CHAPTER V--IN THE CEMETERY
When Pera was swept by fire but one thing in the burned portion remainedpractically unchanged. It was an old cemetery. It is there to-day, inthe midst of the city of modern buildings, and this cemetery was thespot chosen by Aziz Achmet for the duel.
To this old graveyard in the dusky light of morning came three persons.One was an old man, haggard and pallid; the others were boys. The boyseach carried a basket carefully covered by a cloth.
Professor Gunn had scarcely closed his eyes in sleep that night. Hetried to sleep, but his "medicine" ran out, and without its soothinginfluence he wooed slumber in vain. During the greater part of the nighthe had walked the floor of his room or sat writing at a little table.
Beneath the dismal cypress trees which filled the cemetery it was stillquite dark.
"Boys," whispered the professor, as they paused on the point ofentering, "can you see anything of them?"
"Can't see much of anything," answered Dick, "only what looks like a lotof drunken ghosts."
In truth the graveyard seemed filled with reeling, ghostly forms, but,on closer inspection, these were found to be tombstones. The humanappearance of these lurching stones was explained on closer examination,for it is the custom of the Turks to carve the stone above the grave ofevery man so that its top is crowned either with a turban or a fez. Seenin a dim light, the tilted stones looked remarkably like staggeringhuman forms, robed in white.
"Boo!" muttered Buckhart, shrugging his broad shoulders. "This sure is aspooky old place."
Both boys heard a sudden sound like rattling dice. They discovered itcame from the professor, whose teeth were chattering loudly.
"Keep a stiff backbone, professor," advised Dick. "It will all be overin a short time."
"Ye-yes," faltered Zenas, "it will all bub-bub-be over fuf-fuf-for me.Richard, I fuf-fuf-feel that I am gug-gug-going to fuf-fuf-fall."
"Nonsense! Why, you were bold as a lion last night when Achmet called."
"Bub-bub-but that was lul-lul-last nun-nun-night," chattered the shakingold fellow. "Besides, I had tut-tut-taken some tut-tut-tonic. I wush Iha-ha-had sus-sus-some nun-nun-now."
"It sure is a shame you ran out of tonic," said Brad. "But you won't beany good whatever unless you get a brace on. You've got to fight Fittsnow."
"Yes, you'll have to give him fits," said Dick, making a poor pun. "Youcan't back out without being branded as a coward, after which you'dnever again dare look at your own reflection in a mirror."
"I know it," sighed Zenas; "but I was a fool to be so bub-brave lastnight! That woman is responsible for it all! If I dud-dud-die, my bloodwill be on her head!"
"But you're not going to fall," declared Buckhart.
They finally succeeded in leading him into the gloom of the cemetery,and he seemed greatly relieved when they ascertained beyond doubt thatMajor Fitts and his second had not arrived.
"Perhaps they won't come at all," said the old pedagogue eagerly.
"Perhaps not," agreed Dick; "but I wouldn't count on that, for I believeAchmet will bring the major."
But the professor was hopeful as well as anxious. He watched the graylight of morning sifting through the cypress branches and bringing outthe ghostly tombstones with more and more distinctness. Then he began tofear.
"I--I think there is no doubt about it," he said, at last. "He is notcoming, boys. He's a bluffer. He tried to bluff me, but he failed."
Having arrived at this conclusion, he rapidly grew indignant.
"This thing is outrageous!" he blustered--"outrageous, I say! Why, thecraven little whipper-snapper! Just think of it, he hasn't the courageto come here like a man and meet me in mortal combat! He is acoward--that's what he is, a coward! A fire eater, indeed! Bah! The nexttime I meet him, I shall tweak his nose! Yes, sir, tweak it!"
In the dim, gray light Dick and Brad exchanged glances. Neither laughed,but both felt like it.
"I'm tired of waiting," declared Zenas. "The time is past. He isn'tcoming, and we may as well return to the hotel."
"I think we had better wait a little longer," urged Dick.
"But what's the use. It's morning now, and that craven from Mississippiis not on hand. I'll warrant he is hiding beneath his bed this veryminute."
"I opine you're mistaken, professor," said Brad dryly. "If I ain't aheap mistaken, here he comes now."
"Where?" gasped Zenas.
