Illustration: The yacht was driven straight on to the duck
"Our bowsprit's broken," announced Lionel, directly he had recovered his feet, "and it's fallen in the water and is dragging the sailswith it—and—look out!" This as a gust of wind filled the mainsail and caused the boat to careen over on to her side in a highly dangerous manner.
"Look out!" and this time another and a stronger gust completed the matter, and the sail touched the water and immediately became saturated, so that the boat could not right itself.
"Well, we shan't sink, that's one thing," I said, for Lionel was looking at me in an alarmed manner. "The water cannot get into the hull, thanks to there not being a 'real' cabin and the hatches only being sham ones."
"That's all very well," said Lionel, though giving a little sigh of relief at my reassuring words, "but we can't stop here for ever. I should like to know how we are to get ashore."
Shin Shira, who had seen our accident, was shouting and gesticulating at the edge of the Pond, but the wind was blowing in his direction and carried the sound of his voice away from us, so that we couldn't hear a single word of what he was saying.
"I suppose eventually we shall drift ashore," I said hopefully.
"Yes, but not for hours and hours perhaps," said Lionel dolefully, "because the wind maychange, you know, and besides it's getting dusk."
"It certainly isn't a very pleasant look-out," I agreed. "I can't see what we are to do, unless—I say! what's that big box floating towards us?"
Lionel looked in the direction in which I was pointing.
"It's an empty match-box," he said uninterestedly; "that's no good."
"I'm not so sure about that," said I. "Try and get hold of it as it drifts this way. I've an idea."
"I can't see what good an empty match-box can be to us," grumbled Lionel, doing his best, however, to aid me in capturing the prize as it blew against the side of the overturned yacht, which we at last did with some difficulty.
It was a very large box and had evidently been in the water for some time; the paper around it had become unstuck from the sides and hung loose in the water beside it.
"We must get the paper at all cost, and pray be careful not to tear it," I cried.
"Whatever for?" asked Lionel in amazement.
"Do as you're told and don't ask questions," I replied rather crossly, for I was very anxious to try an experiment which I had in my mind. Sowe hauled the paper aboard and stretched it on the bulwarks to dry.
Then we hauled the broken bowsprit aboard and freed it from the broken ropes with our pen-knives—a long and difficult job—and by the time we had finished, the paper which had been around the box had become dry and quite stiff by reason of the gum with which it had been stuck to the sides of the box.
"Oh, I see!" cried Lionel, as I clambered on to the box (which was fastened by a rope to the side of the yacht) and began to cut a hole in the middle. "You're going to make a raft."
"I'm going to try to," I answered grimly, for I wasn't at all sure that my experiment would be a success.
By dint of real hard work, cutting and contriving, however, we did eventually succeed in making a raft of a sort, the stiff paper, fixed to the broken bowsprit, making a capital sail; and somewhat in fear and trembling, we both got aboard and pushed off from the derelict yacht.
All went well for some time till we were nearing the shore, and then I noticed something which caused me grave alarm.
We were both growing rapidly! The raft, which had before been quite large enough tosupport us, was now low down in the water with our weight, and there was great danger of the water getting into the inside of the box, in which case it would undoubtedly sink.
Lionel noticed the difficulty at the same time as myself, for he gave me a startled glance.
"We're getting bigger," he said. "Do you think the raft will hold out?"
"I don't think so," I replied, "but we're quite near the water's edge now—perhaps I could swim ashore with you."
"Good gracious! I can swim twice that distance myself, thank you. Why, I beat Mullings Major hollow in the swimming competition last term, and he's four years older than me, and—"
Whatever Lionel was going to add was lost, for at that instant he had to put his boasted prowess to the test. The box, having filled with water just as I had feared it would do, sank slowly down, and we were left in the water.
Fortunately Lionel's boast was not a vain one, and he reached the shore before I did, laughing and wringing the water out of his clothes.
"Well, it's good to be on dry land once more at any rate," he said, as I waded ashore, "isn't it?"
"Yes," I agreed, looking about to see if Icould discover any traces of Shin Shira in the dusk.
"There he is!" at last cried Lionel, "but his head has vanished, and there are only his legs and arms waving about.Theywon't be much use to us, and—by Jove! yes! Look, here comes that wretched old duck after us. We'll have to cut," and he gathered up his things and set the example.
It was quite true; the old duck had evidently come to the conclusion that we were something dainty to eat—in the frog line probably—and was waddling towards us as quickly as her game leg would allow.
Fortunately we were soon able to out-distance her; and having fixed our latitude by Kensington Palace, which we could just see in the distance, we set out for the gate.
To our tiny, but rapidly growing bodies the distance seemed an interminable one, especially as darkness was now quickly falling. We could see the lights in Kensington, but they seemed far, far away; and to add to our dismay, when at last, tired and exhausted, we did reach the gate, it was only to find it closed for the night, and that during our journey from the Pond we had grown too big to be able to squeeze through the railings.
We waited a few minutes uncertain what to do, till presently a cab came in sight, the horse walking leisurely and the cabby evidently on the look-out for a fare.
