The Lighted Match

Suddenly Mohammed Abbas closed the door upon the stairs, and sharply

clapped his hands. In all lands where Allah is worshiped, clapping of

the hands is a signal of summons. Thrusting his hand into the pocket

where he had stored an automatic pistol, Karyl found it empty, and

remembered that on the stairway the merchant had apologized for jostling

him. Then simultaneously the two opposite doors opened and framed

against their light a momentary picture of crowding Arabs.

* * * * *

Outside, Benton had been searching. First he had felt only annoyance for

a chance separation, but when ten minutes of futile wandering had

lengthened to fifteen, annoyance gave way to fear, and fear to panic. A

dozen tragic stories of mysterious disappearances in Stamboul crowded

like nightmares upon his memory. At last, standing bewildered in the

street, he caught sight of a familiar figure; a figure that filled him

with astonishment and delight.

Colonel Von Ritz had left Cairo to return to Puntal. Now here he was in

a crooked Stamboul street, appearing without warning, but with his

almost uncanny faculty for being at the right spot when needed. He

shouldered his way to the side of the officer.

Though the two men had parted several weeks before, the Galavian greeted

the other only with a formal bow, and an abrupt question. "Where are

they?"

"I have lost them," replied Benton. He rapidly sketched the events of

the last half-hour, and confessed his own apprehensions.

With evidence of neither anxiety nor interest, Von Ritz listened, and

replied with a second question. "Have you seen Martin?"

Benton gave a palpable start. "Martin!" he ejaculated. "Is Martin in

Constantinople?"

For reply Von Ritz permitted himself the rare indulgence of a smile.

"Martin is here," he said briefly.

"And you--?"

As he spoke the figure of Martin himself emerged from a shop a few paces

ahead, and without a backward glance cut diagonally across the narrow

street to disappear into the doorway of the curio shop which is kept by

Mohammed Abbas.

When, after being cut off and delayed for some minutes by a passing

donkey train, Von Ritz and Benton entered the place, they found it empty

except for a native salesman, but as the Galavian paused to make a

trivial purchase his listening ear caught a sound above. Without

hesitation, he wheeled and mounted the stairs with Benton close at his

heels. Behind him the shop-clerk stood irresolute--taken aback, with a

vague consciousness that he should have devised a way to stop this

gigantic Infidel. Assuredly the master would be angry. Orders had been

explicitly given to allow no one to climb those steps to-day without

permission.