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Show " " -. . r ..- ipiBo iuiriwnTTTif-TirTyFTrffin'J ir " rr- 'usaf ! Vb: ,i -r- V -v. . ...... -." Sirf T REASSURE ''-.theBlLKC (LEON COPYRIGHT 1933 bvBRCNTANO's INC. BY PTJIiBv iR 1TTPU COPYRIGHT 1923 THE 'D-"J,,J , jJLElXS. Our calling were next to each other, and as a matter of fact, we played poker until long past midnight. Then Nikka and I said good-by to Ilugh and Watty, and sneaked out into the com-panionway. com-panionway. Several sleepy stewards eyed us, but there were no passengers about. The quartermaster on guard at the gangway we handed a Napoleon, Napo-leon, telling him we wore obliged to i land in order to dispose of some for- I ; t .pyTd X-i-;-, "1 have nn P5cTFTs fronT my "mewl, X Nufli." And to m: "This la Mounieui Koitabid jlan." Kostabldjian be wet an ArmeniaL. of uncertain parentage, I afterward diacorered, with the ingrained serri! it y poundod into that unfortunate raci-by raci-by centuries of oppression drew up chairs for ua. "Tour telegram was forwarded ai once to the Chief," lie said to Nikka "But Wasao Mikali sent back word yesterday that he would be delayed in waiting upon you in consequent of a caravan of cartridges which tin-band tin-band are running into Albania. It an affair which has attracted his at tention for the past month, and he dares not trust ths work to another."" "When will he be here?" "He sptke of tomorrow " "Then serve us food, and lead us to a room where we may rest." The Armenian clapped his hands and the old man with the whiskers-who whiskers-who was dumb in consequence of having hav-ing had his tongue cut out in one of the Turkish massacres of the red past returned and carried word in his own fashion of our wants to the kitchen. kitch-en. Presently we sat down in the din ing room to a hot meal of pllaf, witb chicken, dough cakes and coffee, which Kostabidjian pressed upon us officious iy. Nikka sat through the meal with a black frown on his face. I was secretly secret-ly amazed by the constantly growing change in his manner, for he was nor mally of a uniformly pleasant disposition. disposi-tion. But it was not until we had been shown to a bedroom on the upper floor that he unmasked his feelings. I began be-gan to undress, but he paced the floor restlessly from waH to wall. Suddenly he turned on me : "Jack, I hope I haven't insulted you In the past twenty-four hours." "I'm not aware of it, if yon have," I returned cheerfully. "I'm having a h 1 of a time," he groaned. "The two selfs in me are wrenching at my soul. There's Nikka, the gypsy freebooter, who has been dead for years, and against him fights Nikka, the artist and the man of the town. Neither of them owns me. Until the other day except now and then when the old self reared its head temporarily tem-porarily I had thought I had thrust the gypsy behind me. But I was a fool to think so,- Jack. God, what a fool ! Why, the music in me always was gypsy 1 "My people are not like Toutou's gang. They are gypsies. They live by their own hands, and every man's hand is against them. They make their own laws, and abide by their own customs. cus-toms. They take what they need, and consider P their due. I toll you this because I don't want to fly false colors with you. I lived that life when I was a boy. But I should like to make you understand that in some way. by some esoteric, involved, well-nigh Impenetra ble process of psychology, it is not steal ing in the sense that Toutou steals. My people have been outcasts for centuries; cen-turies; they have henn bred up in thi way of life. It isn't wrong in their eyes. Put 1t that way. And I I can see it both ways, Jack. I can see how wrong it is, and I can see how right it seems to them." "You don't need to say all this to me," T told him. "Why, Nikka, It's it's--" "If what? Hard to understand !" "Easy to understand," I corrected. "Hard to phrase. But I know you too well to worry about you. As for the wrench, I'm begirning to feel it myself." my-self." Nikka resumed his restless pacing. "I don't mind anything so much as that oily Armenian downstairs," he Insisted. "He he is dishonest. And we make him dishonest. Not that I've used him so, Jack. Most of what 1 earn goes to my people, who need it. poor souls, especially since the war laid its blight on all southeastern Europe. Eu-rope. Kostabidjian Is one of the agents I employ to distribute my funds. 1 rise him becausa of his connection with my uncle's tribe." "Most of us have to use dishonest helpers occasionally," I said. But can we trust this man, Nikka? If he's all you Indicate, isn't bo likely to sell ns out?" "He'd sell ti3 In a mbnnte, tf he dared," rejoined Nikka, with a tight-lipped tight-lipped smile. "But he knows that if he did he would get a knife in him. It would only be a question of time." "Nice company you've dragged me into," I grumbled. "Well, let's catch up on our sleep." His outburst had eased NIkka's nervous tension, and he soon dozed off. For - while I watched the afternoon after-noon sunlight outside the windows, then the weariness r " our travels overcame over-came me, and I, too, slept. ... I woke abruptly, feeling a light blazing In my eyes. A man was standing In the doorway door-way of the room, with a kerosene lamp In Ills ha id, a tall man, with the proud face of an eagle. Wisps of si 1 vor-white hair escaped from the vnri colored turban that wrapped his brows, but he held himself with the erect poise of youth. He was dressed In tight breeches of brown cloth, and a blue shirt and short red j;icket. Around bis waist was twisted a heavy sash. tiris;!;p;j with knives and pi to Is. As I pr.Mld.