| Show i THE MBASSADORS PIGEONS I I BY ROBERT BARR Copyright 1898 the S S McClure Co Haziddin the ambassador stood at t the door of his tent and gazed down uron the famous city of Baalbek seeing 4 see-ing it now for the first time The night f before he had encamped on the heights I to the south of Baalbek and had sent forward to that city messengers to the prince carrying greetings and acquainting ac-quainting him with the fact that an r embassy from the governor of Damascus Damas-cus awaited permission to enter the gates The sun had not yet risen but r til ° splendor in the east lighting the Sky with wonderful colorings of gold and crimson and green announced the speedy coming of that god which many r of the inhabitants of Baalbek still worshiped E wor-shiped The temples and palaces of the city took their tints from the flaming sky and Haziddin the ambassador thought he had never seen anything so beautiful notwithstanding the eulogy Mahomet himself had pronounced upon t his own metropolis of Damascus The great city lay in silence but the moment the rim of the sun appeared f above the horizon the silence was broken by a faint sound of chanting from the ornate temple seemingly of I carven ivory which had bestowed upon the city its Greek name of Heliopolis j f The temple of the sun towered above all other buildings in the place and as if the day gcd claimed his own the rising sun shot his first rays upon this 1 l edifice striking from it instantly all f color leaving its rows of pillars a dazzling daz-zling white as if they were fashioned from the pure snows of distant Lebanon Leban-on The sun seemed a mainspring of Ih activity as well as an object of adoration adora-tion for before it had been many minutes min-utes above the horizon the ambassador j i saw emerging from the newly opened t gate the mounted convoy that was to act as his escort into the city to I r turning he gave a quick command 3V which speediiy leveled the tents and x brought his retinue into line to receive f I C their hosts The officer ssnt by the prince of Baal bek to welcome the ambassador and conduct him into the city greeted the Xisitor with that deferential courtesy so beloved of the eastern people and together they journeyed down the hill to thb gates the followers of the one G minglingfraternally with the followers of the other As if the deities of the wonderful temples they were approaching approach-ing withed to show the futility of mans foresight a thoughtless remark made by one of the least in the ambassadors ambas-sadors retinue made to one of the least who followed the Baalbek general wrought ruin to one empire and saved another from disaster A mule driver from Baalbek said to one of his lowly profession from Damascus Da-mascus that the animals of the northern north-ern city seemed of superior breed to those of the southern Then the Damascus Da-mascus man his civic pride disturbed by the slighting remark replied haughtily that if the mules ofBaalbek had endured such hardships as those of Damascus journeying for a month I without rest through a rugged mountain moun-tain country they would perhaps look in no better condition than those the speaker then drove Our mues were as sleek as yours a I month ago when we left Damascus As Baalbek is but 31 miles north of Damascus Da-mascus the muleteer of the former place marveled that so long a time had been spent on the journey and he asked ask-ed his fellow Avhythey had wandered among the mountains The other > could but answer that so it Avas and he knew I 11 no reason for it and with this the man of Baalbek had to content himself And so the tale went from mouth to ear of the Baabek men until it reached the general himself He thought little of it for the moment but turning to the ambassador am-bassador said having nothing else to say How long has it taken you from aJ1Jae usto Baalbek Then the ambassador answered We have done the journey in three days it might have taken us but two or perhaps it could have been accomplished accom-plished in one but there being no necessity for speed we traveled leisurely leis-urely Then the general remaining silent said to himself Which has liedrumor or the ambassador am-bassador He cast his eyes over the animals the ambassador had brought with him and saw that they indeed showed signs of fatigue and perhaps of irregular and improper food Prince Ismael himself received Ha ziddin ambassador of Omar governor of Damascus at the gates of Baalbek and the pomp and splendor of that reception re-ception was worthy of him who gave it but the general found opportunity to whisper in the ear of the prince The ambassador says he was but three days coming but a follower of his told a follower of mine that they have been a month on the road wandering among the mountains Suspicion is ever latent in the eastern east-ern mind and the prince was quick to I see a possiblemeaning for this wandering