The Hidden Treasure
out of his hands by his enemy, the ex-vizier, who no sooner
heard vague rumours of our quest that were floating about
the bazaars, than he accused the lad of the theft of a jewel box
and had him clapped into jail. The jewel box appears to
have been stolen in fact: Hasan declared they were his things,
the first product of the treasure cave, which had been given
to the vizier for safe keeping, and which he refused to give
up. The accusation of theft at any rate could not be sub-
stantiated, but was sufficient, combined with a good deal of
influence to back it, to ensure Hasan's retention in Baghdad.
M. heard the news two days after my departure, instantly
bestirred himself, and succeeded in getting bail for Hasan.
Meanwhile, however, I was beyond reach of recall: Hasan
could not leave the town: and all that could be done was
to send a cousin of his after me with a letter, which I never
received since the bearer was seized near the frontier by the
Persian police and imprisoned as an agitator.
The next event was the arrival of Hasan one morning in
M/s study in a state of great agitation. The vizier, he said,
had heard of my departure. Fearing that I might return
with die treasure, he had sent six men from among the
bazaar coolies, with orders to prevent it. Each coolie had
been given (or promised) 400 rupees—a flattering though
improbable price—with orders to spread themselves out
over the paths between Arkwaz and Zurbatiyah, the shortest
and most obvious way one would take for bringing back a
valuable load. In that completely uninhabited bit of country,
Hasan rightly thought that murder might be committed
without any chance of the criminal ever being discovered.
My fate seemed definitely settled unless I chose to come
back by some other way.
In spite of this awful conviction, M. could do nothing
about it. No news could now reach me in time, and the
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