The Tatars had arrived, swiftly and noiselessly, and a dozen of th. warriors, still mounted, were surrounding him.
His helpless condition aroused their curiosity, and while some of the. hastily cut away his bonds and raised him to his feet, other plied hi. with questions in their own language. Rob shook his head to indicat. that he could not understand; so they led him to the chief--an immense. bearded representative of the tribe of Kara-Khitai, the terrible an. relentless Black Tatars of Thibet. The huge frame of this fellow wa. clothed in flowing robes of cloth-of-gold, braided with jewels. and he sat majestically upon the back of a jet-black camel.
Under ordinary circumstances the stern features and flashing blac. eyes of this redoubtable warrior would have struck a chill of fear t. the boy's heart; but now under the influence of the crushin. misfortunes he had experienced, he was able to gaze with indifferenc. upon the terrible visage of the desert chief.
The Tatar seemed not to consider Rob an enemy. Instead, he looke. upon him as an ally, since the Turks had bound and robbed him.
Finding it impossible to converse with the chief, Rob took refuge i. the sign language. He turned his pockets wrong side out, showed th. red welts left upon his wrists by the tight cord, and then shook hi. fists angrily in the direction of the town.
In return the Tatar nodded gravely and issued an order to his men.
By this time the warriors were busily pitching tents before the wall. of Yarkand and making preparations for a formal siege. In obedienc. to the chieftain's orders, Rob was given a place within one of th. tents nearest the wall and supplied with a brace of brass-mounte. pistols and a dagger with a sharp, zigzag edge. These were evidentl. to assist the boy in fighting the Turks, and he was well pleased t. have them. His spirits rose considerably when he found he had falle. among friends, although most of his new comrades had such evil face. that it was unnecessary to put on the Character Markers to judge thei. natures with a fair degree of accuracy.
"I can't be very particular about the company I keep," he thought. "and this gang hasn't tried to murder me, as the rascally Turks did.
So for the present I'll stand in with the scowling chief and try t. get a shot at the thieves who robbed me. If our side wins I may get . chance to recover some of my property. It's a slim chance, of course. but it's the only hope I have left."That very evening an opportunity occurred for Rob to win glory in th. eyes of his new friends. Just before sundown the gates of the cit. flew open and a swarm of Turks, mounted upon fleet horses and camels. issued forth and fell upon their enemies. The Tatars, who did no. expect the sally, were scarcely able to form an opposing rank whe. they found themselves engaged in a hand-to-hand conflict, fightin. desperately for their lives. In such a battle, however, the Turk. were at a disadvantage, for the active Tatars slipped beneath thei. horses and disabled them, bringing both the animals and their rider. to the earth.
At the first onslaught Rob shot his pistol at a Turk and wounded hi. so severely that he fell from his horse. Instantly the boy seized th. bridle and sprang upon the steed's back, and the next moment he ha. dashed into the thickest part of the fray. Bullets and blows raine. upon him from all sides, but the Garment of Repulsion saved him from . single scratch.
When his pistols had been discharged he caught up the broken handle o. a spear, and used it as a club, galloping into the ranks of the Turk. and belaboring them as hard as he could. The Tatars cheered an. followed him, and the Turks were so amazed at his miraculous escap. from their bullets that they became terrified, thinking he bore . charmed life and was protected by unseen powers.
This terror helped turn the tide of battle, and before long the enem. was pressed back to the walls and retreated through the gates, whic. were hastily fastened behind them.
In order to prevent a repetition of this sally the Tatars at onc. invested the gates, so that if the Turks should open them they were a. likely to let their foes in as to oppose them.
While the tents were being moved up Rob had an opportunity to searc. the battlefield for the bodies of the three Turks who had robbed him. but they were not among the fallen.
"Those fellows were too cowardly to take part in a fair fight,"declared the boy; but he was much disappointed, nevertheless. as he felt very helpless without the electric tube or th. traveling machine.
The Tatar chief now called Rob to his tent and presented him with . beautiful ring set with a glowing pigeon's-blood ruby, i. acknowledgment of his services. This gift made the boy feel ver. proud, and he said to the chief:
"You're all right, old man, even if you do look like a pirate. If yo. can manage to capture that city, so I can get my electrical device. back, I'll consider you a trump as long as I live."The chief thought this speech was intended to express Rob's gratitude. so he bowed solemnly in return.
During the night that followed upon the first engagement of the Turk. and Tatars, the boy lay awake trying to devise some plan to captur. the city. The walls seemed too high and thick to be either scaled o. broken by the Tatars, who had no artillery whatever; and within th. walls lay all the fertile part of the oasis, giving the besieged . good supply of water and provisions, while the besiegers were oblige. to subsist on what water and food they had brought with them.
Just before dawn Rob left his tent and went out to look at the grea. wall. The stars gave plenty of light, but the boy was worried to fin. that, according to Eastern custom, no sentries or guards whatever ha. been posted and all the Tatars were slumbering soundly.
The city was likewise wrapped in profound silence, but just as Rob wa. turning away he saw a head project stealthily over the edge of th. wall before him, and recognized in the features one of the Turks wh. had robbed him.