-d Nikka awake, in closed the door behind bin) and set the lamp on a table. Nikka, rubbitu the sleep from his eyes, tool; one lork at tin? iii:iri:iun and leaped from I'.i-bed. I'.i-bed. "Wasso !" he cried. The si rancor raised fingers to Iff and breast in a graceful salaam, ntei replied in the cypsy patois, a o:i detieed, musical speech when used h those v bom Jt wis a .niother-tongu" CHAPTER VI We Split the Scent Nikka's plan was simple enough. "When I was a boy and traveled with the tribe," be said, "and we wished to cross a frontier without being be-ing bothered by the customs officers 'or the royal foresters, we divided In- I to two parties and struck off for our destination by two different routes." ; Hugh nodded. i "I see. Vou split the scent." - "Exactly. Our trailers are experts, as I told you chaps they would be. If you will fake my advice, you will adopt gypsy tactics against them. Toutou's gang" are using gypsies. Very well, let us use gypsies." "But how can we?" Interrupted Hugh. "My name still means something to ray people," said Nikka. My father's tribe will fight for me. But in the first place, this is what 1 suggest. Instead In-stead of sailing for Constantinople by :he Messageries Maritime from Marseilles, Mar-seilles, let us take the train to Brin-lisi. Brin-lisi. Our trailers will expect us either to sail on the Messageries packet or else gn by rail to Belgrade and connect con-nect with the Orient express for Constantinople. Con-stantinople. "By going to BrlndisI we shall surprise sur-prise them, and perhaps disarrange their plans. At Brindisi we can connect con-nect with a boat for Piraeus. When B'o board that boat they will begin to jelieve that they understand our plans, because at Piraeus one finds rrenuent sailings for Constantinople. A.nd we shall book passage from PI-cus PI-cus for Constantinople, as they expect. ex-pect. But after we have gone aboard with our baggage, Jack and I will cave the boat by stealth." "But what then?" demanded Hugh. 'Yon divide forces. That makes each jarty half as strong as, we are now." "There'll he no harm In that," Nik-ta Nik-ta reassured him. '''Our shadows will toon find out that Jack and I are lot on the Constantinople boat, and bey won't venture to touch you and Valkins until they have located us vbich I assure you they won't be able ,o do." "Why not?" ".lack and I are goi; to take an-ither an-ither boat fur Salonika, and from Sa-onika Sa-onika we shall go by train to Seres n the eastern tip of Greek Macedonia U Seres .lack and 1 will disappear. Ve shall cease to exist. There will be wo additional members In the band if Wasso Mikali, my mother's brother, ind that hand will be traveling to Con-itanlinoplo Con-itanlinoplo with horses from the Dob-udja Dob-udja to trade with officers of the AI led detachments in the city." "And Watty and I?" questioned I ugh. "You jo to the Pera Palace hotel, ilcot Miss King and her father, but lon't let anybody suspect that you ex-iccted ex-iccted to meet them. Remember, you rill be watched all the time. You must lave Mis King hide the copy of the nstructlnng you sent her. Not In her rmiks ah, I have it! Let her place t In the envelope, addressed to her-elf, her-elf, Poste restanto. She can go to he post office and collect It when-iver when-iver we need It You and Watklns pill not h In any danger. Toutou's icople will bo too busy trying to And 'ack and nia." "But how are wa going to get In mcli with you?" asked Hugh. "I-eave that to us," replied Nikka, 'ill' bis (inlet grin. "Make it a cu-.'in cu-.'in to lounge lu front of the Pera alace every niorulug after breakfast 3r half an hour; and keep a watch lit for gypsies. Some morning two es-ccially es-ccially disreptihible fellows will come y. and one of them will contrive to pta word with you. Follow them." "That's n corking plan," Hugh np-roved np-roved wTunily. If we were followed In Marseilles, 0 didn't know It. We only left the "road station to get breakfast and Ispatcli a telegram from Nikka to his nolo or, rather, to an address in eres which acted as a clearing house " I lo operations of this particular vpsy band. At I'iromts we had a choice of sev-'ill sev-'ill steamers sailing for Conslantl-l'le. Conslantl-l'le. Ndika pitched upon a French :it that lay across the wharf from (reek liner plying to Salonika and e Greek Islamln of the Agoun. The renehm.