wan-dering amon the mountains It might well be that the party was seeking a route at once easy and unknown by I which warriors from Damascus might fall upon Baalbek yet if this were the case why did not the expl > rers return directly to Damascus rather than venture ven-ture within the walls of Baalhek It seemed to Prince Ismael that this would have been the more crafty meth ft 11i t < 1 i J He Clutched the Polished Surface In Vain od to pursue for as it was unless messengers had returned to Damascus to report the result of their mountain excursion he had the whole party practically prisoners within the walls of his city and he could easily waylay any envoy sent by the ambassador to his chief in Damascus The prince however showed nothing In his manner man-ner of what was passing through his mind but at the last moment he changed the programme he had laid out for the reception of the ambassador ambassa-dor Preparation had been made for a great public breakfast for Haziddin was famed throughout the east not only as a diplomatist but also as physician phy-sician and a man of science The prince now gave orders that his officers were to entertain the retinue of the ambassador at the public breakfast while he bestowed upon the ambassa ddr the exceptional honor of asking him to his private table thus giving Haziddin of Damascus no opportunity 1o i confer with his followers after they hail entered the gates of Baalhek It was impossible for Haziddin to demur so he could but bow low and accept the hospitality which might at that moment be most unwelcome as Indeed it was The princes manner was so genial and friendly that the physician Hazaddin soon saw he had an easy man to deal with and he sus pected no sinister motive beneath the cordiality of the prince The red wine of Lebanon is strong and his highness Ismael pressed it upon his guest urging that his three J days journey had been fatiguing The ambassador had asked that his own I servant might wait upon him but them J the-m prince would not hear of it and said I that none should serve him who were I not themselves among the first nobles I in Baalbek You represent Omar overnor of Damascus son of King Ayoub and as such I receive you on terms of equality with myself The ambassador at first nonplussed I with a lavishness that was most unusual I un-usual gradually overcame his diffidence I and became warm with the wine and so failed to notice that the prince himself i him-self remained cool and drank sparing ly At last the head of Haziddin sank S on his bredst and he reclined ot niii length on the couch he occupied falling into a drunken stupor for indeed he I was deeply fatigued and had spent the night before sleepless As his cloak fell I away from him it left exposed a small I wicker cage attached to his girdle j containing four pigeons closely huddled hud-dled for the cage was barely large enough to hold them and here the prince saw the ambassadors swat messengers to Damascus Let loose from the walls of Baalbek and flying direct the tidings would in a few I hours be in the hands of the governor I of Damascus Haziddin then was spy as well as ambassador The nrnu also possessed carrier pigeons and used them as a means of communication between his armies at Tripoli and at Antioch so he was not ignorant of I their consequence The fact that the ambassador himself carried this small cage under his cloak attached to his i girdle showed the great importance that was attached to these winged j messengers otherwise Haziddin would 1 i t v As His Cloak Fell Away it Exposed a Cage Containing Four Pigeons have entrusted them to one of his subordinates I sub-ordinates Bring me whispered the prince to I his general four of my own pigeons Do not disturb the thongs attached to the girdle when you open the cage but take the ambassadors pigeons out and I substitute four of my own Keep these pgetris of Damascus separate from I ours we may yet have use for them in communicating with the governor of Damascus The general quick to see the scheme which was in the princes mind brought I four Baalbek pigeons identical with the others in size and color He brought with him also a cage into which the Damascus pigeons were put and thus the transfer was made without with-out the knowledge of the slumbering ambassador His cloak was arranged I about him so that it concealed the cage attached to the girdle and then the ambassadors own servants were sent for and he was confided to their care When Haziddin awoke he found himself him-self in a sumptuous room of the palace He had but a hazyremembrance of the latter part of the meal with the prince and his first thought went with a thrill of fear toward the cage which had been under his cloak Finding however how-ever that this was Intact he was much relieved In his mind and could but hope that in his cups he had not babbled bab-bled anything of his mission which might arouse suspicion