Harold Lamb

“ So she spoke in her clear young voice, as if she stood among a thousand retainers, while the man Subbul dressed his shield and held high his head. But Mirakhon Pasha had eyes for no one but Radha. Indeed, as he sat the saddle of the restive mare—a horse among a thousand—he made a fine figure, in soft, green leather riding boots, and flowing khalat, bound by a cloth-of-gold girdle. The sword-hilt at his hip gleamed with the fires of many precious stones. The leopard at his back shifted uneasily upon its pad, thrusting its head against him and rattling its chain. ”

“ Michael looked at them long, and then at the bodies of his comrades.
The five had not been brave men, but they had died bravely.
Michael walked slowly away from the knoll toward a rivulet issuing between rocks in the mountainside that rose mightily above him. He knelt and drank deeply. Then he dipped his head in the stream, wiping away the dried blood. The flapping wings of the vultures impelled him to look up.
His glance penetrated straight down the ravine that was called the Gate of Shadows and he studied thoughtfully the vista of brown plain that lay beyond. ”

“ The half light of the outer cabin disclosed Kyrger.
“Ostiaks,” murmured the hunter, and glanced expectantly at the white man.
KYRGER was as restless as one of his own reindeer in a pen. When he moved it was as if his feet slipped over thin ice. He kept one eye on the deck beams within inches of his skull. In all his life he had not stood within four walls, certainly never in the maw of a giant's ship such as this. One that went forward against the wind. ”

“ And four times a day there floated out over the humming confusion of alley and bazaar the musical call of the summoner-to-prayer.
“Allah akbar! God is great. ... There is no God but God. ... Pray ye! Prayer is good, and the hour of prayer is at hand!”
The gigantic concourse, the uproar of voices, the smells—that rose even to the tower—wrought upon the senses of the watcher even as Osman's music and incense had failed to do and brought home to him the power of the stronghold of Islam. ”

“ Here was the black mass of the slope that hid the Turkoman camp from view.
“What is that?” Al-Tâbir started and gripped his javelin, bow and reins all at once. His gray pony pricked up its ears.
“The Turkomans are loosing off their matchlocks,” Kirdy grunted. “It is the end of the sword-dance.”
But Al-Tâbir was staring, fascinated, at the herd. Scores of gnome-like Tatars were at work there, and he heard a strange clattering and stamping that grew louder. Warriors ran up with bundles of reeds and brush and others fashioned torches at the fires behind the mass of cattle. ”

“ Not long since, Kirdy had waged a long battle against Ilbars Sultan—the Leopard Prince. He had seen the Turkomans wipe out five hundred Don Cossacks, and the memory rankled.
“Ilbars Sultan has a high nose and keen eyes; he would rather slay men than carry off beasts and women. He is shrewd, but the blood lust blinds him.”
A faint surprize was apparent in the emotionless Tatar.
“What words are these words, O Kazak? Art thou a Fanga—a wizard, to know what passes beyond thy sight?”
“Nay, I have seen the sultan when swords were drawn. I say to thee, O Khan, that he is terrible in battle.” ”

“ Thrusting through the struggling Moslems, he whipped out his sword, hewing his way well in among the Mongols without waiting to see if any of his own men followed. A mace crashed against his helmet, blurring his sight; a spear clanged on his shield. All around him there was a tearing, sobbing sound of tired men striving to rend each other, a snapping of wood and the moaning of the wounded underfoot, Moslems for the most part. The short, grim men who surged at him fought in silence. ”

“ What thought have you for the Falcon, the Cossack? He serves to protect you—to groom your horse-—to bring wood for your fire. When the wolves howl, the borzoi is caressed by his mistress; when the sun shines, the Cossack is good enough for your jests. The Cossack is bloody—the Cossack is revengeful—and in your dreams you cling to the man who has slain multitudes for a whim—”
Springing to her feet, Nada faced him with blazing eyes.
“Stop! I have given my love to no man.”
“Nay, only you can know if Otrèpiev be man or fiend.” ”

“ Steel clanged all about me, and the shouts of the Red Hats mingled with the battle cry of the men of Karadak. The dun mare, riderless, swerved within reach of my hand.
It was no place to remain afoot. Nay, an aged and feeble man would not long have survived in that place of death. I grasped the mare's rein, steadied her, and climbed into the saddle. In other years I would have leaped without touching horn or stirrup. I drew my sword, because in a mad fight such as this within walls, a gray beard is no shield, and every soul must guard himself. ”

