The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 1, 1905, Page 5

! R — WA N\ I veither ‘had " tkeir eyes fell upon the _have swor PGS S - b e P for whatever may ald against it, at least ther 1l be tivo vears of war in which one or both of usmay* well fail, and for that while at I woman.ean come.between our brothe: Rood. cle, I cr be . Meanwhile, good fellpws be_nee Moréover, 1 u to hear no more and marriuge, turbs my mind and . the matter is it § nd bey that thing: s T could have w are as Rosamund wishes, ¢ nough for me. On whic looks with the more f: know, and-be vou cor have saints we kave done with Rosamund, dism be you al! th once more when {hose swer 1o the ri So Rosamur a others s this. time live wiil f ‘left tb .Wulf, and press their lips ¢pon while this was f her in marriage. suffered them. g “which bad Yet - they: were vhen thev: entered there, ien ‘storni had . hove, .and &t »_seldom fear," lay they descepdéd .the 7 figure of a tall ige and Mo them da .man clad in a pilgrim’s cip and -low-crowned hat; of ~which* the ont - was_bent * upward.ahd laced svho palmer’s crip and, v, ‘hely iwin, ' coming lodging palimei tovards him. my . uncle's maa bowed. of beadlike. minded Godwin n; he knew not the eves, \which some he had once vhen or,where, an- the lighterhearted - thaw - ' 'Godwin. & fixing on him . d Andrew. So they rip- of which there ling within a box foreign looking wood bound iron bands, at which they la- long before they could break At tensth it was done, and there within was another . box beautifully n.sae of polished ebony, and sealed at the front and ends with a strange de- vice. This box had a lock of silver, ch ivas tied a silver ke east it has not been tampered 1id Wulf, examining the un- ir Andrew only re- “At with,” pen, and be swift. Here, Godwin, the key, for my hand shakes with Thé lock tu i broken, and the seuls rose upon its so, a scent of filléd’ the place. Be- , ‘covering the contents of the was an oblong piece of worked nd lying on it a parchment. ndrew broke the silk and seal jed the varchment. Within written over in strange char- Also, there was a second un- -d_ roll, written in a clerkly hand in nch, and headed, “Tr s letter, in case the knight D’Arcy has forgotten the e, or that his daughter, Rpsamund, has not-yet learnt ad ume. Andrew glanced at both headings, said: v.’1 have not forgotten Arabic, lady lived, spoke little and who taught it to But the light is bad and are scholarly; read me We can compare them jdwin, you Frenc! moment. Rosamund entered *ar, from her chamber, and see- ing the three of them so strangely em- our will that 1 go, father?"” daughter. "Since you are here, stay here.. I think that this matter concerns you as well as me. Read on, the merciful Salah-ed-din, Yusuf ibn Ayoub, Commander of. the -Faithful; cauge these words to be writ- ten, and seal'them with my own hand, to the Frank lord, Sir.Andrew D'Arcy. husband of sister by another moth- beide, the beautiful and on wham Allah has taken n. Or if he be dead daughter and hers, my :niece; and by blood a princess of Syrip ‘and Egypt, who among the ] is named the Lady Rose of the World. - -< remember Sir, Andrew, will - For the pufposé of entouraging California and Western writers, by offering a consideration for short stories equal to that paid by the best magazines, and for the purpose of bringing young and unknown writers to the front, thé' Sunday Call announces a weekly fiction con- test in which a cash prize: of story subinitted. * There is no terial for Hction * or more prol .material at hand than.is California and the West. day Call offers $50 for' the best $50 will be paid each weck for the best section of America ‘more fertile in ma- lific in.pens gifted to give spirit to the Therefore the Sun- story submitted each week by a West- - ern writes. " Stories of Western life 2nd Western characters will, as'a rule, be given the preference, but -all strong' storiés-by new writers, - Each story- will be judged strictly. -upon jts literary merit. . strong .stories, and especially will receive careful consideration. Type- writterr copy is thé easiest to réad and -will receive the first consider- ation from the- editor. but.do not hesitate to send a story in hand- . writing if. you cannot afford to Fifty . dollars’ in cash “for a have it tynewrittern. - story of not less than 2500 words and not more ‘than 3500 words i approximately $17 per thousand words, or 1.7 cents per