"There," said the Texan, motioning toward three dim figures which wereentering the cemetery and approaching. "I reckon it's Major Fitts,accompanied by two friends."
"Oh, Lordy!" groaned the professor, growing limp and leaning on Dick'sshoulder, all the bluster taken out of him in a second.
Once more Merriwell urged the old pedagogue to brace up.
"Don't let him see you're afraid," he urged. "Do stiffen up, professor!"
"Richard," groaned Zenas, "I had a premonition that my time had come.Here, Richard, take these papers. One is my last will and testament. Theother is a fond adieu to my wife. Poor Nancy! how I pity her! She'llnever see me again! Tell her how I perished, Richard. Perhaps sometime--when I'm gone--you may think--of me. It is a fearful thing--toperish--in a foreign land--far from--the loved ones--at home."
The old man choked and could speak no more.
The three persons were now quite near, and by the dim light the boyscould recognize the short figure of Major Fitts. Aziz Achmet had themajor by the arm and seemed talking to him earnestly in low tones. Thethird man carried a small hand case, and seemed like a surgeon.
Fitts and the surgeon stopped a short distance away, while Achmetadvanced swiftly, with his usual soft step.
"I see you are here, gentlemen," he said.
"We are," returned Dick; "but we began to think you were not coming.Professor Gunn is anxious to have this affair over in order that he maytake a bath before breakfast."
"A bath!" said the Turk. "Before breakfast?"
"Yes; he always has his morning shower or sponge."
"But he may not need one this morning."
"I reckon he will," muttered Buckhart, to himself. "If Fitts' aim is anygood, the professor sure will need one a heap."
"Major Fitts," said Achmet, "is inclined to be magnanimous."
"Indeed?" said Dick questioningly.
"Yes; he wishes me to say that he has no real desire to slay one of hisown countrymen."
"Kind of him!"
"And, therefore, if Professor Gunn will apologize, he will overlook theinsult and spare him."
"I--I think I had better do it, Richard!" whispered Zenas.
"Mr. Achmet," said Dick stiffly, "you will kindly inform Major Fittsthat he has quite misunderstood the situation. Tell him that unless heimmediately apologizes in the most humble manner Professor Gunn insiststhat the affair be carried through to the bitter end."
"To the bitter end!" put in Buckhart. "That's the stuff!"
The Turk bowed.
"Then there is nothing else to be done but to arrange the preliminaries.I will speak to the major a moment."
As soon as Achmet's back was turned the professor seized Dick and almostsobbed in his ear:
"Richard, Richard, why did you do it? My blood will be on your head!"
"Hush!" returned Dick. "Don't you see the major is frightened worse thanyou are? Achmet has dragged him here, and he's ready to take to hisheels and run for his life."
"Wh-what?" gasped Zenas, straightening up as if electrified. "Are yousure?"
"No question about it. Achmet is having a difficult time to hold himnow."
It was a fact that Mowbry Fitts was very much disturbed. He protestedthat there might be a mutual understanding through which the affaircould be dropped. All the way to the cemetery he had hoped that theprofessor would not be there and would fail to appear. He now declaredthat Achmet was responsible for the whole wretched affair.
"It is a shame that two highly intelligent men, two eminentlyrespectable citizens of a great and glorious country, should m
eet here,suh, in this wretched old cemetery, suh, and slaughter each other incold blood," he said.
Achmet shrugged his shoulders.
"I am quite surprised in you," he declared. "I thought you a brave man.The other American is waiting and anxious. If you show the white feathernow, you will be branded the rest of your life as a coward."
At last the major seemed to brace up. He announced that he was ready forthe worst.
By this time it had grown quite light outside, although there were stilldeep shadows in the cemetery.
Again Achmet turned to the professor and the boys.
"We are ready," he said. "Where are the weapons?"
The surgeon was kneeling on the ground, having opened his case. He waslaying out his instruments on a white cloth.
"If you are ready, we are," said Dick. "The weapons are in thesebaskets. You may select either basket you choose. Let the major removehis coat in order that his arms may be free and unhampered. Professor,strip."
Smothering a groan, Zenas permitted Brad to assist him in removing hiscoat. Major Fitts also took his coat off.
Achmet hesitated when invited to choose one of the baskets. He feared atrick and inquired if the weapons in one basket were identical withthose in the other. Dick assured him that there was not the slightestdifference.
