The Tyrants of Kool-Sim ... Illustrated by J. Brewster Fisher

Front matter

THE TYRANTS OF KOOL-SIM Uniform with this Volume. By Mary E. Mann. "THERE WAS ONCE A PRINCE." New and Cheaper Edition. With a Frontispiece by Alan Wright. Crown Zvo, cloth, coloured edges, $s. 6d. The New Age : "It is truly refreshing to read] a story of three hundred pages in which there is no slipshod work, no careless characterisation, no strained and unnatural dialogue. Such refreshment is in store for those who are wise enough to read ' There was once a Prince.' " The Sun : "A charming book. ' ' The Westminster Gazette : " A very charming story." The Spectator : (( As clever as it is fresh." The Athenæum: "A touching little tale, and worthy to be read." By Mary E. Mann. "WHEN ARNOLD COMES HOME." A charming Story. With a Frontispiece and Binding by Alan Wright. Crown Zvo, cloth, coloured edges, -r,s. 6d. "He smiled on him with manifest delight." [Pa^c 182.

The Tyrants of Kool-Sim BY JAMES MACLAREN COBBAN Author of " The Red Sultan," etc. SECOND EDIT/ON WITH A FRONTISPIECE BY ALAN WRIGHT LONDON H. HENRY & CO. Ltd. 93 SAINT MARTIN'S LANE W.C. MUCCCXCVI ~\All rights reserved^ CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. COMRADES I II. AUNT TOPSY 12 III. THE EXPEDITION SETS OUT . 2J IV. THE BOYS ARE ASTONISHED .... 42 V. AN ALGERIAN ENGLISHMAN .... 53 VI. THE SPAHI'S STRANGE STORY ... 68 VII. THE WISE FAKEE 85 VIII. ON THE WAY TO THE LAND OF SORCERY . 100 IX. THE THROAT OF DEATH . . . .121 X. THE FRENCH CONQUEST OF THE LITTLE PEOPLE 136 XI. THE CITY OF KOOL-SIM 151 XII. THE KAID OF THE DOORS EXPLAINS . . Contents VI CHAP. PAGE XIII. THE SUN-GOD 180 XIV. THE MAZE AND THE PLACE OF SERPENTS . 196 XV. TOM'S STORY . . . . , . .211 XVI. AN INTERVIEW WITH THE KING . . . 223 XVII.

THE SACRED RELICS AND THE ENCHANTED STICK 236 XVIII. THE BOYS IN DANGER 254 XIX. " ' DOWN WITH THE TYRANTS ! ' " 272 XX. A LAST STRANGE EXPERIENCE . . .294 < 1 THE TYRANTS OF KOOL-SIM

Chapter I Comrades Two

boys were on the shore of the breezy Serpentine, engaged in the sailing of a toy yacht. They were very much engrossed with the behaviour of the white-sailed little vessel and with the imaginary ports which they set her rudder to make. " There she goes — ripping away for Tangier ! " cried the one to the other. " Easy sail ! Hallo ! That wind caught her. and she'll drive along and go to pieces on the Riff coast, and her crew will be murdered by the Riff pirates ! " They ran along the shore to save her from her threatened doom. " She's all right. By Jove ! She's making out of her own head for Algiers ! " They waited till she raced into that port, when one of them caught her bowsprit with his guiding stick, and the other took her from the water. " It's time for us to go back," said the one with the stick, looking at his watch.

" Come on, then, Will," said the other, " and let's talk about your Uncle Tom." " All right, Walter. But let's get in among the trees, away from these kids and nursemaids." They withdrew from sight of the Serpentine, and bore away westward, making for the forest depths of Kensington Gardens. They were intimate schoolfellows, and this was the time of their Easter holidays. The younger, Will Malleson, was twelve, and was thought small for his age ; the elder, Walter Firebrace, was sixteen, and was tall and well grown. Will Malleson's " Uncle Tom," it may be readily guessed, was that Tom Malleson of whose early adven tures I have written in The White Kaid of the Atlas; but it will not be so readily guessed that his father was the "Cousin James" of the same book — the selfish and calculating traitor who, for the sake of his own liberty, sold Tom into the hands of the Berber Kaid, El Madani.