word. The highest-price paid by the leading magazines for the werk of any-.but .the very best writers is rarely more than two ‘cents a.word, more often one cent and a. half, and generally one cent, With- the’ majority of magazines the writer, after his story is ac- cepted, is .compelied to wait until tire publication of his story before ‘he-is paid, a period of scldom less than six months, and usually from month§ to a year. . paid for immediately. upon publication, and will be published first “Sunday, following the ‘fud: swered in the humble voice affected by his clz e g Cven so, most roble knight. Sheiter - for mian and -beast, for my mule is held without. vord with' the lord, Sir. Andrew . for ‘whom I.have a’ “A muyle?”, that palmers’ a] . “True, Sir Knigh I have baggage. , not whose’ earthly gear is all upon .ihy back—but a chest, that contains & know not what, ‘which I am strictly cliarged . to. deliver to Aridrew- D!Arcy, ‘the ownér of this hal, or should he be dead, ‘then to' the lady Rosamund, his daughter.” " °* . By whom?” asked Wulf. ," said the palmer, bowing, “I_will fell tu Sir. Andrew; ‘who, ¥ un- derstand, still lives. Have I youi léave to bring .in the chest, and if so, ‘will one of your servants help.me, for. it-is heavy?” 2 3 “We will help-'you,” sajd Godwin. And - they went with him info ‘the courtyard, where’ by the scant.light of the stars they saw-a’fine mule in charge of one of the serving' men, and bound upon . back ' a long-shaped, package. -This ‘the pakmer -unloosed, and taking one end, while Wulf, aftér bidding the “man stable’ the mule, tovk the other, they bore :it into the:hall. Godwin going before theni- to summon his uncle. . Presently he came and the. palmer bowed low .to'htm. * = - . . “What is yout name, palmer, and whence comes .tiis?” asked the old knight, Tooking, at him keenly.: i “My name, Sir Andrew, is Nicholas and as to who sent me, with. your leave, I will whisper . your ear.” And, leaning forward, he did so. 7B B Sir Andrew heard’ and staggered )};;u.c as though a dart.had pierced in 2 “What?" he said. “Are vou, a holy palner,-the messenger, of—" and he stopped suddenly. . “1 was his prisoner,” answered the man, “and he-who at least ever keeps his word—gave me my life—for I had been condemmed to die—at the price that T Lrifisht this to you, and took back yon ver, or hers, which I to do,” “Answer? To what?” “Nay, 1 know nothing save that there s a writing in the chest. Its purport I was not told, who am but a messen- ger bound by cath.to do‘certain things. Open the chest, lord, and meanwhiie, it you have food, I have traveled far end fast.” Sir_Andrew went to a door, and called to his men-servants, whom he bade - bring meat. to the palmer and siay with him while-he ate. Then. he tld Godwin and Wulf to- lift the box and bring it to the solar, and with it hammer and chisel, in case they should be needed, whicl they did, setting it ujon the oaken table. - thought foot 77 1t charices, my own, . friends, . - ‘married. to .You wiil “Lozelle, - knight, The stories accepted in this contest will be on the ing of the manuscripts. * how, many years &go, when we were you, by an evil chance, be- came. acquainted with my sister Zo- beide, while you were a prisoner and sick in my | father's .house. How, too, Satan' put in into her heart to listen to your words of love, 'so that she becam~ a’ eross-worshippér, and was you after the Frankish d: fled with you to England. emember also, although at the time hosw Wwe could not recapture her from the vessel, how I sent a mes- senger to you, saying that soon or late ‘custom .I.wonld yet tear her from your arms and_ deal with her as .we deal with faithless women. But within' six years of that time sure news .reached me that Allah had taken’ her, therefore I mourtied :for my sister and her fate awhile, -and forgot her ard you. : “Know -that. a_certain. knight named who dwelt in ‘the part of England where you have your castle, -+ has told me that Zobeide left a daugh- _ter, who-is very beautiful. . Now my heart, ‘which loved her mother, goes out toward this niece whom I have never’ seen, for although .she is your child ang a cross-worshiper—at least ve 1in the matter of her mother's theft—you were a brave and noble .of good blood, as, indeed, I-re- membet. your brother was_also, he Wwho fell in the fight at Harenc. Learn noa that having by the will-of Allah come:'to ‘great estate here at Damas- cus and throughout the