"Cabby! cabby!" I called, and Lionel added his shrill voice to mine.
The cabman looked about in bewilderment.
"Here, by the Park gates!" I yelled, and he got down from his seat and came over to where we were standing.
"Well, I'm blowed!" he exclaimed when he had had a good look at us. "What the Dickens are you? Kids or dwarfs or what?"
"Never mind what we are, cabby; get us out of here somehow, and drive us home to Kensington Square, and I'll give you a sovereign."
"Will you, though?" said the cabby. "Well, I'm gaun to do it, but the question is—how? I'll go and knock up the park keeper."
"No, no, don't do that!" I said hastily. "He'll want such a lot of explanations, and we're wet and uncomfortable and anxious to get home. Do please try and think of some way of getting us out without having to call him."
Our cabby was a man of resource, for having considered for a moment, he backed the horse close against the gate, stood on the top and lowered the horse's nosebag by means of a longrope which he kept by him in case of emergencies, and cried—
"Now then, get in there, one at a time, and I'll soon have you over here."
Lionel got in first, and as the cabby had said, was easily hauled up and deposited on the top of the cab.
I followed, and in a very short space of time we were both inside the cab and rattling home at a good pace.
I got the cabby to knock at the door, and Mrs. Putchy, to whom I quickly explained everything, gave him a sovereign for me. In a very few minutes Lionel and I were warm and comfortable each in our respective beds.
In the morning we had both grown to our original sizes, and the adventure of the day before was nothing but a memory.
I was exceedingly surprised a few weeks after our latest adventure with the little Yellow Dwarf to receive the following extraordinary letter from him. It was dated from Baghdad, and bore two very unusual postage stamps, which Lionel promptly claimed for his collection.
"Kind and obliging Sir," it began, "I am in great and serious trouble and in danger of my life, and I appeal to you to come to my assistance by the first boat. I will explain everything when we meet, but kindly do not delay, as everything depends upon your presence here."Again beseeching you not to delay,"Your miserable and much-afflicted friend,"Shin Shira Scaramanga ManousaYama Hawa."P.S.—Inquire for me at the State Prison, Baghdad."
"Kind and obliging Sir," it began, "I am in great and serious trouble and in danger of my life, and I appeal to you to come to my assistance by the first boat. I will explain everything when we meet, but kindly do not delay, as everything depends upon your presence here.
"Again beseeching you not to delay,
"Your miserable and much-afflicted friend,"Shin Shira Scaramanga ManousaYama Hawa.
"P.S.—Inquire for me at the State Prison, Baghdad."
"Well!" I exclaimed, after perusing this remarkable epistle, "of all the extraordinary requests I have ever received this is the strangest. This man, whom I have only met at the most half-a-dozen times in my life, expects me to neglect my work and rush off to Baghdad, of all places in the world, to his assistance, because he has got into some trouble which has landed him in the State Prison there. I always thought somehow that those uncanny powers which he possesses would get him into serious difficulties at some time or another. I'll send him a letter stating that I cannot go to him." And here I endeavoured to dismiss Shin Shira and his affairs from my mind.
I was so worried about the matter, however, that I couldn't settle to work, so I lit my pipe and settled myself in my easy-chair to think the matter out.
Poor little fellow! If he really was in such desperate straits it seemed very heartless to leave him to his fate if in any way I could be of real assistance to him; and, after all, I could work almost as well while I was away as I could at home, and the voyage would probably give me plenty of new ideas for my book. I thought of all the kind things the little chap had done for me, and how he had always somehow come tothe rescue when I had been in difficulties in my adventures with him; and finally I came to the conclusion that it would be most ungrateful and selfish of me if I let anything stand in the way of my going to my friend's assistance.
I had no sooner made up my mind on this point than I called a cab and set out at once for Messrs. Cook's office and booked a passage by the next steamer.
I will not tell you anything about the somewhat uninteresting journey either by sea or land, with the exception that when I at last stepped ashore in an Oriental port, I found in the curious costumes and strange surroundings many things to amuse me and to wonder at.
The entire journey on the whole, however, was decidedly tedious, and I was very glad to find myself at last in the ancient city of Baghdad.
I went at once to the British Consul there and told him my object in coming to the city.
"Shin Shira!" he exclaimed. "Why, there is scarcely anything talked about in these days but Shin Shira. He has stolen one of the most valuable crown jewels, and was caught with it in his possession. Despite the indisputable evidence against him, however, he persists in declaring his innocence, and pleads that, with the assistance of a friend from London, he canprove it conclusively. I suppose, sir, that you are the friend from London."
I told him that I was, and that I was deeply grieved to hear of the trouble that Shin Shira was in, and that I felt convinced that there was some mistake in the matter which could somehow or other be cleared up.
"I should be very glad to think so," said the Consul, shaking his head, "but I fear it is hopeless. You see, the stone—an almost priceless diamond—was actually found in his possession. But come, you will be anxious to see your friend as soon as possible. I will come with you to the prison and see that you are admitted."
