He did not make a movement to defend himself, and pronounced the fatha without fear or embarrassment. Whilst I had hold of him in this way, I perceived that the Feather and the Squirrel were laying hold of all the little objects on which they could lay their hands, and were stowing them away in their pockets, their bosom, or under their robes. When I saw that my man pronounced the sacred formula without hesitation, I came to the conclusion that he was not a miscreant, and began to make apologies for my violence, setting it down to the wine which he had made me drink.

He did not even seem to hear what I said. With a stern

glance he put his hand on my shoulder, and I could feel, by the pressure of his fingers, that he was stronger than I thought. I pushed him away sharply, and placed myself on my guard.

"Djani, son of Euktulmich!" cried he in a clear tone.

All my blood seemed to flow back to my heart. How did that strange man know me?

"Soldier of the Bessed Djissoud, standard-bearer of Djebe the Wolf!" continued my host. "Your two companions are pagans; you have pillaged the Almaty customhouse, and you are a Mongol spy!"

"Curses on you!" replied I. "You are Satan! Get you hence, Satan the Stoned!"

"I am a Mussulman," said my host in a serious tone. "Do not be surprised at what I know. I have information about everything. My power is mysterious and unbounded; you cannot deliver yourself from it. Henceforth you belong to me!"

At these words he stamped with his foot. Twenty men, armed with cuirasses, with helmets on their heads, and sabres or axes in their hands, rushed into the hall. With a single bound I got my back to the wall, and put myself on my guard. The Feather and the Squirrel placed themselves right and left of me, and unsheathed their weapons.

"I should like very much to know," cried I, as I brandished my sabre, "which of you will first dare to lay hands on me?"

"Come on, dogs!" exclaimed the Squirrel, tightening his grasp of his sabre.

66

"If only I had my boots!" sighed the Feather. 'Fighting barefoot is all very well, but in slippers, alas!"

My host advanced with a smile on his face. He had resumed his soft and wheedling expression.

“Djani, my lad," said he, “I wish for nothing but the safety of your body and the salvation of your soul. You are in danger about that business at Almaty: do you wish it to be forgotten? You are separated from a friend who is dear to you. Do you wish to see Marghouz again?”

I could not restrain a cry.

"Let me see Marghouz again!" I exclaimed. "Let me see him again, and I will believe you!"

The man replied with his ominous smile,

"There is also another person whom you wish to see again, I feel quite sure. She is in trouble, and she is a captive; it only depends on a Mussulman knight like yourself to deliver the black-eyed princess! Do you wish to deliver her?"

"What must I do?" I exclaimed. "I am ready for everything that is not contrary to my faith. What must I do?" "Very little,” replied the man. "Very little; almost nothing! Where are you going to?"

"What's that to you?"

"You told me you were going to Samarcand?"

"Well, yes, it is true; I am going to Samarcand.”

The man took from his belt a dagger, the hilt of which was set with precious stones, and which had a gold sheath.

"Take this dagger," said he; "fear nothing; the blade is good, and it is not bewitched. Look at it!"

I drew the blade out of the sheath. On one of the sides was written in gold letters, "In the name of the merciful and long-suffering God;" on the other, the Arabic word "open," that is to say, "Open to me the gates of paradise." The blade itself was inlaid with silver, and was sharp, keen, and magnificent. I kept silence.

"Is it not a weapon worthy of a Mussulman?" continued my host.

"I admit that," I replied.

"Well," said he, "wear that dagger in your belt so that it can be seen. That dagger is a talisman which will lead you in safety wherever you wish to go. When you get to Samarcand you will go and find a silk merchant named Houssein, whom anybody will point out to you. You will have that dagger in your belt, and Houssein will ask you who gave it to you. You must answer, ‘Some one gave it me in the East.' Then the man will say to you, 'Do you wish to be the son of the veiled sheikh?' You will reply, 'His face is radiant for true believers.' Do not breathe a word of all this to a living creature, and confidently follow the instructions of the man I am speaking about."

"And if I do follow them?" I asked.

"If you follow them," said my mysterious host, “you will find Marghouz again, and you will learn what you have to do to see the black-eyed princess again, and deliver her!” "Allahou Ekber!" I exclaimed, "I will go."

I immediately passed the dagger through my belt, after having taken off my own, which I cast at my feet. The unknown stamped with his foot, and the armed men dis

appeared. As I followed them with my looks, my eyes fell on Eighur characters engraved on the wall. I drew near the spot, and I read the following words roughly scratched with the point of a knife,—

"My sister!" I exclaimed. "My sister with Marghouz! What is this new mystery?"

"You will learn at Samarcand!" said the unknown in a solemn tone. "Are you ready to start?"

"This very evening," I replied.

"All right," said he: "the roads shall be open for you." Then he left the room as if nothing had happened, and left me utterly bewildered in the company of the Feather and the Squirrel, who looked at me in blank astonishment. My first thought was to hasten to the stable to see whether they had not taken away our horses; but I found our animals safely fastened to the wall. My retainers looked after our baggage; nothing was missing. I resolved to start at once; I had no reason for not following the mysterious instructions of my host, since in any case I had to pass through Samarcand to get to Bokhara. I did not, moreover, even try to unravel the secrets of my strange adventure; I was firmly resolved to try every means to find Marghouz and my sister, and to deliver the black-eyed princess, and that was enough for me. So we equipped ourselves for our journey, unfastened our horses, and sprang into our saddles.

Just as we were going to start, my host presented himself before me.