East,'I desire to lift your daughfer up to be a prin- cess of my house. Therefore I invite her to journcy to Damascus, and you with her, if you live. Moreover, lest you should fear some trap, I promise in‘the name of God, and by the word of Salah-ed-din, which never yet was broken, that although I trust the mer- ciful God will change her heart so that she enters it of her own will, I will not force her to accept the faith or bind herself in any marriage which she does not desire. Nor will I take vengeance upon you, Sir Andrew, for what you have done in the pas suffer others té do so, but will ragher ralse you to great honor and live with you in friendship as of yore. “But if my messenger returns and teils me that my niece refuses this, my loving offer, then I warn her that my arm is long, and I will surely take her as I can. “Therefore, within a year of the day thdt I receive the answer of the lady, my niece, who is named Rose of the ‘World, my emissaries will appear wherever she may be, married or sin- gle, to lead her to me, with honor it she be willing, but still to lead her to me if she be unwilling. Meanwhile, in token of my love, I send precious gifts of certain things, and with them my patent of her title as princess, and lady of the City of Baalbec, which title, with its revenue and prerogatives, are registered in° the archives of my em- pire in favor of her and her lawful heirs, and declared to be binding upon me and my successors forever. “The bearer of this letter and of my gifts is a certain cross-worshiper named Nicholas, to whom let your an- swer be handed for delivery to me. This devoir he is under oath to per- form and will perform it, for he knows that if he fails therein, then that he must “Signed by Salah-ed-din, Commander of the Faithful, at Damascus, and sealed with his seal, in the spring sea- son of the year of the Hezira 581 “Take rote a'so that this writing having been read to me by my secre- tary before I set my name and seal thereunto, I perceive, that you, Sir An- drew, or you, Lady Rose of the World, may think it strange that I should be at such pains and cost over a maid who is not of my religion and whom I never,saw, and may therefore doubt my honesty in the matter. Know then the true rezson. Since I heard that you, Lady Rose of the World, lived, T have thrice been v a dream sent from Cod conce ‘‘Now this is the oath I made as regards is binding as regards you also; further, that ome way that is not revealed to me, rour presence here will with- hold me from the shedding of a sea of blood, and save the whole world much misery, Therefore it is decreed that you come and bide in m: how things are so, Allah and hi 'onhet be my witnes 3 CHAPTER V. The Wine Merchant. Godwin 1 down the letter, and ali four of them stared at one another in amazement. A Wulf, “this is some d off uvon our uncle By way of answer Sir Andrew bade him %ft the silk that hid the contents of the coffer and see what iay there. He d , and next moment threw back his head like a man whom some sudden light had blinded, as well he might, for from it came such a flare of gems as Essex had rarely seen be- fore. Red, green, and blue they spark- ; and among them were the dull of zold and the white sheen of pearis. 'Oh, how beautiful! said Rosamund. g e,” muttered Godw to maze a woman's mind knows not right from wrong.” Wulf sald nothing. but one Grew them from the ches veil, necklace of pearls, breast orna- ments of rubies, girdle of sapphires, how beautiful!™ “fit fires till she SUNDAY A% 4 greatest men in all the world, but if you choose to.ask for them, they are yours—not ours. Of vour dream we say tkat it was but an empty vision of the night which a wise man should forget. Your servant and your niece.” Then he signed, and Rosamund signed after him, and the writing was done up. wrapped in silk, and sealed. “Now,” said Sir Andrew, “hide away this_gear, since were it known that we had such treasures.in the place, every thief in England would be our visitor, some of them bearing high names, I think.” So they laid the gold-embroidered robes and the priceless sets of gems back in thelr coffer, and having locked it, hid it away in the great iron-bound chest that stood in Sir Andrew’s sleep- ing chamber. - When everything was finished, Sir Andrew said: % “Listen now, Rosamund, and you also my nephews, for I have never told you the true tale of how the sister of Saladin, who was known as Zobeide, the