in the mind of I j the prince His first meeting with the I i ruler of Baalbek after the breakfast they had had together set all doubts I finally at rest because the prince received re-ceived him with a friendship which j 1 i I was unmistakable The physician l apologized for being overcome by the > potency of the wine and pleaded that I he had hitherto been unused to liquor i of such strength The prince waved I i away all reference to the subject saying say-ing that he himself had succumbed on the same occasion and had but silent i recollection of what had passed between be-tween them Ismail assigned to the ambassador one of the palaces near the Pantheon and Haziddin found himself free to come arid go as he pleased without espionage I plonace or restriction He sneedily learned that one of the armies of Baal hek was at the north near Antioch the I other to the west at Tripoli leaving the great city practically unprotected I and this unprecedented state of affairs i jumping so coincident with the designs of his master that he hastened to communicate I com-municate the intelligence He wrote If Baalbek is immediately attacked it cannot he protected Half of the I army is at the shore of the Mediterranean Mediter-ranean near Tripoli the other half is north at Antioch The prince has no I suspicion If you conceal the main body of your army behind the hills to the south of Baalbek and come on yourself with a small retinue sending I j notice to the prince of your arrival he will likely himself come out of the gates to meet you and having secured his person while I with my followers hold the open gates you can march into Baalbek unmolested Once with a i force inside the walls of Baalbek the I I city is as nearly as possible Impregnable I 1 Impregna-ble and holding the prince prisoner you may make with him your own i I terms The city is indescribably rich I and probably never before in the history his-tory of the world has there been opportunity op-portunity of accumulating so much treasure with so little risk This writing Haziddin attached to the I leg of a pigeon and throwing the bird aloft from the walls it promptly disappeared I dis-appeared over the housetops and a few I moments later was in the hands of its master the prince of Baalbek who read the treacherous message with amazement Then Imitating the ambassadors ambas-sadors writing he penned a not say ing that this was not the timeto invade Baalbek but as there were rumors that I the armies were about to leave the city one going to the north and the other to I the west the ambassador would send I by another pigeon news of the proper I moment to strike This communication the prince attached at-tached to the leg of one of the Damascus Damas-cus pigeons and throwing It into the air saw with satisfaction that the bird I flew straight across the hills towards the south Ismail that night sent messengers mounted on swift Arabian horses to Tripoli and to Antioch recalling his armies directing his generals to avoid I Baalbek and to join force In the mountains to the south of that city and out of sight of it This done the prince attended in state a banquet tenaered to him by the ambassador from Damascus Damas-cus where he charmed all present by his genial urbanity speaking touchingly touching-ly on the blessings of peace and drinking drink-ing to a thorough understanding between be-tween the two great cities of the east Damascus and Baalbek sentiments I which were cordially reciprocated by I the ambassador Nextmorning the second pigeon came I I to the palace of the prince Ismail is still unsuspicious the document ran I I He will fall an easy prey if action is I prompt In case of a failure Vo surprise 1 I sur-prise It would be well to impress upon i your generals the necessity of surrounding II sur-rounding the city instantly so that messengers canot be sent to the two armies It will then be advisable to cutoff I I cut-off the water supply by diverting the J I course of the small river which flows into Baalbek The walls of the city are I incredibly strong and a few men can i defend them successfully against a host once the gates are shut Thirst however will soon compel them to sur I ipnrirr Strike quickly and Baalbek is yours int prince sent a note of another tenor to Damascus and the calm day I passed serenely on the ambassador watching anxiously from his housetop his eyes turned to the south while the prince watched as anxiously from the roof of his palace his gaze turning now westward now northward The third night afte the second message mes-sage had been sent the ambassador paced the long level promenade of his f roof ever questioning the south A full moon shone down on the siient city and J in that clear air the plain outside the 1 i walls and the nearer hills were distinctly dis-tinctly visible as if it were daylight There was no sign of an approaching army Baalbek lay like a city of the i