The Master Key Read online

  When, at last, he opened his eyes, he was puzzled to determine wherehe was. Beneath him stretched a vast, sandy plain, and speeding acrossthis he came to a land abounding in luxuriant vegetation.

  The centrifugal force which propelled him was evidently, for somereason, greatly accelerated, for the scenery of the country he wascrossing glided by him at so rapid a rate of speed that it nearly tookhis breath away.

  "I wonder if I've passed Vienna in the night," he thought. "It oughtnot to have taken me more than a few hours to reach there from Paris."

  Vienna was at that moment fifteen hundred miles behind him; but Rob'sgeography had always been his stumbling block at school, and he hadnot learned to gage the speed of the traveling machine; so he wascompletely mystified as to his whereabouts.

  Presently a village having many queer spires and minarets whisked byhim like a flash. Rob became worried, and resolved to slow up at thenext sign of habitation.

  This was a good resolution, but Turkestan is so thinly settled thatbefore the boy could plan out a course of action he had passed thebarren mountain range of Thian-Shan as nimbly as an acrobat leaps ajumping-bar.

  "This won't do at all!" he exclaimed, earnestly. "The traveling machineseems to be running away with me, and I'm missing no end of sights byscooting along up here in the clouds."

  He turned the indicator to zero, and was relieved to find it obey withcustomary quickness. In a few moments he had slowed up and stopped,when he found himself suspended above another stretch of sandy plain.Being too high to see the surface of the plain distinctly he droppeddown a few hundred feet to a lower level, where he discovered he wassurrounded by billows of sand as far as his eye could reach.

  "It's a desert, all right," was his comment; "perhaps old Saharaherself."

  He started the machine again towards the east, and at a more moderaterate of speed skimmed over the surface of the desert. Before long henoticed a dark spot ahead of him which proved to be a large body offierce looking men, riding upon dromedaries and slender, spiritedhorses and armed with long rifles and crookedly shaped simitars.

  "Those fellows seem to be looking for trouble," remarked the boy, as heglided over them, "and it wouldn't be exactly healthy for an enemy toget in their way. But I haven't time to stop, so I'm not likely to getmixed up in any rumpus with them."

  "Those fellows seem to be looking for trouble"]

  However, the armed caravan was scarcely out of sight before Robdiscovered he was approaching a rich, wooded oasis of the desert, inthe midst of which was built the walled city of Yarkand. Not that hehad ever heard of the place, or knew its name; for few Europeans andonly one American traveler had ever visited it. But he guessed it was acity of some importance from its size and beauty, and resolved to makea stop there.

  Above the high walls projected many slender, white minarets, indicatingthat the inhabitants were either Turks or some race of Mohammedans; soRob decided to make investigations before trusting himself to theircompany.

  A cluster of tall trees with leafy tops stood a short distance outsidethe walls, and here the boy landed and sat down to rest in therefreshing shade.

  The city seemed as hushed and still as if it were deserted, and beforehim stretched the vast plain of white, heated sands. He strained hiseyes to catch a glimpse of the band of warriors he had passed, but theywere moving slowly and had not yet appeared.

  The trees that sheltered Rob were the only ones without the city,although many low bushes or shrubs grew scattering over the spacebetween him and the walls. An arched gateway broke the enclosure at hisleft, but the gates were tightly shut.

  Something in the stillness and the intense heat of the mid-day sun madethe boy drowsy. He stretched himself upon the ground beneath the densefoliage of the biggest tree and abandoned himself to the languor thatwas creeping over him.

  "I'll wait until that army of the desert arrives," he thought,sleepily. "They either belong in this city or have come to capture it,so I can tell better what to dance when I find out what the band plays."

  The next moment he was sound asleep, sprawling upon his back in theshade and slumbering as peacefully as an infant.

  And while he lay motionless three men dropped in quick successionfrom the top of the city wall and hid among the low bushes, crawlingnoiselessly from one to another and so approaching, by degrees, thelittle group of trees.