daughter of Ayoub, and after- ward christened into cur faith by the name of Mary, came to be mv wife, and it is well that you should learn it, if only to show how evil returns upon a man. After the great Nur-ed-din took Damascus, Avoub was pnade its governor; then some threes-and-twenty years ago came the capture of Harenc, in which mv brother fell, and 1 was wounded and taken prisoner. They bore me to Damascus, where I was lodged in the palace of Avoub and kindly treated. Here it was, while I lav sick; that 1 made friends awith the young Saladin, and became accuainted with his sister Zobeide, whom I met secret- ly in the gardens of the palace, and although she numbered but half my years, learned to love. The rest may be guessed, for she loved e.as I loved her, and for my sake offered to change her faith and fly with me to England if ovpvortunity «ould be found, which was hard. “Now, as it chanced. I had a friend, a dark and secretive man namied Jebal, the young sheik of a strange and ter- rible neonle, whose cruel rites no Christian understands, but who are the subjects of one Mahomet, in Persia, and who live in castles at Masyaf, on Lebagon. This man had been in al- liance' with the Franks, and once i a battle I saved his life from the Sara- cens at the risk of, mv own, whereon, being stirred to tRe heart, he swore that did T summon him from the ends of the earth he would come to me if I needed heln. Yes, and he gave me his signet ring in token, and, by vir- tue of it, o he said, power in his domirions ecual to his own, though these I never visited. See, here it is, Each Week for the Best,t————— SHORT STORY $ 50 $ =Submitted to them—————— SUNDAY CALL 0000 monnomomqommouu Jeweled anklets, and with them san- dals and robes, and other garments of gold-embroidered purple silk. More- over, among these, also sealed with the seals of Salah-ed-din, his viziers, of- ficers of state, and secretaries, was that patent of which the letter spoke, setting out the full titles of the Pri cesg of Baalbec, the extent and bound- aries of her great estates, and the amount of her annual revenue, which seemed more money than they -had ever heard of. “I was wrong,” said Wulf. “Even the Sultan of the East could not afford st so costly.” est?" broke in Sir Andrew; “it is no jest, as I was sure from the first line of the letter, that from end to end breathes the very spirit of Saladin, though he be a Saracen, the greatest man on all the earth, as I, who wus a friend of his youth, know well. Aye, and he is right. In sense I sinned against him as his sister sinned, our love compelling us. Jest? Nay, no jest, but because some vision of the night that he belleves the voice of God has deeply stirred that great soul of his; or perhaps some oracle of his magic- ians has led him on to this wild ad- venture. Girl, do you know what. he has made of you? Why, there are Queens in Europe who would be glad to own that rank and those estates in the rich lapds gbove Damascus. I know the city and the castle of which he speaks. It is agmighty place upon the banks of Litani and Orontes, and after its military governor for that rule he would not give a Christian—you will be first in it, beneath the seal of Sa- ladin—the surest title in all the earth. Say, will you go and queen it ther Rosamund looked at the heaped-up, gleaming gems and the parchment that made her royal, and her eyes flashed and her breast heaved, as they had done by the Church of St. Peter on the Essex coast. Thrice she looked while they watched’ her, then turned her head as from the bait of some great temptation and answered one word only—"Nay.” “Well spoken,” said her father, whe knew her blood and its longings. “At least, had the ‘nay’ been ‘yea,’ you must have gone alone. Give me ink and parchment, Godwin. They were brought, and he wrote: “To the Sultan Saladin, from An- drew d'Arcy and his- daughter, Rosa- mund. ‘“We have received your letter, and we answer that where we are there we bide in that humble state which God has given us. Nevertheless, we thank you, since we believe you hon- est, and we wish you well, except in your wars against the cross. As for your threats, we will do our best to bring them to mothing. Knowing the customs of the East, we do not send back your gifts to you, since to do so ‘wounld be to offer insult to one of the upon my hand,” and he showed them a heavy gold ring, in which was set a black stone, with red veins running across the