing with theCaptain.There they lay, to all outward seeming as

ghastly as ever, and we shuddered at the longtask still awaiting us in the gathering gloomof night. But, marvellous to relate, therelease of their chief from the terrible curseof the dervish had freed them, too, from theunholy ban. One by one their poor framesmouldered into dust as we sought to removethem.We swept the remnants of what had oncebeen human beings into a great heap,shovelled it into the boat, and rowed it to

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The Death Shipland for burial. Then, dark though it nowwas, we profited by a gentle breeze to set asail and steer into the harbour of Surat.In this thriving port I soon engaged suffi-

cient men to get us into trim, and to embarkwith me on a trading expedition along theIndian coasts.The good Hakim Muley stood by us till he

was assured that no spell or magic would everdisturb us more ; then, refusing my offer toprovide for his further wants in life, he chosea few paltry articles out of my rich spoil toremind him of a great adventure, and quietlydeparted for his humble home in the sleepytown of Bulsar.Though the Captain could not bless me,Heaven, in whose power he left that care,amply rewarded me for that agony in myexistence, which seems brief as I look backupon it after the years that have gone by,but which, when I dwell more closely upon it,was an age of indescribable horror that nolanguage I can utter could possibly describe.

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t/itCli ook:.

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LITTLE MOOKHIS real name was Mookrah, but hewas such an odd-looking dwarf of acreature that everybody in the town

called him Little Mook, for it seemed onlyproper that half a man should have but half aname.He lived all by himself in a very large house,and for days at a time it would have been im-

possible to tell whether he was alive or dead,so secluded were his habits and so little did heeither cultivate the society of his fellow-men ortry to overcome the natural feelings of repug-nance which his outward aspect provoked.He was not only very short, but he had animmense head and the most extravagantideas of dress. He wore the biggest of turbansto make himself look more top-heavy thanever, his little legs were swathed in profuselyloose trousers, the broadest of girdles encircledhis waist, and a mighty long dagger was gal-lantly stuck through its ample folds.

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Little Mookamply proved that outward appearance countstor nothing, and yet it is by outward appear-ance that we are all most ready to judge ourfellow-men.

Little Mook's father eventhe very lastperson on earth who should have condemnedhim was bitterest against his misshapen son.But for his undisguised dislike of him, whoshall tell how different the lot of the poorlittle dwarf might have been ? His fathershould have worked harder and saved morein order to spare his afflicted child, whereashe only despised the sole bearer of his name,and recklessly squandered his substance, whileutterly neglecting his son's education andupbringing, so that, when he died, miserablyimpoverished and heavily in debt, the luck-less little wight was driven to go out into theworld and seek his own fortunes.

It was somewhat pathetic that he shouldin his generous small heart have held hisfather in such reverence as to beg that hemight be given the clothes the undutiful manhad worn before his death. Little did he carewhether they fitted him or not. His fatherhad been a tall, big man, so that, when Mookcame to try the clothes on, he quickly sawthat the sleeves of the jacket and the legs ofthe pantaloons were too long ; but this fault

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Little Mookwas easily to be corrected with a pair ofscissors and a few rough stitches of a needle.It did not occur to him, however, that jacketand pantaloons were also too wide, and as forthe girdle and turban, it surely mattered verylittle whether these were wound five times ortwenty times round his head and waist. Hethought no more of curtailing them than ofchopping the end off his father's favouritedagger. Such details were not worth con-sideration, and when the house that had beenhis home was cleared of all its cherished con-tents, he just locked it up, put the key in hispocket, and, fearfully and wonderfully ac-coutred, sallied forth to court success in life.His simple mind could not conceive theidea of failure attending his quest, and as hewandered merrily along he often stooped topick vip any bit of glass or pottery that layglittering in the sunshine, firmly believingthat his path was to be strewn with diamondsand precious stones. The world was just afairyland to him, where everything that wasbright was a joy, and everything that sparkleda promise of happiness.Alas for his guileless fancies ! If he had

never been tired or hungry he might well haveenjoyed the pleasures of hope, but long walk-ing was wearing work, and the odds and ends

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Little Mookof food he could pick up by the wayside wereneither satisfying nor sustaining. Two nightsin the open, with the hard ground for his bedand heavy dews for clammy blankets, werenot very inspiriting ; so that, when the thirdmorning dawned, he was glad, as soon as hehad rubbed the sleep from his eyes, to see thesun glinting on the roofs and mosques of alarge town.