  They were Turks, and had been sent by those in authority within thecity to climb the tallest tree of the group and discover if the enemywas near. For Rob's conjecture had been correct, and the city ofYarkand awaited, with more or less anxiety, a threatened assault fromits hereditary enemies, the Tatars.

  The three spies were not less forbidding in appearance than the hordeof warriors Rob had passed upon the desert. Their features were coarseand swarthy, and their eyes had a most villainous glare. Old fashionedpistols and double-edged daggers were stuck in their belts and theirclothing, though of gorgeous colors, was soiled and neglected.

  With all the caution of the American savage these Turks approachedthe tree, where, to their unbounded amazement, they saw the boy lyingasleep. His dress and fairness of skin at once proclaimed him, in theirshrewd eyes, a European, and their first thought was to glance aroundin search of his horse or dromedary. Seeing nothing of the kind nearthey were much puzzled to account for his presence, and stood lookingdown at him with evident curiosity.

  The sun struck the polished surface of the traveling machine which wasattached to Rob's wrist and made the metal glitter like silver. Thisattracted the eyes of the tallest Turk, who stooped down and stealthilyunclasped the band of the machine from the boy's outstretched arm.Then, after a hurried but puzzled examination of the little instrument,he slipped it into the pocket of his jacket.

  Rob stirred uneasily in his sleep, and one of the Turks drew a slightbut stout rope from his breast and with gentle but deft movement passedit around the boy's wrists and drew them together behind him. Theaction was not swift enough to arouse the power of repulsion in theGarment of Protection, but it awakened Rob effectually, so that he satup and stared hard at his captors.

  "What are you trying to do, anyhow?" he demanded.

  The Turks laughed and said something in their own language. They had noknowledge of English.

  "You're only making fools of yourselves," continued the boy,wrathfully. "It's impossible for you to injure me."

  The three paid no attention to his words. One of them thrust his handinto Rob's pocket and drew out the electric tube. His ignorance ofmodern appliances was so great that he did not know enough to pushthe button. Rob saw him looking down the hollow end of the tube andmurmured:

  "I wish it would blow your ugly head off!"

  But the fellow, thinking the shining metal might be of some value tohim, put the tube in his own pocket and then took from the prisoner thesilver box of tablets.

  Rob writhed and groaned at losing his possessions in this way, andwhile his hands were fastened behind him tried to feel for and touchthe indicator of the traveling machine. When he found that the machinealso had been taken, his anger gave way to fear, for he realized he wasin a dangerously helpless condition.

  The third Turk now drew the Record of Events from the boy's innerpocket. He knew nothing of the springs that opened the lids, so,after a curious glance at it, he secreted the box in the folds of hissash and continued the search of the captive. The Character MarkingSpectacles were next abstracted, but the Turk, seeing in them nothingbut spectacles, scornfully thrust them back into Rob's pocket, whilehis comrades laughed at him. The boy was now rifled of seventeen centsin pennies, a broken pocket knife and a lead-pencil, the last articleseeming to be highly prized.

  After they had secured all the booty they could find, the tall Turk,who seemed the leader of the three, violently kicked at the prisonerwith his heavy boot. His surprise was great when the Garment ofRepulsion arrested the blow and nearly overthrew the aggressor in turn.Snatching a dagger from his sash, he bounded upon the boy so fierce
lythat the next instant the enraged Turk found himself lying upon hisback three yards away, while his dagger flew through the air and landeddeep in the desert sands.

  "Keep it up!" cried Rob, bitterly. "I hope you'll enjoy yourself."

  The other Turks raised their comrade to his feet, and the three staredat one another in surprise, being unable to understand how a boundprisoner could so effectually defend himself. But at a whispered wordfrom the leader, they drew their long pistols and fired point blankinto Rob's face. The volley echoed sharply from the city walls, but asthe smoke drifted slowly away the Turks were horrified to see theirintended victim laughing at them.