I dead the splendid architecture of its I countless temples gleaming ghostlike I cold white and unreal in the pure refulgence I re-fulgence of the moon Occasionally the i ambassador paused in his walk and leaned on the parapet He had become vaguely uneasy wondering why Damascus I Da-mascus delayed and there crept over him that sensation of dumb fear which comes to a man in the middle of the I I I I night and leaves him with the breaking break-ing of day He realised keenly the extreme I treme peril of his own position impris I oned and at the mercy of his enemy should his treachery be discovered i And now as he leaned over the parapet para-pet in the breathless stillness his alert I ear missed an accustomed murmur of I the night Baalbek was lulled to sleep I by the everpresent tinkle of running I water the most delicious sound that II can soothe an eastern ear accustomed as it Is to the echoless silence of the arid rainless desert I I The little river which entered Baalbek first flowed past the palace of the I prince then to the homes of the nobles no-bles and the priests meandering through every street and lane until it came to the baths left by the Romans from whence it flowed through the poorer quarters and at last disappeared disappear-ed under the outer wall It might be termed a liquid guide to Baalbek for the stranger leaving the palace and fol I lowing its current would be led past every temple and residence in the city It was the limpid thread of life running I run-ning through the veins of the town and without it Baalbek could not have existed As the ambassador leaned over the parapet wondering whether it I was his imagination which made this i night seem more still than All that had gone before since he came to the city he suddenly became aware that what I he missed was thG purling trickle of I I the water Peering over the wall of I his house and he saw downward the j moonlit street he saw no reflecting glitter of the current and realized with a leap of the heart that the stream had run dry The ambassador was quick to understand under-stand the meaning of this sudden dry ing of the stream Notwithstanding his I I vigilance the soldiers of Damascus had f stolen upon the city unperceived by him and had already livered the w at i course InstantLy his thoughts turned e j toward his own escape In the morning II the fact of the Invasion would be revealed I re-vealed and his life would lie at the j mercy of an exasperated ruler To flee I from Baalbek in the night he knew to II be no easy task all the gates were closed and not one of them would be opened before daybreak except through the intervention of the prince himself j I I I To spring from even the lowest part of the wall would mean instant death In I this extremity the natural ingenuity I of the man came to his rescue That which gave him warning would also i provide an avenue of escape j m The stream conveyed to the city by a I lofty aqueduct penetrated the thick i walls through a tunnel f cut in the solid I stone just large enough to receive its j volume The tunnel being thus left dry I j I a man could crawl on his hands and i i knees through it and once outside walk upright on the top of the viaduct I along the empty bed of the river until he reached the spot where the water j had been diverted and there find his comrades Wasting not a thought Ion Ion I-on the jeopardy In which he left his town t-own followers thus helplessly imprisoned Impris-oned In Baalbek but bent only on his own safety he left his house silently i and hurrledly deep in the shadow along the obscure side of the street He knew he must avoid the guards of the palace I pal-ace and that done his path to the invading in-vading army was clear But before he reached the palace of the prince there I remained for him another stupefying surprise j Coming to a broad thoroughfare i leading to the square In which stood I the temple of life he was amazed to see at his feet flowing rapidly the full j tide of the stream shattering into dancing discs of light the reflection of the full moon on its surface gurg ling swiftly toward the square The fugitive stood motionless ss and panic stricken at the margin of this transparent I trans-parent flood He knew that his retreat had been cut off What had happened I Perhaps the strong current had swept i away the Impediment placed against it i I by the Invaders and thus had resumed its course into the city Perhapsbut there was little use In surmising and j the ambassador recovering in a measure j meas-ure his selfpossession resolved to see i whether or not it would lead him to I his own palace Crossing the wide thoroughfare Into I I the shadow beyond he followed it toward I to-ward the square keeping his eye on the I stream that flowed in the moonlight I The rivulet flowed directly across the I li l 1 square to the temple of life there sweepingj in a semicircle half round the huge