Comrades 3 The boys were in no way like each other in appearance. Malleson was dark and delicate, with a quick, nervous manner ; while Firebrace was fair and strong, and was easy and good-natured with his comrade. Nor were they very much alike in their tastes. Will Malleson was fond of learning ; he read everything that came in his way, and he had already written an epic in eight books — a second Æneid worked up from the adventures of his Uncle Tom ; while Walter Firebrace cared more for games than for books, and looked forward to joining the cavalry regi ment of his father, the colonel, in India. But they were inseparable friends, and the strong bond of friendship between them was their common admiration of the character and exploits of " Uncle Tom." Again and again in playground and dormitory had Will Malleson related all he had ever heard of his hero — heard, it is to be noted, not so much from his father as from his Aunt Topsy ; how, when first he travelled in Morocco, he had saved the dumb dwarf from the fanatical Aisso wieh ; how he had been captured and carried off by El Madani ; and how he had found favour with El Madani, had become a soldier under him, had fought in the Desert with the Arabs, had recovered the castle of Teluet from the Sultan's troops, and had rescued his patron El Madani from the cruel hands of the Sultan himself.

These things he had told, and more ; for his Aunt Topsy, Tom's sister, regularly received letters from her brother, and from them she read or wrote to her nephew Will all that she thought would interest him : his Aunt Topsy was all the more kind to him that he had no mother. So Walter Firebrace put his arm affectionately in Will Malleson's, and together they passed in among the trees to enjoy once more their favourite excitement of talk about the White Kaid. " Look here, Will," said Firebrace very reso lutely, " let's talk about rescuing him ! " " Rescuing him ! " exclaimed Will. " What for ? Do you think my Uncle Tom needs anybody to rescue him, even if he were taken prisoner ? But of course he's not a prisoner ! Trust him for that ! He could fight any number of Frenchmen ! " " Look here, young Malleson," said Walter Firebrace, with the confidence of superior height and the reasonableness of comparative middle Comrades 5 age, " you must allow me to know more about armies and all that than you."

Will Malleson said nothing, and Firebrace went on : " That being granted, let me tell you why I think your Uncle Tom must be a prisoner. It's nearly a year since your Aunt Topsy heard from him — she said so at lunch, didn't she ? — and it's just about that time since a French expedition — an army, mind you, young 'un, of five or six thousand — crossed the Desert after some beastly wild tribe, and turned up among the Atlas Mountains." " They didn't need to cross the Desert to get among the Atlas Mountains from Algiers," said Will Malleson, with the conviction of possessing more geographical knowledge than his friend. " Well," said Walter Firebrace, " I'll allow you know more geography than I do. But what does that matter ? We're talking of a French army getting in among the Atlas Mountains, however they got there.

That's the first thing. The next thing is — as your Aunt Topsy told us — that they invaded the country of El Madani." " I know what you mean, Walter," said Will Malleson. " You needn't be so long in saying it. The French invaded El Madani's country, and took him and my Uncle Tom prisoner, and I suppose Captain Chatrian too. Thank you very much, Walter, for not thinking they killed my Uncle Tom and every man-jack of them." " Don't be a donkey, Will," said Walter. " Do you think I don't know that your uncle is a brave man and a good soldier ? I should think you and me agreed about that if we agreed about anything. But a brave man may be taken unawares, mayn't he ? And just remember it's not half-a-dozen Frenchmen we're talking abcut, it's half-a-dozen thousand ; and that's something of an army."

" My Uncle Tom," said Will, " defeated the Sultan's army almost by himself, and that was a bigger army than the French." " What a silly, jealous chap you are about your uncle ! But I don't mind. I understand it by what I feel about my father, the colonel." " Your father," said Will, feeling that he was laying bare a clear and exact difference, " may know about a regiment, but my uncle has been in command of armies." " At any rate, you can't be expected, young 'un, to know much about armies," said Walter Comrades 7 loftily, " not being brought up to it. But do admit there's some difference between a French army, even if it's small, and a crowd of armed blackguards like what the Sultan of Morocco calls an army." Will Malleson was rather fogged and rather angry with the discussion. He shook himself free of his big companion's arm.

