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Only once had I seen the venerable Hassan of Aleppo a stately, gentle old man; but I knew that the velvet eyes could blaze into a passionate fury that seemed to scorch whom it fell upon. I knew that the saintly Hassan was Sheikh of the Hashishin. And familiarity with that dreadful organization had by no means bred contempt.
These had been placed in position with much secrecy after dusk, and the man on duty at the gate stood with his back to the wall. No one could approach him except from the front. My thoughts took a new turn. Was the girl with the violet eyes an ally of the Hashishin?
I knew after first glance that this was one of the horrible dwarfs employed by the Hashishin in their murderous business. It might even be the one who had killed Deeping; but this was impossible to determine by reason of the fact that the hideous, swollen head, together with the features, was completely crushed. I shall not describe the creature's appearance in further detail.
That he was laying some trap for the Hashishin was sufficiently evident, and whilst I could not justly suspect him of making a pawn of me I was quite unable to find any other explanation of this latest move. I was torn between conflicting doubts. I glanced at my watch. Yes! There was just time for me to revisit the bank ere joining Bristol at my chambers! I hesitated.
I nodded and said no more, for in truth I had no more to say. That the Hashishin had some means of communicating with me at the Astoria was evident from the contents of the note which I had received, and as I walked in the direction of the hotel my mind was filled with all sorts of misgivings. I was playing with fire! Had I done rightly or should I have acted otherwise? I sighed wearily.
"Surrounding this house at the present moment," I continued, "are members of an Eastern organization the Hashishin, founded in Khorassan in the eleventh century and flourishing to-day!" "Do you mean it, Cavanagh?" "I do!
That the Hashishin were aware that I, though its legal trustee, no longer had charge of the relic nor knowledge of its resting-place, was sufficiently evident from the immunity which I enjoyed at this time from that ceaseless haunting by members of the uncanny organization ruled by Hassan.
It's always possible for a man to baffle the police by remaining closely within doors, but during all the time that has elapsed Dexter must have taken a little exercise occasionally, and the missing hand should have betrayed him." "The wonder to me is," I replied, "that he has escaped death at the hands of the Hashishin.
Having reclosed the door, he turned and leaned in through the open window. "Evidently you are not concerned, Mr. Cavanagh," he said. "Be warned. Do not interfere with those that are!" The night swallowed him up. My fears had been justified; the man was one of the Hashishin a spy of Hassan of Aleppo! What did it mean? I craned from the window, searching the platform right and left.
"Merciful God!" whispered the inspector "look at the opal ring on the finger! Look at the bandage where he cut himself on the broken window-glass that first night, when Mr. Mostyn disturbed him. It wasn't the Hashishin who stole the thing.... It's Earl Dexter's hand!" No one spoke for a moment. Then "Which of them has " began Mostyn huskily. "The slipper of the Prophet?" interrupted Bristol.
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