The kind-hearted official called his carriage, and together we drove through the unfamiliar narrow streets to the dismal-looking building in which my poor friend was confined.
A brief consultation with the authorities and the signing of various papers made me free to enter the prison, and having thanked the Consul for his kind offices, I was led away by one of the officials to a terribly dark dungeon, in which, crouched in a corner, I found my poor friend Shin Shira, looking the picture of misery.
His face lit up with a smile of hope, however, when he saw me, and his whole aspect changed.
"My friend! my deliverer!" he cried, usingall kinds of extravagant Oriental phrases to express his delight at seeing me. "Ah! at last you have come, and I shall be saved! May all the blessings of Allah be on your head!"
The official withdrew, locking the door carefully behind him, having first given me to understand by various signs that he would return for me in about half-an-hour.
"Well, now," I inquired, when we were alone, "what is this terrible trouble which has brought you here? What have you been doing?"
"Nothing!" declared Shin Shira solemnly. "Nothing whatever to merit this punishment. It is all a horrible mistake. Let me begin at the beginning. About two months ago, after a series of my usual adventures, I suddenly appeared here in Baghdad. Now I have been acquainted with the city for many, many years—in fact, ever since the time of Sinbad the Sailor, whom I knew quite well, and with whom I was at one time very friendly. Well, I have many times appeared here since then, and on each occasion I have taken a great interest in the place on account of old associations. I have made many friends here, too; so when I found myself here once more I was greatly delighted, and was making my way to the Bazaar, where I knew I should be sure to find some acquaintances, whengreatly to my surprise I saw several passers-by stop and stare at me curiously and then, whispering amongst themselves, follow me at some distance behind.
Illustration: two men came and seized me by the arms
"It could not be my clothing which was attracting all this attention, for it was more or less of the same pattern to which they were accustomed. I caught sight of myself in a polished steel mirror in one of the shops in the Bazaar, andstole a glance at myself, but could see nothing wrong. What could be the cause? I had not long to wait, however, before I found out to my cost what was wrong.
"The crowd following me had increased in size, and at last two enormous men in uniform came up and seized me by my arms, and I was immediately surrounded by a throng of curious faces.
"'Where did you get that diamond?' demanded one of my captors, pointing to my turban, in which, as you know, I always wear the jewel which the Princess gave me.
"'Oh that! That was given to me many years ago by a friend—a Princess—who has been dead now for many hundreds of years,' I said.
"'Many hundreds of years? And you say she was a friend of yours?' exclaimed the man. 'Absurd!'
"'Preposterous!' declared the other. 'Look here! If you can't give us some more reasonable explanation than that, we shall take you off at once to the Chief Magistrate, and charge you with having stolen it.'
"'But why?' I gasped. 'Why should you think that I have stolen it?'
"'A diamond of exactly that size and colour has disappeared from amongst the Crown jewels,and it strikes me very forcibly that this is the very one.'
"It was in vain for me to protest. I was taken before the Magistrate, and experts were called to examine the jewel.
"They weighed it and examined it carefully through powerful magnifying glasses, and finally unanimously agreed that it was indeed the missing jewel.
"I was closely cross-questioned as to how it came into my possession, and also as to my movements during the past six months. My explanations were considered most unsatisfactory, and no one would believe me; consequently I was thrown into prison and condemned to death. It was only by the most earnest pleading that I managed to gain time for you to get here, as I assured them that you would be able to put everything right, and explain matters to their entire satisfaction."
"I?" I stammered. "I am very, very sorry for you, my poor friend, and I would do anything to help you, but what am I to say or do which will convince them when you tell me that you have failed to do so?"
"It is easy—easy," declared Shin Shira hopefully. "Now attend carefully to what I say. I am of course not allowed outside the prisonwalls, and there is no one here whom I would dare to trust with an important commission.
"Now I want you to go at once to the Bazaar, and find a man named Mustapha, a dealer in old curiosities; and, without letting him know whom it is for, purchase from him a large round crystal which you will find in his shop. He will probably want a lot of money for it, but whatever he asks offer him just half, and you will find that after a lot of argument he will let you have it at that. These Oriental shopkeepers are all like that. And then, having secured the crystal, hurry back here and the rest will be easy."
Although I could not in the least see what Shin Shira wanted the crystal for, I was careful to execute his commission to the letter.
I found no difficulty in reaching the Bazaar, and, once there, soon found out Mustapha. I did not like the look of the man at all.
He was a fawning, obsequious little man, with shifting eyes which never looked you straight in the face.
He stood bowing and smiling and rubbing his hands when I entered the shop and asked to see the crystal.
"Ah yea—very fine crystal—for those who know how to use it. Very vallyble—lot money.You know this? You got?" and he gave me a searching glance with his little bead-like eyes.
"Oh yes, I can pay for it if I want it," I said, "but what do you call alotof money? How much do you want for it?"
Illustration: Very fine crystal-for those who know how to use it
He named a price which I knew to be very excessive, and I shook my head decidedly.
"No! too much!" I declared.
"Oh! but see! Beautiful crystal!" he argued.