-n was sain,,. llt ,.nvn ,lie !t morning: the Salonika boat was ' to east oil several hours later. l"'oke-d (wo cabins on the French-""' French-""' ,!"ul hil'''(! n clerk at the British ilnte to reserve passa.ro for two 1 ' Salonika beat. This nrranae- made, we mustered our scanty -i?e. am hoarded the Frenchman s belore dinner time. We dined to--r ostentatiously In the saloon, and tor dmner, with many yawns and o'cstat.ons of weariness, we betook ifbelves to bed The Watchman on the Pier Was Con-ciliated Con-ciliated in the Same Way. gotten business. The watchman on the pier was conciliated in the same way. And finally, the deck-guard ol the Greek liner, once his fingers were greased, :.nd our tickets shown to him, offered no objection to escorting us to our cabin. At dawn we were awakened by the whistling of the Frenchman as be backed out from the pier, and from a porthole we watched him disappeai in the mist of the harbor. At noon the Epaminondas likewise cast off, and Nikka and 1 thankfully abandoned our battles with the cockroaches that fought with us for possession of the bunks, -md ascended to the deck. At Salonika we entered a Europe which was new to me, if an old story to Nikka, a Europe which was bl ided with the life and color and form of the Orient. At the railroad station we fought for places in a first-cla.is compartment, which had room for six and must accommodate eight. The second sec-ond and third-class cars were Jammed to the doors. Women wept, children howled and men swore and struck each other and their women Indiscriminately. Indiscrim-inately. That was a dreadful journe, not long as regards distance, but tediously protracted in time. But the engine tolled on, and In the full tide of hours we crawled over a mountain-ridge and saw the sun rising In the east beyond the close-packed roofs of Seres. Nikka commnndeered a fiacre in the station-square. "Do you know the house of Kostabidjian Kosta-bidjian the money-lender?" he asked the driver in Greek that sounded more than passable to me. "Very well, then, drive us there." "Who is Kostabidjian?" I Inquired as the driver whipped up his horses. A dour, secretive look had settled on Nikka's face In the last two day-j. nis eyes narrowed, and their gaze was fixed upon the far horizon when they ..ere not shrewdly surveying the appearances of tho people around him. "lie Is the agent of the tribe." he replied shortly. "It was through him I sent word to my uncle." I held my peace afler that. At last wo stopped at a gateway overhung by olive trees, and the driver got down to pull the bell-wire which protruded from an opening by (he gate. The solemn clangor echoed faintly, and was succeeded by shuffling footsteps A wicket opened, and a dark, bewbisk ered face was revealed. Nikka ejaculated ejacu-lated a single sentence in the gypsy dialect that Toutou's gang someiiavs used, and the grtte swung ajar. I gave the driver of the tiaero a couple .i drachmas, and followed Nikka In.- ;! Tho Imli -Mtiul with the l:;keis. .-, dried up. elderly man, ipnekly fasten--the gate again, with a si-lew ;e look a Nikka. half respeet. bait fear. At t' door, he stood aside and Ushered i -into a parlor fui-u.i-'c-l in li:e Fn.-i stylo. A stout, smooi h -faced, elder'-man elder'-man rose from a desk as we enter-.-' He started to salaam. theu-;l:i be:' of it. ami offered his hand. Then f commenced to speak in the Tzigane d alect, and Nikka cut brn.i off. "Speak French." said Ni'-'-a curt'. Nikka grTeiped his Imnfl, 'STfiJ (x changed n rapid-fire of question anil answer, then called to me: "This Is, my uncle. Ha arrived soon er than he expected. He guesned m.T need wus greRt. and traveled without respite. Coma and meet him." Tlis old e.vpsy sank to h! hauehea on the bure Uoor, with a sweeping gesture ges-ture of Invitation to both of us to 1oi him. "No, no," exclaimed Nikka as 1 started for a chair. "He has novei sat on i chair in his life. D. a-, tie does or he will think you are trying, to demon rrate how di'Terent you aro.' So " crouched rosa-legged besldci them It seemed to be easy enough for Nikkr. to resume tha ways of his boy hood and concealed my discomfort as stoically as I could. It was close to midnight when we wrre awakened an I the talk with Wasso Mikali lasted for several hours. First, Nikka" explained to him the circumstances of our trip to Constantinople, and the old man ' eyes glistened at the mention of the treasure. He Interrupted with a liquid flow of polysyllables. "He says," Nikka interpreted, when he had finished, "that be has heavi about it It Is just as I told you and Ibrgh, the tradrti"!) Is known all through the r.alkrms. lie says tu.i; (be treasure is concealed in an at-clout at-clout palar-e In Slarul.eul which har-tie.-n it. habited longer than men cat. remen her by a tribe ol gypsies li... chief is ot-.e Beram Tokalji. He fr-there fr-there is a rumor amongst the trihes that he, Tokalji. is an aliy of a grouj of Frank thieves. There is a tr.eb tien in Tokalji's tribe thai their fore fathers believed the treasure oi'i mutely would go to them." "Will lie help us?" I asked eagerly Nikka gave me an odd look. "His tribe are mine. My wish U tutir wi.-h. How can they refuse?" To Be Continued |