Originally Published: April 11, 1903
Genres: Adventure, Children's
Dime Novel Bibliography: https://dimenovels.org/Item/60421/Show
Gutenberg link: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67901
Chapters: 32
Warning: This may include outdated and derogatory language and attitudes.
CHAPTER I
THE ARRIVAL AT TANGIER
“Hurrah, Ephraim, here we are at last!”
It was Frank Merriwell who spoke. He was standing on the deck of a steamer that was approaching the coast of Morocco. Beside him stood his old chum and former schoolmate, Ephraim Gallup, from Vermont.
“Is thet Tangier?” came from Ephraim, as he gazed ashore with interest.
“It is.”
“Funny looking place, I must say. Not a bit like the United States. But it’s a heap sight better nor them places we stopped at in South Africy, by gosh.”
“Let us hope so. I trust we have a more quiet time here than we did there.”
“Great catfish, Frank, so do I! Why, it was awful, the things thet happened to us in Africy. No, I don’t want no more sech happenin’s in mine, by gum!”
As old readers of the Frank Merriwell stories know, Frank was now on a grand tour to different quarters of the globe. On the death of his guardian, he had come into possession of much money, and his guardian had desired that he do some traveling before settling down. Frank was to take with him a professor and one boyish companion. At present, the professor, Horace Scotch, was not with the youth, but Ephraim was, and the two had just come up from the lower coast of Africa, where they had passed through numerous adventures, as related in “Frank Merriwell’s Hunting Tour.”
“Look, Ephraim!” went on Frank. “Yonder is Tangier, lying like a snow-white pearl on the shore of the blue Mediterranean. It is a sight to quicken the blood.”
He pointed to the white walls of a city that could be plainly seen.
“It looks purty fair from here,” admitted the Vermonter; “but ‘cordin’ to yeour own statement abaout it, it won’t look so well when we git there.”
“That is very true; but it is the gateway to a strange land for us—a land of strange people, strange customs, of wonders and marvels innumerable. Besides that, I am tired of the sea, and I long to get ashore once more.”
“By gum! I don’t blame ye fer that. But I’d ruther git ashore where folks are civilized. I’ve seen enough uv black men an’ heathen.”
Frank laughed.
“Surely we have had our fill of them, but I would not like to return home without visiting Morocco.”
Before long the speed of the steamer began to lessen, and it finally came to a stop, the anchor chains rattling, as the anchors were dropped.
“Hang it all!” exclaimed Ephraim, clutching Frank’s arm. “Will yeou jest look there! Is that a gang uv crazy critters comin’ to attack the steamer, ur what do they want?”
Some boats were pulling off from the shore, and behind them was a swarm of tattered Arabs, half-naked, wading in the water, advancing toward the vessel, waving their arms wildly, and uttering strange cries.
“Evidently that is one of the queer things we are to see in this country,” said Frank, quietly.
The boats reached the steamer, and the passengers were hurried into them by the boatmen. Frank and Ephraim succeeded in getting into one boat and were called on to pay for their passage immediately after they had left the steamer.
The boats moved toward the throng of tattered terra-cotta-colored human beings, some of whom had waded in the water to the middle of their thighs.
As soon as this disreputable-looking horde was reached it precipitated itself upon the boats. The passengers were seized by the jabbering gang as if they were to be put to death without delay.
One old fellow grabbed Ephraim and tried to drag him from the boat.
“Git aout!” squawked the boy from Vermont.
He hit the old Arab a back-handed blow with the flat of his hand, knocking the man over in a twinkling.
But the old Arab was not to be baffled in such a manner. Dripping with water, he scrambled up and grappled with the excited youth.
Seeing a catastrophe was coming, Frank lost no time in climbing out of the boat to the shoulders of a burly mulatto, where he sat in a comfortable position, waving his hat and shouting:
“Go it, boys! I’ll bet two to one on Vermont! Yankee Doodle forever!”
“Stand off, ye black pirut!” howled Ephraim, who had been somewhat blinded by the splashed water. “Keep yeour dirty hands off me, or I’ll—Wa-ow!”
Over went the boat, precipitating the boatman and the Yankee lad into the water, where there was a general floundering about, much to the amusement of the other passengers.
Frank Merriwell’s hearty laugh rang out.
“If this is a sample of what we’ll strike in Morocco, we’ll have fun,” he cried.
Ephraim came to the surface, spouting like a whale.
“Hang ye!” he squealed, standing up and shaking his fist at the bewildered Arab. “Yeou wait till we git on dry land, critter! I’ll fix ye!”