"No," I replied, "too much! I'll give you half," and I began to walk unconcernedly out of the shop.
"And you give me little present besides?" pleaded Mustapha.
"Not a penny," said I.
The man gave a little sigh.
"Oh well, you take him," he said. "Notenough money, but Mustapha very poor, must sell him. I wrap him up for you, see!"
I paid him the money and hurried out of the shop, for I must confess that I had taken a great dislike to the little man with his smooth, oily manner.
However, I had got the crystal, and that was the main thing.
I hastened back to the prison, and after a long argument with the authorities, I managed to gain permission to see the prisoner once more.
I found Shin Shira all eagerness to know if I had secured the crystal, and when he saw it in my hand, his joy knew no bounds.
"Now it is all easy," said he, "and I shall soon be free. This is a Magic Crystal, and by wishing very hard to see any particular object and gazing at it steadily for a moment or two, you will see just what you wish to see reflected in it. Now I'm just going to wish to—er—to—er—er—o—o-h! I'm going to vanish! To think that I've been here all this time hoping every day that I should be able to disappear, and now, just as I was about to get myself free—I—good-bye—!"
And to my horror, the little Yellow Dwarf suddenly faded away, and I was left alone in the dungeon.
I say to my horror, for what was I to say when the jailer appeared? How was I to account for the prisoner's escape? I was just puzzling about these things when the door opened and the jailer hurriedly came to tell me the time allowed for my visit was up.
He saw at once that Shin Shira was not there, and in a great state of excitement plied me with questions.
I felt, however, that the best thing to do was to preserve silence: it would at least gain time; so I shook my head and pretended not to understand a word of what he was saying in his broken English.
The man doubly locked the door and hurried off to inform his superior officers, and I was left alone once more.
My eyes fell upon the crystal, and I suddenly thought of what Shin Shira had said. Holding it carefully in my hands, I wished to see the real thief who had stolen the crown jewel.
A vague mist spread over the crystal, which gradually cleared away, and I distinctly saw revealed the features of—Mustapha. Then I wished to see what he had done with the stone, and after gazing a moment or two longer, I saw him take it down to a cellar under his shop and bury it in a tin box under a stone, which he lifted up from the floor.
That was enough for me. When the jailer and the other officers came hurrying back I was ready for them.
"Where is the prisoner?" they demanded.
"He has escaped," I replied coolly.
"What!" they exclaimed. "You dare to admit this, and that you assisted him to do so? You shall take his place here, and will no doubt receive the punishment which was intended for him."
"He is an innocent man," said I calmly, "and ought never to have been imprisoned. He did not steal the diamond."
"How can you say that when we found it upon him? Why, he was actually impudent enough to go walking about in the street with it boldly stuck in his turban."
"The stone he was wearing was his own, and he had every right, to wear it where and how he liked," I replied steadily.
"His own! Pooh! a likely story. Where is the missing jewel then? Can you tell me that?"
"Yes," I replied, to their great astonishment.
"And the thief?" they questioned eagerly.
"I know who he is too. Take me before the Magistrate at once, and I will soon restore the lost jewel."
My assured tone of voice seemed somewhat to impress the officials, and they left me for a few moments to consult amongst themselves as to what was best to be done.
Presently they returned and told me to follow them.
Illustration: A gentleman was seated at a table strewn with papers
I found myself conducted to a plainly-furnished room where a dignified-looking gentleman was seated at a table strewn with papers. He looked up at me sharply as we entered the room, and addressing me in excellent English, said—
"What is this extraordinary story I hear about the escape of the prisoner Shin Shira, and that you are prepared to inform us of another personwho has, as you say, the crown jewel in his possession?"
"It is true," said I, "and if you will allow some of your officers to accompany me into the Bazaar I will point out the thief at once, and show you where he has hidden the stone."
The Magistrate thought for a moment. "I will come with you myself," he said at last. "Have ready six men to accompany us," he commanded; and a few minutes later we were on our way to Mustapha's shop.
The wretched man gave a start and turned very pale when he saw us, but endeavouring to put a bold face upon it, he came bowing and cringing towards us, smiling and wringing his hands.
"What an honour to my poor house!" he exclaimed. "How unworthy am I to receive such august guests!"
"We've come to see if you have any more crystals like the one I bought of you to-day, Mustapha," I said.
"Alas! honoured patron, none!" cried Mustapha in a relieved voice, thinking that he now knew the object of our visit.
"Think—think, Mustapha," said I. "Have you no piece of clear glass that could be used in its place?"
Illustration: I took up the stone"I took up the stone"
"I took up the stone"
"Alas, none!" he replied, shaking his head.
"Look about," said I. "Here in the shop—and down in the cellar."
The little man's face turned green.
"The cellar? Noble patron, how should I find such a thing there?"
"Lead the way and I will try to show you," said I; and despite his agonised protests, the trembling wretch was made to lead us to the very spot where the jewel was hidden.
I took up the stone and showed the Magistrate the box in which the diamond was concealed, while Mustapha grovelled on the ground, pleading for mercy.