" Oh," said he, " if you're going to say that my uncle has never been a soldier and has never done anything at all " "Don't be a duffer, Will!" exclaimed Walter, catching him by the sleeve. "You know I don't mean anything of the sort. But look here, now, if your Uncle Tom's all right, why hasn't he written to your Aunt Topsy for a year, when he used to write every month or so? Can you answer that riddle, young 'un ? " The young 'un " could only answer " that riddle " by saying, " Perhaps he's gone back to Timbuctoo." " Gone to Bath ! " exclaimed Walter. " Your Uncle Tom's not a fool ! " With that apparently generous concession Will Malleson was pleased. In his mind he granted at once that his uncle might be a prisoner in the hands of the French, and so he returned to the beginning of the discussion.

"Well," said he, "and how would you rescue him ?" " I wish," said Walter, " my father were there with a troop of his Bengal Lancers ! They'd swish through the Frenchmen," he continued, with enthusiasm, " like — like " — he was lost for a comparison — " like a thousand of bricks ! " " But your father isn't there ! " said the downright Will, " and I suppose the Government won't send him ! " " No. Worse luck ! " exclaimed Walter Firebrace. " And your uncle will be lost like Gordon at Khartoum. But I say," he continued, "why shouldn't some fellow go, like Stanley for Living stone ? By Jove, I wish I could go ! I can just imagine myself raising my pith helmet to him and saying, 'Mr. Tom Malleson, I presume?'" Will caught fire at that. " Oh, if we could go, Walter ! " said he, as if he had scarcely breath to utter his desire. '' Wouldn't it be ripping !

But," he continued, dolefully, " I haven't enough money, and I'm sure Comrades 9 my father won't give me any ! I wonder how much it would be to hire a boat — a steam launch, I mean ? " And he glanced with disdain at the toy cutter he carried. " And what would be the use, young 'un, of a boat, if we could hire it ? No, sonny," continued the experienced Firebrace, " the proper thing would be to take a passage in a big steamer to somewhere. Where do you go to for that place your uncle is in ? " " You know ; Tangier or Mogador,'' answered the young geographer. " Well, then," continued Walter, " we get there, and we grow jolly friendly with one of the tribes. And when you grow friendly with savage fellows of that sort — eat salt with them, smoke the pipe of peace, and that kind of thing — they'll go anywhere with you and do anything for you.

Well, we'll do that ; and there we are, don't you know." " That would be proper, Walter ! " exclaimed Will Malleson. " But, I say, what about money ? I've got a sovereign my Aunt Topsy gave me, but that won't do much ! " " I'll make that all right," said Walter Firebrace, confidence, thrusting his pocket, not to feel the but as if to make space with an air of easy hand into his trouser money that was there, for the vast sum he was about to mention. "There won't be time to write to my father, but my Aunt Arabella will lend me fifty pounds, I know." " Will she give you as much as that ? " asked Will, with a touch of jealousy in his voice. " Oh, more than that, if I want it," said Walter with a fine carelessness. " She's going to leave me all her money, you know. I should like to find out," he said suddenly, after a pause, " what your Aunt Topsy is going to do.

She's not the sort that sits still doing nothing, — your Aunt Topsy isn't." And having said that he blushed in a very troubled and self-conscious manner. For it was the closest secret between them, not commonly to be hinted at, save in the dead of night and in the dark, that Walter was in love with Will's aunt Topsy. She was ten years older than Walter ; but what did that matter ? He knew he could never love anybody else, and he had made up his mind he would take her to India with him — when he went there — although Comrades 11 he had never yet said a word to her on the subiect. "Look here, Walter," said Will, "shall we ask her to go with us? Ladies go in for travel and adventure now, you know." " They must be awfully in the way when fight ing and that sort of thing has got to be done. They can load your pistols for you, but they can't fight, you know, and they may get killed, just as we may get killed."