Then he began to wade ashore.
“I am surprised, Ephraim,” said Frank, soberly, “that you should make such a racket over a matter like this. The tan-colored gentleman simply wished to carry you ashore, as the water is too shoal to permit the boats to approach nearer. You will observe that all the passengers are going ashore in that manner.”
The lad from Vermont looked around, seeing that Frank spoke the truth. The ladies were being carried ashore in chairs, while the male passengers bestrode the necks of the Arabs and black men.
“Wal, why in thutteration didn’t they tell a feller what they was arter!” growled Ephraim, looking ashamed and disgusted. “They acted jest ez if they wanted to murder the hull on us.”
When the shore was reached, Frank paid for the transportation of both himself and Ephraim, as the old fellow whom the Vermonter had upset demanded payment.
“Here we are!” Merriwell cried. “And now we will find a hotel.”
Inquiry revealed that there was one European hotel in the city, and Frank secured a guide to pilot them thither.
Ephraim grumbled as they made their way along. He was dripping with water and presented a ludicrous aspect, but the populace in the streets did not smile at him. He was greeted in a stoical, indifferent manner as if he were a worm of very small importance. Men drew aside from the boys, and women avoided them, while children fled in terror.
“Real sociable people,” chuckled Frank. “Judging by the way they act, anyone would think we must be blood-thirsty savages.”
Nearly all the people in the streets were enveloped in a sort of long, white woolen cloak, with a large cowl, generally worn straight up on the heads, so that the whole city presented the aspect of a convent of Dominican monks.
Some of these hooded people passed gravely, slowly, and silently, a dreamy look in their eyes, as if their thoughts were far away; some remained seated or crouching along the walls, or at the corners of houses, immovable and with fixed eyes, like the enchanted ones of the “Arabian Nights.”
On their way to the hotel, they passed through several narrow, winding streets, flanked by small white houses, without windows, and with small, mean doorways, through which it could not be easy to enter.
In many of the streets, nothing was to be seen but the whiteness of the walls and the blue sky overhead.
Nearly all the streets were littered with rotten vegetables, feathers, rags, bones, and sometimes with deceased cats and dogs.
As may be imagined, the odors were often anything but agreeable.
At long intervals were seen groups of Arab children, playing or reciting verses from the Koran in a nasal drone.
Beggars were plentiful, squatting along the streets.
Here and there the nostrils of the boys were assailed by the odor of garlic, burnt aloes, benzoine, fish, and things unnamable.
The square was reached and was found to be a little rectangular place, surrounded by wretched shops.
At one side was a fountain, around which was a crowd of Arabs and black men, engaged in drawing water in various vessels.
At the other side of the square, veiled women were seated on the ground, offering bread for sale.
The little square was thronged with almost naked vagabonds, rich Moors, Jews, employees of the legations, the houses of which were near at hand; interpreters, and beggars galore.
For the time, Ephraim forgot that he had received a ducking. He looked around, his jaw dropping.
“Hanged ef this don’t beat the deck!” he muttered. “Never saw nothing like this before.”
“It is rather interesting,” replied Frank. “I fancied you would find it so.”
At this moment a veiled girl suddenly broke away from two men, who seemed to be acting as her escorts, gave a low cry of joy, rushed toward the boys, and flung her arms about Merriwell’s neck, sobbing:
“Frank! Frank! they said you were dead!”
Never in his life was Frank Merriwell more astonished. He could scarcely believe he had heard aright.
Ephraim Gallup caught his breath and gurgled:
“Wal, by gum!”
Shouts of surprise and rage broke from the men who had accompanied the girl. Quickly drawing short, curved swords from beneath their cloaks, they sprang toward the lads.
“Unhand her, Christian dogs!” roared one, flourishing his sword, as if he would cut Frank down in a moment.
“Take me away!” implored the girl. “I am willing to go with you now! Do not let them touch me again!”
That appeal was enough to arouse the chivalry in Frank’s nature. Swinging her to one side, he drew a revolver.
“Stand off!” he ordered, sternly.
“And keep off!” squealed Ephraim, as he let his clenched fist shoot out and catch one of the men under the ear.
It was a heavy blow, and the old Moor was knocked down in a twinkling.
A roar went up from all sides, and a rush was made for the two lads, who found themselves surrounded by a furious and raging mob.
It had come about with marvelous swiftness so that even Frank was a trifle bewildered.
Some of the mob brandished daggers and scimiters, and all seemed to thirst for the blood of the two youths.
