in its blackness.
Zaidos crawled to the door and, flat on the floor, put his head out the
opening into the street. All was quiet. The sentry marched up and
down the long block with the dragging slowness of a weary man. The
mountaineer had escaped!

Somewhere a clock struck eleven booming strokes. Zaidos could not
believe that it was so early, but immediately another faint chime
verified the first. Here and there in the room heavy snoring or
muttered words sounded. There were no guards in the room as the door
was locked.

Eleven o'clock! Five hours before daylight. A daring thought flashed
into Zaidos' head. He knelt and once more leaned through the opening
of the door. He thanked his schoolboy leanness. There _was_ enough
space! He waited until the sentry's heavy footfall dragged to the end
of the block; then with a struggle he twisted through the door and
stood in the open, deserted street.

In the years of his absence he had forgotten the city, but he
remembered the general directions, and only yesterday he had seen in
the distance the gleaming white marble walls of his home standing on
the beautiful headland overlooking the blue waters of the bay. He
heard the sentry approaching and, trusting to instinct, turned into the
nearest street and hurried away.

It seemed to Zaidos that the journey was endless, yet he went like the
wind. He found himself searching the east for dawn. His instinct did
for him what sight and reason would have failed to do. In daylight he
would have been lost, but in that black darkness he kept his course,
and finally the great white building where his fathers for generations
had lived loomed mysteriously before him. He hurried up the broad
stairs and besieged the massive doors with heavy blows. A startled
footman opened it, and with a curt word Zaidos entered and demanded his
father. The man bowed and led him up to a closed door. Here he
knocked softly and a stout old woman answered. She looked hard at the
young man in uniform, then with a little cry clasped him in a warm
embrace. It was his old nurse.

"Ah," she cried, "God has answered my prayers! You are in time!"

A chill of apprehension swept over the boy. "Is he so ill?" he asked.

"He has waited for you," she answered. "I told him you would come. I
knew it. He has been dying for many days, but he would not go until he
saw you."

"Let me come," said Zaidos. He dashed past the old woman, the nurses
a