The Quest of the Sacred Slipper

at it might portend and from whence proceed. A goodly number of passengers were joining the ship at

as clean; the sky and the hard, merciless sunlight which spared nothing of the uncleanness, and defied one even to think of the term dear t

was the s

n who leaned upon the rail beside me. From

nt among the natives," I said, "a sort of subdu

aunt fashion, he was a handsom

, "some local celebrit

at him

The soul of the copyhun

at is, in European fashion save for their turbans,

d not to have he

entarily louder-and died away. It was only when it had completely ceased that one realized how pronounced it had been-how altogether

coming of strange things, and the dawn of a new power; which should set up its secre

ar and of pain, which dropped to a groan, and moan

! what'

darkly tanned and bearded man came on board, carrying a brow

e of the

n Egy

s a po

t is

e been

s the d

there, if

to quell the disturbance. Through a lane walled with craning

turned to him. There was a queer express

id. "His hand ha

atrocity. And no one knew what had become of the severed hand! I wasted not

ncident struck me as most odd. There was an idea lurking in my mind that something else-something more-lay behind all this. With impatience I awaited the time when the in

ngularly

oat ahead of him. I had just taken a bag from his hand, but he was carrying another, heavier one. It is a clean cut, like

t, but I found new matter for curiosity in the behaviou

one, Mr. Azraeel. "Obviously," said Bell, "not his real name or not all it. I don't suppose they'll sh

rsued inquiries in other directions. I saw members of the distinguished travellers' retinue going abou

zraeel?" I as

the Egyptian, and abru

n conveyed to me the idea that he was concealing something. T

n," he

the fo'c'sle proce

ar

t the dev

ever since the mysterious Mr. Azraeel joined us. I may be wrong in associating th

empt to break open the door of Professor Deeping's stateroom. Except when h

ok me aside and told me a curious story o

"and it glittered through the darkness

from something

smiled,

was very sharply defined. Like t

nly aroused. "Does any explanatio

ther going back to the Middle Ages. You see, I have lived in the E

something back. I could not stifle the impression that the clue to

the damned ship's haunted! Three bells in the middle watch last night, I'll swear I saw

I sug

s some uncanny thing! I'm afraid I can't explain quite

did i

houlders. "Just vanished," he sa

that I entirely failed to get a glimpse of the mysterious Mr. Azraeel. Ahmadeen was standing close by the companion-way, and I had a

m, carrying the brown bag which the Professor had

! Let me ta

hore, arose a horrid scream above the berthing clamour. Those passenge

ay writhing at the foot of the stairs leading to the sal