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Show 7 ' ; . r-i'- , ( ... :v- L ' - .xv J'. ' - J ftefcUC LEON "Stop out, Ciorgi Donlu and Jakka," ; culled Tnkalji. ; Nikka sunk his ringers in my nnn j in a warning grip, and we stepped fort! from the group of Tziganes clustered clus-tered in front of the fire. There was at least a chance that we should not be Identified but its value was demonstrated dem-onstrated the instant the firelight splashed over Nikka's aquiline face aud tense, febrile body. "Surely, 1 have seen that lean follow fol-low before," piped Tilmi Bey, pointing at Nikka. Vas.silievich pushed in front of the ; newcomers. "Is it my Imagination," he inquired softly, "or does the stocky one bear a resemblance to the Atuericansky, Nash?" "By jove, I think you're right!" exclaimed ex-claimed Iiilyer, speaking for the first time. "Be ready," hissed Nikka from the corner of his mouth, without shifting his eyes from our enemies. His right hand was thrust into his waist-sastu "I do not like this business," rasped Toutou, purling a knife from inside his vest. "Somebody shall be tortured until he tells the truth." I felt a pressure between Nikka and myself, and Kara's voice whispered : "Run, you fools! To the House of the Married !" Nikka's pistol flashed blue in the firelight. 'Shoot. Jack !" he cried. To Be Continued gnTutul. "P.inTrj she ul.irled. TTnd T.u-gyp.-y fiddles ea;::'t her rime. A man with cyiiili:'.!.-- eh. shod an accompaniment. accompani-ment. A i'.w.e wi.istled soprano. She iruTeased ti.i tc i"po ; she varied her sir-;.'..;. She was a llower shrinking beneath be-neath the grass. She was a dove pursued pur-sued by a fal.-on. She was a maiden deseiled by her lover. She was a fairy hovering above the world. V.'e who w.t, ciied her were breathless breath-less with the ,l..y of the spectacle, and when she sank to the ground In a little pile of rags and hair as the kh'Mc ended, I thought she must be worn out. Bui she bounded up at once, breathing regularly, radiating vitality. "Now I will dance the Knife dance I" she exclaimed. "Who will dance with me?" And before any could answer her, she seized a blazing stick from the fire, and ran around the circle waving it overhead until she came to where Nikka. sat. "Ho, Giorgi Bordu, will you dance the Knife dance with me?" Every eye in the circle, was fixed on Nikka, for, although I did not know it then, to have refused her invitation would have been a deadly insult, equivalent equiv-alent to a declaration of enmity toward her family and tribe. Similarly, Similar-ly, acceptance of It amounted to an admission that lie considered her favorably fa-vorably as a wife, without definitely committing him to matrimony. Nikka did not hesitate. He stepped to her side. She slipped one arm around his waist, and with the other swung her torch in air until it showered show-ered sparks over the circle. "ni !" she cried. "Hi !" echoed Nikka. And they pranced around the fire while the music commenced an air so fiercely wild that it made the blood tingle to listen to ft. Then she flung her torch, and tore free from Nikka's arm. Ho followed her. She eluded him. Round and round they tore, keeping step the while. Now she accepted ac-cepted him, now she rejected him. At last he turned from her, arms folded, contemptuously unmoved. She wooed him with rhythmic ardor. He denied her. She drew her knife ; he drew his. Eyes glaring, lips pinched, they circled one another, feinting, striking, leaping, posturing. "Click !" The blades struck together. "Hi 1 Hi !" they cried. "Click! Clack! Click!" went the knifeblades. "Ho! Ho!" thev shouted. more Franks at tTTeiolel, a man named King and his daughter. They. I think, are AQierikansky like Nash.'' "But what do they seek that you also seek?" asked Nikiia. "If you breathe It to a soul, 1 will cut out your heart with my own knife, I, Beran Tokalji," replied the gypsy chief by way of preface. "They have the secret to a treasure." "What?" exclaimed Nikka with great pretense of astonishment. "Here In Stamboul?" "("lose by, my lad, close by. The. know its location, but if we are smart we should be able to take it from them as soon as they reveal their knowledge. It is for us to find out their secret or wring it from them, by torture, if necessary." "This Is a Joh worth doing," cried Nikka, .jumping up. "Jakka and 1 will be diligent. We will start now to frail the Franks.'' But Tokalji barred the door to him "Not so fast, not so fast," he an swered with his gargoyle laughter "The job has waited for you