stone in the exact shape of a dagger, and beneath the dagger words cut in strange characters that none cou'd read. “To be brief, in my plight, I be- thought me of Jebal, and found means to send him a sealed letter with his ring. Nor did he forget his promise, for within twelve days the lady Zobeide and 1 were gallopmg for Beyrout on two horses so swift that ail the cAvalry of Ayoub could not overtake them. We gained the city and there were . wed- ded, Rosamund, after your mother had been baptized a Christian. Thence, too, since it was not safe for us to dwell in the East, we took ship and came safe home, bearing this ring of Jebal with us, for I would not give. it up, as his servants demanded that I should do, save to him alone. But before the vessel safled, a man disguised as a fisherman brought me a message from Ayoub and his son Saladin, swearing that they would yet recapture Zobeide, the daughter of one of them and sister of the other. “That is the story, and you see that their oath has not been forgotten, though when in after years they learned of my wife’s death, they let the matter lie. But since then Saladin, who in those days was but a noble youth, has become the greatest Sultan-that the East has ever known, and having been told of you, Rosamund, by that traitor Lozelle, he seeks to take you in your mother’s place, and, girl, I tell you that I fear him.” ‘At least, we have a year in which to prepare ourselves, or to hide,” said Rosamund; “or perhaps much longer, seeing that this palmer must travel back to the East before my uncle Sala- din can have our answer.” “‘Aye,” said Sir Andrew; “perhaps we have a year.” ‘“What of the attack on the quay?” asked Godwin, who had been thinking. “The knight Lozelle was named there, yet if Saladip had to do with it, it seems strange that, the olow should have come before the word.” Sir Andrew brooded a while, then said: “Bring i this question him."” So the man Nicholas, who was found still eating as though his hun- ger would never be satisfied, was brought in by Wulf. He bowed low Before the old knight and Rosamund, studying them the while with his sharp eyes, and the roof and the floor, and every other detail of the chamber— for those eyes of his seemed to miss nothing. ! “You have brought me a letter from for away, Sir Palmer, yho are named Nicholas,” sa!d Sir Andrew. ’ *I have brought you a chest from palmer. I would SN TN N , © Damascus, Sir Knight, but of its con- tents I know nothing. At least you avill bear me witness that it has not Leen tampered with,” answered Nich- olas. U “I find it strange,” went on the old knight, “that one in your holy garb should be chosen as the emissary of Saladin, with whom Christian men have ligtle to do.” “But Saladin has much to do with Christian men, Sir Knight. Thus he takes them oner even in times of pedce<as he did me." “Djl he, then, take the Knight Lo- zeile prisoner?” “The Knight Lozelle?" repeated the raimer, “Was he a big, red-faced man, with a scar uvon his forehead, who al- ways wore a black cloak over his mail ?"* “That might be he.” “Then he was not taken prisoner, but he came to visit Saladin at Damas- cus while I lay in bopds. there, for I saw him twice or thrice, though what nis business was I do not know. After- ward he left, and at Jaffa I heard that he had sailed for Europe thres months hefore I did.” Now the orethren looked at each other. S0 Lozelle was in England. But Sir Andrew made no comment, only he sui *Tell me vour story, and be careful ihat you spesk the truth.” “Why should I sneak aught else who have nothing to hide?” answered Nich- olas. I was captured by some Arabs as 1 journeyed t« the Jordan upon a pilgriinage, who, when they found that had o goods to be robbed of, would have kiiled me. This, indeed, they were about Lo do. had not some of Saladin’s soldiers come by and commanded them to hold their hands and give me over to thém: They did so, and:-the soldiers took me to Damascus. There I was imprisoned, but not straightly, and then it was that I saw Lozelle, or, at least, a Christiap man v.ho had some such name. and, as he seemed to be in favor with the Saracens, begged him to ictercede for me. Afterward I was brought bcfere the court of Saladin, and having questioned me, the Sultan himself told me that I must efther wor- ship the false prophet or die, to which you can guess my answer. So they led me away, as I thcught to death, but none offered to do me hurt. Three days