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«vc kazcml‘r.>xr’mr..¢.:vi4a., ._ 4;...3 ,, L ' Or, A CHAPTER XV.â€"(Cont'd). I looked, after the action, for the old chap. but his body had disappeared, though how or whither I have no con- ception. His blood be upon his own head! He would be alive now if he had not interfered, as the constables say at home. "with an officer in the execution of his duty." The scouts tell me that his name was Ghoolab Shah, and that he was one of the highest and holiest of the Budd- hists. He hadgreat fame in the district as a prophet and worker of miraclesâ€" hence the hubbub when he was cut down. They tcll me that he was living in this very ‘cave when Tamerlane passed this way in 1397, with a lot more bosh of the sort. I went into the cave, and how any man could live in it a week is a mystery to me. for it was little more than four feet high, and as damp and dismal a grotto as ever was seen. A wooden settle and a rough table were the sole furni- ture, with a lot of parchment scrolls cov- ered with hieroglyphics. Well, ho has gone where he will learn that the gospel of peace and good-will is superior to all his Pagan lore. Peace go with him! «Elliott and Chamberlain never caught, the main bodyâ€"I .knew they wouldn'tâ€"â€" go the honors of the day rest with me. ought to get a step for it, anyhow, and- perhaps. who knows? some mention in. the Gazette. ‘What a. lucky chance! I think Zemaun deserves his telescope after all for giving it to me. Shall have some- thing to eat now. for I am half starved. Glory is an excellent thing, but you can- - not‘ live upon it. October 6, 11 a.m.â€"Let me try to set down as calmly and accurately as I can Mysterious Affair. chelas commissioned to avenge his death. .alty by raising his sacrilegious l l i 1 l l . l v l l i -clination for personal matters. ...._..__..._- -____,__..._.-_._.._._--.__..___.-_--__ ___.__._.__â€"~ WMWWW 0116 of 'thc Garrisan; “It is no personabmatter between us. Amid our studies we have no leisure or in- It is an immutable law, and it is as impossible for us to relax it as it is for you to escape from it. Sooner or later we shall come to you and claim your life in atonement for the ono which you have taken. The same fate shall be meted out to the wretched soldier, Smith, who, though less guilty than yourself, has incurred the same pen- hand against the chosen of Buddha. If your life is prolonged it is merely that you may have time to repent of your misdeed and to feel the full force of your pun- ishment. And lest you should be tempted to cast it out of your mind and to forget it. our bellâ€"our astral bell, the use of which is one of our occult secretsâ€"shall ever remind you of what has been and what is to be. You shall hear it by day and you shall hear it by night, and it will be a sign to you that, do what you may and go where you will, you can never shake yourself clear of the olielas of Ghoolab Shah. You will never see me more, accursed one, until the day when we come for you. Live in fear, and in that anticipation which is worse than death." With a menacing wave of the hand the figure turned and swept out. of my tent into the darkness. . The instant that the fellow disappeared from my sight I recovered from the leth- argy which had fallen upon me. Spring- ing to my feet. I rushed to the opening and locked out. A Sepoy sentry was standing leaning upon his musket, a few paces off. . "You dog." I said in Hindustani, "what all that occurred last night. I have nevorl do you mean bv letting people disturb been a dreamer or a visionary, so I can rely upon my own senses, though I am bound to say that if any other fellow had told me the same thing I should have doubted him. I might even have suspect- ?)d that I was deceivedht the time had \hnot heard the bell since. However, I nst narrate what happened. Elliott was in my tent with me having a quiet cheroot until aboutten o’clock. I then walked the rounds with my jemi- gar. and having seen that all was right] D ' I ~ turned in a little before eleven. I was P Just dropping off to sleep, for I was dog- : tired after the day's work, when I was I roused by some slight noise, and. look- ! ing reund, I saw a man dressed in Asiatic p costume standing at the entrance of my r tent. He was motionless when I saw him, and had his eyes fixed upon me with a P solemn and stern expression. My first r thought was that the fellow was some ' Ghazll or Afghan fanatic who had stolen r in With the intention of stabbing me, and with this- idea in my mind I had all the b will to spring from my couch and de- n fend myself but. the power was unac- r- countany lacking. An overpowering , languor and want of energy possessed me. f Had I seen the dagger descending upon by my breast I could not have made an I effort to avert it. I suppose a bird when E it is under the influence of a snake feels , very much as I did in the presence of ? this gloomy-faced stranger. My mind was L clear enough, but my body was as torpid p as though I were still asleep. I shut my fit eyes once or twice and tried to persuade myself that the whole thing was a de- L lusiou, but every time that I opened :5 them there was the man still regarding me with the same stony, menacing stars. The silence became unendurable. I felt ‘ that I must overcome my languor so far as to address him. I am not a ner- vcus_man, and I never knew before what Virgil meant when he wrote “adhoesit faucibus era." At last I managed to stammer out a few words, asking the in- truder who he was and what he wanted. “Lieutenant Heatherstone," he answer- ed, spcaking slowly and gravely, “you have committed this day the foulest aacrilege V and the greatest crime which it is pos- sible for man to do. You have slain one ; of the thrice blessed and reverent ones. r an arch adept of the first degree, an ath for more years than you have’num- ered months. You have cut him off at a time when his labors romised to reach a climax and when 9 was about to attain a height of occult knowledge which would have brought man one step nearer to the Creator. All this you have done without excuse, without provocation, at a. time when he was pleadin the cause of the helpless and distresse . Listen now ".to me. John Heatherstone. “When first the occult sciences were pursued many thousands of years ago, it was found by the learned that the short ~v tenure of human existence was too limited to allow a man to attain thehloftiest heights of inner life. The inquirers of those days directed their energies in the first place. therefore, to the lengthening of their own days in order that “may might have move scope for improvement. B their knowledge of the secret_laws of Nature they were enabled to fortify their bodies against disease and old age. It only remained to protect tlienise ves against the assaults of wicked and violent men who are ever ready to destroy what V is wiser and nobler than themse ves. ..â€" There was no direct means by which this * roteotlon could be effected, but it was u» some measure attained by arranging in such a way that a the occult forces . retribution terrible and unavoidable should await. the offender. It was irre- vocably ordained by laws which cannot be reversed that any one who should shed the blood of a brother who had attained a certain degree of sanctity ""' should be a'doomed man. Those'laws are extant to this day, John Heatherstone. and you have placed yourself in their power. King or emperor would be helpless before the forces which you have called intoP play. What hope, then, is there for you . “In former days: these laws acted so in- ' stantaneonsly that the slayer perished ' with his victim. It was judged afterward " that this prompt retribution prevenied ' the offender from having time to realize .M the enormity of his offence. It was there- " fore ordained that in all such mines the retribution should be left in the hands of the chelas, or immediate disciples of the holy man. with power to extend or shorten it at their will. exacting it either at the time or a: any future anniversary of the day when the crime was omnmlt- iod. Why punishment. should come on those days only it [low not cnnccrn you l elder brother who has trod the higher. . l 1' l l l opium bottle. I I !. l ! me in this way?" The man stared at me in amazement. "Has anyone disturbed the Sahib?” he asked. “This instantâ€"this moment. You must have seen him pass out of my tent." ’ “Surely the Burra Sahib is mxstaken,’ the man answered, respectfully but firmly. “I have been here for an hour, and no one has passed from the tent.” . , Puzzled and disconcerted, I was sitting by the side of my couch wondering wheth- er the whole thing was a. delusion, brought on by the nervous excitement of our skirmish, when a new marvel over- took me. From over my head there sud- denly sounded a sharp, tinkling