What followed was a matter of course. The merchant Mustapha was arrested, I was released and commissioned to let Shin Shira know that if he applied in person for his jewel it would be returned to him, and an apology offered for his unwarranted arrest.
And so I was set free—a stranger and alone in Baghdad.
When I found myself alone in Baghdad after my extraordinary adventure with the Magic Crystal, my first intention was to return at once to England.
I found, however, that it would be impossible for me to do so for at least four days; so I prepared to make the best of matters by doing a little sight-seeing while I was still confined to the ancient and interesting city.
There were two additional reasons which made the delay less disagreeable to me.
The first one was that I might possibly happen to meet Shin Shira again before I departed; and the other was that, on the second day of my stay, I saw a printed notice to the effect that, according to the ancient usage of the country relating to condemned prisoners, all of Mustapha's goods were to be immediately sold by public auction, and the money realised was to be confiscated by the Crown.
I had noticed a number of very quaint andcurious articles in the shop, and thought that it would be an excellent opportunity for me to purchase some souvenirs of my visit, to take back with me to England.
The sale took place the next day, and I was able to secure several interesting pieces, which have a place in my study to this day. In fact, I was tempted to buy so many things that I began to fear that I should soon not have enough money left to take me back again to London; and I was just about to leave the auction, in order to be out of the way of temptation, when I caught sight of the quaintest, most uncanny-looking brass lamp being offered for sale that you could possibly imagine.
It was slightly damaged too, and looked very old, so I hoped that it might be going very cheap.
I was right, and to my great delight it was knocked down to me for a mere trifle.
Clutching my treasures about me, I hurried back to my hotel, and spent the whole of the rest of the day examining and admiring my purchases.
The lamp, though, pleased me most of all, although it was so old and battered. It was so very quaint and uncommon, and so typically Oriental in design—in fact, I felt sure there was not another like it in the world.
The time came, however, for packing up, and I had to get everything ready for the morning, so that I might be in time for the early train.
I had carefully wrapped up the other things, and was just taking a last look at the lamp before putting it into the bag, when, turning around for no apparent reason, I caught sight of a yellow turban on the floor.
"Dear me!" I thought, "I suppose I must have brought this away from the Bazaar, with my other things, by mistake. What a nuisance! Now I shall have to take it back again, I suppose, or—No! it's Shin Shira's. And here comes the rest of him!" for I could see a little hazy yellow figure gradually growing out of nothing.
"Ah! just in time, I see," said the little fellow, when he had quite appeared. "I did so hope that I should be able to be visible again before you left Baghdad. Well, how did you get on? You've got out of prison, I'm glad to see."
I told him about the crystal, and how I discovered that it was Mustapha who stole the diamond.
"Phew!" he whistled when he heard this. "I felt sure someone had stolen it, but I didn't think of Mustapha. I never liked the man, though, personally, and I'm glad he's found out at last. He has done a lot of harm to manypeople in Baghdad, and he will be rightly punished. What is to be done withmydiamond?" he inquired anxiously.
"Oh, you're to have it back whenever you like to go for it, and you'll receive an apology at the same time," said I.
"Very well, then, I'm off to get it first thing in the morning," said the little fellow gleefully. "I prize that stone far above its intrinsic value, for it was given to me by my beautiful Princess, you know, and I would not lose it for anything. But, I say! what's that curious-looking old lamp in your hand? May I look at it?"
I handed it over to him.
"It's just a little thing which took my fancy at Mustapha's sale, and which I picked up for a trifle," said I.
"It's very dirty—wants cleaning badly," declared Shin Shira. "Why, I believe it's solid brass, though it looks like rusty iron in its present neglected state," and he seized a duster which was lying handy and gave the lamp several smart rubs.
"Just as I thought," said he, going on vigorously with the polishing. "Why, it's splendid——"
"Oh!" I exclaimed, sinking into a chair. "See! see what you've done!"
An enormous form was rising from the floor, and presently stood before us making a deep salaam.
"W-who are you?" I stammered.
"The Slave of the Lamp, Master," said he.
"Good gracious!" I exclaimed, "you don't mean to say that this is——"
"Aladdin's lamp," burst in Shin Shira. "I thought somehow that it looked familiar. I knew Aladdin well, and I've often handled this lamp before."
"Impossible!" I exclaimed, gazing at the big black giant who stood, with his arms folded, in dignified silence before us.
"Nothing is impossible in the East," said Shin Shira, "as you'll quickly find out if you remain here long. And now—now that you are the possessor of Aladdin's lamp—what are you going to do with it?"
"I—I don't know," I stammered. "I must have time to think."
"I should have diamonds," advised Shin Shira: "they're so easy to carry and can always be converted into money. Command him to bring you a bag full of diamonds of all sizes."
"But, but," I said hesitatingly, as visions of untold wealth floated before my eyes, "will he really do it?"
"Try him and see," said Shin Shira. So I took the lamp in my hand, and rather nervously commanded the Slave to bring me a bag of diamonds.