“ Riding closer, the hunter made it out to be a man. Loosening the rifle in the saddle sheath, because he had by no means forgotten Mo Yan, he whistled. The man was no bigger than a dwarf, almost as broad as he was high, with tiny, twinkling eyes hidden under wide, bushy brows.
Under the bearskin that covered shoulders and head, long black hair hung, under this string after string of tiny iron ornaments shaped like animals. The skin of the face was wrinkled with age. The man ceased digging feebly in the hard clay and fell to staring banefully at Black Gordon. ”

“ III THE STRAIGHT SWORD WHERE the gray ice of the Dnieper began to shred away into cakes that drifted down the white fringes of the shore, a faint snow trail led north. A long this trail a sledge was making its way up-river.
Three steaming horses drew it onward at a round pace; a fur-clad Tatar, astride the off pony wielded his whip in response to an occasional word from the one occupant of the rude vehicle—a human being so wrapped in wolf-skins that only his eyes and sable cap could be seen. Behind, perched on the runners of the sledge was a shivering servant. ”

“ It seemed to him that the torture chamber was the base of the tower, as the walls were of massive black basalt and the columns supporting the ceiling were thick as buttresses, instead of the slender pillars of Arabic design. In fact the grim, black tower with its rounded cupola was like nothing else in Aleppo. Perhaps it had been built centuries ago for an astrologer—certainly it served to guard Sidi Ahmad from assassins.
All at once Michael stiffened where he sat in a corner of the torture chamber. A slight sound had reached him, the muffled gritting of iron against stone. ”

“ Avak could not be certain, in that ever-changing mist, whether the stranger was alone or followed by others. So the shepherd flung back his head and howled like a wolf—a quavering cry that was carried far up-wind. Then he took his dog between his knees and crouched down in the laurel growth that screened him from the road.
When he heard leather-shod feet crunch the hard snow he peered out of his covert and beheld the stranger close at hand. Then Avak knew beyond doubt that this was no Georgian. The man of the wolf-skin cloak was taller than the race of mountaineers, and spare in build. ”

“ Kirdy frowned and shook his head. The sun was well up by now and the glare of it against the white limestone had made him throw off the tattered sable coat, so that he walked in a worn red shirt, slashed and stained where he had been wounded. His lean head was dark as the long hair that fell over one shoulder—Nada, considering him, thought that he did look like a falcon, swift and merciless.
“If Otrèpiev were a true Cossack, or even a boyarin of honor, I would do that,” he made response curtly. “But he has betrayed men too often.” ”

“ One key only will unlock the hearts of the slaves, and that is Fear.—Persian proverb.
ROBERT ordered his followers to remain where they were and reined his horse through the gate after Abdullah until they were a stone's throw beyond the wall but still within the glow of the torches. The minstrel bore himself like a new man. Lute and pack were gone, and the good-nature had faded from his broad face; he sat restlessly in the high-peaked saddle, peering into the maw of the dark plain as if watching the retreating Mongols and eager to be after them. ”

“ At that Donovan turned away, so that she could not make out whether he was angered or not.
"Wait," she caught his answering whisper, "until the Sayaks have passed out. The women would see through you."
His face was expressionless as he watched the actions of the priest. Edith saw that the sun's ray had fallen full on the swirling vapor. Color, limitless, impalpable, iridescent, flooded the vapor. A haze of shimmering green and purple and red hung from dome to well. It was as if a veil of supernatural softness and beauty had been dropped from the sky. ”

“ Deep in his throat laughed Sir Hugh.
“Before I yield her I shall take life from her, Subotai. And your men—they who live—will tell of the end of the Swooping Hawk.”
With pride, for it is not given to many men to bear a Rusudan in their arms, he advanced down the broad marble steps, his eyes menacing, his sword gripped firm, his shield covering the girl, her dark hair flooding over his shoulder. ”

“ Edward was coughing, flecks of blood showing on his pallid lips. His eyes closed and he lay voiceless a moment on the couch. When he spoke it was in so low a whisper that nobleman and armiger both bent lower to catch the words—Thorne expecting that the king might have some command for him.
“Nay, Dudley. Of what avail to guard the body when life—itself is leaving me?” With an effort he opened his eyes and made shift to smile. “My lungs are in consumption, the priests say. Good youth, we trust we have not wearied you. Edward will never again rise from his bed.” ”