"I selected them myself with the greatest care," asserted the boy. "Theyare good and strong."
"And rank," muttered Buckhart softly.
"Let the major and the professor stand ten paces apart," said Dick. "Atthat distance, they should be able to hit each other once in threeshots, at least. Let them begin firing at the word and continue untilone or the other falls, cries enough, or the ammunition is exhausted.Brad, pace the distance."
Buckhart did so promptly, but his paces were very short. He made a markwith his heel for Zenas and another to indicate the position of themajor.
In the meantime Achmet had selected one of the baskets and carried it tothe point where his principal was to stand. Dick placed the other nearthe spot marked for the professor. Neither of the duelists knew the sortof weapons decided on, and both watched with great anxiety theuncovering of the baskets.
Taking note of Achmet's movements, Dick removed the cloth from theprofessor's basket at the same moment that the Turk lifted the coveringof the other basket.
Both baskets were filled with eggs!
"Eggs?" gasped Fitts.
"Eggs?" breathed Gunn.
"Eggs-actly," chuckled Brad Buckhart.
"Why, I--I don't understand!" faltered the professor.
"What does this mean, gentlemen?" demanded the major. "Will yo' kindlyexplain it?"
"Having the choice of weapons," said Dick, "I decided on eggs, good andrank. Here they are. Only fools fight duels over trivial things withdeadly weapons. With these eggs you cannot kill each other, but you cansoak each other to your hearts' content and thus satisfy your woundedhonor."
"But, suh, I never heard of such a thing, suh!" exploded Fitts. "It isridiculous!"
"All right," returned Dick. "If you object, I have brought these."
He produced two huge pistols.
"One," continued Dick, "is loaded. The other is not. You shall toss forchoice. Then you shall stand at arm's length, place the pistols againsteach other's breast, and pull the triggers at the word. A moment laterone of you will be a dead man, while the other will be unharmed. Doesthat suit you better, major?"
"It's unusual--decidedly unusual, suh! No, suh, it does not suit me atall, suh! I prefer the eggs."
"Good!" whispered Zenas. "So do I!"
"Then take your positions, gentlemen," ordered Dick.
Aziz Achmet threw up his hands, shaking his head in a baffled manner.
"Oh, these Americans, these Americans!" he muttered, retreating. "I hadhoped they might destroy each other, which would save me further troublewith them. Now they are going to fight a duel with rotten eggs! Pah!"
The surgeon hastily threw his instruments into the case, which he closedand picked up, also retreating to get out of probable danger of beinghit by one of those eggs.
The professor and the major got ready for action. Each picked up as manyeggs as he could hold in his left hand and took one in his right.
"Are you ready, gentlemen?" asked Dick, also backing off a little, anexample followed by Brad.
"Ready!" answered both.
"Then--fire!"
Whizz! Spat!
The major missed, but the professor's aim was accurate, and he struckFitts fairly in the centre of his white shirt bosom. The man fromMississippi staggered and clapped his hand to his nose.
"Oh, whew! Oh, murder!" he gasped. "That was not an egg! If it was itwas laid two thousand years ago!"
Whizz!--another one flew past the major's ear. This aroused him, and hegot into action once more. Eggs flew through the air with increasingrapidity. While stooping to get a fresh supply of ammunition from hisbasket, Zenas was struck fairly on top of his bald head. The yellow massspattered in all directions.
A strong odor filled the air, reaching the nostrils of both Dick andBrad, who were laughing heartily.
"Great horn spoon!" gurgled the Texan. "For a duel this sure beats! Lookat 'em, pard! The professor got it in the neck that time! There--he hitthe major! They'll be sights in a minute!"
Dick was laughing in his old, rollicking way.
"Oh, ha, ha, ha! Go it, professor! Soak him! That's the way! Ha, ha,ha!"
Never had that grim and gloomy cemetery resounded with such shouts ofmerriment.
"Oh, I'll fix him!" cried Zenas. "I'll teach him a lesson! I'll teachhim to challenge me! I'll---- Murder! I'm blinded!"
In truth he had been struck fairly between the eyes, and the mass thatspattered over his face completely blinded him.
"Teach me, will yo', suh?" triumphantly shouted the major. "Oh, I don'tknow!"
Dick was gasping for breath.