Will turned pale at the hint of being killed, and Walter frowned in hard thought. " No," he continued at last, " I don't think we'll ask her ; we won't risk it. But let us walk quick ; she'll be waiting for us."

Chapter II Aunt Topsy The

boys had been to lunch with Aunt Topsy, and they were returning to her to take tea. Aunt Topsy's (and Uncle Tom's) father and mother were both dead, and, while " Cousin James " inherited the Malleson business (which should have been Tom's if he had stayed at home or returned after the memorable meeting with his father in Morocco), Topsy had left to her a tolerable fortune in money. She was, therefore, free to do as she would, and at present she lived by herself in a flat overlooking Kensington Gardens. Aunt Topsy's little drawing-room presented a curious appearance for the sanctum of a young and elegant lady. It had books on tables, books on little shelves, books on chairs, and books on the floor ; and the books were not of the kind that ladies are supposed to delight in — novels with Mudie's label on the covers and poems in pretty bindings — but big solid volumes.

Ii you glanced at those set readiest to hand you would see that they were almost all works of travel and adventure in the north of what is slowly ceasing to be " the Dark Continent " — old books like The Travels of Mungo Park and the journey of Bruce in search of the sources of the Nile, and recent books like The Adventures of Gerhard Rohlfs in Morocco in the original German, the travels of the Italian De Amicis in the same country, Travels in the Great Atlas, by Hooker and Ball, and the works of Sir John Drummond Hay, Colonel Colvile, Dr. Leared, De La Martiniere, and Thomson. Besides such as these there were other books of great size, easily to be recognised as atlases. Leaning against the wall by the fireplace was the Royal Atlas of Keith-Johnston, and lying open on a little table was the great German atlas of Stieler.

Pinned to the wall was a large map which caught the eye more than all the pictures. It was a French map of the Barbary states — that is, of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunis. When the boys entered, they found Aunt Topsy, in company with a gentleman, bending over Stieler's Atlas, while her stout lady " companion " sat by the fire, and watched the kettle singing for tea. Topsy Malleson turned to smile on the boys, and then resumed her conversation with the gentleman. Walter Firebrace thought he had never seen her looking so lovely, as she then appeared in her tea-gown of orange colour, and he was madly jealous of the strange tall gentleman with the fierce black eyes, and the big black moustache, that swept round almost to his ears. " Doesn't he look a beast ? " he murmured in Will Malleson's ear. " How much better," said the gentleman, laying his hand on the open atlas, " the Germans do these things than we — or the French."

And he pointed with his thumb at the map on the wall. "I wouldn't admit that," said Walter half aloud " even if it were true." The strange gentleman turned to the boy with an indulgent smile, then glanced at Miss Malleson as if he would say, " Who is this ? " Aunt Topsy smiled, and answered the look with, " If there ever was an English patriot, Captain, it's my young friend, Walter Firebrace. Come here, Walter, you foolish boy, and be introduced to Captain Betterton." Walter did not like being called a boy, but he went and was introduced. " And you too, Will," said Aunt Topsy. " This is my nephew Will Malleson, Captain Betterton.' " Are you ? " asked Will simply, with delight and admiration sparkling in his eye, " the Captain Betterton that walked through Afghanistan and across into Thibet?"

" I am that same person," answered Captain Betterton, smiling. " Then," said Will, " I know all about you." " ' Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings ' " said the Captain to Miss Malleson. " To be known to schoolboys is fame indeed ! " " My nephew," laughed Aunt Topsy, " is a geographical scholar, and neither he nor his friend Walter will thank you for calling them ' babes and sucklings.' Indeed, I'm sure they feel very grown up, and Walter Firebrace hopes to be a cavalry officer in a year or two." The two boys blushed very red, for schoolboys do not like chaff from those who are grown up. " I beg their pardon," said the Captain. " I should have remembered what I felt when I was a schoolboy myself. Any relation," he asked suddenly, laying his hand on Walter's shoulder, " of Colonel Firebrace of the Bengal Lancers ?

