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'I mean, young man, that thou hast killed me. I have fallen

on a sharp stone; its point has entered my skull.

See! examine.' Alnusur did so, and to his horror perceived the unfortunate man's head covered over with blood, which he found impossible to staunch. Alnusur's dejection at perceiving the miserable state of Ismael, the work of his hand, kept him for some moments silent, until he began to reflect should the Jew die before he learned the means of escape from the cavern, his own demise must be the consequence. Perceiving the Jew's breath growing shorter and shorter, therefore, he besought him to forgive him for being the innocent cause of his death, and explained to him how his anxiety to prevent the closing of the portal by inserting his pole had occasioned his coming in contact with him, towards whom he entertained no evil intentions.

Ismael stretched forth his hand in token of forgiveness, saying: 'Young man, it was my own wilful neglect, my own disobedience to the rules in the "Book of Knowledge," which has brought me to such an end; you are but the tool in the hand of fate, which has too successfully employed you. Fly this place, and, without the "Book of Knowledge" in your possession, enter it no more. The entrance is easy, but the exit difficult.'

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Explain, good Ismael,' said Alnusur, 'by what means I may escape. Instruct me for your own sake, for the air may revive you; you will recover.'

'As you please,' said the resigned Ismael. 'Raise me, then, and when arrived at the top stair press hard the seventh knob on the brass plate; press it thirteen times, and it will then become loose, and fall into your hand; take this my small round staff,

insert it in the place occupied by the brass knob; it will fit exactly; press hard upwards; give the first, the fourth, and the tenth knobs one turn to the right, and the large ebony knob on your left hand two turns to the left; press hard with the round staff, and theHe could say no more; life was fast ebbing, and he sank exhausted with the fatigue of speaking. Alnusur raised the almost lifeless body, and ascended the stairs. So long was the operation of unscrewing the knobs, and so agitated had he become, fearing the Jew should die, or himself err in his attempt to move the portal, that it was with considerable difficulty he could support the helpless Ismael on the rough and narrow stairs, and expected to see him once more roll down into the cavern.

To the joy of Alnusur the ponderous statue gradually yielded to his pressure; he replaced the brass knob, and, bearing in his arms the poor Jew, in safety quitted the treasury. To close the aperture he resorted to the means he had witnessed Ismael practise on the preceding day, viz. by pressing the toe of the left foot of the statue; and, to his pleasure, all succeeded. How to recover the Jew was now his sole thought, and lifting him in his arms, once more he carried him into the open air. A refreshing sea-breeze was blowing at the time, from which he entertained hopes his patient would recover. The blood, however, continued to flow copiously, and the Jew was totally bereft of speech.

Alnusur fanned him, and opened his vest, that the breeze might refresh him; but all to no purpose; the Jew struggled convulsively, rolled frightfully his once shrewd and glistening eyes, now dimmed by the chill hand of death; essayed to speak, groaned,

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and died.

Alnusur gazed with horror on the corpse before him; he called himself his murderer, and cursed his unlucky stars which had conducted him to the treasure-chamber. The appearance of the serpent now rushed on his recollection.

'Oh fool that I was !' said he, 'not to have taken warning by that hideous sight. Oh! would that I had fled from the island for ever; then should I have escaped the bitter reflections I now endure.'

The twinges of conscience alone agitated not Alnusur; he feared lest he should be accused as the Jew's murderer; flight therefore suggested to him the only means of avoiding such an imputation; yet flight at every hour from Gharipoori was not to be reckoned upon. The boat in which Ismael had arrived was the only one to be procured. To show himself to the boatman and solicit a passage to Bombay would be madness. In the first place, the man would refuse, being hired by the Jew, for whom he was waiting; and secondly, it would only tend to raise a witness against himself, in the event of his being accused as the Jew's murderer.

To stand where he was, hanging over the corpse, undecided how to proceed, was highly impolitic, and Alnusur turned aside. As he did so he thought he perceived something glittering suspended to the deceased's neck. He returned, and upon examination discovered the exact counterpart of the key of the iron box, which he had so scrupulously withheld from the anxious Jew. Reflecting that now the box might easily become his own, Alnusur took the key from the neck of the Jew, deeming it wise to prevent anyone from reaping any advantage by possessing it, as well as

conceiving it prudent to have two keys, in case of losing or mislaying one.

On the Jew's person there was little else of value; and had there been, Alnusur would scrupulously have refrained from touching it. Possessed of the key, how to effect his escape and avoid all suspicion of having been accessory to the Jew's death now occupied Alnusur's agitated mind. He descended the hill; not a creature impeded his progress. He espied from a distance the boatman dozing at the stern of his boat, ignorant of all that had been going on at the cavern, and patiently sleeping away the time until his fare should return. Alnusur, guessing the man was not so drowsy or so far distant but that he could hear his voice, bellowed aloud to him, calling on him 'for the love of Allah to come up to the cavern, for that murder was about to be committed. Help, help, good boatman! haste, I pray thee, or death will be the consequence.'

The boatman, thus hailed, raised his head, stared wildly around him, and rushed from the boat, running wildly towards Alnusur, who, speedily descending by another path to the water's edge, leaped into the boat, handled the oars, and pushed off, leaving the boatman to manage with the dead Jew as well as he could.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE COPPERSMITH'S STORY (continued).

ALNUSUR could not determine whither to steer his boat.

Should he proceed to Bombay, he would be called on by the boatmen of the place to account for his being in possession of their fellowfisherman's boat, and this would be a clue to his apprehension. After much deliberation, therefore, he turned his boat towards the shores of the Maharatta country; and avoiding Panwell, where many boats were visible, he steered towards Salsette, until the river became narrow. He then leaped into the water, and swam ashore, leaving his boat to float where the tide chose to convey it. By a circuitous path he reached Panwell on foot, appearing as a traveller from the Deccan country. It so happened that no boats were at this moment ready to go to Bombay, the communication at this period between that island and the Maharatta country being very uncertain. After waiting two whole days, however, a boat laden with firewood sailed for Bombay, in which Alnusur obtained a passage.

As they passed the island of Gharipoori in their way the Tindal of the boat was surprised on beholding the landing-place of the island crowded with people, who hailed the boat most

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