"Brad, it's t-too much!" he laughed, holding onto his sides. "Ha, ha,ha! It's too much!"
Professor Gunn wiped his sleeve across his eyes. Then he tried the othersleeve and succeeded in clearing them.
"Have yo' got enough, suh?" demanded the major. "Cry quits, suh, if yo'have."
"Never--never while I live!" grated Zenas.
"Then I'll have to finish yo', suh. I offered yo'----"
He said no more, for at that instant an egg thrown with all the forceZenas Gunn could command struck him full and fair in the mouth.
The little man went down as if shot.
"Whee!" shrilled the professor. "Got him then!"
Fitts kicked and floundered and then rolled over on his stomach, liftinghimself to his hands and knees. The sounds he emitted were trying onthose who heard him.
At this juncture two ladies suddenly appeared on the scene, havingapproached during the excitement without being observed. They were SarahAnn Ketchum and an Englishwoman whom she had found in the hotel andinduced to accompany her to the scene of the duel.
Major Fitts had written her a passionate note of farewell, telling herabout the duel, where it was to be fought and when. This he hadintrusted to a servant to be delivered that morning. The servant had notwaited for Miss Ketchum to rise, but had rapped at her door until shegot up and received the message. When she comprehended its contents shelost not a moment in dressing and getting the other woman to accompanyher to the scene of the "deadly" meeting.
When she saw Major Fitts on his hands and knees, giving utterance tothose distressing and terrible sounds, she shrieked and ran forward.
"Oh, heavens!" she cried. "He is slain! He is wounded unto death! He isdying! Hear him gurgle, and groan, and gasp for breath! It is a horribletragedy!"
"Great horn spoon!" exclaimed Buckhart. "Sarah Ann is on deck, pard."
"She has arrived too late to prevent the fearful deed," said Dick.
The lady from Boston saw Professor Gunn. She shook her clenched hands athim and screamed:
"You murderer! You have killed th
e poor major! You have slain the idolof my heart!"
"Great Caesar!" gasped Zenas. "So she acknowledged that human wart asthe idol of her heart! Well, she may take her idol, eggs and all!"
Sarah Ann fell on her knees beside the major, clasping him in her arms.
"Poor, poor hero!" she sobbed. "Tell me where you are wounded."
"Fo' the love of goodness, go 'way!" gurgled Fitts thickly.
"What is this horrid odor?" she exclaimed chokingly. "It is frightful!"
"Turkish cemeteries always smell that way, madam," huskily declared themajor. "Please go 'way! Please let me die in peace!"
"Never! I will remain by you until the last! I will---- But I can'tendure this terrible odor! I'm growing faint! And what is this stickysubstance all over your clothes?"
"That's blood--pure blood."
She held up her hands. The light was now sufficient for her to see.
"But it's not red--it's yellow!"
"That's the color of my blood, madam. I've had yellow fever. Do go'way!"
"But it smells--it smells---- Why, it's everywhere! It's on the ground!"
"I've shed gallons of it already. I beg yo' to leave me!"
"And those brutes are permitting you to bleed to death! What monsters!"
She began to grow hysterical. The language she applied to the professormade him wince. It also aroused his resentment. When she repeatedlycalled him a murderer he finally decided that the limit had beenreached. Prancing over to her, he shrilly cried:
"Madam, you are needlessly wasting your sympathy on that little runt.He's not seriously harmed, I assure you. We did fight a duel, and I amthe victor; but we did not engage with deadly weapons, and Major Fittsis not dying."
"Not dying? Did not use deadly weapons? Why--why, what did you use?"
"Eggs, madam--rotten eggs; and I am proud to say that I pasted him withthem in a most scientific manner."
"Eggs?" screamed Miss Ketchum, springing up and looking at her besmearedhands. "Rotten eggs? Then this is not his blood!"
"Hardly," assured Zenas.
"Oh, horrible! Disgusting! It is perfectly shameful and outrageous! Lookat my hands! Look at my waist! And the smell! I'm going to faint! Catchme!"
"Not on your life!" exclaimed Gunn, backing off. "I've learned my littlebook."
She did not faint. Instead, she stiffened up like a ramrod and denouncedboth the duelists in scathing and scornful terms. Once more she declaredthat both were fools, and finally she fled, accompanied by theEnglishwoman.