  Uttering cries of terror and dismay, the three took to their heels andbounded towards the wall, where a gate quickly opened to receive them,the populace feeling sure the Tatar horde was upon them.

  Uttering cries of terror and dismay, the three Turkstook to their heels]

  Nor was this guess so very far wrong; for as Rob, sitting disconsolateupon the sand, raised his eyes, he saw across the desert a dark linethat marked the approach of the invaders.

  Nearer and nearer they came, while Rob watched them and bemoaned thefoolish impulse that had led him to fall asleep in an unknown landwhere he could so easily be overpowered and robbed of his treasures.

  "I always suspected these electrical inventions would be my ruin someday," he reflected, sadly; "and now I'm side-tracked and left helplessin this outlandish country, without a single hope of ever getting homeagain. They probably won't be able to kill me, unless they find myGarment of Repulsion and strip that off; but I never could cross thisterrible desert on foot and, having lost my food tablets, I'd soonstarve if I attempted it."

  Fortunately, he had eaten one of the tablets just before going tosleep, so there was no danger of immediate starvation. But he wasmiserable and unhappy, and remained brooding over his cruel fate untila sudden shout caused him to look up.

  _CHAPTER FOURTEEN_

  TURK AND TATAR

  The Tatars had arrived, swiftly and noiselessly, and a dozen of thewarriors, still mounted, were surrounding him.

  His helpless condition aroused their curiosity, and while some of themhastily cut away his bonds and raised him to his feet, others plied himwith questions in their own language. Rob shook his head to indicatethat he could not understand; so they led him to the chief--an immense,bearded representative of the tribe of Kara-Khitai, the terrible andrelentless Black Tatars of Thibet. The huge frame of this fellow wasclothed in flowing robes of cloth-of-gold, braided with jewels, and hesat majestically upon the back of a jet-black camel.

  Under ordinary circumstances the stern features and flashing black eyesof this redoubtable warrior would have struck a chill of fear to theboy's heart; but now under the influence of the crushing misfortuneshe had experienced, he was able to gaze with indifference upon theterrible visage of the desert chief.

  The Tatar seemed not to consider Rob an enemy. Instead, he looked uponhim as an ally, since the Turks had bound and robbed him.

  Finding it impossible to converse with the chief, Rob took refuge inthe sign language. He turned his pockets wrong side out, showed the redwelts left upon his wrists by the tight cord, and then shook his fistsangrily in the direction of the town.

  In return the Tatar nodded gravely and issued an order to his men.

  By this time the warriors were busily pitching tents before the wallsof Yarkand and making preparations for a formal siege. In obedience tothe chieftain's orders, Rob was given a place within one of the tentsnearest the wall and supplied with a brace of brass-mounted pistols anda dagger with a sharp, zigzag edge. These were evidently to assist theboy in fighting the Turks, and he was well pleased to have them. Hisspirits rose considerably when he found he had fallen among friends,although most of his new comrades had such evil faces that it wasunnecessary to put on the Character Markers to judge their natures witha fair degree of accuracy.

  "I can't be very particular about the company I keep," he thought, "andthis gang hasn't tried to murder me, as the rascally Turks did. So forthe present I'll stand in with the scowling chief and try to get a shotat the thieves who robbed me. If our side wins I may get a chance torecover some of my property. It's a slim chance, of course, but it'sthe only hope I have left."

  That very evening an opportunity occurred for Rob to win glory in theeyes of his new friends. Just before sundown the gates of the city flewopen and a swarm of Turks, mounted upon fleet horses and camels, issuedforth and fell upon their enemies. The Tatars, who did not expect thesally, were scarcely able to form an opposing rank when they foundthemselves engaged in a hand-to-hand conflict, fighting desperatelyfor their lives. In such a battle, however, the Turks were at adisadvantage, for the active Tatars slipped beneath their horses anddisabled them, bringing both the animals and their riders to the earth.