sound, like that produced by an empty glass when flipped by the nail, only louder and more intense. I looked up, but nothing was to be seen. I examined the .wholo interior of the tent carefully, but Without discovering any cause for the strange sound. At last. worn out with fatigue, I ave the mystery up. and throwing my- self upon the couch was soon fast asleep- When I woke this morning I was inclined to put the whole of my yesterday nights experience down to imagination, but I was soon disabused of the idea, for I had hardly risen before the same strange sound was repeated in my very ear as loudly, and to all appearance as cause- lessly, as before. What it is or where it comes from I cannot conceive. I have not heard it since. Can the fellosz threats have something in them and this be the warning bell of which he spoke? Surely it is impossible. Yet his manner was indescribany impressive. I have tried to set down what he said as accurr ately as I can, but I fear I have omitted a good deal. What is to be the end of this strange affair? I must go in for a course of religion and holy water. 'Not a word to Chamberlain or Elliott. They tell me I am looking like a ghost this morning. Eveningâ€"Have managed to compare notes with Gunner Rufus Smith of the Artillery, who knocked the old fellow over with the butt of his gun. His_ex‘ perience has been the same as mine. He has heard the sound too. What is the meaning of it all? My brain is in a whirl. ,qctober 10 (four days later).â€"God help us This last laconic entry terminated the journal. It seemed to me that coming as it did after four days’ complete silence it told a. clearer tale of a shaken nerve and a broken spirit than could any more elaborate narrative. Pinned on to the journal was a supplementary statement which had evidently been recently added by the general. “From that day to this.” it said, ,“I have no night or day free from the intru- sion of that dreadful sound with its ac- companying train of thought. Time and custom have brought me no relief. but, on the contrary, as the years pass over my head my physical strength decreases and my nerves become lessable to bear up against the continual strain. I am a broken man in mind and body. I live in a. state of tension, always straining my ears for the hated sound. afraid to con- verse with my fellows for fear of exposing my dreadful condition to them, with no hope of comfort on this side of the grave. I should be willing. Heaven knows, to die, and yet as each 5th of Octobergcomes round. am prostraicd with fear be- cause I do not know what strange and terrible experience may be in store for me. Forty years have passed since slew Ghoolab Shah. and forty times I have gone through all the‘horrors of death, without. attaining the blessed peace which lies beyond. I have no means of knowing in what shape my fate will come upon me. I have iminured myself in this lonely country, and surrounded myself with barriers. becausexin my moments my instincts urge me to take some steps for self-protection, but I know well in my heart how futile it all is. They must come quickly now. for I grow old, and Nature will forestall them unless they make basic. “1 take credit. to myself that I have kept my hands off the prussic acid or It has always been in my power to checkmuie my occult persecu- tors in that way. but I have ever held that a man in this world cannot desert his post until he has been relieved in due course by the authorities. I have no scruplcs, however. about exposing 1111881! weaker lto danger, and during the Sikh and Se' l l l I to court death. poy wars I did all that a man could do , He passed me by. how- ever, and picked out many a young fel- low to whom life was only opening and who had everything to live for, while I ~ . - . n - ‘ ‘1 l- . l . . . ‘0 k"‘~“‘- M'm‘e 1' mm 5”“ “9 ‘1' m ‘r survived to Win crosses and honors which dcrer of .Glmolab Shah. the thrice blessed, hall lost all relish for me. Well, well, and ilmi- l 3"“ ll“! “91””? “r h” mm" " these things cannot depend upon chance. For ' Everybody ‘ THE PERFECT SHOE FOR‘VSUMMER SPORTS. ASK YOUR DEALER. M l l . and there is no doubt some deep reason l for if all. One compensation Providence has inadc me in the shape of a lruc and faithful wife. to whom I told my dread- ful secrct before the wedllng. and who nobly consented to share my lvt. She has lifted half the burden from my shoulders. but with the effect, poor