Illustration: I commanded the Slave to bring me a bag of diamonds
The Slave fell to the ground and touched hishead to the floor, paying me the deepest mark of respect.
"Alas, Master, that it should be so, but you ask your slave that which is impossible, unless you would have me take from the shops that which is not thine."
"Not for worlds," I interrupted. "But how is it that you cannot get me the diamonds from the mines as you used to do for your former Master Aladdin in the olden days?"
A bitter smile spread over the Slave's face.
"The age, Master, has greatly changed, and now the mines in Africa, which were known only to us, are being worked by greedy men with noisy machinery, and we may not be seen there under peril of death. This is the will of the Spirit of the Lamp of whom I am the Slave, and who also calls you Master, though you will never see her."
"Oh, well then, that's all knocked on the head," I said to Shin Shira, who had been listening attentively. "I'll dismiss the man now, shall I, and we'll talk over what's best to be done?"
Shin Shira nodded, so I told the Slave I had no further use for him at the moment, and he vanished.
I stood looking at my little friend in great bewilderment.
"It is a great power to possess," I said, regarding the lamp with awe and amazement. "I hope I shan't do anything foolish with it."
"Don't be silly," said Shin Shira crossly. "I only wish I had your chance. Why, you can doanythingwith a power like that. Leave it to me to think over for to-night, and I'll tell you the best thing to do in the morning."
"But I'm starting for England the first thing to-morrow," I objected.
"Oh! you must put that off for the present," was the decided reply. "I'll be here about eleven, and we'll talk over what's best to be done. Good-night!" and the little fellow held out his hand and strutted off.
I slept very little that night, as you may imagine, and all sorts of vague ideas came into my head as to what I should do with the wonderful power which had so mysteriously come within my grasp.
I had arrived at no definite decision as to what was best to be done, however, by eleven the next morning, when, punctual to the minute, Shin Shira, looking very spruce and alert, knocked at my door.
I noticed with considerable interest that he wore in his turban the diamond which I had so often admired, and he saw me looking at it at once.
"Yes," he said, with a series of little nods, "it was very easy. An hour ago I called on the Chief Magistrate, and found him full of apologies and quite convinced that he had made a grievous mistake. It appears that the original diamond, which Mustapha stole, when found, had some of the gold setting still attached to it, proving beyond doubt that it was the missing jewel, so that my own was returned to me; and the Magistrate even insisted on providing a new aigrette and in having it replaced in my turban by a skilled person. So here it is," and he took off his head-dress and regarded it with considerable pride. "But now to your affairs. I am still in favour of the idea of the diamonds."
"But how—" I began, when Shin Shira interrupted me.
"Are you game for a very exciting adventure?" said he.
"I—don't know." I hesitated. "I seem to have had about enough of exciting adventures."
"It will be something to write about," suggested the Dwarf, "and will undoubtedly make your fortune."
"Well," I said, "what is it? Let's hear."
"Do you remember where Sinbad the Sailor gothisdiamonds from?"
"Yes, of course!" I replied, for I knew myArabian Nightsby heart.
"Very well, then," said Shin Shira. "All you've got to do is to get the Slave of the Lamp to bring us the Roc, which I happen to know is still alive; we can then fasten ourselves to his claws, and he will fly back to his home with us, and there, as you know, the ground is strewn with precious stones."
"But why not send the Slave for them?" I argued.
"He evidently doesn't know where they are, and it's as well to keep him ignorant on the subject, in case the lamp passed out of your power, in which case he might use his knowledge in favour of his next master. And, besides, the Roc couldn't carry him there."
"He wouldn't have to," said I. "The Slave evidently has the power of being able to transport himself to any place at will."
"Butwedon't know where to direct him to," said Shin Shira impatiently. He was evidently bent upon carrying out his project, and at last I somewhat weakly consented to his proposal.
I rubbed the lamp and summoned the Slave, who appeared promptly as before.
"I'm sorry to ask such a difficult thing, but can you catch the Roc for me and bring it here?" said I, somewhat apologetically.
"It shall be here, Master, in twenty minutes," replied the Slave imperturbably, vanishing again at a wave from my hand.
"I don't know, I'm sure, what I want diamonds for, when I have such a willing servant," I grumbled, still rather unwilling to venture upon what I regarded as an uncanny undertaking.
"He can't provide you with money," said Shin Shira.
"Why not?" I asked.
"He'd have either to steal it or make it. If he did the latter it wouldn't be legal, and, besides, if it was found out, you might be arrested for circulating unauthorised coin."
"Oh, very well, then, let's go on this wild-goose chase if you're so bent upon it," I said, seeing that he was determined to have his way. A few minutes later we heard a great commotion in the courtyard, and looking from the balcony we saw my Slave carrying by the legs an enormous bird, who turned his head about from side to side, staring stupidly at everything around him. Shin Shira bustled about and got ropes and straps, and with the assistance of the landlord and one or two onlookers, we were soon harnessed in quite an ingenious manner to the claws of our strange steed (if one may call him so).
Illustration: His pinions were strong and mighty.