“ Rudolfo and Soranzi were not a little disturbed by this sudden apparition in their midst of the man for whom they were looking down the road. The captain of mercenaries glanced at the thicket and saw that half-hidden within it was a queer kind of native shrine—a mere heap of stones with rags stuck upon sticks hanging over it.
Soranzi tried to read the Breton's harsh face—a task that was no longer easy. Michael's brown eyes were half-closed and the merchant noted that he worked the fingers of his right hand slowly as if testing long unused muscles. ”

“ At the end of the interval, he raised his weapon, saluted, and repeated quietly the customary phrase—
"To one of us life, to the other, death."
The violence of his anger had fallen from Boron; his eyes were bright and steady, the shadow of a smile on his lips. Demid had taken upon himself Ayub’s quarrel; if the man from the Don should be cut down in the duel, Ayub’s guilt would stand as before. Should Demid, by some chance, be the victor, his comrade would be free of all blame.
Such was the trial by combat in the Siech. ”

“ Horses entered the narrow street, and when the crowd turned to stare, the sable-clad Mongol glanced sidewise. A party of boyare were escorting a sleigh toward the Kremyl, and in the sleigh was nothing but a long casket-like object wrapped in red silk. So solemn the riders, so fantastic the tasseled sleigh with its inanimate burden—the procession seemed to be a ritual of some kind.
By token of the bossed trappings of the horses, and the cloth-of-gold that covered the wooden saddles, the riders were men of rank. ”

“ At the first cross street where log houses showed up in the fog, I pulled in the Kabarda and, sure enough, the hoofs of the other nag sounded close behind.
“Evil will come out of the sea,” I thought, shivering in the damp breath of the swamps and the harbor. “That is how it is—evil.”
And the other rider swept up, slowing to a trot as he neared me. I put one hand on my belt, near the hilt of the saber, and he smiled. He said nothing, and the skin of his face was white—drawn tight over the bones. His plain blue coat was weather worn and his buff boots caked with mud. ”

“ Michael had not failed to glance over his shoulder at the first appearance of the light and had seen only a fox-faced merchant in a long ermine cloak and attended by a brace of servitors who looked as if they would have liked to flee at sight of bare steel.
Now he perceived that the merchant was staring at him round-eyed as if Michael had uttered blasphemy or madness.
“By the rood!” swore the tall stranger.
“By whatever you wish,” assented Michael, “so long as you fight like a man. Come, the sight of a coward spoils my appetite for dinner.” ”

“ Abreast the pillars of the Jumma mosque the leading elephant—a towering beast painted green and red, with steel blades lashed to its tusks—slowed its ambling gait and threw up its trunk. The lines of Bokharians near Robert cast themselves on their knees, pressing their foreheads to earth. So he was able to see the mullah of the mosque standing on the steps of the edifice.
And, when the elephant came to a halt, the man who sat alone in the glittering howdah stared first at Osman and then at Robert, who remained standing.
“Hail to Muhammad Shah, the mighty, the victorious!” roared the crowd. ”

“ Even the carpet, woven by the silk looms of Persia, was tinged by this glow, likewise the heavy canopy of Tyrian purple over the couch. The head of Lascaris, bloodless in its pallor, was faintly flushed. The skin lay in folds under his eyes and his thin mouth showed no lips at all; the flesh had fallen away from the bone so much that the aspect was that of a skull, for his hair had been clipped close.
“Eh, Rusudan,” he murmured, “thou dost hate me, without doubt. A self-willed barbarian, an unwilling captive and a scornful attendant. ”

“ God have mercy upon our souls.”
Michael reflected even as he ran toward the fire, avoiding the rush of a horseman, that men who fled from sword-strokes and cried on God for help merited little mercy.
The sentry's shout of fear turned to a moan as the Tatar who had passed Michael overtook him in the outer rocks. Soranzi had fallen to his knees and being patently unarmed—the knife had dropped from his trembling hands—was spared for the moment.
Michael saw that Rudolfo had taken a stand between the fire and the tower of skulls, his sword gleaming, his thin lips writhing. ”