soul, of crushing ‘her own life beneath its weight. My children, too, have been a comfort to me. Mordaunt knows all. or nearly all. Gabriel we have endeavored to keep in the dark, though we cannot prevent her from knowing that there is milieilliug amiss. I should like this state- ment to be shown to Dr. John Easterllng, of Strunraer. He heard on one occasion this haunting sound. My and experience ,may show him that I spoke the truth when I said that there was much know- ledge in the world which has never found its way to England yet. “J. B. Heathersmnc." It was going on for «lawn by the time that I had finished this extraordinary narrative, to which my sister and Mor- daunt Heatherswne listened with the most. absorbed attention. Already we could see through the window that the stars had begun to fade and a gray light to up ear in the east. The crofter who own the lurcher dog lived a con le of miles oif,’so it was time for us to on foot. Leaving Esther to tell my father the story in such fashion as she might, we thrust some food in our pockets and set off upon our solemn and eventful errand. CHAPTER XVI. It was dark enough when we started to make it no easy matter to flnd our way across the moors, but as we advanced it grew lighter and lighter. until by the time we reached Fullarton's cabin it was broad daylight. Early as it was. he was up and about, for the Wigtown peasants aro an early rising race. We explained our mission to him in as few words as possible. and having made his bargainâ€" what Scot ever neglected that prelimin- ai'y?â€"~ho agreed not only to let us have the use of his dog but to come with us himself. lilordaunt, in his desire for priv- acy, would have demurer at this arrange. ment, but I pointed out to him that we had no idea what was in store for us, and the addition of a strong, able-bodied man to our party might prove to be of the utmost consequence. Again, the dog was less likely to give us trouble if we had its master to control it. My argu« ments carried the day, and the biped ac- companied us as well as his four-footed companion. There was some little similarity between the two, for the man was a towsy-headed. fellow with a great mop of yellow hair and a struggling beard, while the dog was of the long-haired. unkempt breed looking like an animated bundle of oak- um. All our way to the Hall its owner kept retailing instances of tho creature's sagncity and powers of scent, which, ac- cording to his account, were little less than miraculous. His anecdotes had a poor audience, I fear, for my mind was filled with the strange story which I had been reading, while Mordaunt strode on with wild eyes and feverish cheeks, with- out a thought for anything but the prob- lem which we had to solve. Again and again as we topped an eminence I saw him look eagerly round him in the faint hope of seeing some trace of the ab- sentee. but over the whole expanse of moorland there was no sign of movement or of life. A'll was dead and silent and deserted. Our visit to the Hall was a very brief one. for every minute now was of im- portance. Mordaunt rushed in and emerg- ed with an old coat of his father's, which he handed to Fullarton, who held it out to the dog. The intelligent brute sniffed at it all overfthen ran whining a little way down the avenue, came back to sniff the coat again, and finally elevating its stump of a tail in triumph. uttered a succession of sharp yelps to show that it was satisfied that it had struck the trail. Its owner tied a long cord to its collar to prevent it from going too fast for us, and we all set off upon our search, the dog. turr~ing and straining at its leash in its excitement as it followed in the general’s footsteps. Our way lay for a couple of hundred yards along the highroad, and then passed through a gap in the hedge and on to the moor, across which We were led in a bee-line to the northward. The sun had by this time risen above the horizon. and the whole countryside looked so fresh and sweet, from the blue. sparkling sea to the purple mountains, that it was diffi- cult to realize how weird and uncanny was the enterprise upon which we were engaged. The scent must have laid strongly upon the ground, for the dog never hesitated nor stopped, dragging its master along at a pace which rendered conversation impossible. At one place, in crossing a small stream. we seemed to get off the trail for a fewvrminutes. but our~kecn- nosed