" " He's my father, sir," answered Walter. " Then, sir," said the Captain, slapping his hand with emphasis on the boy's shoulder, " I con gratulate the son of one of the finest officers and best comrades in the Indian army." At that Walter blushed with delight, and began to look with admiration on the dark-haired, fierce-eyed soldier. " Tea is ready," said the lady companion. " Very well, Miss Tubbs," said Miss Malleson ; " we'll sit down." And so they all sat down very sociably together. When he had swallowed a cup oftea, Captain Betterton rose and went to the big French map pinned to the wall. " I wouldn't trust that map," said he, flicking it contemptuously, " except on their own ground. The French are so fond of filling in a map from hearsay or from imagination. It looks pretty and complete, but it leads astray, and may lead to the death of brave men.

There, sir, I agree with you," he continued, turning to Walter, " English maps are good and honest. They don't lie or mislead. If we don't know what there is in a bit of country, we don't mind leaving it bare in our maps. But," said he, turning again to Miss Malleson, " we must take a good map with us. And, I think, the best way, after all, will be to pass through French territory ; it will take less time than going by way of Mogador ; besides that, if we tried by Mogador, we might not be allowed to pass farther than Morocco city. Over land to Marseilles, seventy hours' steam from Marseilles to Oran in Algeria, rail again from Oran south to the edge of the Desert, I think as far as the Shott El Gharb, and at any rate as far as El Ghor, and then march south-west along the base of the Atlas Mountains — that, it seems to me, is the way for us !

" The two boys looked at each other with shining eyes. There was no mistaking the Captain's meaning. He was beforehand with them ! He was going to find and rescue " Uncle Tom," and was evidently making his arrangements, without any thought of them or their proposals ! And what was Aunt Topsy going to do? She rose and went also to the French map. She looked for and found the point on the border of Algeria to which the railway from Oran probably extended, and with the span of her fingers measured from there to where Teluet might be supposed to be ; and then with her fingers she again spanned the distance from Mogador to that place. " We'd have a much longer march," said she, " going by Algeria." " Not so very much longer," said Captain Betterton ; " and think of the time saved before we begin the march."

Again the boys exchanged sharp glances. " We " — always we ! Did that — could that — mean that Aunt Topsy was going too ? " And it would be through an unknown country," said Aunt Topsy, tracing with her finger the imaginary route from the Algerian border to Teluet. " Unknown to us," said Captain Betterton, " but not to the French, who, you may be sure, have made themselves respected. And then there must be trade routes that way to Algeria ; and where an Arab caravan or a French army can oass we can pass. From my experience of these things that's my opinion." " Oh, I know nothing of it myself," said Aunt Topsy, returning to the tea table, " and I have no doubt you are quite right." Then as she sat down again a more serious — an anxious — expression came on her face and into her tone, and she said, " But for any sake, Captain Betterton, let us make haste, and let us choose the route that will take us there quickest.

I have waited and put off too long. It's nine months since I heard from Tom, and more than six since we heard of the French fighting El Madani ! " " My dear Miss Malleson," said the Captain, " nothing will be gained by haste. Festina lente is my motto ; you fellows can construe that." " Make haste slowly" answered Will promptly. " We must neglect no necessary preparation," continued the Captain, " and that takes time. I don't think we can be ready before to-morrow night, but we may manage to catch the night mail to Paris." Oh," laughed Miss Malleson, " I thought you would need a week or a fortnight at least." " Oh no," answered the Captain ; " I'm not a Moor." " But I doubt if I can be ready till the day after to-morrow myself," said Miss Malleson. " Oh yes you can," said the Captain confidently, " I'll help you."