some time. It can wait a few hours longer. I prefer to keep you under my wing for the night, until we become better acquainted. So make yourselves com fortable. Yon shall eat heartily, and this evening Kara will dance in the courtyard as she promised you. That is worth wailing for, Giorgi." He stepped aside, and waved us permission per-mission to go; and we walked through the courtyard to the crumbling wall which rimmed t lie I'osphorus at one CHAPTER IX The Big Show Begins Tokalji herded us through the atrium at-rium and up the stairs into the large chamnei where he, himself, slept. sit" he ordered roughly, motioning t0 several stools. "I have something , silV. To he frank with you, my lad. 1 fien'l want you two for a thieving b it's something more difficult, and the reward will be in proportion." Nikka permitted his fingers to caress tl,e iiilt of his knife. "We should enjoy a good killing," he hinted. "No, no, Giorgi. That will come in time, but whatever else you do, you must keep your knife sheathed in this business. As it happens, the men we nre after are worth more to us alive tliiui dead." "Whatever you say, voivorie," answered an-swered Nikka equably. "But what about your own men? They're a likely-looking lot." "Yes, but not so many ol them have the gifts I require in this service," retorted re-torted Tokalji. "They are clever thieves oml fighters, but what I re quire now is men who can follow and sp.v." lie bent his brows in n ferocious K rim ace. "If you succeed, you are my friends. Vim shall have rich pickings. Hut if 'C;.-.':' pfiq MJ-'a I . "Why Threaten?" He Asked Coolly The game was to see how near yon could come without cutting. To avoid hurt the dancers required quick eyes and agile bodies. The blades flashed like meteors in the shifting light, wheeling and slashing and stabbing. In the beginning Kara forced the pace Nikka retired before her, rather than risk doing her harm. But slowly he assumed the mastery. His knife was always at her throat, and active as she was, ho refused to be shaken off. Siie feuded desperately, panting now. bright-eyed and Hushed. But he presse.i her. Their blades clashed, he gave his a twist and hers dropped from her hand. He seized her, forcing her back across his knee, knife upraised to strike, while the fiddles clutched at one's nerves and the cymbals clanged with wicked glee. Crash ! boomed a knock on the street door. And rnp-rap-rap ! it was re peated. Crash ! again. The music stopped. Nikka released his partner, and Kara stooped quickly and snatched up her knife, tossing the hair out of her eyes, heedless of the rags that slipped off her shoulders. Men looked at each other uncertainly. uncer-tainly. Hands crept to waistsashes. "Ueh !" said Tokalji. "Who can It be in such a hurry at this hour?" Crash 1 The door resounded under the battering of a pistol butt. The women and children all sara Kara withdrew into the shadows, The men gathered together. Tokalji crossed the entrance. "Less noise there!" he shouted threateningly. "This is a peaceful house." But tils manner changed the moment mo-ment he opened the wicket. What hp said we could not hear, but we saw him quickly (urn the lock and throw back a leaf of the door, salaaming low as he stepped aside. Six men burst In, four of them in European clothes and Nikka and I exchanged a glance of apprehension as we recognized the broad shoulders of their lender and heard his .snarling voice. Toutou Lal'itte had arrived. With him were Iiilyer. Serge Vassilievich and nil mi Hey. "Can ! trust nobody to fulfill mv orders?" whined Toutou, striding toward the fire. "1 tell yon to spare no efforts and I come to lind you Singing and dancing around a fire! Is that working? Is that carrying out our treaty? I'ut all are the same.' My best people fail me." His green eyes shone evilly; hi? hands writhed with suppressed ferocity. feroc-ity. Tokalji, having rcfaslcned the door, followed him across the courtyard. court-yard. The gypsy looked uncomfortable, uncomfort-able, hut s!;vim no fe '.r. "What could vv(. h;ne done that we have ii"t .!..:::" r.'- rM-'r.i-l. "Was it I our fault that you lost track of the uvo a. Is-!!..: ones? As f-T the Labis'. I lor.) nr..l :.;s so;--, : two of roy hs-:i ' have si, a V-ved ti.c:a day and ni.'o." "A:. !.-;;:- :;- to : y," s::aro 1 To; j tou. "1.-st t !:.; for a wl, day ' v"' 1 !