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