" At last !" he cried. " There or nowherelies my good fortune."

Full of delightful expectations, he quicklyjumped to his feet, smartened himself up, andcarefully adjusted his turban and dagger.But the town was further than the deceptivemorning light had led him to suppose, and itwas high noon before he arrived, famishedand footsore, at its gates.Animated by faith in his destiny, he wiped

the dust off his shoes, gave his turban anddagger a jaunty tilt, and strode triumphantlyinto the streets.

Strangely enough, not a door was openedto receive him, and not a friendly being cameforth to greet him. Up and down and in andout he walked, peering anxiously about him,till, wellnigh exhausted and famished, hewould have confessed himself deceived, whenin a remote street a window was suddenly

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A iioaji of cats an i dogimaspesshin into thi, house


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Little Mookgrown so accustomed in her own house to thesilent companionship of dumb animals thatshe could not realise that Mook was a sociablehuman being. As time wore on, too, and hisparticular charges became accustomed to him,and discovered with that marvellous instinctcharacteristic of the brute creation, the fullmeasure of their odd attendant's peculiaritiesand limitations, they decided that he hadlittle real sympathy with them, and that hewas little to be obeyed or feared.Much as Dame Ahavtsee loved and hum-oured her pets she was a severe mistress, andawed them into dutiful respect of her. Whenshe was out of the way and poor little wearyMook in sole charge of them, they first beganto be frolicsome, then naughty, and finallydownright mischievous. They dashed aboutthe house in wild playfulness, utterly dis-regardful of his efforts to restrain them, and intheir gambols and antics they delighted tosee what amount of damage they could do.As soon as Dame Ahavtsee was heard to becoming, they sneaked off quietly to their beds,and looked so blissfully good and innocentthat Mook had to bear the blame for thedisordered state of the rooms, and for thenumerous breakages of valuable china anddainty furniture that were becoming of such

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Little Mookfrequent occurrence. It was in vain that hetold the old lady the simple truth ; sheindignantly refused to believe his story, ratedhim soundly, and treated him Avith increasingharshness.

Little Mook was very hurt and very sad,because he would have been quite satisfiedto have remained in Dame Ahavtsee's servicefor the rest of his life, but day by day itbecame more evident to him that he must oncemore go in search of happiness and fortune.The memory of the terrible experiences hehad undergone on his first journey made himnaturally loath to plunge penniless again intothe hard and cruel world. To be sure DameAhavtsee had promised him wages for hiswork, but she had not as yet paid him anymoney, and now that he had lost favour withher it was hopeless to expect that she wouldfulfil her obligations to him. It was not apleasant or righteous thing to contemplatedoing, still, if go he really must, what elsewas there for him except to help himselfsomehow or other to the pay that was hisrightful due.Dame Ahavtsee was, however, a shrewd,practical woman. She did not leave moneyor jewellery lying about ; and now that LittleMook was tempted to take by foul means

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Little Mookwhat he could not hope to obtain fairly, hediscovered how cautious his mistress wasabout locking up the drawers and cupboardsof the house. Curiosity had never hithertoimpelled him to explore the premises, but thedefinite object he now had in view led him tofrequent investigations upstairs and down-stairs, and it was on one of these excursionsthat he chanced into a secluded kind of attic,where he found a most extraordinary col-lection of odds and ends. He could notconceive of what possible use anything hesaw in the place was likely to be, and casuallypicked up a crystal globe quaintly adornedwith strange figures. It was pretty enough inits way, he mused, turning it round and roundin his hands, when by some unhappy mis-chance it slipped from his fingers, and wasshattered to atoms on the hard fioor.Poor Little Mook almost died of fright. It

was the first accident of the kind he had had,and it sealed his fate. There could be nohope for him now. In their naughtiest moodsthe cats and dogs never strayed into the attics