Miss Tubbs had the teapot in her hand. She paused with it in the air, and looked in amaze ment on the young lady. " Do you mean to say, my dear," she demanded, " that you are going ? " " Of course I am ! " answered Miss Malleson. " What ? Riding over the Desert on camels ? to die of thirst ? or to be killed by cannibals ? " " I'm not afraid of either camels or cannibals ; and I'm going, Miss Tubbs. That's settled beyond argument." " Then," said Miss Tubbs emphatically, setting down the teapot, " I'll go, too ! " The Captain stretched out his legs and laughed. " You dear old thing ! " exclaimed Miss Malleson. " How can you go ? You've never been out of England ! You'd die of it ! " " I don't care ! " said Miss Tubbs, recklessly tugging at her cap-strings. " You sha'n't go without me ! What !

Go without a chaperon ? " The Captain laughed again, and Miss Malleson blushed. " I've arranged for that, my dear," said she. " Miss Strong is going with me." " Miss Strong ! Much good she'd be as a protection ! I'm going with you, if I should walk there ! " insisted Miss Tubbs. " Well, my dear," said Miss Malleson in a soothing voice, " we must talk about it." And so they went on with tea. Both the boys kept glancing at each other, and fidgeting in their chairs. A strong desire was growing to a head in each. At length, having finished his third piece of cake, Will spoke. " Aunt Topsy, can me and Walt go with you ? " " You and Walter, you foolish boy ? " cried Aunt Topsy. " Why should you go ? " " We can help you to find Uncle Tom," answered Will, while Walter, gathering up the last crumbs of his cake, murmured, " I suppose boys can do things sometimes as well as men with moustachios."

At that Captain Betterton roared with laughter, and Walter frowned and blushed, and added, "We wouldn't be any expense, Miss Malleson. I'm sure my Aunt Arabella will lend me fifty pounds if I ask her." " My dear boys," said the perplexed Miss Malleson, " it's not the expense ! But — oh, it's really too absurd ! " Then the tears came to Will's eyes. " I'm not much, I know, but Walter's nearly as old, and I should think as big, as Uncle Tom was when first he went to Morocco ! And I don't think it's fair, Aunt 'Topsy. We were arranging — Walter and me — to go and rescue Uncle Tom ourselves, and you're only a minute or two be fore us ! " " Oh, you were going to rescue Uncle Tom, were you ? This seems serious ! " And Aunt Topsy looked in perplexity to Captain Betterton. "My dear boys," said the Captain in a softer, kinder tone than he had yet used— and his fierce dark eye shone with a mild light — " this is very nice and brave of you ; but I assure you it's impossible !

It is indeed ! It's not play, our going to find your Uncle Tom ; it's very deadly earnest ! " Will wept, though he tried hard to subdue and swallow his emotion, but Walter looked upon his plate, very stern and resolute. "My dear Will," said Aunt Topsy, "what— what would your father say ? Now, now, don't cry, and I'll tell you what we'll do. Your father will be in presently to take you home ; we'll ask him if he'll let you go. Will that do ? " Will assented to that, and his aunt gave Captain Betterton a look which plainly meant, " I know his father will refuse." Then she and Captain Betterton resumed their talk about preparations, in the midst of which Walter Fire brace found opportunity to murmur to his comrade, " Cheer up, young 'un ! " and Miss Tubbs, feeling doubtless that she and the boys were afflicted in the same cause, pressed upon them another piece of cake.

Presently there entered Mr. James Malleson, Will's father ; and the whole scheme of the ex pedition was set before him, because in his younger days he had travelled a good deal in Morocco — as readers of The White Kaid well know. He did not care to express an opinion about it. He answered the questions put to him : oh yes ; the delays by the Mogador route would certainly be great ; and, oh yes, it was extremely likely they would be stopped at Morocco City and turned back. For some reason the Sultan's officials had a great repugnance to giving strangers permission to penetrate the wild fast nesses of the Atlas Mountains ; and, certainly, the other (that by way of Algeria) would prove a quicker, but probably a more dangerous route. " But," he broke out at length — and the bright, fierce eye of Captain Betterton was considering him all the time — "it appears to me an absurd business altogether !