later Saladin sent for me again, and of- fered to spare my life if I would swear an oath. which oath was that I should take a certain package and deliver it to vou, or to vour daughter named sthe Lady Rosamund, here at your hall of Steevle, in Essex, and bring back the answer to Damascus. Not wishing to d'e, I said that I would do this, if the Sultan pasgsed his word, which he Algo thourh he says his life hangs on it. I think that were he honest, once safe in England there he would stop, since the first priest would absolve Lim from an oath given under stress to the infidel.)” “Were he dishonest would he not have stolen those jewels?” agked God- win. “They are worth some ‘risk. What think you, Rosamund?"” “1?” she answered. “Oh, I think there is more in all this than any of us dream. I think,” she added in a voice of distress and with an involuntary wringing motion of the hands, “that for this house and those who dwell in it time is big with death and destiny, and that sharp-eved palmer is its mid wife. How strange is the coii that wraps us all about! And lo! now comes the sword of Saladin to sever it, and the hand of Saladin to drag me from my peaceful state to a dignity which I do not seek; and the dreams . of Saladin, of whose kin I am. to in- terweave my life with the bloody peli- tics of Syria and the dim, uriending war between cross and crescent, that are both of them my heritage.”. Then, with a woeful gesture, she turnéd and left them. il Her father watched her go and said: “The maid is right. Great business is afoot in which all of you must bear your parts. For no little thing would Saladin stir thus—he who braces him- eelf as I know well, for the great war in which Christ and Mahomet. must go dow Rosamund is right. . On her brow shines the crescent diadem, and at ¥ heart hangs the black cros: and round her struggle creeds and n: tions. Well, well, although I shall not - live to see them, those things will come about that are foredoomed, and.| you, Godwin, and your hrother, must weave your destined threads into this web of life .with that of the woman whon¥ you. love, daughter have woven ours. Wulf, does the man sleep already “Like a ‘flog, for he seems outworn with travel ‘Like a dog with one eye open per- chance. I do rot. wish- that he shauld give um the slip during the night, as I warit more talk with him and other things, of whjch I have spoken to Godwin. 2 2 “No fear of that, uncle. I have locked the stable door, and a sainted palmer will scarcely leave us the pres- ent of such a mule.” o “Not he, if I know his tribe,” an- swered Sir Andrew. “Now let us_eat and afterward take counsel together, for we shall need it before all is done.” An hour before the dawn next morn-, ing Godwin and Wulf were up, pnd with them certain trusted men who had been warned that their services No story will be considered that is less than 2500 nor more than 3500 words in length. The length of the story must be plain figures. 1 In the selection of stories n: writer will have I es will not count. same standing as the popular author. 5 % marked in The unknown As one of the obiects of the Sunday Call is to develop a new corps of Western writers no stories under noms de lume will be considered. If a story earns publication it will be well worth the writer’s name. ; v Stories not accepted will be returned at once. . will be published one each week.v Those sejested This fiction contest will be continued indefinitely. Vi An autho_r' may submit as many manuscripts as he desires, but no one writer will be contest, it to win more than three prizes during the Always inclose return postage. No manuscripts will be returned unless accompanied by return postage. Vil ‘Write on one side of paper only; put name and address legibly on last page, and ad SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. never breaks, that I should be set free afterward."” 