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6 . : .
—THAPPY
DAYS "|
Ife was about to say that the council
was over for the day, when Joe Grit rush-
ed forward to.where the king was sitting.
“ King Menelek,” » “Thave
iet because, as a stranger, I have
little right to take part in your coun-
cils. My life is at our disposal, If you
wish to send any one to find ont the seeret
plans of the invaders, gladly Sri I be that
Tsou,
Pe Blanche gave a faint shriek, This alone
broke the silence that followed Joe's
“said Joe Grit,
me ‘My brave boy,” exclaimed the king, ‘I | him
admire your pine ck, but this work is for
older hea
“ Trust me said Joe, ‘and you won’t
be, disappotated with the result.”
“But you will be detected. ‘* You can-
not speak Italian, neither¢ do you know the
language of this country.”
Joe smile
“Leave” all to ed I shall be able to
carry out m ny Plan
Blanche an White Ilair begged him not
Even Mokala added his entreaties.
ate refused to al-
low his fecision to be s
“Li im gol” cried several of the war-
rlors, | “He isa brave boy and may suc-
ceed,
Joe knew well what the men who spoke
thus meant, and so did White Mlair. They
were the friends of Gondo’s father, jand
really hoped that the desperate enterprise
would end in the boy’s death,
u hear them, Joe?" asked White
“ Tne ey don’t scare me a, cent,”
“They want you to die.
oatnd T don’t want to, Frozgy," laughed
““That’s where we diff
“hren Blanche was not more successful,
and that bight the boy made his way to
Mada, a port on the Red Sea, from whence
he intended to sail to Massawab,
CHAPTER XVUL
CAPTAIN VASEITI'S DISPATCHUS—JOE SEES
N OLD ENEMY,
Wuen Joe arrived at Massawah the
place was full of bustle and excitement.
At the same moment as the felucca on
which he was sailed into the port, a large
Italian steamer laden with troops came to
an anchor,
In consequence of this his arrival was
not notice
He amused himself by wandering about
the streets, watching the movements of
the troops, and endeavoring to. pick up
scraps of information that would be use-
‘als
** Pity I don’t know the lingo,”*muttered
Joe. “I'd soo ind out what these dagoes
are up to if ”
the king heat ‘raised this objection and
e had made light of it. ie Saw
what aserious obstacle it was to his suc-
cess. But the boy was not disheartened
and his wits were ‘very busily at work try-
ing fos surmount the difficulty,
r exclaimed Joe, stopping in
front of a drinking Place “Tm ungry
and thirsty. Guess I'll fil
e cafe was full of Italian ‘soldiers, but
there were three or four civilians amongst
them. .All were busily engaged in empty-
ing flasks of Chianti imported from Italy,
and drinking success to the expedition,
A civilian addressed Joe in Italian.
who was seated next to him
turned round and shook his hea
“You don’t understand me,” ‘muttered
the ‘str stranger, still in Italian. “1 try
Sune Joe shook his head, for although he
was not entirel ignorant o of the French
language, he did not know it well enough
to talk with ease,
‘Iaman American,” said Joe.
“From the United States,” was the an-
swer, * Well, 1 speak English as you see
“Joe noticed only a slight accent in the
man’s pronunciation,
“Tell me, my boy,” continued the
stranger, “what brings you to this place ”
‘Ieame here from Mada, Been tram:
ing through Tomali Land with my friends
ona scientific expedition. Lost them in
the desert, then wandered about till I
reached the shore. Thought if I got here,
Id likely hear something of them."
** You mean Professor Smiley.”
OW bys certainly.”
“Now I recognize you. I was here
months. ago when the professor and his
So you lost them, My young
friend, you may think yourself precious
. lucky that you're here to-day and not dead
in the desert, I'll wager you're better off
than the old professor. He hasn’t got a
pottle of good Italian wine in front of
a “Do you live here?” asked Joe.
‘“* Yes. There is no secret about m
This is a port of considerable size,
and many ships of_ different: countries
ecme here to trade. I speak several lan-
guages, and act as interpreter for the cap-
tains of the ships. That is how Ilirve.”