building it resumed its I straight course The ambassador hesitated I hesi-tated before crossing the moonlit square but a moments reflection showed tihn that no suspicion could possibly attach to hs movements in this I direction for the temple of life was the only sacred edifice forever open The temple of life consisted of a huge dome which was supported by a double dou-ble circle of pillars and beneath this dome had been erected a gigantic marble I mar-ble statue representing the god of life i who tood motionless with outstretched arms as if invoking a blessing upon the city A circular opening at the top of the dome allowed the rays of the moon to penetrate and illuminate the head of the statue Against the white polished surface of the broad marble slab which lay at the foot of the statue the ambassador saw the dark forms of several prostrate figures and knew that each was there to beg of the I sightless statue life fcr some friend lying I i I ing at that moment somewhere on abed a-bed of illness For this reason the temple j I I I tem-ple of life was always open and supplicants I sup-plicants prostrated themselves within it at any hour of the night or day j Remembering this and knowing that it was the resort of high and low alike I for death respects not rank Haziddin I with gathering confidence entered the J moonlit square At the edge of the i great circular temple he paused meeting meet-ing there his third surprise He saw i that the stream was not deflected i around the lower rim of the edifice but that a stone had been swung at right i angles with the lower step cutting off the flow of the stream to the left and allowing the waters to pour underneath I under-neath the temple Listening the ambassador am-bassador heard the low muffled roar of I pouring water and instantly his quick mind jumped at an accurate conclusion conclu-sion Underneath the temple was a gigantic tank for the storage of water and It was being filled during the night Did the authorities of Baalbek expect j a siege and were they thus preparing I for it Or was the filling of the tank an ordinary function performed periodically j peri-odically to keep the water sweet The ambassador would have given much I for an accurate answer to these questions ques-tions but he knew not whom to ask I Entering the temple he prostrated himself on the marble slab and remained re-mained there for a few moments hoping hop-Ing that If his presence had been observed ob-served this action would provide excuse ex-cuse for his nocturnal wanderings Rising he crossed again the broad souare and hurried up the street by which he had entered it This street led to the northern gate whose dark arch he saw at the end of it and just as he was about to turn down a lane which led to his palace he found himself him-self confronted with a fourth problem One leaf of the ponderous gate swung inward and through the opening he caught a glimpse of the moonlit country coun-try beyond Knowing that the gates were never opened at night except through the direct order of the prince he paused for a moment and then saw a man on horseback enter fling himself him-self hurriedly from his steed leaving it in care of those in charge of the gates and disappear down the street that led directly to the princes palace In a most perturbed state of mind the ambassador am-bassador sought his own house and there wrote his final dispatch to Damascus Da-mascus He told of his discovery of the water tank and said that his former for-mer advice regarding the diverting of the stream was no longer of practical value He said he would investigate further the reservoir under the temple of life and discover if possible how the water was discharged If he succeeded suc-ceeded in his quest he would endeavor in case of a long siege to set free Baalbeks store of water but he reiterated reiter-ated his belief that it was better to attempt at-tempt the capture of the city by sum prise and fierce assault The message that actually went Damascus carried I car-ried by the third pigeon was again different in tenor Come at once it said Baalbek is unprotected and the prince has gone on a hunting expedition March I through the pass of ElZaid which is unprotected because it is the longer route The armies of Baalbek are at I Tripoli and at Antioch and the city is without even a garrison The southern gate will be open awaiting your coming com-ing Days passed and the ambassador paced the roof of his house looking in vain toward the south The stream flowed as usual through the city Anxiety I Anx-iety at the lack of all tidings from Da t I mascus began to plow furrows in his brow He looked careworn and haggard hag-gard To the kindly inquiries of the j prince regarding his health he replied I 1 that there was nothing amiss One evening an urgent message came I I from the palace requesting his attendance 1 attend-ance there The prince met him with I j concern