;

he would never be able to protest his inno-cence of the damage they wrought with anysincerity again ; there was nothing for him nowbut to flee from the wrath of Dame Ahavtsee.But he felt that he must take something,

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Little Mookand, looking round, he saw a beautiful pairof shoes, and by the side of them a daintylittle cane, Avith a quaintly-carved knob. Hisown slippers were worn to shreds. He remem-bered how painfully he had suffered in hisfirst journey on their account ; a cane wasalways useful against dogs if it might notserve him in an encounter with men, so heput his feet into the shoes, grasped the stick,tumbled helter-skelter down the stairs, outof the front door, through the town, and awayas fast as his little legs could carry him.

Oh, how they carried him ! Never in allhis life before had he run as fast and as far.It positively seemed to him as if he was beingrushed along by some invisible power, andthat he could not stop running even if hewanted to do so. This sense of being forcedonwards at last began to terrify him. Helooked down at his feet, and turned giddy atthe sight of the pace they were going. Whatcould it be ? he wondered, growing ever morealarmed. Suddenly it occurred to him thatthere must be some magic about the shoes hehad stolen, and he cried in despair : " Wo,wo, wo ! shoes, stop !" Wonderful to relate,his tired little legs gradually slowed down,and he at last fell, panting and exhausted, tothe ground.


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Little Mook" Allah be praised]!" he exclaimed, as soon

as he had recovered his breath. " I am inthe race for fortune now."He took off his shoes, and examined themcarefully. They were too big for him,but other-wise there was little enough about them to sug-gest the marvellous property they possessed." I hope I am not mistaken," he ponderedwistfully ; " I should like to try your magicagain," he added, as he put them on his feet

;

" but I have no wind left in my body ; besides itis getting late, and there is convenient shelterfor my tired little self in this secluded grove."Mook trailed himself accordingly to a quietspot among the trees, and lay down to sleepfor the night.Poor little man ! His day's adventures had

been exciting enough to make sleep very longin coming, and when it came, very broken.Fantastic visions of diabolical cats and dogs,revengeful old women, grimly animatedobjects of common use, chased one anotherthrough the chambers of his capacious brain,and made him toss restlessly on his hard couch.

Finally, however, a softly lulling dreambrought peace to his tormented soul.He could not remember how it came, orwhich of all the strange phantoms of hisimagination it was that addressed him, but

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Little MookHe had barely time to adjust his ample

turban on his big head and to cock his longdagger gallantly at his side, when Mook feltthat he was moving, and before he knew howhe had got there, he was in the crowdedmarket-place of a great busy town.The traffic and commotion were too much

for the little man. Whatever fortunes otherpeople might make by such hustling andjostling, wrangling and bargaining, excite-ment and heat, Mook felt he at any rate hadnothing to seek or find amid such surround-ings. So he wriggled as best he could out ofthe throng, and withdrew into a quiet sidestreet to consider the situation. What shouldhe do, he wondered, to earn a few pence ?If his presence had aroused any notice hemight have gained a little by exhibitinghimself. But painful as that would have been,it was evidently out of the question. Thenthere was his cane ; should he advertise itsqualities as a wealth finder ? The risk wastoo great. He had as yet no certainty of itsmagic ; besides, what chances could his punyself have of defending his possession of atreasure-finding rod, if such it really was,against a world of strong men whose wholeobject in life was to acquire riches.There were his shoes, to be sure, but,

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Little Mookremembering his dream, he wisely reflectedthat it would be no use trying to barter themfor food and drink and a quiet home ; the shoesmight carry him about fast enough, they werenot, however, intended to serve anybody oreverybody in the same expeditious way.Wrapped in sober thought, he had gone inand out of the less frequented by-streets whenhe found himself in a wide open space plantedwith trees. A white marble gateway facedhim, and, full of curiosity, he approached itto discover if it led to a mosque.He had failed to notice an imposing-lookingiigure very richly clad, with a formidablemoustache and a whole arsenal of weaponsround his waist, standing astride and armsakimbo in the doorway. As Mook, therefore,crept and shuffled along he was terriblystartled to come upon this giant, and to hearhis loud guffaw." Well, you queer little monster, what inthe name of all that's funny has brought youhere ?" the man asked, in a voice that wasdreadful enough, but not altogether lackingin tones of piteous contempt.