ally soon picked it up upon-the other side and followed it, over the track- less' moor, whining and yelping all the time in its eagerness. Had we not all three been fleet of foot and long of wind we could not have persisted in the con- tinuous, rapid journey over the roughest of ground, with the heather often well- nigh up to our waists. For my own part, I have no idea now. looking back. what goal it was which I expected to reach at the end of our pur- suit. I can remember that my mind was full of the vaguest and most varying speculations. Could it be that the three Buddhists had had a craft in readiness off_the coast. and had embarked with their prisoners for the East? The direc- tion of their track seemed at first to favor this supposition, for it lay in the line of the upper end of the bay. but it ended by branching off and striking di- rectly inland. Clearly the ocean was not to be our terminus. (To be continued.) â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€"K‘ Man's Brain Secoml'Bost. A great deal has been said about man possessing a larger brain than woman, and this has led to the claim through many years that man’s brain was superior. But now there are some are declaring that in reality man's brain is second best in the matter of relative size. This admitted man’s brain is larger than the brain of woman, but it is said it is really only about one-tenth larger. Taking into consideration the fact that man is a larger animal than woman, and that he really aver- ages more than one-tenth larger than woman, his brain-is not as large in proportion to his body as \is woman’s. '1‘ Deepest Spm in Occali. A surveying ship of the German. navy has recently discovered the deepest known spot in the ocean. It is near the Philippines, about forty sea miles off the north coast of Mindanao. Great depths were found to be numerous in this re- gion, but the record sounding showv ed the amazing result of 9,780 met~ ers, or 406 feet more than six miles. The greatest ocean depth hither- to known was found by the United States cable steamer Nerd in 1901. lThis spot was to the north of the island of Guan, and the deep sea lead indicated 9,635 metersâ€"just a little less than six miles.“ . 'â€""”I"’â€"â€"â€"_‘ The more-a man has the less his neighbors think he deserves it. When put to the test, some vir- tues are found to be thinly ve- neered. .iarmhouse; and Mr. _ 'field, the latest star in Jahe poetical Iced Ta wit ' 1 another vessel to cool gradually. WHEN’thOUi’BRE ITHI'R'STY TRY, u of lemon in it. It will refresh you wonderfully andbesicles it’s inwgorating’ and absolutely pure. Allow the tea to steep for five minutes and then‘pour off into Never use artificial means of cooling until ready to serve; then add sugar, ice and lemon. llllllllilllll MEN AS SINGERS GENIUSES IVER}?! FOUND HUMBLE SPHERES. .â€" Caruso Was Working in a Black- smith’s Shop When He Was Discovered. Genius is no respecter of persons. Indeed, it knocks more often at the door of the peer man’s Cottage than at the entrance 'of the rich man’s mansion. The present generation, says Lon- don Titâ€"Bits, is just as fruitful as any that are gone in examples of genius in humble life. Of our greatest poet-s, Mr. William Watson first saw the light in a. Wa-rfedalc John Mase- firmament, found his first inspira- tion while working in the field‘s. Mr. J. M. Barrie was born in a Kirriemuir cottage, at least as humble as the roof under which Thomas Carlyle, stonemason’s son, entered the world; and Mr. H. G. Wells, son of a. professional cri-cket‘ er, served behind a draper’s co-un- tor before he discovered the gold in his pen. It would be an easy matter to name at least a score of living au- thors of repute for whom life has opened at least as humbly, without taking into account such poets of undoubted, if obscure, genius as Mr. A. 0. Williams, ham-merman; authorities, who- Mr. Jovsepli Skipsey, ‘bhe “pitma-n- poet,” and others, equally gifted, who have earned their daily bread by navvy work and farm labor. Great Singers. It is, how-ever, among musicians that we find the most remarkable examples of talent’ in unexpected places. Alessandro Bonci, ‘ the world-famous singer, was working as a boobmaker’sfl apprentice less than thirty years ago ; and when he abandoned the awl to seek a. for- tune in his glorious voice, he was supported by friends. poor like himself, who subscribed a few francs each per month; and was so poor that he was compel-led to tramp eighteen miles a clayâ€"to Pe- saro and backâ€"for his lesson-s. I Caruso, at the time, was wield- ing a. blacksmit-h’s hammer; and was serving as a private soldier when a passing officer discovered the wonder of his voice. Miss Stel- la Carol, when she was similarly discovered, was singing on a Hamâ€" stead pavement in the chilly dusk of a. winter evening; M. Giorglni, the famous Italian singer, when he was hawking fish in the streets of Naples, and. Herr Rout-man when, as a liuckster, he was taking round vegetables on a wheelbarrow. M. 