on his brow i Have you had word from your mas J Iter I Omar governor of Damascus i 1 since you parted with him asked i Ismael 1 I have had no tidings replied the j ambassador i I A messenger has just come in from I I i Damascus who says that Omar is In j I I deadly peril I thought you should know this speedily and so I sent for I j I you I youOf what nature is this peril asked the ambassador turning pale I I The messenger said something of j his falling a prisoner sorely wounded j I in the hands of his enemies i Of his enemies echoed the ambassador ambas-sador He has many Which one has I I been victorious I I have had no particulars and per i I I haps the news may not be true answered 1 < I an-swered the prince soothingly I May I question your messenger Assuredly He has gone to the temple tem-ple of life to pray for some of his own I kin who arc in danger Let us go I there together and find him I But the messenger had already left the temple before the arrival of his master and the two found the great place entirely empty Standing near the edge of the slab before the mammoth mam-moth statue the prince said Stand upon that slab facing the statue and I will tell you more faithfully faith-fully than any messenger whether your master shall live or die and when I am a Moslem answered Hazid din and pray to none but Allah In Baalbek said the prince care lessly all religions are tolerated Here we have temples for the worship of the Roman and the Greek gods and mosques for the Moslems Here Christian Chris-tian or the Jew sun worshiper or Pagan implore their several gods unmolested un-molested and thus Is Baalbek prosperous prosper-ous I confess a liking for this temple of life and I come here often I should however warn you that it is the general belief of those who fre quent this place that he who steps upon the marble slab facing the god courts disaster unless his heart is as free from treachery and guile as this stone beneath him is free from flaw Perhaps you have heard the rumor and therefore hesitate 1 have not heard it heretofore but having heard it do not hesitate Say ing which the ambassador steeped upon the stone Instantly the marble turned under him and falling he clutched its polished surface in vain dropping helplcssly into the reservoir beneath The air under his cloak bore 1 him up and kept him from sinking The reservoir into which he had fallen proved to be as large as the temple itself it-self circular in form as was the edifice edi-fice above it Steps rose from the water In unbroken rings around it but even it i > i he could have reached the edge of the huge tank in which he found himself him-self ascent by the steps was Impossible for upon the first three burned vigorously vigor-ously some chemical substance which luridly Illuminated the surface of this subterranean Jake He was surrounded surround-ed immediately by water and beyond that by rising rings of flame and he rightly surmised that this substance was Greek fire for where it dripped into the water it still burned floating on the surface A moment later the prince appeared on the upper steps outside the flaming circumference Ambassador he cried I told you I that if you stepped on the marble slab you would be Informed truly of the fate of your master I now announce to you that he dies tonight being a prisoner I pris-oner in my hands His army was annihilated an-nihilated in the pass of ElZaSd while he was on his way to capture this city through your treachery In your last communication to him you said that you would investigate our water storage stor-age and learn how it was discharged This secret I shall proceed to put you in possession of but before doing so I beg to tellyou that Damascus has fallen and is in my possession The reservoir erAoir you AAill observe is emptied by pulling this lever which releases a trap door at the center of the bottom of the tank The prince with both hands on the lever exerted his strength and depressed de-pressed it Instantly the ambassador felt the result First a small whirlpool became indented In the placid surface i i of the water exactly in the center of the disc enlarging i its Influence it grew and grew until it reached the I outer edges of the reservoir bringing lines or tire round with it The ambassador am-bassador found himself floating with Increased rapidity dizzily round and round He cried out in a voice that rang against the stone ceiling An ambassadors life Is sacred prince of Baalbek It Is contrary to the law of nations to do me injury much less to encompass my death An ambassador is sacred replied the prince but not a spy Aside from that an ambassadors duty is to precede pre-cede his master and that you are about to do Tell him when you meet > the secret of the reservoir of Baal bek > jais reservoir now a whirling maelstrom mael-strom hurled its shrieking victim Into its vortex and then drowned shriek and man together |