3 “And now you are safe in England, do you propose to return to Damascus with the answer, and, if so, why?” **For two reasons, Sir Andrew. First, because I have sworn so to do, and I do not break my word any more than does Saladin. Secondly, because I continue to wish to live, and the Sul- tan promised me that if I failed in my mission, he would bring about my death wherever I might be, which I am sure he has the power to do by magic or otherwise. Well, the rest of the tale is short. The chest was hand- ed over to me as you see it, and with it money sufficient for my faging to and fro and something to spare. Then I was escorted to Joppa, where I took passage on a ship bound to Italy, where I found another ship named The Holy Mary sailing for Calais, which we reached after being nearly cast away. Thence J came to Dover in a fishing boat, landing there eight days ago, and having bought a mule, joined some travelers to Léndon, and so on here.” “And how will you return?” The palmer shrugged his shoulders. “As best I may, and as quickly. Is your answer ready, Sir Andrew?” “Yes; it'is here,” and he handed him the roll which Nicholas hid away in the fcids of his great cloak. Then Sir An- drew added, “You say vou know noth- ing of all the business in which you play this part?” “Nothing; or, rather, only this—the officer who escorted me to Jaffa told me that there was much stir among the learned doctors and diviners at the court because of a eertain dream which the Sultan had dreamed three times, which had td do with a lady who was half of the blood of Ayoub and, half Hnglish, and that my mission was mixed up with this matter. Now I s that the noble lady before me has eyes strangely like those of the Sultan Sa- ladin.” And he spread out his hands and ceased. 5 “You seem to see a good deal, friend Nickola ‘Sir Andrew, a poor palmer who wishes to preserve his throat unslit must keen his eyes open. Now I have ,eaten well, and 1 am weary. Is there any place where I may sleep, since I would be gone at daybreak, for those who do Saladin’s business dare not tarry, and I have your letter,” ‘With one more searching glance the palmer bowed and went. When the door closed behind him Sir Andrew beckcned Godwin'to him and whis- pered: i “To-morrow, Godwin, you must take scme men and follow this Nicholas to see where he goes and what he does, for of a truth I tell you I do not trust him—aye, 1 fear him much! These em- bassies to and from the Paynim are strange_traffic for a. Christian man. ress to the SUNDAY EDITOR OF THE CALL., would be needed. Presently, Wulf, bearing a lantern in his hand, came to where his brother stood by the fire in the hall. ““Where have vou been?" Godwin asked. “To wake our guest, the palm- er?” “Of a truth,”/grumbled Wulf, as he came back with the lantern, “that palmer sleeps as though Saladin had already cut his throat.” Then having lit it, he returned to the guest place. “Godwin,” he called presently, “come here. The man has gone!™ “Gone?” sald Godwin as he strode to the curtain. “Gone where?” “Back to his friend Saladin, I think,” answered Wulf. “Look, that is how he went.” And he pointed to the narrow window-slit in the wall of the sleep- ing place, whereof the shutter stood wide, and to an oaken stool beneath, by means of which the sainted Nicho- las had climbed up to and through it. “Honest guests do not part from their bosts thus,” answered Wulf; “but let us go and see.” So they ran to the stable and found it locked and the mule safe enough within, nor—though they searched— could they find any trace of the palm- er—not even a footstep, since the gorund was frostbound. Only on ex- amining the door of the stable they discovered that an attempt had been made to lift the lock with some sharp instrument. “It seems he was determined to be gone, either with or without the beast,” said Wulf. “Well, perhaps we can catch him yet,” and he called to the men to saddle up and ride with him to search the country. For three hours they hunted far and w]lde. but nothing did they see of Nich- olas. 5 “The knave has slipped away like a night hawk, and left as little trace,” reported Wulf. “Now, my uncle, what may this mean?” “1 know not, save that it is of a piece with the rest, and that I like it little,” answered the old knight anx- ijously. “Here the value of the beast was of no account, that is plain. What he held of account was that he should be gone in such a fashion that none could follow him or know whither he went. The net is about us, mv neph- ews, and I think that-Saladin draws its string.” Still less pleased would Sir Andrew have been, could he have seen the palmer Nicholas creeping round the hall while all men slept, ere he gird- ed up his long gown and ran like a hare for London. Yet he had done this by the light of the bright stars, taking note of every window in more especially of those of the solar; of the vlan of the outbulldings also. and of the path that ran to Steeple Creek some five hundred yards away. (Continued Next Sunday.}