- v - - ' t ' s 1 o n a. to- i j r- -' i ; - ' :" fioint. its base, a rubble-heap, its bat tlemer.ts in fragments. Us platform overgrown with weeds. "It would not he difficult to climb up here," I said idly, pointing to the gaps belwedn the stones, and the slop iug piles of bowlders. "Does he suspect sus-pect us, Nikka?" "No, that is only his gypsy caution. He thinks we are too good to be true, tie needed what we seem to be and behold, we arrive lie litis waited long. Ho feels he can wait n little longer You must let me do all the talking. I'll tell everybody you are a sulky devil, a killer whose deeds haunt him. They'll leave you alone. ' Gypsies respect re-spect temperamental criminals. P.ut come along, we mustn't slay by ourselves. our-selves. We'll be suspected of consid ering ourselves too highly or else having hav-ing something to conceal. We can't afford any suspicions or even a dislike." dis-like." So we strolled over to the young men's quarters, and while 1 wrapped myself in a gloomy atmosphere that I considered was typical of a tempera mental killer, Nikka swapped anecdotes anec-dotes of crime with the others who drifted in and out. I looked for Kara, but she was nowhere in view. With the passing of the twilight the young men moved to the courtyard. In the middle of the open space was a black smirch on the paving, and here they built a fire of driftwood collected from tho beach under the wall. It was a tributu to tho immemorinl habits of their race. Even here in the crowded city they must close the day with n discussion of its events around a trlba: blnze, exactly as they would have dona upon the road, exactly as thousands of other gypsy tribes were doing at that very moment. A buaz of talk arose. The primitive gypsy fiddles and guitars began to twang softly. Nikka was the center of a gossiping group. Men and women from the opposite side of the court Joined the circle. Young girls, with the lithe grace of the gypsy, as un self -conscious as animals, silted through the ranks of the bachelors. Reran Tokalji. himself, a cigarette drooping sardonically from the corner of his mouth, stalked out and sat down with Nikka. In the changing shadows beyond the range of the lirelighl children ilotloo and played unhindered by their ciders High overhead the stars shone like (ire-Mies under a purple vault. 'Ant from the spreading mass of SMamboul echoed a -otitic hum. the hum of a omul ' hive, a myriad voices talking, siiiirng. praying. Inngliing. shouting cursing, screaming. Nutte- of the dis co:'dant night noises of the West. N'o whistle -blasts, uo shricklnc of )!: wheels on tortured rai's. no lon.Uiny, of motor ho;-;;s. no .!;:;:!.. i c-f tin ohinery. Or.l.v the '.:'":.',' of ti.e liiw. I!ch, co-: e o .t. shy oacs ; , oi t!-o .-:::: s view yo.-.r grace, crici Tel... !.':." ' Thev c'o ! a".: "o: t tl.emselvc-5. ;0 ;0 sU; H,! U L '. V p ' O " j Kara , oo c f r the : r.r : . : s. ; j A:..; K-.:a i'.o:,: c 1 i; )he circle ci ! : ' ;. ; .:..! ; : a I- o- c " c: :: i :: j iw n:-kel feet liarrV tee, e. el v yen fall you had better leavt. Stain lioul." Nikka dropped his hand again oti Ins knife. "Why threaten?" ha asked coolly. Tokulji lured ut bim with the blankly savage ruenace Oj an old fcorllhi. "licwan how you defy Reran Tokalji To-kalji In his own den," he snarled "Well, let It puns. It shows yon have s.ilrll, but do not tempt me too far. Itlorgl. wnon 1 am aroused I must taste blood." NikUn ruse. "1 am a free man," he answered casually. "So Is my comrade, Jakka rt'tf sell our knives and our fingers to the best bidder, and if we don't like the Ireiifnient we say so aud leave." Tokalji now regarded him uneasilv. No harm Us o,me by plaia tui ,11118 r's'it. Sit. I get along with 'h'e who don't fear me too much. l0" shall not be sorry you strayed In noio but you must deal honestly with "'e- I mil buying your wits, and I expect something ror uly moll0y." f'o far It Is only we who have l'al. retorted NlkUu. "now much nr we to got?" "tjow much? it depends upon how inuclMve wi. There will be hundreds ' t -e.d pu-,.,.s for every man it It goes "'f wtun coes ricjit?" '"'ialji Idu-lu-d his stool closer to Us; and :uWV ,.,, '' you. liiorgi-i-.:,.! you, too, Jak '',' 11 can uiulerslaml auv of ibis ,;Syv t"MttUs you rebocd live "'!'' u 1 i" 'Vr.i. w hero all loo ric'.i .;i!!i's s;''- 'fhey so!, s,-.,:, ioina 1 seek and win, them in ... '' ,i:nr" " 1 wo o: hers, ;m J'.""' "' ""-.v. X:-:',. ...., n,. , :o 1 ,"I';K"- ih.y say. is a neeicr j., ... , .. ' " o;ir p, op'e in los NlJ i":,U" h"'11''1 "1 linn eoe.' sac! .U .v,' H..w his faccV 1 t! i:,U I ,v:., -v" every, !un a else n,,.'" :U'" !.;.! has k,., ,,f li.e 'l.ev'-','-'"1 thl' rul;li,'r wlu'" - to arrive, .-.is,,, iho,-0 are two |