" I don't know," Mook rephed, tremblingin every limb.

" Don't know ! How did you get here ?"" By running, sir."98


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Little Mook" By running ! You're a bigger liar than

you are a little man."" I may be little, but I can run."" What else can you do, pray ?"" Nothing, but I can run."" As fast as "" The fastest man in the world."" Ha ! ha ! That's good enough, at any

rate ! I am seriously minded to make yourun for your life, but what do you say tohaving a fair race with the King's runner ?"

" What King ?"" Why, of course, the Ring who lives in

this palace."" It's a palace, is it ?"" Did you think it was a gaol, then ?"" NoI'm a perfect stranger here. I

thought it might be a mosque."" Well, no, it happens to be the palace of

the Sultan. He is the best of Sultans, and,to be candid with such a liar as you are, heis really fond of a bit of downright sport.Nothing would amuse him more than to seeyou challenge his runner-in -chief . Are youequal to it ? You will make a fool of your-self, but I don't think you will come to muchharm otherwise."

" I am quite ready for any test in running,but I am rather hungry just now."99


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Little Mook" Hungry, eh ? Well, come with me, and

I'll see that you get food, but you mustpromise me not to overeat yourself, for Iam going to arrange a race for you thisevening."Mook's leader was no less a personage than

the high steward of the royal palace. Thecourt attendants might well wonder to see soimportant a man leading such a quaint littlefigure as Mook presented to his own officialapartments ; they were even more surprisedto hear in due course that the comical lookingcreature was being sumptuously entertainedto food and drink, while his host sought aninterview with the Sultan.The secret of the matter leaked out when

it was announced later in the afternoon thatHis Majesty was pleased to command arevel in the meidan, or recreation ground,that same evening, and that, among othersportive events, there was to be a race betweenthe King's runner and a distinguished dwarfnewly arrived in the capital.A great crowd of dignitaries and officialsof the kingdom, royal retainers and palaceservants were therefore gathered on theground when the Sultan took his place andordered the sports to begin. Entertainingthough every item on the programme was,

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Little Mooknone provoked such a hearty cheer as theappearance on the course of the runner-in-chief, a tall, lithe, and beautifully - formedathlete, followed by the heavily turbaned,big-headed, but small-limbed Mook, sorelyencumbered by his long dagger stuck in thewide folds of his huge girdle, his baggy, ill-fitting pantaloons, and his great shoes.Here was fun, if ever fun was to be enjoyed,and the good-natured runner was the firstto draw attention to the joke of the contest.The two ill-matched competitors were sol-

emnly bidder} to toe the line; the starterpurposely delayed the race to add to theridiculous character of it; and then, as ifbored at last by his own absurdities, he con-sented to give the signal.Away the two sped, the runner visiblystraining every limb and muscle, while Mookshot along as if he had been projected out ofa cannon's mouth. Laughter died out inpure amazement; the frenzied shouts werestilled. Mook reached his goal, and was coollystanding at the winning-post while his rivalwas panting and labouring to overtake him.Here was a marvel indeed, and the Sultan,

with that well-known tact which endearedhim to his subjects, was the first to recogniseit. He stood up in his pavilion, courteously