The Slave released him, and the Roc immediately flew slowly up into the air, violently shaking his claws now and then in a vain endeavour to get rid of the unusual weight. Fortunately, however, the straps and ropes, which had been fastened over the bird's back as well, were very strong, and so the worst thing that happened to us was a thorough shaking.
This was of no consequence, and when I realised that I was quite safe, I began actually to enjoy the strange experience of being carried through the air, I knew not whither. In this case, however, the distance was not nearly so great as one might have expected, for leaving the city, the great bird soared over a tract of forest land, above one or two more towns, and so out into the open desert, in the midst of which was a range of rocky mountains. His pinions were strong and mighty, so that he flew very rapidly, and in a little less than two hours he had alighted on a kind of tableland, at the top of one of the mountain peaks, and we were at our journey's end.
There was no doubt but that we were at the right place, for the ground was strewn with stones which, though uncut, sparkled, in the places where they had been chipped or broken,with a hundred different brilliant colours and shades.
Shin Shira drew his knife and quickly cut the ropes and straps which bound us to the now struggling bird, and he was soon released from his uncomfortable burden.
He shook himself once or twice and preened his great feathers, and then stalked off to where an enormous nest could be seen in a cleft in the rocks.
I have no doubt the patient and stupid bird told his mate in bird language what a very strange and uncomfortable experience he had had, and at all events he kept out of our sight from that moment.
Shin Shira at once busied himself by gathering some of the largest gems as quickly as possible; and taking from his pockets some strong linen bags which he had thoughtfully provided, he handed two to me and told me to fill them for myself.
This I did, and also put several into my various pockets. I was just about to say that I thought we had sufficient, when Shin Shira called my attention to a balloon hovering just above our heads.
There were two people in the basket, and they were peering at us over the edge through glasses.
Presently one of them shouted an order, andthe balloon quickly descended, so that we could hear the rush of escaping gas as it was being released.
"Hullo there!" shouted a voice over our heads, "who are you? We've never before heard that these mountains were inhabited."
"Neither are they," replied Shin Shira. "We are geologists from Baghdad, and are taking home specimens of the rocks and stones."
"Oh, we're going to Baghdad. Can we give you a lift?" said the voice kindly, and the balloon descended still further, till at last we were able to see the two occupants distinctly.
"It's really very kind of you;—I—I think we will accept your offer," said I, while Shin Shira frowned disapproval.
"Don't go," he whispered, "we can get some more precious stones if we wait a little longer."
"But how are we to get back?" I answered.
"The Magic Lamp," said he.
"Oh, but I've left that behind at the hotel," I replied.
"In that case," said Shin Shira regretfully, "there's nothing else to be done, I suppose."
So we thankfully accepted the aeronauts' kind invitation, and were soon floating comfortably towards Baghdad.
I must confess that it was far more pleasant than the outward journey had been.
Before we got to Baghdad, though, Shin Shira had the misfortune to disappear, much to the horror of the aeronauts, who thought he had fallen out of the basket, and who would scarcely credit my explanation when I told them of Shin Shira's peculiar misfortune in this respect.
He left the two bags of precious stones behind him, and they stood beside mine at the bottom of the basket.
For a few minutes the balloon, being freed from Shin Shira's weight, rapidly ascended, but presently there was a terrible escape of gas and we began to descend again at a great rate.
"Throw out the ballast!" cried one of the aeronauts, and the other, seeing the four bags of what he thought were worthless stones, in his haste and eagerness thrust them overboard.
I was too alarmed at the moment to notice what he was doing, and it was only when matters had been put right, by stopping the escape of gas, that I realised what had happened.
It was useless, however, to cry over spilt milk, and all my thought now was to get back to the hotel in safety.
This we eventually did, and my ballooning friends accepted my invitation to take dinner atthe hotel with me, so that after my adventure of the day I had a very pleasant evening. It was not till the next morning that I discovered that Aladdin's Lamp had vanished—had, in fact, probably been stolen.
There was nothing left to do now but to set out for England, which I eventually reached; and on arriving in London, and having the stones which I had brought back in my pockets valued, I found that there were many worthless ones among them, and that the few good ones, when sold, only realised sufficient to pay the rather heavy expenses of my journey to and from Baghdad, with a very little over for myself to repay me for the loss of my time.
The Verrinder children were in a state of great excitement and glee, for we were going to spend the day at Burnham Beeches.
The plan was to drive over in a wagonette and have a picnic under the trees in the middle of the day.
Lionel was amongst the party, and Lady Betty, a young friend of the Verrinders, so that we were a merry crowd as we scrambled into the wagonette.
"It doesn't matter about your being old," said Fidge, snuggling up to me and catching hold of my arm; "you're not like most grown-ups, and don't mind us larking about a bit."
"I hope not," I said smilingly.
"Besides, he isn't old," chimed in Lady Betty, "at least not very," she qualified. "He hasn't even got a beard, and if he wasn't a little bit grown-up he couldn't afford to take us about," she added practically.
"I expect we'll have some jolly decent grub,"I heard Dick whisper to Lionel. "Mrs. Putchy makes ripping pastry. I know, because we used to stay at his place sometimes before you came."