The old fellow who had been knocked down got upon his feet, waved his arms, and shouted forth an order.
In the twinkling of an eye, the lads found themselves overwhelmed. The revolver was dashed from Frank’s hand, the girl was torn from his grasp, and he received a blow that staggered and dazed him.
Ephraim was used no less severely.
The second Moor, the one who had shouted at Frank in English, now ordered the mob back. He addressed them in Arabic, and they seemed to give over the assault on the boys with great reluctance, drawing back slowly.
Not knowing what might follow this move, Frank held himself in readiness for anything, regarding the old Moor with no little curiosity.
The man turned on the boys, gazing at them gloweringly, as if he longed to annihilate them, yet hardly dared. After some moments, he spoke.
“Knaves,” he growled, “you should die. Do you know what you have done, miserable Christians?”
“Attempted to defend a girl who appealed to us, but I made a sad failure of it,” replied Frank, looking around for the mysterious girl, but seeing nothing of her.
“You have defiled her with your touch, and she is the Pearl of Tangier! But that is not all. You struck Ben Ahmet, who is her uncle and protector, and who is also a descendant of Mohammed, the sacred one.”
“Is that so!” drawled Ephraim, dryly. “Wal, I wouldn’t ‘a’ struck Ben ef I hedn’t thought it necessary. As he’s a trifle older then I be, I’m sorry I hit him at all. Jest tell him I apologize.”
“Bah! That will not wash away the stain. Your blood would have flowed if he had ordered it so. From this hour you are marked. If you remain in Morocco you shall not escape just punishment for your offense. It is best that you delay not in leaving the country.”
Frank whistled.
“This is interesting,” he said, coolly. “We have just arrived.”
“It matters not. If you would live, depart at once.”
“Well, we will think it over. We can’t go till the steamer leaves unless we swim across the straits, and that would be too much trouble.”
“I have spoken.”
“And who be yeou?” demanded Ephraim.
“I am Ali Mustaf, the Cadi of Thwat, favored by the Prince of Believers and Vicegerent of God upon Earth.”
“Wal, gol dern my cats!” gasped the boy from Vermont. “We didn’t know we’d run up against anything like that. Will yeou excuse us for livin’!”
“You have heard. Take heed.”
Ali Mustaf turned and waved his hands to the throng, whereupon the mob slowly and reluctantly dispersed, giving the boys many dark looks, and muttering sullenly.
Ali Mustaf and Ben Ahmet moved away.
“What in the world became of that girl?” muttered Frank, looking about. “She disappeared in a twinkling.”
“She was carried away by some uv the craowd,” said Ephraim. “One uv them old varmits must hev told them to take her away.”
“And she knew me.”
“She did?”
“Surely. Didn’t you hear her call me by name?”
“I guess I did. But haow in thunder did she happen to know yeou?”
“That is a mystery—one I would give something to solve.”
Then Frank’s face became clouded again, and he bit his lip, looking about in an unsatisfied way.
“How shall I find her again?” he murmured. “I did not see her face. I should not know her if I saw her.”
“I kainder guess we’ll have aour hands full, without botherin’ abaout her. Mister Mustaf informed us that we was marked.”
“That was a bluff to scare us out of the country. These swarthy fellows do not like Christians. They dare not harm us, however. If they did, they would not have stopped when they were crowding around us a short time ago.”
“Mebbe yeour right, Frank. Yeou ’most alwus be, but somethin’ kainder tells me we’ll have more trouble with Mister Mustaf and Mister Ahmet.”
“I could not go away without making another attempt to see that mysterious girl. Something tells me she is in serious trouble. Besides that, my curiosity is aroused, and I must know how she learned my name. It is possible I have met her before. More than that, I have thought of another possibility.”
“What is it?”
“She spoke perfect English.”
“Yes.”
“Which is remarkable, as everything indicated she could not be more than sixteen or seventeen.”
“Wal?”
“Moorish girls of that age are not likely to have opportunities to learn the English language.”
“I s’pose not.”
“Can’t you see what I am driving at?”
“Dunno’s I kin. I’m kainder thick-headed.”
“Why, she may not be a native of this country at all—she may be an English or American girl.”
“Great gosh!”
“And she may be a captive. It is possible she has been kidnapped for the harem of some miserable old Moor. The thought makes my blood boil. Ephraim, we have a mission in Morocco. It is to find that girl and rescue her, if needs be. We will do it!”
“We will do it!”
Before the eyes of the wondering rabble, the dauntless boys clasped hands.
Commentaires