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Little Mookbowed to Mook, and loudly applauded hisperformance.A mighty cheer rent the air, and when itsubsided the Sultan beckoned to Mook toapproach, and there, in the presence of all hiscourt, appointed him to his personal staff,among the most trusted and select, who mighteat from his table, claim privilege of rank, andever rely on his support and favour.Mook was now the happiest of men.Fortune had at last pitied him for his infi-mities, and had favoured him beyond hiswildest dreams. With a grateful heart hetherefore humbly accepted the good thingsof life that now were his, and hoped that ifhe only fulfilled his duties to the generousSultan with zeal and punctuality, he mightever enjoy the confidence bestowed on him,and live a quiet peaceable life at the court.Poor Little Mook ! It was far from his

simple mind to suspect that whatever hisprowess had been, he of all people in theworld could arouse feelings of envy, malice,and hatred in others.But it unfortunately was so. His very

humility was misunderstood, and the morethe Sultan petted him the greater was theresentment of the stalwart court functionaries,who jealously despised him as a miserable

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Little Mookdwarf, playing skilfully on the known super-stitious weaknesses of an otherwise strong andmanly ruler.Mook was not without the saving grace ofcommon sense. He was slow to judge ill, butas time wore on he began to be convincedthat there were enemies about him, and thathe must see to himself if he would be safe.

Unfortunately perhaps for him, having noheart to be malicious or vindictive, and think-ing only how he might best reward evil withgood, he was reminded of his magic cane.If it was really able to discover stores of goldand silver for him, surely, he pondered, therewas still a chance of peace and happiness forhim among men who valued wealth aboveall else in the world.He had heard strange stories since he hadbeen at court of a former Sultan, who introublous times had buried a great hoard oftreasure in the palace grounds, and had diedwithout revealing the secret of its where-abouts.These stories had not interested Mook at

the time, but, calling them to mind now inhis less happy hours, he would go out of anevening with his cane in his hand, and wanderabout the most secluded parts of the parkand gardens. He had no luck, however, on

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Little Mookhis rambles, and was beginning to doubt thevirtues of his wand and the truth of thegossip he had overheard, when, strollinghomewards one night through a remote copse,his stick behaved in a most marvellouslyeccentric fashion. He would have gone onand submitted the curious attraction thecane had for that particular spot to furthertest at a more convenient time of the day,but he could not move it from the ground,and drew his long dagger out of its sheathin order to dig the stick out of the earth towhich it seemed to be rooted. He dug, anddug, and dug, tiU at last he came on somethinghard. He bent down, scooped the earthaway with both his hands, and presentlylifted out with his cane what seemed to bethe lid of a great jar. Then, plunging inhis fingers, he drew out a handful of coins.These were of gold.He knelt down, filled his pockets, the amplefolds of his girdle, and even the baggy legsof his pantaloons with the treasure, replacedthe lid of the jar and the earth over it, andstaggered to his feet. It was with somedifficulty that he got back to his room ; hehardly knew how he managed the feat, butcongratulated himself on not attracting thenotice of the palace guards.

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Little MookIf Mook had been less child-minded his

best plan on realising the extent of the wealthwith which he was now provided would havebeen to have seized his cane and, calling onhis magic shoes, have bidden them conveyhim as far away as possible from the risks ofincurring hatred and jealousy. Instead ofthis, he foolishly believed that favour mightbe bought with gold, and lavishly distributedhis money among his most malicious enemies.

There seemed to be no end to his liberality,which finally became the common talk of themore envious of his fellow court attendants.

" The little scoundrel must be a coiner. Ishall be wary of his gold in case it turns out tobe dross sooner or later," said the head cook.

" No, no ; it's gold right enough," the chiefslave-master maintained, and added signifi-cantly : " He's a wily imp of a creature, andknows how to play on the susceptibilities ofthe Sultan ; that's the mischief of him andwhat makes him so dangerous."The High Treasurer, who had only too good

cause to be fearful of all dangerous influences,and spoke from the fulness of his own heart,said, with a derisive laugh :

" The puny monster is just a downright, thief.""I'm determined to get to the bottom of

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Little Mookthe mystery, and be done with this horriblenightmare of a dwarf," said Korchuz, theKing's Cup-Bearer

Documents

The caravan tales and some others