“ The young Cossack stared into the crimson eye of the fire and thought that Otrèpiev was not mad. The false Tsar had foreseen the necessity of flight, and had come to a place where the Muscovites could not reach him with vengeance.
“And yet,” he muttered, “the girl Nada is not a lying Persian. She told Otrèpiev of a city to be found beyond the mountains.”
“Aye,” the Persian smiled, no whit cast down by the Cossack's opinion of his people. “Yet she is a flower, a lily from the garden of paradise. Who would weigh her words for the dross of truth?” ”

“ The whole of the earth was blanketed in white and only the dense clump of firs showed the spot where four human beings slept, two feet beneath the surface of the snow.
The reindeer were the first to sense the passing of the storm, and staggered up, tossing their heads and going off at once to paw at the drifts with their cleft hoofs in search of the moss that was their winter food. The movement aroused Kyrger, who bobbed up and shook himself like a dog. Picking up a fallen branch, he went to where Joan and Thorne were buried, feeling around with his feet until he found the spot. ”

“ For the third time Otrèpiev had hidden his trail—first by the body of a dead man, then by fire and sword, then by water. How was a man to be found in that wilderness of lush grass, of thickening brush and flooding watercourses? The Cossack was on the edge of the known world; beyond the river, he could still return to Ayub and wise old Khlit and say truly that he had followed Otrèpiev until all signs failed.
But Otrèpiev had once sworn that he would press on, to the Golden Horde. ”

“ A BLAZING sun, beating on the white dust of streets and the gray and red ruins, half blinded them, and a vagrant wind clutched at them. They stood within sight of what had been the registan, the open square of the city. ”

“ She flushed rosily.
"The white man is precious in my sight," she said dearly. "His life is like to the warmth of the sun, and if he dies, my life would pass, even as water vanishes when it is poured upon the sands."
"Verily," pondered Timur, stroking his beard, "is he a brave man. But how then may Wu Fang Chien be appeased?"
Anger flashed into the girl's expressive face.
"So the Wusun are weak of soul," she accused. "Their heart is like the soul of a gully jackal. They would give up the warrior who came to be their friend, to buy their own comfort! Aie! Are you such men?" ”

“ A fitful wind had sprung up in the last hours, whipping through the tall grass, and muffling the thudding hoofs of unseen horses, the creaking of leather, the rattle of arrows in quivers. Masses of riders moved past Al-Tâbir, and the Persian tried to keep his teeth from chattering as he rode after the Cossack. He followed Kirdy back at last to the cattle herd—that had been picked up on the last day's march, and hurried in by Tatars who sought refuge from the sultan's pillagers. There were more than a thousand of the beasts. ”

“ The Rajputs, without shield or mail, cast themselves upon their foes with nothing but the sword. Death struck them and laid them low in an instant, or the sipahis fell under their feet. The youths and old men of Karadak acted as if reckless of life. Indeed, they had but one thought—to spread swiftly the carpet of the slain before other enemies could come up from the camp.
And they bore themselves with the skill of warriors reared to weapons. By swift sword-play they slashed through the guard of saber and shield, and leaped forward. ”

“ Soon the green standard will be carried from Bagdad to Moscow, and I shall ride before the standard bearer. Eyes serve me in hidden places and lips whisper in the Wolf’s Ear; but my eyes have shown me the weakness of your peoples, who flee from the sea before the corsairs. ”

“ Iskander Khan Edith regarded as a pagan, with blood on his hands. Aravang, she thought, was no better than a murderer. What made them so anxious to aid the sick man? She looked from Mahmoud, now heating something in a bronze bowl over the brazier, to the still face of Donovan.
"It was the wisdom of Mahmoud," the mild voice of Iskander went on, "that sent me to Kashmir—to heal the loneliness of the white man. I went to find a spur for his spirit—a spur that would drive away the dark angel of death. The spur would be a woman of his own race and rank. ”

“ Some have said to me that thou art a spy, sent in advance by the Turkomans. What are words? I bear thee neither ill will nor good. Give me then the sword and go in peace. I have said!”
Kirdy inclined his head.
“And this is my answer, O Khan! Among my people it is a law of laws that a sword may not pass to another, while the master of it lives. Lacking other gifts, I offer to bear the sword on thy behalf in this battle. When I have taken spoil, then I will have a gift that is fitting.” ”

“ GRIM was the palace of the Wolf’s Ear, and dark the passageways beneath. Michael, hearkening to the lisp of lutes in the garden overhead, strained his eyes to make out the man who spoke to him, yet beheld only a black square where a secret door had opened away from the torture chamber. ”