'Rousseliere, the king of French operatic singers, was not so many years ago working as a black- smith, “passing rich” 011 Three Francs a D11 '; Mlle. Cavalieri was first- known to local fame as the prettiest flower- seller in Rome, and her wonderful voice was first heard in Paris cafes, where her reward was a few oopâ€" pers 51. nightâ€"â€"just as, long years earlier. the great Christ-inc Nils- H5011, “Queen of Song,” witched cop~ pers from frequenters of Swedish fairs by her nightingale notes; and l l 1 Suit rm Sugln'fl'nsie. St. Lawrence extra granu- ' laud is now sold in three dif- ferent sizes of crystals ; all diolcebtnnd purest can: su gar, ’ Fino‘thlnlred label) : ' grain from top, In this every . u! the Bit: of to bottom. is abo ,a 11 int. ' um Grain (blue label): l Like small and pcaris,evcn , and white and marvel: of 3 film. . ruGulal reenlahell : Like small d inland: and almost as brilliant, but quicklymeitsd. Miss Evin. Gwyn’s voice was “disâ€"9 covered” when Elie was “pouring out her soul in blithesocne song” in a baker’s shop wt I’wlllieli. And similar romantic stories are told of many a musician whose name to-day is famousâ€"from Herr Fielder, the Polish violinist, who, was discovered by a, wealthy Welsh? lady in a Tyrolese cafe’cliaut-ant, to: Miss Marie Hall, who, but a few: years ago, was reaping a scantyl harvest of pence by playing in the‘. streets. ' Art, like music, calls her clever. children from the most unlikely places. There are half a dozen liv-l ing policemen who have proved that they can ply a skilful brush, from Mr. Jones, of Leeds, whose work‘ has been honored by the Royal Academy, to P. C. Rushen, of the City of London force, one of whos clever canvases may be seen in the museum of the Guildhall. Mr. \Va-l‘ ter Marshall, whose normal work is the repairing of electric tramâ€"cars, has had a picture accepted by the Academy. Nor must we forget Mr., Samuel Hancock, The London Postman, who some time ago gave an exhibi- tion of his pictures at the Dorrex Gallery; or Mr. B10xall, a. Somerâ€"l set house porter, whose clever painting has won much admiration. That it is possible even without hands to win fame as an artist has” been proved in several cases, notaâ€"Z bly in those of Mr. Bertram Hiles" and M.‘ Francois dc Mentholonl When a boy of 8, Mr. Hiles had they misfortune to lose both . arms through being run over by a, tramâ€"f car in Bristol. Undaunted‘ by hisI terrible handicap, he set bravely work to cultivate his talent for art; and succeeded so well that, witlhirfi two years, he had won a {inst-classV certificate ' at' the Bristol Arh‘ Schools for freehandâ€"drawing, all though he was obliged to hold his pencil in his month! In later years he achieved considerable fame as a painter; several of his canvases be- ing bought and treasured by no less. exalted a patron than Queen Vic~. toria. i M. Francois (le Mentholnn, who is not only armless, but only p054 sess-es one leg, and who also does his painting with his mouth, acfi tually carried off the coveted Raige‘ court Coyon prize at the Salon of 1896, against the cleverest artists in France; and Queen Alexandra treasures an exquisite portrait of herself, painted in paste], the world of Mme. Rapin, an armless Lady: who paints and draws with her feet. "! "_"‘."' There are but few shade trees in the average man’s field of labor. 3 The time to be happy is now. place to be happy is here. way to be happy is to make other people happy. 3 W , Most people would be benefited by the occa- sional use of Na-Dru-Co Laxatives Gently,, thoroughl , and without discomfort, they free the system of the waste which poisons the blood and lowers the vitality. 25¢. a box, at your Druggist’s. National Drug and Chemical Co. of Canada. Limited. 176 - . . - H . Order The Size You / Prefer. 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