“An interpreter 1” thonght Joe, “‘here's
“* Mister,” he said, aloud,
ness,
a slice of luck,
“would you mind introducing me to the
busi- | boy.
Italian Beneral. nalt ough him I may get
news of my
“My boy, i it “will “be a pleasure, Come
along,_I'll take you ere at once. Le
knows me well, He’s often in need of my
services,”
The general in command was lodged in
a small, low-roofed house, built of clay
and wood and painted white. He was sit-
ting under a tree, outside the house, ata
table on which were a number of papers,
Several officers of his staff were around
Joe was introduced to the general b; the
interpreter, and the latter told the boy’s
story,
“ Why,” laughed the general, “T can
give Mr. Grit some news of the professor.
He was heard of resently in the Soudan,
making his way to the Red Sea along the
northern frontier of Abyssina,”
‘Then I may see him shortly,” remarked
Joe. re If I wait here he'll come along, no
loub
““You can do better than that,” was the
answer, ‘you can go forward and meet
‘im,
“No, thank you, general, I’ve had
enough of wandering through these wild
countries by myself, aiuess, T'll wait.”
* But you won't be
“That's different.
“Tm sending | for ward one of my staff,
this gentleman,” the general indicated one
of the officers near him, “with important
dispatches, You can go with him, and
you'll havea pleasant journey, I’m sure,
for he can_be very agreeable | when he
pleases, and he speaks English.”
Joe was introduced to the officer, and i
was arranged that he should be on hand
early in the evening ready to start,
He had no preparations to make, for a
horse would be provided for him and suf-
once more he strolled down to the water,
and then loitered about the own tillit was
time to zeturn to headquarters,
Wi a two days’ ride.” read the young
officer, as he and Joe pode side by side at
the foot of a range of
nd we may fall in with the enemy,
ca
pie we do they won't attack us, I think,”
answered Captain Vasetti. ‘ “They’ re wait:
ing for us to make the first m - Poor
beggars ! it's precious little chance they'll
have wen we start. They'll run like a
Hoek of s!
Gat ‘Kuew more of the Abyssinians
than. did Captain Vasetti, and his views
differed considerably, but he thought it
was wise to keep them to himself,
The two rode on untilit was midnight,
chatting merrily, for the captain was very
entertaining, and proved to he an agree-
able traveling companion,
“Now we'll halt, have some supper,”
said Captain Vasetti, “sive our horses
a rest, and take a good picer- Amongst
these trees we're quite safe,
“You know best,” said Joe.
sour hands.”
per was a simple one, consisting
of some reads rather stale, and some dried
“T'm in
BS.
"Anyway, here is foe wine to wash it
down with. Open
said Captain vest “s ana takea
The bottle was passed from one to the
other, the boy faking ne very littl little, until there
was not much win t. Joe sipped it,
wiped the mouth of the bottle, and passed
it to the capta
“Finish it,” he ‘said, “T’'ve had enough,”
Captain Vasetti, like all Italians, was
accustomed to wine, and he did not wait
for a second invitation,
“Now for sleep,” he said, “ Good-
night.
& Good-ni ight.”
The two travelers wrapped themselves
in their cloaks, and very soon Captain Va-
setti was snoring lou
“* He’ eep, for a dead certainty,” said
Joe, sitting up a and looking closely at.the
oficer, “TH wait ten minutes, then to
Present Joe moved over tothe sleeping
peices, an
os
on
a2
3
5.
wr
=
captain, and i enile St satisfaction came
over the boy’s face.
The drug I got from White Hair pas
done its work well,” muttered Joe, “and I
just managed to slip, it in the bottle i in
time for his last drink.
knew now there was no danger of
the man waking until Jate in the morning,
for White Hair had told him what the ef-
fect of the drug would
Ina moment the boy had thrust his hand
into an inner pocket of the captain's tunic,
and | brought forth a large envelope, duly
** The dispatch a exclaimed the jubilant
“* Now to o) ti”
Tie found this easter than he imagined it
would be, for a fine bladed knife deftly re-
moved the seal without injuring it. Joe
drew forth the dispatch and laid it in
front of him. By the light of the fire’
h had been lit, he scanned the con-
tents,
“ “ Beaten !” he gasped, in dismay. ‘* What
a fool I am! It’s written in their own
lingo, and I don’t know a word of Italian,
I’ve had all my trouble for nothing.”