  At the first onslaught Rob shot his pistol at a Turk and wounded himso severely that he fell from his horse. Instantly the boy seized thebridle and sprang upon the steed's back, and the next moment he haddashed into the thickest part of the fray. Bullets and blows rainedupon him from all sides, but the Garment of Repulsion saved him from asingle scratch.

  When his pistols had been discharged he caught up the broken handleof a spear, and used it as a club, galloping into the ranks of theTurks and belaboring them as hard as he could. The Tatars cheered andfollowed him, and the Turks were so amazed at his miraculous escapefrom their bullets that they became terrified, thinking he bore acharmed life and was protected by unseen powers.

  This terror helped turn the tide of battle, and before long the enemywas pressed back to the walls and retreated through the gates, whichwere hastily fastened behind them.

  In order to prevent a repetition of this sally the Tatars at onceinvested the gates, so that if the Turks should open them they were aslikely to let their foes in as to oppose them.

  While the tents were being moved up Rob had an opportunity to searchthe battlefield for the bodies of the three Turks who had robbed him,but they were not among the fallen.

  "Those fellows were too cowardly to take part in a fair fight,"declared the boy; but he was much disappointed, nevertheless, as hefelt very helpless without the electric tube or the traveling machine.

  The Tatar chief now called Rob to his tent and presented himwith a beautiful ring set with a glowing pigeon's-blood ruby, inacknowledgment of his services. This gift made the boy feel very proud,and he said to the chief:

  "You're all right, old man, even if you do look like a pirate. If youcan manage to capture that city, so I can get my electrical devicesback, I'll consider you a trump as long as I live."

  The chief thought this speech was intended to express Rob's gratitude,so he bowed solemnly in return.

  During the night that followed upon the first engagement of the Turksand Tatars, the boy lay awake trying to devise some plan to capture thecity. The walls seemed too high and thick to be either scaled or brokenby the Tatars, who had no artillery whatever; and within the walls layall the fertile part of the oasis, giving the besieged a good supply ofwater and provisions, while the besiegers were obliged to subsist onwhat water and food they had brought with them.

  Just before dawn Rob left his tent and went out to look at the greatwall. The stars gave plenty of light, but the boy was worried to findthat, according to Eastern custom, no sentries or guards whatever hadbeen posted and all the Tatars were slumbering soundly.

  The city was likewise wrapped in profound silence, but just as Rob wasturning away he saw a head project stealthily over the edge of the wallbefore him, and recognized in the features one of the Turks who hadrobbed him.

  Finding no one awake except the boy the fellow sat upon the edge ofthe wall, with his feet dangling downward, and grinned wickedly at hisformer victim. Rob watched him with almost breathless eagerness.

  After making many motions that conveyed no meaning whatever, the Turkdrew the electric tube from his pocket and pointed his finger first atthe boy and then at
the instrument, as if inquiring what it was usedfor. Rob shook his head. The Turk turned the tube over several timesand examined it carefully, after which he also shook his head, seeminggreatly puzzled.

  By this time the boy was fairly trembling with excitement. He longedto recover this valuable weapon, and feared that at any moment thecurious Turk would discover its use. He held out his hand toward thetube, and tried to say, by motions, that he would show the fellow howto use it. The man seemed to understand, but he would not let theglittering instrument out of his possession.

  Rob was almost in despair, when he happened to notice upon his hand theruby ring given him by the chief. Drawing the jewel from his finger hemade offer, by signs, that he would exchange it for the tube.

  The Turk was much pleased with the idea, and nodded his headrepeatedly, holding out his hand for the ring. Rob had littleconfidence in the man's honor, but he was so eager to regain the tubethat he decided to trust him. So he threw the ring to the top of thewall, where the Turk caught it skilfully; but when Rob held out hishand for the tube the scoundrel only laughed at him and began toscramble to his feet in order to beat a retreat. Chance, however,foiled this disgraceful treachery, for in his hurry the Turk allowedthe tube to slip from his grasp, and it rolled off the wall and fellupon the sand at Rob's very feet.