Marjorie looked up from her book and smiled and nodded across at me. "It's lovely," she said, as we drove along. "We're going to have a perfectly splendid day."
We were sitting three aside, and there was just comfortable room for us; and when we had got well into the country I began to tell the younger ones, Fidge and Lady Betty, a story. Marjorie closed her book too and leaned forward to listen, but the two big boys, evidently considering itinfra dig. to listen to anything so childish, were eagerly comparing school experiences. Dick was at Harrow and Lionel at Marlborough, so they had a lot to talk about.
Presently, in the middle of my story, Marjorie called out, without looking up, "Move further along, Dick, don't crowd so."
"I'm not!" retorted Dick, "it's you. I can't move any further without crowding Lionel out of the trap."
"Oh, it's this cushion," cried Marjorie, turning about and trying to remove what looked at first like a yellow silk cushion beside her.
It was evidently too heavy though, and shegave a start as she touched it. "Why!" she exclaimed, "it's got something alive in it!"
We all turned around to see what she meant, and at once I knew that it was Shin Shira appearing.
"Oh, jolly!" cried all the children but Lionel, when I explained to them what was happening.
"It's all very well, and he's good fun and all that," said my young cousin, "but if you'd had the experience that I had with his old Magic Carpet, you'd be very careful not to have much to do with him—he's rather dangerous."
"But think of the adventures you have with him," said Dick enviously. "I wouldn't funk it if he asked me to go anywhere with him."
"Who's funking it?" demanded Lionel angrily.
"Well,youdidn't seem to have much desire to repeat your experiences, my friend," laughed Shin Shira. "My head and ears just happened to arrive in time for me to gather that."
Lionel turned very red. "Oh well, sir, I did have rather a rough time on the Magic Carpet, you know."
"So you did, so you did," agreed Shin Shira, amiably beaming on us all. "And where may all you young people be off to this fine day?"
"We're having a picnic," said Lady Betty shyly.
"Going to have, you mean," corrected Fidge. "It isn't a picnic till you begin to eat, you know."
"Would you mind if I joined you?" asked the Yellow Dwarf, appealing to me.
"Well, it strikes me that you have done so," I laughed; "but we shall be delighted with your company if you care to stay."
"That's all right then," said Shin Shira, settling down comfortably; "there's nothing I should like better this warm day," and he took off his turban and rubbed his little bald head with a yellow silk handkerchief.
The sight of the jewel in it reminded him to ask me what became of the two bags of diamonds he left in the basket of the balloon when he disappeared on our way back to Baghdad.
I told him what had happened, and how I had lost all of mine except the few almost worthless ones which I had put in my pocket.
"I was rather more fortunate," said Shin Shira, "for amongst those which I saved were one or two very valuable ones, and several more which I can sell at a very good price when it becomes necessary."
"But I thought you could have whatever you wished for?" said Dick.
"Oh no," replied the Dwarf, "not money, you know—almost anything else, but not money, because, you see, it wouldn't be legal to make money, and I can tell you I have often found it very awkward to have appeared in a strange place with no money at all in my pocket. I have indeed once or twice almost been tempted to sell even the jewel which the Princess gave me. Now fortunately that will never be necessary."
"What part of Burnham Beeches do you wish me to drive to, sir?" asked the coachman at this moment; "we're just coming to the village."
"Oh, you'd better put the horses up at the stables, and get a man to help you with the hampers, and we'll walk on to the wood. You know where I generally have luncheon."
"Very well, sir!" said the man, touching his hat with his whip and stopping at the old-fashioned inn in the village.
We were all very glad to stretch our legs after the long ride, and having had some lemonade and fruit at a little shop in the High Street, we quite enjoyed the walk up to the wood.
Here under the trees in a beautiful spot we sat down to wait for the men with the hampers.
After waiting for some time with growing impatience, our coachman turned up with a rueful face.
"There ain't no hamper, sir," he said.
"What?" I exclaimed. "No hamper! What do you mean?"
"There ain't no hamper in the trap, sir. I didn't have it up in front, so I thought you had it in with you. Do you think it's fallen out, sir?"
"By Jove, sir!" cried Lionel suddenly, "it's my fault. You told me to see that the man put the hampers on in front, and I clean forgot all about it."
If it hadn't been such a serious matter it would have been highly amusing to watch the blank dismay depicted on every face on hearing this disastrous news.
"What on earth are we to do?" exclaimed Dick, with almost tragic concern.
"There's only one thing to be done, I suppose," said I resignedly, after sending the man away; "we shall have to return to the village and have our luncheon at the inn."
"It won't be a picnic at all then," pouted Lady Betty ruefully.
Shin Shira was the only one who did not seem distressed about the matter. He had seated himself cross-legged on the ground under one of the old Beeches, and was slowly turning over the leaves of the little yellow book fastened to hisbelt with a golden chain, which he always wore.
"I think I can be of some assistance to you here," said he, getting up after a time and coming towards me. "Has anybody some paper and a pencil?"