Joe Grit was crestfallen, and he held
the paper in his hand, looking at the char-
acters traced upon it, vand knowing that to
him they were as legible as if they were
written in Chinese,
encgnly the expression of his face
¢
“rT eave it!” he exclaimed, “TéT can’t
read it, someone else ca.
So taking a pencil and paper from i
pocket, he set himself to work, He co
ied very carefully every word that the
dispatch contained. Then, when he had
obtained a complete copy, he restored the
dispatch to its original cecndition and put
it back in the captain’s pocke'
was late the next day—very late—
fyhen Joe heard Captain Vasetti calling to
im.
“We must be off,” said the hours
rubbing his eyes, “ the sun’s risen hours
ago, a and yet feel | (a8 heavy as lead.
can’t understand it,
Joe could have titightened him, but he
merely suggested that the mountain air
may have had something to do with the
officer’s drowsiness,
All that day they journeyed on, for the
most part through a very mountainous
region, fnd again they had to camp out for
e nigh
Captain Vasetti resumed the journey
very early the next morning, for strange
to say, he was not afflicted with such pro-
found sleep as he had been on the previous
night.
The same evening they arrived at the
camp of the general,
Joe saw with amazement what a formid-
able army had been collected. Even an
eye so inexperienced in military matters
as his could see that many thousands of
soldiers were under arms
The reception of the dispatch caused
much excitement, and a coun cil of war
was immediately Summoned i ener-
alstent, Joe was delighted, for t showed
him that the paper he had obtained ywasa
very valuable document,
ile was hoping. that he might be able to
pick up further information, and for this
purpose strolled around the camp.- But
again his ignorance of the language stood
in his wa:
“Never mind, I've got enough, I guess,
soon as I can I'll he making tracks for
Rie? Menelek’s camp,” muttered the boy,
Then, happening to look towards the
tent of the geueral, he saw standing out-
side, several men as black as ebony.
he boy uttered a startled cry, "ite had
recognized one of the black men beyond a
poseibility of mistake,
ndo alive and here !” he gasped, with | @
white face; “if he sees me he will de-
nounge me as a spy and then I shall be
Ss:
{ro BE CONTINUED.)
r= oe
“+ HAPPY DAYS" HAS BETTER STORIES |{
THAN ANY OTHER STORY PAPER PUB-
LISHED.
—_—— 0-94 ©
[This story commenced in No. 202.)
On the Road;|
- °
R,
THE SUCCESS OF A SMART
BOY SALESMAN.
By oneren CARNE?
Author of Ss Jack- of-All-Trades,” “ His Oun
Law
ete.
- omez,
CHAPTER XXIL.
TRACING -THE CRIME,
‘THERE was a strong light in the office of
Bent & Jenks, As Dick and the janitor
saw this, the latter exclaim:
“Put your weight against this door with
me,” said T Dick rigidly. “It must be open-
ed al
Jones. obeyed. The lock on the door was
strong, but no match for their combined
weight. It gave way.
The door burst open.
The two men tumbled into the room, As
they regained their feet they beheld a
ghastly sight.
The walls and the carpet were stained
with glots of blood. A prostrate human
form lay by the. safe, the door of which
was wide open and the contents strewn
every where,
‘fhe man on the floor was bound securely
hand and foot. He was also gagged,
first Dick thought of Mr. Bent, eend that -
murder had been done. A sense of suffo-
cation had 1 nigh overwhelmed
* Jones,” he said in a husky voice, “ring
the police alarm, quick !”
