SHALLN FRON AN EAST LERN QUIVER.

with i sccond one. X scornful smile crossed the face of the fanatic as he answered

C L know not of whom ve speak s o [F'ermghee, vourselves, has entered here,” Denviers looked threateningly at the man as he gave this cquivocating reply, and

SAave

I saw his right hand wander to the handle of

the sword which he had sheathed after

passing through the gap, " Wedo not seck an Englishman,” he said,

natone of suppressed aneer, “but for our

Arab guides 10 you have dared o Injure him you shall surely die.”

The fakir glanced at us defianth for moment, then flung himselt upon the rusl matting which covercd a portion of the stone Hoor of the dilapidated and wretehed roon in which we stood.

VUUSTRINE OV

VWil

Cntrike 1 vou willlT he sadd in his fiere tone, “vet T will not deal a blow in retum, for not thus will the sceret he wrung from e which yve vainly covet.” Denviers stood for amoment nresolute, e could not mjurce a man who cvidently had no intention (o defend himscll i attacked, and vet he knew that every minute wasted in (his Wy Wi precious to us indeed. T omade a carelul exammation of the roon, obscerving it thus harrowly to - discover i in this wav a clue o Flassan's whercabouts migzht obtained, The walls were apparently made of sun-dricd mud and were entirely bare of ornament. save for sonie strange marks scored upon thenn, and which corresponded with those upon the lakir's forchead. The fragments of cetlimg above consisted of a few hamboo rafters, covered doubtless at some former tme with padm-leal thatehy but at this period ahmost bared to the sky. The vush mat on which the fakir lay and a few hroken carthen vessels formed the entire furniture of the wretched man’s hut, into which we knew Hassan must

b

O]

(2]

have been brought for no other way to reach the templ=like building which ” towercd Bevond it existed between this hovel andd the cap o the wally sinee on cither side of (he lkir's abode o second wall ran parallel to the outer one,

SWhat e we o how? " ] Demvers, dejectedly, SThis cowardly lanatic, assisted by the Hindu, has certaunly made away with Hassan, and vet the wall of the room apposite seems o contain no CAIL, the only one heing that by which we entered this hovel.”

“Be patient for a few minutes, Harold,” sardDenviers, *we shall find out the seorel direethv s meanwhile keep hefore the door- wave and whatever happens don't Jet this lellow escape in that direction.”

o askod

[ uttered o

[ew words of assent, and took up the

position which My companion had indicated, as he moved slowly towards the rechining fakir, and then stooped over hinn, saving, as he did so

“You o arc weary after the heht which

ook place between vourself and the Aral, Just now m the street vonder nayv, vou are badly wounded D7 and Denviers pointed quicetly to o dark stum which was conspreuous upon the fanatic’s robe,

Sy es, he answered, icrecelv, “hut the dog who did it shall die as surchy as T have a vow to fulil” Tle moved his body rest- lessly upon the rush matting, and a moment aterwards, to my astonishiment, 1 saw Denviers scize hold of the matting and attempt, foreibly, o drag it from bLeneath the fakir U "T'he Tatter leapt suddenly to his feet and exclaimed

" Why touch with your polluting hands the sole resting-place for my weary frame?”

Denviers pointed to the spot where the kv had spread the mat and answered

“The entrance to the place where the Arab has been taken Ties there : lead us to b that we may sethim free, or we will drag vou there by foree.”

" The Peringhee is quick-witted and has cven discovered the scecret way ; why then