The janitor needed no second bidding,
The burglar alarm connecting with the
safe door was severed from its connec-
tions, But the janitor pressed the lever
and rang the alarm just the same,
Dick with an effort reached the side of
the unfortunate man, e was completely
drenched in blood, Dut as Dick looked into
his ghastly face an. inexpressible wave of
relief surged over
was not Mr, Bent, after all, but the
confidential clerk, Collins, Moreover,
Dick saw by his eyes that he was yetalive,
“My soul! Is it, you, Collins, What
does alt this mean
With quick fingers he removed the gag
from the clerk’s mouth and ent the ropes
which bound him, Gasping and vomiting
blood the wounded man rolled over with
a groan of relie
Dick went to a water-cooler and filled a
glass with the liquid. This he applied to
the fellow’s lips. It had the effect of at
once reviving him
And thei
spea
“Tso masked men,” he ‘said, “They
came into the inner office by the fire es-
cape, They sprang upon me unawares
and struck me down, I fought hard, but
they nearly killed me.”
“You are a hero!” cried Dick warmly.
“But where is Mr, Ben
Collins looked surprised,
“He went out about eleven o'clock in
answer to your message, He bade me wait
here for his return, epbout twelve these
men came in upon me,”
“My message!” exclaimed Dick, in a
half stunned manner, “What do you
mean
“Didn't you send for him? There isa
note from you on lesk,
Dick sprang to the desk and found the
note, He hastily glanced over it and with
deadly terror gnawing at his soul read
the whole truth, Thus the note read :
“MR, DENT:
“Oi ickly as you get this note. I
wish your. vnesistance, forI have got track of
the two villains, and we can hand them over to
police, Iam at this moment on the end of
te *Penneylvania freight pier, North River,
and the villains are in my sight. Come al
once. Has astily,
“Dick JENKs,”
“My soul I” gasped the youn drummer,
“And Mr, Bent answered this 8
essages”
‘“‘A forgery!” groaned Dick. ‘‘I have
been at the hotel with, Nellie all the even-
ing waiting for him, This is a fearful game
of villainy and murder, fear the worst
for Mr, Bent. The villains came directly
here no doubt after doing away with him.”
“Th oid ery li ike! ly.
** And the safe—'
“There w: as, twenty thousand dollars in
bank notes and coin in it. They have
taken all,”
Dick was stunned fora moment. Then
he set_his lips firmly. and a determined
light burned in his ey:
“They shall be hunted down,” he Brite
ted. ‘I will give my life to tie task.”
At this moment steps. sounded outside
and several officers burst: into the room.
One of them was a police captain.
Very quickly Dick told them all, and
the quickest. of action was made, he
police captain at once dispatched word to
detective headquarters, Then he said to
in my word, ithe gentleman forgot to] Dic’
turn out the g:
But to Diek it seemed that the solution
the mystery lay beyond that door.
Doubtless the fgnltor was the victim of a
mistake. Mr. Bent had not left the office.
o Dick’s face for a moment brightened Ben
as he stepped to the door
tly upon it,
was no respon
Again Dick rap ed, Then he fancied he
heard a groan. He tried to tura the door-
knob, but the ‘door was locke
Dick was now ghastl Pate
weight against the door,
stared.
He had began to smell arat,
s~—is there anything wrong, sir?”
asked, ina half w bispere * Teaven hens
us! It's the first thing to happen in this
uildiug.”
and ra) gen-
All was silent within. There
“Te put his
The janitor
“Twill leave one man here to keep
things j in shape, will re accompany me
0 the Pennsylvania pi
“Twill!” replied Dick, “ Yor I am anx-
jous to learn, first of all, the fate of Mr.
“ We may find some clew,” said the offi-
cer significantly. Ie did n
was in his mind—that the millionaire’s
body would probably be found in the river,
But Dick guessed as mu
It did not take them long to reach West
street, and they drew near the-Pennsyl-
vania pier. A‘. watchman crossed the
street. The police captain signaled him. °
“Hello, Jacobs!” he said in an under-
tone. “Have you seen any suspicious
characters about here to-night?”
No, captain,” replied the officer,
“ Viave you been out on the pier ”
n to Dick's joy he was able to _